Number 9

On Writing

Stephen King

I read this book a few months ago, and I can honestly say it changed my views on the writing process and how a writer actually begins his or her work. If you are a writer and want to be better, if you need a bit of a pep talk about your own personal work, or if you think you might have a talent for writing but have not written anything yet, this book is absolutely a necessity.

If you are familiar with Stephen King's work, you will find that the tone he adopts for most of his books is consistent here. He is funny, descriptive, but also direct and gets to the point quickly. He wrote this book mostly while he was recovering from the injuries he suffered a few years ago (he was hit by a van while walking). However, if you have not read any of Stephen King's books or just do not like his work, there is something here for you too. King covers everything from grammar, creating a story, revising, and even establishing a routine for the writing process.

I read a lot of books on the writing process in college, and I really wish I had just read this one. It is informative without being boring, and somehow he manages to make this a page-turner like his other books. In addition, I finished this book feeling more empowered to write than I ever have in my life. His story itself is inspiring, simply because he wrote his first two books while teaching during the day, supporting a family, and writing with a typewriter in his lap at night. He wrote with no fear of what others thought, and if he was having a tough day writing, he wrote anyway. Personally, I've always felt that whatever I write has to be the genius or innovative, and if it is not it is therefore not worth writing. What I took away from this book is that it doesn't have to set the world on fire. I can write just for the sake of writing and the enjoyment of creating a story. While he has been successful as a writer, he says that even if he wasn't he would still write. Basically, if it's not fun, don't do it. But if it is something you enjoy, go for it. Have fun and see what happens.

Why didn't my professors ever tell me this?