On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King, King, Stephen

Hardcover, 288 pages

English language

Published Dec. 13, 2000 by Scribner.

ISBN:: 978-0-684-85352-9
OCLC Number:: 938401757

View on OpenLibrary

(154 reviews)

"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write."

In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft -- and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. And in his months of recovery, the link between writing and living became more crucial than ever.

"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write."

Rarely has a book on writing been so clear, so useful, and so revealing. On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King's childhood and his uncannily early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, will afford readers a fresh and often very funny perspective on the formation of a writer. King next turns to the basic tools of his trade -- how to sharpen and multiply them through use, and how the writer must always have them close at hand. He takes the reader through crucial aspects of the writer's art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection.

Serialized in the New Yorker to vivid acclaim, On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how King's overwhelming need to write spurred him toward recovery, and brought him back to his life.

Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower -- and entertain -- everyone who reads it.

--front flap

65 editions

Ramirenko reviewed Mientras Escribo by Stephen King

Mientras escribo

2 stars

Esté libro de Stephen King sobre el oficio de escribir me ha parecido tan interesante como triste.

El autor se muestra sincero a la hora de revelar sus trucos de escritor y los pasos que le han llevado a su abrumador éxito de ventas. Es un tipo inteligente y se expresa con sentido del humor en todo momento. No pontifica y resulta humilde, a la vez que demuestra controlar los resortes del mundo editorial.

Sin embargo, y aquí viene la parte triste, también parece un manual para convertirse en el perfecto escritor de best sellers: esos autores de estilo claro, preciso, de buen ritmo, que manejan un argumento trepidante que van dosificando con inteligencia. El problema es que a muchos todas estas cosas nos resultan tan positivas a priori como anodinas en el fondo.

Me resulta especialmente peliaguda una parte en la que pone como ejemplo de buena práctica de …

Esté libro de Stephen King sobre el oficio de escribir me ha parecido tan interesante como triste.

Me resulta especialmente peliaguda una parte en la que pone como ejemplo de buena práctica de todo aspirante a escritor el mandar de manera compulsiva relatos a revistas amoldando su estilo a lo que cada una de ellas demande; es decir, adaptar tu estilo al de una industria que muchas veces hace gala de una espantosa homogeneidad literaria.

Sycamore reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Fun and occasionally insightful but not exactly what I was expecting

3 stars

I thought I was signing up for, well, you know, a book "on writing" by Stephen King. Turns out that's only a small part of it. I've never actually read any of King's novels but I did enjoy reading about his career and how he got to where he is. If you're a writer looking for advice who's less interested in King's career, you're better off just googling quotes from the book. There honestly aren't a whole lot.

Tony H reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

More a memoir than a how-to-write guide, but

4 stars

It's probably the closest we'll get to a proper memoir out of a very interesting & likeable guy, who's utterly unique in the publishing world.

Regardless of whether you are a fan of his actual output or not, you can't question his consistency, and as far as his style and approach to writing, he keeps it simple and straightforward, which for a beginning writer is really useful. And like all Stephen King works, it's an easy read that keeps moving.

Sergey Machulskis reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a mix of a memoir and a guide. The memoir is very interesting. The guide is average.

mictter reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

El maestro del género de terror explica cómo escribir prosa, desde el léxico y la gramática hasta la estructura (o falta de ella) de una novela, precedidos por una breve autobiografía que termina en el momento en que publica su primer best-seller.
Ni soy fan de King ni tengo ningún interés en escribir; sin embargo, lo he leído con atención, encantado con el tono que adopta para aconsejar, y para justificar los consejos, tan cercano a pesar de no tener que demostrar ya nada. Muy recomendable.

jaymeb reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I bought a copy of this book when it first came out on paperback (I didn’t have hard cover money back then) and it sat unopened on my bookshelf for years, even traveling with me during my wanderlust years of trying “to find myself.” I finally donated it because…well, who was I kidding? I was never going to write. And I didn’t think about it again.

