Anyone who is interested in writing should read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It doesn’t matter whether you write literary or popular fiction, for personal or professional reasons, as a form of expression or as a way of life. This is a necessary resource for every writer. The book is broken into essentially three parts. The first part is a glimpse of King’s childhood and early struggles before Carrie, his first successful book. He believes that writers aren’t created, but rather “formed”. If you’re ever feeling disheartened about the submission process, reading the first part of this book will bolster your determination.
The middle of the book gets to the nitty-gritty of storytelling. King strips it down to the basics of vocabulary, grammar and style that he feels need to be mastered before working on the skills of description, dialogue and character development. He also delves into the writing process, such as reading and writing voraciously, doing revisions and research, and the importance of finding an I.R., or Ideal Reader. He grazes over the topics about critique groups, writing courses and the business aspect of publishing at the end of this section, keeping the emphasis firmly on the craft. The last part of the book describes his life after a serious accident. Not only did he rediscover that “the scariest moment is always just before you start” writing, but he also realizes that writing helped him get through a lot of tough moments in his life. And once again, the writing pushed the pain to the side and helped him on the long road to recovery.
If you are looking for a book about writing that will entertain, empower and educate, then you must pick up Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. This review first appeared in Dreamweaver.
