A
memoir by
Stephen King, in which he writes about his
craft. It covers in detail his family, and his early life in writing. In it he explains in his
opinion the
dos and don'ts of serious writing: things like basic
grammar and stylistic rules that need to be adhered to. He also goes into how writers
just starting out are most likely to get an
agent or get
published.
It's a short book; a fun read for anyone interested in becoming a writer, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who just likes King's fiction. I honest-to-god laughed out loud at least half a dozen times reading this book. It was quite enjoyable. An easy read, with all kinds of practical junk tossed in for good measure.
"You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair - the sense that you can never completely put on the page what's in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come into it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.
I'm not asking you to come reverntly or unquestioningly; I'm not asking you to be politically correct or cast aside your sense of humor (please God you have one). This isn't a popularity contest, it's not the moral Olympics, and it's not church. But it's writing damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can't or won't, it's time for you to close the book and do something else.
Wash the car, maybe."
-Stephen King, On Writing