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On Writing  By  cover art

On Writing

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Stephen King,Joe Hill,Owen King
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Editorial reviews

To begin with, you've got Stephen King, a writer so talented in the art of thrill-generation that he could insert excitement into the assembly instructions for a bookshelf. Or, say, a book about writing and grammar. And that's precisely what King does in On Writing, an improbably fascinating, relentlessly compelling trip through the mind, style, life, and work of one of our greatest popular writers.

Hearing this unique combination of anecdotes and insider's advice told in King's charmingly nasal voice makes an already insightful narrative even more personal and powerful. If you want to write, this audiobook will quickly become a treasured resource, because it will improve your writing. But even if you have no interest whatsoever in writing, King's anecdotes and instructions into the art and process will probably make you a better, more informed reader.

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)

Featured Article: The top 100 memoirs of all time


All genres considered, the memoir is among the most difficult and complex for a writer to pull off. After all, giving voice to your own lived experience and recounting deeply painful or uncomfortable memories in a way that still engages and entertains is a remarkable feat. These autobiographies, often narrated by the authors themselves, shine with raw, unfiltered emotion sure to resonate with any listener. But don't just take our word for it—queue up any one of these listens, and you'll hear exactly what we mean.

What listeners say about On Writing

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Who needs a print edition when King reads King?

I got this as one of the freebies when I signed up for Audible-- I don't know if I would have paid for it, because I'm not the biggest King fan in the world. I figured that if I didn't like it, hey, it was free.

It would have been worth paying retail.

Firstly, this is read by Stephen King himself. I cannot express how much this adds to the work. It's like sitting down at a table with Stephen King and talking to him. He may not be the best reader in the world-- there are several points where you can tell that he's reading from the page-- but the Audible rating system doesn't have an option to give 4.99999 stars.

This is really two short books rolled into one. The writing book is great. He covers all of the parts of writing, including the mechanics, the language, the creating, and even the marketing and selling. I am an aspiring writer, and I got more out of this than some classes and workshops. He doesn't go on forever, like a lot of blowhard writing workshops, he just makes his point and keeps going.

The other book is about King himself. I get the feeling that this is all we'll ever see of an autobiography of Stephen King. That part of it is not very long, and most of it is the story of his career rather than his life. As many King fans already know, he was hit by a van while he was writing this book. He talks about this experience here. I'm not entirely sure I buy that the miniautobiography figures into the theme of the book, but I'm not going to kvetch. It's FASCINATING. It may not have much to do with Writing, but to hear King talk about his own life-- and his near-death-- is worth the price alone.

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109 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Honest and moving memoir + simple tips on writing

I am never a fan of stephen king. In fact, I read one of his books and decided that I will never read another. But this one is "on writing", a topic I am very interested in plus the review of other buyers are good so I gave it a try. It turned out to be such a good listen. Memoirs of the writer interwined with useful tips on how to start and improve one's writing. I turned from a non-fan to someone who gave high respect for Mr. King. This is a book that is written with ulmost honesty and sincerity. The memoir parts are moving with tears and laughters. I have the urge to call my struggling to write friends to stop and listen. Highly recommended

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88 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The book that made me start writing

Stephen King is one of the best authors in the world. He has written more than 100 books, short stories and novellas in almost all genres out there. I experienced many of them as audiobooks, including 11/22/63, The Stand, Under the Dome, Pet Cemetary, Salem’s Lot, the Dark Tower series, the Mr. Mercedes Trilogy and many others, but the one that will live forever in a special part of my heart is On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I will try to the best of my abilities to describe in this article what I gained by trying this book, but the gift is priceless…

I picked it up after I finished Carrie and just before I started The Dead Zone because I loved all the stories Mr. King told me over the years and hoped to glimpse how they came to be. I guess that you can say that I am on a Stephen King listening spree and you’ll be right, but I almost never read or listen to non fiction and I devoured this one, treasuring every word spoken directly to me by the author.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is absolutely amazing. If you are a Stephen King fan and want to learn more about him, about his life, his childhood and how he became the best-selling author he is today, this one will make your day. But, this part memoir, part writing manual is much more than that.

