Plotters and *pantsers*, because pantsers write by the "seat of their pants" (using instinct and their own experience, rather than research or logic). There are also "plotsters", who have at least a basic plot but allow themselves to write spontaneously and depart from the original plotline, sort of like having a jumping off point. Many successful and prolific writers have a unique writing routine. However, they may each be very different. If you resonate with a particular author or the genre in which they focus, it may help you in your writing to follow their routine. But don't be afraid to develop your own unique style either!
@@EdwDev Taking risks is paramount. I've encountered at least one person who has been writing for a very long time and seen minimal success. I discovered they refuse to attempt any method of writing than the one they started in middle school because it "works for them." Even though it's obviously not working all that well, when it comes to anything else - they literally will not even try. This attitude is antithetical to creativity. Like those DevArt kids who draw characters with bad proportions in flat perspective with wobbly lines and insist it's their "style." Refusing to grow is not your "style."
I think the major reason he is so prolific and productive is he prioritizes writing. Even now he’s said he isn’t as fast or productive as he used to be (cutting his word count goal in half), but he treats it like his full time job and always has. Yes he could take time away from writing and be have a net zero effect, but he still writes like he used to in his trailer when he was 25. He doesn’t give himself room to hum and haw about writing or search endlessly for ways to make writing fun, it is fun for him and he just does it. Write like it’s your job and one day it might be.
I’m someone who can’t listen to music with words while writing so mostly I listen to classical, however, I wanted to try listening to the same song on loop to see if it would get me into a flow state and it did! After about 5-6 times, I stopped “hearing” the song and dropped into that flow state and had a good writing session. I’ve used this technique many times now and it’s been working well for me.
King's method is worth trying, but also remember that he is notorious for novels that have an incomplete end. When you reach the end of your draft, read it carefully and consider if you can rewrite the opening so that you deliver on your promise.
I find the endings of his books one of his weaknesses. Always felt cheated. It was a wonderful book about childhood friendships but the end was, for want of a better, silly.
"Real life doesn't have a plot" is not a great mentality for a genre writer. Although I do wonder if it would work better for him if he had more of a literary sensibility than he seems to.
@@neilo2323 yes, this. the endings are always 'oh so it went back underground where it belonged and no one ever knew where it came from or what it was. or it was an alien. but why?
@@neilo2323I agree and I think for me the worst thing about his payoffs falling flat is that he always has me riveted for the buildup. I’m still a fan and grew up reading his stuff way too young in the ‘80s, so it’s just my opinion
so there was this period in my life when i kept attracting the wrong people, wrong opportunities, everything just felt…off. i couldn’t figure out why it kept happening. then one day, a friend mentioned a book called Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, saying it helped them see the patterns they didn’t even realize they had. i decided to give it a read, and wow, it opened my eyes to how much my own energy was shaping my life. seriously, this book is something else.
@@ronmorey3475 yes agreed. My ex was a big King fan so they were always around but I've read maybe only a dozen of his books. I still count The Stand as a favorite, though.
When I moved to Maine, I had read it twice. I knew exactly what not to do if I went into the woods for a while. That book is astonishingly funny but moreover, exceptionally useful.
In some ways it's very weird that everyone acts as if "making it up as you go along" is something you can avoid. All you're doing is rearranging when to make up what. Stephen King's out here with whole casts of characters bringing him rocks and wet logs, and because he's so prolific, and popular, he'll either publish a different book with better kindling, or succeed in spite of himself.
@futurestoryteller agreed. I think it's the same with planning. It doesn't "kill creativity". Editing is literally the process of reorganizing and planning. Pantsers and plotters are doing the same work, just in different ways.
@@cryptomancer2927 I think what people are missing in the conversation but recognize in either approach is pantsers can make a ton of unnecessary work for themselves, with their free association, while plotters can fail to iterate when their plans aren't working, potentially constraining the entire story through sheer stubborness. Because these problems are correlated with each approach, the approach is blamed when it was the mentality of the writer that led them to those approaches in the first place. I don't even feel like I'm that into planning, compared to the charts and graphs other people make, but I'm constantly worried that I won't recognize when an idea needs to be scrapped. On the other hand I can't just write "things happening" either. I need to at least see what's in front of me, rather than feeling around in the dark. Either way I feel a a lot of sponteneity in my scene to scene writing.
I write in the same way, roughly 2k a day. Since Feb I'm now on my third novel. It's hard work but I love it. I listen to On Writing everyday on the bus home from work, it helps ground me and get in the mood. First novel was published in October, the next is coming in March/April. Hoping to release the third novel by the end of June, and have another ready by Christmas(next year). These are all standalone and separate stories. It can be done, if you want it bad enough or enjoy it enough. But yeah everyone is different, as long as your getting words the page and the end result is enjoyed by readers, it doesn't matter how you get there.
He may not call it outlining, but his first draft is really n outline. He is finding his characters, discovering their path, creating a world- all things an outliner is doing in a different format. His second draft + is more of the real writing. Which is true for most writers no matter their define beginning point. I work in between. I do a larger plot outline, maybe a couple of important characters. I discover a great deal in writing the first draft. During the Developmental edit (2nd Draft) I do most of my learning about things I wrote, like dissecting a book by another author. Later drafts, I do the line editing to get the words right.
Great video! I’ve seen a few videos on Stephen King’s writing method and this one was one of the best edited and presented I’ve seen. I loved how clear and to the point it was along with the cuts of interviews. Subscribed!
I'm definitely a pantser. I have two novels published, which are in the vein of pulpy detective novels. My main character will often completely take over my writing process and do things I didn't plan or expect. It winds up being kind of a free writing exercise where I just let the character do his thing. It's worked out pretty well so far.
I’m very surprised that this is basically what I’ve learned from the experience of writing my first novel. It gives me confidence that I’m not that far off.
I'm pretty sure he's describing that sort of self-hypnosis in misery. It describes the protagonist falling through the words as he types. Like when you're reading and the page disappears and you see the scene instead
i remember this one time i felt completely stuck, like no matter what i did, life just wasn’t moving forward. i tried everything-manifestation journals, vision boards, all that stuff-but it felt like i was missing something. then i stumbled across this book, Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, and it hit different. it wasn’t just about manifesting; it was about understanding the energy i was putting out into the world. honestly, it changed everything. if you’re feeling stuck too, you might want to check out this book.
