Stephen King’s Toolbox
BY PENNY BELL
We are used to the interesting characters in Stephen King’s novels, so it is not surprising to discover the interesting character of the writer himself in his memoir/handbook ‘On Writing’. His humble beginnings growing up with his single Mum who struggled financially may go partway to explaining the first tool in his box: avoid showing off your superior vocabulary, assuming strong bullshit detectors in your readers. Use strong nouns and verbs, relinquishing the need for adjectives and adverbs.
When it comes to a writing space and routine, he suggests setting a daily time schedule of at least three hours or a word goal of at least 1000 words per sitting, and not to deviate until the project is finished. Stephen King believes that the best way to stay focused is to stay healthy, stay married, and avoid drama and conflict, lessons he no doubt learnt from his earlier attachment to drugs and alcohol, which threatened to bring him unstuck. Keeping the world’s drama at bay can be assisted by designating a space with no door, no phone, no view, and a soundscape of the right music. For Stephen King, that means heavy metal.
So, how do you decide what to write? Simple. Write what you know and what you love. He advises that a good story is about recognisable characters in recognisable surroundings, enriched by what you know, and not brought forth by copying others. Your key tools are narration, description and dialogue; begin by putting a character in a situation, then a predicament, and watch what happens. Description makes the reader a sensory participant, but only include those details that are necessary symbols for the story. Less is more. Similes and metaphors should only be used to help see an old thing in a new way. Let the story unfold, remembering that impatient page turning comes from what is going to happen, not in what has happened.
On character development, dialogue is second to what characters do, and can leak hidden traits. When quoting direct speech use ‘said’. Let the reader figure out as much as possible, how it is said and by whom. The challenge is to make characters complex, multi-dimensional, loveable and pitiable all at the same time. Above all, trust the reader.
The first draft is for your eyes only. Rest between drafts for a decent length of time such as six weeks, then come back and read it all in one go with the fresh eyes of others, making notes and corrections as you go. Second draft equals the first draft minus at least ten percent.
It is then time to give it to a trusted reader for further feedback.
Happy writing.
Penny Bell has a Masters in Applied Linguistics and in Adult Education combined with many years of teaching. As a result she has a strong grounding in academic writing and group facilitation.
Penny is running a workshop on memoir writing with the SCWC, book here.
Buy Stephen King’s part memoir, part masterclass here.