Book Review: On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft

“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

Photo by Ed Ortiz

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.

  1. https://stephenking.com/the-author/ ↩︎

97 thoughts on “Book Review: On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft”

  2. Inspiring! I appreciated his quote about reading and writing 4-6 hours a day. I recently got back into writing after a hiatus and am working to find a balance between my writing and my day job! Looking forward to reading the book. Wonderful post!

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    1. Thank you very much. I think his book provides a lot of inspiration to writers. He offers many insights into how he balanced writing while working full time, as it took him some time to transition to writing as a full-time job.

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  5. This book is…or was such a good read. It was Mike Utley who recommended it to me, and I gobbled it ip in a couple of days once it arrived. You’ve done a good review. I hope more writers will get a copy and take hope after reading it.

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  6. Really enjoyed going through the book with you in this post. I tend to mark up a book via skinny sticky notes (and sometimes with direct markings on the page with pencil) and handwrite certain quotes to place in my ‘creative books’ for further inspiration & consideration. By the end of it all, my books are pretty messy looking but they definitely show they’ve been loved, read and pondered. All that to ask – How to you keep track of the quotes/passages that speak to you, prove a point and/or are just crafted in a wonderful manner while you’re reading? If you care to share your process that might be fodder for a future blog post. 😉

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    1. Thank you so much, and I’m glad you like the review. As for my process, let’s see, I use a highlighter to mark passages of interest. Then I have a reading notebook where I write down the highlighted passages and personal notes along with the corresponding page numbers. I add an asterisk to the passages that are especially important and that I might use in a review, post, or conversation. That’s the only way I can retain information to use later. For quotes that really speak to me, I usually write those in a separate notebook where I keep all my quotes.

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      1. Aha! A highlighter is much more ‘invasive’ to the actual book than my pencil underlining and skinny post-it-notes even if it keeps the book itself looking tidy! HA! It appears we read certain books in a similar manner. I, too, add the corresponding page numbers – funny, eh? I like your extra addition of inserting an asterisk on especially important passages for a specific use. Thanks for that tidbit and for answering my question.

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        1. You’re so welcome. I only use a pencil when reading the Bible; for everything else, I use those special book highlighters that don’t damage the pages. I use pencil in the Bible because I often go back to erase notes and add new ones, so I needed a way to do that without making a mess.

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    1. Yes, a pretty amazing career, and the advice he offers is incredible. It’s definitely applicable to all writers, not just those focusing on fiction. Thank you, my friend, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  11. Another good book on writing is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

    Hollywood descended on my small town a couple years ago to film “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King. All the drive-in scenes were shot very nearby my house!

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  12. Thank you very much , sir.
    Thank you for sharing your summary of this book :A memoir of the craft.
    It’s quite helpful and impactful, though I’ve not read the full book.
    I took screenshots of some of the italicized points to help me in my writing journey too.
    God bless the author and bless you for reading and sharing your thoughts.

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  13. What a wonderful and comprehensive review, Edward! I could feel the same delight in reading your post as you felt reading the book. Yes, full of advice and life stories; not only inspiring but also captivating. Love the passage by the end: “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.” I resonate deeply with these words; in a way, that’s why I write. Touching others with words and enlarging their horizons while growing personally through the process—there’s something special about that. Thank you so much for this motivating review. I truly enjoyed reading it. With appreciation, sending light and blessings your way, my friend ✨🙏

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    1. Thank you so much, Susana. There is something wonderful about writing and sharing our thoughts with others, especially when connections are made that lead to an exchange of ideas. Growth is the byproduct, making the experience very special, as you said. Blessings, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 🙏🏼

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  15. This is a wonderful review, Edward. Stephen King’s book has been sitting on my bookshelf since a few years now. But I didn’t get down to reading it. Now I want to. Thank you for sharing the gist and the important tips on writing from the book. I’m bookmarking your review for future reference.

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      1. I’m a slow reader, Edward, and that’s why when you called yourself slow, it totally resonated with me. I’ve started and stopped reading the book because of my constant travels but your review has made me bring it to the top of my pile. I remember there was one line where he says that you should face a wall when you write. I moved my desk after that from the window to the wall😊. I had always thought looking outside would help me, until then.

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        1. I understand now, and as a fellow slow reader, I hope you find the book as engaging as I did. His advice about how to arrange the writing desk was interesting. Mine is in the basement facing a window, but I keep the curtains closed to avoid distractions. I do my journaling at the kitchen table, where I can enjoy the view of a nearby farm and trees.

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  17. I really enjoyed this review. You did a great job highlighting how On Writing blends Stephen King’s life story with practical advice for writers. The tips you mentioned—especially the idea of reading and writing constantly and trimming the second draft—are simple but powerful reminders. This post makes the book sound both inspiring and useful for anyone who wants to improve their writing.🤝

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    1. Well, he writes his own books and has a weird system. According to what he said in the book, once he finishes the first draft, he puts it away for a while and then goes back to it to start the rewrite process. I’ve never written a book, so I don’t know if that’s weird or not, but it sounded weird to me when I read that part.

