On Writing
by
Stephen King
Five Stars!
✩✩✩✩✩
“I was built with a love of the night and the unquiet coffin, that’s all. If you disapprove, I can only shrug my shoulders. It’s what I have.” Stephen King: On Writing, page 158.
This is the first Stephen King book I have finished, the first one I have loved. I don’t say that to be a jerk, though I know that is a jerk thing to say. I have always wanted to be a Stephen King fan. I have always admired his writing career. I sighed with relief when he survived the accident and again when it turned out to be merely a rumor that he had decided to stop writing afterwards.
I have long suspected I would like the man himself.
This book, one of the few non-fiction works of Stephen King, supported my suspicion that he is a pretty great guy. Down to earth. Matter of fact. A believer of sorts. A family man. And best of all, a helper. Some of his success even he does not understand. What he does understand, he explains in this book.
The book starts as background of King’s life – including mostly parts that he believes shaped him as a writer. Who would not want to read this book for those great stories alone?? The rest is very practical advice intertwined with the same storytelling. I put the book down twice while I was reading – once to go to work and once to sleep.
I write about pets (well, and books, and gardening and sometimes random things that are on my mind…I can do that – it’s a blog!) But I found everything King wrote, even though it was specifically geared to fiction writers, worth considering in my own writing.
I loved this book. For the stories alone, I think you will too. If you dream of being a writer, especially a fiction writer, I would start here, and continue with What’s Next as suggested in this book.