Chapter 9 to the End

Writing has always been about joy for me, for the freedom when I was younger,. I wrote just to write, but I also wanted to impress others. This continued until this year. I constantly tried to mold my writing style to what teachers wanted to hear. However, after reading "On Writing", I have realized that I have been writing for the wrong "Ideal Reader" as Stephen King would say. So now, with that being said, I am writing for me. I don't care for the toolbox- the grammar or the length of my vocabulary I care for the words, the language, the story. Metaphors are great, but I care about plot more than imagery, and clever wordplay. My favorite section of Stephen King's in the last part is when he says that even if you don't have some special message hidden deep down, you still have a story. He also says that he doesn't write for money, but for the buzz of it. What struck out to me mostly in his book wasn't the actual advice on writing, but his advice on WHY you should write and WHO you should write for. I believe this advice is what will stick with me, whether I pursue writing as a career or continue to only journal for myself. I cannot say I fully understand how to write or understand King himself, however I believe I now understand myself and my writings more now. From that, I now have gained an appreciation for "On Writing".