When writing for themselves it’s important to have some guidelines, or rules to follow. Stephen King, who’s a well-established writer known for several books such as It and Carrie. Out of all his rules two of them stuck out for me: “5. But don’t obsess over perfect grammar.” and “8. Don’t worry about making other people happy.” 5 stuck out for me because last week’s topic was professional writing. The first article we all read talked about the importance of having good grammar. In my own post, I did however mention in relaxed settings, such as personal writing, I do follow this rule, and considering the content of the stories that King writes, I believe the rules apply more to fiction and stories rather than professional writing where it would matter more. The other rule, 8, also stuck out to me because in class I discussed this topic with my groupmates and while I agree with this rule, the others didn’t. This I also attribute to the fact that, once again, these rules apply more to fiction writing. I like writing for myself and don’t care what others think unless it’s in the context of professional writing.
While it’s important to think of what writing is recognized, it’s also equally as important to what does not get a chance to see the light. Doris Lessing brings this up in her work Nobel Lecture. In this story, she mentions the difference between two schools: One in Zimbabwe and one in London, and describes the sheer difference in terms of the books available. It’s a good example to think about in regard to what’s available because often, that’s not the full story.
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