When it comes to being a master of the commercial writing craft, few authors are more successful than Stephen King. The “Horror Guy”, who King calls himself, has tirelessly worked for over sixty years. He’s produced more than fifty novels and countless other pieces in a non-stop career during which he almost died from substance abuse and a nasty vehicle accident. “Prolific” is an understatement when it comes to labeling this writing machine, and there’s a surprisingly simple secret to Stephen King’s success.
Yes, the secret to Stephen King’s success is surprisingly simple. It’s a concoction beyond natural storytelling talent, which he has in spades. It’s a mix beyond craft knowledge and prose perfection. And it’s a blend beyond something else—something most writers simply won’t do in their lives. Yet it’s a simple success secret which Stephen King slyly shares if you follow his work.
Before I disclose Stephen King’s s simple success secret, let me tell you what triggered this post. I’m a big Stephen King fan. I’ve read a lot of his stuff—From A Buick Eight is my mind-blowing favorite—and I know many readers can’t Stand him (pun intended). Certainly, he’s verbose compared to James Patterson, but I’m on Team King all the way, even though Team Patterson outsells him.
I connected with a lady who recently retired from the same police force I served with. I didn’t know her directly, but I worked with her dad in the RCMP years ago. She made a career as a detective with Vancouver’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (I-HIT) and was their high-profile spokesperson for a long stint. Now this fine lady has a keen interest in beginning a crime-writing career, and she was silly enough to turn to me for advice.
I see piles of potential in this unfolding writer. She has the proper package required to be a commercial success and a household name in crime fiction circles, just as she was in the true crime world. Part of our long talk was me recommending resources to study. Stephen King’s On Writing—A Memoir of the Craft was at the top of the list.
Stephen King. Where do you start to explain his success secret? First, Stephen King is self-made. He didn’t come from writing royalty, and that story of him working nights at a laundry and throwing Carrie in the trash isn’t bullshit. His wife, Tabitha, rescued the manuscript and submitted it to Putnam and the success of Stephen King—writer—began.
Stephen King is coming on to 74. He still writes every day that he can and that includes Christmas and his birthday. Mr. King still finds time to read—lots of reading time—and he generously gives what he has to spare in helping others to develop their writing skills. That includes unfolding writers like my retired detective friend who I hope has redlined, yellow highlighted, and made black ink notes in an On Writing copy as I have.
In prepping this post, I reread On Writing. Or, I should say reviewed my red lines and yellow bars along with black ink notations. I’ve paged this prize at least a dozen times as I’ve built my skills, and I’m now at the point that I can legitimately call myself a commercial writer who’s achieved international bestselling status.
Call me a bragger. Just don’t call me a bullshitter, and I attribute my achievements much to Stephen King’s simple success secret which I’ll keep you in suspense from while I do a quick review of what’s in On Writing and why these pages of gold are so, so valuable for anyone who wants to make it in the commercial storytelling world.
Mr. King wrote On Writing in 2000. At least that’s what the copyright page says. That would have made him around 52 which is 11 years younger than I was when I decided to take writing stories seriously.
On Writing opens with this quote in the foreword: “What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly and simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the language.”
It’s about the day job and it’s about the language. Commercial writing is a job. It’s bloody hard work that requires a writer to show up every day, sit down with their ass in the chair, and put their fingers on the keys—not just when they feel like it or when they think the muse calls. And it’s about using those keys to transcribe language into a crafted story that’s saleable to a mass market.
Like Stephen King has been doing tirelessly every day for 60 years.
“This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do—not why it works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad. I figured the shorter the book, the less the bullshit.”
On Writing is a short book by Stephen King standards. It runs just shy of 300 pages, but those pages contain sage quotes like these:
“You must not come lightly to the blank page.”
“It’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to close this book and do something else. Wash the car, maybe.”
“Simple sentences worked well for Hemmingway, didn’t they? Even when he was drunk on his ass, he was a fucking genius.”
