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Build Your Writing Muscles with These 7 Lessons from Stephen King's "On Writing" · The Daily Writer

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the weekend edition of the Daily Rider.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Each weekday, we bring you a short lesson that helps you live out the four practices of a great writer: creativity, consistency, courage, and connection.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the weekend edition, we take a deeper dive into those topics through conversations with writers, as well as teaching that helps us apply what we're learning.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most successful writers of all time also happens to have written one of the most helpful writing craft books of all time.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: His name, of course, is Stephen King, and the book I'm talking about is On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: We recently discussed this book in our Daily Writer community.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Each month we focus on a book that helps us with marketing, writing, or the creative process, and we had a great time discussing and applying this book.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: So on this episode, I want to pull out seven lessons about writing that we can take away from this amazing book.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you're really going to enjoy this, especially if you like fiction or you're a big fan of Stephen King.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before I get into that though, I want to take a couple minutes to share some wins from our daily writer community.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I got to confess, this is one of the most fun parts of my podcast that I do.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: I love the weekday episodes where I'm, you know, giving you like a one or two minute uh kind of shot of inspiration.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: I love the interviews, I love the content that I bring you on these Sunday episodes.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: But I got to confess, again, this is really, really a blast to be able to bring these wins to you because these are real people within our daily writer community who are making amazing progress.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: They're achieving their goals, they're they're running toward their dreams and doing the work that's needed.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: So this is really, really cool to be able to share these with you on our Sunday episodes.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: So today I've got a couple of these that I want to share with you.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: First is a win from my friend Ashley, and Ashley said, My cover reveal came out this week for my short stories.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: My cousin did the artwork, and I think she aced it.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, what Ashley is talking about here is a novel that she's got coming out in a couple months.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is her first novel, and she's been working on it for a while.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And she asked her cousin to do the artwork for it.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is um kind of a music-oriented novel, and this is going to be a blast, and I think it's gonna be very successful.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: And the cover is a very fun, kind of lighthearted cover.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: And when you see the cover, you get a sense of this is just a lot of fun.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: It brings you a lot of joy to look at the cover.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: I know maybe that sounds kind of silly, but I love book covers.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And they did a great job on it because a cover is supposed to communicate several things.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, a couple of those key things being who the book is for and what the book is about, and what what kind of emotional tone is the reader going to have from reading the book?
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the cover, a lot of weight is placed on a book cover because it has to communicate a lot of things instantly to the person who's looking at it.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: So Ashley and her cousin nailed this.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this is kind of cool because, you know, like like all of us, Ashley's working on a limited budget.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: So she got some help from her cousin who did the artwork for her.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And she was able to get it done and and create a really cool cover.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: I also love the idea of having a cover reveal.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like a movie trailer for your book, so that was a lot of fun.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: So the lesson that we can take away from Ashley's win from this week is simply doing the hard work and also working with what you have.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: You may not have a million dollars to do book marketing and to put your book together, but what do you have?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: What are the resources around you that you have available?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And is there somebody who can help you for free in your network?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to recommend that you always do everything for free, but there are people around you who are willing to help you with different aspects of your book, probably for low cost or for free, if they are skilled at what they do and if if you can arrange for them to do that.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, that depends on a variety of situations, of course, but I think it's cool that Ashley was able to make use of this uh person in her family to help her out with the cover.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So great job, Ashley.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Well done.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: The second win that I want to mention is from Yvette, and Yvette is a new member, and here's what she said.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: I finally figured out the direction I want to take, my writing and designing skills, and I'm super stoked about it.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Wyoming is known for its beauty and wild, wide open spaces.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: There are some stupendous images to come out of Wyoming.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Photographers, locals, and people from all over the world come to Ogle the Landscape and Wildlife.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's a great Facebook page that features Wyoming photography and it's phenomenal.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it has a huge audience of locals and other people from all around the world.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to make a print magazine featuring Wyoming images and photographers and stories as well as Wyoming history.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: I've already gotten quote requests in for two printers.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I've contacted some photographers and I've outlined my first six issue themes.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm just trying to settle on a name.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, she did settle on a name.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um this was after she posted this win in our group, and the name of the magazine will be Wyoming Illustrated.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: So this is really, really a cool win.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yvette has a background with magazines and writing and photography, so she brings a variety of skills to this endeavor.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Personally, I would never start a magazine myself because I don't have those skills.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um you've got to be really well-rounded, and you've got to have a lot of different skill sets to create a whole magazine.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: And Yvette has those things.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So she's running toward her natural skill set, she's bringing those to bear on a project that sounds really, really cool.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm a big fan of that kind of photography of landscapes and wide open spaces and that area of the United States.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So this is going to be a really, really cool win for Yvette.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So congrats, Yvette.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Great job on that.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also, great job on taking action and deciding on a direction.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times, we as writers, we look at our opportunities around us and we just kind of sit and we get paralyzed by all the different options that we have.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: So great job looking at your options and making a decision.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: And for you listening to this episode, I want to challenge you to do the same thing as you look around you at options that you have for your writing.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're looking at different freelance opportunities.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're looking at should I do a blog post or uh should I try and write a book or should I set up a website or what should I do?