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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Paperback – June 1, 2001

by Stephen King (Author)

4.7 19,576 ratings

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Locus AwardWinner, 2001

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A dual autobiography and primer on writing follows King's childhood and coming of age, the struggling years that led to the creation of his first novel, his personal demons, and his recommendations on developing the writer's craft. Reprint.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pocket Books
Publication date

June 1, 2001
Dimensions

5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0671024256
ISBN-13

978-0671024253
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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story,” he said. “When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.”
Highlighted by 14,885 Kindle readers
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.
Highlighted by 9,921 Kindle readers
It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around.
Highlighted by 8,837 Kindle readers
“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story,” he said. “When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.”
Highlighted by 8,501 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Washington Post Book World Combines autobiography and admonition, inspiration and instruction. It's an enjoyable mix. -- Review

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Prize. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books; First Edition (June 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671024256
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671024253
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.75 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,589,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,071 in Authorship Reference
- #5,030 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books)
- #45,833 in Memoirs (Books)

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4.7 19,576 ratings

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Shirley Beattie

Easy Read & Great Guidance

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024

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Interesting combo of memoir and "how to write" guide. His personal anecdotes and life story are inspirational and his practical advice on writing is priceless. Definitely recommend to anyone on the writer's journey.

One person found this helpful

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storydrum

Good insight into King and good inspiration

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024

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I’m not a horror fan, but am a fan of good writing. This is great writing. It’s part autobiography and part guide. It was recommended to me and it’s helpful. It’s not a step by step guide, by any means. His words on writing are often interspersed. I’m not finished with it yet, but it’s been inspiring. While reading it on the beach, a guy came up to me and said he’s reading it, too. He was a lawyer and it was recommended to him to help his writing be more relatable. Whether it helps me or not, it’s a good read and insight into King’s life.

6 people found this helpful

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Marissa Patterson.

Great stories and advice

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023

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I've been a fan of Stephen King, and an aspiring writer, since middle school. Yet somehow I hadn't read this book until now, in my thirties and still too uncertain of my writing skills to attempt to get published. The first part of the book, Mr. King's memoirs, was, as all his writing is, nearly impossible to put down. He can manipulate words to convey not just images, but feelings, in a way that really speaks to me, in everyday language that feels familiar even if we grew up in different times and places (New England in the 50s and 60s versus Ohio in the 90s and 00s.) The second part of the book, the part I was really looking forward to, was surprisingly reassuring. I was afraid I would read this book and come away realizing that writing well took too much natural talent, or too much dedication and dogged pursuit of greatness, and that I'm doomed to remain a mediocre, unpublished writer for the rest of my life. But Mr. King, in his friendly and honest style, reassured me that while it may not be possible to make a competent writer out of a bad one, it is possible to make a good writer out of a competent one. I consider myself competent: at the very least, I have a better grasp of grammar and a wider vocabulary than a lot of people I know, due to my childhood and teenage habit of burying myself in books like a frog hiding in the mud from winter's chill. I was relieved to find that the idea of making an outline of events in a story, something that always felt forced and unnatural to me, is not the way Stephen King writes his stories or the way he recommends to others. He frequently refers to stories as fossils waiting to be excavated, a metaphor that really spoke to my paleontology-obsessed inner child as well as my own experience with writing; I feel that I discover my stories and characters rather than inventing them. Overall, reading this book has given me hope that I'm not wasting my time with my writing, and that the book I'm working on isn't destined to remain a series of documents saved in the notes app of my phone, but might one day have a cover and binding and actual pages I can turn, and maybe, just maybe, more people than just myself and my husband will read it, and if I'm lucky, enjoy it.

31 people found this helpful

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just Jack

Great biography, great advice, great fun

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2007

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If Stephen king was to apply his own rules on writing, then half of this book would not be printed. It would have been cut in the review process. Good job it wasn't.

King maybe talking `On writing' but this book is as much a biography and great fun for it. It is written like a novel and so much the bettered for it but a good index would be useful.

On Writing was written either side of a horrific injury to King. It should be read in that light. Kings writing is clear, crisp and moves. However the story meanders. Not being a horror fan, I don't know if this is unusual for King.

Section 1, Kings calls CV. It's more than that. Here King reveals what made him a writer. His childhood experiences are common many fiction writers. Fiction writers are people who dream whole worlds in their heads: Friends and foes, lovers and demons. People who needed to do that in their childhoods. Kings family moved from pillar to post, denying King the opportunity to make life long childhood friends. King had a brother, but one too much older to be a friend. People who had lonely periods in their childhoods, dreamy up substitutes. Many became great writers, like King.

