On Writing

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected Delight!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Steven King's book, On Writing, and found it compelling, entertaining, and informative. This lively book is divided into three sections: his life before becoming a successful writer, wonderful, practical advice on writing fiction, and a chilling depiction of his near fatal accident caused by a drunk driver.

My wife and I laughed so hard at the Pow Incident that tears - but no sounds - came out. I was delighted to gain so many insights into the experiences that affected King's life and his novels. I was unaware of his addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs or poverty as a child and an aspiring writer.

Although King asserts that integrity is the basis of all effective writing, I thought he equivocated at least once in the book. Presumably, his addictions cost money, but King says he was too poor to purchase medicine his little girl need for chronic ear infections. Did she go without while he did not? King does not tell us.

Despite this lapse, the book is an excellent read and a fresh outlook on an otherwise dull subject. I look forward to using some of its lessons in my high school English classes or putting them into practice the next time I publish.

New to me was King's advice on quotation attribution, which he says is the same as giving stage directions. His point is a good one: the character should speak in such a way that the reader understands the delivery is terse, angry, nervous, etc. Let the verb summarize the manner.

By so doing, the writer says more by saying less, meaning that adding an adverb after the quotation is unnecessary.

This book serves two audiences well: published writers and would be. There is much to be mined in it.

Rating:
Summary: You Don't Have to be a Stephen King Fan to Enjoy This Book
Review: Why should Stephen King write a how-to book? It's a question he wondered himself before creating "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft."

King talks candidly about his childhood, early writing ventures and even his highs and lows along the way. One of the best sections of this book is King's account of Carrie. From his early ideas to breaking into publishing success, his own life story is just as much of a page-turner as his 30+ bestsellers.

Whether you dabble in writing or you're a published author, anyone who writes fiction can learn from this book. The "On Writing" and "Toolbox" sections are an invaluable learning guide to writing your own compelling fiction.

King shows you how to really draw in your readers, writing with action and playing on emotions. And he doesn't leave out the power of dialogue either.

You don't have to be a die-hard Stephen King fan to enjoy this book. He doesn't hang an ego on every printed page. It's just straight talk about his life and writing with no self-serving nonsense.

Approximately 40 pages from the end of the book, depending on which version you're holding, you'll find "On Living: A Postscript." This postscript takes you step-by-step through the accident that almost claimed King's life. His determination to live and his doubts about ever writing again are both moving and inspiring. If he can recover, mentally and physically, to get back on the writing track, you can write your novel too.

Rating:
Summary: advice from the master
Review: This book is as close to chatting with Stephen King as most of us will ever get. It's part biography--and a fascinating one at that-- King's childhood was NOT one you'd want for yourself and looking back on it, it's no wonder that he writes horror today. It's an honest look at his joys, and sorrows and his former addictions. The second half of the book is purely about writing and it sometimes goes wildly against the advice you may have gotten from your Fiction 101 college course. King talks about inspiration, magic, genius and tells the brutal truth about bad writers. He charms, infuriates and challenges. I have read this book several times and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be a writer. My only quible is the quality of this paperback. It's fine if you are only going to read the book once or twice but if you intend to use it as a manual you'd be better off buying the hardback or the more expensive but sturdier quality paperback edition.

Kimberley Lindsay Wilson

Rating:
Summary: The King and I (in the Classroom)
Review: I don't think you're supposed to have this much fun when you read a text about WRITING. As an English teacher, I'm always looking for ideas for mini-lessons and concepts to present in class. I started to dog-ear the corners of useful pages, and now my book looks like a Day Planner.

I appreciate his advice about omitting needless words. Shed those ridiculous affectations and rid your writing of phony pretension. (THANK YOU! It's about time someone said it!) This book also presents the best support for the active voice and for writing with courage.

This book taught me not only how to be a better writer but also how to be a better reader. I'm more aware of what weakens writing and how to improve it. I hope to bring this knowledge back into my classroom this fall to strengthen my writers.

Rating:
Summary: Great way to get motivated!
Review: This is a great book for the hobbyist writer to get movin' with their writing. King outlines his childhood through his unique writing style in the first half of the book. The second half of the book is dedicated to his take on the writing process. If you are a writer in search of some insight, advice, and inspiration, this is a must-read. I wish I had bought it sooner so I could have entered the writing contest he added in the middle of the book.