Until Christmas of last year when some random librarian posted a picture of her niece who received “On Writing” as a gift. She was so engrossed sitting on the floor as family members tried to navigate around her. I remembered that feeling - getting a book I always wanted to read as a gift and wanting everyone to immediately leave so I could start reading. I don’t know the girl (I don’t even know the librarian who posted it) but I hope she is …

David F. Mendes reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

"Li" em audiobook (portanto, ouvi). Tinha tentado ler algumas vezes, sempre esbarrava nos capítulos iniciais, meio bobos. Curiosamente, na versão em audiobook, narrada pelo próprio King, esses capítulos funcionam. São meio autobiográficos, e na voz do cara têm seu sabor. Ultrapassada essa barreira, cheguei na parte sobre escrita propriamente, que achei boa, clara, simples, no bullshit. Mas um pouco breve demais. As três estrelas são por conta disso, e de quase duas horas de material adicional no audiobook que são praticamente propaganda do filho do Stephen King. Se era essa a intenção, o tiro saiu pela culatra. Eu posso ler mais mil livros na vida, e nenhum deles vai ser desse tal Joe filho de Stephen. Mas recomendo o livro pra quem quer escrever, ou mesmo pra quem já escreve.

dmathieu reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

One can see a great book about writing when that book is go easy and entertaining to read, and makes one want to start writing more.

naomi reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I should have read the title more clearly but this book is more memoir than useful. It's still good but I wish King had taken cut down the books length a bit more ;)

Megan reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

And absolute diamond of an audio book read by the man himself. One of the best on the subject. The sections on his life and the account of the accident that almost killed him are unmissable. Its thanks to this book that I now have my own copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, in my endless quest to improve my own grammar and readability.

Hilo reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Oh Mann, hätte nicht gedacht, dass ich ihn so sympathisch finden würde

Noisy Deadlines reviewed On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

It was fascinating to enter the mind of Stephen King. The guy knows how to write good books. It's honest, interesting and to-the-point writing. The first part is a memoir, he talks about his childhood, early inspirations, his first jobs, his family. Then he talks about his trade. It's full of advice, even grammar tips. Take care of your vocabulary, avoid adverbs like the plague and master the elements of style. "You have to read a lot if you want to be a good writer". So he is the type of person who reads all the time, every time he gets a chance. He goes through 70 or 80 books a year! That's impressive!

Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. -- Stephen King, On Writing. Kindle Edition. pg. 109 …

Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. -- Stephen King, On Writing. Kindle Edition. pg. 109

So he talks about all the places we can read: during breakfast, having a meal, at the treadmill, waiting in line. And avoid TV. At all costs!
Cool to know that he listens to heavy rock music while writing (AC/DC, Metallica). And when he writes, he eliminates all kinds of distraction (even windows, he draws the curtains or pull down the shades). The he explains storytelling, and his reviewing process.
A gem of a book!

The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better. -- Stephen King, On Writing. Kindle Edition. pg. 213

Zéro Janvier reviewed On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Je ne suis pas un grand lecteur des romans de Stephen King. J'en ai lus une petite dizaine quand j'étais plus jeune, puis j'ai fini par le lasser. Je ne remets pas du tout en cause la qualité de ses romans, mais le lecteur que j'étais et que je suis toujours avait alors besoin de se nourrir avec d'autres auteurs, d'autres récits.

Pourtant, je me suis décidé à lire ce livre de Stephen King, qui est souvent cité parmi les références quasi-indispensables quand on recherche des livres sur l'écriture.

J'ai été surpris par le premier tiers du livre, un peu étrange, où Stephen King nous raconte des épisodes de sa vie, de l'enfance à l'âge adulte. Une suite d'anecdotes certes sympathiques mais pas toujours passionnantes, et surtout éloignées de ce que j'attendais de ce livre.

La suite est heureusement bien meilleure, et l'auteur s'intéresse alors au coeur du sujet : …

Misty reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Highly recommended for anyone interested in writing as a craft.

Alex Keane reviewed On Writing by Stephen King

Review of 'On Writing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I really liked the format of the book. Part one is a memoir made up of selected snapshots from King's youth that led him to the writer he became. They don't necessarily always follow chronological order but they've got a certain logic to them that reinforces the advice that comes later. And you care. I couldn't stop reading as King went from the kid in Durham to sliding down the wall as he heard the good news about Carrie's paperback rights going for a ton, which is neatly foreshadowed in an earlier snapshot.

The advice itself also reads as a narrative, less Strunk and White and more your buddy telling you over lunch to try this thing, it's helped him a lot. Again there's a lot of the snapshots from a career going on talking about "And here's this time I had to learn this bit, so don't be afraid. …