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Writing can be really dumb sometimes. Think about it. What am I doing
right now? Pretty dumb, right? Well, some might think so. But, if you're one of
the few people who don't think so, then god bless your kind heart.
By the way, there's another person that shares your optimism. And he's a
very important person-a writer, in fact. His name is Stephen King. Except it's
not really optimism for him, nor is it hope. He simply believes that he knows
how to see the situation from both perspectives. And when he finally got sick
and tired of people (community college English professors, 20-year old
self-proclaimed "well-read" undergrads, and of course, literary
critics, which actually include any goddamn person with a big book and a big
mouth) saying that writing was dumb, King presented his own opinion. He said
that although writing was sometimes dumb, it was also sometimes brilliant. King
believed that whenever writing was dumb, it wasn't any fault of the
"craft." Instead he blamed "bad writers."
To prove his point, King wrote On Writing, an informative book for
aspiring writers, specifically those "bad writers" whom he hoped he
could at least transform into "competent" ones. In On Writing,
King blends wit and humor with straightforward, friendly, painfully honest
advice. This writer's manual begins with an extremely brief, though revealing
story of King's life, with an emphasis on his experience in the field of writing
and publishing. He personalizes this by citing a large handful of examples
ranging from his first rejection slip from a potential publisher to his first
published novel, Carrie, and the road to renown that followed.
Many of the ideas and guidance that King offers may seem a bit too
strong-minded at first, but he forewarns the reader to simply take it all with a
grain of salt. Among some of his statements were the pessimistic, though
realistic, convictions that there are four levels of writers (bad, competent,
good, and great); that this hierarchy is structured more as a pyramid with the
majority of "writers" being bad ones; that practically no one since
the authors of "the classics" has achieved the status of
"great" writer; and that even amid the minority of people who are
deemed "good" writers, very few are ever published. Although his
words might crush the dreams of some aspiring writer, in a way, that's exactly
what King wants. He believes that it's necessary to dispel any fantasies an
upcoming writer has about being able to sustain and support a family on writing
alone because, he says, that it is almost never the case.
Apart from the slap of reality King administers, he also spends plenty of
time talking about specific things that one needs in order to be a writer. He
calls this list of essentials a writer's "toolbox." In describing
this preferred analogy, King makes a hilarious reference to his past, as well as
explains how each "tool" (vocabulary, grammar, spelling, etc.)
functions and helps contribute to the creation of high-quality writing. He also
takes it a step further by letting the reader know where to get some tools of
her own. No, it's not the hardware store, but instead, the local library or
bookstore. And with this, King once again reinforces the mantra of his entire
book: reading is key in being able to write well. King pairs this information
with another dose of hard advice: "If you don't have the time to read, you
don't have the time or tools to write."
I definitely recommend reading this book for absolutely any aspiring
writers, whether they're an 11-year old girl who just finished the Harry Potter
series and now wants to recreate that magic; or a high school sophomore who has
just read his first "classic" and now feels that it his moral
obligation to write something more fun to read; or perhaps a stay-at-home mom
who has just discovered that her children would make brilliant villains in a
murder mystery; or maybe even a retired, friendless, bored old man that isn't
quite ready to pass on yet without leaving his legacy. Basically what I'm
trying to get at is that, regardless of who you are, I guarantee that On
Writing will be both comical and insulting, yet still an overall enjoyable
read.
In addition, the book is easy to navigate, containing three informative and
funny forewords, one brief introduction, the main section entitled "On
Writing," a heartwarming and enlightening conclusion entitled "On
Living," and two postscripts containing a writing exercise and a booklist.
But without ruining any more of the contents of this wonderful writing manual, I
will end by saying that this book, more than any other I have read (and I've
read plenty), has explained to me exactly what it takes to become a writer.
It's been both daunting and encouraging, but so is nearly any other endeavor
worth pursuing.
I'm aware that writing is oftentimes dumb, especially mine. But Mr. King's
book has motivated me to change that. Because although writing can be dumb, it
can also be brilliant.
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