The Best Writing Advice

Stephen King's writing philosophy...

Hey friends,

Greetings from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand!

I am currently in Rishikesh, a cute little town in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, one of my favourite places in the world.

Every time I visit this state, I am in awe of its forests. I strongly believe the Himalayas will remain one of nature's last strongholds. For the coming week, I will be camping in the Himalayan jungle. I am super excited!

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I am now tying up the 5th draft of my book. Things are coming together.

Over the past few months, I’ve had some people tell me they want to write a book. They approached me for my best writing tips. Many were curious to know my writing software, editing process, training, and so forth. They wanted to know what it’s like to work with an editor, and so on.

But when I ask them how much progress they’ve made on their book, I find that most haven’t even started. Their book dreams are just that—dreams.

And so I find myself telling them my core writing principle—sit your ass in the chair and write.*

You can buy the best writing software, hire the best editor, and go to the most pristine environment. That’s not going to help. If you want to write a book, you must do it one word at a time. That means forcing yourself to stare at the blinking cursor until you’re so frustrated you want to burst. Channel that energy into your fingers. Type out your frustration. That’s how you write. You cannot escape the frustrating beauty of punching keys into your laptop.

Alternatively, writing in a notebook can help. When I’m out in the forest (like I am now), I carry a small journal where I jot down my findings. It helps me capture what I’m feeling in the moment, and its tactile nature makes you focus on what you’re writing. Whenever I feel unable to type words into my Google Doc, I just bust out a notebook and write down a stream of consciousness.

But the core maxim is the same. Sit your ass in the chair and write. There is no way around it.

Now, I’ve learnt many writing tips from my almost 2-year journey writing my book. I’ll share some of them in the future. But this is my core maxim. Sit your ass in the chair and write.

*I actually got this line from a TEDx talk. You can watch that below.

David Senra’s podcast on Stephen King’s book “On Writing” echoes the same philosophy. Listen to it here.

Postcard

This photograph was taken the last time I was trekking through the forests of Uttarakhand. Like I’ve always said—the Himalayan forests are one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.

This image will be in my upcoming book hopefully!

Favourite Quote

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What, you too? I thought I was the only one!’” - C.S. Lewis

Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!

If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.

Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.

I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)