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
All I ask is that you do as well as you can, and remember that, while to write adverbs is human, to write he said or she said is divine.
Interpretation
Strive for your best in writing, and remember the value of simplicity in dialogue.
Stephen King's quote emphasizes the importance of doing your best in writing, while also highlighting a fundamental aspect of dialogue—using simple tags like 'he said' or 'she said'. This encourages writers to focus on clarity and directness in their craft, elevating the storytelling through uncomplicated expression rather than excessive embellishment.
In practice
In a writing workshop, this quote can encourage participants to focus on clarity in dialogue.
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.
Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
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.
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.
If you interrupt the writing of fast narrative with too much introspection and self-criticism, you will be lucky if you write 500 words a day and you will be disgusted with them into the bargain. By following my formula, you write 2,000 words a day and you aren’t disgusted with them until the book is finished, which will be in about six weeks.
Above all, have a good time. If you aren’t enjoying writing it, you can hardly expect someone else to enjoy reading it.
Write the best story that you can and write it as straight as you can.
Secure writers don't sell first drafts. They patiently rewrite until the script is as director-ready, as actor-ready as possible. Unfinished work invites tampering, while polished, mature work seals its integrity.
As to the adjective: when in doubt, strike it out.
You might 'write from the heart,' but you'd better polish with your brain.
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