I have two books published already and will be graduating with my bachelor's next month. For me, the music thing works about 25% of the time; I have to have serenity and sit outside with the birds whistling and the squirrels playing to be in a reflective state. Memory helps me write just as much as imagination.
I think the only book he planned out was The Dead Zone, and I find it to be the most satisfying book he's written. I really admire Stephen King and enjoy his books, but often his endings are a huge anticlimax. If I were a writer I think would be inspired by how much better The Dead Zone is because of his planning and I would plan everything!
Yeah he said he did a lot of coke back in the day. He said he doesn’t if remember writing some books. Which probably explains that one part that they left out in the It movies.😂
a while back, i hit a point where i felt like everything was out of my control. i kept wondering why other people seemed to get what they wanted while i was stuck in the same place. then i came across this book called Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane. i wasn’t expecting much, but the way it explains the connection between your energy and the life you create? it blew my mind. it’s not just a book, it’s like a blueprint for turning your life around.
Thank you for the video! Stephen King has set a great example on productivity and quality. I am a planster. I plot and I panst. I can’t do it any other way. It’s weird for me when writers say they can’t know the ending because then it would spoil the fun, because I think, if that’s your goal, then pick up a book and read it. When I write a book, I'm the craftsman, not the reader. I like to know the beginning and ending of my story. When I know the ending, I get excited to write toward the ending. I’ve never been successful as a 100% panster nor as a 100% plotter. There’s so much I can only find and figure out just as I'm creating. I plan a lot but also discover so much while drafting. Planster for life!
Even Stephen says he will write it and put it down for a while, suggesting maybe he sits on his messy scripts it the juice and core ideas are still there so it’s not fast, he just writes a lot is all
The secret is that you need to know that the story ends somewhere. Once you have broken it down into pieces, you find, at the end, that writing it wasn't so hard. Then your second story, knowing what it is going to be like, will not be so hard to write anymore. At that point, you will increase your speed. Sit your ass down in the seat and do the work, then repeat it the next morning. Edit in the afternoons and you have King's writing rhythm.
I think a big thing that let's King write a ton: he doesn't seem to cut out anything. If he hits a wall or gets bored he will just start another subplot or parallel narrative. He ends up with massive casts of characters, long meandering chains of story beats, and the ending comes out of nowhere. "The Stand" is perhaps the ultimate example of this. The original version cut hundreds of pages at the editor's request... but they were put back in later because King doesn't want to leave anything out. Him saying "kill your darlings" is insane.
Remember writers can also be in between the two types. I prefer a combination of both. I need to set myself some boundaries (planning) because otherwise my imagination will carry away without consistency, but I also develop my characters along the way of writing and see how they impact the storyline (pantsing). I need a plan, but I don't set it in stone
Worth noting, maybe, that King says in 'On Writing' that, as a teenager, he wrote hundreds of short stories before he got one that sort of maybe felt a bit like it had something.
It's important to think about whether the method itself is a good one, rather than whether the fact that a successful writer uses it should be a reason that we would opt to do so as well. King is successful, but it doesn't follow from this that the method he uses is a good one. If U2, one of the most successful bands in history, decide to make a series of albums all of which are recorded after an extended period of starvation and dehydration for the band members, it doesn't mean that this way of doing things is a good one. The most important thing for any would-be writer is to get past 'block'. When I was in my early 20s I wanted to be a songwriter, but I couldn't seem to write anything. It took a while before I realised that there were psychological barriers in the way, and I managed to get around them. Most people who want to be artists (regardless of whether or not they intend to try and make it their primary endeavour) need to figure out if they have a 'block' and work out how to get around it. (Also, let's not forget that King used a *lot* of cocaine during the 1980s; I do not advocate using illegal substances, but there are *many* ways to get around your block)
It was certainly interesting, but only parts of his advice work for me. I underwrite my first draft rather than overwriting like King, so if I cut 10%, my novel would be extremely bare-bones. On the plus side, it only takes me two months to write a rough draft if I work on it every day 😀 Also, it doesn't take me 12 drafts to produce a publishable novel, more like 3 or 4, because I don't have to waste time fixing all the plot holes created by pantsing - I work to a skeletal outline, and pants my way from plot point to plot point, allowing twists to happen along the way. I like to think I get my best ideas while in flow state! Speaking of which, I do like to listen to music. I make a playlist for each novel, usually a soundtrack from a game, TV or movie (can't listen to anything with words while I'm writing), and it really helps me to get into the flow state quickly. My takeaway message would be - try other writers' routines, but don't worry if they don't work for you. We're all different, and the only thing that matters in the end is that you produce good stories on a timetable that works for you.
Thanks, that's interesting. The pantsing to from plot point to plot point reminds me a bit of doing Viki King's 'How to Write a Screenplay in 21 Days' process. For anyone interested: It's a book, so costs almost nothing, and at the end of it, if you follow the instructions, you'll have a screenplay. I thought it was great.
I think Stephen King is just a genius who cannot explain how it works 😂 I wrote some books and for me his method would never work. For most of the people who do no have this natural talent (write a lot, get into the flow, let the story lead them) makes more sense to think about idea, create a plot, do a research and then make a habit of regular writing.
Ive learned alot about writing from watching stephen king interviews and books about writing, but I understand what the comments are saying, for me though how he works has been helpful for my writing. His idea that a good idea will atick with you and so you dont need a notebook, really had me thinking over the years and he waa right, the ones that turned into full novels and went beyond just an idea clicked
Great stuff. This is inspiring to me as I write like that too self hypnosis pantser, I am excited to find out what happens next as I have no idea. I always ignore the grammar rules about writing though. The language comes as it comes. I have no problem with adverbs or description. Being productive is the biggest hurdle for me.
Love your video! I've just listened to "On Writing" by Stephen King and you did a great job on summarizing the most important points and as other comments pointed out also great editing! Keep up the good work! Sub
When I was writing a master's thesis I created a "wall of sound". It wasn't a whole playlist, it was just one song, "Return of the Mac". I listened to it on repeat for 20-26 hours.
