On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Quotes

“In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it 'got boring,' the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writingreadingboredom

“The key to good description begins with clear seeing and ends with clear writing, the kind of writing that employs fresh images and simple vocabulary.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writing

“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writingreadingimagination

“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.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writing

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writingreading

“One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writing

“write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writing

“almost every writer of fiction and poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writing

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writingreading

“the writer is much more fortunate than the filmmaker, who is almost always doomed to show too much...”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

topic:writingimagination