On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Owen King

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF WRITING with fresh testimonials from fellow writers about why they love Stephen King and On Writing—and a few new words on the joy of writing from King himself.

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

Critic reviews

"Twenty years after this audiobook came out, it remains as fresh as it was in 2000—a combination of memoir, observations on literature and authorship, craft tips for writers, and an emotional concluding segment on the 1999 near-fatal accident that put King's career on hold. King presents his work in a conversational storytelling voice with excellent timing. This new edition sports two bonuses, both of interest to audiobook listeners. There's a New Yorker essay written and read by Stephen's son Owen, explaining how his father paid him to record books on cassette tapes back when most audiobooks were abridged. Also included is an hour-long conversation on writing between Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, which features father and son reading from each other's works."

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.

It Started Me Writing Again

Easy to read, part memoir part writer's manual. Honest information from a man who understands what the public wants. You will finish this book knowing more about why we read and why we write.

Must read for all writers

I can only join in with the other glowing reviews. This is an honest, fascinating, helpful, and (of course) well-written book. The autobiographical part demonstrates how much writing is an internal need that shows through even in pretty desperate circumstances. A wonderful antidote to our 'get rich and famous quick, without real hard work or self examination' society. The part on writing is most helpful for fiction writers, but is illuminating for all writers. Even though King's genre is not my cup of tea, I learned a lot about writing and gained respect for King himself.

I only wish...

I only wish for a small bit of the talent and fun displayed in Mr. King's 'On Writing'. Not only did I laugh my butt off hearing about "Super Dave's" experiments and Stephen's experiences as a young writer, but I feel like I have begun to put the tools in my toolbox, and I look forward to digging up the fossils that I discover.
I highly recommend this book for anyone with a story to tell.

A true pleasure

When the book started I thought I misunderstood what this book was about but soon got into what Mr. King had up his sleeve.

Part memoir, part instructional book, King delivers a wonderful experience that is raw and honest and provides the listener with guidelines they can use in their own writing.

I should also note that I truly enjoyed the fact that King narrates the book, he's as good a narrator as he is a writer.