Rating: 
Summary: The self-aware writer
Review: Stephen King is a fascinating man, and I enjoy hearing his opinions, watching interviews on TV, etc. Unfortunately, I do not care much for his fiction; that is because of his choice of plots, not the quality of his writing. Fortunately, his memoir On Writing focusses on the tools of writing that cross all the subgenres of fiction. Any aspiring writer will benefit from this book.Two themes crop up continuously, and these are very valuable pieces of wisdom to aspiring writers: 1. Read a lot. Paradoxically, the more you read, the less likely you are to duplicate another's ideas and find a style/story all your own. 2. Edit mercilessly. King is especially critical of adverbs (yes, I am aware of the irony in including an adverb in this sentence!), telling writers to expunge them everywhere. Just like editting a film, everything that isn't critical to the story should be eliminated. This is difficult for young writers to do, but the sooner they learn to be critical of their own writing, the better. Also included is a brief biography of King himself. Like a number of other famous writers, illness played a key role in his childhood; in addtion, such factors as unpleasant sitters, an impoverished family life, and a brother with a 160 IQ helped influence King's writing. The bio is interesting and illuminating, but not as useful as the technical parts of the book. Thus, I would recommend this to anyone as an interesting and thought-provoking examination of the craft of writing, whether or not you are an aspiring writer. While the focus is primarily on contemporary, non-scientific fiction, most of the advice offered is good for all fiction writers (and often for those writing non-fiction as well).
Rating: 
Summary: A Discussion, Not a Lecture
Review: If you've ever wished you could sit down by a cozy fire and listen to a great fiction writer talk about his craft, this book is for you. Neither a memoir nor a manual, On Writing offers a guided tour through Stephen King's creative process. He starts by describing the life events that influenced his work; then offers observations and advice about story-creation, editing, publishing, and -- most importantly -- the writer's relationship to their work. If you are looking for a style book or writer's guide, look elsewhere -- but if you want a fun, educated view of the writing business, King delivers. On Writing will be inspirational for established writers, and educational for novices. It will also be of great interest to those wanting to know more about Stephen King the man. As in his fiction, King comes off as an accessible, regular guy who is only separated from us by fame, fortune, and, of course, extraordinary story-telling ability.
Rating:
Summary: Good advice and Heart-felt
Review: King's "On Writing" is a must for any fan of his work, but especially for those who are fans and wish to write themselves. King begins with a short memoir describing his youth and the events and experiences that led to his interest in writing. In another section he gives writing advice and even includes part of one of his own incomplete stories, followed by corrections, and explantions. He finally discusses he near-fatal accident on a stretch of road. "On Writing" reads like a novel, is entertaining and enjoyable to read. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely good
Review: Being relatively new to Stephen King, (only Bag of Bones and Pet Sematary read thus far) I didn't know whether it would be wise to read this before building up a more intimate knowledge and feel for his work. (I dont know why i thought that, i just did. Now it seems a bit ridiculous. Why on earth should it matter?? Anyway...as an aspiring author (ho ho ho, the ridiculous dreams these kids have today) i found this book extrememly informative and helpful. I love the little tips he gives, and when you think about it they make a load of sense. Of course, you aren't going to agree with everything he says, very few people would. but then, he never claims this is the definitive way to do things, just how it has worked for him. So you can understand how it might across that he feels this is the "correct" way to do things. The autobiographical segment i found a tad boring. (I'm not one for reading biographies, i much prefer a good story.) However, you definitely can't say he's had a boring life. It might have been better if he had mixed it all up, instead of splitting it into two sections. Generally, i love finding out information about "the people behind the books" but in this case, it didn't actually give me much to know. Alright, he's said a lot, but has he really told us anything? Certainly it was nothing i didn't already know. It was just given in a lot more detail. I'm fascinated by writers, aspiring to be one, but i have decided that if you learn too much about them, they loose their mysticality, and become more normal, and nothing special. When I'm shown that really a writer is just a normal person, they loose some of their charm in my eyes. I can no longer embellish the facts i know to create a person who seems somewhat out of this world. (You probably think im a little strange). However, even though it wasn't necessarily interesting to me, it was certainly funny. He has a great sense of humour, and it shows. It was also quite moving, especially the tale of how he came to write Carrie (but again, we got a little too much info. in the UK version of Carrie he wrote a foreword which told of how he wrote it, but it did it in less detail. In this book, he gave us too much.) the writing tips i shall consider invaluable, i always do when i learn something which will improve the way i write. This is a great book "on writing", the snippets of info and advice are interesting even to a person who doesn't aspire to write. (My mom, who has read it since.) Thank you Mr King
Rating:
Summary: Stephen King never fails to do 3 things...
Review: Make me feel, make me look forward to his next book, and inspire me to write. Towards the end of my college English 2 course, I purchased this book to assist with my final essay. I already use the MLA guidebooks, and Strunk and White's "Elements of Style". I thought, hmmmmmm, what author does for me what I want to do for others? Why Stephen King!!! Reading this book goes beyond how to write. It gives you HOPE. The more I write the more difficult it has gotten. I expect a great deal more of myself and have begun to fall short in the art of style. The examples and explanations in this book are real life. They are not intimidating in the least, but instead sets the tone as casual, and often times I felt like he was writing the book just for me. I have to also include his jovial review of the event of 1999 that almost rid us of this gifted writer. I cannot imagine anyone but Stephen King adding humor--I burst out laughing (Marzes-bars, lol)--to such a life-altering event as the van incident. I must agree that this incident really did seem like Stephen King was propelled into one of his novels... Stephen King is THE MAN. If you think you don't like him or his books...then FUHGEDDABOUDIT! (inside joke, lol) I do, however, challenge to you change your opinion by reading this book. :-)
Rating:
Summary: A nice pep talk, with some extra pork
Review: This is a strangely uneven but very entertaining book.
