{"id":17128,"date":"2020-11-06T09:30:12","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=17128"},"modified":"2020-11-08T14:27:58","modified_gmt":"2020-11-08T18:27:58","slug":"writing-fundamentals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/writing-fundamentals\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing Fundamentals: The Stephen King Master Class"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the writing fundamentals that you need to know? How can you apply these fundamentals to your work? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his memoir On Writing<\/em>, Stephen King explains the writing fundamentals that will help you become a strong and consistent writer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about writing fundamentals and how to apply them to your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Writing Fundamentals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improving as a writer requires hard work. There are no shortcuts. You need to read a lot and write a lot. A good sign of whether you\u2019ll make it as a writer is whether you enjoy reading and writing for their own sake. You can start by learning writing fundamentals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talent and Hard Work<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One sign of talent is enjoying the hard work.<\/strong> What seems like labor to other people is pleasure for you, including writing fundamentals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen King reads 80 books a year, despite professing to be a slow reader. He doesn\u2019t read to learn, he reads because he likes reading. And when he writes (2,000 words a day), it typically feels like playtime to him\u2014it\u2019s the rest of life, with the errands and the bills and the \u201crelaxing\u201d that feels like work to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t enjoy reading and writing, then you won\u2019t become a good writer. But \u201cif you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read a Lot<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To be a good writer, you need to recognize what good and bad writing<\/a> is. Reading exposes you to good and bad writing.<\/strong> The more you read, the more you learn. Stephen King always carries a book with him so he can read whether he\u2019s waiting at the grocery or sitting front-row at a Red Sox game. This is how you learn<\/a> the fundamentals of writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often the bad writing is more instructive than the good writing. It teaches you what not to do\u2014what\u2019s cliche, how characters act unrealistically, how writers ruin the pacing with plodding description. It could even be inspirational\u2014if you think a bestseller is terribly written, then you might start thinking you could easily do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through thousands of hours of reading, you sharpen the tools in your toolkit. You absorb other people\u2019s writing rhythm, how they develop their characters and plot, and how they wield language. You take what you like and forge your own style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write a Lot<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Writing a lot is one of the fundamentals of writing. cKing is famously prolific: He writes ten pages a day, or 2,000 words. Every three months he produces about 900 pages, a good-sized novel. He dedicates his morning to writing time, and he doesn\u2019t move on with the rest of his day until he finishes his writing goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a new writer, here\u2019s how to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n