For the Atlantic, Jessia LaHey interviewed Stephen King about how he teaches writing. For more than a decade now, Ive been giving his book On Writing to fellow writers. From the interview: Always ask the student writer, What do you want to say? Every sentence that answers that question is part of the essay or story. Every sentence that does not needs to go. I don’t think it’s the words per se, it’s the sentences. I used to give them a choice, sometimes: either write 400 words on My Mother is Horrible or My Mother is Wonderful. Make every sentence about your choice. That means leaving your dad and your snotty little brother out of it. Also, this fun exchange: Jessica Lahey: In On Writing, you identified some phrases that should be excised from every writer’s toolbox: At this point in time and at the end of the day. Any new irksome phrases you’d be willing to share? (Mine’s on accident.) King: “Some people say, or Many believe, or The consensus is. That kind of lazy attribution makes me want to kick something. Also, IMHO, YOLO, and LOL. My question for all of you: What phrases would you like to expunge from our conversations?
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:56:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015