I suspect that most writers are some combination of plotters and pantsers. It might also depend what type of book they are writing. Thanks for the video and hello to the rest of you. There are some good comments here.
I find it interesting what he says about descriptions needing to finish in a reader’s mind. That helps explain to me why I am incredibly frightened by horror films but his more outward horror books don’t scare me the same way- I have Aphantasia and am unable to create pictures in my mind. I couldn’t call up an image of the face of a monster, unless it’s very descriptively worded, and even then it would be fleeting in my mind’s eye, and not have any emotional impact. He uses a lot of gross imagery, but for me, not scary. In fact, I’ve read “It” so often since childhood that I have it on audiobook and sometimes just have it on for background while I’m sleeping. 🤦🏼♀️ I was definitely way too young when I found that novel.
I'm with Stephen on everything except music. Any and every kind will pull me immediately out. Maybe it's because I'm a singer, but he's a musician. I have no idea. But it's good to know that my natural writing flow is similar to his. Now, if I could just craft like him! LOL Thank you for the video.
@ oh I understand it's just the sound of the music takes my mind to the rhythm and tune, hours the notes are patterned and sustained--- it's just how my brain works lol Happy Christmas 😊🔔🕊️
@@KimtheElder I was just thinking I don't really get "distracted" by music when I'm writing as long as it doesn't have lyrics. Although it can get to a point where I'm just suddenly annoyed to realize it's there, and have to turn it off before my favorite song becomes my least favorit song, lol. You enjoy the holiday
I had been trying for more than 10 years to write 2 stories thinking the more I plotted, the better it'll be. But that took out the fun because I already knew what was going to happen to my story so my mind was like "since you know the ending in your head, why bother writing it?". I then found out I'm a pantser (last year). It changed my life. I dropped both stories and actually started and finished another one.
Closing the door firmly and slamming the door are not the same thing. Slamming a door is something that generally happens in an outburst of emotion or because you lost control of the door (too heavy, the wind, etc). Closing a door firmly can be done in a controlled and quiet motion. It can be done calmly. Those two things are not synonyms.
I build out my outline in excessive detail. This helps me write faster in the end, but the plotting portion takes a long time. If I already have the plot down it moves pretty fast!
The title is kind of misleading. I was expecting to hear results of this kind of workflow along with the information. Truthfully, I was more interested in that.
Stephen King is a master of his craft and wrote a LOT before he got published. Pantsers notoriously end up throwing away tons and tons of work and have to cut a lot until they have a kind of formula that they use. King, even though he won't admit it, has a formula for his books and does a lot of location reuse. I wrote an 80k word book that I ended up publishing as a serial that was pants'd and I work from outlines now. Lots of ways to still have fun when working from an outline, but you at least are not throwing away days and days of work when you realize that part of your plot doesn't work because it was a wild tangent, and the real story was languishing off page.
i used to think manifesting was all about repeating affirmations and hoping for the best. i tried it for months and…nothing. i was so frustrated. then i heard about this book, Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, and how it breaks down the science and energy behind manifestation. it’s like it flipped a switch in my brain. once i started applying what i learned, things started falling into place like never before. worth checking out if you’re serious about manifesting.
Try my writing habit. Take 3-4 sessions a day, write 250 words in 3 books per session *250 words per book* that will leave you with roughly 3 finished novels in 3 months. I normally tale first session around 5-6 in the morning, the next one after work, one after dinner and the 4th session right before sleep. Its hard to compair anything to steven kings work, since he writes epics, not novels. But for writing novels this is good if you have too many ideas shrouding youre mind.
I stopped writing because getting out the laptop and "prioritizing" the work was getting me down. I started writing flash fiction on my phone, and am now back at it. I can just put my feet up and concentrate at whatever level I want. You just have to get the right apps and then "do the work" after on a laptop when it comes to editing, which I find easier to approach. And that's no real different to the time when King wrote an entire novel in a notepad with a pen. Same principle
I think writing without plotting does not work out for most of the people. It might be more fun in the first round, but a pain in the neck when it comes to the rewriting. also you might end up not knowing where to go from time to time, or how to end your plotlines satisfying - and many of King's novells suck when it comes to the ending.
He's kind of admitting to succeeding despite letting himself get sidetracked. He's perfectly open about having endings in mind (from time to time) then he just lets the characters steer the ship in random directions and hope he makes landfall. Even "kill your darlings" is essentially about how he got distracted from the bigger picture long enough to produce excess fat.
That "trance" is also called "flow state". Interesting stuff. Rock climber's speak of it as well as other athletes. It does take things in a different direction sometimes and unlocks interesting twists in a story. In full bore flow state I can blow through 10K words a day plus. The words literally flow and the story evolves. Spelling and sentence structure gets blown to hell but it gets words on "paper", so to speak. I'm often surprised by some of the stuff I write when I start editing... and I'm absolutely my own worst critic.
So my questions for you, Mari, did you write a 180K word novel in 3 months using this method, and if not, how much were you able to achieve? Certainly can't deny that King is prolific and hearing how he gets so much done is interesting to say the least. My biggest problem nowadays is the distractions and my inability to find a private place disconnected from the internet where I can work for 3-4 hours the way I used to. Back then, I would read for an hour, re-read my last 2-4 pages and then go. I would usually complete about 1500 words in a day, with some days reining in about 4K words. Back then, everything was written in longhand and later transposed onto the computer. Lately I'm writing about 100-300 words, sometimes a little more, and some days pass where I'm not able to muster the energy to write anything at all. I no longer write as much in longhand and simply write straight on the computer. There are significant pros and cons to this. My writing reads and feels much better, but I'm producing a lot less due to having instant access to the internet, using it to do a quick bit of rabbit holing "research" or to facilitate my needed distraction due to my gnawing ADHD. Anyway, thanks for the video.
