Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
Say what you mean. Say what you see. Make a photograph, if you can, for the reader.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Expressing thoughts and observations clearly enhances communication and creativity.
In this quote, Stephen King emphasizes the importance of authenticity and clarity in writing. By urging writers to say what they truly mean and observe the world around them, he highlights the need for vivid imagery and relatable experiences to engage readers, encouraging them to create powerful visual moments through their words.
Themes
WritingCommunicationImageryExpressionCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, this quote can be used to motivate aspiring authors to express their true thoughts.
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All quotes →Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
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Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
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That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
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Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
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