Customer Reviews

On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

5 star:		(406)
4 star:		(118)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is Stephen King's formula for successful writing, including how to find an agent and publisher. Interwoven with this important information are parts of his own story of becoming a successful writer. Often poignant, often funny, and always interesting and surprising, this book brings the reader subjective as well as constructive help.

Even if you have no intention of writing a word, its autobiographical material makes the book well worth reading if you admire the works and imagination of Stephen King. "On Writing" provides an enlightening window upon the life and thoughts of one of our times' greatest fictional writers.

This book was all I had to guide me when I wanted to write a book, and I found that all I needed was right there between its covers. So it is from personal experience that I can tell you that for solid help with a developing career in writing, look no farther, and you will find a fascinating read at the same time.

Stephen King,the reclusive master novelist,was the rare subject of the banner headlines in the summer of 1999 when he was nearly killed after being hit by a truck in his hometown of Maine.The backleaf to this book would have you believe that this book was entirely the result of his post traumatic event.But in actual fact you find this to be a bit of a dupe when you learn he actually started writing this in 1997,he merely completed it after the accident.This minor quibble aside,however,the book is still rather naucious.Bestowed with the title of the greatest writer of horror fiction ever,it would appear Mr King has let the commonly held accolade go to his head a little.He's served us a book that is well intentioned,fairly interesting and even fairly touching in certain parts (certain events in his life,as well,of course,as the recent accident).But all the same,it's also an ultimately rather self righteous and somewhat sanctimonious literary fest,that seems to make unfair demands on it's budding writer audience.I mean,in one segment,he asks us to give up on TV.Huh?Not likely.This coming from a guy who made a guest appearance on The Simpsons recently?!?Are we not something of a hypocrite,Mr King?I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted us to miss your big TV appearance and all.

This one particularly stands out,but there are a fair few other outrageous demands that could be mentioned.This book,by rights,should have an insurance slip attached to it.Does Mr King not owe some kind of recompense to his writing disciples should his apparently surefire recipe to success in being a writer prove unreliable?One would have suggested Mr King have invested his energies in something like an auto biography,which would have been just as interesting and most likely half less overly demanding of it's reader.

I don't read Stephen King's books - sorry, but horror just isn't my cup of tea. Yet when I read his articles on other things, I never fail to be impressed by his clear and discerning vision.
In short, don't let King's usual subject matter keep you from this amazing read. This is writing from the inside, a very honest and personal look. It doesn't really matter if you have a writing career, if you want one, or if you just want to understand what makes a writer tick. You'll find yourself stopping every few pages at a new discovery. It'll be something you've already felt, but never mentioned to anyone. You'll laugh in recognition, before eagerly pressing on.
This is a book you'll want to read again and again.

Book Review: Stephen King - On Writing

I enjoyed the first half of the book for the humorous lighthearted approaches Steve takes to his life. One inspiring moment would not leave my mind. I wish that I had one in my own life as significant. As a young boy Steve copied the works of his favorite comic and showed the result to his mother. "Write one of your own, Stevie," she said. WOW! Obviously the seed of a writer was already planted but what fertilizer was that moment in Stephen King's life. Permission to write came at a very significant age. So many writers struggle to give themselves permission to write. A comment like this reminds me how influential a parent is to their child. Imagine what may have become of Steve had his mother been a different woman.

Other enjoyable moments involved poison ivy, a rather naughty school distribution and Steve's bleak telling of his drug and alcohol abuse. With the latter I sat wondering at Stephen's courage. Not just to relate these facts openly and honestly to his readers, but also to step beyond his dependency and hope, perhaps pray, that his writing did not come from the altered state. Some of his readers would see Steve in a darker light when realizing he is a former addict. I know that my image of Stephen changed. I saw in him honor, courage and a great strength to overcome. I admire him for stepping through the fear I can only imagine he must have felt and coming past it into real living. May we all learn from his experience.

When I reached the middle of Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir", I could not help but notice the very distinct change of voice between the first section and the second. I wondered how the light hearted man, who wrote about living life even through some very hard moments, could possibly be the same man who wrote in stilted lament. I read feeling rather resentful of the attitude I felt coming from the pages. I wondered how he dared imply that the way he did things was the only way to do them. I was particularly flummoxed at the parts where Steve speaks of plot and how no writer should ever use plot, story is the key element. I agree, story is key, but my current novel is laid out perfectly on a large board with every little plot nuance decided. Of course since I am suffering a serious writer's block with that novel perhaps Steve has merit when he speaks of plotting and the damage it can do to story.

