Book Review: Stephen King's On Writing
Ever had one of this "wish I'd known this sooner" moments? After reading Stephen King's On Writing, I had one of those moments.
I wish I had read this wonderful, entertaining, and absolutely edifying guide to the craft of fiction writing when it was first released twelve years ago. It probably would have reduced the number of drafts on my first novel. Happily, much of the advice King offers I had employed in my second novel (now in the hands of my publisher) but as with anything else in life, you never stop learning.
King neatly bookends his advice and opinions with engaging highlights from his life starting with his childhood in a single parent family and ending with his recovery after being struck and nearly killed by a van in 1999. In between his reminiscings, King offers pithy advice on many aspects of writing including characters, story, theme, research, backstory, plot vs. organic storytelling, and moral/meaning vs. resonance. Damn the adverbs and not so hot on critique groups or writing classes either is Mr. King.
What King is keen on in his memoir: write the first draft quickly and for yourself (with the door closed to the outside world), write the second draft and revise with the door open (allow your Ideal Reader to review your manuscript). The only dated advice in the book deals with publishing. In 1997, when King began this project, self publishing was still considered "vanity press" and nowhere near the booming industry that it has become wherein NYT bestselling authors have dumped their agents in favor of publishing their work directly.
When it comes to the craft of storytelling, On Writing is a recommended read especially for the burgeoning writer.
I wish I had read this wonderful, entertaining, and absolutely edifying guide to the craft of fiction writing when it was first released twelve years ago. It probably would have reduced the number of drafts on my first novel. Happily, much of the advice King offers I had employed in my second novel (now in the hands of my publisher) but as with anything else in life, you never stop learning.
King neatly bookends his advice and opinions with engaging highlights from his life starting with his childhood in a single parent family and ending with his recovery after being struck and nearly killed by a van in 1999. In between his reminiscings, King offers pithy advice on many aspects of writing including characters, story, theme, research, backstory, plot vs. organic storytelling, and moral/meaning vs. resonance. Damn the adverbs and not so hot on critique groups or writing classes either is Mr. King.
What King is keen on in his memoir: write the first draft quickly and for yourself (with the door closed to the outside world), write the second draft and revise with the door open (allow your Ideal Reader to review your manuscript). The only dated advice in the book deals with publishing. In 1997, when King began this project, self publishing was still considered "vanity press" and nowhere near the booming industry that it has become wherein NYT bestselling authors have dumped their agents in favor of publishing their work directly.
When it comes to the craft of storytelling, On Writing is a recommended read especially for the burgeoning writer.
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