"Stephen King reveals his life, feelings, and thoughts in "On Writing". He also takes the opportunity to take the reader into the elusive world of being a literary author, offering pointers and advice to guide newcomers into the craft."
Kevin P. Grover, Resident Scholar
"His horrific plots aside, Stephen King is very good company on the page: sensible, good humored, honest. In this book he presents a brief tale of his life leading up to his first bestselling books, devotes a long middle section to pointers and advice to the aspiring writer, and finishes up with a description of the accident (hit by a weaving van while strolling down a country road) that almost took his life in the summer of 1999. Most of his advice to would-be writers will be familiar to those who have read and talked with other established scribblers, but it is all offered in a pleasant, good-spirited fashion."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
"This is a first hand account of what Stephen King went through during his life becoming a writer. It is honest and touching. It shows his dedication payed off, and suggests that the reader can do the same. I also have the audio version read by King himself. I play it and get re-motivated everytime I hear him speak."
Juanita Chronowski, Resident Scholar
"The first half of King's book is not about writing. The reader is opened up to a new side of Stephen King--the child he once was, the life he lived growing up, the person he has become over the years.
King relates how he began writing as a child, making his own novel version of a horror film he saw, and selling copies of the book at school (which he got in trouble for).
But he kept on trying to make his writing pay off. For several years he wrote a serial story for his brother's homemade newspaper called "Dave's Rag." And eventually, with the encouragement of his mother, he began sending stories to magazines.
After a fairly lengthy biographical section, King goes on to talk about the craft of writing. He covers some of the basics that are obvious to some of us, but not worth rehashing for many of us. But he also covers less obvious matters such as style, and encourages his readers to give writing a try if they really have the desire and the ability.
King finishes with a chapter about the time he was hit by a van while taking his walk. He describes what he remembers about the accident, and what he was told about what he didn't remember. And he tells about how he overcame the difficulties and kept on writing. "
Megan E. Davis, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of On Writing
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession:
- writer
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Phys disability/mental struggle?
Yes
Struggle with
- alcohol
Ethnic/regional/gender
Yes
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 40's-50's
Biography of famous person?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 1 (None)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- encouraged
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- puns
- Dry-cynical
- sarcastic/sardonic
- gentle
Lot of foul language?
Yes
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of nearly entire life
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 0-25% of book