Beyond that single disagreement I found Steve spoke to the readers of "On Writing" with integral truth. He spoke fact, but somehow in the second half of the book there seemed a lot less joy. It is only when I reached the postscript I realized why the two halves of one book seemed so different. You may notice the significance of change yourself when you read this book and you will find as I did that there is an rather extreme reasoning for it. Right where the voice changed is the eighteen months where Steve had been recuperating after being hit by a Dodge van. This life-changing event very obviously changed his sense of self and ultimately his voice, his writing.

The second half of the book involves a lot of helpful advice, but personally I felt that a writer would find the first half much more inspiring. The second half answers questions you might have, but the answers are only helpful if you write in the same way Steve writes. Every writer does things their own way and while you can take his words and mince them in your own mind and heart into something of your own, if you attempt to copy his routine exactly you will loose your self. He admits this also and I thank him for once again being so honest. The second half of the book offers a great deal to aspiring writers but I feel the first half offered twice that again.

Overall this book is a wonderful read for all writers and entertaining for non-writers. I freely admit that I have never read another of Stephen King's books but having read this one I am itching to read some of his fiction. He has a fluid hand that is a delight to read. I did find the profanity scattered across the book grating, but he has a section where he speaks of that also. It says a lot about who Stephen is and how he was raised. The entire book opens him up for readers to really know him, and that is a true connection of minds that shouts the truth he shares of writer's telepathy.

Despite all he has suffered in life Stephen comes out a stronger man. In "On Writing" he offers aspiring writers a wealth of advice the most significant being, "Read a lot, Write a lot." You can only learn your subject by immersing yourself in it and as with all artistic desire to reach perfection the Carnegie hall anecdote comes to mine, "Practice, practice, practice". Thank you, Stephen King, for sharing yourself with me. I am a better person and hopefully a better writer because of your candor.

Rebecca Laffar-Smith

This is one of the few times when, after reading a book, I have felt compelled to come here and rate it. I give On Writing 1 star, simply because that is the lowest rating I am allowed to give.

I'm not a hardcore Stephen King fan, but I have read a lot of his books. It is therefore not his 'popular fiction' that I am criticizing, but rather his writing memoir.

There is actually very little information about WRITING in this book. The first third of the book is taken up by Mr. King's childhood, and the last third of the book is taken up by his accident. If all Mr. King wanted to do was to describe the minute details of this accident and his great courage in moving on with life, perhaps he should have waited for someone else to write his biography? As it is, PATHETIC is the only word that comes to mind.

The few tips on writing included in the book may provide some interesting conversational material (eg. did you know that Mr. King once wrote a book in one week?) but are otherwise useless. Is this book directed at aspiring writers, or at 1st grade children learning how to form words? Mr. King seems to think they are both the same; I have to disagree.

Mr. King wonders why people don't ask pouplar fiction writers about the 'language' in their books. Funny that someone who writes about his 'cataclysmically smashed hip' should ask that question.

It is not the tips on writing that stick in my mind after reading this book, but rather the lack of respect Mr. King has for his readers. I'd say Mr. King failed in his attempt to 'not waste my time'. But of course, I don't believe that was his real intent: selling us the book and making more money is probably closer to the truth.

If you're interested in Mr. King's life story (but not in his writing because alas, there's not much on that!) read this book. If, however, you're interested in books on writing, give Room to Write and Writing Down the Bones a try!

On Writing by Stephen King is an interesting autobiography that showed how the famous author got started writing. I feel like I know so much more about Stephen King and that writing takes a lot of practice to get it right. This book certainly gave me the motivation I needed to get started and practice writing.

It was a passion from his childhood, which was when he started writing stories. Like all beginning writers, he first copied his ideas from works he enjoyed, then later on formed his own stories.

The writing section in this book was extremely helpful as well, giving bits of advice that other writing books may not include.

