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Summary: A great help for would-be authors
Review: I purchased "On Writing" for my wife as a christmas present. However, as I had just published my first novel "Strike Hard"(ISBN: 158851322X AmEricaHouse), I found the information that he gave refreshing and informative. I utilized many of the concepts that he discusses in the working for the sequel to my novel, and have been given new avenues to follow during this. I found the biographical information humorous, sad, and informative. In my own quest to join the literary world, I found many of the same stumbling blocks that Mr. King did, and have used his experiences to avoid a few also. In conclusion, I feel that "On Writing" gave me an insight into the mystical world of authors, and has helped me look forward to my own career with renewed interest and vigor.
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Summary: He sounds like a long lost friend...
Review: All the good comments in these reviews are true, and more! I was so pleasantly surprised by his voice and narration which accompanied me on my daily one-hour commute to work. It's like listening to a childhood friend who is so open and honest, and so anxious to tell you all the good and bad things that has happened to him and his career as a writer.King says a lot of ideas for his books came to him in the form of "What if..." questions. A "What if" just occurred to me. What if someone does not want to stop listening to his tapes and continue driving for six hours, all the way to a strange town where interesting creatures start to pop up....
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Summary: Great advice, but such slashing!
Review: Stephen King has lots of good advice about the writing life and craft here. One of his best tips is to take "Elements of Style" to heart and keep things short and to the point. King also addresses political correctness at one point, wondering what Strunk and White would think of its clunkiness. That's why it's so painful to endure school-zone speedbumps like this (Page 124, fourth paragraph): "With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn't expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or the picture across."
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Summary: I love most of King's books, but this isn't one of them.
Review: I'll make use of Mr. King's own advice at the beginning of On Writing. I'll be brief. I bought this book as I buy all of King's books nowadays - blindly. I have confidence that even in his worst endeavours I'll glean a nugget or two of wisdom, or quite simply be entertained for a good week or so, lost in the world King himself created for me. On Writing's first half help me rapt. It mainly consists of auto-biographical info, which I loved. Then we get to the nuts and bolts. What's a gerund? What's a participle? Yawn. I read Warriners in high school. I read Strunk and White in high school and again in college. If I wanted to learn grammar, I'd pull both of those books out of the attic. I thought what I was purchasing was some insight into King's writings - The Stand, The Dark Tower series. What I got was King telling me not to use adverbs as descriptors for how people said something ie. "I hate this book", he said increduously. So for the hell of it I grabbed a King book at random off of my shelf(Wizard and Glass) and low and behold, King breaks his own rule on the first damned page! Until he writes an auto-biography, I'll stick to his fiction. This one left me cold.
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Summary: Hey, why not learn from one of the best?
Review: I read a lot of books on writing techniques, character development, plotting, and all that sort of thing -- not because I expect to become Stephen King, and not even because I actually do some writing myself, but because I have an analytical turn of mind and I like to understand what's going on behind the scenes, in the author's mind. (I read screenplays for the same reason.) Some how-to books are much better than others, naturally, and King rather surprised me with this one. The man is not only a very talented writer, he's a very good teacher, too. On Writing is actually part writing manual and part semi-sardonic writer's autobiography. He describes how he grew up with the writing bug, how he got started and figured out what he wanted to do, how he actually learned how to do it . . . and how he sometimes screwed up. He certainly doesn't spare himself, either. King was an alcoholic and druggie for nearly two decades, but that apparently never got in the way of the creative process. Although "There's one novel, CUJO, that I barely remember writing," he says. And several of the darker characters in such books as MISERY and THE TOMMYKNOCKERS were very much himself. He finally got rid of that baggage through his wife's firm intervention. King is a very generous person when he talks about other writers, though he doesn't hesitate to explain how and where even the best sometimes have a tin ear. His notion that a book is not created from nothing, that it's really a sort of fossil, to be excavated and exposed, is not entirely original with him, but he lays out his reasons very persuasively. Even though he taught high school English in his early career, he doesn't believe grammar should be seen as a straitjacket. And his books are almost entirely character-driven; he does almost no plotting in advance. (That's nice to hear because my mind works much the same way, but I feel guilty when I just let the story take off without having plotted and outlined it in advance.) The last section of the book talks about his near-fatal pedestrian encounter with a recklessly driven van in the summer of 1999 and the part that his return to the keyboard played in his continuing recuperation. Best of all, King writes nonfiction in much the same straightforward, unaffected way that he has produced more than forty bestselling novels.
