On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Fantastic! King's love for writing really shines through. I wish I could hang out with him and discuss.

Good, down to earth advice from a man who knows how to churn out great books that appeal to the average man.
Combines a backstory that moves from humourous to heart breaking and back again, with such sage advice as to not let your powers of description get away from you, and to not be afraid to kill your characters. Uses a metaphor of a toolbox to work through basics such as characterization, vocabulary and how to ‘fear the adverb' that was surprisingly insightful.
King rambles on about how he learned to write, and while doing so provides some insight on how to learn yourself: “You can learn only by doing.” Made me feel less like I was reading a ‘how to' than getting a peak inside his head, and getting to know him a little more closely.

No soy un fan en particular de Stephen King. Sé lo mismo de él que la mayoría: que es un escritor prolífico con historias icónicas de adaptación fácil y mediática a la gran pantalla (y pequeña). Pero leer este libro es lo más cerca de estar con el escritor en cuestión sentado en una mesa y teniendo una charla reveladora y relajada sobre su vida y el oficio (estrechamente entrelazadas, aunque, supongo, que el propósito del libro te ofrece una perspectiva sesgada al respecto). Su talento es tal que leerlo es casi como estar leyendo ficción, y lo recomendaría incluso a aquellos lectores que normalmente no se acercarían a este tipo de libros. Muy disfrutable. De algún modo, consigue que sus palabras vayan más allá de lo que significa ser escritor y hablen, un poquito, de lo que significa (en especial para él) ser feliz y también, en segundo lugar pero en mayor medida, del amor.

Excellent. Excellent memoir that weaves in some high-level advice for writers. Oddly, this is perhaps my favorite Stephen King book. But, I recommend this for both writers and non-writers alike. Half of this book is straight-up memoir, but the half that is focused more on the writing process blends the how-to with King's life narrative and is a great peek inside of an extremely creative mind.

Just remember that it is subtitled, “A Memoir of the Craft”. It is not a “how-to” on writing though it discusses process and whatnot, and it makes you think. As a memoir this is a solid 4 or 5 stars. I removed 1 star because it is often touted and marketed as advice for writers. There are gems in there, but on the whole, I would go elsewhere for that sort of thing.

Recommend. But only as a memoir (as I think King really initially intended it to be). King is a fascinating man.

it's his best book

Is it strange that I loved this book more than any of King's other books?
Not that I mean I disliked the others – there are quite a few I really enjoyed! – but I genuinely loved the matter-of-fact way King talked about his life, writing, and publishing back in the day.
As silly as it might be to say, I'd love to see a “sequel” to this. I'm curious how his thoughts have changed, if at all, and how he feels about the publishing industry now.

One of the best books on writing, period. This is the book that gave me the confidence to write my first novel (thanks, Steve!). Even if you're not a fan of King's fiction, but you think you want to write a novel, you should read this now. Seriously.

I received this as a gift, but ended up doing the audio for it due to time.

Strangely enough, I’ve seen handfuls of people talk about this book with the warning “just don’t treat it like scripture!” I’ve had it said to me personally and I’ve seen it said online, and honestly, I’ve not actually seen anyone treat it like that. Could it be because of all of our well meaning warners, or is it just a strange attachment it’s gotten over time?

Anyway, this is a strange little mix of memoir and writing instructional. For someone that claims they don’t really remember their childhood (or maybe he just meant that in relation to the other book he mentioned) this is a pretty detailed recounting. Doctor’s visits, school mishaps, and even somethings with quoted dialogue. I’m not sure I could recount as much! It’s interesting, well paced, and short enough to be entertaining as well as it is informative. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of King, not by any stretch, but it is interesting to learn more about someone that so many consider a master.

Now for the instructions, habits, and necessities of writing, there are some things in this that I took away as fantastic, and there were things I really disagreed with. On one hand, King’s opinions on adjectives, dialogue, and characters were things I will focus and think over in the future. He is another firmly set in the department of “said” being all that’s needed. And he states that your dialogue and characters actions will dictate how they’re speaking, not a simple word attached to said. Are your characters fighting? Readers will assume they may be getting loud. Are you characters hidden in a closet while a madman hunts them? Readers will assume they are whispering. That doesn’t mean that a well placed word can’t help, but to do it often is just fluff.

King is a big reader, and he spent a lot of his time growing up writing. But he then says that he firmly believes that a bad writer cannot become good, and a good writer cannot become great. And it feels as if we’re just supposed to believe that by him writing and reading as a teen that he was just miraculously chosen as one of the greats (of the three options given, I figured this one is the one people would label him as, he certainly does not do so himself)? I do believe in natural talent, but with something so obviously learned like writing skills, I can’t believe someone like him could believe that these people are simply made, or somehow chosen? Furthermore, when he goes into his best “practices” (his daily routines) he mentions needing to continually write, always working on the craft, and to read voraciously. Both things I’d personally consider to be PRACTICE. It almost seems like what he said and what he does are at odds there…

Regardless of if you agree with him or me, this is short on being a masterclass in writing technique, and frankly, he wasn’t trying to make it one. He remarks on how many of these exist, what he could possibly add, and who is he to even do so. And in that sense, as well as the personal tidbits, this remains an informative, enjoyable and grounded read. I am getting into more reads by the author, and I can see he’s a fantastic writer, so it was also nice to see that he doesn’t have a big head. And the narration by the author is always a nice touch.

