Rating: 
Summary: Superb on many levels
Review: I have not read one single book by Stephen King except for this one. But having read this superb book, I believe I'm going to pick up one of his other ones, take a deep breath, and dive into his spooky world. On Writing was given to me by a writing friend, or perhaps I never would have read it, as I don't like the sci-fi, horror, weird genre of his stuff. But this one, this On Writing treatise (and it's short, less than 300 pages), works on so many levels, and none of them are spooky. It's part memoir, part philosophy, part motivational, and a bit, too, on the actual craft. Don't buy it is you're looking just for a how-to book; it's not meant to be any such thing. DO buy it if you want to read an extremely well-written book about the process of writing, the journey toward becoming someone who can call oneself a writer, the obstacles (including King's horrific accident) to the process and if you're interested in Stephen King, the man, and Tabitha, his muse. Within the middle of the book, aspiring writers will find a pithy and terse section of writing advice; nothing new here, but coming from such a master, this advice should be taken seriously by all wannabe writers.
A rambling, intelligent, imminently readable book.
Rating:
Summary: It Reads Like a Novel
Review: I loved this book! I was given this book as a present, and must admit that I am probably one of the only people that has NEVER read a Stephen King novel. Thus, I approached it tentatively at first, but quickly found that I could not put it down... and realized just how articulate Mr. King is.King makes no promises to transform you into an excellent writer. He likens write to unearthing an archeologic dig, and claims he doesn't even know how the story will end while he is writing it. The book is divided into a number of sections, reflecting his life. The first of which is titled "CV" and is a thoroughly delightful look into how King got to where he is. It details his rejection slips as well as his first successes... and does a nice job of showing the influences that pushed him into the "Stephen King" world. The second section is the meat and potatoes on his writing suggestions. The books insights into making dialogue and character descriptions interesting is invaluable. He even takes the time to show an example of a first draft chapter, and then his exact hand written changes for the rewrite. I found this to be extremely illuminating. His final section is on life. Perhaps the books biggest gem for me was in illuminating the man. I came away from this book with two realizations. The first, by his examples of how he writes, was just how much of a genius he truly is in his field. The second, by the honesty expressed in this book, is just what a great man he truly is... he comes across as the kind of guy a person would love to have as a friend... in other words - he is very "real" and warm in his description of his problems with drugs, and a nearly fatal car accident. I cannot help but recommend this book as one of the most enjoyable I have read this year.
Rating:
Summary: A treat for the reader and the writer
Review: This is a little gem of a how-to book. It's little, because Stephen King has taken seriously the commands of Strunk and White to "omit needless words". He also rails against the excessive use of adverbs ("adverbs are not your friends"), the temptation to "dress up" plain and more direct language ("this is like dressing up your dog; the dog is embarassed and the person who engaged in this premeditated act of cuteness should be more embarassed"--I'm paraphrasing), and writing untruthfully about subjects with which you are uneducated ("if you're a plumber, write about plumbing; God knows why, but people love books about work"). Other than that, King offers few hard and fast rules. The most important commands are to write often and to read often. His book is funny, wise and above all inspiring. It contains words of wisdom from an imaginative man who made his living doing something that he still absolutely revels in doing. How many people can say that? This book also contains two autobiographical sections and a reading list. The first autobiographical section deals with his childhood and early adulthood as a young husband, father, English teacher, writer and pauper. It is both funny and sad. The second section deals with the accident that nearly killed him in 1999. This part is less funny and more sad, but contains a fundamental truth: his passion for writing, at least in part, saved him. There is also a sweetness about the way King feels about his wife. He clearly adores her and is still in love and lust with her after all these years. She is his "ideal reader", the person he writes all of his books with her opinion in mind. She is smart, outspoken, and nearly idolized by King. What woman wouldn't want a man to feel that way about her? Tabitha King is a lucky woman. If this book doesn't make you want to jump up and write (and read) something, then you're not a writer. Even if you're not, you can still enjoy the wickedly wise tales of King's childhood and his astute, self-deprecating look at the world of bad versus good, and sometimes great, writing.
Rating:
Summary: Instant Classic
Review: Stephen King has produced what I believe will long be considered one of the greatest instructional works on fiction writing. If you are an aspiring creative writer, there is no excuse - you need this book. "On Writing" is divided into two sections. The first comprises a series of essays, relating everything from his childhood to the publication of Carrie. This is entertaining writing within and of itself, and really shows King's ability to engage a reader. In the second section King tells us what he's learned in a lifetime of being one of the world's top writers. This is what you're paying your money for. Unlike the many other books of this sort I've read, "On Writing" doesn't pull any punches and isn't afraid to state it plainly. King has something that most other instructional writer's don't have - about 8 zillion sales to back up anything he writes - and therefore isn't afraid to tell us that "the road to hell is paved with adverbs" and "it's impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad one." There are several examples given of both good and bad writing, laced with King's observations on many of the authors he has read over the years. I can't recommend "On Writing" high enough. This line alone was worth the price of the book - "...You must not come lightly to the page..." - and it's only a fraction of the wisdom you're sure to encounter.
