Louise Kang’s Reviews > On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft > Status Update

RAGS TO RICHES: While this story is non-fiction and doesn't necessarily have an Archetype, Rags to Riches matches it well. Stephen grows up with a normal, maybe slightly below average childhood, with a mental mother. He fights tooth and nail to gain his fame, money, and steady job, along for his family. He eventually gets run over by a car, and his wife helps him restart his life.

VISUALIZE: On Stephen's claim that writing is telepathy, he gives a short, simple paragraph of a rabbit in a cage, with a blue 8 on its back. It sits on a red table cloth. While I am (at least) below average with visualizing, even I can imagine a white fluff ball in metal bars, munching on a bright orange carrot. Even I can decide that the 8 must be electric blue, after all. Just as blue as those ICEES.

TEXT TO SELF: Stephen's older brother, David King, connects to me for being smart and very easily bored. David starts a local newspaper called Dave's Rag, which ends up running relatively well, currently. As for me, I started a business in 4th grade called Louise's Portraits, in which I asked my classmates to commission me for a free drawing of them. Business went great, actually, until my principal shut it down.