The Good Ol' Toolbox

      Hello there! Today, I read about 50 pages of On Writing. One important lesson to be learned from one of King's experiences: never give up. When he was going to toss his story in the trash, Tabbie kept it and helped him improve it. And you know what? The story, which turned into the book Carrie, was worth $400,000! So, just  because a story is hard to write or you think it won't go far, think again. That's a lot of money. King told about the time he got his first alcoholic drink. On a Washington field trip, he snook off to a liquor store and bought some cheap whiskey. Well, this little mess-up turned into a terrible lifestyle. One day, he found out that Maine enacted the returnable bottle-and can-law. After disposing the beer cans in a bin, he realized how much had piled. After a while of denial, he realized he was an alcoholic. His wife stepped in and saved him, though. He felt that his writing wouldn't be as good without drugs but, he was wrong. Writing does not depend on that, but on your imagination and creative thinking.
      I got to a page that said "TOOLBOX" at one point. He kept talking and finally explained what in the world that meant and how it related to the book. He discussed the handmade toolbox his Uncle Oren crafted himself, something that he's been familiar with since childhood. It had 3 shelves, with the commonest tools on the top shelf. He then said that you, the reader, should have a toolbox, for writing. What a great symbol! The top shelf should house the commonest tools, your vocabulary(along with some grammar). King suggests that you shouldn't force yourself to use "big" words. If you have a point to put across, put it clearly. Use the very 1st word that comes to mind because it will be closest to what you're trying to say. King was going to put a detailed section on grammar in On Writing, but changed his mind(yes!). Grammar isn't really my thing. I mean I kind of like it but I can never remember what exactly present/past participles, simple-complex sentences, compound sentences, appositives, superlatives and a whole bunch of other grammatical terms are! Oh, and he allows incomplete sentences. hehe. As you can see, I do that plenty of times in my blogs!
      For some reason, King hates adverbs. I think they add detail and "color", if you will, to sentences. For example, read this example from the book: "Don't be such a fool, Jekyll," Utterson said contemptuously. King would prefer it like this:"Don't be such a fool, Jekyll," Utterson said--without the fancy adverb. He believes sentences are weaker and less bold with them. Another pet peeve is the passive voice; always use the active voice. I think the passive voice should be used sometimes, but I agree, it takes your interest away. I'll be back soon!