I guess I’m a “little” biased (“Little? HA!”) since I’m a self-confessed uberfan, but Stephen King’s advice continues to be both wise and inspirational. If you haven’t picked up his book “On Writing”, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. For a little taste, Ken Miyamoto has selected some nuggets from the book and shared them in his Screencraft article 17 Must-Read Screenwriting Lessons from Stephen King.
Wait, screenwriting you say? As a writer with a screenwriting background, I believe writing advice is universal. However, I’d like to point out that it’s my screenwriting experience that has helped me write stories that have a quick page-turning pace. Screenwriting is all about structure. A story needs to be told in two hours, or what equates to about 100-120 pages. Every page has a single purpose: to drive the story forward. Anything else is chaff. A good page turning novel has the same qualities.
I use the advice that resonates with me. Read, learn and write.
17 Must-Read Screenwriting Lessons from Stephen King by Ken Miyamoto.
