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On writing, On Quilting, On art…

I finished On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King. The first things I learned are that for all that he writes creepy books (which personally are not my thing), he writes well, he cares about his art, and above all he loves his wife and family. Although this book is about writing / being a writer, in many ways, this book is really a love letter to his wife (Tabitha) of what must be at least 30 years, and it is wonderful to read. It is also a fascinating glimpse into the life he lived as a kid (poor, very poor, no dad, hard times). And for all his success, I can’t fathom why if the man is this funny he doesn’t write more humor…I was laughing out loud, a lot…Paul kept looking over at me saying “are we enjoying our book?”

King is writing about writing fiction, but just as easily the words could be applied to any creative effort or art form. For example:

p. 64 “my belief that good writing can be simultaneously intoxicating and idea-driven”

p. 74 “Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don’t have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough.”

p. 76 “The story remained on the back burner for awhile, simmering away in that place that’s not quite the conscious but not quite the subconscious, either.”

p. 114 and 118: “I want to suggest that to write to your best ability, it behooves you to construct your own toolbox and then build up enough muscle so you can carry it with you. Then instead of looking at a hard job and getting discouraged, you will perhaps seize the correct tool and get immediately to work. …… common tools go on the top. The commonest of all, the bread of writing, is vocabulary. … You’ll also want grammar on the top shelf of your toolbox.”

(note from Sarah: the same thing applies in art quilting…you learn the techniques, how to work with thread and cloth and machine and imagination, learn design and color…these are all tools to be applied when you hit a snag or are running with an idea)

And from pages 120-121 which have LOTS of marginalia as I was reading:

“Vocabulary used in speech or writing organizes itself in seven parts of speech (eight, if you count interjections…When these rules break down, confusion and misunderstanding result. … these strings of words begin with a capital letter, end with a period, and combine to make a complete thought which starts in the writer’s head and then leaps to the reader’s.”

And from my notes in the margin: what is the visual equivalent or a sentence / paragraph? Is there one? Is visual art supposed to communicate clearly in the same way as language / words? What is our visual vocabulary? Is there a visual grammar? How does it differ for representational versus abstract art?

On page 121, King continues by quoting William Strunk (remember Strunk and White?): ” ‘Unless he is certain of doing well, [the writer] will probably do best to follow the rules.’ “

and further down the page King adds in his own pithy way: “Grammar is not just a pain in the ass; it’s the pole you grab to get your thoughts up on their feet and walking.”

The next layer down in the toolbox is ” those elements of style”…BINGO! (that’s on p. 129) And here is a phrase he wrote about writing, but I think applies perfectly to Kathy’s art (her blog is Studio in the Woods):

p.133 “it is possible to overuse the well-turned fragment (…), but frags can also work beautifully to streamline narration, create clear images, and create tension as well as to vary the prose-line.”

To which I would reply…So what is our “grammar” as textile artists / art quilters ?..Is it the ability to handle and manipulate the cloth, batting, thread, and anything else that goes onto a quilt (paint, beads, fibers, whatever)… what do you consider the fundaments of our trade?

And I’ll make this the last for this post (though there are many more):

p. 135: “Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin to breathe.”

YES! in quilts, the cloth, the thread, the vision migrates from inside my head to the cloth and takes on a life…

My bottom line: even though I’ve never been drawn to his books, I like the guy. And since I like the series on USA-tv The Dead Zone, which is based on one of his books, I may actually read that novel (but steer clear of the really creepy ones). And I’d like to say thanks to him for loving his wife…seems like he’s been a good husband and a good dad, and that counts more than anything in a bank.

5 Responses to “On writing, On Quilting, On art…”

  1. computerpeach Says:

    Some other books or novellas you should check out by him that are not as creepy are: The Shawshank Redemption (novella in a collection), The Eye of the Dragon (novel), The Talisman (co-authored with Peter Straub), The Body (Stand by Me was the movie), Deloris Claiborne, The Running Man (as Richard Bachman). That should get you started. Ones to stay away from if you don’t like creepy : Bag of Bones (that one scared the you-know-what out of me and I have been reading King since 8th grade), From a Buick 8, IT (probably my most favorite of his), and Pet Sematary (another that scared me).

    Now, I am not saying the top ones don’t have ANY creepy in them (Shawshank Redemption doesn’t as far as I remember), just they are not as creepy as most of them.

  2. Sue Says:

    Sounds good, I’ll have to get that one. He wrote another non-fiction book in the 80s (about the horror genre I think), called Danse Macabre. I don’t know why I read it at the time since I didn’t read much non-fiction back then, but I really enjoyed it. He’s a person I’d love to meet and have a chat with.

  3. Nic Bridges Says:

    I was interested to read your comments on this book, which I enjoyed when I read it a couple of years ago, and must look at again. I have to admit to being a long-time fan of Stephen King, and even though there’s lots of creepy stuff, he is a good & interesting writer. He’s the reason I feel I know what Maine is like, when I’ve never been there – reading his stories has given me a very clear picture of your part of the world.

    I’ll second the recommendations computerpeach made (Shawshank is my favourite, the book and the movie) and also recommend The Stand & Misery as being great stories without excessive horror, plus lots of his short stories. I like King for the same reason I enjoy Roald Dahl – the quirky and unexpected twists in the tale, coupled with a love of the craft.

    Congratulations of your book deal – very exciting stuff!

  4. Deirdre Says:

    Sounds like a book you really enjoyed, I love reading people’s posts about why they love or hate what they are reading. I’m not one for scary (that would be my DD), but this one sounds pretty good! Thanks for the link to Kathy’s blog.

  5. quiltmuse Says:

    A lot of thought provoking quotes, Sarah. I may have to look for this book though I have had no desire to read any of King’s fiction!