People keep saying this is the best book about the craft of writing. I'm not a writer, and I haven't read Stephen King so I'm not sure why I read this one. I am a reader, however and I found it interesting. The biographical parts especially so. And why is his son named Joe Hill? I'll have to find that out somewhere else. ( )

Combination of a memoir and advice about writing fiction and getting it published. I liked the memoir parts, the advice part not so much. (Makes sense since I have no ambition to write or get published.)

It the “how to write” part reminded me a bit of George Saunders “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” which I thought was great. ( )

You do not have to be a writer to enjoy this surprisingly entertaining memoir. I did not know that I would relate to and enjoy Stephen King so much. I found myself viewing some of his videos on YouTube after reading this, and kept a copy to refer to for inspiration and technique references when I am stuck in my writing. ( )

A better title for this book would be "On being a Writer" as it seems to be concerned less with writing itself and more with everything else that writers do or that happens to them. Additionally, a better subtitle would be "How to be a writer that Stephen King would like to hang out with" as it is heavily biased toward the preferences of the author.

This book is a kind of Frankenstein monster, created from different books that were too short to be published separately. This means everyone will find something interesting, but only the most devoted King fans (I'm not one of them) will be fully satisfied with all the parts.

In the writing-related part, the author argues that one either is a good writer already or never will be, so he addresses only those who want to get serious about professional writing and have the basics covered. However, the specific tips given here are still pretty basic, e.g.:
- build up an extensive vocabulary, use a variety of words but avoid long ones
- use proper grammar, unless you are certain you can get away with an improper one
- provide descriptions but don't make them too long
The author refers to The Elements of Style at least 15 times, stating that writing principles are better explained there and there's no point in repeating them. I agree.

The writer-related parts are much more interesting. they deal mostly with designing a sustainable and efficient process for writing - environment, cadence, creating/editing phases, having a target audience of one, overcoming writer's block, etc. The author shares his own experiences, presenting the "behind the scenes" of writing his bestsellers. Even though I haven't read them all, I enjoyed stories about how he has written himself into a corner or needed to restore a passion for a project that he lost hope for. Also, there is a recurring theme of life circumstances impacting the creative process and how to persevere and stay focused, which is relatable for all of us and will never get old. This rather can't be said about tips on how to get published or find an agent, which shows the pre-Internet days of the industry.

The King-related parts are for the fans. They will find here accounts of finding his passion for writing in his childhood as well as his accident and how this passion helped him recover. They will get lists of books he enjoyed, an interview with his son, and some memories of the other son. It's fine but hardly connected with the rest of the book.

This book is a highly subjective guide to being a writer that Stephen King will enjoy reading. He's praising things that work for him but at the same time disrespecting, mocking, or ignoring everything else. There is honesty and authenticity in this approach - love it or hate it. It is written well and often shows more than it tells, so one needs to read "between the lines" to extract real value. +1 star for King's fans, +2 stars for his devotees. ( )

Solid advice on writing, and a short self-penned bisected bio. It is clear from the bio that King was going to be writer, it is in his bones, and even after his bones are re-arranged, he is still happier being a writer. Keep writing, SK! ( )