On Writing: Part 3

King speaks a great deal in this section about several different aspects of writing a book. He focuses on using thematic thinking, making revisions, pacing the story, and researching.

King states in this section the importance of having a theme. He also says that any book worth reading has to be about something. I tend to get a little lost when I'm writing an essay or something because I never think about a theme before I start writing. Now, thanks to this section, I know that I can't just come up with a theme as I go.

Next, he talkes about making revisions to the writing. King suggests that you at least write two drafts for an essay before finishing it. I am the type of person that only writes one draft, but I realize now that if I want to do my best I need to write more than one. He says that the first draft should be written with no help, but you can ask for opinions on the second draft. This is important because you need to at least see another perspective to have a well-rounded book or essay.

He states that pacing and research are very important. He showes that a story doesn't need to be too fast paced or it could lose a lot of the story because the reader can get confused or worn out. He also shows that you ca't have too much back story because it can distract from the main story you are tryig to tell.

State of the Union

I have never really been an Obama fan, but I was pleasantly suprised by this State of the Union speech. I read the speech which really allowed me to concentrate o the things Obama was saying.

He talked a lot about bringing jobs back to the U.S. and making taxes lower for businesses that stay in the country. I think this is great because there are so many unemployed people because of the lack of jobs. Also, I hope to have a job in the future and it would be wonderful if there were jobs available.

One of my favorite things Obama says is that he wants to give schools the resources to keep good teachers around and reward the best ones. My mom is a teacher, so I think this is very important. Also, I don't want to think of any of my favorite teachers being fired just because there wasn't enough money to keep them. He also said that schools should be granted flexibility to teach with creativity and passion. I am tired of just learning things that are going to be on the state test or ap exam. I always feel like I get the most out of classes that don't just teach about the things on the test. I would love the opportunity to be in more classes that allow creativity and passion.

Obama also addresses the problem with the cost of college. College tuition is hard to pay for so many families, icluding my own. I agree with Obama that congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling and that states need to make higher education a priority.

"Higher education can't be a luxury - it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford."

-Obama

On Writing: Part 2

"You must not come lightly to the blank page." This is the main point in the section, "What Writing Is". I agree with King that you have to take writing seriously. I know that whenever I am trying to write an essay or paper, and I 'm not dedicated or taking it seriously, it never turns out very well. 

The most important section to me is "The Toolbox". In this section, he shows that different writers have different vocabulary styles. He says that you should never try to dress up your vocabulary because you are ashamed of using short words. I am often guilty of trying to dress up my vocabulary to make my essay sound more sophisticated. This section has taught me a very valuable lesson that I will not soon forget.

I really appreciate his use of examples in the sections. He makes it so much easier to understand writing with his examples and comparisons. In the Toolbox, he gives you specific examples of writers that use different vocabulary. In the writing section, he gives you examples of sentences.

Stephen King taught me several things about writing. He kind of motivates me to work harder and really push myself to excel in writing.

 

On Writing Response

At first when I found out we were supposed to read a Steven King book, much less a book about writing, I was not thrilled to say the least. Surprisingly when I started reading On Writing, I found Steven King to be very personable and incredibly relatable. He doesn’t hold back any details or emotions in his stories. I felt like he was giving me intimate details about his life. I really felt like I related to his story about going to the doctor and getting those shots in his ears. It brought back a memory of when I had this bad stomach virus when I was younger. I couldn’t stop throwing up or hold down any medicine. The doctor told me I had to have a shot and that it wouldn’t hurt at all. Like Steven King, I believed him. It ended up hurting a great deal. This story made me feel a definite connection to King which made the book more enjoyable to read. He has become an inspiration to me because of everything he has overcome to get where he is. He has faced rejection, poverty, and a drug and alcohol addiction, yet he is still one of the most successful writers of our time.