These 3 Stephen King Advice Shine Brighter Than Diamonds
Don’t miss these 3 priceless writing tips for writers!
“Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position. -Stephen King”
Writing the first draft is usually the hardest part of writing and the easiest part of giving up. Is the inspiration good enough? Are words and paragraphs well-blenched? And there are the conclusion and edits. After that, there is a submission process. You can get rejected by editors. The whole process can make you easily frustrated and convince you to give up. But you know what? You shouldn’t, especially at those times. After all, Stephen King, who sold millions of copies, can’t be wrong, right?
However, he didn’t sell all the copies in just one night. Even though he got rejected over and over again early in his career, he persisted in writing with a passion. Then, he started to get attention and gained recognition. As a result of this, he glowed like a gem.
Luckily, he loves sharing his experiences and advice through his book, On Writing, and interviews. Here are some inspiring ones:
- Avoid the passive voice and adverbs.
He suggests that you need to question adverbs’ presence, and if they are not essential, you can remove them in the rewriting process. You can prefer an active sentence rather than a passive one to avoid making the meaning vague.
2. Avoid distractions.
Writing can be overwhelming, so it is okay to take a break. But, eliminate distractions such as TV and video games when you are typing your story. As you get inspired, those distractions will not work in your favor.
3. Don’t be obsessed with genres and perfect grammar.
You don’t have to write about one particular genre, he says. So, don’t be afraid to try other genres, but stick to your own writing style. Also, you shouldn’t worry about your grammar at first. Besides, that’s what editing is for, right? You will probably detect most of your mistakes after a few readings.
Added bonus
According to Stephen King, reading a lot and writing a lot are the keys to being a better writer. He says that writing and reading are interconnected. If you want to write, you need to read as well.
In Conclusion
It is sometimes hard to write that first draft. However, there are various tips to make the writing process easier. Some of them from Stephen King are avoiding passive words, adverbs, and distractions. Also, you shouldn’t get stuck on genres. Instead of this, you can look for something that moves your soul. Don’t strive for perfection in the first draft as well. You can edit it later.
Typing can put pressure on a writer. But we shouldn’t forget that pressure makes diamonds. Since this is a platform for writers and readers, and you are reading this, you are probably someone who loves writing. You should know that you are one of those diamonds. Keep going! Without a doubt, your glorious worth will shine.
You may also like my other stories, such as
my first curated story
my anxiety-related story
my happiness-related story
