[Book Review] On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

"Long live the King," hailed "Entertainment Weekly" upon the publication of Stephen King's "On Writing." Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, "On Writing" will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

4 STARS 

With NaNoWriMo just around the corner and my writing brain being a bit uncooperative the last couple months, I picked this up in hopes that I'd be inspired and more prepared for NaNo. And I think it worked, or at least helped me with how I want to write the novel I chose to write. 

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." 

At first, I was a little disappointed that the first chunk of this book is more autobiographical than advice on how to be a better writer, but as I kept reading I not only was interested in King's life but I liked seeing how he developed as a writer. Honestly, I feel like the autobiographical parts did kind of teach me how to be a better writer by learning from his experiences. So I got over my disappointment fairly quickly, especially since even if it was a full autobiography, it would be my fault for being disappointed considering "memoir" is in the sub-title. 

King's writing advice was actually really helpful for me personally. Granted, his blunt "my way of writing is the best way, suck it other way" attitude he sometimes had got a few eye rolls from me at times. But I respect his advice and hope I can use it in my own writing. I found myself highlighting and documenting a lot of his advice, words of writing encouragement, exercises, and even some of his humor in my notes. He's a comical guy for a man who writes about terrifying killer clowns, creepy twin ghost children, and an homicidal telekinetic teenage girl. 

I've mentioned this in past posts, but I am currently fighting my way out of a reading slump, so I am actually pretty proud that I was able to finish this book in just a few sittings. It may have taken a week, but in reality I read it in only a couple sittings once i felt motivated to read. 

Overall, I recommend this book to writers, people who maybe want to write more, and/or readers who love Stephen King's work and want to read a non-fiction book by him. It is funny, charming, extremely sweet (the way he writes about his wife Tabitha is perhaps the cutest thing in the world), and packed with extremely helpful writing tips. 

Thanks for reading!