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Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully: in Ten Minutes

by Stephen King I The !irst Introduction
THAT'S RIGHT. I know it sounds like n d !or some sle "y writers' school# but I re lly m going to tell you e$erything you need to pursue success!ul nd !in nci lly rew rding c reer writing !iction# nd I re lly m going to do it in ten minutes# which is e% ctly how long it took me to le rn. It will ctu lly t ke you twenty minutes or so to re d this ess y# howe$er# bec use I h $e to tell you story# nd then I h $e to write second introduction. &ut these# I rgue# should not count in the ten minutes.

II The Story" or" #ow Stephen King $e%rned to Write

'hen I w s sophomore in high school# I did sophomoric thing which got me in pot o! ! irly hot w ter# s sophomoric didoes o!ten do. I wrote nd published sm ll s tiric newsp per c lled The (ill ge (omit. In this little p per I l mpooned number o! te chers t )isbon *+ ine, High School# where I w s under instruction. These were not $ery gentle l mpoons- they r nged !rom the sc tologic l to the downright cruel. .$entu lly# copy o! this little newsp per !ound its w y into the h nds o! ! culty member# nd since I h d been unwise enough to put my n me on it * ! ult# some critics rgue# o! which I h $e still not been entirely cured,# I w s brought into the o!!ice. The sophistic ted s tirist h d by th t time re$erted to wh t he re lly w s: !ourteen/ye r/old kid who w s sh king in his boots nd wondering i! he w s going to get suspension ... wh t we c lled 0 three/d y $ c tion0 in those dim d ys o! 1234. I w sn't suspended. I w s !orced to m ke number o! pologies / they were w rr nted# but they still t sted like dog/dirt in my mouth / nd spent week in detention h ll. And the guid nce counselor rr nged wh t he no doubt thought o! s more constructi$e ch nnel !or my t lents. This w s 5ob / contingent upon the editor's ppro$ l / writing sports !or the )isbon .nterprise# twel$e/p ge weekly o! the sort with which ny sm ll/ town resident will be ! mili r. This editor w s the m n who t ught me e$erything I know bout writing in ten minutes. His n me w s 6ohn Gould / not the ! med 7ew .ngl nd humorist or the no$elist who wrote The Greenle ! 8ires# but rel ti$e o! both# I belie$e. He told me he needed sports writer nd we could 0try e ch other out0 i! I w nted. I told him I knew more bout d$ nced lgebr th n I did sports. Gould nodded nd s id# 09ou'll le rn.0 I s id I would t le st try to le rn. Gould g $e me huge roll o! yellow p per nd promised me w ge o! 1/:; per word. The !irst two pieces I wrote h d to do with high

school b sketb ll g me in which member o! my school te m broke the )isbon High scoring record. <ne o! these pieces w s str ight report ge. The second w s !e ture rticle. I brought them to Gould the d y !ter the g me# so he'd h $e them !or the p per# which c me out 8rid ys. He re d the str ight piece# m de two minor corrections# nd spiked it. Then he st rted in on the !e ture piece with l rge bl ck pen nd t ught me ll I e$er needed to know bout my cr !t. I wish I still h d the piece / it deser$es to be !r med# editori l corrections nd ll / but I c n remember pretty well how it looked when he h d !inished with it. Here's n e% mple: *note: this is be!ore the edit m rks indic ted on =ing's origin l copy, ) st night# in the well/lo$ed gymn sium o! )isbon High School# p rtis ns nd 6 y Hills ! ns like were stunned by n thletic per!orm nce une>u led in school history: &ob R nsom# known s 0&ullet0 &ob !or both his si"e nd ccur cy# scored thirty/se$en points. He did it with gr ce nd speed ... nd he did it with n odd courtesy s well# committing only two person l !ouls in his knight/like >uest !or record which h s eluded )isbon thincl ds since 12?@.... * !ter edit m rks, ) st night# in the )isbon High School gymn sium# p rtis ns nd 6 y Hills ! ns like were stunned by n thletic per!orm nce une>u led in school history: &ob R nsom scored thirty/se$en points. He did it with gr ce nd speed ... nd he did it with n odd courtesy s well# committing only two person l !ouls in his >uest !or record which h s eluded )isbon's b sketb ll te m since 12?@.... 'hen Gould !inished m rking up my copy in the m nner I h $e indic ted bo$e# he looked up nd must h $e seen something on my ! ce. I think he must h $e thought it w s horror# but it w s not: it w s re$el tion. 0I only took out the b d p rts# you know#0 he s id. 0+ost o! it's pretty good.0 0I know#0 I s id# me ning both things: yes# most o! it w s good# nd yes# he h d only t ken out the b d p rts. 0I won't do it g in.0 0I! th t's true#0 he s id# 0you'll ne$er h $e to work g in. 9ou c n do this !or li$ing.0 Then he threw b ck his he d nd l ughed. And he w s right- I m doing this !or li$ing# nd s long s I c n keep on# I don't e%pect e$er to h $e to work g in.

