I look up to many masters of the writing craft, one of them being none other than Stephen King. The King of Horror has accumulated plenty of wisdom during his lifetime. In this post, I have collected 7 quotes from Mr. King that I deeply related with.
#1 Do it for the joy and you can do it forever
The modern era is the era of instant gratification and rewards. We become less and less inclined to value the journey, which is why we now have a million life coaches. Most of humanity keeps chasing after the price looming at the finish line, be it money or something incorporeal.
The thing is, this type of living will make you addicted and hollow. It’s like running after the next fix of drugs, constantly craving more. Here’s a study on children that showcases some astonishing facts about interest. The children who waited for the rewards for the drawings they made had a decrease in interest in the task!
When I heard about the study, I immediately made a decision to stop with the rewards. Since then, I’ve never asked for anything as a price, and instead, focus on the joy of creation. I recommend you do it too. While it can be hard to accept a life without some shiny thing at the end of a hard journey, it will eventually only hinder you. Learn to enjoy the journey, however, and the world of endless cultivation and opportunity opens up.
#2 I write to find out what I think
I’ve always been more of a writer than a speaker/thinker. I never really excelled at small talk or presentations since I’m quite shy and introverted. But when I take the pen or keyboard, the world starts to make sense. It’s magic at its purest.
Ever since I started following my Path, writing became an invaluable tool. When I jot down my thoughts, I gain the kind of clarity I could only dream of in the past. No matter how chaotic my Borderline mind is, I can always count on my writer’s soul to bring order into it. The bigger the problem, the more eager that part of me is to tackle it on the pages. You should see the deep, philosophical monologues in my journals!
Writing is a powerful tool under your belt. I fully believe Mr. Jordan Peterson when he says that there is no difference between writing and thinking. This has been such a revelation for me, as I could finally use my strengths and become a better communicator. Here is a passionate clip where Mr. Peterson explains why people should learn to write.
#3 A person can’t change all at once – The Stand
We were all saplings of the craft once. While I’ve started to grow some leaves on my thin stalk, I’m still but a fetus. And that’s just the writing aspect of it. What about the things I have to now learn, like Social Media Marketing and Self-publishing? I am utterly, hopelessly green.
Going by the desire to be instantly gratified, not many are willing to put in the time to master something. It takes time. And ‘wasting’ time is not something the modern human wants to ever do. Why spend countless hours learning about Twitter, when there are plenty of ‘1 to 10k followers, FAST’-gurus out there? But then again, can you truly succeed if you don’t put in the effort to understand the skill?
Learning things and making habits are hard to do. I’m especially prone to frustration, as I get distracted and discouraged easily. Here I am, though. And I’d like to ask you to join me on this journey to develop discipline. Let’s stay the course, take it one step at a time. One day the countless hours we ground away will bear beautiful fruit.
#4 When asked ‘How do you write?’ I invariably answer, ‘One word at a time.’
As a continuation of my previous points, this quote is such an important one. Things are sometimes tough, the muse stays silent, and everything is covered in the veil of shadow. That’s when we need to take it one step, one word at a time.
I’ve had days when nothing came out, my brain had an absolute blockage. But I did it anyway. The most important thing in any writer’s life is to keep on writing. Put those words on the paper, no matter what! And so, in my anxiety and frustration, I sit down. One sentence. Just write one sentence, and that’ll be enough. Every word is progress.
There’s no point in beating yourself up about it either. Enjoy the journey, remember this. That one sentence will become your lifeline. No matter how far into the abyss you’ve fallen, you wrote something! Be proud, let the victory over your demons turn into a habit. You’ll soon develop a shield stronger than anything against the shadows.
#5 The scariest moment is always just before you start
This rings so true when it comes to me that it isn’t even funny anymore. I’m great at making plans, and when I put the effort in I have the perfect skeleton for success. Despite knowing this, I struggle greatly with starting. Or continuing. It’s such a bane, and I’m still trying to get out of this hole. Unfortunately, my BPD and its ailments made it so it’s hard for me to be responsible for just myself. I always had external direction in the past.
Let me tell you a scene from my swimming days.
I used to go to a ton of swimming competitions, traveling the country with my father and the team. Before it was my time to race, the organizers arranged the girls into their places, and we waited for our turn. We’d walk in an orderly line to the pool, and prepare to jump in. It was like a death march for me, every single time. My mind would go blank, and my tongue numb. But guess what? The second I hit the water, all of that vanished.
It’s the same with my writing. All I need is enough discipline and willpower to make that initial jump, everything else will roll on its own. When I struggle with words, I sit down and try anyway. Maybe it’s one sentence, but maybe it’s more. Often times I find myself typing away whole chapters in one seating. Once I pry open the tap, the water keeps pouring out like no tomorrow!
#6 Time takes it all, whether you want it or not. – The Green Mile
Time is a cruel mistress. It doesn’t care whether you live or die, or whether you attain your dreams or not. It’s up to you to care. And if we are being honest, why should anyone else do that anyway? We have our own lives to live, and we want to do it in the most pleasant manner possible. As humans that are in the know about our demise, we are very reluctant to waste a second.
One way I think about it is that I don’t want to regret my life on my deathbed. When the journey toward heaven is measured against some reward, things become clear. I will always choose heaven over instant gratification. The same goes with pleasing people, though this was a hard thing for me to drill into my mind. If you are not on a mission to climb the mountain to your personal heaven, I’m probably not going to waste my breath. I simply value my time more than that.
One thing I could stop messing about is putting things aside, and doing them tomorrow. ‘I can do it later’. What do you mean? What are you doing now? Surely, if you can do it tomorrow, you can find the time to do it today. I used to be one of those who kept pushing things further into the future. Friends, stop that. It’ll bite you in the ass in the end.
#7 Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won’t carry a quitter. – Duma Key
I’m not going to lie, I used to be a quitter. Anything that I didn’t immediately get, I stopped doing. I was a rage-quitter in some games. I got easily discouraged by people and their toxicity. Here’s a thing to think about: Quitters are also Bitters. And boy, was I ever so bitter!
I always knew my mind was extraordinary. But it never really got validated by anyone. Not my family, not my friends, and certainly not strangers. The best interactions I had about it were with my language teachers, after all, I have an affinity with languages and narrative. That again got crushed by a manager of a vocational school telling me I ‘need to prioritize’. And I quit on myself. Blasted Borderline fear of abandonment!
I learned my lesson in the end. The bitterness, hatred, the shame from the constant quitting. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to change. And luckily, just as I was falling into despair, my salvation came. I married a man that would forever have faith in me. And by his grace, I’ve slowly learned to trust myself, and my ability. I’ll never again walk the road of quitters. I deserve more than that.
Final Thoughts
When we look at big names like Stephen King, it’s easy to get star-struck and demoralized. On the other hand, even Mr. King had his struggles. He often mentions his rejection slips from publishers that he put on the wall. And did you know it was his wife that fished out Carrie from the trash, telling him to finish it?
We all go through our personal purgatories. And often we won’t have help while we are at it. I can only hope that one day while floating in your ocean of despair, you’ll see what I saw. We are not in this alone. There are countless people from the past, in the now, and in the future, who all go through the same tribulations. Hang in there!
Your destiny is in your hands. You don’t have to become a quitter or let distractions and demons rule over your life. You can make the necessary decisions, one step at a time. It will be a mountainous journey, the time you need to dedicate to it is nothing short of devastating. But. I have faith in you. Now go write your book!