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My POV
Brian Wilson
BOOK REVIEW
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
By Stephen King
Pocket Books. 288 pages. $14.95. Available everywhere.
If you don't have Stephen King's "On Writing," get it.
Let me say, I'm not a fanatical Stephen King fan. I've read and enjoyed some of his books, a few left me flat, and his prodigious production has made it impossible for me to read his entire catalogue. So, I'm not a King groupie anxious to praise anything that comes forth from his typewriter.
That said, King's "On Writing" is magnificent.
I've read enough Hollywood/writing/how-to books to spring the hinges on a steamer trunk. Almost without exception, they lack heart. They may convey information, but they lack heart.
"On Writing" offers up an abundance of both.
These captivating 288 pages allow a master storyteller to guide you through what he knows about life, writing and how the two converge.
Not bad for a scant fifteen bucks.
I found the "first and third acts" of the book the most compelling and insightful.
In the first, King describes his snapshot recollections of his life, the defining incidents that now find their way into his writing. King's smooth, natural style weaves together a fascinating life story that had me laughing by buns off one minute, then putting the book down and choking up the next. Farted on by his babysitter in West DePere, Wisconsin. Fighting maggots infesting the tablecloths he was paid to wash in a steamy commercial laundry. Writing "Carrie" while polishing off a case (yes, a case) of tallboys a night. And the call from a publisher that sent him to the floor in disbelief.
It's a writer's life, it's a great story, and it is told through great writing.
The "second act" of the book concerns itself with King's "Tool Box," the how-to aspect of writing. King worked for some time as an English teacher, so he presents good information in well-conceived lessons. Writers of any skill level can pick up useful tips here, and the less-experienced writer will likely benefit tremendously. By its nature, this section doesn't pack the emotional intensity of the other two, so it's not my sentimental favorite. Nevertheless, it accomplishes its goal admirably.
In the book's "third act," King describes the life-altering experience of being flattened by an idiot-propelled van beside a Maine country road. Read his near-death ordeal, a ghastly tale presented brilliantly and vividly, and you won't take a moment of your writing time for granted ever again. At least, you shouldn't.
Few of us will have the chance to sit beside a writer as accomplished as Stephen King and ask, "How do you do it?" This undulating tale of author and craft is the next best thing to doing so.
My recommendation: click over to Amazon, buy "On Writing," devour it and count yourself lucky that you've been able to gain this much insight into writing and a fascinating writer.
Rating: Wow.
Keep writing.
BW
LA
bigtex@loop.com
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