Stephen King's Advice for Writing...

[@fandomlibrary9506]

I definitely agree that the writer needs to listen to the story in order to write a good one. Good stories progress logically, and seeing where the story is going will help it progress logically rather than forcing it into the shape you wanted from the beginning. For me, I prefer to let that logical progression happen in the outline phase, where I can explore different ways the story can go without investing too much time into each. Once I have a good outline, that's when I start writing the actual words.

[@AlyLourim]

Exactly! I agree so much. And I let myself get hung up on another book I was reading and King brought me back down to earth reminding me what I LOVE about stories and what truly drives it. And exactly I outlined, now I just need to play and let it come to life 🙌🏻☺️

[@OrbitalCookie]

I read King's On Writing, and it could not be more polar opposite to Sanderson. Sanderson in his lectures calls it "discovery writing", meaning, you write and discover the plot. Personally it drives me a bit nuts reading a book with plot threads that lead nowhere or are abandoned, which often is the consequence of this style.

[@AlyLourim]

So interesting! Thanks for the insight! Tolkien did a similar style to King also, but I think at the end of the day it’s about the execution. And perhaps King didn’t follow through as he should have.

[@OrbitalCookie]

Also don't forget to nail the manuscripts to the door frame 😅

[@SamDCote]

Really interesting question and great exploration of it! I've been thinking about the plot/character balance like this-- my character has a goal and wants to take as straight of a path to get there as possible, and the reader should be able to get behind them and root for them. As the author, I have the power to grant success to the character without any difficulty-- however, that's a very boring journey for the reader to follow. I need to make the path to the character's success windy and difficult so that the character has a chance to learn and change over the course of the story. To me, the windy road of the plot should be informed by and serve the character arc, but it's no less important. What do you think of this approach?

[@AlyLourim]

I agree 💯. I’m mostly drawn to stories where the character deals with an emotional arc that is related to the overarching plot. So it’s who they are as a person that’s struggling on the quest and they find a new form of themselves in this quest. I try to think about what gets i. My way of my goals and it’s usually tied into mental health, lack of self belief, society, trauma, hardships. Those things shape us. And when we are given a new challenge in life, how we handle it is based on who we are and if it’s really hard, we will usually come out the other side a new version of ourselves whether it’s for the good or bad. I was reading a book and got hung up on the complexities of the plot and then seeing this interview with King reminded me to let the story and my characters guide me. I have an outline, a roadmap I made. Now that’s see what happens inbetween. Let’s see what my characters do. I literally wrote a scene the other day that I felt was just happening before my eyes and I was recording it.

[@SamDCote]

@@AlyLourim That sounds like such a transcendent experience!! I look forward to having one of those 😁

[@AlyLourim]

Please tell me when you do 😀

[@crylorenzo]

Both! My own experience has been that writing without an outline leads to a need for more drafts later because the plot wasn’t tight enough while an outline often means I need to tighten up my language and dialogue in the later drafts. In still beginning this as you are so it’s a learning process but a healthy bit of both is, I think, right. And of course, the true skill is neither plotting or pantsing, but revising.

[@AlyLourim]

Yes I agree! I made a few outlines but I almost wanted to plot it out for intensely and have decided not to. But yes I do feel outlines are important as well as letting the story guide you ☺️☺️

[@sungleong]

They should follow the general direction of the plot, but the details they could just go with the flow. There is a reason I don't like Stephen King stories, it's a mess.

[@AlyLourim]

Interesting. Are you a fan of Tolkien? He also felt the same way about letting the story take him on a journey like King.

[@Budgieboy4068]

He writes tripe and only that. I've never known a more jumbled and messy author than him. The Dark Tower series was the final straw for me. He couldn't even remember his characters names throughout the series. Eddie's sister went from a Selina to a Gloria. An Enrico Balazar becomes an Emilio. Father Callahan's friend that he mentions changes by first name. No plot reason for this is ever given. It's clear he simply can't remember and just wings it. Errors like this pop up a lot in his work. Sometimes subtle mistakes, sometimes glaring. Unacceptable and embarrassing. A writer of pure schlock. More fit for kindling than for attempting to read. I loathe the man passionately.