Half flashes of King's life, half advice, On Writing is exactly what is claims to be: "A Memoir of the Craft." The book is broken into three sections. The first covers vignettes of King's life, the experiences that helped shape him into the man he is and influenced the kind of writer he's become. The second is his advice on writing. The third is a postscript about living and writing after being struck by a van while on a walk outside his home.
Impression: While I found the writing advice itself all things that have been said before, much of which I don't agree with, the insight into his life and how writing is so intertwined with it was fascinating. He says many things that resonate, things that I find so true in my own life as a writer, all that come from his personal experiences as a writer, not his advice on what makes for good writing. While I wouldn't list the book among my favorites, or among the best writing books, I do recommend it for the insight into King himself. You can see how he's become the writer he has, where his stories come from and the truth in them that can be found in his experiences. You see how writing can be both a curse and a salvation. For all that, it's a very worthwhile read.
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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