|
Loading... On Writing (edition 2002)by Stephen King
Work detailsOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
This was a re-read for me, and I enjoyed it as much this time as I did the first. The book is part memoir, part writing guide. Both parts are written in a conversational style that sets this book aside from typical writing guides. We first learn about how the events of King's childhood led him to become a writer and a bit about his writing process as well. King then shares a few of what he considers the most important principles of writing. Some of his advice is not surprising (read a lot and write a lot), but other suggestions are fresh and fascinating. For example, King talks about starting with a strong situation, which he suggests renders the question of plot moot. [Cujo] began with the question, "What if a young mother and her son became trapped in their stalled car by a rabid dog?" "What if vampires invades a small New England village?" led to [Salem's Lot]. While warning against too much description, King suggests that description should begin in the writer's imagination and finish in the reader's. If you've ever thought about writing yourself or if you are just interested in knowing more about King's process, I highly recommend this book. (  ) porch_reader | Jun 13, 2013 |  Really quite a good book about writing and the writing life. The advice is practical and common sense, more about story-craft, less about grammar and stringing sentences together. His personal account of getting run over by a character from one of his novels is fascinating, especially for fans of the Dark Tower. (  ) dgmillo | Jun 2, 2013 | Stephen King, author of more than 55 books, comes to the table to share his experience with the craft of writing. The first half is devoted to memoirs, which include his history with horror, the hundreds of rejection slips impaled on his wall, and his period of alcoholism. As a writer fascinated with the forming of other writers, I genuinely enjoyed this section and didn't find it overlong or tedious. The second section, which is written in a very frank and personal way, discusses writing itself. What is writing? (Telepathy). What is the most important thing writers need to do? (Read a lot, write a lot). He frequently talks about writing coming from situations rather than plot, and - most interesting to me - shares details about his process. How long, where, and in what way do you write? Not all of the things in this book can be mimicked, but if you're just beginning to write seriously, Stephen King's On Writing can guide, assure, and inspire. ( ) flight_of_stars | May 30, 2013 | Surprisingly good book about writing, wish I'd listened to this before NaNoWriMo 2010 started! Still, a good "read" on the subject of writing and getting published. This is actually the first Stephen King book I've read! ( ) dukefan86 | May 29, 2013 | I had little desire to read this book--this acclaimed book, actually--when it was first published. When younger, I found myself filled with outrage at the U.S. Government by the time I finished reading [The Stand]: King's future fantasy was so real and horrifyingly plausible. I found myself reading more and more of his books until finally, finally, I woke up to the garbage I was polluting my brain (soul?) with, and stopped cold turkey. But after recently falling into a copy-editing job, I have been delving into grammar books, editing books, and how-to-write books. Some have kept me until the last page. King's combined memoir, how-to, how-he-does, and the cataclysmic accident that nearly took his life but which, in turn, gave him the courage and inspiration to finish this nonfiction book begun but shoved, unfinished, in a drawer. It isn't to say that King's way will be every writer's. but there are enough nuggets to be mined that we each can share. Worth the time to read. (  ) kaulsu | May 27, 2013 | no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
|
 Google Books — Loading...
Popular coversRatingAverage: (4.17)
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4
Wikipedia in English (10)
1