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Summary: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING AND THE AUTHOR
Review: This is two books in one really. The first half is an autobiography, in which the author recounts his life from childhood to the present day, explaining the motivation for his writing along the way. The second part goes on to give the lowdown on writing, covering the nuts and bolts of the craft in detail: from grammar and dialogue, to plotting and structure, pinpointing the pifalls to watch out for that will spoil your chances of success. Writers of all stripes can learn something from this inspirational book, told in King's typically breezy style.
I was thrilled to interview Stephen King a couple of years ago when I was a magazine writer. As a fan and aspiring author myself then, I found him kind and generous with his time and advice. For anyone starting out as a writer, I really recommend Stephen King On Writing as essential reading for learning the craft. Also try to get David Morrell's Lessons From a Lifetime of Writing, which is a similar book and just as good. And never give up trying to get published! Let me leave you with a question I asked Stephen King in my definitive interview about his writing life that appeared in many publications around the world.
WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED OUT AS A WRITER DID YOU REALLY NAIL REJECTION SLIPS ON YOUR BEDROOM WALL?
Stephen King: 'Yeah, I did. But I don't think of that period of rejection as a dispiriting time. In a way I was learning my craft publicly. My writing wasn't right at first. Little by little I started to see what was wrong with it. The rejection slips would start to come in but sometimes someone would write on the bottom: Not bad, try us again. So I could see that I was making some progress. I understood that it was a process of learning that took time, but knew that success wasn't going to happen overnight. I'd keep circulating my manuscripts and when I finally started to sell I was delighted.'
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Summary: Guidance from a friendly master of the craft
Review: One of the things I've always loved about Stephen King's works is his no-nonsense, no-BS, straight-forward way of speaking to his readers. _On Writing_ contains that same intimate, friendly tone and offers solid advice for those of us who are struggling in the initial throes of Being A Writer.King gives very few hard-and-fast rules in this book; mostly, he talks about the *process* he goes through when writing, and how it might work for others. He also gives some of his own back story in short memory-flashes which go back to his childhood, early adulthood, and recent events, which gives us insight into King both as a writer, and as a person. Throughout the book, too, is his overwhelming and obvious love for his wife, Tabitha, and what a crucial role she plays in everything he is and does. He talks about the tools writers must (or should) use, and how to employ them, sometimes with ruthlessness, sometimes with great care, and he goes over the mechanics of writing and how to make it better. He briefly covers agents and publishers. His main point, though, is about _language_ - how to use it to best communicate a point, set a scene, describe a person, and how to accomplish these things without *over*doing them. There is some really great advice in here, and at times King comes across as a patient, fatherly figure, who gives us permission to explore everything we can think of, and to not worry too much about how good it is during the first draft. He talks about instinctive use of words, and putting ourselves right out there in the open, where everyone can see us - but first, doing it in a safe place, where we can get everything out and onto the page without fear. _On Writing_ is a book non-writer King fans can enjoy, too, as it gives glimpses (and sometimes long, hard stares) into King's life and times. He discusses difficult subjects, such as his alcohol and drug abuse problems, his recent near-death experience with a blue van, and how writing (in large part) helped him to pull through these events. This is a very good book, and is a quick read - I read it in sips and gulps over the course of about two days. Four stars instead of five because it is, perhaps, too brief - reading this would make King's hair stand up on end and he would utter a blood-curdling shriek, because he was aiming for brevity in this book. He achieved it, but it makes me wonder how much better it could have been if he'd given himself free rein. His head has got to be jam-packed with ideas that would have worked into this book beautifully, and I think perhaps we, the readers, are poorer for those ideas not having been there. Still, I'll keep this by my desk, and I know I'll refer to it from time to time, highlight certain inspiring and useful passages, and it will have its place firmly in my heart, because it let me get to know one of my favorite writers a bit better.
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Summary: My Writing Devotional
Review: When I first got this book, I chucked it aside; because, the first half of it was all about Stephen King; maybe, a lot of you like that; but I think he's too much of a setting oriented writer; and I get board reading his stuff; so naturally, I didn't want to hear about his life.
Well, I discovered after about a month that the last half of the book was his writing advice. Pay Dirt-Literally! It's like my writing devotional; the insights he gives on writing are absolutely brilliant and down to earth, NOT things like 'write with a clearer perspective'-Hu?! Each of his insights are simple and useable like: 'try writing with music on.' Nothing difficult or elusive, just ideas that have helped make him one of America's greatest living writers. Anyone who writes or wants to write should read this book; whether or not you like King's writing.
I so thank Stephen King for writing this book. It's the best.
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Summary: On Writing is definitely worth getting.....
Review: Stephen King's On Writing is a very insightful book on Stephen's life as well as the subject of writing. Any writer, like myself, owes it to themselves to check out the book. He really tells it like it is to you, and that's what I like about this book. He's open and honest about the craft and that is what I want to hear. Maybe, one day, I'll have a book published and I'll have him to thank for it all.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and get this book for your King collection....you'll be glad you did. :)
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Summary: To the Point
Review: If you're a fan of King's work, then you'll love it for his autobiographical stories. If you're not a fan of King's work, but want to be a writer, you'll love it for the section on writing. In either case, read this book. Besides, as King points out himself, it's not very long.
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Summary: Rare Insights and Instruction
Review: Before I finished this book I dreamt that I was sitting next to King's desk and he was slouching back in his chair discussing his thoughts on writing and tips on how to get a story out of my head and into a novel. That is what this book is to me. King speaks of the disipline, techniques, and how to bring the story out from your mind. It does not give character charts, forms and other things that have bogged me down in the past. It's skill and talent. One you can hone, the other you must already possess. Within days of finishing this book, I had enough to write a synopsis and start the nitty gritty of the first draft. When I get my first book published, King is getting a mention for all of his help. A must read - regardless of your genre.
