“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
— Stephen King, On Writing
I have seen many movie adaptations of Stephen King’s books over the years—The Shining, Carrie, IT, Pet Sematary, just to name a few—but the only book I had actually read by this famous author was It, a thousand or so pages long, when I was in college. Well, that was until now.
I decided to start this year’s reading journey with On Writing by Stephen King. I had heard so many good things about this book that I told myself, “Go for it.” I’m glad I did. I learned a lot about the author and his writing life—his whole life, as a matter of fact—and I found his advice to writers particularly interesting. One piece of advice in particular, given to him and which I am now putting into practice, is: “2nd draft = 1st draft − 10%” (p. 222). Simple, but awesome.
I like how he describes what the book is about:
“What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly and simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the language.” (p. 11)
And in my opinion, he did a magnificent job. I devoured this book in about five days, taking copious notes, which is a major accomplishment for me because it typically takes me at least three weeks to finish a book like this one. It was that good.
The book is divided into three parts: C.V. (curriculum vitae), where he describes his life and how he started writing stories; On Writing, where he lays out what writing stories is all about and how to go about writing them; and On Living, where he describes an accident in which he almost lost his life.
I bought the Celebrating 50 Years of Writing edition, which also includes three forewords, three book lists, an essay written by his son Owen King, and a conversation with his other son, Joe Hill. The book ends with a section titled On Joy, which was short but excellent. My edition is 317 pages long.
His narrative is funny, informative, and engaging, which is part of the reason I finished the book so quickly.
He started writing in 1954, when he was in first grade. His first story was about “four magic animals who rode around in an old car, helping out little kids” (p. 28). The main character was Mr. Rabbit Trick, and the story was four pages long. His mom read it and said “it was good enough to be in a book” (p. 29). He earned 25 cents for that story and wrote three more, earning 25 cents apiece.
That’s how he started, and he goes on to describe his life—including his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction—over the next 100 pages or so. Using Writer’s Digest to study the market, he sent out numerous articles and received many rejections throughout his early life.
He landed his first job while in high school, writing for a local newspaper, and was paid half a cent per word. After revising his first article, the editor gave King the following advice:
“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story… When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” (p. 57)
As he transitioned from high school to college, he continued submitting stories to different magazines, earning $65 for a couple of stories and $200 for one submitted to Cavalier magazine. In college, he met Tabitha, who is also a writer, and they got married. He wrote a long story titled “Sometimes They Come Back” and received $500 for it.
On pages 72 through 87, he describes how he came up with Carrie, his first big hit, and how happy he and his family were when he was offered $400,000 for the paperback rights.
By the end of Part One, he begins describing what writing is and what he calls the writer’s “toolbox,” which includes vocabulary, grammar, elements of style, and story elements. In this section, he recommends two books: Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition and The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.
About vocabulary, he says:
“Remember that the basic rule of vocabulary is use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful.” (p. 118)
He begins the second part of the book (On Writing) with two theses:
“The first is that good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style)… The second is 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.” (p. 142)
His second thesis may sound harsh, but after reading the book, I think I understand what he is trying to say. A writer needs passion and an innate ability to tell stories. Some people don’t have that, so writing fiction may not be a good fit for them. On the other end of the spectrum are the very talented, almost genius writers who are naturals. King is really targeting those in the middle—writers who can move from competent to good with hard work. In my view, this is good news for most writers.
About reading and writing, he says:
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” (p. 147)
He advocates for four to six hours of reading and writing every day, which he says is not hard to do if you truly enjoy it (p. 150). Based on my limited experience, this seems about right.
He also offers this advice:
“Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships… and work. Especially work. People love to read about work.” (p. 161)
I always thought that plot was at the heart of every story, but not for King, He says:
“In my view, stories and novels consist of three parts: narration, which moves the story from point A to point B and finally to Z; description, which creates a sensory reality… and dialogue, which brings characters to life through their speech. You may wonder where plot is in all this. The answer—my answer, anyway—is nowhere.” (p. 163)
Regarding research, King offers a practical perspective:
“Research is back story, and the key word in back story is back… remember that you are writing a novel, not a research paper. The story always comes first.” (pp. 230–231)
King ends the second part of the book by encouraging writers to be their own advocates: read the magazines that publish the kind of work you write, pick up writers’ journals, and use a copy of Writer’s Market, especially if you are new to publishing (p. 239). He also stresses the importance of including brief cover letters with story submissions and provides an example on page 245.
The final section, On Living, describes a near-fatal accident he suffered after being struck by a drunk driver during one of his daily walks. He was working on this book when the accident occurred, which gives this section an added sense of urgency and reflection.
The book lists he provides at the end are excellent and include novels he has read and enjoyed. The sections involving his sons were also well done and show how they grew up loving reading and writing. King also has a daughter, but his two sons clearly inherited the writing gene from both him and their mother, Tabitha.
As I mentioned earlier, the book was fun to read and filled with practical advice for writers. King does an excellent job explaining how he writes stories and includes examples of his own work to illustrate each step of the process.
This is a book worth returning to often, and I know I will. I highly recommend it to anyone who is writing or thinking about starting the craft. One of the book’s greatest strengths is how King describes his humble beginnings—earning 25 cents for a story—and contrasts that with where he is today: a famous author earning millions through books and movie adaptations. His story is genuinely motivating.
I’ll close with one of his final reflections, which captures the heart of the book:
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous… it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.” (p. 269)
About the Author:1
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.
Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.
Thoughts about leadership, history, and more 