On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King (5 stars)

From Amazon: “Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

Originally published in 2000, Stephen King updated On Writing for the Tenth Anniversary edition by adding an additional foreword and an updated book list. Prior to reading this, I had never read anything by Stephen King. You see, I’m easily terrified, so King was never at the top of my to be read list. He is now, for many reasons.

To start, I love the way his words seem to convey meaning with such ease. As I was reading about his background and approach to writing, I felt like I was sitting next to him on the front porch while he talked. His childhood was by no means easy, and he points out the effect it had on his writing. If I was a betting woman, I’d say this book only scratches the surface on stories Stephen King could tell you about his younger years.

But I didn’t read this book to find out more about Stephen King. I wanted to find out more about his success as a writer, mine his success for tips. Turns out, his advice is simple but crucial: writers need to read, and read a lot, and they need to write. His suggestion: 1,000 words a day. King states that he writes every day except for Christmas and his birthday, but quickly admits to writing even then. Every single day. It’s a way of life for him. Even after his near-fatal accident, he was back to writing, might even say it saved him.

He also emphasizes the need to understand and use correct grammar and punctuation. He illustrates this by defining the essential tools in a writer’s toolbox: vocabulary and grammar (he recommends The Elements of Style by Strunk and White several times). I completely agree. Too often, a good story is overshadowed by horrible editing. At the end of the book he gives an example of a piece and his edits. I will be referring to it often.

King said what I needed to hear to kickstart my 2012 writing, but don’t read this for specific examples of how to be a better writer. His second foreword clears that up right away: “This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do—not why it works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad.”

I’ll admit, I might be a bit biased about this book. King declares, “You may wonder where plot is in all this. The answer—my answer, anyway—is nowhere. I won’t try to convince you that I’ve never plotted any more than I’d try to convince you that I’ve never told a lie, but I do both as infrequently as possible.” I try to plot, truly I do, but I find myself drawn to just writing and seeing where the story leads me. King’s words comforted me—I have to be the writer I am.

In parting, I’ll leave you with King’s words, “You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”

Rating: 5 stars

I highly recommend this book to several groups: people who love a good story, King devotees, and writers looking for a kick in the butt, old-school style.

*****

This review constitutes my first book read for The Stephen King Project. For more information on this challenge, please see my introduction post.