Surviving and Thriving - Reviews

By Stephen King

King says that he thought long and hard about writing a book about writing. He wasn’t convinced that another book of this sort was really needed and he was concerned that it may make him come across as "some literary gasbag". He need not worry about that. On Writing is a brief and succinctly written account of how he came to be a writer, what he knows about the craft, and how it is done.

Part one of the book is entitled simply C.V. It is King’s curriculum vitae , an account of his early years as both a person and a writer. He gives an interesting account of what it meant to grow up poor, very poor, in a single parent family. It is a good account, for sure, but it is not a whining account – just straight from the lip, classic Stephen King. Though mainly autobiographical, the section gives good detail on the personal aspects of becoming a writer. Hilarious and poignant, the section reveals where he came from and where he intends to go.

The Toolbox section gives a very short description of what he feels to be the writer’s essential tools. He places vocabulary and grammar at the top of the list of required tools. King is, after all, a former English teacher. Just below these tools, he places what he calls elements of style. He mentions (praises) the Strunk and White classic, The Elements of Style several times throughout the book.

The largest part of the book, King calls On Writing. This is where he talks about the nuts and bolts of the craft – character development, narrative, dialog – stuff like that. He also talks about the physical act of writing with the door to the writing space either open or closed. There are times when we need to be alone and undisturbed (door closed). There are times when we can allow interruptions (door open). He uses the open door/closed door analogy to explain that there are times when we cannot allow external thoughts to enter the story whether they come from a person other than the writer, of from the writer’s own internal editor. When you "open the door" during re-write, for example, you welcome thoughts from elsewhere.

King finishes the book with short sections on his accident, and the part that writing played in his recovery, editing one’s work, and a list of his favorite books.

This is a very good read, but then, it is Stephen King. True to his fiction form, he doesn’t sugarcoat anything.

On Writing by Stephen King was originally published in hardcover by Scribner. It is now available in a paperback edition by Pocket Books, which is available for $10.47 at Amazon.com.

Review by Gerald Franklin

Return to Reviews