We, the listeners, find out how hard was life when Mr. King started out. How he discovered his talent for writing, how his love for storytelling grew with every book he read and every movie he watched, as well how we all need to want to tell a story in our own way, with our own words. All we have to do is to want to write…

I don’t want to even try to give anything away from what I discovered while listening to On Writing because It can’t be put into words. I decided to read this book as I wanted someday to write my own novel, as I have a few ideas that, I think, might be interesting enough, ideas that are clashing in my head for a few years and demand attention.

What I can express into words is that while I was listening to Mr. king telling me that all I need to do is to close my door on the world, boot up my Mac, keep in mind a few simple rules, well defined and argumented with examples in this work, the story will resolve, the characters will spring to life, the world will color itself And, guess what? Exactly that thing happened. I started writing, I began telling my story. What will come of it, when it will be done, if it will be published are just some questions that will get their answers in time, but the most important thing is that I give it my best while I am at it.

I consider the audiobook version of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft to be the best narrative experience as the author talks directly to you. He makes you think, he makes you laugh, or cringe, but he always encourages you to start, to keep on going, to always be better. I consider Stephen King a great narrator as well, enjoyed his performances of many of his works, Needful Things coming to my mind as the most recent that I tried, and his delivery for On Writing is perfect!

If performed by any other person, even the best of the narrators out there, this experienced would have not been as personal as this one is, as read to you by its author… Not to many authors are good narrators, but Mr. King has all this figured out.

Thank you, Mr. King, for writing and for teaching us how to do it on our own! With your treasured advice and with my soon to be wife’s support, I am writing constantly… and I think that is exactly what your objective was when you wrote this book, to help people take their first baby steps in this medium.

I highly recommend On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft written and performed by Stephen King to those aspiring writers out there that are searching for advice on how to get started and to those fans that want to know more about their favorite author.

Please vote Helpful below if you like this review and find more of them here on Audible and on theAudiobookBlog dot com.
Sometimes I post reviews at the author's / narrator's / publisher's request.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Instructional Manual, yes  But a real Keeper

Content

This work is divided into two general parts.
King opens with a lengthy memoir that "attempted to show some of the incidents and life-situations which made me into the sort of writer I turned out to be." He works his way through his stages as a writer from childhood to novice to apprentice to worldwide success.

King addresses his battle with alcohol and drug abuse, when it started, how it evolved and how he eventually was forced to confront his problem. He adds some wonderful information about the books he wrote (I don?t want to give these away ? they are fun to discover on your own.) And his own opinions about which of his books he thinks are good, and those he finds deficient.

Here is the opportunity to read King on King, and on his books. He describes the symbolism in many of his novels, rarely planted intentionally on the first draft but discovered during the writing of the second draft.
The second part is the instructional part.

This part of the book is full of advice, much of it common sense ? some of it uniquely King's. His description of the writer's toolbox: Common tools on the top shelf (vocabulary and grammar), elements of grammar and style on the second level, along with an understanding of the paragraph as the basic element in fiction, and a synthesis of all of these along with innate and developed skills at the bottom.

Recording

Stephen King records this selection himself. He does a brilliant job.

Favorites

King gives a very thorough account of his nearly fatal accident in 1999. This passage is very humanizing.
Throughout the book, King pays tribute to wife, Tabitha. She is King's "Ideal Reader," the person for whom he writes all of his books. His love and admiration for her shines through the book, from a touching scene from their courtship, to her organization of an intervention confronting his addiction problems, and all the way through to her support and encouragement of him during his convalescence.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Must Read Autobiography for All King Fans

Stephen King's <U> On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft</U> exposes the us to a side of the writer that hasn't been seen all in one place before. As an avid <I>constant reader</I>, I often look forward to Mr. King's introductions and afterwords as much as I do the actual content of the book; well almost as much. <U>On Writing</U> does instruct one how to write, or at least, how a very successful writer writes, but it is much more a generous autobiography than a dry instructional text. From the crazy days of his childhood with (his brother) Dave's "super-duper electro-magnet" to his harrowing account of the tragic roadside accident that has altered his life forever,

<U>On Writing</U> shows us who does the writing more than how it is done. Extremely funny and honest, <U>On Writing</U> is filled with account after account of Stephen King's life. It is read by the author, who has always made up for not being a "professional voice" by breathing an authors life into a book in a way only the author can do. The advice he does offer for writers is more about being honest and working hard than what to write or how to get published. It is a book written by one of those few people in life who is "'getting paid to do what he loves.'"

