On Writing

Publisher's Summary

"Not since Dickens has a writer had so many readers by the throat…. King's imagination is vast. He knows how to engage the deepest sympathies of his readers…. It is part biography, part collection of tips for the aspiring writer. In the final chapters, King tells, in graphic details, the story of his recent accident…. a bizarre and absorbing story, told brilliantly by one of the great storytellers of our time."
—Guardian

In June of 1999, Stephen King was hit by a van while walking along the shoulder of a country road in Maine. Six operations were required to save his life and mend his broken body. When he was finally able to sit up, he immediately started writing. This book is the extraordinary result.

©2000 Stephen King (P)2000 Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic Reviews

"This is the written equivalent of Delia Smith's How To Cook. And, like British home cooking, the world of popular fiction will be better off for it." ( The Times)

Part 'How to' part Autobiographical

Would you consider the audio edition of On Writing to be better than the print version?

Yes - easier to access for busy budding writers

What other book might you compare On Writing to and why?

None, Stephen King's advice and narration are so easy to listen to and his honesty is very inspiring.

Have you listened to any of Stephen King’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Bag of Bones, love his voice, this was a different type of book and very easy to listen to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was very moved when he admitted and owned his alcoholism.

Any additional comments?

I love his message, writers need to understand that he wasn't born with a golden spoon. He worked very hard at some seriously menial jobs and perservered with his writing when most of us would be making excuses.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not a fan of his genre but this is wonderful

Horror and suspense have never been my thing. I only know Stephen King's work through books that have been turned into movies.

After reading this, I'm thinking perhaps I'll try one of his stories.

I bought this book because it seems to be universally recommended by writers I respect.

Glad I did as I loved it from start to finish.

The first part, where he tells his early life story is hilarious, intimate and interesting. You get to understand why he writes what he writes. I was also left thinking I'd love to have this guy as a friend.

He narrates beautifully. As such, I'm glad I got the Audible version first rather than the hard copy or Kindle.

I found what he has to say about his craft humble, helpful and inspiring. He's at pains to dispel some of the common "thou shallts" of writing fiction, such as plotting out in advance and creating character dossiers in advance.

I won't spoil it for you by summarising the rest. All I want to say is, if you write, whatever you write, you will find this useful and uplifting. You'll also be entertained.

I'll most likely buy a hard copy or Kindle version too as there's lots of useful stuff I'd like to refer back to.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

fantastic

still just as relevant today as it was when it was published, barring a few old references. and King is a gem to listen to. highly recommended

Wonderful, in entirety.

This was, for me, a delightfully insightful look into the internal struggle, triumph, and wisdom of one of the most prolific fiction writers today.

Aspiring writers can do far far worse than than set aside the time to take this in.

I enjoyed this book as much as I learned from it.

I enjoyed this book as much as I learned from it. Thank you Mr Stephen King

No muss, no fuss, practical advice

Really great little book that doesn’t overly embellish the technique of writing. Stephen King is charming and straightforward. He demystifies his practice in a way that is within most peoples reach.

Great book

Lot of informations about King and really good tips about writing. Sound quality was the Best maybe to quite. I recommend it. Also Stephen King is Reading it by himself.

Helpful

First half was more autobiographical and the second half is really good.
I learnt a lot.

Fantastic, Entertaining and Informative Book

Stephen King's narration was really Entertaining. It was extremely nice to get advice about writing from someone with so much experience. You could just tell that he knew what he was talking about. The quality of the book was exceptional. I really enjoyed this story telling, he read with so much feeling and enthusiasm. He had a lot of relevant and useful advice.

candid, insightful & entertaining -King's way

Right from the start, it was humourous and King never drifted away from the most important topic and his real life experiences and other examples were really helpful...a great and insightful for aspiring writers like me...thanks King..your narration was as entertaining as your writing.

Great personal insight

A rare thing - a modern writer, a great to many, willing to stop and reflect on his success, share his thoughts AND read it himself for the audiobook version. On Writing is part autobiography, part discourse on creative writing read engagingly by the author throughout.



Don't be put of by the autobiographical element if all you are after is creative writing tips; likewise, don't be put off by the tips if your interest lies in King's life story. The two work well together.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Genius

Would you consider the audio edition of On Writing to be better than the print version?

I have both the print and the audio version and there are benefits to both. The print is useful as a quick reference guide but the audio is just a brilliant and engaging story and guide to writing

What did you like best about this story?

