On Writing by Stepehn King (#3)

Pages 100 through 150 of On Writing include the start of the "instruction" section of the book.

Stephen King uses a description of a large tool box which he recalls from his childhood. In a specific memory involving replacement of a screen door, King remembers asking "if you only needed a screwdriver, why did you bring your whole toolbox?" The answer is that just in case you need to use the other tools they are there with you.

The same thing is true in writing according to Mr. King. The top (of three) section of your tool box is vocabulary. Not the overdone "fancy" vocabulary which makes you sound like you memorized too many words in college, but the type of vocabulary which first comes to mind and most accurately describes what it is you are looking to convey.

"I am approaching the heart of this book with two theses, both simple. The first is that good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments. The second is that while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer our of a good one, it is possible with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one." (Page 136)