The last portion of On Writing covers two main topics: King’s post first draft actions and King’s tragic accident in 1999. After the unassisted creation of a first draft, Stephen King has a well-defined revision procedure that he abides by. King doesn’t recommend letting close friends or family members read this draft unless one can be certain that the friends or family members will not discuss the novel unless the author is ready. I think this is a very practical piece of advice because I tend to take constructive criticism from those close to me too personally, and I think that if I were to ever write a novel, I would get too discouraged to continue editing the piece. King recommends a 6 week vacation period in a drawer for the first draft of a book, but after that, a “two drafts and a polish” approach to the revision process, and the formula he follows is 2nd draft=1st draft-10%. This is to prevent the story from becoming too “PUFFY” as an editor described one of King’s earlier pieces. This part really made me ponder my own approach to writing because in every class other than my English classes, I tend to include copious details that truly have no relationship to my topic just so my paper can seem longer. I learned that while King believes that fact-checking and research are important, writers should focus more on the task at hand: the story. I disagree with King on this issue, however, because as an avid reader of non-fiction books, I like being able to learn real facts use when perusing a book. In my opinion, doing less fact-checking for the sake of “the story as a whole” is not the best attitude to have. I believe the two are synonymous and that fact-checking leads to good stories.
If I hadn’t already had the epiphany that Stephen King was an incredibly inspirational person, I would have made that determination after I read “On Living: A Postscript” section. King was in the middle of writing this book when he was abruptly struck by a van under the control of a reckless driver near his summer house in Maine. King had numerous broken bones, and simple things like sitting down were monumental challenges for him. Regardless of his excruciating pain, King began to write again just five weeks later. His physical challenges weren’t his only problem though; King was also having trouble with the actual writing process, a process that had previously come so easily to him. If I had been confronted with King’s situation, I know I wouldn’t have fared half as well. Despite all of these hardships, King persevered and created this book, and, as he stated, “The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.”
If I hadn’t already had the epiphany that Stephen King was an incredibly inspirational person, I would have made that determination after I read “On Living: A Postscript” section. King was in the middle of writing this book when he was abruptly struck by a van under the control of a reckless driver near his summer house in Maine. King had numerous broken bones, and simple things like sitting down were monumental challenges for him. Regardless of his excruciating pain, King began to write again just five weeks later. His physical challenges weren’t his only problem though; King was also having trouble with the actual writing process, a process that had previously come so easily to him. If I had been confronted with King’s situation, I know I wouldn’t have fared half as well. Despite all of these hardships, King persevered and created this book, and, as he stated, “The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.”
No comments:
Post a Comment