Good points and questions. I think it's also important to remember that when King established this routine for finding his flow state, it was in large part because his wife, a fellow academic, helped make sure he had the uninterrupted space and time he needed - at least that's what I recall from reading his non-fiction book On Writing over a decade ago. Whatever your word count, progress is progress, and worth celebrating. As for ADHD, a gaming music playlist on repeat often helps me focus, or doing timed writing sprints with fellow writers on a Discord server - if I'm in the mood for such pressure. I also find it helpful to stop for a bio break - water, fresh air, whatever - before I get frustrated, and come back fresh. Or stop writing in the middle of a scene I'm still deeply invested in, so when I come back, I've been thinking about it and I'm ready to jump in. However, taking a break at the end of a chapter with a cliffhanger can be a trap for procrastination for me. Good luck, and have fun!
P.S. Novelty often helps us ADHDers, and a change of page color background, font type or size, etc. , or a fresh pen, can help me remain engaged in an ongoing project. I often "select All" and change my font to 14pt Arial for editing, and then "select All" and change it back to 12pt Times New Roman when I'm done.
Turn off the internet on your laptop or computer. There are apps that do that and it’s amazing. I use the app Cold Turkey. It’s the only way I get any writing done.
Maybe try going back to writing longhand without a computer in the room at all? Then when you type it all in later, you can edit and go down your rabbit holes of research to make it correct and flesh it out. I had to do something similar. I have a simple, cheap, used laptop that has no connectivity to anything that I basically use as a word processor. When I need to send the work somewhere I save it to a thumb drive. It feels archaic sometimes, but it helps a lot to minimize “research” distractions.
With him, you get a rambling writer's block where you can tell he has it when he just goes on, about nothing and his writing is weaker in those spots too.
His books sell because he's been a brand name for decades. Remember when he wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman? Nobody bought those books. If he starts writing under a pen name again, those books will sit on the bookstore's shelves collecting dust. I recently re-read Christine and Cujo and the thing I noticed was there was nothing particularly impressive about plots or the characters. It's King's name on the cover that motivates people to buy the book.
@@devilzshoestring3774 His debut novel -- Carrie -- got a $1500 advance for the hardcover. Nobody was impressed with it. But the paperback got a $400,000 advance and that King all sorts of attention. I imagine that's what set him on the path to brand-name status.
i like the way he prints off to proof .. i really struggle proof writing reviewing digital content .. will try his tips :) lets also remember he likely also has others who can proof read his stuff. having a creeative network of people around u can help ?
And then there's the plotting pantser, who does both. As Ray Bradbury says, you need to surprise yourself with what you write. It's all about the surprise. But I like a general goal, or idea. Like, stories will be playing in my mind for years, sometimes, and then just get put down on the paper one day, when I've collected enough material to write it. I usually make outlines of many stories, or sometimes I pants them. But, I always have a general goal of where I want it to go. But, sometimes I don't. I incorporate all disciplines into my writing routine. A lot of essay, a lot of poetry, and some short stories or novels. Like I'm all about the idea; making the audience think. And all about Metaphor and packing as much thought into each line as I can. A lot like George Eliot or Adam Smith, but not quite as dense as them. Like, they're on a whole other level. Like Adam Smith or George Eliot could hit thirty extremely dense ideas in two paragraphs. Every line was poetry.
Nun, Tolkien hat eine ganz eigene Welt erschaffen! Dazu noch diverse Sprachen entwickelt - wundert es da, dass er nicht jedes Jahr ein neues Werk herausgebracht hat?
Also, if you want a good editing book that includes some of King's editing tips, I recommend "Editor-Proof Your Book," by Don McNair. It helped reduce my second novel by about 10,000 words.
I like this and appreciate it. One thing that I think that is often over looked is the permission to write. Permission to oneself or those around them. For many you might require the support to experience this. You might need to create boundaries around your time and allowing yourself this. ❤
Plotters and *pantsers*, because pantsers write by the "seat of their pants" (using instinct and their own experience, rather than research or logic). There are also "plotsters", who have at least a basic plot but allow themselves to write spontaneously and depart from the original plotline, sort of like having a jumping off point. Many successful and prolific writers have a unique writing routine. However, they may each be very different. If you resonate with a particular author or the genre in which they focus, it may help you in your writing to follow their routine. But don't be afraid to develop your own unique style either!
Great comment! Anyone who wants to write a good story needs to take risks and navigate the creative process on their own.
Great summary!
@@EdwDev Taking risks is paramount. I've encountered at least one person who has been writing for a very long time and seen minimal success. I discovered they refuse to attempt any method of writing than the one they started in middle school because it "works for them." Even though it's obviously not working all that well, when it comes to anything else - they literally will not even try. This attitude is antithetical to creativity.
Like those DevArt kids who draw characters with bad proportions in flat perspective with wobbly lines and insist it's their "style." Refusing to grow is not your "style."
Thanks!
Chat GPT?
I think the major reason he is so prolific and productive is he prioritizes writing. Even now he’s said he isn’t as fast or productive as he used to be (cutting his word count goal in half), but he treats it like his full time job and always has. Yes he could take time away from writing and be have a net zero effect, but he still writes like he used to in his trailer when he was 25. He doesn’t give himself room to hum and haw about writing or search endlessly for ways to make writing fun, it is fun for him and he just does it. Write like it’s your job and one day it might be.
This. ❤
I’m someone who can’t listen to music with words while writing so mostly I listen to classical, however, I wanted to try listening to the same song on loop to see if it would get me into a flow state and it did! After about 5-6 times, I stopped “hearing” the song and dropped into that flow state and had a good writing session. I’ve used this technique many times now and it’s been working well for me.
King's method is worth trying, but also remember that he is notorious for novels that have an incomplete end. When you reach the end of your draft, read it carefully and consider if you can rewrite the opening so that you deliver on your promise.
I find the endings of his books one of his weaknesses. Always felt cheated. It was a wonderful book about childhood friendships but the end was, for want of a better, silly.
"Real life doesn't have a plot" is not a great mentality for a genre writer. Although I do wonder if it would work better for him if he had more of a literary sensibility than he seems to.
@@neilo2323 yes, this. the endings are always 'oh so it went back underground where it belonged and no one ever knew where it came from or what it was. or it was an alien. but why?
