The King on writing

I’ve just finished reading Stephen King’s book about writing, appropriate for Halloween me thinks. I loved his books as a teenager, and I love this one just as much.

Five reasons why?
1. I loved the fact that he gives a mixture of practical advice and glimpses into his own life. We get a peek into what it was like for him before his big break, what it was like to write while being a druggy and an alcoholic, what it was like to survive a being almost smashed to bits by a truck and what it is like to WRITE for a living.

2. I loved his view that at times the story takes over, like it has a life of its own and we as writers have to just go with it. I’ve heard this before and felt it myself, but he makes it scary and sinister.

3. I loved the fact that it is a wake up call to aspiring writers. It is clear that he loves writing and that it is not a painful struggle for him (most of the time). He asks the reader to consider, if they are always saying ‘I’d love to be a writer, but I don’t have the time,’ if what they really want is the lifestyle, more specifically his lifestyle.

4. I loved the fact it made me laugh, hard. At one point he considers the merits of ‘being taught’ to write, describing a writers’ retreat where someone silently deposits your lunch tray outside your room, so that your writerly efforts are not disturbed. But he makes the point that it’s not always advisable to shut out all distractions, as distractions equal real life, the grit in the oyster that starts the pearl.

He likens going to writing classes to attending pearl making seminars with all the other oysters. I’ve been to PLENTY pearl making seminars in my ten years in the voluntary section.

5. I loved it most of all because it was inspiring, made me want to write, write and write some more. But also made me want to read some of his books again. V clever Stevie.