SENTENCECRAFT OF STEPHEN KING: A Sentence-Composing Approach (WRITING LIKE AN AUTHOR)

"Someone who has sold as many books of fiction as I have must have something worthwhile to say about writing."
--Stephen King, On Writing

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Stephen King began as an English teacher. Through this book, he returns to teaching. Within it, his sentencecraft teaches how to build better sentences--like his. The book is designed for classrooms, home schools, or self-study for budding authors.

"Good writing is about making good choices when it comes to picking the tools you plan to work with."
--Stephen King, On Writing

THE SENTENCE COMPOSING TOOLBOX

All activities teach how to use these tools like Stephen King.

MULTIPLE SUBJECT
Stephen King: Her few pieces of good jewelry and the gold-framed picture of her mama and poppa were in her suitcase.
Student: Their assorted pictures of lovely memories and the beautifully embroidered picture of their house and garden are in their den.

MULTIPLE PREDICATE
Stephen King: Eddie collapsed to the stream-bank now and was rolling around, clutching his stomach and howling.
Student: Sarah ran into the crowded hall then and was moving fast, clutching her books and laughing.

OPENING ADJECTIVE
Stephen King: Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, he edged his way inside.
Student: Eager to understand what their teacher in the lecture was talking about, students discussed its ideas afterward.

DELAYED ADJECTIVE
Stephen King: The anger was right out in the open now, bright and nasty like a boil.
Student: The shyness was hidden in her personality now, invisible and gentle like a caress.

OPENING ADVERB
Stephen King: Slowly and creakily, Bobby turned.
Student: Secretly and uneasily, Sergeant watched.

DELAYED ADVERB
Stephen King: He recognized it, suddenly, fully, painlessly.
Student: Alex won it, quickly, satisfactorily, amazingly.

ABSOLUTE PHRASE
Stephen King: This girl’s face was open to the world, her smile wide and sunny.
Student: The cat's fur was soft to the touch, its mouth open and purring.

APPOSITIVE PHRASE
Stephen King: The first policeman to show up was Officer Raymer, the cop who would sometimes buy the kids peanuts from the guy in the park.
Student: The last employee to join in was Benny Baxter, the rookie who did then tell the others jokes about the funny parts of their jobs.

PARTICIPLE PHRASE
Stephen King: Mewling, gasping, Eddie hunched his way backward.
Student: Stomping, jumping, Santos moved his body onward.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
Stephen King: In a small town, the opening of a new store is big news.
Student: In a close family, the visit of an adult child is a good time.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
Stephen King: The rain, which had started around noon, fell softly and slowly, as if in mourning.
Student: The sun, which had begun shining that morning, shown brightly and beautifully, as if in celebration.

ADVERB CLAUSE
Stephen King: After midnight, while they all slept uneasily, the snow had stopped after dumping a fresh eight inches on the old crust.
Student: During September, after students all returned finally, the school had reopened after closing the first week for a needed repair.

FILL WRITING TOOLBOXES WITH TOOLS FIT FOR A KING!