Stephen King’s essential rules for writers
Having sold over 400 million copies of his work and become one of the most heavily-adapted authors in history due to his prolific nature and the universal appeal of his stories, Stephen King offering advice to aspiring writers is something any would-be novelist should be paying attention to.
For 50 years, he’s been churning out iconic tales with such regularity that he’s made it look easy, but throughout it all, King has stuck to his guns and maintained a tried-and-trusted set of rules that he abides by. Of course, following them to the letter won’t guarantee even a fraction of his success, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to at least give it a try.
Despite being noted for how rapidly he can ideate, write, and publish an idea, though, King has admitted that sometimes he can spend an eternity formulating something as seemingly simple as an opening sentence. For him, it’s not just an intro but a gateway into his latest world.
“We’ve talked so much about the reader, but you can’t forget that the opening line is important to the writer, too,” he once explained. “To the person who’s actually boots-on-the-ground. Because it’s not just the reader’s way in, it’s the writer’s way in also, and you’ve got to find a doorway that fits us both.”
As he informed Barnes & Noble, “telling yourself the story” is key. In his estimation, passive voice is the realm of “timid writers”, and it’s best not to get him started on adverbs. For King, “the adverb is not your friend,” which saw him put his own spin on a famous proverb by stipulating that “while to write adverbs is human, to write ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ is divine.”
Perfect grammar isn’t necessary, and a lot of King’s decades-spanning success is down to self-confidence and belief in his abilities, with the titan of terror outlining how he’s “convinced fear is at the root of most bad writing.” To that end, his insistence that anybody who wants to write a book devour as much reading material as possible makes perfect sense.
King was even kind enough to share the two main ingredients he attributed to his success. “I stayed physically healthy, and I stayed married,” he said. “It’s a good answer because it makes the question go away, and because there is an element of truth in it”. Most importantly, he shared what writing is all about, to him at least.
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well,” he continued. “It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”
Stephen King’s ultimate rules for writers:
- First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience
- Don’t use passive voice
- Avoid adverbs
- Avoid adverbs, especially after “he said” and “she said.”
- But don’t obsess over perfect grammar
- The magic is in you
- Read, read, read
- Don’t worry about making other people happy
- Turn off the TV
- You have three months
- There are two secrets to success
- Write one word at a time
- Eliminate distraction
- Stick to your own style
- Dig
- Take a break
- Leave out the boring parts and kill your darlings
- The research shouldn’t overshadow the story
- You become a writer simply by reading and writing
- Writing is about getting happy
