Stephen king's memoir is honestly refreshing and highly informative for aspiring writers. His life is told in believable anecdotes of sketchy memories; no impossibly complete scenarios covering childhood years that people truly barely remember. He depicts things as they were, with faults and insight. The section on his craft was down to earth; the nitty, gritty of the writing life with clear examples from experience. He cover the language, the ideas and the process. The book concludes with a detailed depiction of his near death experience being hit by a van while walking near his home and the road back to his writing. Although I have only read a handful of King's large repertoire I found this book one of the best memoirs I've read. I may even look into reading a few more of his works. ( )

I can’t even look at King’s Twitter feed without getting annoyed, but this remains one of my favorite books about writing. ( )

Memoir portion of the book is quite interesting; King's "advice" less so... He seems to suggest that many of his ideas come to him in a kind of telepathic way which underplays his true creativity. I DO appreciate his advice to read, read, read. ( )

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/107742932

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. ( )

This book was not like other King books. So, if that is what you are looking for, this is not it. Anyway, I enjoyed it. It was liked discussing books and the writing process with King in person (as much as I could imagine anyway). I read this book because I want to be a writer. Not to the extent of King, but just for my own amusement. I think this book will be a big help. I even bought some of the books he recommends in this. I think they too will help. Great read. Even if you don't want to be a writer, if you like King and would like to know a bit more about him, from him, then this book is for you. Enjoy. ( )

The advice in the book is frequently a bit preachy and one-sided - it's about one method of writing, even if an effective one, and one proven by King's success. Also, there's probably more memoir here than advice or at least the balance is a little off for me. However, the memoir parts themselves are pretty interesting.
And all the advice he gives is rock solid. All said I'd highly recommend this book to any aspiring or practicing writers. It's a good book to get you writing and keep you writing. ( )

Excellent writing advice, and an interesting life story. Listened in audio, but I plan to get a real book version, so that I can refer to it easily. ( )

The best book ever written about the craft of writing. ( )

Never having read any of Mr. King's novels, I wasn't sure what to expect. Happily, I can report that it is a joy and a help. He shared an excellent formula that I plan to use: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%. No one has ever told me this before, and I think it is such a good way to think about editing. I also catch myself before using adverbs now. Thank you, Mr. King! ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

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! ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

I loved every single drop of ink in this book. I've never read a Stephen King book and not sure his fiction would be my first choice by this was a great book. ( )

So much fun to read about the beginnings of his career, life with the kids and wife, general advice, too, just pure King fun. ( )

"On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by [a: Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] has had a remarkable, and lifelong affect on my mind and writing life.

I started reading this during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Write Month) 2015. This is when writers around the world are attempting to write a novel of fifty thousand words or more.

A fast reader, I could have polished [b: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|10569|On Writing A Memoir of the Craft|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1436735207s/10569.jpg|150292] off in a few days.

Instead of gobbling it all down, I took each paragraph, page and chapter as gifts. I would not hurry through this.

"On Writing..." is a needful thing to me.

I want to thank Mr. King for giving us this book.

There is more to say... I have written two short stories and on start of a novel from an exercise in "...Memoir..." thank you. Thank you for this amazing gift.

I have read various reviews some not positive; I feel sorry for those who missed it.

This is a life changer for me. Thanks again. ( )

One of the first books about writing that I've read, that says that you do NOT have to attend classes or seminars to write. This book is a good insight into what makes King tick, and for me, made him into a person, as opposed to that crazy man who writes those terrifying books.

I can see writers going back to this for advice again and again. ( )

I can't believe it took my so long to get around to reading this book! I've read recommendations for it again and again and again as the BEST book to read if you are an aspiring writer. Now I finally have read it I can understand why!

Stephen King is one of those writers that I always kind of forget just how good they are until I pick up one of their books again. I was reminded last summer when I read [b:Doctor Sleep|16130549|Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362415596s/16130549.jpg|17851499] why I used to devour his books as a teenager. He knows how to write an effortless to read and highly entertaining book. And he has written a lot of them! Plus he always comes across like a pretty cool guy in interviews, Twitter and the like.

This book is as the subtitle suggests more of a memoir than a bunch of writing tips, although they are included. What King does is give us a snapshot of some of the moments and experiences in his life that he believes shaped him as a writer and then uses this to frame his advice on writing. The advice itself is honest and makes a lot of sense!

It's probably nothing you've not heard before but coming from Stephen King, in his easy conversational tone, it feels completely achievable! At the end of the day what he says is just sit down a go for it... don't agonise over outlines; just let your characters do their thing and go with the flow of the story. He especially liked his analogy of writing being like digging for fossils. You're never quite sure what you've uncovered... it could be tiny shell or it could be a huge dinosaur, but you don't know until you start digging.

There is also practical advice about language and style that could be really dry to read about, but in King's hand it makes total sense I was nodding along; plus he gives some really good examples. It also helped me to understand why I think it is that I think bad writing is bad! (Grammer: Not everybody's got it!)

I very rarely annotate books but this one is filled with post it notes and highlighter pen, and I really do look on it with fondness now. I'm sure it will be an old friend that I'll pick up again in the future when I need some more encouragement!

