King on the importance of reading . . . and the reaction we've all had to some published books.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Stephen King and the Magic Moment
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Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres
Falling Leaves and Foolish Brothers by Gale Sypher Jacob
Ten Kinds of Chairs to Count by Gale Sypher Jacob
Benno and the Night of Broken Glass by Meg Wiviott
Pajama Light by Gale Sypher Jacob
G Is for Garden State by Eileen Cameron
Canyon by Eileen Cameron
Yup, I've had that same reaction. I love what Mr. King says in this clip, and his book On Writing is great. Thanks for sharing, Gale.
ReplyDeleteJ.L. Yes, I've gone back to parts of On Writing again and again, and his advice about reading, reading, reading, is SO true. How else are we to discover what to strive for and what to avoid?
ReplyDeleteI had just that magic moment. Gotta love Stephen King.
ReplyDeleteOMG...love it, and his shirt too! And On Writing, which is on the shelf above my work space. Whenever I get muddled up with plot I think of Mr. King comparing writing to digging for fossils. Also love this quote too - "Plot is, I think, the good writer's last resort and the dullard's first choice".
ReplyDeleteHave been wrestling with this lately :)
Yes - reading, reading - the excellent, good, bad and indifferent - all examples of writing are instructive to us as writers - what to emulate and what to avoid.
ReplyDeleteEileen
hahaha ...yes! But, also a magic moment when we are moved to tears or laughter and think, "I can do that, too"
ReplyDeleteHe really knows how to turn the page! I thought he was going to say something sweet and emotional about That Magic Moment. But yes. Some books are not great. We can learn from those as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this great clip!
J.A., Robin and Eileen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. I'm so glad Robin noticed his tied-died shirt - what a hoot!
Hm-m-m, King's statement about plot is interesting because so much of his work seems plot driven. I guess he wouldn't see it that way? He wants his characters to control what happens?
I think what he meant by that (and I could be completely off base here) is that plot is something that naturally arises out of situations, not the other way around. That when you start with plot and try and shoe-horn scenes around it, they aren't natural.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm having an off day, and feel like what I'm writing is bascially plotless - that quote makes me feel good!
I agree that you have to read widely. Yet reading is a guilty pleasure for me--the "requirements" of the writing profession are too enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteI read just about every genre. Reading voraciously is tied into my love of writing. And if a book doesn't work, I ask myself why so that I don't make those same mistakes.
ReplyDeleteLeave it to King to start a good discussion!
ReplyDeleteI think we've nailed the meaning of his comment about plot and we all agree about reading widely. I must admit, though, I only read widely in some genres. Sci Fi, for example, is not a favorite.
Thanks to everyone for taking time to comment.