A sampling of writing advice from Stephen King. Why not learn from the best?
We’ve posted Stephen King’s advice to new writers before, but new and old members of this community will benefit from my posting it again.
On what makes a good read:
Holiday Gifts for Freelance Writers: 10 Book Recommendations for the Writers in Your Life
Every year I put out a call for recommendations for gifts for freelance writers and every year a flurry of representatives send me recommendations for gifts having nothing to do with writers or writing at all. So this year, I’m taking matters into my own hands by recommending my favorite books for writers. Mind you, not every book here is a book about writing, but all of them benefit freelance writers.
Full disclosure: A couple of the books on this list were sent to me to review, and I give my honest review here. However, most of the books on this list come from my own library and the recommendations are unsolicited.
10 Book Recommendations for the Writers in Your Life
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by Lynne Truss
The most entertaining book ever written about punctuation, Truss discusses punctuation with humor so the reader is never bored. If you or someone is apostrophetically challenged and uses”your” in place of “you’re, or itses when she should be it’s’ing, do put a copy of this book under the tree.
On Writing
by Stephen King
I’ve read “On Writing” at least a half dozen times and it never fails to inspire me. Stephen King takes us through his early beginnings and writing career, and includes some dark periods of his life such as his struggles with addiction and the car crash that almost took his life. However, this is no mere autobiography. King only brings up these instances to discuss how they shaped him as a writer and made him who he is today. Though geared more towards fiction writers, writers of non-fiction will also appreciate giving “On Writing” a read.
Undress for Success: The Naked Truth about Making Money at Home
by Kate Lister and Tom Harnish
Don’t quit your day job before reading “Undress for Success.” This practical guide to working at home gives you all the tools you need to succeed and many things to consider before taking the plunge. Lister and Harnish don’t sugarcoat the work from home lifestyle. They’ve been doing it for several decades and take you through the pros and cons. From office essentials to navigating the job boards, “Undress for Success” is a must read for anyone looking to leave corporate America behind.
Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
by Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk uses his no nonsense style to discuss starting a business and rocking it to success. If there’s one thing that shines through in “Crush It!” it’s Vaynerchuk’s passion. The passion that took @garyvee from a being a simple video blogger and online wine merchant to a mega successful entrepreneur. He even offers some ideas he feel would be worthwhile to explore, but doesn’t have the time to do so himself. “Crush It!” isn’t a book about writing or becoming a successful writer, it’s about becoming a success with your own business, something all freelancers strive to do.
Friend of FWJ, Erik Hare, recommended I read both volumes of “The New Writer’s Handbook.” Though that review was lost in the Great Server Crash of 2009, I’m giving them another recommendation here because they’re that good. Both handbooks contain an essential collection of readings assembled to inspire and motivate. These aren’t mere essays, they’re required reading. With sections on querying, creativity and marketing, every single freelance writer can benefit from these useful guides.
Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web
by Jon Wuebben
To be honest, I was hesitant to review “Content Rich” because I thought it would be another spammy “make money with SEO” book. The truth is, Jon Wuebben knows his stuff and offers excellent, practical advice for anyone wishing to succeed as a web writer. Whether you’re copywriting, writing content for a site or looking to create your own blogs and websites, you’ll find “Content Rich” useful.
On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
by William Zinsser
An oldie but a goodie, by copy of “On Writing Well” was a Christmas gift from my mom over a decade ago. It’s dog eared, worn and still relevant today. Zinsser teaches without pontificating. His tone is informal and down to earth as he walks us through the non-fiction writing process. This isn’t a book about succeeding as a writer or finding work. It’s all about how to be a good writer. Every time I find myself slipping up and forgetting my rules, I turn bac to “On Writing Well.” There’s a reason this book sold millions of copies.
ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
I wanted to read “ProBlogger” because the authors are friends of mine. I keep it around as a reference because it’s the best book I’ve read thus far about blogging for a living. If you want to earn a successful living as a professional blogger, this is the one book you should read. Written by a couple of the best in the business, “ProBlogger” takes you through all the steps; from building a blog, to bringing in traffic, to monetizing your blog and much more.
