4/5 – Another book that has plenty of wonderful reviews, and yet I will add my own.
This book is half memoir and half writing advice. King opens up his own life’s history, not just to tell us about his own life, but to show other beginning writers that even a successful author has been there. He tells of writing in his cramped laundry room after his ‘day job’ trying to make ends meet. He also offers up some of his darkest moments being consumed by addiction and the way his family intervened.
The section on writing advice, tools, and general tricks of the trade is honest and full of information. At times, King is blunt, almost harshly so; but he also explains why he is giving the advice that he is in a way that says he not only wants you to succeed in your writing endeavors, but he believes that you can. Most importantly, he maintains one major piece of advice – Don’t write for the money, write for the love of writing.
King also provides a list of books he has enjoyed over the years (In my re-released print pictured above, there are two lists of books), suggestions on how to find an agent, and a peek into his life during and after he was struck by a van while on vacation.
On Writing will remain on my reference shelf for years to come. The advice and trade truths that King puts forth are wonderful and, I hope, will prove to be useful for many books down the road. I highly recommend it to any aspiring authors that need a bit of hope to help guide them through the writing process.