Visualise what you want your reader to experience, and then translate what you see in your mind into words on the page. The important part isn't writing enough, but limiting how much you say. “Description begins in the writer's imagination, but should finish in the reader's,” writes King. “The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story.” You should strive to make the reader forget that he or she is reading a story at all. “Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes,” writes King. Don't get overly caught up in grammar.Īccording to King, writing is primarily about seduction, not precision. “Paragraphs are almost always as important for how they look as for what they say,” says King.ĩ. You should also pay attention to your paragraphs, so that they flow with the turns and rhythms of your story. Adverbs are worst after “he said” and “she said” - those phrases are best left unadorned. “Symbolism exists to adorn and enrich, not to create an artificial sense of profundity,” writes King.Īs King emphasises several times in his memoir, “the adverb is not your friend.” In fact, he believes that “the road to hell is paved with adverbs” and compares them to dandelions that ruin your lawn. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.” Furthermore, don't use symbols unless necessary. He compares this mistake to dressing up a household pet in evening clothes - both the pet and the owner are embarrassed, because it's completely excessive.Īs iconic businessman David Ogilvy writes in a memo to his employees, “Never use jargon words like reconceptualise, demassification, attitudinally, judgementally. “One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you're maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones,” says King. Writing a first draft is “completely raw, the sort of thing I feel free to do with the door shut - it's the story undressed, standing up in nothing but its socks and undershorts.” You should maintain total privacy between you and your work. King advises, “Write with the door closed rewrite with the door open.” Put your desk in the corner of the room, and eliminate all possible distractions, from phones to open windows. Writing should be a fully intimate activity. When writing, disconnect from the rest of the world. Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world.” Writers should be like archaeologists, excavating for as much of the story as they can find.Ħ. King says, “Stories are found things, like fossils in the ground. When tackling difficult issues, make sure you dig deeply.
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