On Writing - a precious lesson for writers

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Doruntina

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Jan 30, 2014
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On Writing is the second book by Stephen King I've read, the first being Bag of Bones. I haven't read the others - yet - because of King's reputation for writing some scary ****. I don't usually like scary **** and I read Bag of Bones with my hand on my face half of the time; I was but 16 or so at the time.

Back to On Writing. The most precious lesson King gave me was this: Simplicity is key. There is one thing I am worried about, though. What if you do not have an IR? Like in my case. How do I hope to judge my work as a reader, not the writer?
 

Walter Oobleck

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Mar 6, 2013
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I think King also said treasure the bad...maybe it was in On Writing. Bad writing...and it's out there. Maybe look for some bad writing, see how bad it is, check out reviews of the bad writing...Goodreads.com comes to mind. Or maybe you are already familiar with some bad writing. Some of Koontz's early writing is what I'd call cheesecloth...the fabric is there, but it's not going to keep you warm on a cold cold night. Off the top of my head, that's probably the best example of bad writing...and even there, in his early stuff, it's not necessarily "bad"...but it is thin...there's no sense of place. I'm sure if I tried I could find some more examples, something concrete. Often, the "bad" is only in places, a line or two that is...bad. I've seen some terrible similes, metaphor.

What is an IR? that some sort of reader I take it? I've read On Writing, try to listen to on audio from time to time...but I'm not sure what an IR is.
 

Doruntina

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Jan 30, 2014
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Yes, you're absolutely right. I have had the misfortune - or fortune, of reading some really bad writings. Those encouraged me most of the time.
An IR is a someone who King refers to as an Ideal Reader, someone you know the thoughts of, and know how she/he will react to a certain sentence; someone to write for. Someone every person aspiring to be a writer should have on speed dial (unfortunately for me). I guess I'll just have to use King's other advice: wait for about six weeks before you read the first draft of a novel you've written.

Thank you for your advice.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
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On Writing is the second book by Stephen King I've read, the first being Bag of Bones. I haven't read the others - yet - because of King's reputation for writing some scary ****. I don't usually like scary **** and I read Bag of Bones with my hand on my face half of the time; I was but 16 or so at the time.

Back to On Writing. The most precious lesson King gave me was this: Simplicity is key. There is one thing I am worried about, though. What if you do not have an IR? Like in my case. How do I hope to judge my work as a reader, not the writer?

Welcome to the SKMB
11/22/63 is also very good (or perhaps Duma Key). Neither one is very gory.

wolf and raven.jpg
 

Haunted

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The woods are lovely dark and deep
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Christine62

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Nov 7, 2013
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I would recommend From A Buick 8--it's a bit creepy in parts but not scary. As for an IR it depends what you want. You want writer criticism to give you feed back find someone who writes. If you just want general reader response--that can be anyone.
 
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