Stephen King once said,
“Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid,
or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will
read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up,
getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy”(275).
Some
of the greatest horror books (and ultimately movies) of the modern world were created by Stephen King; Carrie, The Shining, It, The Green Mile, and
The Stand are some of his more
well-known works, in both book and movie form. He began his career as a child,
writing short stories for his mother and other family members in his spare
time. This led to him submitting stories
to some magazines he used to read, only to receive numerous rejection letters.
How could one of the most prominent horror and science fiction authors of all
time have received even a single rejection letter? King is an amazing author,
but he was not born with an immense ability to write captivating adventures
with surprises around every turn; he had to develop his skills in order to
become the successful author he is today.
The
first half of this memoir On Writing,
was primarily King’s autobiography of his journey to writing. His humorous and
sarcastically charged tone makes what could be a dry, informative account of
his life a hilarious read. For example, he could have said, “I developed my
creativity before television was able to do it for me,” but instead he claimed
that he was only one of a “handful of American novelists who learned to read
and write before they learned to eat a daily helping of video bullshit”(22). King’s
colloquialisms add to his frank nature, allowing this distinctive style to not
only characterize, but enhance the reader’s experience.
The fact that he was
able to possess such a unique imagination, unlike any of the authors today, greatly
contributed to the extraordinary level of creativity presented in many of his novels.
He takes the reader through the process of how he conjured up the story line of
Carrie. One summer while working as a
janitor at a high school, King was cleaning the girls’ locker room and suddenly
had an idea that became one of the most memorable scenes of the book – when
Carrie gets her period while showering in the girls’ locker room and the girls
around her throw pads at her for entertainment. He then remembered an article
in Life magazine on telekinesis, and
these two ideas unexpectedly became the entire plot of his most famous book. I
loved how he was able to explain the circumstances behind the books he writes;
these explanations will alter any views a reader may have on what Stephen King
is like and how a man could think of such terrifying stories. He is an average
guy, as these books actually stemmed from events he endured, but he has an
extraordinary talent.
He
also depicts the difficult and discouraging parts of his writing career. King
had a fair share of criticism of his books and ideas. He even stated that he
“was forty before [he] realized that almost every writer of fiction and poetry
who as ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her
God-given talent”(39). He was told he was “writing junk”(38), from one of his
teachers, as most of his stories revolved around his science-fiction
imagination that was not yet popular in the literary world. However, through
this dispiriting experience, he described how he was able to overcome it, and
ultimately provided the readers with a feeling of optimism toward some obstacle
they may have been told they could not accomplish. I greatly enjoyed this, as
the passage to a successful writer or any very successful profession seemed
more relatable and achievable, and the way he treated his accomplishments with
such humility added a more personal relationship between the reader and him.
However,
as a guide for writing, it was insufficient. Stephen King should stick to
writing stories. The second portion of his novel focuses more on his writing
style as a horror and science-fiction author and all of the lessons he learned
from the editing and publishing processes. If one actually wanted to learn more
on general tips for writing, they should look elsewhere. The information he
gives is the information he received from many publishers and editors, and information
about his personal style. However, the point of writing is not to replicate
another author’s signature; one needs to develop their own style. He states
that for his style, “less is more”(207). However, if one wanted to go into more
elaborate detail because that is their vision for their work, the fact that
Stephen King follows a different style pattern should not prevent that.
Nonetheless, if one greatly enjoyed one of King’s pieces of work and wanted to
gain insight into his style to inspire or direct them in a certain way, one
should definitely see what King has to share.
As a book for
entertainment purposes, I would definitely recommend the first half of this
book. The wild antics of his incredible life are stated in ways that will
captivate every type of audience within five pages. However, the second half is
not as stylistically charged as it focuses more on a didactic topic, rather
than a personal account. If one wanted to actually learn about King’s writing process,
I would encourage them to read it, but not to forget that imitation is not a
style.
Works
Cited:
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000. Print.
"StephenKing.com - On Writing:
A Memoir of the Craft." StephenKing.com - On Writing: A Memoir of the
Craft. Stephen King, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
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