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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Stephen King

Scribner, 2000 - 288 pages

average customer review:based on 8 reviews
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   highly recommended  highly recommended





Entertaining as his stories

Even if Stephen King was not popular, I would have picked up this book. It is an entertaining book about King growing up, writing, beer drinking, getting injured and generally living. It is more of a biography than a how-to book of writing. For every aspiring writer, whether fiction, non-fiction or even technical writing, this book gives a humorous insight to one of the world's most famous best-selling writers.

Doug Setter
Author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim


A Gift Worth A King's Ransom

Stephen King's "how to" book, "On Writing..A Memoir Of The Craft", is not your average, run of the mill "how to" book. It reads like one of his novels. What I mean by that, is that it is a page turner. It is the most captivating reference book I have ever read. If you have ever even had any kind of inkling that you may like to write, or if you already know you love it, by the time you finish this read, you'll be highly motivated to do so. And what's more, you'll have a great idea of how to get started, and with some great advice from one of the masters. The book is geared mostly toward the writer of fiction, but even non-fiction writers will benefit greatly.

Mr King, opens with information on his own background. His memories of specific events from his life that inspired the type of stories he writes(wait till you read where the inspiration for "Carrie" came from), were enlightening and inspiring. Then on to the "Tool Box" section. The mechanics. Vocabulary, Grammar, Dialogue, and other very important tools of the craft are discussed at length. In "On Writing" you'll get lots of creative advice as well as practical. Read, read, read and write, write write is something King can't seem to say enough. He has even given the start of a story for you to add on to.

He tries to answer the FAQs, and gives some pretty good information on finding an agent and getting published. He also includes a list of books that will give you a nice background for different writing styles.

Stephen King's love of writing is contagious. He has given the budding writer a gift. It's a gift worth a King's Ransom....go for it!....Laurie


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Advice best suited to accomplished writers

I enjoy reading Stephen King and I love writing, so I bought a copy with great expectations. I found it disappointing in both structure and advice. The first 100 or so pages are almost pure biography. Labeled "C.V.," this long section describes how King developed as a writer. Unlike the biographical sections of other such works (Norman Mailer's The Spooky Art, for example), most of the biographical stories have only the merest connection to learning the craft of writing. I couldn't help thinking that King desired to write an autobiography to immortalize friends and family, but didn't take the plunge and so instead lumped it into his book on writing.

The latter part of the book provides his advice on fiction writing, much of which is excellent and compelling. However, some of the advice understandably mirrors weaknesses that appear in King's own writing. I remember a high school friend commenting (he'd just finished The Mist, I believe) that King couldn't "write a good ending to save his life." This failing is well explained by his dislike for outlining and pre-conceived conclusions.

An English professor of mine called it "grooming your own thicket." When writing without a clear idea of the conclusion, most writers have a snarled mess by the time they reach page 50. The branches of unresolved plot, so clear in the beginning, have grown out of control and enmeshed the writer in chaos.

If you're a beginning writer, realize that Stephen King is a one in a million writer (as proven by his incredible success) and what works for him may not work for you.



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Poor author, great teacher!

Despite writing the most consumerist robotic dreck, Stephen King actually has some really useful insights for writers. A genuine and welcome surprise.


reviews: page 1, 2



"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write."


Here is Stephen King's master class on his craft.

On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King's childhood and his early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, offer a fresh and often funny perspective on the formation of a writer.

King then turns to the tools of his trade, examining crucial aspects of the wriiter's art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection.

King was in the middle of writing this book when he was nearly killed in a widely reported accident. On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how his need to write spurred him toward recovery, and brought him back to his life.


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