For Writers On Writing

Good day, good people.

For devotees of the English language: Infandous means unmentionably terrible.

For those among us whom are not celebrity writers, myself included, and are not in Stephen King’s opinion the geniuses with the skills of the Shakespeares, the Faulkners, the Yeatses, the Shaws, and the Eudora Weltys and whom would look forward to improving, I would recommend the following if you have not read them: Story by Robert McKee, Stephen King On Writing and The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri. Only a fool believes he or she knows it all — do not be one.

Stephen King in his book On Writing has some good advice for those among us who would like to write, be better, be a good writer and be one of “the really good writers. “. . . good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments.” King believes it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad one and cannot make a great writer out of a good one. Though he admits one can become a good writer if they are competent.

Read and write a lot. “One learns most clearly what not to do by reading bad prose — one infandous novel like . . . Valley of the Dolls, Flowers in the Attic, and The Bridges of Madison County, to name just a few is worth a semester at a good writing school, even with the superstar guest lecturers thrown in.”

On the other hand, reading Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck will be inspirational and will give you a goal. “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway. Let a bigot talk like a bigot and a racist talk like a racist whether your friends and readers like it or not.” Providing accurate information is a worthy goal.

If you do not enjoy writing do not do it. The key to any successful endeavor is enjoyment. You are born with the talent for something. First find that something you enjoy doing, whatever it may be, and incidentally make a dollar from it. If you do not look forward to being alone, sitting in a chair for hours transcribing what your characters are doing, I suggest you go into a different avocation. The hardest part of writing is staying in your chair.

Speaking and writing English correctly gives one an opportunity for upward mobility. Of course, if you are a wealthy American with a lack of English skills, everyone will overlook them, be tolerant as it abrades and grates, and Samuel Johnson will insert ear plugs. The listener with high-English skills will immediately classify the semi-literate as a member of the lower classes. The listener who does not correct the semi-literate is called a sycophant — of the fawning class, because he or she wants something from the semi-literate.

Do not mistake my desire to help others, for others have helped me, into believing that I believe I am a gifted writer. However, I am a devoted student fascinated by the English language and by what other writers have to say about writing. And, like all nonfools, I intend to improve. That said, my recently published novel, Operation Downfall, a political thriller, has received good reviews.

What is your thought on King’s evaluations to be a good or great writer?

Contacting me with comments and constructive criticisms with honesty and pleasantness, their constant companions, will always be welcome.