If you have never heard Stephen King before, if you have been turned off by the "genre", hear <U>On Writing</U> from audible.com today, to find out what you have been missing and why you shouldn't miss another word from Stephen King.

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34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The first of his books I've read, but not the last

If you're a writer, do yourself a favor and read this book. This is the first book I'd ever read by Stephen King, mainly because I wasn't interested in his genre. What I am interested in is writing, and having just finished this book I rank it up there as being one of the best I've read on that subject. I found it to be interesting, entertaining, thought provoking, and inspiring. While it is light on the technical aspects of writing, it does touch on them, and you can look elsewhere for details. This is about the art of writing, the why of writing, and the inspiration for writing. Reading this book inspired a new story idea and approach; I am excited to continue writing this one--exploring where the characters take it. I have a new respect for Stephen King after reading this book and I look forward to trying one of his fiction works. Thank you, Mr. King!

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Gift to Writers


Buy this book on audio.

If anyone out there is anything like me then you are looking at this book because you are a writer, you have questions about writing and you have a desire to improve your writing. This recording has one unique and powerful element: Stephen King reads the narration himself creating a one-on-one conversational aspect I have never experienced in an audible book.
King cuts through and breaks down the illusions of amateur writing and tells it like it is, like it should be. He does not make rules or attempt to police the lifestyle of a writer. Instead, his is a book of suggestions, personal stories and honest opinions on writing.
This has been the single most helpful book/experience that I have yet encountered as a writer and I think many of you will agree. In a profession where the path to learning and mastering the craft is a shrouded and personal path, Stephen King proved an unexpected mentor on the journey.
You don't have to be a Stephen King fan to appreciate this book! I had never once read a book of his before and seriously wondered if a horror writer could help. His messages transcend any genre and are applicable to anyone who loves to write...
(I am now reading his 'The Gunslinger' and am sure to read many more.)

Thanks Stephen King!

Try it, buy it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WHAT A STUNNING SURPRISE THIS WAS

What a remarkably fun ride this little book is! Lordy did I ever misjudge him. Who would have thought Steven King would be so funny? Other reviews here will tell you what this books about. What I want to convey is how enjoyable a read this was, just look at the ratings

I had never read or intended to read any of kings books. That horror crap was the last thing I ever wanted to read . Then I read this book which completely changed my view of him as a writer and as a person, then I heard an interview with him on the radio when his new release called "11/22/63" was being discussed and that sounded like a book I might really like because it dealt with time travel, I LOVED IT. So I explored his books and found that not all of them where hard core horror. Remember the great movies SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and STAND BY ME? He wrote those as books!

Under the dome was the next king book I read and again I LOVED IT, and let me tell you.... it was amazing on audible..WOW.. While the dome book had more than its fair share of murder and blood, it was done very well. Since, I've read many of his other books including "it" , Duma Key, The Stand, Misery, and the Green Mile which (let me tell you) made an astounding movie, If you want to have a truly rare first rate emotional experience. First read the green mile, then watch the movie. You will never forget it!! I think Its the most effective adaptation I've ever seen, and the special features on the dvd are really, really good and add an awful lot to the experience.

So the bottom line is that we always need to challenge our pre-conceived notions.and stay "open" I've even read some of his horror stuff and to my amazement...I liked it. It just wasn't what I thought it was.

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32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

This is an excellent book! If you're a writer looking for inspiration and an education, or just a fan of Stephen King, I highly recommend this audio book. Stephen has real insight into things a writer needs to keep in mind while working on their own "bestsellers". He also writes an engaging book and throws in an autobiography of sorts. We get to learn about him and how he grew up to be the writer he is. We also learn about his tragic accident and how this changed his life. The only fault I can find in this audiobook is that his voice is a bit monotone (sorry Stephen).

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not just for aspiring authors.

This book is loosely broken into two portions; the first half is more auto-biographical, outlining Stephen King's childhood and life, and the second half delves more into writing itself. I genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed both sides of the book.

I thought his outlooks were honest and intelligent, and he rarely gives opinions that masquerade as facts; he just gives his thoughts, acknowledging all the while they are simply opinions and preferences he has as an individual. That said, they are extremely educated opinions and gave a great deal of insight.

I'm not an aspiring author myself, but I love the written word and I love listening to smart people - and this book satisfied on both fronts. It was like a great visit with this smart man, and I was sorry when I reached the end.

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