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Just make the best decision that you can right now and then go for it.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Start taking action.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's what Ashley did, that's what Yvette did, that's what any writer who is successful does.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: You look at your options, you make a good decision, then you move forward.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: The reason that we don't move forward sometimes is because we're afraid we're gonna make the wrong decision.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the deal: number one, the writing world is changing constantly.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: It truly is, especially when you get into self-publishing.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: The landscape, the opportunities, the tools and resources, it's constantly in shift.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is constantly in flux.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: So even if you make a quote unquote bad decision, you're still gonna be able to use what you learned in something else in the future.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: So there truly is no bad decision.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Which brings me to the second thing here that I want to say, which is whatever direction you go, it's going to be a good direction.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because, as I said, everything is constantly changing.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to be able to use those skills in another project, and you're always moving forward.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you change a direction later on, you're always going to be moving in a forward direction because you're gaining skills, you're gaining contacts, you're networking with people, you're writing, you're developing content, you're honing your craft, all those things.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And all those elements are important for really anything that you do.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: So when it comes to any writing-related project, whether it's podcasting, creating a magazine, doing client work, whatever it is, all of those skills are transferable to every other project that you do, particularly when it comes to things related to marketing.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: So just again, you hear me talk about this in the podcast constantly because I've gotten hung up here and a lot of writers get hung up here.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that is we get paralyzed, we overthink, we overanalyze, and we don't do what we need to do.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: So just make a decision and move forward with whatever it is that you're stuck on.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want some help with this from our community, please check out our daily writer community.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: You can go to dailywriterlife.com slash community.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: As you're hearing on this podcast every single week, members in the group are making great progress.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's not, it's not necessarily just because of the group.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, these writers are taking action on their own.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's not like we're there holding their hands.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: But being a part of a group that is cheering you on, where you are talking about your wins and your goals and your challenges every week, where you're getting on calls with other writers and and in some cases even collaborating and getting some feedback and help, that has a really powerful effect on your progress and on your goals.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: So again, please check it out.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's dailywriterlife.com slash community.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: And congrats to Yvette and Ashley for their great wins in the group.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's move on to the topic of this episode, which is seven writing lessons from Stephen King's amazing book on writing.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: All right, let's dive in.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Lesson number one is use your writing to support your life.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite quotes in this book is where King says, Life isn't a support system for art, it's the other way around.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I love this.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason I love this is because it's so easy to get obsessed with your writing.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of writers, they live to write and they they push people away, then they kind of shut out everything else in their life because they get so obsessed with their creative work.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I've struggled with this before.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I still struggle with it, to be honest with you.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to maintain your boundaries as a writer if you really, really love what you're doing because you go to bed thinking about writing.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: You get up in the morning thinking about writing in books, and every moment of the day, it seems like it's always kind of in the back of your mind.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I get that it's it's hard to keep our boundaries sometimes.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the deal is that we don't exist to be writers.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: We write in order to exist.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: The priority in our lives has to be the people around us, particularly if you're if you have a family, if you have kids, if you have a spouse.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's that's really, really important.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: They are the priority in our lives.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so our writing needs to support that.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: It should not work against it.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now, of course, we do have to take time away from other things in our lives to write, but our writing should act as a support system for our life.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: Our life is not a support system for our writing.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: That can be difficult for us to hear because you know, some sometimes we would love nothing more than just to get away to a deserted island and just write for three months.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: But that's not really how life works.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that's would probably honestly get boring after a while.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, who wants to eat coconuts for three months?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: After seeing the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks years ago, uh, I decided that the worst thing that could happen is to be on a uh desert island, probably.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a great lesson for us is use your writing to support your life.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Here's lesson number two have a dedicated writing space.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: In the book, Stephen King talks about replacing his large desk with a smaller one.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a really, really interesting idea, and I love it because if you have a space where it's only used for writing, then you can't be distracted by other things that are typically surrounding you at a desk.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: For example, right now I have a huge podcasting mic right in front of me.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: I have a huge monitor, I have uh lots of paraphernalia on my desk.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: I have a cup of cup of tea.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've got stuff strewn around, a couple of charges for my MacBook.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's a random spoon.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: I wonder what that's about laying on my desk.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's from IT.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's what it was, that's what it was from.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: But if you have a dedicated writing space, it's just for writing.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so reading this book, or rather rereading this book, has really made me consider the value of implementing this in my own life, of having a place in our house where I can just go to write.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Probably the most ideal place would be my basement, except that in the wintertime it's kind of cold down there.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: But with a space heater, I think it would actually be good.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I think I'm actually going to make it my goal to have a dedicated writing space here in the next uh couple months, as I can sort of carve out a space in the basement.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I've already got a nice dining room table down there that's uh is an older table from uh an overhouse that we had.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: So this has really made me thinking think about this more.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: This idea of having a space where you only write and you do nothing else.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: So my question for you is do you have a dedicated writing space?
