On Writing: Stephen King's Insightful Guide to the Art of Storytelling

Todd23: A thoroughly enjoyable book written in the unmistakeable King style. Part stories of his life, part how to write book this is a fantastic read.

Australia on Oct 04, 2023

Jade: Haven’t finished it just yet. I’m drowning in books I’m currently reading - help! Book’s looking in great shape though! Quite interesting, I’d heard it’s highly regarded.

Australia on Sep 30, 2023

Paolo Cattolico: The best book on the art of writing I have ever read.

Italy on Sep 18, 2023

a real fan: This book is easy to read and very well structured so that the main principles King sets forth are easily understood. I just happened to be reading Fairy Tale at the same time I read this book so I could easily see how King makes his magic.

United States on Aug 28, 2023

Jack Cohen: Unlike other works I've read by Stephen King, this is not fiction. Part memoir and part creative writing manual, it's classic King, imaginative, compelling, always interesting. This book is thoroughly enjoyable, both for insights into the person and author, and also for understanding how he does what he does so well. For fans of Stephen King, a must-read, for others still a fascinating experience.

United States on Aug 18, 2023

Kimberley Ann: When I began reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, I wasn’t expecting myself to enjoy it as much as I did. I would usually prefer to spend my time reading fiction, but I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Not only is this book informative, it’s also really interesting. Stephen King shares some of the stories of his youth in ways that really made me laugh and shudder…a shared fear of medical professionals who lie about things not hurting is not what I was expecting to come away knowing.

All in all, I would happily recommend this to both people learning to write and also people who might just be interested in what shaped Stephen King as a writer.

United Kingdom on Jul 31, 2023

Marissa Patterson.: I've been a fan of Stephen King, and an aspiring writer, since middle school. Yet somehow I hadn't read this book until now, in my thirties and still too uncertain of my writing skills to attempt to get published. The first part of the book, Mr. King's memoirs, was, as all his writing is, nearly impossible to put down. He can manipulate words to convey not just images, but feelings, in a way that really speaks to me, in everyday language that feels familiar even if we grew up in different times and places (New England in the 50s and 60s versus Ohio in the 90s and 00s.) The second part of the book, the part I was really looking forward to, was surprisingly reassuring. I was afraid I would read this book and come away realizing that writing well took too much natural talent, or too much dedication and dogged pursuit of greatness, and that I'm doomed to remain a mediocre, unpublished writer for the rest of my life. But Mr. King, in his friendly and honest style, reassured me that while it may not be possible to make a competent writer out of a bad one, it is possible to make a good writer out of a competent one. I consider myself competent: at the very least, I have a better grasp of...

United States on Jul 22, 2023

Ryan Millar: Stephen King, perhaps unsurprisingly, really nails it with this book. Part memoir, part how-to this book is so readable and full FULL of wisdom and actionable advice.

Netherlands on Jul 19, 2023

Ashley W.: Read this if you are an aspiring writer.
Read this if you are a Stephen King fan.
Read this if you like to read fiction.
Read this if you are curious about writers.
Read this, read this, read this.

I can’t remember the first SK novel I read, but his stories (it’s always about the story. Thanks SK!) have been woven into the literary journey of my adolescence and adulthood. Reading “On Writing” has given me such a unique glimpse into his personal writing process. It’s satisfying to read his personal stories and see tidbits that are extracted for his writing. Some he explains directly (Carrie for example) and some I saw for myself (read Fairytale and you will see connections to his injuries from a 1999 accident) because the books hadn’t been published at the time this one was.

So glad I picked this one up! I’m sure it won’t be the last time I read it.

United States on Jul 10, 2023

S. Rose: This is one of my new most favorite books, ever. I adore it so, so much. *ADORE* it. It was an absolute delight to read how Stephen King became the author he is now, and get the jokes that only writers would understand. It was comforting to see that he has struggled with many of the same things that I have as a writer and how he has overcome it all through a wonderful, optimistic, “never give up” attitude, with faith in his love of writing.

I absolutely adore his honesty and how genuine he is. I remember going to a so-called writing “Masterclass” taught by a so-called “pro” and his advice was NOT centered around the craft of writing—it was centered around money. He told everyone to lie about how they got their writing ideas, to embellish it, make it something magical. “And if you want to sell more books,” he said, “write from the perspective of a man. People prefer books where the main character is a man.” And I thought, this is terrible! That’s not how writing works! You don’t twist things to fit other people’s expectations, that’s just wrong! Where’s your integrity?! Where’s your love of discovery? Of the characters?

Anyway,...

United States on Feb 26, 2021