On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Owen King

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Twentieth Anniversary Edition with Contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon 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.

The twentieth-anniversary audio edition includes Owen King reading his essay, “Recording Audiobooks for My Dad, Stephen King,” and a recorded conversation with Joe Hill and Stephen King.

©2000 ©2000 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved; (P)2000 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"These rare glimpses into King's personal life - as related in his earnest tone and real (thank God) Maine accent - are fascinating.... If you write - or want to - get this book." (AudioFile)

"Spunky, vivid prose are the prime ingredients of what must be considered not at all the usual writer's guide." (Booklist)

"On Writing contains some of the most harrowing pages he has ever written." (Salon.com)

Wow, just Wow!

Best book in writing since bird by bird and really a bit more practical. With a handful of chapters reminding us of what we do and don't need in our toolboxes, King is king of sharing his craft in practical bites that are full of nutrition and go go for the aspiring writer with her novel still trapped inside. Encouraging and funny as only King can be! And his books are not even normally my thing! that being said, his off-genre stories like green mile, Shawshank, and the Stand are among my favorite novels-stories and ones I listen to over and over on audible. Rich, very rich, yet digestible!

Marvelous.

King tells it as only he can, in this most intimate of portraits on writing. Heartbreaking, inspirational, thoughtful and terrifyingly accurate. Some of the best advice any beginner can glean is found here. I recommend this to anyone troubled with taking off. Drink, and be filled.

A Conversation with Stephen King

Being a writer with only self-published drivel to my credit (4 novels of drivel) I needed to be inspired and quite frankly to learn. I am an avid fan of Stephen King and have been since college. His words in the past of “don’t be a monkey” meaning just write to get the story out instead of trying to cater it to the market. I took that advice and wrote 4 novels. Now at the tender age of 50 I decided I needed to do this the RIGHT way before I’m outta here so before I got back on the pot I would get some inspiration from my mentor Mr. King. This book helped me so much and will guide me in the right directions. I have made many mistakes and I appreciate him taking the time to write this to help writers. Also his personal stories were also so illuminating for me. I was going to buy the printed book but decided on Audible book and I am so glad I did because it was fantastic hearing this in his own voice!! If you’re a writer I highly recommend it!
-Crystal Hickerson

Not Just For Writers

One of SK’s Best books. Will inspire amateur artists to create/recreate their sacred space and pro-am readers to reread their favorite books. Both with a new understanding of each. Bravo!

Inspirational

I love Stephen King, and something about his books make writing seem accessible in a way other authors don’t. I have always written a bit for pleasure but this makes me want take it seriously and really invest in creating something. I recommend it to anyone interested in writing or to anyone simply interested in gaining a deeper insight to King’s process.

excellent!!

part memoir, part instructional manual, Steven King tells how the mysterious alchemy of writing is done. A must read for all writers.

king is king

love listening to him tell stories. his voice is authentic to his writing. great listen

If I only had one wish...

Then out of the clear blue, your wish is granted, and you’re now spending a week, one-on-one, picking the mind of Stephen King. That’s right, just you, with your eyes and ears wide open, and the man himself, sharing his story, his insights, and perhaps most importantly, his genuine self, as honest and open as one could possibly be.
Having spent the last seven days see the world through the eyes of your new bestie and FB friend, you feel fortunate, blessed by the valuable knowledge, insights and information he’s dropped on you!
As for me, an unpublished writer, the first word that comes to mind is, inspiring! Well done Stephen, thanks for seeing it through, I’m all the better today having experienced it! 🙏👍

Read This!

I am not a writer and this book changed my life. My inner voice will now be Stephen king.

A must read for any creative type

Part memoir, part writing journal, and part technical manual for how to make time for your creative endeavors when you have a full life to live, and a living to make.
As famous as King is, he sometimes doesn't get the credit he deserves as a master of his craft due to the sheer volume he produces.
He's been referred to as a Hollywood hack, and his output is so prolific, there's no doubt you could find an example of his work that supports that idea.
But his body of work is filled with so many masterpieces that you have to acknowledge that his success is well earned.
The common theme of the anecdotes sprinkled throughout this book is that through all the ups and downs of his life; through poverty, amazing success, addiction, family tragedy, and the lure of fame, he continued to work hard at the job of writing every single day.
Let his fun, fascinating example inspire you to do the same with your own passions.