Every artist has one or several other artists whose work has been an influence on their own. I’m no different in that respect. One of my favorite writers and the one that is most influential in my writing is Stephen King. My statement here is going to be obvious, but he is one of the most popular writers today, because he writes great stories. He is classifies as a horror novelist, but one only has to read just one of his stories to see although his stories usually take a turn toward the dark side, the stories are also run the gamut of the human experience. It is unusual to think of someone laughing while reading a horror novel, but King often interjects moments that make one chuckle or even guffaw. He seamlessly intertwines so many different myths and genres in his stories and make it seem effortless. I would go so far as to say I’m jealous of that ability. With the completion of his Dark Tower series what we saw was the emergence of a compendium of sorts. The Dark Tower draws from many of his other stories and they become a part, weather slightly or majorly in a larger story. The story then becomes a crux, or a backbone, for his work. The story on it’s own draws from and uses so many different sources and genres that it refuses to be classified and stands as a remarkable seven volume epic journey that makes a must read for anyone interested in fiction on any level.

I could sing his accolades all day, but he is very popular and his work is very well known. If a person has not read one of his stories, more than likely they have seen one on television or in the movies, and they might not have even known it. Most people are probably at least familiar with his name. The reason why I look up to him as an inspiration for my writing is his work ethic. Even though he is as popular as he is, and pulls down insane money for a writer he stays hungry and keeps churning out piece after piece. Not all of his writing is fantastic and amazing, but it usually at least good. The way he works though is absolutely commendable. It’s that type of ethic that I want to bring to my own work, to keep working, to keep churning out one good story after another.

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to read his book on writing, which is conveniently titled “On Writing”. I think one of the most important things I took away from that reading, is that if one wants to be a writer, one must write, and one must also read. One must be as passionate for reading as one is for writing. To get a strong grasp of the craft both of those tasks must be completed regularly. In King’s own words, “if you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time to write”. I believe that to be true, and I also found that to be an incredible relief. I love to read, and when I started writing I felt guilty for doing anything but writing. I felt like, well now that I want to write, it’s time for me to stop spending all this time reading and get down to some serious writing. Now it’s like I’ve been given permission to do something that I love, because ultimately it’s going to make me better at doing something else that I love.

My last entry I wrote about staying on task and meeting daily goals. Since Stephen King is the inspiration for my work ethic, and the two entries are closely related, I thought I would share a picture of Stephen King that I found that I think about whenever my mind wanders to something other than doing my work. Maybe this will help any reader of this blog to stay on track with their work as well. Long live the King! Enjoy!