HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

On Writing by Stephen King
Loading...

On Writing (original 2000; edition 2000)

by Stephen King

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
18,414514262 (4.21)365
Writing. Language Arts. Nonfiction. HTML:Twentieth Anniversary Edition with Contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King's critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

"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 1999â??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 itâ??fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well
… (more)
Member:cfredd
Title:On Writing
Authors:Stephen King
Info:Scribner (2000), Hardcover, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:nonfiction, writing

Work Information

On Writing by Stephen King (2000)

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 365 mentions

English (488)  Spanish (5)  German (4)  Italian (3)  French (3)  Catalan (1)  Japanese (1)  Dutch (1)  Danish (1)  Finnish (1)  Portuguese (1)  All languages (509)
Showing 1-5 of 488 (next | show all)
This was a fun read. I am not a writer so I was here for all the anecdotes and intrigue!

This book is a love-letter to his wife and his mother - he writes with such fondness about both women. ( )
  s_carr | Feb 25, 2024 |
I read this 20years ago and pulled it off the shelve recently. A reaction to threatening myself about writing some stories. SK's brief auto-biography and thoughts on writing. An interesting and very Maine life. Its always pleasant to be reminded that he lived a lot of his life just a few blocks away and that his paths have crossed with many friends and family. Writing is truly this man's passion and he brings it across well. ( )
  JBreedlove | Feb 2, 2024 |
Very interesting, as a biograph tell us a lot abouto Stephen childhood. maybe is there the reason why he started to write... and maybe why he wrote that kind of books...

Very, very interesting! ( )
  jpedro_1966 | Jan 23, 2024 |
Listened to the audiobook (read by King himself!). Excellent, humorous, deadly serious, solid guide to the craft and much insight into King's own method. He has been hard at work every single day for decades. Thoroughly enjoyable. ( )
  fmclellan | Jan 23, 2024 |
The 5 other books I've read about How to Write have all been far more productive reads than this - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3358627?shelf=writing&sort=rating

Half the book is a memoir, admittedly related to Stephen King's writing history from an early age. For fans of the author's work, this book might be a lot of fun. For others looking for writing advice, pretty much any other book will be more useful.

The amount of actually writing advice in this book can be bullet-pointed on less than a page. King admits that most of the advice is borrowed from The Elements of Style. King is also a pantser; he "distrusts plot". Most of lessons are straightforward advice you've either heard before or will easily find when you read a real book on How to Write, e.g., "express the truth".

King repeatedly mentions "You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this or any other book on writing". So why would he write this book? King takes 6-week breaks after finishing each 1st draft. On Writing easily could have been written during one of these breaks, as simply a way to let his mind rest and distance itself from the main project.

On Writing is personal piece King wanted to write, but ultimately will not benefit any readers looking to improve their craft. This is not the book you're looking for. ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 488 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (14 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
King, Stephenprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fischer, AndreaÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hobbing, ErichDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Juti, RikuTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Knudsen, BertilTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kuipers, HugoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rekiaro, IlkkaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Honesty's the best policy. — Miguel de Cervantes
Liars prosper. — Anonymous
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Amy Tan, who told me in a very simple and direct way that it was okay to write it.
C. V.
First words
I was stunned by Mary Karr's memoir, The Liar's Club.
[Foreword] In the early nineties (it might have been 1992, but it's hard to remember when you're having a good time) I joined a rock-and-roll band composed mostly of writers.
[Second Foreword] This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.
[Third Foreword] One rule of the road not directly stated elsewhere in this book: "The editor is always right."
Quotations
"I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs and I will shout it from the rooftops."
"... there is a huge difference between story and plot. Story is honorable and trustworthy; plot is shifty and best kept under house arrest." (page 170)
(p79) Look — here's a table covered with a red cloth. ... Do we see the same thing? We'd have to get together and compare notes to make absolutely sure, but I think we do. There will be necessary variations, of course: some receivers will see a cloth which is turkey red, some will see one that's scarlet, while others may see still other shades. ... and a cat with an 8, clearly marked on its back in blue ink ... This is what we're looking at, and we all see it. I didn't tell you. You didn't ask me. I never opened my mouth and you never opened yours. We're not even in the same year together, let alone the same room ... except we are together. We're close. We're having a meeting of the minds.
(p102) The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story ...
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
Writing. Language Arts. Nonfiction. HTML:Twentieth Anniversary Edition with Contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King's critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

"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 1999â??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 itâ??fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary
On Writing tells of

writer's background more than rules

aspirants should learn.

(legallypuzzled)

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.21)
0.5 1
1 29
1.5 13
2 94
2.5 22
3 589
3.5 140
4 1542
4.5 183
5 1875

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 202,659,450 books! | Top bar: Always visible