III The Second Introduction

All o! wh t !ollows h s been s id be!ore. I! you re interested enough in writing to be purch ser o! this m g "ine# you will h $e either he rd or re d ll *or lmost ll, o! it be!ore. Thous nds o! writing courses re t ught cross the Anited St tes e ch ye rsemin rs re con$ened- guest lecturers t lk# then nswer >uestions# then drink s m ny gin nd tonics s their e%pense/!ees will llow# nd it ll boils down to wh t !ollows. I m going to tell you these things g in bec use o!ten people will only listen / re lly listen / to someone who m kes lot o! money doing the thing he's t lking bout. This is

s d but true. And I told you the story bo$e not to m ke mysel! sound like ch r cter out o! Hor tio Alger no$el but to m ke point: I s w# I listened# nd I le rned. Antil th t d y in 6ohn Gould's little o!!ice# I h d been writing !irst dr !ts o! stories which might run :#?BB words. The second dr !ts were pt to run @#@BB words. 8ollowing th t d y# my :#?BB/word !irst dr !ts bec me :#:BB/word second dr !ts. And two ye rs !ter th t# I sold the !irst one. So here it is# with ll the b rk stripped o!!. It'll t ke ten minutes to re d# nd you c n pply it right w y ... i! you listen.

I& Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully

' (e t%lented
This# o! course# is the killer. 'h t is t lentC I c n he r someone shouting# nd here we re# re dy to get into discussion right up there with 0wh t is the me ning o! li!eC0 !or weighty pronouncements nd tot l uselessness. 8or the purposes o! the beginning writer# t lent m y s well be de!ined s e$entu l success / public tion nd money. I! you wrote something !or which someone sent you check# i! you c shed the check nd it didn't bounce# nd i! you then p id the light bill with the money# I consider you t lented. 7ow some o! you re re lly hollering. Some o! you re c lling me one cr ss money/ !i% ted creep. And some o! you re c lling me b d n mes. Are you c lling H rold Robbins t lentedC someone in one o! the Gre t .nglish Dep rtments o! Americ is screeching. (.E. AndrewsC Theodore DreiserC <r wh t bout you# you dysle%ic moronC 7onsense. 'orse th n nonsense# o!! the sub5ect. 'e're not t lking bout good or b d here. I'm interested in telling you how to get your stu!! published# not in critic l 5udgments o! who's good or b d. As rule the critic l 5udgments come !ter the check's been spent# nyw y. I h $e my own opinions# but most times I keep them to mysel!. Feople who re published ste dily nd re p id !or wh t they re writing m y be either s ints or trollops# but they re cle rly re ching gre t m ny someones who w nt wh t they h $e. .rgo# they re communic ting. .rgo# they re t lented. The biggest p rt o! writing success!ully is being t lented# nd in the conte%t o! m rketing# the only b d writer is one who doesn't get p id. I! you're not t lented# you won't succeed. And i! you're not succeeding# you should know when to >uit. 'hen is th tC I don't know. It's di!!erent !or e ch writer. 7ot !ter si% re5ection slips# cert inly# nor !ter si%ty. &ut !ter si% hundredC + ybe. A!ter si% thous ndC +y !riend# !ter si% thous nd pinks# it's time you tried p inting or computer progr mming. 8urther# lmost e$ery spiring writer knows when he is getting w rmer / you st rt getting little 5otted notes on your re5ection slips# or person l letters . . . m ybe commiser ting phone c ll. It's lonely out there in the cold# but there re encour ging $oices ... unless there is nothing in your words which w rr nts encour gement. I think you owe it to yoursel! to skip s much o! the sel!/illusion s possible. I! your eyes re open# you'll know which w y to go ... or when to turn b ck.

) (e ne%t
Type. Double/sp ce. Ase nice he $y white p per# ne$er th t er s ble onion/skin stu!!. I! you'$e m rked up your m nuscript lot# do nother dr !t.

* (e self+critic%l
I! you h $en't m rked up your m nuscript lot# you did l "y 5ob. <nly God gets things right the !irst time. Don't be slob.

, -e.ove every e/tr%neous word

9ou w nt to get up on so pbo% nd pre chC 8ine. Get one nd try your loc l p rk. 9ou w nt to write !or moneyC Get to the point. And i! you remo$e ll the e%cess g rb ge nd disco$er you c n't !ind the point# te r up wh t you wrote nd st rt ll o$er g in . . . or try something new.

