On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft By Stephen King - Restarting August 15th 2016

[Abi]

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the 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.

[Luci]

Hello!! I'll start reading the book today, I hope I'm not the only one!! :)

[Sibil]

I have just started it!!! :)

There are a lot of prefactions but they are funny! :)

[Sibil]

curriculum vitae 1-13 (view spoiler)[His childhood is something for sure! It's almost incredible that he gets out of it alive! ;P (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

curriculum vitae 14-38 (view spoiler)[This part was intersting and it was not so bad to read it, even if I am not a fan of King's writing. I usually do not read his books because I do not like them, but I was too curious about this one. Anyway, the part was quite intersting, but I'm happy is finished (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

i have a problem: my edition is the italian one so the chapters' title are in italian. I would comment on every chapter and I would write the number so it can be a little bit less confusing

Che cos'è scrivere (II) (view spoiler)[This chapter was really short but it was really good! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

La cassetta degli attrezzi (III) (view spoiler)[This chapter is really intersting and I liked a lot the sentence "the road to hell is paved with abverbs" even if I'm not so against adverbs. (hide spoiler)]

Sullo scrivere (IV) (view spoiler)[ This part was intersting too, and I read it fastly. I may not be a fan of King's writing but I like this book so far (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

finished (view spoiler)[I am very sorry for his accident, but the part about it was a little bit boring. This book is more an autobiography as King as a person then as King as a writer, and it's really self.referential, but it's Stephen King so I think he can do it :) It was an intersting reading and I am happy to have read it (hide spoiler)]

[Luci]

Sibil wrote: "curriculum vitae 14-38 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know! haha, he's a different kettle of fish for sure! Only a brother could convince him of such brilliant ideas. (hide spoiler)]

It's taking me longer than I thought because it's not exactly what I expected :/

Curriculum Vitae (21)
(view spoiler)[His childhood is definitely something particular!! I'm surprised that he was so reluctant to writing on three different newspapers, you would think that he'd take it as a wonderful opportunity... (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Lu wrote: "Sibil wrote: "curriculum vitae 14-38 [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]

It's taking me longer than I thought because it's not exactly what I expected :/

Curriculum Vitae (21)
[spoilers removed]"

There is no hurry! And me too, I was expecting something a little bit more different (more on writing and less about himself! ;) )

[Luci]

Sibil wrote: "curriculum vitae 14-38 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I agree, it's very interesting but also very sad... I do like his writing, I haven't read much of him but I like his style and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to read this book. (hide spoiler)]

Curriculum Vitae (finished)
(view spoiler)[Wow, I had no idea he got to do such things when he wrote. I'm surprised he remembers nothing about writing Cujo because of his problems, it's really sad in my opinion. (hide spoiler)]

[Luci]

My edition is in Spanish, so I have the same problem hahaha I will
translate it and, since I know some Italian, I'll try to connect them.

'What is writing' (Che cos'è scrivere) [II]
(view spoiler)[I think it is a good introduction to the topic that made me want to read this book. And his answer is very enlightening to me and easy to understand. nonetheless I must admit that I'm a bit worried about his last suggestion. How can you know for sure that you are not taking it lightly? (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Lu wrote: "My edition is in Spanish, so I have the same problem hahaha I will
translate it and, since I know some Italian, I'll try to connect them.

'What is writing' (Che cos'è scrivere) [II]
[spoilers rem..."

I liked that chapter too! :) And you can write the titles as you have it, there's not a problem :)

[Luci]

You're so nice, well the previous chapter was called 'Qué es escribir' and the one I'm going to talk about now is 'Caja de herramientas'

Toolbox (III)
(view spoiler)[I like how easy it is to understand his metaphors, and how well he explains things, like talking about the toolbox and its levels to refer to a writer's most basic tools. I agree with you, I never thought that adverbs were so unnecessary as he says but I'm definitely going to think about it from now on... (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

It's nothing and the chapters' title are understandable, so it's not a problem :)

And I agree with you, his way of explaining is really clear :)

[Luci]

So... a month later I got to finish this book (yay!!!) I had to work for my final project and didn't have any time at all for recreational reading, but I finished it!!

I really liked it, especially enjoyed the example at the end of the book where he shows how he writes 'with closed doors' and how he revises his work afterwards. It was very helpful, mostly because he never intended to give the reader a magical recipe, he's honest in saying it's all about working and reading and practising and failing and keep improving, definitely helpful advise!!

[Abi]

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Reading from the 15th of August 2016

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[Dannii]

1/4: (view spoiler)[This is a surprisingly quick read. I was expecting it to be a lot denser and, to be honest, literary. Not to say that I am not enjoying it because I most definitely am! I also love the non-linear way King recounts his life. He is just fascinating to read about. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

So I ended up putting this book down for almost an entire month and I have no idea why as it was compelling reading. I am going to hopefully complete it this weekend.

[Dannii]

2/4: (view spoiler)[The first section was a history of King's life, the central section regards the tools a writer will need and the third section is actually about the craft of writing. Each section is similar, however, in that they all reach their moralistic pinnacle through the climax of various anecdotes from King's life. His distain for adverbs and the passive voice is hilarious. I am learning so much! (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

3/4: (view spoiler)[This part is giving me so much belief in my own writing! I feel energized and excited and fueled by King's own success story. Not that I imagine I will ever be the prolific writer he now is, but I can surely begin my own journey. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

4/4: (view spoiler)[The last section was possibly my favourite. Ugh, I just adore King so much. He writes in such a conversational, witty and relatable tone. I feel like he is personally telling me that I can do this and to go write my book! Haha. I also adore how much his love for his wife, Tabitha, shines through his writing. He just seems like such an all-round nice guy! The very last last rewrite section gave an almost voyeuristic insight into his writing and I felt like I almost shouldn't be looking and it was too personal! (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...