Trying to locate essay on revision

[KimO]

Hello Everyone,

I'm trying to find an older nonfiction piece that Mr. King wrote back in the late 1980s or the early 1990s. I believe it was published in a writers market-type book. It was about the importance of revision, and how, when he was a news reporter, the editor revised his articles about basketball.

If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you!

Kim

[Moderator]

That would be "Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully--in Ten Minutes". It's been reprinted in a number of publications, including The Writer, The Writer's Handbook, and The Writer's Survival Guide.

[Bryan James]

I haven't read the original article that Ms.Mod referenced, but I think that Section #20 near the beginning of "On Writing" (paperback, page 44) has been as revised and distilled down to the essence as much as it will ever be.

(I hope I'm wrong but) I don't think that King will write about writing anymore. He's forgotten more than most of us will ever know.

Loosely quoting his Sports Editor, King writes that:

~~"When you're writing a story, you're telling yourself the story," he said. "When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story."~~

Cool stuff like that. In the same section there's an example of what to (usually) leave out.

~BJS

[Moderator]

Yes, that's the same piece he took out of that essay to put into On Writing.

[KimO]

Thank you so much! I had wondered if he put it in On Writing, too, but don't have a copy handy to take a look. I'll track down both--the original and the On Writing essay.

These will be going to a budding fiction writer who claims that revising fiction is something that only beginning writers do. :wow:

Thanks again!!!!

[Moderator]

You can also let him know that Steve's manuscripts are still edited by the publisher and he makes changes based on what they suggest (unless he strongly disagrees with them).

[Mr. Palmer]

What a job it would be to edit a Sai King MS...