The insight into Stephen King's mind as well as the tips on writing. It made me want to start writing and also left me in awe at his ability to construct the perfect phrase.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I loved reading about the ideas for his books, how one simple idea would slowly transform into a long novel.

Any additional comments?

Utterly brilliant, exactly what an audio book should be, if you are on a long journey or doing a task long tedious task you can get yourself lost in the words of Stephen King, this audio book helped a 3 hour drive up the motorway fly by.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Masterful

Until I listened to this book, I hadn't read any Stephen King books as I'm not a huge fan of the horror genre (more a sci-fi/historical fan). But this is utterly mesmerising.

Narrated by King himself, it begins with an account of how he became the writer he is. At the start I wondered what the point was in this, but it gives context and depth to the whole work and is, in itself, fascinating.

He then knuckles down to giving practical, workmanlike and controversial advice. Throughout, he acknowledges that this is just the way he does it - but it certainly produces results for him.

You then get some practical advice on finding and dealing with an agent and suchlike before, as an epilogue, he details, graphically, the accident that occurred half way through the writing of this book. Thank heavens he survived otherwise this masterwork might never have been published.

Entertaining, occasionally funny and profane (or funny because its occasionally profane) I have already listened to this twice and intend to do so again. I've also taken his advice and it's paying off.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Autobiographical and a manual for writing

The narration by King himself is great, once you get used to his slightly unusual tone. This guy knows about writing and it is a fascinating insight into how King writes. I listened to this in part, a large part to be honest, to get my own writing going again. In some respects this was pretty hard as some of kings advice i struggle to see how I could follow, however many of the tips I could see myself following. The main thing is the sheer love King has for writing is so obvious throughout, and that I found very inspiring.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Not a King fan but this is excellent

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely, this is well thought out advice from one of the most successful writers of our time.

Any additional comments?

I've not read much Stephen King but I have no hesitation in recommending this audiobook.

It provides many, many useful writing tips and advice and if you are writer you cannot fail but to gain something from it regardless of your experience level.

You only have to look at the number of writing courses and text books which quote from this text to see how valuable it is.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Essential read for any writer

This was my first audiobook experience, and I couldn't have chosen any better. Pure magic!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Memorable and Inspiring

The most memorable thing about this book was its honesty - Stephen King allows us to see through the window of his life to get a glimpse of the man and the writer. The most inspiring aspect of this book was the permission it provides to those of us who aspire to write but doubt ourselves. Stephen King, thank you. Thank you for the permission to try, permission to fail, and permission to try again. You are an inspiration.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Master Storyteller!

Being a lifelong Stephen King fan, I found this insight into his life and process of writing completely fascinating and compelling. It has also made me want to pick up a pen and get writing, even though that was not my reason for buying it! Listening to him read gave it the feel of a conversation with the great man himself. If you are an aspiring writer or just a fan of his books, this is a fantastic listen and I whizzed through it, wishing for more at the end. Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book for "would be" writers.

The american accent grates after a while and the narration is wooden and lacks fluidity, but the content is sharp, inspirational and extremley valuable for novice writers. The pace is acceptable but so many of his tips and words of wisdom could do with a pen and paper at the ready to capture this valuable information. Perhaps audible could consider providing a summary of key points for customers who have purchased a book? This is not the first time that I have been listening to a great book whilst driving, with no opportunity to record detail and ended up frustrated at the loss of specific information that would be very useful to my personal development!!

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Interesting and informative

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Any one who dreams of being a writer should read this book. It's not a writing manual, but more of a guide on how to develop the tools all writers need. With practical examples and advice drawn from his own experience and writing career, King takes the reader on a guided tour of his development as a writer and highlights some of the skills he believes good writing should demonstrate.

What did you like best about this story?

This is part autobiography and part writers aid and is full of little details that keep the listener interested all the way to the end. If you like biographies or Stephen King, you can't really go wrong with this book

What about Stephen King’s performance did you like?

King's voice takes a little getting used to, but once you have the rhythm of his speech in your head, his voice is engaging and he has some very interesting points to make.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to this in one sitting, but it's a book you can dip in and out of and your leisure as well.

Any additional comments?

For fans of Stephen King this is a must read book, but for me the best way to 'read' this book was to listen King's voice narrating his own story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful