My Thoughts on On Writing by Stephen King

Aaron Sharp | January 12, 2021

On Writing: A Memoir of the the Craft by Stephen King was the first book I read in 2021. It is my favorite book on writing, and this was my second time through.

For the foreseeable future I am going to blog about books I’ve read in a question and answer format. The premise is that one of my readers is asking me questions. For the record, this is just a device I am using to have fun. It’s more interesting for me to write them this way, if you don’t like it, well, you don’t really have to read it I guess.

Part of the effort here is that I’m endeavoring to get better at writing about the books I read, which I’m sure will be an initiative that will last well into February, but here we go.

Should I read this book?

Are you a writer? Then yes, definitely you should read this book. Are you someone who is offended by profanity? Then no, maybe this book isn’t for you.

Do you read a lot of Stephen King?

No. This and 11/22/63 are actually the only books by King that I’ve read. I really like them both, but his books are not my usual reading fare. That being said, since I’ve loved both of the books I read of his I probably should try another one sometime.

What was your least favorite part of the book?

Reading about King’s injuries after he was run over by a van. I’ve got a weak stomach, and I digested most of this as an audiobook (with a little bit of ebook thrown in) and just happened to get to this part while I was driving down the road. I spent a few minutes nervously checking for vans being driven recklessly.

Do you have a favorite quote from the book?

I’m tempted to go with, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs,” but that’s a lesson I’m still trying to take to hear so these two are probably my favorites:

“Reading at meals is considered rude in polite society, but if you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”

&

“If God gives you something you can do, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it?”

Will you ever read this book again?

Definitely. There’s so much good stuff about writing this will probably be a regular reread for me.