One size does not fit all
For no particular reason, I'm rereading Stephen King's On Writing. (I rewatched "Mounties on the Bounty" tonight too, also for no particular reason except that it's fun.) Some of this book rings like good wind chimes. Some of it, I just shake my head and don't quite growl, "Oh John Ringo no."
I'm good with 'keep it lively' and 'use the right word -- which is probably the first one you thought of.' I particularly agree with his answer to 'What are you going to write about? Whatever you damn well want!' I'm even fine with 'said' being a preferred verb of speech, although I reserve the right to have some variety there as I reserve my right to paragraph where and as I see fit.
All that said... dear gods, no! I am not throwing out an entire category of word just because he says so. Adverbs are useful.
I also disagree that the formula* for a final draft is rough draft - 10% = final draft. This works great if you're the kind of writer who likes wandering off into digressions, or if you look at your rough draft and realize that no, really, it didn't need a C-plot in addition to A and B. I'm a lot more likely to end up going through and fixing places where my betas had to tell me a summary wasn't going to do or that I clearly hadn't finished unpacking it yet and it didn't make sense to them. I'm not nearly arrogant enough to think I'm the only writer who works this way.
Oh, well. Half the time, I figure out plot problems by asking someone else's opinion and hearing the back of my brain tell me why their idea wouldn't work. (::winces:: Yes. This probably is a little hard on my beta readers, but I do apologize when I do it.) No surprise I read books on writing the same way. It's still instructional, and it's fun wandering into notes in the margin that I don't remember writing.
Last time I read this book, it gave me caterpillar syndrome and I couldn't write for a month. This time, I think it's goading me to write more.
* "The"? There's more than one type of writer, therefore there's more than one formula for a final draft.
(Yes. I know he's a multi-million copies sold/dollars made author, and I'm not. ::amused:: That doesn't mean King's perfect, and he admits it. But yes, I'm aware there's a lot of hubris in my arguing with him. So? It's my journal. I get to commit hubris here once in a while.)
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I'm good with 'keep it lively' and 'use the right word -- which is probably the first one you thought of.' I particularly agree with his answer to 'What are you going to write about? Whatever you damn well want!' I'm even fine with 'said' being a preferred verb of speech, although I reserve the right to have some variety there as I reserve my right to paragraph where and as I see fit.
All that said... dear gods, no! I am not throwing out an entire category of word just because he says so. Adverbs are useful.
I also disagree that the formula* for a final draft is rough draft - 10% = final draft. This works great if you're the kind of writer who likes wandering off into digressions, or if you look at your rough draft and realize that no, really, it didn't need a C-plot in addition to A and B. I'm a lot more likely to end up going through and fixing places where my betas had to tell me a summary wasn't going to do or that I clearly hadn't finished unpacking it yet and it didn't make sense to them. I'm not nearly arrogant enough to think I'm the only writer who works this way.
Oh, well. Half the time, I figure out plot problems by asking someone else's opinion and hearing the back of my brain tell me why their idea wouldn't work. (::winces:: Yes. This probably is a little hard on my beta readers, but I do apologize when I do it.) No surprise I read books on writing the same way. It's still instructional, and it's fun wandering into notes in the margin that I don't remember writing.
Last time I read this book, it gave me caterpillar syndrome and I couldn't write for a month. This time, I think it's goading me to write more.
* "The"? There's more than one type of writer, therefore there's more than one formula for a final draft.
(Yes. I know he's a multi-million copies sold/dollars made author, and I'm not. ::amused:: That doesn't mean King's perfect, and he admits it. But yes, I'm aware there's a lot of hubris in my arguing with him. So? It's my journal. I get to commit hubris here once in a while.)
Original post on Dreamwidth | Leave a comment on DW | Read
comments on DW