On Writing

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An interesting memoir combined with thoughts on writing that boil down to: Writers Write.

I'm an inexperienced Stephen King reader, but I'm glad I've at least read this. Besides endearing me to his no-nonsense style and explaining a lot about his preferred subject matter, On Writing has practical advice and takes a straightforward approach to "the craft" of writing.

I loved the imagery of taking two completely different things and combining them in a story. According to King, that's where the magic happens--at the intersection of formerly unrelated thoughts, ideas, or questions.

In the end, though, what King tells his readers is that to be a writer is to write. To write the story that begs to be written, to approach it boldly, to trust in its need to be in the world, and to take pride in the act of writing.

He also calls reading a writer's "creative center" ...and that's all a girl like me needs to hear as she continues devouring the pile of books next to her bed.


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