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. Good writing is about letting go of fear and affectation. Also about making good choices about the tools you plan to work with.”
“I love this job. I want you to love it, too. But if you don’t want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well—settle back into complacency and be grateful you have even that much to fall back on. There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust over your typewriter or computer. He lives underground. He’s a basement guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in. You have to do all the grunt labor, in other words, while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Do you think this is fair? I think it’s fair. He may not be much to look at, that muse guy, and he may not be much of a conversationalist (what I get from mine is mostly surly grunts, unless he’s on duty), but he’s got the inspiration. It’s right that you should do all the work and burn the midnight oil because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There’s stuff in there that can change your life. Believe me, I know.”
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others. Read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
“Constant reading will pull you into a place (a mindset, if you like the phrase) where you can write eagerly and without self-consciousness. It offers you a constantly growing knowledge of what has been done and what hasn’t, what is trite and what is fresh, what works and what just lies there dying (or dead) on the page. The more you read, the less apt you are to make a fool of yourself with your pen or your word processor.”
“A radio host once asked me how I write. I answered ‘one word at a time’. Day in and day out. Not surprisingly, it’s that simple. It’s the secret to my success.”
In my humble opinion (IMHO), Stephen King’s surprisingly simple secret to his success as a commercial writer is tirelessness. He’s tirelessly written one word at a time for over six decades and shows no sign of letting up. Long live the King.
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I’ve just read your book ‘In the Attic.’ I am blown away by your writing style and skills. You gave your characters respect, a voice and a description that’s not judgemental.
I was looking for inspiration for my current novel, and crime is a new genre for me. I’ve written a draft and have included active drama, shock and tension, but it lacked something, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I accidentally – if you like – came across your book—light bulb moment.
I’m holding back with my imagination because of fear? Maybe I am. I don’t know but I intend to find out by following the guidance you offer. I’ll also be reading Stephen Kings ‘On Writing.’
Now I’ve found your webpage; I will be reading your writing, fiction and resources. I hope I can learn from you and earn just a sprinkle of the magic you ooze.
Well, this is certainly a nice wake-up message. I hear your sincerity coming through, Caz. I get a fair amount of emails where I question their motive, but yours sounds like you sincerely got the “spirit” of In The Attic and the “voice” in my writing. Thank you for the encouraging words!
You mention fear in writing. I’m a huge Stephen King fan. If you haven’t read his craft book On Writing, then make sure you do. It’s a must for all writers, regardless of genre. Mr. King makes a bold point when he says, “I think fear is what kills all good writing”. I’m no longer scared of what anyone thinks of my writing. I just go with the flow – in the zone – when I draft and I do almost no revision. Yesterday, I wrote a post for the blog site Kill Zone about writing into the dark, or dark writing, which gives a glimpse as to my method. Here’s the link: https://killzoneblog.com/2021/04/writing-into-the-dark.html
My take – drop the fear and write what you want to write. Think of your manuscript as a personal letter to your ideal reader – that special someone you’re telling the story to. (This wisdom is also from SK.) Thanks again for contacting me, Caz, and for making my day! ~Garry
One of my favorites. Mine is also heavily marked up.
A new favorite: Fearless Writing by William Kenower. I highly recommend it.
Cynthia, I’ve never heard of William Kenower or Fearless Writing so I did a Zon search. I looked inside and in the first page when he said that writers are hesitant to talk to non-writers about magic… well I hit the buy button so fast I think I broke the f’n key. Like Mr. King says, I think fear is what holds most writers back and I think Fearless Writing is gonna be a game changer. Thank you so much for commenting and recommending Fearless Writing! ~Garry
Congrats on the 1st edition score! I haven’t read On Writing in years, but you’ve inspired me to reread. Thanks, Garry! You might also suggest Story Engineering to your friend. Sitting down at the keyboard isn’t enough…unless you’re Stephen King whose story sensibilities are hardwired. The rest of us should study story structure, so when we’re sitting our butts in the chair, we’ll know what we’re doing. 😉
Hey, there you are. I was wondering what was happening with you, as you’re usually the first one in the class with your hand up. Been busy, huh? Right. Story Engineering. Great stuff. I’ll pass Larry’s works on to her. I’m sitting here with my butt in the chair and reviewing the first eleven chapters of “At The Cabin” which is the next in the based-on-true crime series. I’d put the WIP away for the last month, and I’m now trying to get my head back in the story. It’s amazing how you think “WTF was I thinking?” when you’ve taken a manuscript break. Structure rules and so does SK!
