On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

On Writing resided on our shelf for some time before I had the chance to read it. Peg Boyle-Single cited it in her guidance for writing doctoral dissertations, which was the kick-in-the-pants I needed to pick it up.

I'm glad I did.

For one, this book reminded me how much I like King's writing. His prose is easy to read, conversational almost, but not in the ways we typically mean. “Conversational” is code for “not well done” or “amateurish,” which does not apply to King. His writing communicates in a way a friend would, supporting comprehension when necessary and encouraging progress.

I appreciate King's writing advice. He celebrates the basic rules of grammar and reminds us that brevity can be beautiful. Most applicable to my own writing were his notes on adverbs and revision. I have applied those in much of what I have written since finishing the book. In a world that seems to be removing the need to learn and internalize grammar (reference text and Twitter speak), King does not apologize when he says that our writing is judged and, by extension, we are critiqued by those judgments of our writing.

I enjoyed the opening passages, all of which are autobiographical. I will admit to not knowing much about Stephen King the man. There are, of course, numerous websites with all the facts you would ever want to know. Few, though, dig into why and how he became a writer. Interesting stuff, to say the least.

I recommend this book, but I will not go so far as to say it will substantially change one's writing. As King says, several times, this is not a textbook. To me, its intent is not how-to; rather, it prompts reflection. It encourages the writer to undertake the hard work of improving his/her own writing.

Now, get to work.