Book Review: ON WRITING by Stephen King

I bought On Writing by Stephen King–one of his rare detours into the world of nonfiction–earlier this year after a strong recommendation from Professor Kevin Coyne at the Columbia Journalism School. I was taking Kevin’s course on “Narrative Writing” then, and found him to be one of the best teachers I had come across at Columbia. It was in response to my question that Kevin recommended On Writing as one his favorite books that decode the art and craft of storytelling.

I bet few writers as successful as King, author of over fifty books, would be willing to bare their chest of their success mantra, if there is one at all. It is an endeavor that poses huge risk, for several reasons: you could come across as saying things that aren’t quite generalizable (as can be expected in a creative field), or as too preachy (do this because it worked for me), or worse, too superficial–one among the many new publications that come out every year promising to transform absolute beginners into great writers.

Thankfully, King suffers no such delusion. Published in 2000, King wrote On Writing not because a successful novelist has to have something to teach others about writing, but to show that popular novelists care about the language and craft of storytelling too.

True to his craft, King deploys the narrative of his own life to depict how he came to be a writer, and the lessons that stood him well through his incredible journey as one of the most successful American writers of his generation. A big reason why King’s book is a delightful read is the humility and camaraderie with which he approaches this task. Before you even realize, you feel like you have settled into a friendly chat with the author over coffee.

The first part of this book is written as a series of memories from King’s childhood as he grew up with his elder brother and single mother, struggling to make ends meet, in Maine, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Connecticut. Some of these memories seem to have nothing to do with King’s growth as a writer; yet they provide the backdrop that helps us better relate to King as a person.

Woven into this tapestry are vignettes that tell us the story of King the Writer: how he made his first buck at age seven selling four stories–quarter a piece–to his mom; how he got his first story published in a horror fanzine in his early teens; his first reporting assignment covering a high school basketball game for a local publication; his job as an English teacher in a small town in Massachusetts; and finally, after marriage, two kids, and a long spell of financial trouble, the sweet success of his first book Carrie in 1974.

In the second part of the book, King tackles the subject of writing and storytelling head on. This part is filled with little gems every few pages. King begins by using the metaphor of a carpenter as he advises, “To write to your best abilities, it behooves you t0 construct your own toolbox and then build up enough muscle so you can carry it with you.”

The toolbox should have multiple levels. The topmost level should contain the most common tools a writer needs–vocabulary and grammar. On the layer beneath goes form (the way you construct paragraphs), and elements of style. And underneath them all, are the tools of storytelling.

For each of these tools, King offers sound, practical advice. For example, on vocabulary, King says “It ain’t how much you’ve got honey, it’s how you use it.” On style, King gleefully concedes territory to the 1959 Strunk and White classic, The Elements of Style. He emphasizes the power of using active versus passive verbs, and cautions against the overuse of adverbs–frequently quoting popular writers to make his point.

At this point, King launches into an extended conversation–almost like a Q and A session–with the reader on questions he believes to be important to aspiring writers, but which rarely get asked. This is easily the section that makes On Writing stand out as a classic in its genre, and a must read for any beginner.

King lays out a four level hierarchy of writers: bad writers at the bottom, followed by competent writers, good writers, and finally, great writers. As King shares his pearls of wisdom in the next hundred pages or so, he is driven by a strong belief that “while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.”

The surest Commandment King delivers is “read a lot, write a lot.” Simple as it sounds, it is the bluntness with which King says it that shows he really means it. King advises four to six hours of serious reading and writing a day, every day, predicting failure for any wannabe writer who cannot make time for that.

In subsequent pages, King shares personal details of his daily routine (he sets a daily target to write 2000 words and doesn’t get up until he’s done), addresses questions on what one should write (write what you like, and know best), his thoughts on description, dialogue, and character development, and his (probably unique) approach to building plots. The book ends on a personal note as King recounts his tragic road accident in 1999, and how writing provided him a vehicle to fight his way back.

The most important point King makes that underscores everything else is that successful writers, like all successful professionals, all share a deep passion and love for the craft. They write as much for themselves, as they write to be read.