On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft in Scribner Books

May 20, 2010 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, november-read-2011, writing

This is a must read for writers, readers and Stephen King fans.
Fully laden with inspiration to walk the walk and start that journey of writing a story of you're own from short story to a full novel. Imagine great writers of the past like Dickens around to give advice to aspiring writers it's a real opportunity to grasp.

This man, Stephen King, worked hard to make himself into a writer and had sheer determination, from working all hours to pay his college education to writing his first stories i This is a must read for writers, readers and Stephen King fans.
Fully laden with inspiration to walk the walk and start that journey of writing a story of you're own from short story to a full novel. Imagine great writers of the past like Dickens around to give advice to aspiring writers it's a real opportunity to grasp.

This man, Stephen King, worked hard to make himself into a writer and had sheer determination, from working all hours to pay his college education to writing his first stories in a trailer. He was a single parent child with one brother. His life story is what dreams are made of, he defeated the single parent upbringing stereotype and made things work. When he was awaiting that call from his agent on selling the paperback rights for Carrie he was only expecting around a $40'000 mark and received an astonishing $400'000 payout. He really loves to write and does mention it was 'never about the money.' His marriage is solid and that helped his career, he met his wife Tabitha at a poetry workshop and both their loves for writing was an important ingredient to their marriage.
From a millworker to one of the greatest writers. He had written Running Man in a week and writes one word at a time, he tells us in his book that it's all about the story never the plot.
Write what you know, fresh images and simple vocabulary believable characters graceful narration, and truth telling all the hallmarks of good writing.
It is really nice to hear him say that if you don't have time to read you don't have time to write, a bad story can teach the reader so much on how not to write a story. Reading is an essential core to successful story writing. As I ponder all this advice I am also looking to try and start writing a story.
He says that 1000 words a day is good and to all importantly have that room to write, cut yourself off from distractions, immerse yourself and close that door to the world and write one word at a time.

It was interesting to hear of his time in London at The Brown's Hotel. He wrote at Rudyard Kipling's desk the first words of his novel Misery.
Here is a photo of the table and what he said.

"I wrote most of Misery by hand, sitting at Kipling's desk in Brown's Hotel in London.....Then I found out he died at the desk. That spooked me, so I quit the hotel."
---From a 1998 interview with journalist Peter Conrad

Close that door, close out the world and immerse yourself in writing your story!

Some quotes from the book.

"Read to measure ourselves against the good and the greats and to what can be done."

"If you don't have the time to read you don't have the time to write."

REVIEWHERE TOO. ...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

One of my favorite books about writing.

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Mar 04, 2021 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is my favorite book about writing, ever. I was delighted to learn that the audiobook originally published in 2000 was updated for its 20th Anniversary in 2020.

It's so enjoyable and so funny in spots that I've been saving it to listen in the car: At the vet's office while waiting for my pets to get medical care, at the drive-through vaccination site while waiting for covid vaccination number one. Going to listen during covid shot number two, too.

Such a great audiobook! ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Donna Davis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: primary-sources, favorites-overflow, reviewed, memoirs-biographies-autobio

Who knew that someone who is so enamoured by things that "go bump in the dark" (his words) could be such a nice guy? And I mean, REALLY nice.

This book is as much memoir as how-to guide, if not moreso. After all, as he notes himself, if you aren't already writing reasonably well before you picked up his book, he cannot save you. Only you can do the writing, and there are no multiple steps that will turn you into a publishable writer.

That's all right. This book is worth reading just as memoir, at ...more

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