Rating: 
Summary: Even his non-fiction is good
Review: While I have the occasional problem with a King novel, I have always liked the fact that his writing is entertaining and down to earth. This comes through in his new book as well. I am sure many may see the subject of the book and be turned off, but instead, this book is an absorbing read on the growth of a writer, and the techniques that he uses. The first half of the book is mainly autobiographical: what inspired King, what his experiences were as a kid. It's a great glimpse into his mind. I like that King takes himself to our level, that he has a healthy amount of humility AND he is willing to admit that not all of his books were perefct unto themselves. The ending of the book is a description of his June 1999 accident. It's fitting for King to end the book on this note, because it showed him (and us) just how important writing is to his life, and to his recovery. I enjoyed this little excursion out of King's fictional haunts. Since King is such an accomplished writer as it is, it doesn't seem like all that much of a trangression either, just another entertainign read by a great author.
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting
Review: On Writing is quite possibly the most interesting book that I have ever read. The first half is a hilarious account of Stephen King's childhood and the second half is a guide on how to write. This book will make anyone want to become a writer! Also recommended is The Shining and The Stand by Stephen King
Rating:
Summary: Good to read. Narrow in its scope.
Review: On Writing splits into three sections: growing up and how he developed an interest in writing; tips on preferred writing practice; how writing helped him cope after his road accident. The book was interesting in that SK recognises that quality writing occurs when the story isn't driven by a ruthlessly predetermined plot but is formed through a process of suggestion as a seed idea is laid down and worked upon - a process that is at the heart of any good design. On the other hand, SK doesn't recognise how limited his own writing is, as the 'worked' example at the end of the book clearly shows; a discrepancy that occurs in titles such as Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Gerald's Game. In Nightmares and Dreamscapes the broad range of subject matter lacks credibility, and in many cases comes across as competent exercises. There's a distinct lack of heart/truthfulness/projection of personality. In Gerald's game he chickened out and inserted a completely unnecessary character - the psycho with the bag of bones - into what was a terrific story. I enjoyed reading On Writing. But I prefer Danse Macabre.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone thinking about reading King.
Review: I've never read anything by Stephen King until this book. I browsed it at the store and instantly got hooked. King lets you see the evolution of his writing from his personal life to his first publihed work to over 30 novels later. He's able to make you understand him, what he's all about, why he writes, what motivates him, and what's in the future. Then King takes you on a journey of discovery by being brutally honest about how someone should write and puts it into useable tools that will help any budding writer grasp the concept. Why? Because he's pretty damn good at it. And I must say that I've never considered writing until reading 'On Writing,' but it got me thinking. It's at least inspired me to relook at how I read and why. As King notes: if someone is serious about writing a lot, they better be reading a lot. I may not get into writing, but I've found a new love for reading, especially King.
Rating:
Summary: The Book Only Stepehn King Could Write
Review: Let me begin by saying that a book about writing can be dangerous. No two authors take the same approach, work at the same speed, cover the same material, or write with the same ends in mind. In short, there is no correct way to write. Having said that (a phrase which King professes to hate), there is a great deal of interesting material in this book. In the first section of the book King gives us his "Curriculum Vitae," a brief autobiography focussing on the events in his life which contributed to his career choice (he might argue that it was no choice at all). In this section he also discusses his life as a writer. This portion of the book is interesting and reads quickly. It also goes a long way in illuminating King's thematic preferences. In the second section King takes the reader's hand and walks him or her through a "how to" course. Among other topics, King discusses vocabulary, grammer, dialogue, second drafts, and finding an agent. In this section, King lets his opinions fly. Oftentimes I agree with him. Sometimes I do not. For example, he tells the reader not to use adverbs if at all possible. That I agree with (and if you need to be convinced yourself, try reading the first 10 pages of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos sometime). He also says some terrific things about dialogue attribution. On the other hand, he recommends a tremendous amount of output that few who are not named Stephen King could match. He is also dead against outlining or plotting a novel. For some writers that may be good advice, but others may need to outline, even if their story begins to diverge from the outline on page 20 (as an interesting side note, William Styron once told me that after extensively plotting "Sophie's Choice" and covering his walls with outlines and character sketches, he found the story taking on a life of it's own in the very first chapter... he then abandoned the preordained plot). Still, King makes it very clear that his advice is just that. Advice. It worked for him, and maybe it will work for you too. No matter how you write though, King does offer some very valuable advice (and it's difficult to argue with his success). In the third and final section, King relates the story of his recent near-fatal car accident. I found this section both harrowing and uplifting. This portion of the book originally appeared in the New Yorker, and at the time I had passed the article around to everyone I know. As usual, King describes this event as only he could (you really do feel as though you were on the side of the road watching it all happen), and in doing so he unintentionally proves the value of the advice he offers earlier. If you take writing seriously, you could do worse than to read this book. And even if you do not write but are just a typical Stephen King fanatic, you would enjoy this book for the insight it gives into his character and into his novels.
