--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bad writing is more than a matter of shit…" description: "\"“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg" --- # Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and… ![“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do― to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg) > ““Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do― to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bad writing stems from avoiding real human behavior, not just technical errors. **In simple terms:** Avoiding real actions leads to bad writing. Key Takeaway Write about what people truly do. Themes writing authenticity human behavior Mood reflective critical Type advice analytical When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - journalism - teaching writing Key Concepts storytelling observation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you incorporate real actions into your narrative? - What truths are you avoiding? A Different Perspective Focusing only on syntax ignores deeper truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-writing/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Good writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writing/) [Shit Syntax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shit-syntax-5633799/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-matter-428824/) [Writing Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-usually-1298705/) ## Related quotes > [Bad writing is more than a matter of (expletive deleted) syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-expletive-deleted-syntax-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I am always writing. It is not always good, but if I am writing, I am usually happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-nable/i-am-always-writing-it-is-not-always-good-but-if-i-am-writing-i-am/) [Matthew Nable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-nable/) > [“In truly good writing no matter how many times you read it you do not know how it is done. That is beacause there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/in-truly-good-writing-no-matter-how-many-times-you-read-it-you-do-not/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Good writing is good writing no matter what genre you're writing in, and I believe that there are only a handful of fundamental craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-heard/good-writing-is-good-writing-no-matter-what-genre-you-re-writing-in/) [Georgia Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-heard/) > [The way the show was conceived originally and developed, has always had good writing at the heart of it, it's very difficult to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/the-way-the-show-was-conceived-originally-and-developed-has-always/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [You can make bad writing 'OK,' but... you really need to start with a good script and with characters that are three-dimensional and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stoll/you-can-make-bad-writing-ok-but-you-really-need-to-start-with-a-good/) [Corey Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stoll/) > [I just keep following the good writing. I'm not good enough to make bad writing look good. Some people can, and I admire them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-just-keep-following-the-good-writing-i-m-not-good-enough-to-make/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [You just can't make bad writing look good. But if you have good writing, you just say it, and it's almost done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-kane/you-just-can-t-make-bad-writing-look-good-but-if-you-have-good/) [Carol Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-kane/) > [“Write at a pace that doesn't surpass your creative flow. Don't be hasty; don't be sloppy. Don't forfeit impressive writing for an impressive word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/write-at-a-pace-that-doesn-t-surpass-your-creative-flow-don-t-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [If a man means his writing seriously, he must mean to write well. But how can he write well until he learns to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/if-a-man-means-his-writing-seriously-he-must-mean-to-write-well-but/) [John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/) > [I think finally good writing gets out there, and people like it, and bad writing doesn't. Well, no. Bad writing does get out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-think-finally-good-writing-gets-out-there-and-people-like-it-and/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but that's the only way you can do anything really good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/get-it-down-take-chances-it-may-be-bad-but-that-s-the-only-way-you/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [People do not deserve to have good writing, they are so pleased with bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/people-do-not-deserve-to-have-good-writing-they-are-so-pleased-with/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“…After all, it isn't really difficult to write books. Especially if you either write a rotten story in good English or a good story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/after-all-it-isn-t-really-difficult-to-write-books-especially-if-you/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Good writers hate bad writing but hating bad writing doesn’t make you good. Writing badly does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/good-writers-hate-bad-writing-but-hating-bad-writing-doesn-t-make-you/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Bad writing quotes > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“There is one surefire way to produce bad writing: submit to the slavery of a deadline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavia-id/there-is-one-surefire-way-to-produce-bad-writing-submit-to-the/) [Flavia Idà](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavia-id/) > [The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-world-is-a-hellish-place-and-bad-writing-is-destroying-the/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Jokes that are gratuitously offensive are synonymous with bad writing to me. I'm offended as a writer first and as a person second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-bloom/jokes-that-are-gratuitously-offensive-are-synonymous-with-bad-writing/) [Rachel Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-bloom/) > [“A person who wrote badly did better than a person who does not write at all. A bad writing can be corrected. An empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/a-person-who-wrote-badly-did-better-than-a-person-who-does-not-write/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Heresy is usually quite sophisticated, actually has a meaning, and is to be taken very seriously. It is therefore to be carefully distinguished from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/heresy-is-usually-quite-sophisticated-actually-has-a-meaning-and-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He isn't a - well...eh." She made a face. "Well, yeah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-mcadams/he-isn-t-a-well-eh-she-made-a-face-well-yeah/) [Molly McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-mcadams/) > [Good writers hate bad writing but hating bad writing doesn’t make you good. Writing badly does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/good-writers-hate-bad-writing-but-hating-bad-writing-doesn-t-make-you/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [A day of bad writing is always better than a day of no writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/a-day-of-bad-writing-is-always-better-than-a-day-of-no-writing/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) > [“Is this a case of “Do as I say, not as I do?” The reader has a perfect right to ask the question, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/is-this-a-case-of-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do-the-reader-has-a-perfect/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [There is no left and right in writing. There is only good and bad writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-is-no-left-and-right-in-writing-there-is-only-good-and-bad/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The way the show was conceived originally and developed, has always had good writing at the heart of it, it's very difficult to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/the-way-the-show-was-conceived-originally-and-developed-has-always/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [Think 'Game of Thrones.' In the old days, this sort of show might be considered bad writing. It doesn't really seem to be moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/think-game-of-thrones-in-the-old-days-this-sort-of-show-might-be/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“I wanted to let go, drop him, anything to get him out of my arms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-bodeen/i-wanted-to-let-go-drop-him-anything-to-get-him-out-of-my-arms/) [S.A. Bodeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-bodeen/) > [“You can only write regularly if you're willing to write badly. You can't write regularly and well. One should accept bad writing as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/you-can-only-write-regularly-if-you-re-willing-to-write-badly-you-can/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) [Browse all 94 Bad writing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-writing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do― to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shit-syntax-and-faulty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad writing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shit-syntax-and-faulty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/stephen-king-13_bad-writing_bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shi_3147239.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a…” — Stephen King", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Bad writing is more than a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shit-syntax-and-faulty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/bad-writing-is-more-than-a-matter-of-shit-syntax-and-faulty/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```