> Isn't the "analytical" way the exact oppisite, learning to write in a predefined style? Nope. In my case "analytical" is the way I naturally write. King expl

> Isn't the "analytical" way the exact oppisite, learning to write in a predefined style? Nope. In my case "analytical" is the way I naturally write. King explicitly advocates throwing the kind of analysis that comes to me naturally overboard. He doesn't advocate exploration into how a writer best creates stories. He advocates a specific, narrowly defined method of creating stories, which involves intuition and instinct. The important fact is this: I don't have any instincts in the sense that King means. Or so few that they are useless to guide my stories. This is true of lots of people, and I daresay that there are people who lack both "instincts" in the sense King means them and "analytical skills" in the sense I mean them, and find some other ways to create stories. It's important to recognize that King means something very narrow and specific by "instincts" (in fairness, I'm not sure he actually uses that word, but he definitely talks a lot about intuition as a guide to story.) King is all about letting some inner emotional compass guide your story, and personally I hate the kind of stories he creates. I recognize the genius of his craft, but his stories are medieval emotionalist gibberish, and that is reflected by his process of creation: he lets the idiot darkness within tell him where to go next. There is nothing wrong with this: by saying his stories are decidedly not to my taste is not to say they are "bad" in any objective sense. They move people and are meaningful to people; they are well-crafted and emotionally engaging. I find grapefruit repulsive as well, but would hardly condemn anyone for enjoying it. But this does mean that King's method of creating a story is very restrictive. He is intuitive and exploratory with regard to creating stories, not with regard to the method of creating stories. So my advocacy of self-exploration is on a different level than King's. He is telling writers: "Explore your story intuitively and emotionally." I am telling writers: "Explore your method of creating stories by any means you see fit."