"On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King
Let me preface this review by saying I love Stephen King. Like so many others, he is the reason I wanted to become a novelist. That said, I don't love every thing he's ever written, nor do I think he's infallible. But as someone who's published a hell of a lot of books, he is an expert in the field. So, whether you like his brand of fiction or not, he has a lot of useful things to say about the craft and life of writing.
The book is really half memoir, and half how-to. I enjoyed the memoir portion as a fan-boy because King basically revealed how he became a writer in his own words, all the way through the process of writing and selling "Carrie." The insights in his story are priceless. I won't spoil anything, but there are some real pearls in the memoir section. Don't skip it because you think he sucks.
Ironically the shorter section of the book is the how-to portion. But as a wise Jedi Master once said—size matters not. King follows the basic KISS principle—keep it simple stupid—and makes the advice easy to digest and accessible.
A few stand-out quotes:
"The road to hell is paved with adverbs."
"The scariest moment is always just before you start."
"Amateurs wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work."
"If you want to be a writer there are two things you must do above all: read a lot and write a lot."
I can't help you with the writing part, but I recommend reading "On Writing." It might just change your life.
See you on the other side!
Kommentare