On Writing Essay

                Stephen King’s life was full of change, whether it was his ever-changing cycle of nannies as he mentions on page 19 or constantly moving to different homes in new towns. One thing about King’s life that never changed, however, was his desire to write. King is living proof that proper reading and writing every day yields exceptional literary works.

                One of the many things King learned through his many readings is that he imitates certain authors’ styles and puts his own personality in it. Reading offers you a glimpse into someone else’s mind. However, it’s not just any mind. It’s the mind of someone who cares enough about his or her ideas to sit down and spend hours, days, months, and sometimes years just to get them into your mind. King writes on page 137, “We are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style…but as we move along, you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.”

                On page 34, King talks about when his family got their first television set. He states that they were behind the times and purchased a TV when he was eleven. Generations before us didn’t have television, internet, or cell phones, and these generations produced classic novels. Authors who spend their time working with their craft instead of “eating a daily helping of video bullshit” write books with underlying meanings and metaphors that hit home with their audience. If an author sits in front of a television set, how can he or she develop his or her own creative ideas and theories? It’s impossible to be a good writer without exposing yourself to good writing.

                King offers a list of books that he has found particularly helpful in his journey to become a best-selling author, and if one looks closely at the list, it’s evident that none of these books will be found in the Teen Fiction section of Books-A-Million wedged between Twilight and The Vampire Diaries.

                Reading and writing gives us the opportunity to, as King puts it, “turn competent writers into good writers.”