So true!
Yeah, sorry ’bout that. I had a crazy few days putting together a Zoom presentation for Pretty Evil New England. A crazy amount of hours leading up to the event last night. We had a blast, though. Bring on the next one! LOL
Is your event available online? Or was it a one-time chat?
The host’s audio driver failed, so he had to make me host. So, he said he’ll let me know later today/tomorrow if the recording worked. *fingers crossed*
Let me know if it works. We can share it here and on SM, if you’d like 🙂
On Writing was, and is, the definitive guide to all of those little things of the craft which so many early and long suffering would be writer’s overlook or ignore as either not important or too tedious to bother with. We all remember the phrase “Everyone has one good book in them.” True, perhaps, yet taking this so-called masterpiece from wherever it lurks deep inside our psyche, and not only putting it to page and making it i interesting enough for another literate human being to both set time aside to read it AND enjoy it to the point of coming back for more.
True writing, darn it all, is nothing like that. Just taking a look at Amazon’s kindle books after the surge of simple, easily published amateur efforts from those who were granted free space and no “hoops,” to jump thru, will realize just how tainted the self-publishing market has descended into.
Hi Dean – haven’t seen you here for awhile. Thanks for your thoughtful comment in which you’re dead right about the mass of crap out there, especially in the low-barrier SP market. However, there are those who are doing very, very well and I’d bet all have read & reread, absorbed, and applied Mr. King’s sound advice. And I bet that a lot of crap-makers probably haven’t. Enjoy your day and thanks again for dropping by and commenting!
Roger:
Thanks for the article. I have that book. Think I’ll go read it again for inspiration.
Good to see you here, Jillian. It’s inspiring, for sure!
And sounds as if I need to dust off On Writing and do another read through. I both enjoy and fear King – though his stuff scares the hell out of me, I love listening to him talk. Frank as anything, he tells it like it is and what could be better?
Never stop blogging, I look forward to reading you every week!
My father was an OPP and wrote in a different genre. Songs – some about cases – and he wrote a column on travel for over a decade. He passed on the bug.
Mr. King is a writing gem. Whether you like his style(s) or not, as a writer you really have to understand his thought process and he lays it out in On Writing. Thanks for following my blog and commenting, Evelyn. I have no intention of ever stopping, and I wrote an article over at the Kill Zone with my feelings as to why thriller and mystery writers should be blogging. Here’s the link if anyone is interested: https://killzoneblog.com/2021/02/is-blogging-worthwhile-for-thriller-and-mystery-writers.html
I’ve read On Writing at least three times. I’m due for another refresher. Thanks for the reminder of how helpful Stephen King is. He’s one of my favourite authors. Nora Roberts is also a prolific writer. She’s written over 200 books, and she writes them all herself. I can’t see either King or Roberts ever using ghostwriters the way James Patterson does.
Val – I have an anecdote (if that’s the right word – snippet, maybe?) from a friend who met Nora Roberts (aka JD Robb) at a writers conference. Ms. Roberts was a speaker in the session my friend was at. They took a break (15-20 mins?) and my friend went out to the lobby to get a drink or whatever. She saw Nora Roberts slip out, find a quiet corner, sit, open her laptop, and write away. Now, Ms. Roberts might have been answering family emails, checking her exploding bank account, or betting on the ponies – my friend didn’t know. But, she was writing when everyone else was taking a break. And then there’s Daniele Steele who claims to write 20 hours per day. I call bullshit on that one.
