Writing Advice From Stephen King

There’s a magic moment. A really magic moment. If you read enough it will always come to you if you want to be a writer when you put down a book and say this really sucks. I can do better than this, and this got published. ~ Stephen King

This week’s blog is another writing requirement for my New Media: Writing and Publishing Class. I was asked to search Youtube.com for a video relating to a writer or writing and embed it in my blog then write about my interest in the video I’ve chosen. As you’ve probably already figured out from the title and quote, I’ve chosen a video with one of my favorite authors, Stephen King. This particular video is taken from a Q&A session during a public reading King gave of his book Wolves of the Calla in April 2003 at Yale Law School. Who better to get writing advice from than the prolific, pop-culture icon himself. I’ve read his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and not only was I entertained, but I found it very helpful as an aspiring writer. So, when I saw this video entitled “Advice from Stephen King”, I couldn’t help but check it out. I’m glad I did. While the advice he offers isn’t anything new. It’s advice that every aspiring writer should follow told in Stephen King style. Enjoy. 

Works Citied:
"Advice from Stephen King." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Dec. 2006. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqp7A0B7abc>.

Neil Gaiman Facebook Page Critique

As an assignment for my New Media: Writing and Publishing class, I was asked to critique a Facebook page of a published writer based on the best practices covered in our lecture. They are as follows: Does the writer engage the reader? Does the author’s voice sound natural? Is the page maintained regularly? Is the content on the page diverse and interesting? I chose to critique the page of one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman.

Neil Gaiman’s page is an excellent example of a writer’s page that follows the best practices when using Facebook. Gaiman appears to be a writer who likes to have a close relationship with his readers. He was one of the few writers I found that actually took the time to comment back to his reader’s comments. That little bit of acknowledgement that the writer is taking an active interest in what is being said on their page and actually reading it goes a long way. It’s nice to be heard. He seems very comfortable in a social network setting and has a lot of fun with it, joking around and sharing things he likes with his readers. His voice comes across as very natural. If it weren’t for posts related to his work, you wouldn’t even know Gaiman was an awarding winning author.

Another thing I noticed that was lacking on other writer’s pages was regular updates. I was pleased to find that Gaiman’s page is regularly maintained and by the author himself. For the most part, he posts comments multiple times per week. This kind of commitment is what will keep readers coming back. Lastly, the content on his page is diverse. While Gaiman does use his page to promote his work, he also spends a lot of time talking about what's going on in his life and posts links and videos about things that interest him that he wants to share. It let’s readers get to know Neil Gaiman the man. If you’re interested in checking out his page here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/neilgaiman?sk=wall

Works Citied:
Gaiman, Neil. "Neil Gaiman | Facebook." Facebook. Web. 19 Feb. 2012
<http://www.facebook.com/neilgaiman>.

Agents and Editors and Books! Oh My!

Writing a story is a lot of hard work, and trying to get it published can be downright daunting, even scarring. Yet, writing is my passion and getting published is my goal. Since there is no shortage of blogs about writing and I’m no expert, I have decided to share my journey as I hone my skills, complete my novel, and work towards getting published. The first part of my journey will come to an end in May as I graduate with a BA in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Do you have to go to school for writing? No, but it doesn't hurt. When I first decided to go to school for creative writing, everyone I knew asked me, "What are you going to do with a writing degree?" My response, "Write." I aim to write novels, but there is a broad array of fields that one can pursue with a writing degree. To name a few: journalism, publishing, editing, and screenwriting. However, this is only the beginning to a much longer journey. If I compared my journey to that of Joseph Campbell's, hero’s journey, I have accepted the call to adventure and have crossed the first threshold. The real journey lays ahead, an unknown world of books, agents, editors, and publishers waiting to be conquered. It is my hope that by sharing my experiences, I will be able to help other aspiring writers to pursue their dream and let them know that they are not alone. So if your willing to take a chance and want to explore this unknown world, then let’s go.