@@neilo2323I agree and I think for me the worst thing about his payoffs falling flat is that he always has me riveted for the buildup. I’m still a fan and grew up reading his stuff way too young in the ‘80s, so it’s just my opinion
Very true. Good POint. For me, nothing worse than an unfinished story.
I think the secret was initially ‘cocaine’
😂
reportedly buckets and buckets of booze
Yup
I was thinking the same thing. And that might also be why he loved listening to rock music when he started writing
By that logic we should have hundreds of thousands of novelists like King.
so there was this period in my life when i kept attracting the wrong people, wrong opportunities, everything just felt…off. i couldn’t figure out why it kept happening. then one day, a friend mentioned a book called Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, saying it helped them see the patterns they didn’t even realize they had. i decided to give it a read, and wow, it opened my eyes to how much my own energy was shaping my life. seriously, this book is something else.
'On Writing' is a great book, even if you're not a writer. I read it many years ago when it came out and it has stuck with me ever since.
I totally agree. Even if you're not a huge fan of Stephen King that is a great book.
@@ronmorey3475 yes agreed. My ex was a big King fan so they were always around but I've read maybe only a dozen of his books. I still count The Stand as a favorite, though.
yea i read it when it came out. i even got my mom to read it haha.. but its one i re-visit every couple years!
When I moved to Maine, I had read it twice. I knew exactly what not to do if I went into the woods for a while. That book is astonishingly funny but moreover, exceptionally useful.
great book. I've read it a couple times and some of the stories he tells in it make me audibly laugh.
What's really funny is that he doesn't like outlining but for me outlining is having all those characters show up one by one to create the bonfire.
In some ways it's very weird that everyone acts as if "making it up as you go along" is something you can avoid. All you're doing is rearranging when to make up what. Stephen King's out here with whole casts of characters bringing him rocks and wet logs, and because he's so prolific, and popular, he'll either publish a different book with better kindling, or succeed in spite of himself.
@futurestoryteller agreed. I think it's the same with planning. It doesn't "kill creativity". Editing is literally the process of reorganizing and planning. Pantsers and plotters are doing the same work, just in different ways.
@@cryptomancer2927 I think what people are missing in the conversation but recognize in either approach is pantsers can make a ton of unnecessary work for themselves, with their free association, while plotters can fail to iterate when their plans aren't working, potentially constraining the entire story through sheer stubborness.
Because these problems are correlated with each approach, the approach is blamed when it was the mentality of the writer that led them to those approaches in the first place. I don't even feel like I'm that into planning, compared to the charts and graphs other people make, but I'm constantly worried that I won't recognize when an idea needs to be scrapped. On the other hand I can't just write "things happening" either. I need to at least see what's in front of me, rather than feeling around in the dark. Either way I feel a a lot of sponteneity in my scene to scene writing.
I write in the same way, roughly 2k a day. Since Feb I'm now on my third novel. It's hard work but I love it. I listen to On Writing everyday on the bus home from work, it helps ground me and get in the mood. First novel was published in October, the next is coming in March/April. Hoping to release the third novel by the end of June, and have another ready by Christmas(next year). These are all standalone and separate stories. It can be done, if you want it bad enough or enjoy it enough. But yeah everyone is different, as long as your getting words the page and the end result is enjoyed by readers, it doesn't matter how you get there.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Very encouraging.
He may not call it outlining, but his first draft is really n outline. He is finding his characters, discovering their path, creating a world- all things an outliner is doing in a different format.
His second draft + is more of the real writing. Which is true for most writers no matter their define beginning point.
I work in between. I do a larger plot outline, maybe a couple of important characters. I discover a great deal in writing the first draft. During the Developmental edit (2nd Draft) I do most of my learning about things I wrote, like dissecting a book by another author. Later drafts, I do the line editing to get the words right.
Great video! I’ve seen a few videos on Stephen King’s writing method and this one was one of the best edited and presented I’ve seen. I loved how clear and to the point it was along with the cuts of interviews. Subscribed!
I'm definitely a pantser. I have two novels published, which are in the vein of pulpy detective novels. My main character will often completely take over my writing process and do things I didn't plan or expect. It winds up being kind of a free writing exercise where I just let the character do his thing. It's worked out pretty well so far.
You also have to understand this was a job. He didn’t have an ordinary job like the rest of us. He was already established. Keep that in mind.
I’m very surprised that this is basically what I’ve learned from the experience of writing my first novel. It gives me confidence that I’m not that far off.
I'm pretty sure he's describing that sort of self-hypnosis in misery. It describes the protagonist falling through the words as he types.
Like when you're reading and the page disappears and you see the scene instead
Your editing and storytelling is phenomenal. I'm surprised there's only 2 videos. Keep it up! :)
You have a good voice! I also like to gather and use as many sources as possible, so I really appreciate how you used Stephen's interviews. Good work!
i remember this one time i felt completely stuck, like no matter what i did, life just wasn’t moving forward. i tried everything-manifestation journals, vision boards, all that stuff-but it felt like i was missing something. then i stumbled across this book, Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, and it hit different. it wasn’t just about manifesting; it was about understanding the energy i was putting out into the world. honestly, it changed everything. if you’re feeling stuck too, you might want to check out this book.
Thank you so much. Yours is the only definition of active voice I have ever understood. You made it so simple. Bless you! 👍👍👍
I'm glad the video could help you!
Such a great video, I need to get on finishing his book on the craft! Good luck with your writing :)
It's such fun to watch your videos! I feel very inspired. Thank you so much!
this was wonderful! i loved all the interview clips you included. super comprehensive and well-rounded video!
Please produce more videos on writing. They are a great source of information and also inspiring.
I have two books published already and will be graduating with my bachelor's next month.
For me, the music thing works about 25% of the time; I have to have serenity and sit outside with the birds whistling and the squirrels playing to be in a reflective state.
Memory helps me write just as much as imagination.
I think the only book he planned out was The Dead Zone, and I find it to be the most satisfying book he's written. I really admire Stephen King and enjoy his books, but often his endings are a huge anticlimax. If I were a writer I think would be inspired by how much better The Dead Zone is because of his planning and I would plan everything!
