Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the abundance of misleading advice in writing literature and suggests that even experienced writers have limited understanding of their craft.
Stephen King's quote emphasizes that many instructional books on writing are filled with misleading or irrelevant information. He acknowledges that even successful fiction writers, himself included, often lack a deep understanding of the intricate mechanics that differentiate good writing from bad writing, hinting at the complexity and subjective nature of the writing process.
Themes
WritingBooksUnderstandingCreativityFiction
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, to illustrate the complexities of writing, you might quote Stephen King.
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That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
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Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
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