On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

Find out what books and films influenced the young writer, his first idea for a story and the true life tale that inspired Carrie. For the first time, here's an intimate autobiographical portrait of his home life, his family and his traumatic recent accident. Citing examples of his work and those of his contemporaries, King gives an excellent masterclass on writing - how to use the tools of the trade from building characters to pace and plotting as well as practical advice on presentation. And King tells readers how he got to be a No. 1 bestseller for a quarter of a century with fascinating descriptions of his own process, the origins and development of, e.g. Carrie and Misery.

• ISBN10: 0340820462
• ISBN13: 9780340820469
• Publish Date: 1 September 2001 (first published 1 October 2000)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 9 October 2012
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Imprint: Hodder Paperback
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[scarr]

This was a fun read. I am not a writer so I was here for all the anecdotes and intrigue!

This book is a love-letter to his wife and his mother - he writes with such fondness about both women.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I'm not really sure what possessed past-me to unhaul this book, but she's ridiculous. Ten years after my first read-through of ON WRITING and I still think this is a fantastic book of tips and tricks and advice. When I read this in 2011, I hadn't read many memoirs and thought it a little pretentious. Nonetheless, I took a lot of his advice - adverbs, dialogue tags, gratuitous descriptions - to heart. Re-reading it now, I understand his voice a bit better, and with the exception of some of the publishing advice (due to the passage of time and the change of the world) this is all still really relevant.

Still, ON WRITING is a bit of an odd duck in that it's not *quite* a memoir and it's not *quite* a book about the craft. If anything, I'd say ON WRITING is a love letter to the act of writing novels, splattered with details and advice. King's passion for his work bleeds through the page, and is twice as evident in the audiobook version, which he reads himself (a treat). Regardless of the slightly stale publishing advice, the writing advice is still sound and it's always fascinating to get a glimpse into a writer's origin story. This is a must-have for writers - established or aspiring.

[writehollydavis]

Such a valuable and well-written memoir. I never knew Stephen King was so hilarious! From how to ward off distractions, to practical advice about writing craft, this book was witty and informative at the same time. It was amazing to read how Stephen King started from nothing, got tons of rejections as all writers face, and kept pushing through until he made a life for himself out of writing. It was cute to read about 'rejection slips' and 'zip disks' too, which really dates this book, ha ha, yet his advice will remain relevant for years to come.

[adamfortuna]

When I started this book, I thought it would be more of a "memoir of the craft", but was surprised to see it's much more of a memoir of King himself. His own rise an author from nothing to one of the biggest names in writing.

I loved the individual stories of hard work, coupled with a mission to just write. From selling short stories to other kids while in school, to submitting to magazines, Kind wrote and wrote and hustled. It would have been easy for him to give up, but he had so much he wanted to say that he couldn't not write.

[justine_manzano]

Life got in the way a lot when I was reading this book, but that's the only reason it took me so long to finish. King is, surprise!, an expert in keeping a reader hooked, and even in a non-fiction work like this, he pulls it off. I like him more after reading this than I ever did before, as I'm apt to criticize some of his writing choices. Still, whether he's sharing the real life stories of what moulded him into the writer he has become or passing on some of his wisdom and unique view on things, he is entertaining and remarkably engaging. And that's not even discussing how damned helpful his advice is. Every writer worth their salt should have this book on their bookshelf.

[chrssym]

This just made me like Stephen King more. Inspiring.

[Stephanie]

Great, great book. If you're a writer or even thinking about being one, I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

[clementine]

I didn't think that this book offered any particularly new insights that I haven't read before, but what Stephen King did really well is package the information differently. He used some great analogies, from the toolbox of writing tricks to the idea of writing as excavating a fossil, and the use of personal anecdotes and specifics from his own writing life were helpful and kept the book interesting. I thought the tone of the book was perfect - casual enough that King comes across as a likeable guy who you want to take advice from, but not so casual that the book seems like a joke. I enjoyed reading about his life as well as his thoughts on writing. Overall, this was an enjoyable book and I think it will prove to be fairly helpful. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's worth a read.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Recently, I read Stephen King’s book, ‘On Writing’, which I found thoroughly enjoyable. The book starts off with parts of Stephen’s life which lead him to be a writer. It was interesting and it was nice to know he struggled too, but I was really wanted to read about writing. When I got to the writing side of things, that’s where I paid the most attention. It was interesting to know how he wrote and what he considers important for writing. I know everyone has different opinions on writing but there were some interesting tips in this book;

* A writer should do two things above all others; Read a lot and write a lot (I’m getting better at the first part, need to do the second part more)
* A writer needs three important tools which will be learnt along the way 1; Vocabulary 2; Grammar and 3; Basic Elements of Form and Style
* It’s not really write what you know (I’m sure Stephen King doesn’t know much about killing, etc) instead write honestly (eg. you will get a feeling of how the characters will act and talk, don’t try to censor the characters in any way)

One thing Stephen King does talk about which I found really interesting was the fact that he doesn’t plan his books; he says he is just the transcribers and the first reader. As he writes, the characters develop and end up telling him the story. I know there are heaps of books on writing but this one was just short, simple and a joy to read. I do think Stephen King offers some interesting insight into his art and writing in general.

I would like to leave you with how Stephen views writing; Writing is Telekinesis (the writer paints a picture through his words and the reader sees the same image.)

[ibeforem]

Wow, was this great, and completely not what I was expecting. About the first third of the book is dedicated to vignettes from King’s life that speak to incidents that shaped him both as a person and as a writer. It was in this part that I discovered that I wasn’t the only kid who used to copy the text from comic books into story or script form. He also pulls no punches when it comes to talking about his alcoholism and addiction to drugs. The other two main parts of the book focus on the tools you should have when you write, and then the actual process of writing. This is all followed by a post-script detailing his car accident and recovery, which happened while he was in the middle of writing this book, and which is equally as fascinating as the discussion of writing.

The best thing about this book is that King doesn’t portend to know it all. In fact, the second foreword says:

"This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do – not why it works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad. I figured the shorter the book, the less the bullshit."

And what book blogger couldn’t echo these word?

"Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life. I take a book with me everywhere I go, and find there are all sorts of opportunities to dip in. The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as in long swallows. Waiting rooms were made for books – of course! But so are theater lobbies before the show, long and boring checkout lines, and everyone’s favorite, the john. You can even read while you’re driving, thanks to the audiobook revolution."

Not only did I find inspiration here, I’m sure I picked up a few tips along the way. And even more respect for Stephen King.