Rating: 
Summary: A lovely gift from one writer to others
Review: Books on the craft of writing and memoirs are alike in being prone to self-indulgence and wankery, as some writer tries to justify his career and/or life. Stephen King, who has always to my taste been better at non-fiction than at fiction, avoids the pitfalls laid by pretension at the feet of the reflective. Only in the last section did I find any trace of self-centeredness, and considering the subject matter there is the car accident that nearly killed the author not very long ago, some lapses are certainly understandable!King's recounting of his life and career are fascinating and vividly told, and for the most part his advice on writing is laid out in the form of 'this is what is right for me' rather than 'this is THE right way'. Where he does dogmatize, he falters. But he falters very rarely for a writer that many people would condemn as a hack.
Rating: 
Summary: The dishes only get washed if you wash the dishes....
Review: Steven King's done it again! He has always been my mentor for the craft of writing, now he is my writing god! His book was the topic of today's conversation at my writers group, as we read selected portions for our monthly writing assignments. He sent us off with toothbrushes to uncover our next writing gems. I had been despairing at ever finding the plot of my writing project. The characters keep telling me things and sharing little vignettes, but they haven't told me the plot. I was encouraged and relieved to learn Steven's opinions about plotting a novel....Now, armed with my toothbrush, I plan to lay in wait for the boogers to accidently reveal all!
Rating:
Summary: A Book on Writing by Someone Who Actually Has Written Books
Review: There are many how-to books on writing written by writers who've never written anything other than a how-to book on writing, so it's delightful to read one by someone as experienced as Stephen King. This is a book I've been wishing he'd write. I found it interesting that he contradicts advice - about plot and pacing, for example - that's been endlessly quoted as gospel in other how-to-write sources. Whether you like King's novels or not, you have to admit he's productive, he has his own voice, and he's down-to-earth. The first part is autobiographical and, with a good dose of humour, he tells us of the passion he's always had for writing, and more importantly, reading. The second part of the book deals with the practical aspects of writing. It's sensible and straight-forward, and stresses the importance of character-driven plot, and of using clear precise language. (Rules of grammar are not a conspiracy to stifle creativity.) If you prefer reading over writing, you can, of course, read it for pleasure. As it should be, this book is easy to read, entertaining, and enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: An extremely honest book.
Review: When I found this book here in Brazil, I decided I wouldn't buy it. Mainly because it was a very EXPENSIVE hardcover and I'm not really a Stephen King fan. I've watched some of the movies based in his work, read some of his books, but that was all. However, once I took the book in my hands and read in the back of the book the passage about keeping the desk in the corner... Damn, I knew I had lost it and would spend my precious money. :) It is really hard to classify this book, since it is not a pure autobiography neither a writing manual. It has resemblances to both and that "extra" thing you feel when you finish a good book. The first half of the book tells the story of a young Stephen King discovering he is a writer, and then all the hard time he had to convince the world about it. Here we see where the writer came from and how he was formed. If you think you are a writer too, probably you will connect to some of these passages. An interesting aspect is that as I often hear about his mega deals, I had the impression he was this son of a millionaire who had always been very rich... :) And after learning about his life, all the hard jobs and his fierce determination to write, suddenly it became so much easier to accept his success and understand his work. The second part of the book deals with the art of writing. There is very useful information here, most of technical nature. All those things you always wanted to ask a famous writer about. The so-called "secrets of the trade" that we think are the key to success, but in fact are only technical stuff. He won't teach you how to write excellent stories or find an esoteric source to inspiration. The guy is a experienced writer and he knows this is impossible. However, if you think you have your own ideas and that strange wish to write, you can only benefit from his advice. He shared important explanations about the use of adverbs, revisions, the way we should handle drafts, etc... The reference to Strunk's book "Elements of Style" is a nice touch too. I have my copy already! :) By the middle of the book I was really decided to give this book a three-star rating, because I felt a hint of excessive pride in some parts. But when I finished the book and had the whole picture in my mind, I just smiled with myself and could sort of understand the guy with the big glasses who must smile with himself while reading reviews too. :) If I had to describe this book in a word, I'd say it is very, very HONEST. And for this sole reason, it deserves to be read. As with every book I read, there is always something that makes me thinking and I know I will carry for life. In this book I found this pearl : "Writing is refined thinking". What a great sentence! I recommend this book to hardcore Stephen King fans or ANYBODY interested in writing. This one will survive many years in my library and I hope to visit it again one day. If you made this far in this review and have a tiny, timid, hidden wish to start writing one day, do yourself a favor and buy this book! :)
Rating:
Summary: A classic book on the writing craft
Review: I am not a big reader of Stephen King novels. I have only read The Shining, which I liked a great deal. However, as a writer, I really enjoyed "On Writing." I now have two books on writing that I will refer to again and again for knowledge and motivation--John Gardner's, "On Becoming a Novelist," and Stephen King's, "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft." Read this book. You will not be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: This book will make you believe YOU can write!!