Why a horror writer? If you had baby sitters who stuffed you full of sickly food then locked you in a dark wardrobe to vomit all over your mothers favorite shoes, falling asleep in fear, or a brother who used you as the test pilot for every crazy dangerous scheme he had, what would you write about? King's account of his childhood is hilarious. If he didn't write horror he would make a good humorist.

King went on to learn his craft in short story telling. An excellent apprenticeship. And he made money from despite critic's condemnation. That taught him who really counts in writing. He also taught. The best way to learn anything is to teach it.

Finally King shows that the key to success is believing in yourself or having someone close who does. For King it was his wife, who rescued his career from the bin into which he chucked it in desperation. A wife who has kept her belief ever since and is his first reader.

Section 2, King calls `On writing'. Lots of useful advice here. Some told by other authors on writing, some new. To hear it from a great writer is all the better.

I part with King when he says plot has no part in creative writing. It has. But probably a lesser role in horror fiction, where the shocks need to be more spontaneous. It seems clear to me that King does plot. He just doesn't dwell on it. Kings advice may be good for the genre in which he excels. Horror. Read it carefully and there is something for every writer.

I also part company with King when he argues that writers are born not learnt. That is nonsense. We can all learn if we work at it as hard as King has. If we are in the right place at the right time with the right story then every writer can be as successful as King. That is the luck of the draw. King admits it himself and his life shows that writers learn.

Kings greatest advice is edit, edit and edit. He bangs on about it. Rightly so.

Section 3, King calls `On Living'. Some critics complain that King goes on and on about the accident that nearly killed him. Walking up the road King was hit by a stupid van driver. Motorists get away far too easily. So I am pleased that King does go on about it. It's a revealing account of what it's like to be such a victim. Even here, the menace of King's writing rises from the ashes. He explains that at the end of writing the driver had died. For some inexplicable reason! Good for King.

A great book. A real laugh. A fascinating biography by one of today's greatest writers. Some great advice, showing that the best way to teach, is to entertain.

For Horror fans, 'On Writing' may sadly be the beginning of the end of King's horror stories. He has stepped out of the shadows, breaking the spell. King is a damn good writer and he shows in 'On Writing' that he is capable of writing in other genres. The name King is now the brand for excellence on horror, so he will probably have to change his name to change his genre.

just Jack

10 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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ALEJANDRA LORENA RODRIGUEZ DELGADO

LIBRO

Reviewed in Mexico on August 25, 2023

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EXCELENTE

Jorge Sousa

Excelente livro. Honesto.

Reviewed in Spain on April 15, 2024

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Livro honesto, de um excelente escritor. Vale a pena a compra.

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Mitul Patel

Provides practical help and spiritual reassurance needed to nurture a writing life

Reviewed in India on March 28, 2024

Verified Purchase

In his seminal memoir/writing guide On Writing, Stephen King allows readers an unprecedented glimpse into the experiences and disciplines underlying his prolific career through over five decades. Published in 2000, the book interweaves King’s personal story of becoming one of history’s most successful authors with generous wisdom for aspiring writers. It chronicles his journey from unknown writer subsisting on meager earnings to literary superstardom in intimate detail.

With heartfelt humor and humility, King outlines the crucial life events, raw talents, and relentless work ethic that enabled him to craft over 60 revered horror and suspense novels, sell over 350 million books, and achieve pop culture icon status. While acknowledging individual creative brilliance cannot be replicated, On Writing insightfully demystifies Stephen King’s methods and reveals his approach to the craft as an act of joy and discovery. Beyond concrete tips, it captures King’s sincerely held belief in writing fiction as a spiritual calling that confers lifelong meaning, not mere acclaim.

The memoir portion of On Writing tracks Stephen King’s development from childhood origins through decades of refining his signature horror, fantasy, and supernatural fiction style. In descriptive anecdotes, King pinpoints childhood experiences that sparked his prolific imagination, from adolescent discovery of iconic science fiction and horror creators like H.P. Lovecraft to real-life brushes with death that left an imprint.

He traces his earliest beginnings—scribbling short stories on a stolen typewriter—to first getting published in a horror fanzine. King outlines his initial years enduring constant rejection and relying on part-time jobs to scrape by as he slowly forged his unique literary voice. With self-deprecating humor, he confesses it took submitting a story over thirty times before making his first professional magazine sale.

Candidly, King also delves into periods of severe substance abuse and personal issues that nearly destroyed his burgeoning career. He is transparent about significant gaps in his memory and output during the 80s due to drug and alcohol issues. King poignantly describes the interventions by family and friends that finally prompted him to get sober, as well as his regret over lost time and productivity. By frankly recounting his struggles, he humanizes the pressures of dealing with spectacular literary success at a young age.

King also reflects thoughtfully on the wealth of life experience, both joyful and traumatic, that he channels creatively into his prolific output. Scenes from his Maine upbringing, relationships, parenting, and interests pepper the narrative, affirming how he transforms the mundane into the thrillingly bizarre.

