I always thought Stephen King was bit of a nutburger, but turns out I just hate the horror genre. Who knew? This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, King is my hero. He’s brilliant and rich for a reason. I want to write fiction again.
*****/*****
While I’m being a nerdball, some of my favourite excerpts and lessons:
“Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around.”
STOP USING PASSIVE TENSE (guilty!).
Here’s one that sums me up perfectly: “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”
On pretentious douchebags: “It seems to occur to a few of the attendees that if you have a feeling that you just can’t describe, you might just be, I don’t know, kind of like, my sense of it is, in the wrong fucking class.”
CUT OUT THE ADVERBS.
I also love that he curses. I know a lot of writers hate it, but sometimes a great sentence isn’t complete without a “fuck.”
I’ve been thinking about fiction a lot lately. It’s the genre I started out writing. I had whole series started on animals and young teenagers and my very own doggies. I had the most active imagination ever.
Somewhere along the way, I completely lost it. I haven’t written fiction in years, perhaps since high school. I have no idea what happened, but if you asked me to sit down right now and write an adventure or young romance story, I couldn’t do it. I’m not sure I even know how anymore.
That kills me a little.
It’s funny because while I’m all about non-fiction, I barely read non-fiction books (On Writing omitted, naturally). Most other people I associate with in the travel writing realm seem to devour travel literature – but offline, I only read it occasionally. It’s damned confusing.
I don’t know what stifled my creativity in the first place, perhaps high school drama. But non-fiction is a comfort, my cup of orange pekoe in the evenings. A distraction when weeks turn out like this one filled with bad family news and good career news and tight deadlines. And it’s a blessing to have something to be passionate about.
Time for the weekend!
P.S. I seriously think this CHI is life-altering.
Stephen King writes an article in Entertainment Weekly every couple of weeks, you can probably find it on their website. They’re great articles, King tells EXACTLY what he thinks about various things, and even if you don’t agree, you’ve got to respect his honesty! He’s a great writer and story teller. There are a few of his short stories that aren’t horror you might like, like “The Body” and “The Shawshank Redemption”.
I heard that recently CHI changed the way they make their flat irons and the new ones aren’t as good as the older models! This has thrown my plan to buy one into turmoil.
I haven’t read a fiction book in probably 4-5 years, at least. I’ve always been a non-fiction fan, even when I was a little kid. Of the 5 floor-to-ceiling bookshelves I have at my parents’ house, the fiction section takes up only one half of one of the bookshelves.
Loved that book. It’s like he’s my weird, creepy looking uncle who was once hit by a car in Maine.
Write some fiction and share it with us. Pretty please?
Don’t you think that most fiction is just a faux fictionalized version of reality usually anyway? I can’t write fiction, but I can pretend that my real life isn’t what I’m writing about, changing names and shoe sizes and such things.
And how can we not follow like a god anyone who knows the proper placement for both sarcasm and the word “fuck”?
That book’s been sitting on my bookshelf for a long time. I really should bump it up the pile and take some time to read it.
You’re right, of course, some things NEED the “fuck” effect or it may fall flat no matter how eloquent you are. I’ve never read Stephen King stuff, though.
I’m a big fan of non-fiction and most of what I read are true stories. Keepin in it real, yo.
i used to write a lot when i was in high school. and paint/draw. i don’t really miss writting, but i do miss drawing/painting…. hmm…
hey you….
so uh, my website has been down. it’s fixed. and uh, the love of my life has been fucking someone else the whole time we’ve been together.
i may or may not have written a blog about it. more likely, may have.
come visit. i need you.
I must must read this.. I love King but haven’t read much of his non-fiction work…
“If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”
hahahah soooo true!
I can’t do horror either- not in book OR movie form.
Call me a wuss
@Hey Lady: Ooh, I forgot about Shawshank Redemption, I MUST pick that one up! Thanks. Hmm, I haven’t heard that about the CHI, but I was warned by MANY people to be careful where I’m buying it…apparently the fakes are out of control.
@Kelsey: Hilarious! I think non-fiction is my favourite, but I always go back and forth between those genres.
@J: Yeah, I knew NOTHING about that accident until I read this book. Weird, eh? And I would love to share my fiction.
@Mary Poppins: Damned good theory. Especially if you throw in some wild exaggerations…or in my case, perhaps I can divulge more details about my life. The kinda thing that would get me fired in real life.
@JoAnna: I HIGHLY recommend it! I think you’d love it.
@nashe: Fuckin’ rights!
@Linlah: Can’t get enough of it!
@maggie: me too, but I haven’t been motivated to draw/paint/whatever in years..
@Brit: I <3 you, left you love, feel free to email me baby.
@Carissa: Hahahaha, we both fall very well into that category, don’t we?
@LiLu: NOOOPE! Blood. Gahhh.
I read a few of his books, and I liked them.
I recommend The Green Mile. Not horror and very touching.
Thanksf or the rec! I shall give that one a shot too.