Rating: 
Summary: On "On Writing"
Review: Although the cover art here belongs on a book slated for the gardening section of your local bookstore, I have never read a book like this, a book in which a horror writer talks about his travails in the industry. This one is written by the horror writer who exemplifies that phrase, the guy whose name comes to mind whenever you even say the word "horror" to any man on the street, so he has a singular viewpoint on the genre. The first half of this book covers King's reminiscences of childhood events, young adulthood, and his first attempts into the craft of storytelling. He doesn't go into detail about the events that led him to write horror, though I doubt that any horror writer would do that. I think that King fans will, however, be fascinated when reading this half of the book, as images and events he recalls from his real life have surfaced occasionally in his fiction writing. He also relates personal information regarding his past drug abuse, his relationships with women (Especially his wife Tabitha), and his accident with the car. The other half speaks directly to aspiring authors. It struck me as almost his being weary. I expected some sort of kissy-faced cheerleading, "If you think you can, you can do it!" Instead, there's no crap. We forget that for years, King was a professor of English, and that he reads, so he is as sick of bad writing polluting the world as the rest of us are. He gives the most straightforward advice I've heard from an author in a long time. I can't tell you what that advice is, because King got paid to do it and he did it well. He did it very well. He reproduces a first draft of a few story pages, along with his editorial scribbling and notations, then explains every one. It's as good a textbook. No frills, no cotton candy, and best of all, no happy cheerleading. I enjoyed it very much. So, King fans, you'll dig the first half, and probably be bored to tears by the second half. Writers, you'll do well to read the second half whether you like King, horror, or none of the above. And for King fans who write, it's quite a gift.
Rating:
Summary: The best Creative Writing book next to The Elements of Style
Review: One of the key questions to ask a reader is how he feels about Stephen King. If he dismisses him out of hand - "No, I've never actually READ anything by him, but I've seen the movies," - I know the guy isn't worth his salt. Stephen King - along with Elmore Leonard - is one of the best craftsmen of fiction alive. MANY authors higher up the food chain would do well from taking some lessons from him. Now they can. In On Writing, Stephen King gives us what advice he can on the subject of writing fiction. The problem with many creative writing books is that they are not nuts-and-bolts enough; they provide esoteric clichés like "write what you know." Stephen King cuts to the practical matters, like follow Strunk & White and avoid adverbs. The book is half advice on creative writers and half autobiography. The autobiography is germane because we want to know how the most successful author of modern times got his start. Here we see a man who PAID HIS DUES. I've read this book three times now and I may do so again - I find it endlessly useful. If you can, get the audiobook; it is narrated by King himself and much more of his personality comes across.
Rating:
Summary: Personal tips from a mainstream writer
Review: "On Writing" is divided into two parts - the first part is an autobiography, the second part is the part on writing per se. Part 1 consists of 112 pages, and part 2 consists of 199 pages. On top of that, there's some forewords (actually three), the story about Stephen King's accident and the recovering part of it, an example short story with critisism, a recommended reading list, and finally a competition winning short story. What distinguishes "On Writing" from other books about writing is the personal style, in which Stephen King doesn't care about the formality of writing; he is more concerned with the reality of what it is to be an author. Somewhere he gives some advice as to how many pages one should strive to write each day if writing is to be taken seriously. He also says that it's neccessary to write each day of the year, and to read an awful lot, to keep the inspiration coming and the writing style clean and polished. King also writes about techniques: conversations, splitting the text into paragraphs, and other similar useful, practical, and essential techniques every writes oughts to know. Some of the advise is a bit off-topic, and the writing is also a little to confused, but that also makes it less tedious to read. The book is only useful to beginning writers; the tips are simply to obvious for someone who have been writing for more than one year. And I don't agree with all of the advise, but that's also the point: sort the relevant tips out so that it fits your needs. Overall, I think the book is based too much on personal experience, though it's nice sometimes to step out of the formality of step-to-step guides or whatever's out there.
Rating:
Summary: Meet the man
Review: I've read and heard of Stephen King for years. He's aced the popular fiction markets for years, but within this book I think I received a peep of Stephen King. With all his success, he's still retains a bit of the regular "Joe" sort of a guy. And as he promised, this book is not just another book of BULL to sell to wanna' be writers.
Rating:
Summary: King a Strange Guy, but Imparts Good Advice!
Review: Even though I have a hard time getting hooked on King's fiction(am struggling through the Buick book), I found a lot of great advice from a writer who has very creative ways to motivate himself to write. The book helped motivate me to write while being more "psyched"...I did not follow his advice, however, to blast heavy metal music while creatively writing. I can' imagine Dickens doing that. It's a good read and I would recommend it for any aspiring writer of fiction or non-fiction. Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"
Rating:
Summary: King of Writing
Review: What a surprise this book turned out to be! This should be a must-read for all writers. It speaks to the writer's soul, and stays with you long after the reading ends. Memories of King's childhood were fascinating, hilarious, and heart-breaking. His insights on the creative process, invaluable. Whether or not you write professionally, or if you don't write at all, reading this book will be an enriching experience. Best of all, it's a real page-turner!
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