The first half of "On Writing" is entirely autobiographical. King tells you all about his childhood and his early years as a struggling writer. While these recollections are endearing and informative for the truly curious, any gonzo King fan will already know most of this stuff, especially if he/she has read Danse Macabre or Spignesi's The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia. You'll get a feel for what types of things (small town life, teaching school, substance abuse, poverty, the pulps, etc.) inspired King's incredible fiction, but after about fifty pages of this you'll be thinking "O.K., Stevie, but how do you become a GOOD WRITER?" On this point, he doesn't fail to deliver in the second half of the book. Stephen doesn't pull any punches...you have to get serious and down to business when it comes to writing if you feel as if this is your life's calling. You can't procrastinate...write WHEN EVER and WHERE EVER possible, with (as King would say) the DOOR SHUT (forget about the conventions of the genteel "literary establishment" and TELL THE TRUTH as you see it). The work ethic is everything, really. As the Master says in Danse Macabre: "If you do anything for long enough you'll get good at it". King has a passion for story telling, and he's convinced that the only way a person can become a successful writer is if writing (in and of itself, the very creative process) is an ecstatic experience. If it isn't, and you're only into becoming a professional writer to get rich or to get laid, you will not create literary works of genius (you may still get rich and "scribble your way into mansions in the Carribean" like Danielle Steele and similar hacks, but you will not bring forth works that will be remembered thirty years from now). In other words, if you would rather be washing the car or looking at internet porn right now instead of writing a story, literary fortunes are not in your future. King's technical points are helpful ("eliminate ALL unnecessary words!" and avoid schmaltzy adverbs--"swifties", King calls them--like the plague, among others) and he advocates a very clean writing style, chanting his mantra of "second draft=first draft minus 10%" over and over again. Also, (here's the work ethic again) he stresses the importance of magazines for the aspiring fiction writer...get your foot in the door and get some stories published (even if they're in rags like Juggs or Swank and the payoffs are like $25.00 and free copies) so you have some writing credits when you're looking for a publisher for your first novel. One last thought...King's reading list (at the end of the book) left me scratching my head. Not a single one of the authors in his list are horror writers, but they are authors who King finds impressive in terms of technical skill (Graham Greene, Barbara Kingsolver, John Steinbeck, J.K. Rowling, Joyce Carol Oates, many others). O.K., so I want to be a fantasy/horror writer like King himself...I suppose I'll have to read Danse Macabre yet again to catch some of his tips for this specific genre. No biggie. He is the Master of contemporary horror fiction, the heir of Poe and Lovecraft, so I think I'll keep this book on my desk for inspiration for all those times that I start to feel frustrated and discouraged in my own writing labors. In short...WRITERS, buy it...CASUAL FANS, read HEARTS IN ATLANTIS or PET SEMATARY instead.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding resource for writers of all levels.
Review: I'm a published writer, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in starting to write seriously, or to a more advanced writer looking to improve his or her skills. This is one of the best books I've ever read on the art and craft of writing. With wit, his characteristic approachable, delightful style, and gut level honesty, Mr. King tells us all exactly how he works and how it can work for you, too. One of the important writing resource books I often suggest to writer friends.
Rating:
Summary: Primer and Memoir
Review: I read Danse Macabre by Mr. King years ago, and while this book covers some of the same autobiographical roads as the prior book, it's still highly enjoyable. This book is part memoir and part helpful advice on the craft of writing. King sprinkles the book with his usual self-depreciating humor. The most poignant part is when he describes the accident that nearly took his life a while back. Anyone who is interested in any type of writing, not only fiction, will find this book useful.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen approves of audio CDs
Review: This was money well spent. This book is more than the tittle implies. First it is a selected biography of Stephen King. I enjoyed the poison ivy episode. This is not a deviation but an explanation of why he writes the way he does and the background that he draws on. Secondly this is a "how to write like Stephen King" book it reflects his likes and dislikes. I agree with most of them. I suppose that that is why I like his novels.
However I can only guess that he must spend a lot of time around people that cuss. It is not like he is not aware of it. I feel that he is somewhat proud of the fact that he cusses a lot. Luckily he said it is not necessity to be excessive.
I share his dislike for flashbacks. And he also expresses several dislikes for other stilting crutches, including excessive description of Backstory.
An added bonus is his description of the van accident that a certain comedian commented about saying that Stephen lost his Tommyknockers. Stephen forgot to mention that he bought the van that hit him for destruction purposes. Talk about revenge.
Over all after reading this I was compelled to try my hand at writing.
Rating: 
Summary: An invitation to write
Review: Say, how are books born ? or How is a man born ?
Two questions intimately linked in this autobiographic writing manual. Teaching is the author's job, learning from life his source of creativity.
Simple, direct, very (too ?) colloquial language brings forth a highly optimistic tone. The reader shifts from the question "Must we suffer to learn ?" to "How can we get the upperhand on suffering ?"
A refreshing read.
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