These rules are based out of the book he wrote that are full of writing tips that he uses himself! Go buy it, rent it, or barrow it by any means nessessary to read these tips more in depth. I know Barnes and Noble has the book for sure because that is where I first saw it.
1. If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.
2. Stories consist of three parts:
Narration- which moves the story from point A to point B.
Description- which creates a sensory reality for the reader.
Dialogue- which brings characters to life through their speech.
3. The situation comes first. The characters- always flat and unfeatured to begin with - come next.
4. Whether it's a vignette of a single page or an epic trilogy like Lord of the Ring, the work is always accomplished one word at a time.
5. The most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a what-if question.
6. The best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event.
7. With a passive verb, something is being done to the subject of the sentence. The subject is just letting it happen. YOU SHOULD AVOID THE. PASSIVE TENSE!
8. Talk, whether ugly or beautiful, is an index of character.
9. Description begins in the writers imagination, but should finish in the readers.
10. The road to hell is paved in adverbs.
11. Never use 'emolument' when you mean 'tip'.
12. Set a daily writing goal. As with physical exercise, it would be best to set this goal low at first. King suggests a thousand words a day.
13. Call that one person you write for Ideal Reader. (I've mentioned before about Ideal Readers) He or she is going to be in your writing room all the time.
14. If you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.
YOU ARE READING
Writing Tips
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