Stephen King's "On Writing": Sections 4 to 7

I enjoyed this part of the book more than any other we've read so far. King's encouragement to find truth in what you like to write, as opposed to what others would like you to write is truly eye-opening. He twists the "write what you know" cliché on its head, citing John Grisham's "troubled lawyer" novels as perfect examples. Instead of telling the reader to start small, he tells them to start big, even to start with that dreaded literary device, a "concept."

I disagree with King about plot. Once again, he seems to believe that because HE'S a situation writer, and HE'S successful, it must be the only route to success. It is however evident that some of the best novels ever written are intricately woven tales of complexity that could only possibly be written with much planning ahead. Story is as valuable as situation, and I'd hope that King would have the open mind to acknowledge that.
I do appreciate his analogy of the fossil found in the ground, waiting to be excavated. The metaphor works on every level - his description of the tools, in particular, stays with me. The use of brushes and small picks to perfect a fossil is a perfect parallel to the editing process.

The most fascinating part of the passage is when he details how he came up with the idea for "Misery." It really does support his "fossil" theory to read the different stages of the story - from dream to reality, literally.