Scan barcode
A review by bittersweet_symphony
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
3.0
Stephen King writes an honest and accessible book about the genuine hard work it takes to be a writer. He shows it stripped of its glamor and poetry. You won't find any grand themes or treatises on human nature in here. That's just not his style. King isn't a beautiful or inspiring writer. That's never been his schtick. He is a hugely successful writer of mass-fiction aiming to give us a few helpful tips--in which he succeeds.
-"There is no Idea Dump, no Story central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky; two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize when they show up."
-"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not story."
-"Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don't have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough."
-"The idea that endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time...Any claims that the drugs and alcohol are necessary to dull a finer sensibility are just the usual self-serving bullshit...Hemingway and Fitzgerald didn't drink because they were creative, alienated, or morally weak. They drank because that's what alkies are wired up to do."
Besides the several tools he outlines for writers in Part II, I believe his greatest advice, which has been echoed by many other non-bull shitty pedagogues surrounds the "if I want to be a writer, what must I do" question. Write a lot. Read a lot. That. Is. It. King is the everyday man's writer. Master's programs, writing camps, and expensive workshops are not worth their time or dime. They are excuses people use for not wanting to do the real work. They are futile shortcuts to becoming great writers. Read. Write. Find a steady "first reader" who can be your biggest critic and greatest cheerleader. Find a routine place to write that is all your own. Close the door behind you and write write write. "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."
Be disciplined but love what you do. If your goal is "becoming published" or writing a best-seller, you're going about it all wrong. Writing is not for you. You must love the craft itself. "Talent renders the whole idea of rehearsal meaningless; when you find something at which you are talented, you do it until your fingers bleed or your eyes are ready to fall out of your head. Even when no one is listening, every outing is a bravura performance, because you as the creator are happy."
On writing is a book worth reading when you need a break from all the reading and writing expected of your craft but you don't want to feel guilty about taking a break. Still, it felt pretty tepid to me. For King, writing is more about entertainment and escapism than it is a source for bringing to life meaningful truths for our communities. If you're a writer wanting to be moved, to experience why writing really matters, I'd recommend Margaret Atwoods writing memoir, Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1406929700?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
I didn't resonate with King's personality, nor have I connected with his fiction, but if you enjoy his books/movies, I'm sure you'll be pleased with this one.
-"There is no Idea Dump, no Story central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky; two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize when they show up."
-"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not story."
-"Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don't have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough."
-"The idea that endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time...Any claims that the drugs and alcohol are necessary to dull a finer sensibility are just the usual self-serving bullshit...Hemingway and Fitzgerald didn't drink because they were creative, alienated, or morally weak. They drank because that's what alkies are wired up to do."
Besides the several tools he outlines for writers in Part II, I believe his greatest advice, which has been echoed by many other non-bull shitty pedagogues surrounds the "if I want to be a writer, what must I do" question. Write a lot. Read a lot. That. Is. It. King is the everyday man's writer. Master's programs, writing camps, and expensive workshops are not worth their time or dime. They are excuses people use for not wanting to do the real work. They are futile shortcuts to becoming great writers. Read. Write. Find a steady "first reader" who can be your biggest critic and greatest cheerleader. Find a routine place to write that is all your own. Close the door behind you and write write write. "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."
Be disciplined but love what you do. If your goal is "becoming published" or writing a best-seller, you're going about it all wrong. Writing is not for you. You must love the craft itself. "Talent renders the whole idea of rehearsal meaningless; when you find something at which you are talented, you do it until your fingers bleed or your eyes are ready to fall out of your head. Even when no one is listening, every outing is a bravura performance, because you as the creator are happy."
On writing is a book worth reading when you need a break from all the reading and writing expected of your craft but you don't want to feel guilty about taking a break. Still, it felt pretty tepid to me. For King, writing is more about entertainment and escapism than it is a source for bringing to life meaningful truths for our communities. If you're a writer wanting to be moved, to experience why writing really matters, I'd recommend Margaret Atwoods writing memoir, Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1406929700?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
I didn't resonate with King's personality, nor have I connected with his fiction, but if you enjoy his books/movies, I'm sure you'll be pleased with this one.