Right now I need to go and get some writing now!

And oh yeah, those people are right... If you are going to read a book about writing... make it this one. ( )

I know what you're thinking - Stephen King, the horror guy? But trust me, this book is all about writing, not just spooky stuff. King shares his own experiences and tips for aspiring writers, and let me tell you, it's inspiring. He's got a no-nonsense approach and doesn't sugarcoat the hard work that goes into writing. But he also emphasizes the importance of passion and perseverance. If you're serious about writing, "On Writing" is a must-read. Get ready to be motivated, people! ( )

I read this book way back when it was first released and, while I remembered it fondly, I hadn't gone back to it since.

Out of sheer desperation, after having started and discarded far too many books in a row, I turned to the audio version of this...

...and enjoyed the hell out of it.

I likely can't add anything of value to all the reviews, but if you're a King fan, or a writer, read this.

Just...read it. ( )

My first impression after reading On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, is just how hard the author has worked to get where he is today. Many readers know Stephen King was raised by his single Mum and grew up poor, but he also worked his arse off from a very early age doing all kinds of jobs; working in a laundry and washing sheets being one of them.

I enjoyed the stories he shared of his childhood antics with older brother David, and in recounting his upbringing, I'm reminded just how old King's references are. His US centric pop culture references are decades before my time, and his love of old movies and books lead me to suspect that even those within his immediate generation might miss a few titles here and there. This is a memoir as much as a treatise on the craft of writing and it was an enjoyable read.

There's a tonne of advice in here for aspiring and established writers, like this:

"Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open." Page 56

King is a powerhouse and an absolute work horse, even when the writing isn't going well:

"Stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position." Page 82

Stephen King is incredibly relatable, and this is a conversational how-to from a willing mentor rather than a dry rule book or style guide from a fusty professor.

The author is up front about his years of addiction although few lines are dedicated to it. His wife Tabitha King is an established author in her own right, and together with family members staged an intervention. There is no pity party and no excuses. Eventually King got clean, but it was a hard road to sobriety. Throughout his life, Stephen King has dedicated his all to his writing, and after receiving more rejections in his career than we can possibly imagine, started seeing success. He soaked up every piece of advice along the way and readily shares lessons large and small with the reader.

"What follows is everything I know about how to write good fiction. I'll be as brief as possible, because your time is valuable and so is mine, and we both understand that the hours we spend talking about writing is time we don't spend actually doing it. I'll be as encouraging as possible, because it's my nature and because I love this job. I want you to love it, too. But if you don't want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well." Page 163

There are some basic rules on grammar, but above all, King's message is that you learn by reading and by doing. By writing.

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut." Page 164

When reading, watching or listening to author interviews - or conducting them for Carpe Librum - I'm always surprised when a writer says they don't have time to read. Some say they're too busy writing, or they don't want to be accused of plagiarism or stealing another person's work, but I'm not buying that. Some writers choose to read a different genre from their own while working, or switch to non fiction or the reverse if applicable. I agree with the author, if you want to improve your vocabulary and writing style, you must read and you must write. You must evolve. There are some helpful examples of good writing and bad writing, and I was able to learn a lot from these comparisons.

"In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it 'got boring,' the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling." Page 207

Yes! This explains how King can make a 500 page novel such a page turner. He isn't vain or 'self indulgent' and believes in cutting content that isn't necessary.

Hit by a van while out for his regular walk in 1999, I was reminded of just how lucky King was to survive the accident. King's injuries included a collapsed lung; 4 broken ribs; a spine chipped in 8 places; hip fracture (his lap looked sideways); broken left leg (in 9 places); broken right knee cap and a scalp laceration that took 20-30 stitches. I was interested in the author's recovery from multiple surgeries and subsequent rehab but didn't learn if he has any residual injuries or ongoing chronic pain.

Like me, King reads 70-80 books per year, and this 2012 edition of On Writing includes two lists comprising more than 180 books he personally recommends. King is generous with his time and praise for his peers but I was surprised to find how few I've read.

Known to fans and members of the publishing world as the King of Horror, he's also the King of Persistence. This is a recommended read for those interested in the man or his craft. ( )

I figured there were two reasons for me not to read it: 1, I've never read a book by Stephen King before, and 2) I've written since forever, isn't it a bit late to start reading books about writing now? It's not, let me tell you that. The past year I've actually started taking writing advice that pops up (mostly on my tumblr dash), and it's made me a better writing. Since some of this advice was credited to Stephen King, and all of it has made me a better writer (even the stuff that I didn't agree with: taking time to think about WHY you don't agree with this particular writing advice is still helpful and will make you bette).

And so many people recommended this book I figured those two reasons were bad and ignored them. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed every part of this book! The biography-part was interesting (both of them), and the writing advice was great. No, I might not agree with all of it, but I think everyone can learn some from it. I especially liked the examples he gives, regardless of if it's from his own writing or someone else (and that, whenever he talks in detail about his own books, he describes the plot and the characters so that someone that hasn't read them can still follow).

I definitely see why this is one of the most recommended books on writing (still), and would say that anyone with an interest in reading should give it a chance. It's not that long, after all. ;) ( )

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. ( )