Review: The fourth greatest lie of all time is that Stephen King is a horror writer. He's so much more. I am one of those people Steve refers to as a "constant reader." If you're reading this review, if you're an Amazon.com junkie, then you probably fall into the same category. If I could ever stop reading books, I might actually have some time to write one. Mr King tells you how. On my bookshelf are a half dozen "how to write books." Universally, they focus on mechanics. ON WRITING focuses on the vision of writing. Nutshell: get a copy of The Elements of Style (William Strunk and EB White), turn off the television, and start writing. More than anything else, Steve makes you believe he was once a commoner with a dream. He makes you believe your dream can also cross the reality bridge. It's a quick, great read.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have For Writers New and Old
Review: It really is... I liked the autobiographical first section, it's funny, thoughtful and moving. The technical second section, the stuff about "how to write", is sound and full of good advice and insights, as well as being entertaining. It's a common sense "talking to" that is easy to follow and use. Seasoned and novice writers will all benefit from this. There's also a reading list at the end that exposes you to good examples of writing. It's one of the few books on writing that I have bothered to shell out moolah for and worth every penny. Bonus: there's a short writing assignment that you can complete and submit to Steve, who may or may not reply and critique.(deadline is Dec 31, 2000)
Rating:
Summary: It's a Craft, Folks!
Review: Stephen King once again reminds us that he has no need to occupy a throne among the demi-gods of "high" literature. While never forgetting that writing is an art, thankfully he accentuates that it is mainly a craft. "You'll also want grammar on the top shelf of your toolbox, and don't annoy me with your moans of exasperation..." As we continue to exalt good intentions over consequences in this world -- but Officer, I really didn't MEAN to hit him -- King forces us to acknowledge that a creative idea doesn't necessarily lead to a successful piece of creative writing. "..it is impossible to make a great writer out of a [merely] good one... King offers instruction in crafting writing that can help anyone interested in improving their writing--from the bad to the "merely" good to the great. However, he is honest enough to hurt our feelings. Not everyone can be a Stephen King.
Rating:
Summary: Liked it all, start to finish.
Review: This book might not be what you expect -- the first half is a mini-autobiography and the last chapter is a retelling of his car accident. Not normally fodder for a book on writing. But it's all entertaining. I'm not a professional writer, and based on King's fairly blatant comments I probably never will be, but I was entertained hearing it from one of my favorite authors. It was nice to see him confirm things I'd always liked (the character development is most important). When he's got something negative to say, he pulls no punches. Adverbs suck. He gives plenty of examples of good sentences, as well as plenty of bad ones -- citing the source at each turn, as all good writers should do (watch out Bridges of Madison County and Danielle Steele!). How useful is it to a writer? I expect that a large portion of what he's saying has been said. Read alot. Write alot. Repeat. Get rejected, learn from the experience, get accepted. And so on. It's the style with which he says it. He doesn't just say "You'll get rejected", he tells stories about personal rejections in his early days. That's what makes it good.
Rating:
Summary: On a Life...and a Craft
Review: This is a terrific book, for at least two reasons: King allows his reader to accompany him on a personal, albeit highly selective journey through King's life thus far; also, in the second part of the book, King demonstrates extraordinary generosity when sharing his reflections on the craft of writing. Over the years, I have observed him carefully during various interviews during which he revealed a delicious (often self-deprecating) sense of humor in combination with absolute seriousness about what effective writing involves, indeed requires. To the best of my knowledge, in this book for the first time King assembles and examines in great detail most (if not all) of his thoughts and feelings about himself both as a person and as a writer. I share his high regard for Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. Perhaps he shares my high regard for Zinsser's On Writing. King's own On Writing would be a perfect holiday gift for anyone, for a younger person especially, who has already demonstrated some talent as a writer and is serious about improving the skills of craftsmanship. This is also a book anyone will read with pleasure, perhaps with joy. That was my own experience. One final point: King leaves no doubt about the enormous difficulties of writing well. I am reminded of Rod Steiger's response whenever aspiring young actors request his advice. He asks them if they want to be an actor or if they have to be an actor. "The longer it takes for them to answer that question, the less likely it is that they will succeed." Hemingway once explained that he wrote because he had to "get it out." Those who have to write will write. King's book can help them to write better. For everyone else, King's book can help them to read with greater awareness as well as appreciation of those who write well. And all will get to know this best-selling author in the process.
| 