0 Never loo1 %t % reference boo1 while doing % first dr%ft

9ou w nt to write storyC 8ine. Fut w y your diction ry# your encyclopedi s# your 'orld Alm n c# nd your thes urus. &etter yet# throw your thes urus into the w steb sket. The only things creepier th n thes urus re those little p perb cks college students too l "y to re d the ssigned no$els buy round e% m time. Any word you h $e to hunt !or in thes urus is the wrong word. There re no e%ceptions to this rule. 9ou think you might h $e misspelled wordC <.=.# so here is your choice: either look it up in the diction ry# thereby m king sure you h $e it right / nd bre king your tr in o! thought nd the writer's tr nce in the b rg in / or 5ust spell it phonetic lly nd correct it l ter. 'hy notC Did you think it w s going to go somewhereC And i! you need to know the l rgest city in &r "il nd you !ind you don't h $e it in your he d# why not write in +i mi# or Ele$el ndC 9ou c n check it ... but l ter. 'hen you sit down to write# write. Don't do nything else e%cept go to the b throom# nd only do th t i! it bsolutely c nnot be put o!!.

2 Know the .%r1ets

<nly dimwit would send story bout gi nt $ mpire b ts surrounding high school to +cE ll's. <nly dimwit would send tender story bout mother nd d ughter m king up their di!!erences on Ehristm s .$e to Fl yboy ... but people do it ll the time. I'm not e% gger ting- I h $e seen such stories in the slush piles o! the ctu l m g "ines. I! you write good story# why send it out in n ignor nt ! shionC 'ould you send your kid out in snowstorm dressed in &ermud shorts nd t nk topC I! you like science !iction# re d the m g "ines. I! you w nt to write con!ession stories# re d the m g "ines. And so on. It isn't 5ust m tter o! knowing wh t's right !or the present story- you c n begin to c tch on# !ter while# to o$er ll rhythms# editori l likes nd dislikes# m g "ine's entire sl nt. Sometimes your re ding c n in!luence the ne%t story# nd cre te s le.

3 Write to entert%in
Does this me n you c n't write 0serious !iction0C It does not. Somewhere long the line pernicious critics h $e in$ested the Americ n re ding nd writing public with the ide th t entert ining !iction nd serious ide s do not o$erl p. This would h $e surprised Eh rles Dickens# not to mention 6 ne Austen# 6ohn Steinbeck# 'illi m 8 ulkner# &ern rd + l mud# nd hundreds o! others. &ut your serious ide s must lw ys ser$e your story# not the other w y round. I repe t: i! you w nt to pre ch# get so pbo%.

4 As1 yourself fre5uently" 6A. I h%ving fun76

The nswer needn't lw ys be yes. &ut i! it's lw ys no# it's time !or new pro5ect or new c reer.

8 #ow to ev%lu%te criticis.

Show your piece to number o! people / ten# let us s y. )isten c re!ully to wh t they tell you. Smile nd nod lot. Then re$iew wh t w s s id $ery c re!ully. I! your critics re ll telling you the s me thing bout some ! cet o! your story / plot twist th t doesn't work# ch r cter who rings ! lse# stilted n rr ti$e# or h l! do"en other possibles / ch nge th t ! cet. It doesn't m tter i! you re lly liked th t twist o! th t ch r cter- i! lot o! people re telling you something is wrong with you piece# it is. I! se$en or eight o! them re hitting on th t s me thing# I'd still suggest ch nging it. &ut i! e$eryone / or e$en most e$eryone / is critici"ing something di!!erent# you c n s !ely disreg rd wh t ll o! them s y.

'9 :bserve %ll rules for proper sub.ission

Return post ge# sel!/ ddressed en$elope# ll o! th t.

'' An %gent7 !orget it !or now

Agents get 1BG o! monies e rned by their clients. 1BG o! nothing is nothing. Agents lso h $e to p y the rent. &eginning writers do not contribute to th t or ny other necessity o! li!e. 8log your stories round yoursel!. I! you'$e done no$el# send round >uery letters to publishers# one by one# nd !ollow up with s mple ch pters nd/or the m nuscript complete. And remember Stephen =ing's 8irst Rule o! 'riters nd Agents# le rned by bitter person l e%perience: 9ou don't need one until you're m king enough !or someone to ste l ... nd i! you're m king th t much# you'll be ble to t ke your pick o! good gents.

') If it;s b%d" 1ill it

'hen it comes to people# mercy killing is g inst the l w. 'hen it comes to !iction# it is the l w.

Th t's e$erything you need to know. And i! you listened# you c n write e$erything nd nything you w nt. 7ow I belie$e I will wish you ple s nt d y nd sign o!!. +y ten minutes re up. copyright H Stephen =ing