I have always wanted to read one of Stephen King’s books, but for some reason, I haven’t gotten around to it yet. However, because his books interest me, I was curious to read about his advice to writers. Some of his “rules” definitely caught my attention and will be things I keep in mind from now on when I write. I especially like how he says to not worry about making other people happy. This is a good piece of advice in all areas of life, regardless of the context, but it can be particularly beneficial for writers to hear. If a writer is so focused on writing for others and doing what other people want them to, they are not going to accomplish anything of quality, and they are going to become incredibly overwhelmed in the process.
King also mentions the importance of reading as a writer. This one seems pretty obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less significant. I think this rule can also be overlooked sometimes because of how obvious it seems. Reading truly is one of the best things someone can do as a writer because it’s like exercise for your brain. In my opinion, reading as a writer is the equivalent of an athlete doing strength training in the gym. This is also reiterated in Doris Lessing’s article, “On not winning the Nobel Prize. Lessing is writing about a more complex topic, the issue of villages in places like Zimbabwe not having access to books or education. However, this still connects to what King has described because it just emphasizes how important reading is to everyone, especially writers.
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