From pages 51-100, Stephen King continues to entertain me with anecdotes and tips on how not to be stupid in life and become a better writer. In these pages, King mentions a few important pieces of advice, one of which being that a writer does not need drugs or alcohol to write well. Second he discusses character development, particularly how a character may "change unexpectedly". Toward the end, King gives very concrete instructions to "put your desk in a corner....and don't come lightly to the blank page". I think the desk in a corner represents the need for humility and that not coming lightly to the blank page implies that while writing is fun, if you're going to make a living out of it you have to take it seriously. One final thing that King wrote that stood out to me was that "Having someone who believes in you makes all the difference". He described that person as "someone who knows". I'm very grateful to have a few of those in my life right now.
And for the record, my favorite quote is in the anecdote about his drinking days. King's friend had such a problem that he was forced to go see a counselor. The counselor asked King's friend, "How much do you drink?" His friend disbelievingly replied, "All of it!"
