Cultivating Authenticity: Rediscovering a Hobby with Stephen King’s On Writing
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft offered me a peek into Stephen King’s creative mind, a chance to glean some insight from his experience and learn about his writing process. Part autobiography, part writer’s toolbox, On Writing lays out the events in King’s life that led to his development as a writer and the tools he uses to weave his stories. At just over 280 pages, the book is full of wisdom, which King delivers with honesty and a sharp wit. On Writing renewed my interest in writing fiction as a hobby, helped shape my writing style, enhanced my academic writing, and reminded me to stay true to myself.
On Writing reminded me of how exciting I found storytelling as a kid and renewed my interest in writing fiction as a hobby. I was the stereotypical youngster, demanding a bedtime story each night before I went to sleep. When I finally learned to read on my own, I would indulge myself in any story I could get my hands on, and often dabbled in writing short tales, crafting poor imitations of the ones I read. As I got older, I began to neglect my creativity; gradually, writing was put aside in order to pursue academics and other hobbies. I often longed to return to the more imaginative days of my youth. King’s personal tale of how writing served as a conduit for his creativity helped me rediscover my own creative drive. Once again, I have returned to writing fiction, weaving stories full of mythical heroes and powerful magic. On Writing helped me reignite this hobby from my childhood, allowing me to channel my creative energy for personal nourishment.
Many of King’s suggestions in On Writing helped shape my writing style. King urges writers to embrace simplicity wherever possible; it is best to stick with straightforward noun-verb sentences and avoid pitfalls such as passive voice. A particularly helpful suggestion is that first drafts are for getting words on a page and second drafts are for putting all the pieces into a coherent whole. When writing in the past, I often would correct mistakes as they came up, which led to slow progress as I felt each page had to be perfect before I moved on. King’s suggestion, to get the idea on the page and then go back and edit, really helped me avoid focusing too much on the details and instead keep in mind the larger whole of my story.
Surprisingly, many of the suggestions in On Writing, though intended for fiction writers, apply to academic writing as well. I plan to continue my education at the graduate level. The Toolbox portion of On Writing lends a toolset I use to improve the professionalism of my writing and keep up with my assignments. One tool I use to write more professional papers is to remove adverbs from my sentences. This encourages me to eliminate flowery language, which cleans up my papers and ultimately makes my writing clearer and more concise. Another useful tool comes when King discusses writing as a discipline; time should be put aside each day to write or else the writer risks losing interest in the project. Writing each day ensures I will stay on top of my assignments. For academic writing, implementing these tools is crucial for making sure I craft clear, concise papers and meet my deadlines. These tools will help with graduate and undergraduate papers, including an eventual thesis and dissertation.
Amidst these pragmatic tools, King infuses On Writing with a larger point about life, which can be summarized with the eternal axiom “Just Be Yourself.” He repeatedly calls for honesty infused in every page of written word, to showcase a genuine picture of life and to tell a story with all the integrity possible. On Writing really drives this point home: it is important to be authentic, for without authenticity, it is impossible to connect with the self and realize my purpose in life. My life is my story. I must show up to life every day as I am, with all my faults and vulnerabilities. On Writing is a beautiful reminder that authenticity is the key to self-discovery; staying true to myself and the story I am creating will make sure I end up where I need to be. King provides useful writing advice; however, his most important lesson is to always cultivate authenticity, both in writing stories and in living life.
References
King, S. (2000). On writing: A memoir of the craft. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
John D. Watt joined the Interactive Measurement Group in summer 2019. He is double majoring in psychology and history. He is currently on a poster team and an Action Editor for the newsletter. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a master’s degree in education and teach at the secondary level.