Throughout the memoir, King repeatedly underscores that the impetus for writing comes from within, not a quest for fame or riches. He traces his irresistible urge to write fiction back to childhood delight in imagining stories, even before aspirations of being a published author entered the picture. King asserts that he writes compulsively simply because the act brings him happiness and a sense of purpose. In beautifully philosophical passages, he describes writing as a spiritual journey of exploration, both of the human condition and his own subconscious preoccupations. According to King, good fiction originates from curiosity, wonder, and emotional honesty rather than commercial motives. He emphasizes embracing creativity for self-fulfillment first, then refining work to resonate for readers.

The second half of On Writing distills the pragmatic lessons Stephen King learned over decades of trial and error into an accessible writing guide. While acknowledging innate talent and inspiration can't be systematized, he offers plenty of concrete suggestions for improving any writer's craft. King stresses that above all, consistent dedication and work ethic separate serious writers from dabblers waiting on inspiration.

He advises diligently building writing routines: daily sessions of two to three hours, minimum word count targets, and treating writing like any other job. According to King, volume and repetition are key regardless of mood or muse. He urges writers to power through a first draft without excessive self-editing to get the raw story down on paper. Sensory details, lively dialogue, varied sentence structures, and ruthless editing are other skill areas he covers.

King goes beyond nuts-and-bolts techniques to passionately celebrate writing fiction as a noble pursuit driven by intuition, imagination, and childlike curiosity. He urges writers to explore the primal human need for storytelling, beyond surface commercial motives. King sees fiction as a unique path to emotional truth and wresting meaning from chaos. He becomes almost evangelical in advocating fiction writing as a path to purpose and lifelong creative development, regardless of public validation.

Throughout the guide portion, King pushes writers to mine their own experiences, quirks, and passions for material, rather than chasing trends. He sums up his advice as: “Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex and work.”

Accessible and generously insightful, On Writing continues to resonate with both aspiring authors and general readers over two decades after publication. Beyond a simple writing manual, it offers unprecedented access into the brilliant, yet utterly human, mind behind some of modern fiction’s most iconic works. For writers, the memoir provides inspiration through King’s stories of early struggles, while his concrete tips provide a flexible toolkit.

For fans, it provides a fascinating glimpse at the peculiar obsessions, quirky rituals, and redemptive habits underlying his creative output. Most rewardingly, On Writing explores the purposeful role of fiction writing in processing life’s chaos and horrors into meaningful narratives. Both memoir and guidebook, it reveals the alchemy of raw talent, dogged work ethic, personal experience, and joyful wonder that King channeled into a legendary career. Any reader comes away thoroughly convinced of his assertion that “writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art.”

In summary, On Writing by Stephen King remains an unparalleled classic of the writer’s memoir/guide genre by elucidating the many facets behind constructing compelling fiction. King’s intimate wisdom and transparent voice inspire through combining earnest memoir, pragmatic advice, passion for the craft, and philosophical insight. Beyond the secrets of his success, it captures the all-consuming personal fulfilment King derives from writing as his creative outlet.

For authors in any stage of development, On Writing provides both practical help and spiritual reassurance needed to nurture a writing life. Two decades later, newer generations of writers continue looking to the book as an essential roadmap and motivational touchstone. More than any formula, they take away King’s guiding principle: dedication to the daily writing journey itself ultimately matters more than any singular work or external measure of achievement.

One person found this helpful

Rui

On Writing: A Masterpiece Blending Craft, Humor, and Heart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2023

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Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" is undeniably the most practical, no-nonsense guide encompassing all facets of the writing process. Beyond offering encouragement to aspiring writers, the book provides invaluable insights and techniques for honing the craft.

King, a prolific author with over 200 novels and 64 published ones. What captivates readers is not just his literary achievements but his humor, resilience in the face of life's challenges, and profound love. He loves writing, his wife, his children, and the world. This love, reflected in his works, conveys the message that as long as there is kindness, love, and courage in the world, there's a chance for a triumphant comeback even in the most challenging circumstances.

Whether you're uncertain about pursuing writing or in need of motivation to continue, "On Writing" is a must-read. It's not just a guide; it's a source of joy and warmth. King's humor, unique to his style, provides a delightful reading experience. In essence, the book transcends its role as a writing guide; it's a journey into the heart and soul of one of literature's most beloved authors.

If you're seeking inspiration, laughter, or a glimpse into the warmth of the human experience, "On Writing" is an indispensable read. The book is a testament to the fact that, as Stephen King himself exemplifies, writing is not just a craft; it's an expression of love and resilience in the face of life's complexities.

4 people found this helpful

SaBah

Good

Reviewed in Sweden on November 21, 2023

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Great and interesting read

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