I have a confession and a caution.

Confession: I've never actually read Stephen King before, although I've seen two of the films based on his books. Horror isn't my thing, so I was never much interested. That said, he is a master wordsmith, so writers would do well to listen when he speaks about the craft.

And this is a unique book on the subject. Broken into three parts--a snaphot of his life, instruction on the mechanics and practice of writing, and a postscript titled "On Living" that details the near-fatal accident in which, while walking, he was struck by a distracted driver. Together, they give a vivid portrait of a talented author's life and his approach to writing. Even the parts that aren't specifically writing instruction are filled with writing lessons.

So I would highly recommend it for any writer, but here's that caution: The book contains a lot of profanity, which some readers might not appreciate. I think he could have done without most of it, but in King's view, which he clearly states if not belabors, "honesty" requires profanity at least some of the time. That's the one point on which I disagree with him, not to mention that he contradicts himself in an earlier passage in which he allows that profanity is inadvisable if it would alienate your readership.

That aside, this is indeed one of the great books on writing. ( )

Sigh. So many people find this so amazing, but I really did not. I wasn’t really interested in the autobiographical stuff at the start, and while I agreed with almost all the writing advice I have to say I hoped for stuff I hadn’t known before. I felt terrible about his accident, which padded the ending, but didn’t really care for three separate book lists or an interview with his son…. ( )

After attending a recent writing seminar led by an author who studied at Harvard, I was encouraged to read On Writing by Stephen King. This book, from one of the most prolific writers of our time, is not only hilarious and poignant but also packed with practical advice that can elevate your own writing.

King's memoir offers invaluable insights, including:
- Write every day and read a lot—great writers are voracious readers, a point King underscores.
- Kill your darlings—don’t hesitate to cut anything unnecessary.
- Avoid adverbs and use strong, precise verbs instead.
- Write for yourself first—don’t worry about your audience during the first draft.
- Trust your intuition, keep it simple, and be honest, even when it feels uncomfortable.
- Master grammar—a writer’s essential tool.
- Don’t over-plan—leave space for your characters and story to evolve.
- Write what you know—every book holds a piece of its author.
- Most importantly, take your writing seriously—commit to it with discipline and passion.

King’s unforgettable one-liners alone make this book a must-read. For example: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.� If you’re serious about honing your craft, On Writing deserves a spot on your shelf—and in your practice.

Cha ( )

Took me a while to get through this one. While King has some excellent writing advice, I found his own admission to being long-winded to be... well, true.

It felt awkward to sandwich the writing advice between two parts of a memoir. I think I would have gotten through it faster if it were a mix of the two instead, but he definitely gets points for being hit by a van in the middle of writing this. That's gotta make it hard for a book to flow.

The first memoir section was funny, but kind of long and rambling and held-back. King reveals a lot about himself, including big stuff like past drug addiction, without revealing much about his emotions. This makes sense since he describes his family pattern as everybody dealing with their own problems, but I had a hard time connecting with it as a reader.

The writing section, though, I ate up like chocolate pudding. I've known for a long time that adverbs were sinister, but I learned from King that they're so sinister they pave the road to hell. He gave great advice on how to make it through multiple drafts, something I don't remember reading before in other writing books. The steps:

1. Write with the door closed, meaning write only for yourself as fast as you can and don't talk with anyone else about it.

2. Set it aside. Leave it for at least six weeks if it's novel-length. Then you'll be able to go back and "kill your darlings" without mercy.

3. Read back through it, if possible all in one sitting, and make all minor spelling, grammar, word choice, and nonsensical-story corrections that are simple to make.

4. Open the door. Show the work to a handful of trusted people. If most of them agree about certain changes, then you should probably fix those things. If they're completely at odds over other things, how you want it is your choice.

5. Send it out. It's easier to get longer work published if you've published shorter work first. That way, you can give prospective agents a list of your published work. The Writer's Market is gold. Buy a copy.

Other items I thought were flipping brill:

Read in your _target market. This was counterintuitive to me because a literary friend once told me that reading too much in your _target market was like inbreeding--you needed to read completely outside your market in order to generate fresh ideas (i.e. how Firefly is sci-fi, but it's also got Western and Civil War history elements to it). Now I think there is a balance between these two things. You should probably read outside of your _target market so that your ideas are not inbred, but you should also read in it so that you know when you've really got something. In a nutshell, read widely. Period. Thanks, Mr. King! I feel very validated that I can read whatever the hell I want.

Writing seminars/groups/classes are not necessarily all that helpful. Find people you trust who will read and be honest with you about your work. Write a lot. Taking classes on how to write better will not help you if you're not writing, and maybe not even if you are.

Write dialogue that reflects how a person might actually speak, and use it to reveal aspects of character.

Bad writers can't become competent writers. Competent writers can become good writers with a lot of reading, writing, and very hard work. Good writers can't become geniuses. I consider myself a competent writer, so it looks like there's hope for me to be a good one.

You don't have to plot out a novel before beginning. You can, but you can also just be honest about what the characters would do and let the story drive itself. When you're done with the first draft, you can go back through and look for themes, but don't let the themes be the foundation of the story unless you're writing an allegory. Develop characters and situations.

Eat your eggs first.

Great stuff. ( )

[Elements of Fiction] by Walter Mosley is still my go-to book. More biographical that craft. ( )