Rating:
Summary: The Memoir of a King
Review: This is a wonderful book. I am not sure it is the greatest book on writing ever, but it is definately a good one. King's hints on writing might be a bit threadbare. I mean they are the same things that one reads in every novel about writing, but King brings them up in a refreshing and non-condesending way unlike many other writers. They are valuable words to write by, however, I found the first part of the book to be the most interesting. There the reader learns how King became a writer. We learn why he wanted to start writing, his adventures in High School, and how many of his ideas were formed. At the end of the book we also get to see what King went through after his near fatal accident back in 1999. A very good book for those who want to write, but also a very good bookto read to understand Stephen King the man behind the writer.

Rating:
Summary: King does it again!
Review: I'm one of those who thought Stephen King would never write anything other than fiction novels. He, however, has done just that and the book is one of vast knowledge of how to write a work of literature. The author expresses numerous ideas on how to make yourself a better writer. I found this book to be very helpful in giving me ideas for my personal writing adventures. I found it noble of the author to say that maybe his views are not always correct but it's what has worked for him over the years. Repeatedly the author gives examples of literature, some of which are from well established authors, to support his views. That within itself is deserving of respect of the author's great knowledge of his art.

In typical Stephen King fashion he does not leave out some time to tell a story that appears to almost be fictional. For the "diehard" Stephen King fan this book should be a must read item. The author not only tells of his adventure through life but, as I feel tells the struggles in life that many people experience but have little courage to talk about. For me Stephen King has done it again, another masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Mr. King...thank you.
Review: Inspiring.

This book is a "must read" for any would-be writer. It is slathered with dos and don'ts, pet peeves, and anecdotes. It had such an effect on me that I really changed my whole philosophy on my life. I totally reevaluated my priorities, my dedication to the craft, and my love for putting words to paper.

Please do not pigeon hole Stephen King and assume that this book has not literary value because of his preferred genre. This has nothing to do with death, killing, or anything of the sort. It is a love story of the most artistic sort.

A love story about a man and his passion for writing. A thing that he loves so much, he took the time from his busy schedule to share it with us. For that, we're very blessed indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Strangely Encouraging
Review: ""On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" is a ubiquitously important book for writers to read.

"On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King is one of those odd books I never thought I'd like. I'm not into modern horror or pop fiction. king is both. That said, I found his little memoir to be illuminatingly encouraging.

I'm not sure what nonwriters will think of it. But we who collect rejection notices from our favorite publishers as if it were a hobby will connect with King's look back at leaner years.

Now, as he can sell a book merely be the merit of his name, he might've forgotten how hard it was in the beginning.

King recounts anecdote after anecdote of his efforts to get various horror magazines to buy his stuff. And when they did, he was elated. Why shouldn't he? He got paid to create something from nothing. Getting paid for writing is like printing money and getting away with it.

For the writer, who, like I, esteems to have a shelf filled with books with our name printed on the spine, read "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft." Through this book, King brings to life not some creature from the deep beyond, but the reminder that great writing, no matter the genre (and I must admit, King raises the bar of his genre), perseverence is the trick. A lot of sweat and twice the talent. Horatio Alger would dig King's memoir.

I fully recommend "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King. So many good writers give up the dream despite great skill in their given genre. King pressed on. So should you.

Anthony Trendl

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece. Plain and simple.
Review: Stephen King knows how to engross you in a novel like no one else. He knows how to take you into a character's mind and keep you prisoner there until you're begging for mercy. He knows how to frighten you with his other-worldly (and sometimes too-real) villains. He knows how to keep you up until the wee hours of the morning turning the pages.

Now he does it with non-fiction.

"On Writing" is, in my opinion (and that of many, many others) the best damn book on writing that ever existed. But don't for a minute be turned off by the fact that this isn't a novel; King's done this before ("Danse Macabre") and still has the knack. However, unlike the afore mentioned book, "On Writing" does not stay in the horror genre; King knows that there are fans of other genres that will read this, and tells it in a way that all can understand.

The first part of this book is a minor autobiography. It is not meant to be that way, but it is. You get snapshots of King's life, of why he writes the way he does. You will laugh, you will worry, and you will cry. That is his intent. King does this for a living, remember.

The second part of the book is, no pun intended, on writing. King will go into subjects such as grammar and editing, things that we all yawn at when we hear them in normal life. But this, people, is not normal life: this is Stephen King's life. He will captivate you with his vivid descriptions of adverbs (my favorite being "Rocks explode, Jane transmits, mountains float, and plums deify.") He will astound you while he's comparing/contasting works of literature.

Make no mistake: Stephen King knows what he's doing with this book. And what is that, you ask? Why, he's teaching you! But "On Writing" is a perfect example of how school doesn't always have to be boring.