Writers! More Advice From Harlan Ellison, John Irving, Stephen King, Yukio Mishima, Murakami!

 This Ellison interview has much to say about the short story form, but also a good deal of wisdom about life. It being Harlan Ellison, none of it is namby-pamby.

Ellison's point about it all being story-telling is - I think - connected to what Paul Auster says about writers losing their egos:

It seems when I think the work is good, it is not good enough. Sentences of which I am proud get cut. The story is the thing because that is why people are reading our prose.

How to Tell if You're a Writer - John Irving (Big Think): be comfortable being alone.

It is interesting how Auster and Irving both come across as being very down to earth.

Ray Bradbury's Best Writing Advice for Aspiring Writers (No Film School)

1. Continue Writing Short Stories Until You Learn How to Write a Novel (not one I have followed very closely, and it does seem a little old-fashioned since there are so few paying markets for short stories, but it is hard to argue with this:)

Instead, start writing short stories for at least a year before committing to writing a novel. Aim for at least one story per week for an entire year.

Bradbury said in his keynote address, “[It] doesn’t matter what the quality is to start, but at least you’re practicing. At the end of the year, you’ll have 52 short stories, and I defy you to write 52 bad ones.”

2. Write What You Love (yep, beyond any argument on my side)

3. Your Stories Must Have Metaphors (not one I ever saw before, not an idea that crossed my mind, and one at which I probably am a flop.)

In his book, Bradbury told Weller, “You can put any name on it you want. Metaphor. Myth. But we must live by these messages. We have to form images in order to survive. We have to remember portions of our lives as metaphors.”

 4. Read Every Night (which I have meant to do for the past year, and failed at doing every night,)

5. Don't Think (doing the vomit draft) 

 Write the Truth: Toni Morrison’s Guide for Writers (No Film School) is the source for what I think the overriding goal for my writing:

Perhaps a lot, because she understood the secret to literary longevity. If you're tired of writing "content" and want to write stories that matter, this Nobel Prize-winning author would give you a simple but radical principle: center the truth, not the reader.

Yukio Mishima on Why You Suck at Writing may be beyond us - to get away from the ambition of writing to the writing itself, to get out in the community and honor the community (which Harlan Ellison spoke of in different words), contemplation - art needs the body as well as the mind. I do wish the presenter would just slow down; he might be even more convincing.

Let us go to someone less strenuous than Mishima: Stephen King Writing Advice You Might Not Have Heard. Don't stop is the advice I needed at 21. Even though the pain in my feet - damned water retention - is keeping me from being able to concentrate on a story needing revising, I am not stopping. I will count these blog posts as my writing; at this level, the pain does not completely block my thinking.

And try anything is the important rule, even if we are boring. I remain convinced that King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is one of the best books written on the practice of writing. It contains an example of King revising one of his stories. Writing is revising. That is the lesson that took me 30 years to learn.

After the video, I decided to check out what might be the comments online about this book. The one thing prison does well is limit our access to information and learning. It is more than a bit of an echo chamber. Undoing that echo chamber has been the purpose behind these posts on writers and writing. Now, for what I found:

Stephen King’s No-BS Path to Better Writing (Write. Rewrite. Repeat) which reminded me of these two precepts: 1. Read a Lot, Write a Lot, and 6. Set Daily Writing Goals.

Whether grappling with a blank page or being buried under a pile of draft edits, Stephen King’s advice is like a guiding light in the creative process. His tips are not just theoretical musings but practical tools that can help you navigate the writing journey. So, grab your favorite beverage and explore ten of his most potent writing practices.

 Stephen King: On Writing (HeadButler)

“On Writing” is two books, both excellent, for the price of one.

The first is a memoir, maybe the closest to an autobiography we’ll ever get from Stephen King.

It’s also a lesson in writing.

***

...Remember the basic rule of vocabulary is use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful. If you hesitate and cogitate, you will come up with another word — of course you will, there’s always another word — but it probably won’t be as good as your first one, or as close to what you really mean. 

What Stephen King’s Memoir, On Writing, Taught Me About Embracing the Unknown (F(r)iction)

Ultimately, in On Writing, King urges writers not to take the phrase “write what you know” too literally. In writing fiction, one must be willing to venture into the unknown. King’s horror novels, filled with killing, gore and monsters, are a testament to this. While it is beneficial to write from experience and prior knowledge, King suggests that it’s also worthwhile to pay attention to what your heart and imagination can conjure. He says, “If not for heart and imagination, the world of fiction would be a pretty seedy place. It might not even exist at all” (158). So, if you’re going to embrace any aspect of the unknown throughout your writing journey, embrace what could be when you let your heart and imagination guide you. Trust your instincts instead of fearing that there may be better words to use or stories to tell....

Notes and Takeaways from On Writing by Stephen King (Rick Lindquist) is the real deep dive into what the book teaches. This is a part that I forgot:

A story is made up of 3 parts:

1. Narration, which moves the story from point A to point B and finally to point Z;

2. Description, which creates a sensory reality for the reader; and 

3. Dialogue, which brings characters to life through their speech.

Plot is intentionally left out. King distrust’s plot for two reasons: 

• Our lives are largely plotless

• Plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren’t compatible. 

(“Plot is, I think, the good writer’s last resort and the dullard’s first choice.”)

Stories are “found things” ⇒ the job of the writer is to find them and give them a place to grow. 

 Haruki Murakami's Writing Tips - may surprise with how many resemble Stephen King's (and others mentioned here) advice. The video is a really a dialog between Murakami's quotes and the presenter, a writer (and who appears in the Stephen King video.)

Originality is telling your story, your way. Sharing your dreams is the one I find novel (no pun intended), and is going to be hard for me - I do not live in a culture that prizes a writer.

Mishima again, examining his writing schedule makes me envious of having such time - and energy. Oh, youth!

I will go back to Harlan Ellison  - just because he talks so well, his talk is brilliant. Good writing is hard, it is about paying attention - oh, just listen to him.

I need to keep my ass in this chair and get my stuff done.

I meant to close with Harlan Ellison's interview, but I think this is a better place to end. The video does not give out much in the way of actual writing advice, as give encouragement to keep on writing.

sch 7/20