Rating:
Summary: You Don't Have to be a Fan
Review: You don't have to be a Stephen King fan to enjoy his latest book, "On Writing" -- but you may be a fan when you finish the book. It is humorous, honest, contains an insight into his life, and describes how he gets his ideas for his books. I find that I am studying his book as well reading it. He doesn't believe in using excessive words, a technique that I tried to employ when I wrote what I think may be the world's first practical fitness book, "Fitness It's Gotta Be Quick & It's Gotta Be Easy." I am now struggling with writing fiction and plan to use many of his suggestions.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good -- but also Pretty Basic
Review: As a writing student, I found this book to be charmingly written, and it did inspire a few debates with fellow writers about whether talent can be learned and whether it outweighs skill. But a lot of what King says seems like common sense to me. "In order to write well, you have to read." Well, yeah. No kidding. So while I agreed with King on almost every point, I also thought that a lot of it went without saying. So unless you are really on the ground floor of the writing world and hoping to rise to the top, the tools King offers are the most basic: the stone tablet and chisel. For people who are a little bit farther along in the craft, this stepping stone can be skipped.
Rating:
Summary: No wonder I have problems with his stuff...
Review: I used to read everything Stephen King wrote, but gradually became more and more disenchanted with his work. I always thought King wrote great characters and dialogue, but the stories he told often felt weak. IT, for instance, was a massive, abosorbing book with a masterful buildup, which was totally ruined by a stupid, ultra-lame climax. THE STAND, his best book, also felt cheated in the payoff department. (THE FOG and TOMMYKNOCKERS were other examples.) I eventually got frustrated in his slapdash approach to the stories themselves and the lack of forethought that seemed to go into them. In ON WRITING, King actually takes pride in this sort of approach to his stories. He states takes characters and puts them into "What if?" scenarios, which makes for compelling situations, but when I make a leap of faith to spend time with a story a writer is telling, I want to feel like the writer has a story in mind... and NOT something he is making up as he goes along. King constantly emphasizes the value of "story" in his section on writing, but deemphasizes "plot," as though they were two totally different things. I submit that in the kind of high-concept stories like he used to write, "plot" is VERY important... and plot IS the story. (Although I haven't read his books in the last six or seven years, I sense that he's busy with more "character studies," where the value of "plot" may be diminished.) King kind of poo-poos the use of outlines, but without a clear sense of where your "story/plot" is heading, your characters are just sort of wandering around where the writer's whim takes them with no idea of where they'll wind up. Those aren't the books I like to read, and that's why I have left Stephen King behind. Having said that, this book is very good. I especially enjoyed the sections dealing with specific stories: The genesis of THE STAND, CARRIE, why different sections were rewritten, etc. I would definitely recommend it to fans... and those, like me, who used to be fans.
