How Stephen King EFFORTLESSLY Writes Stories

Stephen King is a prolific storyteller.

He has a large body of work ranging from IT, Cujo, The Shining, etc.

There was one time he was having a conversation with George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones.

And George asked him:

‘How the hell do you write so fast?’

Stephen’s answer:

• The lack of planning

Outlines: Yay or Nay?

Some storytellers love to outline.

The more detailed the outline, the more confident they feel with their stories.

2 writers who love to outline are Dan Brown and J.K. Rowling.

But how Stephen King writes is different.

He doesn’t outline.

Instead, he believes it’s best when the story is discovered.

Imagine that you are stuck in a dark forest.

And you use some wood to light a fire.

Eventually, the wood is running low.

As it’s about to run out, there is a character who comes out of the darkness with their own wood…

They put their wood into the fire.

You begin talking to this character.

Learning their life story.

As time goes by, another character comes out of the darkness.

They bring their own wood and put it into the fire.

The fire brightens up.

Over time, more characters come out of the darkness and tell you their life story.

The light continues to blaze…

This is how Stephen King’s story unravels.

Start off dark.

• The storyteller has little clue of what’s going to happen.

As time goes on, the characters are revealed.

• Now the storyteller has a clue of what’s going to happen.

That’s a peek into how Stephen King writes…

Who is the Stephen King Storytelling Formula For?

Some people reading this are like:

‘Yikes! No outline? That seems like a recipe to ramble and not go anywhere.’

That’s a perfectly fine opinion to have.

Some people work best with outlines.

That level of clarity from their outline gives them direction.

So who is Stephen King’s formula for??

The answer is:

• People who hate rules.

These people believe too many rules and outlines restrict creativity.

However, I would urge you to not throw away rules altogether.

Otherwise, you may go to no man’s land.

Stephen King started off with short stories.

The more he mastered short stories, the more he was able to see that some rules were good.

Since short stories require a certain word count.

When he learned how to operate within some rules, that’s when he was able to get more out of the no-planning trick.

If you want to try the no-planning trick, you don’t need too much structure.

But see if you can incorporate some structure.

Let’s say your piece is going to be 10,000 words, no more than that.

Within this boundary, begin your story without planning.

‘What if I don’t want the 10,000 words cutoff either?’

Okay… that’s fine.

Then just begin and see where your story takes you.

Best of Both Worlds

‘So out of curiosity Armani, how do you write your stories?’

Great question.

For nonfiction books, I outline.

So if I’m writing a book on essay writing, then I will be like:

• What is essay writing?
  • Logical breakdowns of points
• Types of essays:
  • Argumentative
  • Descriptive
  • Analysis

Etc.

For fiction books, I prefer no outline.

I like to go with the flow.

However, I have a rough idea of how long the book will be.

For my first-ever fiction book, I was going to call it, Shy Guy Suave Guy.

I wanted to create a social skills version of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

But as I began writing the book, the Shy Guy Suave Guy title went out the window.

A character began to reveal itself to me:

Cobra.

Cobra struggled with social anxiety and wanted to get out of his predicament by becoming immensely wealthy and powerful.

The story talks about his setbacks, betrayals, and rise.

I would write 10,000 words a day.

After each day, the story became clearer and clearer.

So with nonfiction books, I prefer to outline.

With fiction books, I prefer Stephen King’s method.

Finding the Right Formula For You

Humans naturally like to choose sides.

They want to rush and say:

‘I’m a planner!’

Or

‘I am not a planner.’

Avoid attaching a label to yourself so quickly.

Especially with storytelling.

Some stories may call for planning.

While with other stories, you should ditch the outline and write from the heart.

The best way to find a formula that works for you is to create a lot of stories.

The more stories you create, the more you are able to take bits and pieces of what works and discard what doesn’t.

For example, I normally get the title first.

With the title, a book flows out.

I learned R.L. Stine does something identical.

He thinks of the title first.

When you have a database of experiences, the techniques of other storytellers make more sense!

So write a lot of stories, and cultivate your storytelling rhythm.

Then determine the correct formulas for you.

Why Stephen King Writes the Way He Does

Stephen King is simple with storytelling:

• Read and write a lot.

He’s known to carry a book with him to a lot of places.

The more he reads, the more he sees what works and what doesn’t.

That may be why he has unlocked the superpower of discovering his stories.

He puts in a ton of reps even when he isn’t writing.

For Stephen King, a story is best when it’s being discovered.

Where the storyteller is just as surprised by the story as the audience…

For more practical tips on storytelling, be sure to check out my book:

• The Art & Science of Storytelling: Learn How to Tell Better Stories in Conversations, Business Communication, Leadership & Brand Building

This book will teach you more about:

• Building a world of your own.
• Creating relatable characters.
• Leveraging timely conflicts.
• How to use your own experiences as storytelling material.

And much more!

GET THE ART & SCIENCE OF STORYTELLING HERE:

Ebook
Paperback/Kindle
Audiobook

– ArmaniTalks