On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft

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Stephen King: On Writing (2000, Simon & Schuster)

Audio Cassette

English language

Published Dec. 13, 2000 by Simon & Schuster.

ISBN:
978-0-671-58236-4
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OCLC Number:
243698004

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4 stars (3 reviews)

"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write."

Here is Stephen King's master class on his craft.

On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King's childhood and his early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, offer a fresh and often funny perspective on the formation of a writer.

King then turns to the tools of his trade, examining crucial aspects of the wriiter's art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection.

King was in the middle of writing this book when he was nearly killed in a widely reported accident. On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how his need to write spurred him …

46 editions

Mientras escribo

2 stars

Esté libro de Stephen King sobre el oficio de escribir me ha parecido tan interesante como triste.

El autor se muestra sincero a la hora de revelar sus trucos de escritor y los pasos que le han llevado a su abrumador éxito de ventas. Es un tipo inteligente y se expresa con sentido del humor en todo momento. No pontifica y resulta humilde, a la vez que demuestra controlar los resortes del mundo editorial.

Sin embargo, y aquí viene la parte triste, también parece un manual para convertirse en el perfecto escritor de best sellers: esos autores de estilo claro, preciso, de buen ritmo, que manejan un argumento trepidante que van dosificando con inteligencia. El problema es que a muchos todas estas cosas nos resultan tan positivas a priori como anodinas en el fondo.

Me resulta especialmente peliaguda una parte en la que pone como ejemplo de buena práctica de …

Excellent!

5 stars

I have never read a Stephen King book in my life but I enjoy reading about writers' experiences with their craft. This book was wonderful. Part memoir, part nuts-and-bolts practical advice, it was thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. So much so that now I'm waiting on a couple his fiction books at the library. Who knows, maybe I'll turn into a fan?

More a memoir than a how-to-write guide, but

4 stars

It's probably the closest we'll get to a proper memoir out of a very interesting & likeable guy, who's utterly unique in the publishing world.

Regardless of whether you are a fan of his actual output or not, you can't question his consistency, and as far as his style and approach to writing, he keeps it simple and straightforward, which for a beginning writer is really useful. And like all Stephen King works, it's an easy read that keeps moving.