As my first semester as an English-writing major is coming to an end, I’m awestruck by how much I’ve learned. I’ve read a multitude of articles. Sophisticated scholars and writers are parading their most cherished advice. I have to admit that the information I’ve learned has instilled a profound understanding of the writing process in me. However, this journey, I know, will never come to an end. I will continue to learn and adapt to the continuous modernization of the writing process.
In Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers, as Lauren Passel formats King’s advice, writers take with them an increased amount of knowledge. The sixth rule states, “The magic is in you.” Cliché and expected, right? At least I thought so. Yet, upon further thought, I realized that the millennial toned quote hid meaningful truth. As I usually do based on my circumstances, I blame America. In this case, the school system. There was so much fear and anxiety engraved in me when completing writing assignments. Students like me, timid and unconfident, are constantly subjected to the perception of their intelligence. So, they’ve adapted to only conforming to those expectations, word for word. No daring or expansion of ideas. Limited and linear thoughts. These are the same students struggling in college.
Rule nineteen was another obvious but profoundly true one. “You become a writer simply by reading writing.”. King’s words showcase how oblivious writers are to this truth. You learn through action. This is something that isn’t worked on in secondary education.
As much as King is respected and knowledgeable, I have to remember that these rules aren’t universal truths for writers. Some writers don’t have the privilege of being writers. As discussed in Doris Lessing’s On Not Winning the Nobel Prize, the majority have not been too lucky. Lessing is a beautifully engrossing showcase of privilege. Lessing tells readers the cold-cut differences between education in London and in Zimbabwe. In Africa, there are kids yearning to see a single book, and a mother is hopeful that someday her kids will receive an education. Writers in these situations write through unelaborated thoughts because their circumstances have limited them.
This is important for writers with access to these resources to understand. As bitter as it is to open your eyes to the lives of the less fortunate, we must. We must find inspiration from it, because if not, their misfortunes are simply that. Misfortunes.
Her reaction to winning the Nobel Prize is also hilarious.
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