Having spent the last few months salivating over an increasing number of books in the 'to read' pile, I finally have the luxury to get on with a few of them, thanks to the completion of the OU course.
I have just started Stephen King 'On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft'. I'm not normally a fan of his writing, not being particularly into horror etc, but I have had this book recommended so many times that I finally gave in and bought it. (Amazon love me, they really do....)
Anyway, I can't tell you too much at the moment as I've only read a few chapters but something he said about television really struck me. I don't watch a lot of TV, the reason being that I find it really hard to control. If I sit down at 7.30 or 8 for half an hour, that's me gone, sitting there like a zombie till it's bedtime and I have achieved precisely nothing. And most of what I am watching is rubbish. Entertaining? Yes. Addictive? Yes. But, like fast food, ultimately not very good for me. There are some programming exceptions to this, but they are quite few and far between. I just find TV to be, on the whole, such a time-wasting, brain-deactivating activity. (Of course, there are days when that is perfect for my needs, but not many, I hope!)
I just wanted to quote Stephen King on television, though, and see what you think? These remarks follow a story about how Stephen's brother, David, blew out the power in their apartment block, trying to make a school science project...
'But TV came relatively late to the King household, and I'm glad. I am, when you stop to think about it, a member of a fairly select group: the final handful of American novelists who learned to read and write before they learned to eat a daily helping of video bullshit. This might not be important. On the other hand, if you're just starting out as a writer, you could do worse than strip your television's electric plug-wire, wrap a spike around it, and then stick it back into the wall. See what blows, and how far.
Just an idea.'
(Stephen King, 'On Writing')
Now, where did I put those pliers....
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
On television...
Posted by claires inner world at 19:01
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5 comments:
You need to join Bookmooch, if you're not already a member. I looked up Stephen King On Writing, and there was a copy available (admittedly not accessible because it was in Italy, but hey).
Totally agree about TV, waste of time. We watch the 10 o'clock news and a couple of comedy progs, but that's it. Hardly anything else worth watching.
That link should be www.bookmooch.com, it didn't come out right in the last comment!
Hi Lola, Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment. I will definitely join Bookmooch. I had heard of book swapping/sharing sites, but I was never sure which ones were best. Thanks for the recommendation!
Couldn't agree more about the TV, and was only thinking about it the other day and how much I absorb without realising. This only came to light when I had a bit of time to write again (thanks for pushing me) and after a while, feeling quite pleased with my little self, I decided to read what I had written... I soon realised that most of what I had written (or should that be pinched) was directly from last week's Eastenders. Hmmm...
L - Glad to hear you're writing again. It's not easy with the busy lives we all lead. But infinitely worth it, I think! xx
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