| Stephen King’s, On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft offers much more than just tips on writing. It also gives the reader a glimpse into the life of Stephen King from his childhood through his recovery from the horrendous accident in 1999 that almost took his life. The book, primarily a work in four parts includes C.V., Toolbox, On Writing, and On Living. It also contains two additional sections at the end that cover editing and provide a list of his favorite reads.
The first part of the book entitled C.V. contains King’s autobiography. King’s childhood did not contain much luxury, but he does not wallow in the difficulty, or even try to portray his childhood as one of hardship. Instead, he narrates his story with humor. He tells about Eula-Beulah, one of his many baby sitters. “Eula-Beulah was prone to farts – the kind that are both loud and smelly. Sometimes when she was so afflicted, she would throw me on the couch, drop her wool-skirted butt on my face, and let loose. “Pow!” she’d cry in glee. It was like being buried in marsh grass fireworks.”
He missed most of first grade due to a series of ear infections, and it is during that time that the concept he could write his own stories took root. While recuperating from several painful expeditions to the doctor’s office, he read books. At some point during this process, he decided to try to write his own. It was shortly after that he wrote his first story, and sold four copies at a quarter a piece. His career as a writer began.
The middle two sections, the Writer’s Toolbox and On Writing comprise the segment of the book in which King passes on his pearls of wisdom to new writers. King describes the writer’s toolbox which he likens to a carpenter’s tool box. He provides a number of examples from classic and contemporary authors, such as John Steinbeck, H.P. Lovecraft, Elmore Leonard, and many others to illustrate what works and what doesn’t work in writing. One example that he uses from his own work occurred in Salem’s Lott. After many rewrites, he allowed a friend to read the story. His friend noticed an error in the following sentence. “Although deer season doesn’t start until November in Maine, the fields of October are often alive with gunshots; the locals are shooting as many peasants as they think their families will eat.” A missing “h” in p(h)easants can make a world of difference in meaning. The use of the examples keeps this book interesting and ranked above most books on writing.
The final section, On Living, relates the horrible accident that occurred in June of 1999 when a van hit him while he was walking on the side of the road. His discussion of the accident, the recovery from the accident, and the help and comfort provided by his wife, Tabitha provides an in depth and personal view of Stephen King that fans seldom encounter. Any fan of Stephen King, should definitely read this section.
While the sections on writing in this book provide information and guidance on writing, the strength of the book resides in the autobiography sections. The openness of King in relating his life story provides an insight for fans. One realizes that King writes because he likes to create stories that entertain, and he has done so since an early age. He also enjoys reading other authors, and believes that in so doing he improves his own story telling. To paraphrase him, by reading, writers can build their tool box and develop the “muscle” to tackle any story.
BGS 4/17/2008
|
|
|