On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Even if Stephen King was not popular, I would have picked up this book. It is an entertaining book about King growing up, writing, beer drinking, getting injured and generally living. It is more of a biography than a how-to book of writing. For every aspiring writer, whether fiction, non-fiction or even technical writing, this book gives a humorous insight to one of the world's most famous best-selling writers.

Doug Setter
Author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim

Despite writing the most consumerist robotic dreck, Stephen King actually has some really useful insights for writers. A genuine and welcome surprise.

I enjoy reading Stephen King and I love writing, so I bought a copy with great expectations. I found it disappointing in both structure and advice. The first 100 or so pages are almost pure biography. Labeled "C.V.," this long section describes how King developed as a writer. Unlike the biographical sections of other such works (Norman Mailer's The Spooky Art, for example), most of the biographical stories have only the merest connection to learning the craft of writing. I couldn't help thinking that King desired to write an autobiography to immortalize friends and family, but didn't take the plunge and so instead lumped it into his book on writing.

The latter part of the book provides his advice on fiction writing, much of which is excellent and compelling. However, some of the advice understandably mirrors weaknesses that appear in King's own writing. I remember a high school friend commenting (he'd just finished The Mist, I believe) that King couldn't "write a good ending to save his life." This failing is well explained by his dislike for outlining and pre-conceived conclusions.

An English professor of mine called it "grooming your own thicket." When writing without a clear idea of the conclusion, most writers have a snarled mess by the time they reach page 50. The branches of unresolved plot, so clear in the beginning, have grown out of control and enmeshed the writer in chaos.

If you're a beginning writer, realize that Stephen King is a one in a million writer (as proven by his incredible success) and what works for him may not work for you.

I am not criticising Stephen King for the sake of it; I enjoy his books, around a dozen of them are on my list of all time favorites. But as a writer, I must caution aspiring writers about some of the advice King gives in this book. He describes his forumla for drafting as a first draft, second draft, and a third which is essentially a 'polish'. He also disparages plotting, going as far as calling writers who plot mediocre. This is a bum steer; there are many great books written using this method. Also key is the careful, almost obsessive redrafting, going over one's work with a fine-tooth comb, pure elbow grease. There is not enough emphesis on that part of the job, and King is one of the only writers I have ever read who neglect to emphasise the importance of careful and laborious revision.

If you are a King fan, you will enjoy the insight into King's life and work, told in entertaining style as we've come to expect. But if you are a serious aspiring writer, look elsewhere for advice on the craft. King is not a help to you here, and maybe King didn't realize what was at stake by giving bad adive ... a young writer could waste years going about the job in the wrong way.

I've never been fond of Stephen King's works.

That's not to say I don't have tremendous respect for the man. Heck, I'm green with envy over his success. I'm not quite as envious over his scriptwriting career, but that's still more produced scripts than I have (0). There are exactly two stories I've read that I actually enjoyed: the short story "The Cat from Hell" and the novel "The Eyes of the Dragon." A lot of people have read "The Eyes of the Dragon," so I won't dwell on it other than to say that it's a fantasy novel and not a bad one at that.

Virtually no one has heard of "The Cat from Hell," which I stumbled across as a child looking for short stories about fantastic characters. Boy did I get one, a terrifying tale of an assassin hired to execute a cute little kitty that turns out to be far more dangerous than anyone could ever imagine. I don't think Mr. King doesn't like cats.

Anyway, what I've since read from King since often seemed like it meandered. Where "The Cat from Hell" was a tight, gripping story, there has since been a lot of farting, nose picking, and other silliness interspersed through King's novels that turn me off. It's like a kid making farting sounds with his armpit during a scary movie...hard to be scared when someone's giggling behind you.

On Writing explains King's approach and more. It also sums up a lot of King's life, a life that would make exceptionally fertile material for his later horror movies. Most significantly, the book is refreshingly honest. King doesn't think his works are masterpieces, but he does believe he is an artist and a successful one. He talks about it like it is, explaining what it takes to be a writer and more significantly, what will make you a GOOD writer. King has little respect for writing classes. In fact, one could argue On Writing is the first and last book anyone needs about writing.

For King, the most important aspect of writing is telling the truth: about oneself, about what you know, about whom you know, and how you know it. His clear-minded approach cuts through the usual claptrap about high art, English teacher sophisms, and notions about what it means to be a "success." King really gives it his all, baring his heart and soul and admitting to some very nasty things in his life that nearly ended his career.

Then King was hit by a van.

That last chapter is riveting, not the least of which is because it is as if the book's wisdom is put to the test. King, in detail that only he can describe, explains just what happened. And it all seems a lot like his novels, a real life horror story.

The highest compliment I can give this book is that it sent me straight back to my writing, the "closed door" kind, the kind written for the Ideal Reader, the kind that is what I know not what I think I should know.

King inspires prospective authors to write the Truth. And that's more valuable than all his other books put together.