Customer Reviews
Recommended for all - By: Amanda, 05 Jul 2010 
Brilliant book, & not at all what I expected. It is a hugely entertaining read, helpful for the budding authors (of course) but I would recommend this even if you are not a writer yourself. There is no 'fluff & bluster', just an honest account of how Stephen became who he is today. In places it is laugh out loud, & I found myself constantly making my husband read bits of it. I really can't rate this book highly enough.
Great book - By: Petra de Ruiter, 28 Jun 2010 This book is both an autobiography & a book about how to become a writer. It's a great book. Stephen King is an excellent storyteller & he describes his own lifein a wonderful way without becoming sentimental. His writing tips are really useful, even if you don't want to become a novelist. I would recommend this book to anybody, even when you are not a Stephen King fan.
Writing - By: Michelle Scutt, 26 Jun 2010 Excellent on two levels, a highly entertaining autobiography of a writer whom I confess I have never read, as his usual genre doesnt interest me much. So helpful & informative on writing, should be by every budding writers bedside.
Enlightening but nothing more than can be found on author website's - By: A. L. Rutter, 16 Jun 2010 
This book is a curious mix of King's memoirs & some of his thoughts on what helps to make a successful writer. It was an odd book for me to pick up, since I have not read a single Stephen King book (a fact of which I'm obscurely proud!) However, I am ratherin awe of the fact that he consistently churns out best-selling doorstop novels, & I figured he would have interesting things to say about how to write.
I was not wrong at all - he wrote very easily about the dos and, more crucially, the don'ts of writing, & I was fascinated by some of his methods. The idea that he often proceeds into massive novels with no more than a 'what if?' scenario is, frankly, amazing.
The problem was that I ended up far more interestedin the memoir aspect of this little book. The snippets of his life - covering humorous escapades with his brother; his fight against alcoholism; & the course his published career took. I would have liked to read far more of this.
In fact, I concur with a number of the other reviewers - this book didn't know whether it was an autobiography or a 'how-to' manual on writing, & suffered as a result. I do think that either could have stood up to being a lengthier bookin its own right.
Overall, a neat little look at the craft of a writer, but King does not say anything new & certainly doesn't say anything more enlightening than you can find for free on any decent author's website these days.
A Formula for Successful Writing - By: Ila France Porcher, author of My Sunset Rendezvous, 08 Jun 2010 This is Stephen King's formula for successful writing, including how to find an agent & publisher. Interwoven with this important information are parts of his own story of becoming a successful writer. Often poignant, often funny, & always interesting & surprising, this book brings the reader subjective as well as constructive help.
Even if you have no intention of writing a word, its autobiographical material makes the book well worth reading if you admire the works & imagination of Stephen King. "On Writing" provides an enlightening window upon the life & thoughts of one of our times' greatest fictional writers.
This book was all I had to guide me when I wanted to write a book, & I found that all I needed was right there between its covers. So it is from personal experience that I can tell you that for solid help with a developing careerin writing, look no farther, & you will find a fascinating read at the same time.