Rating:
Summary: Precious Gems For Writers
Review: No writer can read this book without gaining deeper insights into the craft. Like a kindly neighbor handing out Halloween treats, Stephen King drops precious gems into our bags without even asking who is knocking at the door. Mr. King's personal courage to bare his own soul, for the benefit of others, is exemplary. Writers, don't write another word until you have read this book. If it doesn't keep you awake all night, the way King's novels should, then keep your day job. FIVE STARS ARE NOT ENOUGH!
Rating:
Summary: Aspiring Writers (& Me), You Could Do Worse
Review: Stephen King has sold a gazillion books. Along with Tom Clancy, John Grisham, he is a member of the trifecta of modern pop-literature. It seems every book is a potential movie. So why did he write this book now? Why write a book on writing? Is it necessary? Is it even worth buying? C'mon, folks, he's "got it" and 99.9% of aspiring writers don't. Right? I think Stephen King wrote this simply because he can. He knows it is a select audience that is going to read it. Those fans who don't ever care to be writers won't read this book. Well, actually they might, thinking to themselves that they might gain some secret insight into the mind of their idol. They will be disappointed. In not so many words, Mr. King says exactly the same thing himself. There is no secret to his storytelling. It just is what it is...lots of hard work. The first part of this 280+ page book is autobiography. He expounds on a few of his life "snapshots" that may or may not have influenced particular characters or scenes throughout his collection of works. But if you desire to buy this book just to uncover those snippets of Stephen King trivia, be my guest. It will only make him more money. I think the author was only trying to open up a bit more directly to his readers--instead of doing it via a fictional charcter (which he asserts every character he has created is a part of himself) within his stories. The other part of this book is, of course, on writing. He answers questions often asked him in book signings and semanars ("Where do you get your ideas? etc etc") as well as questions he wishes people would ask. He analogizes writers as having multi-leveled "toolboxes." Important things like vocabulary and grammar go on top of the tool box where they are most accessible. Elements of style and dialogue and paragraph structure go elsewhere along with theme and symbolism, etc. This analogy is a fantastic discription that I hope to use with my own students some day (whenever I go back to teaching). I also enjoyed the expert lessons on discipling one's self towards writing. Of course, what works for him may not work for everyone, but I think many hopeful writers reading this will find commonalities with someone who is making a living, and the rest of us doing it for now as a hobby. As he says, "you could do worse" in following some of his examples. Some of the lessons on style and grammar could be learned in a couple of writing courses in any college in the country. However, it would would be a lot less efficient and lot less interesting. This book isn't going to give you credit hours, but it will give you helpful tips. Sometimes a car only needs a jump start, not an engine overhaul. I could describe everything about this book that will keep it prominantly on my bookshelf (dog-eared, loaded with post-it notes and little penciled notes in the margins, no doubt), but the gist is this: If you love to write and feel you may be pretty good at it, read this book. If you just "like" Stephen King as a novelist and don't think about the intricacies of writing then go to the library. Check out this book and skim the auto-bio section and return the book after 2 weeks. You won't be bored and then someone else can use the book to do the same. I have always held that you can extract a ton of information about a person by what they read everyday. (Ernest Hemingway vs. Robert James Waller; Wall Street Journal vs. Field and Stream etc). In the last 3 pages Stephen King submits his private reading list that have influenced him in some way in the last 3 years. Wonderful list! I photocopied it so I can keep it in my wallet so whenever I am at a bookstore I can look for a few of the titles. It WAS a boost to my ego though, when I realized out of the 100 or so books he lists, I have read about 30 of them. Nice to know that a bestselling author and myself are on a similar mindset. Already after I finished, I began going through some of my own journals form college and looking for ideas I had started, but never finished. I have already set aside more hours to read (and turning of the TV, which he recommends) and to write. With a couple more readings of this book I may ever become encouraged to submit some stories for publication. PS: one more thing. The last section that he wrote describing his near-death accident in 1999, when he was run-over by a van being driven by someone messing with his dog, is a real sobering account. For anyone who has thought not to continue writing due to something tragic in their life (because they don't know how to keep creative, etc) this account will tug on your heart.
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