Learn How to Be a Better Writer from Horror Master, Stephen King

At 74 years old, at the time of this writing, Stephen King has written over 80 books, many of which have become staples in the horror genre. 

Amongst these, there are two books that writers should be especially aware of; Danse Macabre, which covers his thoughts on horror in media and how societal fears influence the genre, and On Writing, which is his guide on becoming a more polished writer overall.

Here’s some of his tips on how to be a better writer:

GET TO THE POINT

This is one of the first things you need to consider when outlining your novel. When King refers to the 'point,' he refers to the main storyline guided by the overall theme. What is your story saying specifically? If you are writing a romance about how someone can fall in love at any age, don't waste your time getting there.

For example, in this piece, I would not have long, drawn out passages about what the main character does for a living, what kind of relationships they have outside their love interest, etc. Of course, you can definitely include these, but you should not be inclined to create entire chapters devoted to these secondary elements.

You can make your writing elegant and full of beautiful prose without sacrificing your main themes.

Get to the point of the story quickly so that your reader does not grow bored. 

WRITE A DRAFT. THEN LET IT REST. 

This is solid advice, and while King may let his manuscripts "lay in the drawer" for months, even just a few days is enough to give you more insight into where the story's inconsistencies and weaknesses lie.

When you write, your subconscious is at the forefront; however, your perspective and mood will change constantly. Thus, by letting your story rest and then going back to it, you look at it with a completely different mindset. 

It is like having a beta reader looking over your work, but that reader is you! 

For this same reason, I always suggest reading stories aloud, whether to yourself or someone else. Looking at the text with a new lens will show you things you did not see before. 

CUT DOWN ON YOUR TEXT. 

If you have never heard of the William Faulkner penned phrase, "kill your darlings," then it refers to the practice of revising and editing out many passages and scenes you may love for the good of the story. 

Stephen King includes this in his writing advice. To "get to the point" and protect the integrity of your story, you need to cut back on your text. This is one of the hardest lessons for new writers to learn because they often love everything they write.

While it is good to love the text you worked so hard on, you need to learn when too much is, well, too much. With each scene, a bit of dialogue, etc., ask yourself this – what does it contribute to the overall storyline and point I am trying to make?

If you cannot justify its place in the piece, then you must remove it. 

BE RELATABLE AND HONEST. 

At first glance, you may think, isn't King a horror author?

Well, yes, but even with the fantastical plots, his work is still relatable and honest. By that, I mean that there are human experiences despite the monsters and paranormal happenings. After all, that is one reason why the horror genre is valid – it allows us to explore many primal fears.

For example, consider many of the children in a book like It or the protagonist of Carrie. These kids are dealing with identity struggles, assault, being unable to fit in, etc. The monsters are always second nature to the true, sinister reality that many of us face. Putting in the monsters merely allows a way to best monsters and further examine the underlining fears.

Even if you do not write fantastical works, you should still be relatable and honest in your writing. Use easy-to-understand language, understand your main theme, and showcase your perceptive of the human condition. 

DON'T CARE TOO MUCH WHAT OTHERS MIGHT THINK.

It goes without saying that you should be open to criticism; however, there is a difference between someone being critical of your work and someone who has an issue with you or your work personally.

First and foremost, you should never compare yourself to another author because every writer's journey is individual. Secondly, you are going to face so many nonvalid critics in your writing journey. This was a difficult thing for me to overcome when I got my Creative Writing BSA. I had so many professors and peers tell me that horror, or any genre fiction, wasn't valid, while others nitpicked every single line of passage, even if they appreciated the genre I wrote in. 

Sometimes this criticism was valid, and I grew exponentially as a writer. However, too often, the criticism was based on individual subjectivity. If they didn't like horror, of course, they wouldn't like my work. 

The goal is to take the criticism to heart but eliminate the "white noise," all the chatter that says you aren't good enough, your work is terrible, and your stories don't matter because they do. 

READ A LOT. 

Stephen King is an author that greatly encourages reading, whether in the genre you want to write in or any book for that matter.

That is because you absorb everything you read. That is why I do book reviews because I love gaining new perspectives and finding books I may not otherwise read. I encourage you to read as often as possible, whether on your phone, tablet, audiobook, or with an old-fashioned physical book.

The more you read, the more you will broaden your perspective on the world, showing up in your writing. 

WRITE A LOT. 

Quite simply, you will not become a better writer if you do not write – a lot. I am not even referring to working on your manuscript, although you should definitely strive to write several drafts before editing. I am referring to writing anything and everything.

Writing essays, writing long emails, and then editing them for brevity, working on a paper, etc. Writing, like other creative pursuits, will become more defined the more you do it. So King recommends you do it as often as possible.

Even if what you put out is not as good as you would like, the more you write, the better you will be. 

BONUS LESSON: PUT YOUR DESK IN THE CORNER 

"It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around."

I include this as a bonus piece of advice because it is also advisable for life. Remember why you write and do not get bothered by external reasons!

If you become obsessed with becoming the next bestselling author, then you may lose focus on the important things in life. When you start to enjoy life and let that take a back seat, I find that your writing will improve drastically.

All of these can relate back to the elements of fiction. As you begin to work on your novel constantly go back to these elements and question how they are making an impact on your story.

For instance, how does your characterization determine what kind of theme your story might have? How does this then determine mood?

Also strive to fine-tune each of these elements so that they cannot only give your reader more clarity, but so that they can also work together to make your story the best that it can be.

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