I Want To Learn From King

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Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Dear Unconcerned Reader,
I'm a struggling teen who has nothing going for him in life. Writing is my only way out of the **** hole poverty of South Georgia and Steven is my idol. I just want to hear his words of wisdom...

Sincerely,
William Hutcherson
It's Constant Readers, not Unconcerned :nerd::snowman::love:

Hope things get better for you!

Welcome to SKMB

Andy from Shawshank Redemption.jpg
 

Rrty

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2007
1,394
4,588
You know, I think it's time King write a short story (or maybe a novella) called "Constant Readers." It has an ominous tone to it. Not sure what the premise would be, but maybe I'll try writing something to go along with it for fun. Of course, I'm assuming he did not coin that term...or did he? I'm not sure I've seen another author use those particular words.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
We're Mr. King's Constant Readers.

Perhaps this is the way Dante is calling us in reference to him.

We are reading his post, and he might have thought (wrongly) that others would not be concerned by his words.
You may be right.

Anyway, for a struggling teen I must commend the OP for his good spelling and grammar!
:encouragement:
 

Senor_Biggles

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2015
188
878
51
Dear Unconcerned Reader,
I'm a struggling teen who has nothing going for him in life. Writing is my only way out of the **** hole poverty of South Georgia and Steven is my idol. I just want to hear his words of wisdom...

Sincerely,
William Hutcherson

Get hold of a copy of On Writing. Read it. Read it again. Read it again. Read it again. Read it ag….you get the picture.


That’s serious advice by the way. My first experience of reading a Stephen King novel (a very long time ago) made me want to be a writer as well, but it wasn’t until I read On Writing (and then read it again ,etc. etc.) that I was able to make a serious commitment to, you know, actually writing and not just thinking about writing. On Writing is pretty much a perfect balance of the practical and the inspiring..


One thing that SK does say in the book, and you might want to give some thought to, is that you shouldn’t take up writing to make money because there are a lot of easier ways to make money. Which is obviously not to say that you can’t make money from it, but I think you have to temper the expectation. There are no doubt a lot of writers out there doing very nicely for themselves, but the vast majority are never going to be able to make enough from it to support themselves, so if you’re going to do it then you need to do it for love. Or hate. Or just to feed a nasty habit and quieten the voices in your head. If you can do it because it’s a passion (or a compulsion) then you never know you might get lucky, but you’re probably going to need something to fall back on. Remember SK worked himself in to the ground to put himself through college and qualified as a teacher, so he had that going for him as well.


Best of luck, Dante. Sincerely.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
Dear Unconcerned Reader,
I'm a struggling teen who has nothing going for him in life. Writing is my only way out of the **** hole poverty of South Georgia and Steven is my idol. I just want to hear his words of wisdom...

Sincerely,
William Hutcherson
....teen life sucks....despite all the sparkles that certain folk want to sprinkle over it.....and it sucks even more that you'll more than likely have to work some crap-ass minimum wage job while you sharpen your talent....yet, the very fact that you recognize the bad means you have the core strength to rise above it....best of luck young'un....
 

DanteTheCreator

New Member
Apr 8, 2016
0
17
25
I have an idea which I'm writing right now.
It's just a short story, but it's about a group of mercenaries during a war. They're paid by commanding forces (I haven't decided which country these authorities would represent) to go throughout war zones and annihilate the surviving citizens and soldiers. The story will take place in the POV of a young member of the mercenary group named Chara. Long story short it all ends with the entire group being brutally murdered by the surviving population that wants revenge. But up until then Chara is having her doubts about the morality of what they do for a living. She wants to feel the value of human life, but because of the way she lives it's a it hard. I know it's a really faulty story so far but I won't limit myself with the f*cking writers process.
 

Mr Nobody

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2008
3,306
9,050
Walsall, England
Seems like an interesting idea you have there.
Bear in mind though that mercenaries can and do also work for corporations, so 'which country?' need not enter into it. If that fires another idea or two for you, great!

