I’m about halfway through my third read of Stephen King’s ON WRITING, and I’m all aglow with the warm fuzzies. I don’t know what it is about this book, but whenever I read it, I’m reminded why I wanted to be a writer in the first place.
I think anybody who’s ever thought about being a writer should read this book. Anybody who loves books and has always wondered about the process of storytelling should read this book. You don’t even have to be a fan of King’s to appreciate a book like this (though if you are a fan, you should absolutely read this book). ON WRITING is the story of how Stephen King became a mega-bestselling author (ups and downs and all), and how can you be a writer or a fan (or both) and not be dying to know how the hell that happened?
Certainly there are better How To books on writing out there, but King’s intention was never to write the definitive text on the subject. He simply shares what he knows (and he knows a lot). And he gives you snippets of his own life experiences mixed in with all the tips. Someone gave me this book a long time ago, back when I thought I’d lost my voice, and it sparked something in me back then.
It still does.
I love this book too.
I recently "reread" it too, by listenin to an audio version (narrated by King).
I must admit that this book is one of the reasons I have what I call a "creative crush" on King.
Read "How Fiction Works" by James Wood.
This and Bird by Bird are my two favorite books on writing. I find them brilliant because they mix personal narrative with objective how to's. There is nothing like example to show how it's done. I get warm and fuzzies from this one each time I read it too. I think you've inspired me to pick it up again!
This one sits proudly on my shelf and when someone asks me to refer them to a non-heavy How To book, I always say this one and Anne Lamot.
Thanks for sharing and I'm so glad to have found your blog! :o)
When I read this book, I thought it was good, but so are many others. Then I realized that of all the books I've read on the subject of writing, I think of this one the most. And I wind up sharing bits of it on posts and comments more often too.
Wait until you get to his story at the end.
Stephan King is my writing inspiration. I should probably do another read of On Writing since it's been a good year since I finished it.