The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less
by Peter Bowerman
I like to refer to the “Well Fed Writer” as the freelance writer’s Bible. Now in its second edition, “Well Fed Writer” discusses Bowerman’s success as a writer and how you can follow the same path. The book promises “financial self-sufficiency as a commerical freelancer in six months or left” and it’s up to you whether or not you wish to take Bowerman up on his challenge. Want to earn $125 an hour? Put this book on the top of your Santa list and learn how.
The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual 10th Anniversary Edition
by Ric Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls & David Weinberger
I read somewhere that the ” ‘Cluetrain Manifesto’ is a business book for people who don’t like business books,” and I think that sums it up nicely. This isn’t a book about writing, but a book about doing business at this point in time. It discusses how the Internet is bringing relationships and conversation back into business and anyone wishing to succeed as a freelance writer should be interested in learning how. Though ten years old, “The Cluetrain Manifesto” is still an interesting read for anyone starting a business, and yes, that includes a freelance writing business.
Writers are Weird: Writer's Routines (Part One)
Sorry, but it’s the truth.
Most are weird good, the type of weird that brings a smile to your face and an expedience to your typing. The kind of weird that your loved ones smirk at but sometimes don’t get, but they’re cool with it. But your pets are sometimes confused as hell when you’re wearing a wig and a baseball cap and dressed in a t-shirt and shorts with slippers in the shape of Scooby Doo. However some are weird WEIRD. I have tried to make a full and frank account of some of them here. Feel free to add your own habits and weird little things so we can compare and contrast and then nervously change the subject and then pretend we never said anything.
W. H. Auden was perhaps one of the first writers to uses stimulants as a “labor-saving device”. He habitually used speed and swallowed Benzedrine every morning for twenty years. He balanced the somewhat uplifting effects of these amphetamines with the barbiturate Seconal when he wanted to sleep (as well as keeping a glass of vodka at the end of the bed if he woke up). Having such a haphazard approach to narcotics, he saw it as as a pragmatic approach to his workload that sometimes led to physical breakdown and mental collapses. Not to be recommended unless you have a very sturdy constitution.
Stephen King is probably the most prolific Horror writer of our generation so surely there is something to learn from his habits. He seems to put a lot down to routine. “There are certain things I do if I sit down to write,” he said. “I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning,” he explained. “I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon.” So it seems a certain amount of compulsive tendencies may help upkeep the writing habit.
“It’s not any different than a bedtime routine,” he continued. “Do you go to bed a different way every night? Is there a certain side you sleep on? I mean I brush my teeth, I wash my hands. Why would anybody wash their hands before they go to bed? I don’t know. And the pillows are supposed to be pointed a certain way. The open side of the pillowcase is supposed to be pointed in toward the other side of the bed. I don’t know why.” Yep, definitely a freaky need for routine and order but then ho can argue with his portfolio. Also, I guess you have to admit that the process of writing needs selfish isolation sometimes, who can completely switch off the world around them to concentrate?
Finally for this part of an ongoing series a well known figure more for his leadership rather than his writing prowess, Winston Churchill. HIs daily routine changed little during even the war years. He always awoke about 7:30 a.m. and stayed in bed waiting for his gargantuan breakfast whilst he read his mail and papers. And then, get this for a great gig, he stayed in bed for a couple of hours working whilst he dictated to his secretaries. Then, it gets better, at 1100, he arose, had bath and perhaps took a walk around the garden in anticipation of his whisky and soda to his study.
At 1300 he usually joined guests and family for a three-course lunch. It seems like it was a boozy lunch too, his wife Clementine drank claret and Winston Pol Roger champagne served at a specific temperature (with the obligatory port brandy and cigars). Lunch ended about 1530 and he went back to his study to work or, if the mood took him, played cards or backgammon with Clementine. At 1700, after another whisky and soda, he had a nap for ninety minutes. Amazingly this little siesta, a habit he had learned from his time in Cuba, allowed him to work 1 1/2 days in every 24 hours. At 1830, he woke up, had another bath and dressed for a 2000 dinner, which was the focal point and highlight of Churchill’s day. The talk of the day, usually dominated by Winston, was probably more important that was on their plates. Depending on the guests drinks and cigars went into the the wee hours. The guests retired and Churchill returned to his study for another hour or so of work.
So there you have it, part one of this ongoing series shows that writer’s routines are weird, even weirder than you. (So far).