I'd also recommend On Writing to you, because it's an interesting read in its own right as well as crammed with good advice. However, it is just that: advice. Nothing to get hung up on. In reality there is no such thing as 'a writers' process'. Every writer has one, of course, but they'll all be different and unique to them (to varying degrees, from the subtle to the stark). Since you're fairly new to the craft, you're in the process of finding out how to shape your own process and approach to work (though the bottom line is you still have to sit your butt down and actually do the writing).
It's important - and I can't stress this enough - to be patient with yourself. I think every writer is their own worst critic, and that goes at least double when you're young. It's highly unlikely that you're going to pop into the world and be lauded as a new [insert name of a famous author you most admire]. If you do...excellent! I can't wait to read your stuff! But the most likely course is a years-long apprenticeship as you learn and hone your craft.
That's not to say you won't write good or even great stories as you go - sure you will! - but you'll also write some real clunkers that, with the benefit of hindsight and experience, you'll see could never have sold (always assuming you want to go down that route; some writers don't). You can rework them and try again, though. A story is never dead until you decide it is (though as a rule, a dead story should stay dead because it died for a reason).

I'm not going to lie or sugar-coat anything; it's a hard path you're on. You can make it work, though, if you put the hard yards in and always remain willing to learn. I've been writing since I was a little 'un though my first 'serious' writing was at about the age of 12. I'm 43 now and have been published eight times (eleven, if you include the three stories I had published in school magazines between the ages of 8 and 10). Sometimes a story won't land just because it's the wrong time, wrong place, wrong editor. When that happens, don't sweat it. Take any advice on board (you'll probably get form rejections though; everyone does), dust yourself down, submit it elsewhere - then get on with whatever new project is at hand.

Good luck!
(And get that story written! The premise is very interesting.)
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
Seems like an interesting idea you have there.
Bear in mind though that mercenaries can and do also work for corporations, so 'which country?' need not enter into it. If that fires another idea or two for you, great!

I'd also recommend On Writing to you, because it's an interesting read in its own right as well as crammed with good advice. However, it is just that: advice. Nothing to get hung up on. In reality there is no such thing as 'a writers' process'. Every writer has one, of course, but they'll all be different and unique to them (to varying degrees, from the subtle to the stark). Since you're fairly new to the craft, you're in the process of finding out how to shape your own process and approach to work (though the bottom line is you still have to sit your butt down and actually do the writing).
It's important - and I can't stress this enough - to be patient with yourself. I think every writer is their own worst critic, and that goes at least double when you're young. It's highly unlikely that you're going to pop into the world and be lauded as a new [insert name of a famous author you most admire]. If you do...excellent! I can't wait to read your stuff! But the most likely course is a years-long apprenticeship as you learn and hone your craft.
That's not to say you won't write good or even great stories as you go - sure you will! - but you'll also write some real clunkers that, with the benefit of hindsight and experience, you'll see could never have sold (always assuming you want to go down that route; some writers don't). You can rework them and try again, though. A story is never dead until you decide it is (though as a rule, a dead story should stay dead because it died for a reason).

I'm not going to lie or sugar-coat anything; it's a hard path you're on. You can make it work, though, if you put the hard yards in and always remain willing to learn. I've been writing since I was a little 'un though my first 'serious' writing was at about the age of 12. I'm 43 now and have been published eight times (eleven, if you include the three stories I had published in school magazines between the ages of 8 and 10). Sometimes a story won't land just because it's the wrong time, wrong place, wrong editor. When that happens, don't sweat it. Take any advice on board (you'll probably get form rejections though; everyone does), dust yourself down, submit it elsewhere - then get on with whatever new project is at hand.

Good luck!
(And get that story written! The premise is very interesting.)
images-1.jpeg Mr. Nobody knows whereof he speaks. Anyone who tells you they have a 'formula' that works for any writer is selling snake oil.
 

Grandpa

Well-Known Member
Mar 2, 2014
9,724
53,642
Colorado
I wrote a lot in my late teens. And pretty well. I remember looking at some of my writing in later years and thinking, "This was me?"

I'm honestly not trying to divert the focus to me. I'm saying that even though I'm now an official geezer, I do remember the feelings of explosive creativity and can identify. (I wrote poetry then too - can't even get past two lines nowadays.)

So, yes, On Writing is invaluable, as are a number of other books. I really, really suggest you read them. Right now, you'll be writing to a group that's identifiable to you, but getting those other influences will help you mature in your approach, write more comprehensibly, comprehensively, and consistently, and be invaluable in the actual mechanics of producing a story that is well-crafted.

Good luck!!