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Summary: Intelligent, Touching, Necessary For Every Writer
Review: Stephen King remains one of the most amazing, intelligent and creative writers of our time...of ALL time. His words, once used to do no more than terrify, have become words of peace and hope...and ones that every aspiring writer should read at least a little of. I believe On Writing to be his most brilliant work, and not just because it is a wonderful guide of the craft of creation, it is a touching, sometimes even haunting memoir of King's life, and how he came to be such an appreciated writer. Instead of being like a textbook, On Writing draws from King's own experiences, including using poison ivy as toilet paper, college and his near fatal accident...and relates them on tools for writing. Somehow, in the brilliance he possesses, King relates these awkward experiences to his readers, and understanding is attained. By the end, you feel saved, and inspired to write 10,000 words a day. It is a book that I would read just for fun, and do not understand why it is required reading for creative writing classes. It is one of the shortest books King has written, but its brilliance still shines bright. If you want to feel inspired as well, and need to be pushed away from writer's block, pick this up and sit down with it. I promise you, you will not be able to put it down, and when you finally finish, you will want to know when the sequel comes out.
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Summary: To my knowledge it's one of a kind
Review: There are far too many how to books on writing. Some of them appear to have been written by frustrated English teachers who spend too much time on grammar and the rest of the book consists of tired adages. The first book I read on writing for the screen was written by a man who seemed to have had a considerable degree of success, he had written several books and screenplays. I don't know how many of the books had been published but I think only one of his scripts made it to the screen. Is this the kind of person a aspiring writer should listen to? I don't think so. Wouldn't it be better to listen to an Oscar winner or a bestseller? Yet, in his forward Stephen King says he did not want us to pick up "On Writing" based on his success. Sorry Stephen but I did. I love books where the masters share their secrets. Sidney Lumet did it for film direction and Stephen King is doing it for fiction writing. And I think he is the only established writer to write a book on what writing means t him. At his best Stephen King explains the tricks of the trade like how to show and not tell and he even gives us a condensed grammar lesson that is amazingly easy to comprehend. There is only about a ten page section where King is not at his best, this is the section where he becomes pretentious and snotty. This is the word I was using to decribe this section in my head and then about half way through he uses the word as well. Sometimes King doesn't practice what he preaches and thus what he says loses some of it's credibility. He says that the rough draft is the one you write with the door closed and the second draft is the one you write with the door open, the one you present to the world. Yet, King chose not to edit the submissions to his Internet contest. He sort of enjoyed poking fun, he didn't realize that these were the 'open door' drafts and they deserved to look their best. "On Writing can be very inspirational and you shoud read it, if only to boost your own confidence. King had the humblest of humble beginnings, if he can do it you can too. My only other criticism of "On writing" beside King's occaisional "snottyness" is it's lack of writing exercises, yet as I say that I think that they may have been out of place. If you need writng exercises read "Steering the Craft" by Ursula K. LeGuin.
According to an interview with King in Entertainment Weekly King's latest novel will be his last, with the exception of the Dark Tower Series. Yet, in "On Writing" King admits his compulsive need not only to write but to publish. If he must quit, "On Writing" would have been a fitting final bow. In fact, it is his most important book, and perhaps the only book of it's kind.
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Summary: God Bless Little Stevie King
Review: What I didn't know about writing could fill volumes, and it did. This fast paced reader on the pitfalls of writing pleasantly surprised me. Steven King of horror genre fame draws us in with funny stories about his childhood writing through his ascent to the heavenly kingdom hall of fame of the B novelists, and lurks behind the drapes ready to cut the unsuspecting novice writer with a few points on scary things like grammar,(aaargh!)style, (oooh!)and work habits (oowch). Steven King's fame is well deserved. As a storyteller he is top notch. It was a real pleasure to glimpse the workings of his creative mind as he uses a few simple word combinations to open up the reader's movie reel of imagination. There are points where he tells you to watch and then does that magical telepathy thing before your eyes. How does he do it? Read and find out. And I haven't even read any of his other books yet.
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Summary: A glimpse into Stephen King's mind
Review: You don't necessarily get a glimpse into the bag of tricks King delves into to find ideas for his books, but you do gain insight into his thought process during the various stages of creation. Many books on writing address the subject as dryly as a coroner would an autopsy, and to me, that's their greatest failure. You can't craft a guidebook on a creative form of expression as if it were an instruction manual for a VCR. What King does here is different. He provides a rough sketch of what the process of writing should be and leaves it to the reader (and hopefully, future writer) to fill in the details. Writing after all, is a highly subjective and personal process. King doesn't presume to dictate that there's only one way to do it. What he does convey, however, is that writing is a craft to be taken seriously, and as such, is to be considered a form of labor. For him and ideally, for any aspiring writer, writing will be a labor of love, but King clearly imparts on the reader that a lot of sweat will and should go into crafting stories. An added bonus to this book are the brief anecdotes King provides about his accident and his recovery that followed. It's important to note that even for a writer as gifted and prolific as King, he never fell into the cliche of saying that writing saved his life or even speeded his recovery. In fact, King mentions how difficult it was to create and write when just weeks prior, he had done so with very little effort. It's important for aspiring writers to see the craft in an unromanticized light, and to see that it's hard for even the best of writers at times. That, and that it's worthwhile to keep working at it. For anyone curious at all about the writing process, this book is a delightful read.
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