Book Review: Stephen King ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’

Stephen King’s ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’ is one book that I wanted to get my hands and mind on. Being a logophile, I relished the idea of putting my thoughts on paper on the most random things. Undoubtedly, like every teenager bubbling with hormones and zeal, I wrote my heart out in my journal. I wrote religiously every day after school and ended up with a vast collection of my embarrassing teenage years.

But, it did help me connect with the writing. Of course, as I was growing up, I realized that writing was my true calling and ended up in the creative and lonely world of writing. I love digging into books, exploring the world of strangers, authors I admire, and the world I can only imagine.

For a writer like me, it’s indeed inspiring to learn about one of the greatest authors of our times, Stephen King. 

Besotted with wild and bizarre experiences, Stevie’s life (as his family fondly address him) is fascinating. These crazy encounters gave him fodder for his insane imagination, breaking away from stereotypes that we tend to build. Apart from letting us in on his growing up years, his relationship with his Mother and Tabby, his wife, Stephen King gives writers like you and me some writing lessons that will last you a lifetime.

When it comes to writing tools, Stephen King does give the reader umpteen examples on the benefits of being a grammar nerd. For those of us who skipped grammar classes in high school or couldn’t grasp the basics, King says it might be too late to enter the grammar world. Too bad!

For those who know the nuts and bolts of grammar, the chapter on grammar is a revelation. Yes, he does mention the brilliant William Strunk and The Elements of Style and provides hordes of examples that defy grammar. Here are a few tips and tricks if you’d like to call it or the “Toolbox,” according to Stephen King.

• “The bread of all writing is vocabulary.” King emphasizes that dressing up your vocabulary for fear of being ashamed of your short words is a nightmare. The basic rule of thumb is to use the first word that comes to your mind.
• The second most important ingredient of excellent writing is grammar. For those who are not grammar nerds, it’s too late. Fuhgeddaboudit! 
• Do the grammar rules worry the aspiring writer? Do you have to write complete sentences each time, every time? Yes, unless you’re confident that you will do a bang up job. King’s recommendation for those who want to refurbish their grammar, read: Warriner’s English Grammar & Composition.
• Stephen King’s pet peeves – ‘That’s so cool,’ ‘At the end of the day,’ ‘At this point in time.’ I have my pet peeves too. Thanks to the millennial lingo, words that make no sense whatsoever and text language can make a grammar nerd pulling his/her hair out. ‘Awesome’ is one such overused word. And then we have swag, swell, and abbreviations tbh, tmi, etc.
• Another pet peeve of King that he wants to get off his chest is – the passive tense/voice. The passive tense makes King want to scream, and it’s torturous and weak. 
• The adverb is not your friend. Yes, you heard it. Dump the adverbs. King puts it emphatically that the road to hell is paved with adverbs.
• He goes on to give the readers tons of advice on words, sentences, and paragraphs that make up a story or an essay.

On Writing

Good writing consists of mastering the principles of grammar and then filling it with the right instruments.

Bad writers are seldom competent. “If you’re a good writer and want to be great. Fuhgeddaboudit!”

The most celebrated writers, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, have faced constant criticism. But, if you want to be a writer, you have to read a lot and write a lot. There’s no shortcut to success. King also provides a list of books that you should get your hands on.

Do you want to be a storyteller? Write your novel someday, maybe? In King’s view, stories consist of three parts – narration, description, and dialogue. He gives a multitude of examples for the aspiring writer to bring his/her characters and story to life.

Another area of writing that one cannot ignore is revising or editing. How many drafts? Did you know it took Markus Zusak three years to write The Book Thief? As King puts it rightly, “To write is human, to edit is divine.”

Writing can be a long, lonely job. Please write as much as you’d like, as many words as you’d like, and then shut it off. Resist the temptation to read your draft. After days, go back to your draft and edit. As you read your work, you will feel depressed but enjoy the process and rediscover your book, your story.

It’s essential to stick to the parts of the characters and stories that are interesting. 

Lastly, my friend, do your research but do not get carried away.

King says many aspiring writers walk up to him and throw their predicament, asking if the writing workshops and seminars are of any help? How do you get an agent? Where do you get your ideas? Stephen King does explain those bewildered questions with his account of finding agents and publishers.

Well, there’s a whole lot of love for writing that King manifests by writing this book. And he does give us a glimpse into the most celebrated writer’s mind, and how one day it all changed. How, after a miraculous escape, he again found love and life in words, in writing?

“Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.” – Stephen King