Interesting. That's one of my favorite books by him, and I've always thought it has the best ending out of all of his books.
His routine is at 2:49. That sniff tells everything.
Yeah he said he did a lot of coke back in the day. He said he doesn’t if remember writing some books. Which probably explains that one part that they left out in the It movies.😂
...damnit. XD
this is a great video mari. the editing. the content. its great
a while back, i hit a point where i felt like everything was out of my control. i kept wondering why other people seemed to get what they wanted while i was stuck in the same place. then i came across this book called Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane. i wasn’t expecting much, but the way it explains the connection between your energy and the life you create? it blew my mind. it’s not just a book, it’s like a blueprint for turning your life around.
SUPER INTERESTING! I write non fiction, mostly about political science but I find this specially useful
Thank you for the video! Stephen King has set a great example on productivity and quality. I am a planster. I plot and I panst. I can’t do it any other way. It’s weird for me when writers say they can’t know the ending because then it would spoil the fun, because I think, if that’s your goal, then pick up a book and read it. When I write a book, I'm the craftsman, not the reader. I like to know the beginning and ending of my story. When I know the ending, I get excited to write toward the ending. I’ve never been successful as a 100% panster nor as a 100% plotter. There’s so much I can only find and figure out just as I'm creating. I plan a lot but also discover so much while drafting. Planster for life!
Love how he addresses the extreme jump from imposter syndrome and delusional victory. May you rest in the pages
Some writers prefer a slower method of writing a novel. I do.
Even Stephen says he will write it and put it down for a while, suggesting maybe he sits on his messy scripts it the juice and core ideas are still there so it’s not fast, he just writes a lot is all
The secret is that you need to know that the story ends somewhere. Once you have broken it down into pieces, you find, at the end, that writing it wasn't so hard. Then your second story, knowing what it is going to be like, will not be so hard to write anymore. At that point, you will increase your speed. Sit your ass down in the seat and do the work, then repeat it the next morning. Edit in the afternoons and you have King's writing rhythm.
I think a big thing that let's King write a ton: he doesn't seem to cut out anything.
If he hits a wall or gets bored he will just start another subplot or parallel narrative.
He ends up with massive casts of characters, long meandering chains of story beats, and the ending comes out of nowhere.
"The Stand" is perhaps the ultimate example of this. The original version cut hundreds of pages at the editor's request... but they were put back in later because King doesn't want to leave anything out.
Him saying "kill your darlings" is insane.
Remember writers can also be in between the two types. I prefer a combination of both. I need to set myself some boundaries (planning) because otherwise my imagination will carry away without consistency, but I also develop my characters along the way of writing and see how they impact the storyline (pantsing). I need a plan, but I don't set it in stone
Worth noting, maybe, that King says in 'On Writing' that, as a teenager, he wrote hundreds of short stories before he got one that sort of maybe felt a bit like it had something.
It's important to think about whether the method itself is a good one, rather than whether the fact that a successful writer uses it should be a reason that we would opt to do so as well. King is successful, but it doesn't follow from this that the method he uses is a good one. If U2, one of the most successful bands in history, decide to make a series of albums all of which are recorded after an extended period of starvation and dehydration for the band members, it doesn't mean that this way of doing things is a good one.
The most important thing for any would-be writer is to get past 'block'. When I was in my early 20s I wanted to be a songwriter, but I couldn't seem to write anything. It took a while before I realised that there were psychological barriers in the way, and I managed to get around them. Most people who want to be artists (regardless of whether or not they intend to try and make it their primary endeavour) need to figure out if they have a 'block' and work out how to get around it.
(Also, let's not forget that King used a *lot* of cocaine during the 1980s; I do not advocate using illegal substances, but there are *many* ways to get around your block)
It was certainly interesting, but only parts of his advice work for me. I underwrite my first draft rather than overwriting like King, so if I cut 10%, my novel would be extremely bare-bones. On the plus side, it only takes me two months to write a rough draft if I work on it every day 😀
Also, it doesn't take me 12 drafts to produce a publishable novel, more like 3 or 4, because I don't have to waste time fixing all the plot holes created by pantsing - I work to a skeletal outline, and pants my way from plot point to plot point, allowing twists to happen along the way. I like to think I get my best ideas while in flow state!
Speaking of which, I do like to listen to music. I make a playlist for each novel, usually a soundtrack from a game, TV or movie (can't listen to anything with words while I'm writing), and it really helps me to get into the flow state quickly.
My takeaway message would be - try other writers' routines, but don't worry if they don't work for you. We're all different, and the only thing that matters in the end is that you produce good stories on a timetable that works for you.
Thanks, that's interesting.
The pantsing to from plot point to plot point reminds me a bit of doing Viki King's 'How to Write a Screenplay in 21 Days' process. For anyone interested: It's a book, so costs almost nothing, and at the end of it, if you follow the instructions, you'll have a screenplay. I thought it was great.
I think Stephen King is just a genius who cannot explain how it works 😂 I wrote some books and for me his method would never work.
For most of the people who do no have this natural talent (write a lot, get into the flow, let the story lead them) makes more sense to think about idea, create a plot, do a research and then make a habit of regular writing.
Ive learned alot about writing from watching stephen king interviews and books about writing, but I understand what the comments are saying, for me though how he works has been helpful for my writing. His idea that a good idea will atick with you and so you dont need a notebook, really had me thinking over the years and he waa right, the ones that turned into full novels and went beyond just an idea clicked
this was an awesome video!
Great stuff. This is inspiring to me as I write like that too self hypnosis pantser, I am excited to find out what happens next as I have no idea. I always ignore the grammar rules about writing though. The language comes as it comes. I have no problem with adverbs or description. Being productive is the biggest hurdle for me.
Language can always be corrected. But there's nothing to correct if the story isn't written.
I write with the Pomodoro method, sometimes with forest sounds, a fireplace, and mostly the sound of the waves on a beach
Love your video! I've just listened to "On Writing" by Stephen King and you did a great job on summarizing the most important points and as other comments pointed out also great editing! Keep up the good work! Sub
you setting the teapot and cup down scared the shit out of me
Very well put together video! Thank you. :)
“Flow state.” Like riding a demon-fun as hell!