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Summary: Great advice and a great story
Review: If you are a King fan you have to get this book -even if you don't have an interest in writing. His advice and stories blend toghther wonderfully and it contains a fair amount of biographical information. It truly is a peek behind the curtian and the techniques he advises will be more evident as you read his future stories. It is a great book and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: I was very surprised...
Review: I was very surprised that this turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read in my entire life. I'd never read any of Stephen King's novels before and after completing this one I've purchased several of his works. It may sound incredibly sappy but as I read this book I was just in awe. It was an amazing combination of King's life story and his beautiful/sometimes humorous writing tips. I'm very glad that for some unknown reason I decided to buy this book & I hope others will enjoy it half as much as I did.
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Summary: The Master of Horror is also a Master Professor
Review: I've been a fan of Mr. King's work for years ("The Shining" was and still is an all time favorite) so I make it a point to explore every new book as it comes out. I must say, however, I was skeptical when I began to read this book. I wasn't sure what to expect from the master of suspense, grisly horror, and plot twists. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. King is an excellent instructor, using examples from such respected authors as White and Strunk, Hemingway, Elmore Leonard, and John Steinbeck. He also provides the writer with the tools, examples and lessons needed to, not only begin the work, but to finish it as well and challenges each of us to do so. He does so in his own relaxed, humorous, down-to-earth style that keeps you wanting to read page after page and then re-read it in order to commit it to memory. My copy has highlights, underline, notes in the margins, and is just generally scribbled beyond recognition. And I've only had it two weeks! Anyone who desires to be a true writer will find this book to be every bit as invaluable as their thesaurus, their dictionary, and their copy of "The Elements of Style". If you are not willing to work -- and I do mean work, because, as Mr. King points out, that's what writing really is, don't bother to purchase this book. He has written many wonderful novels, your money would be better spent reading one of his.
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Summary: Fabulous--A Must for Serious Writers
Review: Having recently sold my first novel (and hard at work on the second), I was thrilled to find King's ON WRITING. It's perfectly suited to someone like me--a serious writer who is continuing to develop her craft. The first third of the book is autobiographical. King details the events in his life that shaped him as a writer. This section is a hoot (and if you're an author yourself, may sound all too familiar.) The rest of the book goes to the bones of writing--how to get the story out of your head and onto the page. His sections on dialogue, pacing, narrative, etc., serve as a good review of the basics for longtime writers, and as a sort of checklist for writers struggling with revisions. It's perfect for helping you find and repair the holes in your work. If you're not a writer, this section of the book isn't for you. However, if you're the type who's had a story brewing in your head for years, this just might give you the impetus to put it on paper. One of the best books on the craft I've seen in a long time, ON WRITING is both motivational and instructional. I know I'll read it more than once, and highly recommend it.
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Summary: Riveting, readable and helpful
Review: First, I have to admit that I have never read a Stephen King novel. Ever. But I know that everyone else on the face of the earth has read his books. As a writer who struggles for ever word, I wanted to find out what Stephen King had to say about writing. It turns out King has some wonderful ideas for finding just the right word as well as great ideas for finding stories. His life story is fascinating and the step-by-step writing help is invaluable. I couldn't put this book down and I bought a copy to keep. In the autobiographical section, King tells us how everyday experiences sometimes give him story ideas. For example, at one point Mr. King slips in a restroom... and he uses the experience as the basis of a very imaginative story. This book is highly recommended by me.
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