Absolutely loved reading this! Stephen King here has managed to caputure the whole essence of what writing means in the most honest sense.

It's an insightful read for every aspiring writer out there. From the basics to the most advanced concepts, King narrates how he views and practises writing. The book also delves into his personal life, like an autobiography and illumines the parts that made him into a writer.

This is King's story with “writing” as the main character. The master storyteller breaks down the art and craft of writing for us, in the most simple yet profound manner.

I would recommend this as a must-read book for every writer out there! It's golden advice and guidance straight from the horse's mouth!

What this book did for me is to make me motivated to pick up my laptop and get back to the blank page again & start writing.

I really enjoyed Stephen King's book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, because it's a good primer on becoming a better writer. But I also liked it because the author manages to be straightforward about the odds against a person joining the elite few literary geniuses developing exceptional writing skills. He also simultaneously shows how to elevate one's game.

And I got a lot out of this book because the author makes the entire experience a joy, and concludes with a chilling tale of how he's survived a terrible, real-life accident to persevere and triumph as an author and a human being.

It was also neat to hear about his family and how he has a successful, lifelong marriage, with kids, and imperfections and all.

Finally, his sense of spiritual matters might diverge from mine somewhat, but he seems a fine person and has an admirable grasp of the principals of faith.

Kudos to Stephen King. You were effective, entertaining, and moving in this clever and homey volume. I could have consumed this read in a day or two, but my busy, demanding life expanded my enjoyment over about two weeks' time.

A mash up of a memoir and how-to book. Gives you a look into Kings life while he gives you lots of practical writing advice along the way.

Jeg har aldri hatt spesiell interesse for Stephen King, verken typen eller forfatterskapet. Det har nok med at han skremte vettet av meg med Firestarters en gang på 1980-tallet, og siden har jeg ikke hatt behov for å lese noe av ham. Før nå. Denne boken var helt grei gjennom første del, som var en slags CV over hans tilblivelse som forfatter. Men så løsnet det. Han ble mer personlig, og handlingen som det å skrive er, ble mer nær, og plutselig ble det en interessant bok likevel. Nå er Stephen King en litt mer aktuell forfatter, og 23.11.63 står på leselista mi.

I have so much time for this man – I could read him talking about writing and wiping his arse with poison ivy all day long. I enjoyed the memoir and the “on writing” elements equally. His plotting process (or lack thereof) is still bewildering to me. A welcome palate-cleanse after reading Anne Lamott's memoir/writing book Bird by Bird, which was the churlish antithesis of “inspiring”.

This book is funny and unique, a fantastic read for aspiring writers. It is fascinating to read about how Stephen King writes, and it also gave me hope and inspiration to write myself.

This is the second or third time I've read the book (first time reading the Tenth Anniversary Edition). I love King's writing, and his advice on writing here is short (maybe not always sweet) and to the point.

I'm going to reply to this review with a comment or two tomorrow so I can port over some of my highlights and tabs from the physical book to goodreads for my future reference.

It was fascinating to read how the things are in the mind of the writer.

No es un manual de escritura al uso, ni pretende serlo, pero da una serie de consejos que quiz?? resulten ??tiles. Lo que m??s me ha gustado es el optimismo que desprende. No s?? si me servir?? de algo, pero dan ganas de intentarlo.

4.25/5

Got only halfway through. I cannot understand why everyone raves about this book.

Part autobiography, part practical guide and partly a permission slip for you to go write. An honest and unexpectedly inspiring read

Absorbing mix of memoir and writing hints and suggestions that never really coheres into either a memoir or a manual. But fun anyway, as King so often is.

Stephen King's groceries list is probably more interesting than anything I'll ever manage to write.

Not what I expected. It was leagues better than what I expected. It is a profoundly inspiring tale about the well-lived life of a master craftsman.

On the way, you will probably learn about yourself, as I did.

Este libro me enseñó más sobre escribir que todos los años de educación de mi vida (y claro, porque nunca pude ingresar a letras). Que sorpresa leer a King sobre la labor del escritor. Es sorprendente que sea tan revelador, nunca imaginé que fuera tan sencillo, tan lúcido y crítico; ahora hasta sus ideas malas me parecen divagaciones válidas y hechas a conciencia en la labor del aquel que busca sorprenderse y describir. Es bastante honesto con sus capacidades y con sus métodos y no teme contar porqué han fallado varias de sus obras. Que grato saber que alguien puede ser tan transparente sobre su trabajo. Supongo que apela mucho a lectores novatos como yo, también lo recomiendo teniendo eso en cuenta.

Uno de los mejores (si no el mejor) libro que he leído este año.

“Mientras escribo” grita a los cuatro vientos el amor de su autor por el oficio de escribir. Lo tiene todo, una pequeña autobiografía, reglas y recomendaciones para aquellos que se inician en el mundo de la narrativa, una explicación de su proceso creativo, su método de trabajo y numerosas anécdotas o más bien ejemplos sobre cómo obtiene las ideas o situaciones que luego se transforman en sus obras.

Absolutamente imprescindible para dos colectivos en particular: los lectores incondicionales de Stephen King, y todos aquellos que aman escribir y anhelan convertirse algún día en escritores, si no de éxito, al menos con oficio (que no es ninguna tontería).