I have On Writing, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Might be time to get it out and mark the heck out of it with my own highlighter and red pen.
I just read your piece on blogging for mystery & thriller writers, and out of all that good advice, one line clamoured for attention… “Stick to your niche.” What does one do if they don’t know what their niche is?
Hi Carolyn! Find the niche? Hmmmm. That’s a good question. For me, crime writing is a natural niche, and I’m finding many different sub-niches in that broad crime-thriller-mystery-suspense genre classification. I’m somewhat in the “write what you know category” as I’ve been-there-done-that to a degree, but I don’t buy for one sec that it’s sound, all-around advice. Mr. King crosses niches all the time, and I doubt he’s ever experienced a killer clown, a possessed prom, a reality-captivating bubble, or an alien-possessed Buick, let alone being captured by a psychotic nurse or being strapped to the electric chair.
By “stick to your niche”, I guess I was referring to your blog persona, not your novels. Blogs are pretty much one-lane and specialized niches – I go-wide a bit by doing some crime, some forensics, and some writing topics. But, I don’t do politics, current events, religion, or sex. For the blogisphere, I’d suggest your find what you’re passionate about and go for it.
Sorry if I’m running on, but I paged through On Writing for the umteenth time, and I’m still given a writer’s wedgie by that man’s words. And he wrote that 21 years ago!
Good post, Garry. On Writing is a bible. And Stephen King IMHO is the only living master fictionist who’s still writing. All to often when I recommend young writers read his novels to learn how to write, they say something like “I don’t read horror.” As if that’s all King could teach them. Sigh.
Thanks, Harvey. I would have replied earlier but I was out meeting an old friend for part of the day and then did family stuff only to return home and find my internet connection crapped out. I’m back online now, but it would have been helpful if I understood a foreign language while dealing with tech support. 🙂 Yes! On Writing is a writer’s bible. You may or not agree with my top five resources that I recommended to the lady who I feel can kill this thing – On Writing, Elements of Style, Wired for Story, Self Editing for Fiction Writers, and Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us — but I’d like to hear your recommendations of the basics. Lord knows, you’ve been around this schtick for a bit.
Wonderful post, Garry! I agree–tirelessness is King’s writing superpower, with an extra helping of perseverance to go along with it. He never quits. “Butt in chair, hands on keyboard,” that’s him. I took a writer’s workshop from author David Morrell years ago, and David mentioned visiting King in the early 80s. As they toured the house, King would open a drawer and reveal a manuscript. “Maybe I’ll revise that,” he told David. Then he opened a cabinet, revealing another manuscript. “Or maybe, I’ll revise that.” Day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year, King is always writing. So very inspiring.
Tirelessness, thy name is Stephen King. Thanks for blogging about this–now I’m inspired, as I hope your writing friend is.
That’s a great insight from David Morrell. I do know who he is, and I’m in awe that he had direct access to Mr. King. In prep for this piece, I watched an hour-long “speech” SK gave to a literary group. I was so impressed with his down-to-earth persona and his genuine helpful nature. I also love “The Thing Of Evil” – his Corgi. Thanks for commenting and supporting my blah-blah here and on the Kill Zone, Dale. Onward, my friend!
I too am a fan of King. He has a way to draw you so far into a story that a stray dog or someone coughing next to you (pre-Covid) would make you sweat. Even a man wearing a red nose and wig will give you nightmares. That’s real skill, taking normal, everday experiences and then twisting them just a little, givng you page turners you can’t put down.
Thanks for the reminder about the book. I read it several years back, but it is definitely time to refresh his bits of wisdom.
Pennywise. Only Stephen King could come up with a clown character like Pennywise. Thanks for commenting, Cecilia. I think every writer, regardless of what they write, should know what’s in On Writing.