On Writing by Stephen King
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Book Reviews of On Writing
Book Review: A Stephen King Reader Everyone Can Enjoy
Summary: 5 Stars
Living in Maine for 25 years may not qualify me as a real "Mainer", because the standards for this elite title are very strict, but my tenure in Stephen King's home gives me some exposure to the life story told in "On Writing". What a clever way to tell fans and the otherwise curious about how a very poor young man who went to school in tiny Pownal, Maine and who later worked as a janitor for nearby Brunswick High School became a world famous super-writer. Among all the reviews I've read about Stephen King's very candid account of the writing craft, I'm still looking for one that tells the truth about the story itself. I am so very impressed by how King is able to paint his life as a Mainer (he passes the test, being born in the state) and transmit the colorful pictures of people and places in exactly the way they really are. Other than the love King expresses for his wife and family, there's no romanticism in "On Writing". Still, in the absence of any embellishment, King writes a wonderful and inspiring story for everyone who either wants to be a writer or who wonders what stuff the crafters are made of. Kudos to the University of Maine where King's writing talent was validated by the English Department professors. There's a parallel story in "On Writing". Indeed, the book's title is hyphenated, "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft", because this is an autobiographical way of saying what seems right, or not so right, about writing. Thankfully, it's a lovely read and not at all self gratifying or congratulatory in any way. As a matter of fact, the story King tells ends with a chilling rendition about his tragic accident while walking along the road in Western Maine. King doesn't take a minute to indulge in self pity, despite having a very close brush with death as a result of the accident. There's a rhetorical question raised, of course, about how we would have known about those rats in the cellars of the mills in Lisbon Falls or those tampons in the girl's gym in Brunswick High School and how these experiences inspired "Carrie" and other horror tales. If King had not been spared and survived his tragedy, we would not have the joy of knowing what it's like to live inside the mind of a creative writing genius. Thanks so much, Stephen King, for "On Writing". It's a book everyone can read to appreciate your creativity and the deep respect you obviously hold for the craft of being a hard working writer.Book Review: A Spectacular Book On Writing
Summary: 5 Stars
I've just at this exact moment finished reading this spectacular book. I am planning on giving myself a couple of weeks to let all of the invaluable information the King of Horror so graciously offers sink in, and I will undoubtedly then reread the entire book.
I was looking for good books on writing, and this one kept popping up on every list. I was terribly suspicious, as I am technically not a huge King fan, but having said that, I believe I've probably read or seen the adaptation of more than half of his work which is more than I can say for most authors. However, when I pulled the pinkish book from between the metallic, embossed horror paperbacks it was shelved and studied the contrasting images- a frightening cellar surrounding by pansies?, I was sold.
The book is split into two sections. The first section, suitably titled, C.V. is just that, a biography. I was initially a bit perplexed at King's point, but that thought was unimportant because the C.V. is interesting. One of my favorite passages King retells is the day he is notified that the paperback rights to Carrie sold for $400,000. In this beginning section King talks about his early life, his marriage, his addictions, his mother and her illness. And, if you're paying close attention, at each stage of his life, he is writing.
The second part of the book is priceless for writers. It is inspiring, intoxicating, thrilling and above all completely informative. King breaks through the conventions we are taught in high school and even college, rips them apart and reworks them. For example, he uproots the notion of the muse as a beautiful woman, and turns him into a cigar-smoking, basement dwelling bowling champion with a bag of magic that you ain't gettin' your hands on until you put in the long hours.
King also covers dialogue, theme, grammar, description, rewriting and revising, research and so much more. On Writing also includes a postscript detailing King's horrific and near-fatal accident in 1999. Once again, this section is as much about writing and the writing process as it is about the accident and his recovery.
This terrific book has made me a maniac about reading and writing. Because, in the end the theme is an inspirational one: You can be a better writer, just read a bunch, write a WHOLE bunch and most importantly, always tell the truth.
Book Review: My Favorite "How To" Book
Summary: 5 Stars
On Writing is a little different to most of the other texts out there on writing fiction. SK starts out the first third of the book in almost autobiographical fashion so you can maybe gain some insights into his head space when he writes. Lets just say for someone who is oh so very famous now he came from oh so very humble beginnings. A very poor family, terrible ear infections, dead end jobs and even alcoholism and eventually drug addiction to boot (can't even remember writing Cujo). The one constant he had through all those times was writing. Writing writing writing and a never say die attitude. I think this is one of the things I admire about him most, despite all the rejections, despite all the setbacks, despite being truly dirt poor white trailer trash, there was always writing.