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have a space where you can only write?
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's not used for email or for eating or for anything else.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's definitely something to consider.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Lesson number three from on writing is create a production schedule.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: In the book, Stephen King talks about his self-imposed production schedule of 2,000 words a day.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And he's been doing this for many, many decades.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, he's very successful.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: He's written dozens and dozens and dozens of books this way.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: So my question for you is what is your production schedule?
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have a system that allows you to produce the work?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, my production schedule is as follows.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have a daily word count because that wouldn't really suit necessarily all the things that I do because I do a variety of writing uh in my life and in my work.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: But rather I have weekly deadlines with my podcast and with my client work and also the book that I'm working on.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Weekly, I do seven episodes of content for the podcast, and then I have set my second book draft deadline for April 15th, and then I also have regular client work that can take anywhere from five to 10, sometimes up to 15 hours a week, depending on what it is.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, whatever you're working on, have some type of schedule that lets you get the work done.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: That can be really, really helpful.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: Lesson number four from on writing is believe that you can be a good writer.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Stephen King writes this.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: While it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I love this because it goes back to something that's really important for us as writers.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: One of the key objections that I hear from people about writing is that they're not a good writer.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: But the truth is that almost everybody can write, and everybody can get better as a writer.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: So the key here is that it's it's not just a matter of talent, but it's a matter of plain old hard work.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's a matter of just improving your skills over time.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's a matter of knowing that you can get better and believing that you can get better, and more than anything else, believing that you are a writer.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: And not only that you are a writer, but that you can be a good writer.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can be a better writer than what you are today.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Lesson number five from on writing is encourage someone to write.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: In the book, Stephen King talks about how his mother encouraged him to write, and she told him that one of his childhood stories was, quote, good enough to be in a book.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: And can you imagine how that made him feel as a kid?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: If you think about the people who have encouraged you in your writing, what did their encouragement, what did their words of affirmation mean to you, particularly as a child or as a teenager?
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they probably made you feel like you could do anything as a writer.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that is so cool because it reminds us of the power of encouragement.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: So think about your life.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Who was someone in your life who encouraged you to write as a kid?
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: And what can you do to say thank you?
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: But secondly, who is someone that you can do the same for in your life?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Who is a younger person who needs some encouragement, who needs some affirmation, who needs some validation?
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Can you share somebody's work on your blog?
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe if you have a podcast, you can share it on there.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Can you share it on social media?
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Can you give somebody some feedback and encouragement in their writing?
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Look around in your life, and I'll bet you can find somebody who needs your encouragement in their writing.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: Lesson number six is write with an ideal reader in mind.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: In the book, Stephen King talks about how his wife Tabitha is his ideal reader.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: And an ideal reader is a person who you imagine whenever you're writing your first draft.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: So again, his imagination reader, his ideal reader is his wife.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: But who is your ideal reader?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have somebody who you're writing for?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, who are they and why did you choose them?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think it really helps to have an ideal reader in mind.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason is because whenever you're writing, if you can picture a person or perhaps even a group of people that that puts a face to your writing, it reminds you that real people out there are going to read what you write.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: For me, whenever I'm creating content, more and more I'm envisioning people in the daily writer community.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the honest truth.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think about them when I'm creating this podcast.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking about them whenever I'm writing this book that I'm working on.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking about them whenever I'm writing material for the group, obviously, lessons and uh content and things like that.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I would challenge you to do the same thing.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Is there an individual or perhaps a group of people that you have in mind they're your ideal reader or your ideal readers as you're creating content?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: That can be a massive help whenever you're doing that.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be a great motivation as well.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: Then finally, lesson number seven from On Writing by Stephen King is to excavate stories instead of creating them.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: In the book, he talks about this idea of excavation, which is really, really fascinating.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: And he talks about how stories are, quote, found things like fossils in the ground.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: And this goes back to the idea of listening for stories instead of creating them.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, if you're creating a story, it's not so much a matter of your consciously creating it, but rather you're listening for the story.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: You're listening for your subconscious to tell you the story rather than creating it from scratch.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: I have a friend who talks about this.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: He's a novelist with several books out, and he's talked about this many times to me about how he simply listens for the story.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: He listens to the characters and what they want to do or what they want to say, instead of it being a process where he has to do the work of creating it.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a fascinating way of saying that we should let our subconscious, we should let our creative mind or our creative brain do a lot more of the heavy lifting of writing stories than we than we should let our rational minds.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I would encourage you to give this a try with your next story or if you're working on any kind of fiction.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: And perhaps even try it with nonfiction as well.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, those are seven amazing lessons from Stephen King's amazing book on writing.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: I highly encourage you to get the book and read it if you have not yet done so.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Since you're a writer, I imagine you probably have at least heard of the book, if not read the whole thing.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: But again, if you haven't, give it a shot because it's really, really fantastic.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: I would be extremely grateful if you would consider taking just a minute or two and leaving an honest review of the show in iTunes.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Those reviews are really, really helpful for reaching new listeners, and I read and appreciate every single one.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much, and I'll see you tomorrow.