On Writing – Stephen King

Every writer needs help and inspiration. There are as many avenues to find help and inspiration as their are writers. Yes, I know that’s a lot. I’m only going to cover my most effective source. I often struggle through multiple methods, but when all else fails, I look to other writers.

While still in school, pursuing the English degree that has brought me vast riches, I would often go to the nearest bookstore and browse for a while. The occasional title of inner jacket synopsis would usually be enough to unearth the needed inspiration or clear my mind enough to knock loos the writer’s block. It was on one of these quests I discovered something would serve as a bottomless well of inspiration for both my writing and my life. It’s how I came across Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s part text book, part memoir. In it King shares insights into both his craft and the life that led him to be the prolific writer that he has become. Previously, I had not been a very big fan of Stephen King. I tried to read a couple books when I was younger but never got very far with them. After reading On Writing, I decided to take a look at his work in earnest and began with Carrie. Something about the passion King puts into his work has drawn me in. That being said, I haven’t made it to any of his later work and as such, I can not speak to any of the geeky criticism attached to his latter canon. So, don’t bother beating mean up with negative criticism of his latest work and how he has last his commitment to the craft blah, blah, blah. What I’ve read does it for me and that’s what counts.

On Writing will always have a place on my shelf. I find myself turning to it often. As I have experienced some family tragedy of late, I find my self turning King’s enlightening text, if for no other reason than to remind myself that who we are is constantly being shaped by experience. It’s these experiences that turn good writers into great writers. I’ll occasionally read a chapter here and there to remind myself that the only wasted experiences in life are those that we come away from having learned nothing. I have learned a whole lot the last year.

Where do you find your inspiration? What helps you refocus your efforts?