You wouldn’t like a demon if you actually met one.
When I was writing a master's thesis I created a "wall of sound". It wasn't a whole playlist, it was just one song, "Return of the Mac".
I listened to it on repeat for 20-26 hours.
If you're going to write in Stephen King style, make sure you only type with your index fingers.
Lol
I suspect that most writers are some combination of plotters and pantsers. It might also depend what type of book they are writing. Thanks for the video and hello to the rest of you. There are some good comments here.
Great video. Very useful and informative. Very helpful.
I think most writers are some combination of plotter and pantser; few are 100% one or the other. Both skills are needed.
I find it interesting what he says about descriptions needing to finish in a reader’s mind. That helps explain to me why I am incredibly frightened by horror films but his more outward horror books don’t scare me the same way- I have Aphantasia and am unable to create pictures in my mind. I couldn’t call up an image of the face of a monster, unless it’s very descriptively worded, and even then it would be fleeting in my mind’s eye, and not have any emotional impact. He uses a lot of gross imagery, but for me, not scary. In fact, I’ve read “It” so often since childhood that I have it on audiobook and sometimes just have it on for background while I’m sleeping. 🤦🏼♀️ I was definitely way too young when I found that novel.
I'm with Stephen on everything except music. Any and every kind will pull me immediately out. Maybe it's because I'm a singer, but he's a musician. I have no idea. But it's good to know that my natural writing flow is similar to his. Now, if I could just craft like him! LOL Thank you for the video.
This includes music without lyrics?
@ oh I understand it's just the sound of the music takes my mind to the rhythm and tune, hours the notes are patterned and sustained--- it's just how my brain works lol
Happy Christmas 😊🔔🕊️
@@KimtheElder I was just thinking I don't really get "distracted" by music when I'm writing as long as it doesn't have lyrics. Although it can get to a point where I'm just suddenly annoyed to realize it's there, and have to turn it off before my favorite song becomes my least favorit song, lol.
You enjoy the holiday
@ I understand now. 😄. We definitely don't want our favorite songs becoming our least lol
Philip Pullman said he can't listen to music when writing. Needs total silence. I saw him say it on Twitter/X.
I had been trying for more than 10 years to write 2 stories thinking the more I plotted, the better it'll be. But that took out the fun because I already knew what was going to happen to my story so my mind was like "since you know the ending in your head, why bother writing it?". I then found out I'm a pantser (last year). It changed my life. I dropped both stories and actually started and finished another one.
great video Mari. I'm your fans now
Keep going, it's great! Hi from France
Such a useful video, thank you!
Closing the door firmly and slamming the door are not the same thing. Slamming a door is something that generally happens in an outburst of emotion or because you lost control of the door (too heavy, the wind, etc). Closing a door firmly can be done in a controlled and quiet motion. It can be done calmly.
Those two things are not synonyms.
I build out my outline in excessive detail. This helps me write faster in the end, but the plotting portion takes a long time. If I already have the plot down it moves pretty fast!
Very helpful. Thank you!
The title is kind of misleading. I was expecting to hear results of this kind of workflow along with the information. Truthfully, I was more interested in that.
Stephen King is a master of his craft and wrote a LOT before he got published. Pantsers notoriously end up throwing away tons and tons of work and have to cut a lot until they have a kind of formula that they use. King, even though he won't admit it, has a formula for his books and does a lot of location reuse. I wrote an 80k word book that I ended up publishing as a serial that was pants'd and I work from outlines now. Lots of ways to still have fun when working from an outline, but you at least are not throwing away days and days of work when you realize that part of your plot doesn't work because it was a wild tangent, and the real story was languishing off page.
i used to think manifesting was all about repeating affirmations and hoping for the best. i tried it for months and…nothing. i was so frustrated. then i heard about this book, Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, and how it breaks down the science and energy behind manifestation. it’s like it flipped a switch in my brain. once i started applying what i learned, things started falling into place like never before. worth checking out if you’re serious about manifesting.
Try my writing habit. Take 3-4 sessions a day, write 250 words in 3 books per session *250 words per book* that will leave you with roughly 3 finished novels in 3 months. I normally tale first session around 5-6 in the morning, the next one after work, one after dinner and the 4th session right before sleep.
Its hard to compair anything to steven kings work, since he writes epics, not novels. But for writing novels this is good if you have too many ideas shrouding youre mind.
I stopped writing because getting out the laptop and "prioritizing" the work was getting me down.
I started writing flash fiction on my phone, and am now back at it. I can just put my feet up and concentrate at whatever level I want. You just have to get the right apps and then "do the work" after on a laptop when it comes to editing, which I find easier to approach.
And that's no real different to the time when King wrote an entire novel in a notepad with a pen. Same principle
I think writing without plotting does not work out for most of the people. It might be more fun in the first round, but a pain in the neck when it comes to the rewriting. also you might end up not knowing where to go from time to time, or how to end your plotlines satisfying - and many of King's novells suck when it comes to the ending.
He's kind of admitting to succeeding despite letting himself get sidetracked. He's perfectly open about having endings in mind (from time to time) then he just lets the characters steer the ship in random directions and hope he makes landfall. Even "kill your darlings" is essentially about how he got distracted from the bigger picture long enough to produce excess fat.
That "trance" is also called "flow state". Interesting stuff. Rock climber's speak of it as well as other athletes. It does take things in a different direction sometimes and unlocks interesting twists in a story. In full bore flow state I can blow through 10K words a day plus. The words literally flow and the story evolves. Spelling and sentence structure gets blown to hell but it gets words on "paper", so to speak. I'm often surprised by some of the stuff I write when I start editing... and I'm absolutely my own worst critic.
Great video, pointers, and advice!
Awesome video!
Really great video!
So my questions for you, Mari, did you write a 180K word novel in 3 months using this method, and if not, how much were you able to achieve?
Certainly can't deny that King is prolific and hearing how he gets so much done is interesting to say the least.
