Amidst Stephen King’s tales of his childhood, his failures, his triumphs, and his trials in his book On Writing, he makes one message extremely clear: to become a successful writer, one must write frequently. At an early age, King began developing and fine tuning his writing skills; he continued to advance and evolve these skills throughout his teenage and college years, never skipping an opportunity to further his competence as a writer. King’s incessant dedication to his field allowed him to become one of the best writers of his time; with forty-nine published novels and numerous prestigious awards, Stephen King shows aspiring writers just how much dedication can pay off.
After completing Happy Stamps in his early teenage years, King was eager to send his piece to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (page 27). He was proud of his writing, and he considered it to be a good story, but instead of a published paper, all King gained was a rejection letter. He nailed the rejection letter into the wall with a nail. This rejection didn’t discourage King, however. He wrote story after story to send off in hopes of publication, only to be rejected a bountiful number of times. As he put it, “the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it”. King was persistent. He had too many failures to count, but he knew that he had significant potential as a writer, and he knew that the only way to advance his abilities was to keep writing.
Stephen King was not an instant success in any way. At one point in his life, he was a college graduate working two jobs: one at a laundry mat and one at Dunkin’ Donuts. Having a college education and working jobs that a twelve year old could easily fill would be enough to discourage even the most adamant person, but King faced these challenges head on. During his stint at these jobs, King had several small successes sending his stories to men’s magazines, and as he said, the profit was “just enough to create a rough sliding margin between (them) and welfare” (page70). Between washing loads of motel sheets, King continued to write horror stories; little did he know at the time, this undying devotion would turn into a career he couldn’t have imagined.
The unimaginable accident that King suffered in 1999 would prove to be the most trying obstacle in his writing career. He was struck by a van driven by a reckless driver, and he broke countless bones and required a number of painful operations. Upon his release from the hospital, King decided to continue working on this book, On Writing, but he faced several problems. King not only suffered from extreme pain while sitting upright but also had writer’s block. “All my old tricks seemed to have deserted me” and “there was no inspiration that first afternoon” show how much trouble King had getting back into the task he loved best. As King’s injuries healed, his spirit improved, and he conjured up the energy to complete On Writing. Even after a disfiguring accident, King never stopped; although he could only write in small increments, he did what he could with what he had, showing that perseverance and dedication yield great results.
Stephen King’s story is one that every writer should admire as it is one of dedication. Throughout all of his struggles, highs, and lows, King never failed to write. If one wants to become a good, successful writer, he or she must always follow King’s simple message: write frequently.
After completing Happy Stamps in his early teenage years, King was eager to send his piece to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (page 27). He was proud of his writing, and he considered it to be a good story, but instead of a published paper, all King gained was a rejection letter. He nailed the rejection letter into the wall with a nail. This rejection didn’t discourage King, however. He wrote story after story to send off in hopes of publication, only to be rejected a bountiful number of times. As he put it, “the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it”. King was persistent. He had too many failures to count, but he knew that he had significant potential as a writer, and he knew that the only way to advance his abilities was to keep writing.
Stephen King was not an instant success in any way. At one point in his life, he was a college graduate working two jobs: one at a laundry mat and one at Dunkin’ Donuts. Having a college education and working jobs that a twelve year old could easily fill would be enough to discourage even the most adamant person, but King faced these challenges head on. During his stint at these jobs, King had several small successes sending his stories to men’s magazines, and as he said, the profit was “just enough to create a rough sliding margin between (them) and welfare” (page70). Between washing loads of motel sheets, King continued to write horror stories; little did he know at the time, this undying devotion would turn into a career he couldn’t have imagined.
The unimaginable accident that King suffered in 1999 would prove to be the most trying obstacle in his writing career. He was struck by a van driven by a reckless driver, and he broke countless bones and required a number of painful operations. Upon his release from the hospital, King decided to continue working on this book, On Writing, but he faced several problems. King not only suffered from extreme pain while sitting upright but also had writer’s block. “All my old tricks seemed to have deserted me” and “there was no inspiration that first afternoon” show how much trouble King had getting back into the task he loved best. As King’s injuries healed, his spirit improved, and he conjured up the energy to complete On Writing. Even after a disfiguring accident, King never stopped; although he could only write in small increments, he did what he could with what he had, showing that perseverance and dedication yield great results.
Stephen King’s story is one that every writer should admire as it is one of dedication. Throughout all of his struggles, highs, and lows, King never failed to write. If one wants to become a good, successful writer, he or she must always follow King’s simple message: write frequently.
Well supported. I do have a problem with your use of disfiguring. I think King's accident was maybe debilitating rather than disfiguring. The latter implies that his physical appearance was blemished, and I think the accident was more damaging than just his appearance. :)
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