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  21. Thank you for the review of Stephen King’s writing book. I know many writers find it a useful resource. While I was still working in higher ed, I read an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education debunking Strunk and White. Gasp!! I’d used it all through college. Another article came out several years later along the same lines. https://lithub.com/why-e-b-white-was-wrong-about-some-elements-of-style/

    In my last few years teaching writing at the college level, I stopped using value-judgment words, such as “good” or “bad” in my assignments, readings, rubrics, and feedback for the simple reason that it wasn’t helpful for students. I found that using “effective or ineffective” worked much better because it gave control of the writing and its intent back to the student. In other words, not “what is it?” but “what does it do?”

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    1. You’re welcome, Liz, and thank you for adding that link. I’m definitely going to read the article. You had an interesting approach to providing feedback to your students. I’m not a writer like you and others in the community, but I also don’t like using “good’ and “bad” when giving feedback. When I was in the Army, my approach was to tell my soldiers, “You need to sustain this and improve that.” I did that for both writing and presentations. I always gave them a few options or examples to make the discussion more productive.

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        1. Oh, I bet. I still remember the feedback I received in my English and Spanish college classes, especially the advanced Spanish class I took because there was nothing else available. It was painful, but I think the professor was compassionate.

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    1. Thank you, and I completely agree with you about the different approaches. There is so much goodness in this book that it’s almost impossible to mention it all unless I write a really long post, which would then violate his 10% cut rule. 😀

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  23. Beth put it very well. I have had this book for quite a while, but haven’t yet read it. You have given me another reason to open it, finally! Thank you, Edward.

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  24. Oh this is sooo good, Edward. Fun to read King is just 2 years my senior and how he started. His mother was a smart cookie and so was he. Love his thirst for learning and diving into how he frames his writing. I love that his boys also share the love of writing and are included in the book. You did a great job and I think he outta pay you a heaping fee for getting the word out. XX

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  25. On Writing was the most helpful resource I used when I was writing Reunion: Coda, my first novel, between Spring 2023 and Spring 2025. Not solely for its practical advice about making a good working space for myself or some of the elements of story, but because it gave me permission to write fiction without shame. (Not without fear, because all writers have frets about the craft, but without worrying about Que pensara la gente….)

    The biggest technical issue that On Writing helped me with (besides confirming my choice to embrace character-driven narration over plot) was with dialogue. Since I’d never written a novel before, I bought a small library’s worth of “how to” books, and one of them was dedicated to writing good dialogue. I found it was okay, but its author objects mightily to the use of “swear words” in general and claims they’re not necessary.

    I believe in emotional realism, and I’ve read enough books by Stephen King to know that this assertion isn’t true. King’s characters come across as real people in part because they talk like real people…and they’ll swear like real people would. I wanted my characters to come alive on the page and not read like, you know, characters. So…yeah…they sometimes drop an occasional F-bomb or two.

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    1. Thank you, Alex. Your comment is spot on. He offers so much good advice, as you mentioned, even on how to set up your workspace. Yeah, I remember that part about the use of profanity. Sometimes you have to use it, depending on the character, to make it real, like you said. But, as he also said, “An old maid aunt really might say ‘Oh, sugar’ instead of ‘Oh sh—!’”

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      1. Fortunately, my Jim Garraty stories, aka “the Garratyverse,” depict life in both middle-class suburbia in South Florida and in the academic/artistic parts of New York City, so there’s only some swearing in them.

        Now, if I’d written a novel about war and men in battle, which is what I once aspired to write back in the day, that wouldn’t be the case.

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  27. Love all of the bits you’ve highlighted…and about vocabulary, specifically, I love what you included (above) and it’s a gem – along with:
    “One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones.”
    I think it’s in the same paragraph as the quote you showcased. So good, right?
    A former student who learned English as her second language said reading “On Writing” helped her creative writing efforts – especially about vocab. “Small words are good, too.” Love this post, Edward! 💝

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    1. Thank you, my friend. Yes, what you quoted is right above what I highlighted. It’s absolutely good, and I can see how the student benefited from the book. His writing is down-to-earth, and you don’t need to pull out the dictionary at all to understand the meaning of his words.

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  29. I have read many of King’s novels and short stories – I actually prefer his short stories. Plot is necessary if you’re writing a who-done-it style mystery but with King you already know who done it. Your only question is who will survive?

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    1. You’re so right about King. That’s the main question: who will survive? I want to read more of his novels because the movies based on his books are good. I’ve heard, and he even mentioned it in the book, that The Stand is the best one. Have you read that one?

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  31. Thanks for this thorough and enlightening review, Edward. In the parts that say to reduce by 10% or to take out everything that isn’t the story, I was reminded of many years ago, and an assignment I had when I took a distance writing course. I submitted an assignment three times. Each time, the comments came back and said, “Well done, now reduce it by one half and still say the same thing”. It was frustrating, and at the same time, a lesson well learned.

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    1. You’re welcome, Terry. I used to struggle with writing one-page information papers when I was in the Army. It took me a long time to figure out how to write concisely to meet that one-page standard. Like you said, it was frustrating, especially when it was time to go home and I needed to stay in the office to get the writing done. Thank you for reading and commenting.

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  32. This is a wonderfully thoughtful and engaging reflection on On Writing. You’ve captured the heart of Stephen King’s advice while weaving in your own genuine reading experience, which makes the piece both informative and motivating. The way you highlight his humility, discipline, and practical wisdom—especially the balance between craft and life—makes this an inspiring read for writers at any stage. A concise yet rich appreciation of a book that truly deserves revisiting.

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