Book Review: On Writing by Stephen King

The first part of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King is a memoir that focuses on how the author found his way to becoming a successful author. He starts in his childhood, when he was an avid reader. Then he moves through his adolescence where his writing sometimes got him into trouble, and on into his adulthood when his talent was finally recognized. It's a fascinating and entertaining story that I enjoyed reading.

The rest of the book is the author's advice to writers. He begins by describing the tools that every author needs to create his or her story, things like vocabulary and grammar. He also gives advice on plot, character development, themes and so much more. His advice is specific to writers of fiction, although there are many aspects that could be applied to other types of writing. I found it informative even though the writing I do is either business-related or reviews such as this. I'm sure I'll be thinking of his advice as I read and critique books. I expect I'll notice the quality of writing in more detail now.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in writing fiction. King offers some excellent advice. I especially recommend the audio version of the book, which is narrated by King himself. I listened to most of the book, but one of the disks didn't work so I had to get the paperback from the library to read those chapters I had missed. I preferred the audio version.

My Rating: 5/5

This review was written based on a copy of On Writing that I borrowed from the library.