On Writing by Stephen King

Genre: Nonfiction - Reference: Writing Skills
Rating: 5/5

I'll admit I have never actually read a novel by Stephen King, but I constantly (like, almost every day it seems) hear someone mention his name, see a meme with him or one of his stories or characters, or see people talking about one of his books or a movie made from it. He is ubiquitous in the book world. I started collecting his books to read when I have time, but I thought this one would be a good one to start with. I'm not actually a writer, and I don't believe I have the talent to become one (and I really don't have a desire to write either). However, I am a freelance editor, so I have been attempting to "get into the head of the writer" as it were. At this point in my life, I have a real need to understand literature from every perspective to be a better editor. I chose this as one of the first since it is also a memoir and I wanted to learn more about Stephen King.
I am glad I read this, and I really have almost nothing negative to say about it other than the fact that I wish he would have labelled the chapter sections a little better for easier reference. I have had to dog-ear, highlight, and put little sticky notes on the pages of interest to come back to later.

His advice on writing (which starts about halfway into the actual book) is, as promised, concise and to the point. LOVE that. He covers most aspects writers are interested in: how to create good characters, what to do about plotting, how to approach theme, etc. He also talks a lot about his more global views on writing. For example, he suggests setting aside a certain amount of time each day and having a word goal; doing the first draft quickly and then setting it aside for a few weeks before tackling the revisions; putting together a team of friends to give you advice and opinions on the story after the second draft is completed, etc. I found all of that fascinating from an objective standpoint, since of course I will likely not be doing that. But it is truly interesting to see how his mind works.

One thing in particular I was surprised to read was that he believes plotting makes for an artificial book. Again, my mind is not that of a writer, but I always imagine writers making all these detailed plans and outlines about their book to make sure that they can stay on track. I cannot IMAGINE sitting down to write and just letting the characters go where they want to go. This is foreign to me! I actually did a quick poll on my editing Facebook page and discovered that the majority of my writing followers are in fact "pantsters," which is to say that they do not plot. Anyway, this was a learning experience for me in many ways. All of what he had to say was valuable to me because I am at the point where I need to soak up as much of this as possible. It was all relevant.
The sections on his personal life I found entertaining and interesting. At first, I thought I might be a little bored and was eager to get to the "meat" of the book, but I found myself wanting to read more and more about his life and experiences as a young writer. He is, of course, a talented writer and knows how to draw you in, even in a non-fiction book! The section about getting hit by a car was also interesting.

I appreciate the fact that he included a section of self edits at the end. It will be helpful to look over and study because edits from an author are definitely different from edits from an editor.
I am also looking forward to making my way through his list of books he has read recently (at least, the books he read in and around 1999). There were quite a few unfamiliar authors as well as quite a few that I recognized. If those books are worthy of his time, they are worthy of mine, so I look forward to reading them.

I would recommend this book to anyone in the writing world, not just authors. I think it can help editors and teachers too. And honestly, if people who aren't in the writing world want to read it, I am sure they would find the information interesting as well.