From On Writing by Stephen King
Analyzing the Writer’s Craft: On Writing
Refer to the text to answer the following questions.
1. What structural devices does King use throughout his narrative?
2. How does King introduce the theme?
3. What is the theme of the narrative?
4. How much variety in paragraph length does King use?
5. What style of narration does King use? How do you think the audience reacts to this style?
6. What examples of imagery does King use most effectively? Explain.
7. What concepts are repeated? How does this enhance the progression of the theme?
8. Why do you think both excerpts from “A Death” and On Writing qualify as narratives? Explain.
9. How is King’s writing style in “A Death” similar to On Writing? How is it different? Which style
did you like better? Explain your answer.
Model King’s paragraph from On Writing. The topic of your paragraph should be something
you do well and the thing that inspired you to do it well.
From On Writing by Stephen King
When I read Lovecraft, my prose became luxurious and Byzantine. I wrote stories in my teenage
years where all these styles merged, creating a kind of hilarious stew. This sort of stylistic
blending is a necessary part of developing one's own style, but it doesn't occur in a vacuum. You
have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. It's hard
for me to believe that people who read very little (or not at all in some cases) should presume to
write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it's true. If I had a nickel for
every person who ever told me he/she wanted to become a writer but "didn't have time to read," I
could buy myself a pretty good steak dinner. Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have
time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.
Example starting sentence:
When I watched Brady, my passes became effortless and Patriotic. I played football in my
younger days where I copied all the greats, becoming an odd mishmash of legends…
Brainstorm your idea before you write. You can use the space below to type your
paragraph.