The middle of the book talks about how SK writes today, his regimes, his thoughts on the craft and his utter, utter disdain for the adverb (have I used one yet? God I hope not...) and his ideas behind plot and story. It's interesting to note that SK is another author who doesn't do a lot of pre-planning or plotting before he starts to write. He just gets his initial idea, shuts the door to his office, and dumps everything out of his head in his first draft. It's the second draft when he "writes with the door open", when he lets others see it. But that first draft, it's just one big ole purge.
The end of the book talks about almost dying after being hit by a car while on one of his daily walks. This man came so very close to death, and then crawled back from it. Maybe it was payback for the author he tortured in Misery :-)
I really enjoyed On Writing as SK talks about most of his writing coming from a gut feeling, an instinct, and not worrying too much about what is going to happen next because your characters will let you know. He talks about doing his 2,000 word a day quota and if he is done by 10:30am then great, if he is still plugging away at 3:30pm it doesn't matter, just as long as he gets that 2,000 in.
If you are keen to buy another book about writing, but are a little tired of the same ole "You must know the book's premise" etc (not that it doesn't have it's place) then On Writing is something you can enjoy a bit more for it's very readable quality and advice.
Book Review: The Master Reveals His Secrets
Summary: 5 Stars
Best selling author Stephen King has taken a foray in the world of non-fiction and has written a brief guide on how to be a better writer. King's book begins with a autobiography describing the events in his life that led him to writing and how his "career" as a writer evolved from writing for his mother, to selling short stories to magazines, to writing best-selling novels. King deals candidly with his own personal demons and his personal relationships. The next portion of the book is King's guide on how to be a better writer. In it he offers everything from how to write better dialogue, to tips on description, to the best environment to write in. The next section of the book was added on in the wake of the author being struck by a van. Just like the rest of the book, King does not pull any punches describing the accident or his recovery. Most importantly he relates the accident to his writing and the reader goes away with the feeling that if King can go back to writing after his accident surely we can make it through our first book.I've read quite a few books on how to become a better writer (I'm an aspiring author myself, and I'm going to be honest, I'm not very good. I'm not going to try and tell you I'm writing the next great American novel because I'm not) and most are written by authors with one novel to their credit and I can almost guarantee its one you have never heard of. This is a book written by a man who has sold more novels that almost anyone else. I'm willing to bet that if you go up to anyone the street and ask them to name five Stephen King books off the top of their head they can do it. That alone makes this book worth buying. Kings candor in speaking about his early life and the accident with the van also help keep the readers interest and make this more then just another how-to-write book. The section that deals with writing is also very good. You have to accept some of King's tips, he obviously know what he's doing. This section changed my perspective about how-to-write.
If you are an author or a fan with more then a passing interest in Stephen King I would advise you to pick up this book. This book offers an overview of how a man becomes a best-selling author and a valueable how-to on writing.
Book Review: The only Stephen King Book I have read...
Summary: 5 Stars
I personally do not write fiction and have no desire to write fiction. I do write technical articles and I have a strong desire for them to be well written and interesting. This was a valuable and enjoyable read even though I have never read a Stephen King novel. I read a lot of fiction but I am not into the scary or sci-fi.
Mr. King's reputation alone warranted me reading this book. You can go wrong when you study excellence! The following take-aways from the book were very useful to me.
1. "Good story ideas seen to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up" He then shares examples of how this worked in his life. This is a very true statement so true in fact that you could almost substitute any word for story in the quote. I have found the same to be true for business ideas.
2. "Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open." The message being don't seek criticism (including self criticism) when you are working on the first draft. Complete it first. Later in the book he states to let the first draft age (6 weeks) before going back to look at it again.
3. "You must not come lightly to the blank page." He states writing is serious and must be taken seriously.
4. "Construct your toolbox and bring it with you" Some tools being vocabulary, grammar, form and style.
5. "The road to hell is paved with adverbs."
6. "The paragraph not the sentence is the basic unit of writing."
7. "Good description usually consists of a few well chosen details that will stand for everything else."
8. "Second draft equals first draft minus 10%."
As someone who hated grammar in school and takes great pleasure in ignoring it as an adult, this book and Mr. King's examples have convinced me to stop ignoring it and embrace it.
This book is worth the read regardless of what kind of writing you do.
Dr. James T. Brown PMP PE CSP
Author - The Handbook of Program Management