More Tips on Writing from Stephen King

More Tips on Writing from Stephen King

Creating a Toolbox

Being a good writer is more than just being able to tell a good story. It requires the creation of words to develop sentences, which connect together to create paragraphs. Of course, anyone who has made it through elementary school understands this concept.  From the earliest of our reading and writing classes, we learned that a sentence consist of a subject and a verb that shows action or a state of being.  Remember, “See Spot run?” However, a writer must be able to do much more. They have to develop tools for their trade like any other profession. 

In On Writing, Stephen King uses an analogy to demonstrate how a writer is similar to a carpenter, which is an excellent comparison. A carpenter works with wood and tools to create a product. A writer works with tools of their own trade to do the same. Writing really is the building of a work, which upon its completion stands alone like the carpenter’s bookshelf. Like a carpenter, a writer also must make use of the various tools in their process. By collecting these different tools, a writer is able to assemble a toolbox that will contribute to every project that they create. King wrote:

 I want to suggest that to write to your best abilities, it behooves you to construct your own toolbox and then build up enough muscle so you can carry it with you. Then, instead of looking at a hard job and getting discouraged, you will perhaps seize the correct tool and get immediately to work (114).

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the majority of the tools that a writer needs are things that was learned at a young age.  However, some of the things that we learn or do repeatedly becomes systematic and requires minimal focus of our attention.  Take tying shoes as an example.  It is something that people do every day without a passing thought.  It is, as some say, going through the motions.  Nevertheless, as a child, that process requires greater concentration.  Writing is the same type of thing.  King recommends the following when assembling your toolbox:

You’ll find you have most of the tools you need already, but I advise you to look at each one again as you load it into your box. Try to see each one new, remind yourself of its function, and if some are rusty (as they may be if you haven’t done this seriously in awhile), clean them off.

So what are the tools that should be included in a writer’s toolbox?  They are actually the things that one might expect a writer to use.  The three basic tools of a writer are vocabulary, grammar and style.  The various ways that these three components are mixed and arranged are as unique as the fingerprints of the writer.  No two writers will use the exact combination of these elements in their work.  When these elements are used in an efficient and captivating way, the result is true art composed by an artisan, such as Stephen King.

(The three basic tools listed above will be discussed in greater detail in future articles.)