On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

I realized that almost every writer of fiction and poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent.

“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story,” he said. “When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.”

write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right—as right as you can, anyway—it belongs to anyone who wants to read it.

Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don’t have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough.

books are a uniquely portable magic.

I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.