Advice from Mr. King: Take 2

When Mr. King asks himself what writing is, his answer is, “telepathy, of course”; and his book, On Writing, is even better than telepathy. When I was reading this book I didn’t feel like King sending me images telepathically, I felt like he was right in the room talking to me. On Writing is one of the few non-fiction novels written by Stephen King, one of the most, if not the most, prevalent horror authors of our time. King has authored more than 40 books and 200 short stories in the last thirty-five years. On Writing is half a memoir of King’s life and half a how-to book on writing. The first half of the book is about King’s life, his childhood, unfortunate accidents with poison ivy and his run in with the otiologist, how he became a writer, and his later life. The second half is about how to become a better writer, even though King explicitly states,

“[…] 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 entire book is written in this down-to-earth, completely candid style. King doesn’t flatter his reader, he tells it to them straight, so if you are easily discouraged or offended, this might not be the book for you. However if you are up for a good laugh you are in the right place because the entire book is dripping with Stephen King’s trademark dry wit and self-deprecating humor.

Despite the many positive aspects of the book, it is not perfect. There are some downsides that should be known about it; for example, Stephen King has a very rambling writing style, so when talking about grammar sometimes he gets very redundant. He also talks about some very basic elements of writing; the odds are that if you are reading the book you already know the basics. However, as boring as this part can be, King’s humor spices it up quite a bit. This book is also written for the average person. Stephen King peddles literature to masses, so if one begins reading this book looking for something sophisticated and thoroughly intellectual, it will not fit the requirements and they will be disappointed. It is insightful, yet very crude.

However, despite it’s simplicity this book offers a lot of excellent advice on life, and on writing. Small gems of wisdom like on topics like criticism: “After having a two-hundred-pound babysitter fart on your face and yell Pow!, The Village Voice holds few terrors”, fancy language: “Never use “emolument” when you mean “tip””, the importance of reading: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write”, television: “I am, when you stop to think of a it, a member of a fairly select group: the final handful of American novelists who learned to read and write before they learned to eat a daily helping of video bullshit”.

So, if you want to learn more about Stephen King, read this book. If you are sick of boring handbooks on writing and want to learn a bit about writing in a funny and entertaining style, read this book. If you are offended by four letter words, do not read this book. Overall, this book was hilarious and helpful, but not for the faint of heart!