I highly recommend this book to all readers - and writers - even if you wouldn't read a Stephen King novel if your life depended on it. (I've read one - that was enough!)
I am supposed to teach the Young Women tomorrow - the lesson is on optimism.
I'm not sure what optimism has to do with annoyance, but since I was standing around waiting with time on my hands - being annoyed with the man who was mailing about 20 packages at the APC kiosk in the Post Office - while I was waiting to mail 2 - all I could think of to pass the time was the lesson I am going to give.
But I digress - as I usually do. What this little experience really brought to mind was Stephen King's advice in his rather excellent little book On Writing.
I am not a Stephen King fan, but this book was recommended to me by Kacy F. many years ago. It is a very interesting and insightful autobiography of Stephen King. And the second half is a very excellent treatise on writing - and how to write well.
One of his main points is the fact that you can't hope to be a good writer if you don't read a lot - like all the time! And he says, well, you are saying I don't have time to read, but we all have tons of time that gets wasted - and we could be reading during that time.
I thought of all of this while waiting at the P.O. - without a book to read! And Stephen King says to always carry a book with you - because there will always be moments that you can spend reading.
And he's right! Why did I forget this?
I'm not sure what optimism has to do with annoyance, but since I was standing around waiting with time on my hands - being annoyed with the man who was mailing about 20 packages at the APC kiosk in the Post Office - while I was waiting to mail 2 - all I could think of to pass the time was the lesson I am going to give.
But I digress - as I usually do. What this little experience really brought to mind was Stephen King's advice in his rather excellent little book On Writing.
I am not a Stephen King fan, but this book was recommended to me by Kacy F. many years ago. It is a very interesting and insightful autobiography of Stephen King. And the second half is a very excellent treatise on writing - and how to write well.
One of his main points is the fact that you can't hope to be a good writer if you don't read a lot - like all the time! And he says, well, you are saying I don't have time to read, but we all have tons of time that gets wasted - and we could be reading during that time.
I thought of all of this while waiting at the P.O. - without a book to read! And Stephen King says to always carry a book with you - because there will always be moments that you can spend reading.
And he's right! Why did I forget this?
6 comments:
The depressing part about this post is that I am checking blogs instead of reading the book that has been collecting dust on my desk since September.
:(
I know what my New Year's resolution will be!
WhenI was stuck in an elevator all by myself in Kyiv, all I could think about was the fact that I DIDN'T have a book with me. It makes waiting so much easier. I have a pocket sized Book of Mormon that I also carry with me.
I know I need to keep a book or two in the car. If I have one, I rarely need it. It is only when I don't have one that end up wishing I had!
I think I will see if my local library has that book.
I taught the Optimism lesson in YW last month!
i LOVE this book - you lent it to me.
in fact it made me really LIKE Mr. King - and I am not a fan of his - but now I am, because of this book and because of his passion for JK Rowling.
I think I will have to pick that one up at the library and give it a go. Thanks!
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