Stephen King's On Writing is half memoir, half craft guide. He says write like telepathy, kill adverbs, use strong verbs instead. Get the first draft down fast, revise later, and read constantly. King's rejections and near-fatal accidents shaped how he teaches that persistence and practice make a writer.
Today's book on Writing A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Half memoir, half masterclass, King doesn't just tell you what makes great writing, he shows it through his life, work, routines and relentless commitment. This is super inspiring. If you're a writer, it's a must read. If you're just a fan of the creative process or a student of the creative process, I think you'll also enjoy it. Stephen King, of course, one of the most prolific and successful writers in history, gives us a snapshot of how he approaches his life and his craft. Awesome stuff. Here's your one minute summary. Before I forget, check out Creativity 101 in the app as well, along with a ton of notes on creativity. Stephen Pressfield Other great so one minute summary. Write like it's telepathy. King believes good writing transmits your thoughts so clearly that readers see exactly what you see. Practice this clarity with every sentence. Keep the toolbox sharp. Vocabulary, grammar, style. Simple tools, but they matter, he says. Avoid adverbs, use strong verbs, write clean. First drafts are about telling the story. Don't overthink, get the story down, fix what's wrong. In second drafts, the idea is to finish not perfect in one go, he says. Read a lot, write a lot. To write well, you need exposure to what works in regular practice. Both feed the craft, which is why I love to read. It improves the writing and you get attuned to what really, really good writing looks and feels like. And life shapes your stories. King's journey, his successes, failures, even his near fatal accidents became part of how he writes and what he teaches. The vulnerability lends truth to craft, he says. You're not born a writer, you become one through attention, courage and persistence. What will you write today to tell your truth? Other fun fact that didn't make it into this he tells the brilliant story about how when he was a young man writing, he got a rejection slip. He took it, wasn't embarrassed by it. He pinned it up on his wall, used a little nail. Then he proceeded to get so many rejection slips that he had to have this huge spike in his wall. He embraced the failures, kept on showing up. How about you.
