Quote: (08-20-2013 09:57 AM)GreenGranted Wrote:
While I'm not a serious writer, it seems like "knowledge" is just one way to enter the creative process (Stephen King advocates the opposite, if I recall correctly), while "time" and "enthousiasm" is pretty generic advice.
Yes, there are other ways. The "to outline or not" discussion is one of the oldest arguments in writing and there are good cases for both sides - mostly it's personal preference. I'm still trying to decide which I prefer, at least as far as fiction goes.
You're right that King does not outline. This article is about writing faster though - and outlining is indeed the way to go when your priority is speed. As a professional writer, I can attest to this. King isn't especially known for speed; he doesn't need to write fast to make money as everything he writes becomes a best-seller based on name alone.
And while King is certainly an unmatched legend, I don't take every word he utters on the subject as etched in gold either. There are other people out there with worthy opinions. In fact, he tends to contradict a lot of his own advice if you read his work closely.
As for the other points in the article, I agree they seem a bit generic on cursory glance (most writing advice everywhere is pretty generic), but if you really pay attention to what he's saying, he has some good ideas and arguments within the deeper analysis. For instance, saying that you're better off skipping the tedious parts of writing because they'll be just as tedious to read - most book writers accept that necessary parts of the book are not going to be fun to write, so I find his observation here poignant.
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I'm very interested in learning processes and value productivity. One of the best blogs on this subject in my opinion is
http://calnewport.com/blog/
It is written by a young computer science professor and is part career advice ("what are the requirements for a job that makes you happy?"), part experiments on value productivity.
Cool, I will check it out.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling