Every professional has a toolbox that helps with their work. Chefs have knives, artists have brushes, and carpenters have power tools. Writers are no different. They also need a toolbox to work effectively.
In his book On Writing, Stephen King describes how to build a toolbox for writing and carry it everywhere. That way, instead of getting discouraged when facing a hard job, you are more likely to seize the correct tool and get started.
The toolbox consists of four layers, with basic tools in the upper layers for frequent access, and advanced tools stashed deeper. The four layers are:
- Vocabulary & Grammar
- Elements of Style
- Tools for story shape and individuality: description, dialogue, and character development.
- Tools for help with revisions: character motivation, coherence, theme.
You can read more details about the toolbox from the summary by Dale Fehringer.
Creating My Toolbox
I am building a toolbox based on King’s guidelines, focusing mostly on the first two layers. I don’t feel ready to tackle the advanced topics from the 3rd and 4th layers yet. I can worry about those two layers once I fill the first two with more tools.
Vocabulary comes first at the top layer. My vocabulary is mediocre. Fortunately, King says there is no need to put conscious effort into improving it. It should increase naturally as I read more. The basic rule of vocabulary is to use the first word that comes into your mind if it’s appropriate and colorful.
Grammar comes in second, also from the top layer. This time, we have to put in some effort. King advises us to pick up a high school grammar book to brush up on what we learned in school. Since I didn’t pay attention in class, I will have to do more than just brush up here.
There are many grammar books in the market. After going through the table of contents for some of them, I picked Complete English Grammar Rule on Kindle for learning Grammar. The same book is available for free online at The Farlex Grammar Book. It felt more complete than others based on TOC. It’s a huge book though – 1400+ pages long. I don’t think I will be finishing it any time soon.
Third, on the second shelf, we have Elements of Style covering a huge range of topics. King provided some advice on this: avoid passive voice, and remove adverbs. But we will have to read more books to get more style ideas.
Two books I have picked for style are The Elements of Style and On Writing Well. Most writing books are about style, so there is no shortage of style books. Most likely, I will have to read those too.
Expect to see more posts on these two layers in the future. As I learn more and build up my toolbox, I will be sharing what I learned here.