Some advice includes:

- Writing a lot and reading a lot are a must for writers.
- Find a place that you will be able to concentrate on your writing, preferably a place with few distractions.
- Try to get the same number of pages or words competed per day and you may need a set time. Start off with a fewer number of pages so you do not become discouraged.
- Don't open your room door until you have completed your work.
- Don't tell people what you are working on and try to complete the novel as soon as possible or work on it daily so it stays fresh in your mind.
- Try to read everywhere you can, for example long line ups, the park, the waiting room.
- Novels consist of three parts: narration (situation comes before the characters prior to narrating), description, and dialogue. Plots are not important since life is plotless, and because spontaneity cannot be created with the use of plots.
- Whole novels can start from what if questions.
- Don't over-describe or under-describe. Try to think of the few things that you remember about a particular place, and don't include unnecessary things unless they relate to the story.
- The dialogue should be realistic. Do not try to censor what you are saying because of what you think another person might think.
- Try to pay attention to the way real people behave and talk to help with your characters.
- Don't use unnecessary adverbs. A reader should be able to tell how the character is feeling without having to write it. The use of "he/she said" is the best of all.
- Not every novel has a theme.
- Try to cut down about 10% for your second draft.
- Not every best-seller is fast-paced.
- Research is a sort of back story; readers don't want to know too much information about it.
- Writing classes are not recommended, because they make you wonder if what you are writing is trying to symbolize something and slow down the speed of completing your novel.
- When searching for publishers, getting a copy of Writer's Market or Literary Market Place is a good idea. I aware of false agents trying to get your money.

4.5/5

Stephen King's memoir/guide to writing is absolutely inspiring. I had never read anything by Stephen King before, but a professor recommended this book for aspiring writers. The first half of the book is a mini autobiography, but with its centre around how King came to be a published author. He talks about his beginnings as an impovrished(ish) teacher/writer to becoming world-class and highly acclaimed. My favourite parts were when he talked about his "muse" and how you had to go to the muse and do all the legwork, but it was worth it because "he has the magic." At times funny, at times heartbreaking, and always informative, this is a great read for anyone wishing to know the basics of the craft.

Stephen King is nearly a great writer. There are two things he does, both of which are found in this book, that keep him from greatness.

The first is his continuing overuse of foul language. I mean, even in this book on WRITING he can't restrain himself. It seems like a holdover from his geek days in high school, when smoking and swearing were easy ways for a dweeb to increase the masculinity level. But King is a middle aged guy now. Get over it. It just seems silly and off-putting.

The other thing is his advice on endings. He tells writers just to write and not worry how the story will end, trusting that a way will be found.

Well, that's his weakness as a novelist. His endings. Especially in the biggies, like It and The Stand. The build up is great, but then he finds he's in a corner and the ending seems like a bolt from the blue (what they call deus ex machina in literature classes).

As good as King is, and there are few better, a little more pre-planning of plot, and a lot less coarse language, would have elevated him into a higher rank.

Still, this book has a few insights for aspiring writers. It does not have a lot of the nuts and bolts found in, say, a Writers Digest book. But it's worth looking at for a little insight into the mind of near great writer.

I was very excited to get this book and learn the techniques and wisdoms of the craft from such an experienced master. I laughed and cried at his personal life stories. Few books have made be do that. But a master-class on writing this book is not, as it is ill defined in the description on the back cover. His advise to the writer was limited to write every day, don't create an outline, and read, read, read. There were some editing examples included, but not enough to understand the editing techniques a writer of fiction must have to be successful. Described as part autobiography and part master-class on writing, the fact is, 90% is autobiography, 2% useful master-class, and 8% other.
As in autobiography, I'd give it 10 stars!!! As a book on writing, sadly, only one star. There are much better and more detail manuscripts out there that serve this purpose much, much better. The marketing strategy is misleading and does little service to such a profound, prolific, and important writer of modern fiction. I still love King, and I loved reading about his life story -- the price of the book is well worth that! But if you are an aspiring writer, read it to understand the man, not to learn about writing.

This is the first book by Stephen King I have read and I have to admit I am disappointed.

On Writing is written as two books: an autobiography and a writing primer. The autobiographical information was interesting and helped explain the latter. On the writing side, I came away felling I might have been better off if I had read The Elements of Style, King's favorite Style book.

His sections on description, dialogue, narration and editing earned the book my three star rating. The examples cited and King's commentaries were great.

I guess I expected more from such a prolific writer. The book's fault probably lies more in my expectations, than King's ability to communicate.