My biggest problem nowadays is the distractions and my inability to find a private place disconnected from the internet where I can work for 3-4 hours the way I used to. Back then, I would read for an hour, re-read my last 2-4 pages and then go. I would usually complete about 1500 words in a day, with some days reining in about 4K words. Back then, everything was written in longhand and later transposed onto the computer.
Lately I'm writing about 100-300 words, sometimes a little more, and some days pass where I'm not able to muster the energy to write anything at all. I no longer write as much in longhand and simply write straight on the computer. There are significant pros and cons to this. My writing reads and feels much better, but I'm producing a lot less due to having instant access to the internet, using it to do a quick bit of rabbit holing "research" or to facilitate my needed distraction due to my gnawing ADHD.
Anyway, thanks for the video.
Good points and questions. I think it's also important to remember that when King established this routine for finding his flow state, it was in large part because his wife, a fellow academic, helped make sure he had the uninterrupted space and time he needed - at least that's what I recall from reading his non-fiction book On Writing over a decade ago.
Whatever your word count, progress is progress, and worth celebrating.
As for ADHD, a gaming music playlist on repeat often helps me focus, or doing timed writing sprints with fellow writers on a Discord server - if I'm in the mood for such pressure. I also find it helpful to stop for a bio break - water, fresh air, whatever - before I get frustrated, and come back fresh. Or stop writing in the middle of a scene I'm still deeply invested in, so when I come back, I've been thinking about it and I'm ready to jump in.
However, taking a break at the end of a chapter with a cliffhanger can be a trap for procrastination for me.
Good luck, and have fun!
P.S. Novelty often helps us ADHDers, and a change of page color background, font type or size, etc. , or a fresh pen, can help me remain engaged in an ongoing project. I often "select All" and change my font to 14pt Arial for editing, and then "select All" and change it back to 12pt Times New Roman when I'm done.
Turn off the internet on your laptop or computer. There are apps that do that and it’s amazing. I use the app Cold Turkey. It’s the only way I get any writing done.
Maybe try going back to writing longhand without a computer in the room at all? Then when you type it all in later, you can edit and go down your rabbit holes of research to make it correct and flesh it out. I had to do something similar. I have a simple, cheap, used laptop that has no connectivity to anything that I basically use as a word processor. When I need to send the work somewhere I save it to a thumb drive. It feels archaic sometimes, but it helps a lot to minimize “research” distractions.
With him, you get a rambling writer's block where you can tell he has it when he just goes on, about nothing and his writing is weaker in those spots too.
True
He's a writer of nonsense and sheer filth.
@@Budgiebird4068so you’re one of THOSE people
@@Budgiebird4068 you say that like that's a bad thing.....
@@DucksaregreatPeople with better taste you mean? Yes I am one of those people.
The Belgian writer Georges SIMENON wrote a book in 2 months and even in just 6 weeks. However, he is known and translated worldwide.
His books sell because he's been a brand name for decades. Remember when he wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman? Nobody bought those books. If he starts writing under a pen name again, those books will sit on the bookstore's shelves collecting dust.
I recently re-read Christine and Cujo and the thing I noticed was there was nothing particularly impressive about plots or the characters. It's King's name on the cover that motivates people to buy the book.
100% agree.
But how did he get his name?
@@devilzshoestring3774 His debut novel -- Carrie -- got a $1500 advance for the hardcover. Nobody was impressed with it. But the paperback got a $400,000 advance and that King all sorts of attention. I imagine that's what set him on the path to brand-name status.
Source?@@ballybunion9
I have always found his writing to be very mid, except maybe 1922.
i like the way he prints off to proof .. i really struggle proof writing reviewing digital content .. will try his tips :)
lets also remember he likely also has others who can proof read his stuff. having a creeative network of people around u can help ?
And then there's the plotting pantser, who does both. As Ray Bradbury says, you need to surprise yourself with what you write. It's all about the surprise. But I like a general goal, or idea. Like, stories will be playing in my mind for years, sometimes, and then just get put down on the paper one day, when I've collected enough material to write it.
I usually make outlines of many stories, or sometimes I pants them. But, I always have a general goal of where I want it to go. But, sometimes I don't. I incorporate all disciplines into my writing routine. A lot of essay, a lot of poetry, and some short stories or novels. Like I'm all about the idea; making the audience think. And all about Metaphor and packing as much thought into each line as I can. A lot like George Eliot or Adam Smith, but not quite as dense as them. Like, they're on a whole other level. Like Adam Smith or George Eliot could hit thirty extremely dense ideas in two paragraphs. Every line was poetry.
When he said he listens to Guns-N-Roses and Metallica while writing, I knew I was on the right track.😆
Nun, Tolkien hat eine ganz eigene Welt erschaffen! Dazu noch diverse Sprachen entwickelt - wundert es da, dass er nicht jedes Jahr ein neues Werk herausgebracht hat?
So what did you end up writing? What was your experience with this method and how would you compare it to others you tried?
Really good points! Earned a sub from me!
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it
Very good presentation . Well done. Carry on...
Excellent ! Thanks for sharing!
That was super interesting, hope to try it out one day ^^
Wonderful video Thank You!!!
All I can think is how much help he must have. I can't do this. Who would do everything else?
Quality over quantity is a thing
I mean, the moment you have even the tiniest bit of world-building, I don’t see how you’re supposed to go in blind.
I'm a plotter lmao I have a 300K word document of just world building and character bios
Also, if you want a good editing book that includes some of King's editing tips, I recommend "Editor-Proof Your Book," by Don McNair. It helped reduce my second novel by about 10,000 words.
Your lisp is really cute.
Good techniques.
Great information but would have loved to seen how it helped you, were you able to write a novel in 3 months or at least get something started?
Very good video thanks
Wait what did his writing process do for you?
I like this and appreciate it.
One thing that I think that is often over looked is the permission to write.
Permission to oneself or those around them.
For many you might require the support to experience this. You might need to create boundaries around your time and allowing yourself this.
❤
Agree completely with this.
Subbed! Especially after I saw the first video was Haruki Murakami.
Btw, what application do you use for writing?
I guess I'm a Plonttster, because I do both.
Him not having a full time job outside of writing probably helps.
Nice