Tags

,

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Reader’s Annotations

See the man behind the voice of the horror genre. 

Plot Summary

The book is basically split in two between his autobiography and writing advice. (He also concludes with a postscript about the car accident he was in as he was writing this book.) In his autobiography he talks about his early childhood, covers his marriage to Tabitha King (a writer in her own right), his first published novel, the waxing and waning of his inspiration, his mother’s death and his subsequent drug and alcohol abuse problems. He gives the basics of writing advice to inspiring writers in how they can improve their storytelling skills, such as the importance of sensory descriptions.

Critical Evaluation

Honestly, while Stephen King doesn’t offer any revolutionary new advice in how to improve storytelling skills, he does a good job laying out the basics of what is needed to tell a good story. Reading his personal story of how he was published and became such a prolific, best-selling author can serve as a nice dream for people to aim towards, and the context of his daily life give his stories an extra dimension any King fan should love to read about. King is a personal writing hero to a lot of people, and offering a taste of his personal demons can help many people face their own. It’s never too early to start learning the art of writing, and the book is often at the top of “for beginning writers” lists because it serves as an excellent entry point. Teens who inspire to be writers can do well with reading his advice as the first step in researching what it takes to be and make it as a writer.

Author Information

Stephen King is considered the leading voice in the horror genre. His life and writing philosophies are the subject of the story itself. (See plot summary for more details.)

A large number of his novels have been turned into movies, including but not limited to Carrie (which has been made into two movies and one TV show), The Shining, It, Pet Cemetery, Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist. Several of his works have also been turned into comic books by Marvel Comics, starting with his Dark Tower series.

Genre

Nonfiction –  Autobiography

Curriculum Ties

Non-fiction, autobiographies, horror/thriller, paranormal, issues and contemporary life, marketing

Booktalking – Three Ideas

1. Try one of the exercises King suggests in his book, like the mentioned on pg. 170

2. Role play a conversation between Stephen King and Jack (from the Shining)

3. Make a trailer mash-up using footage from all movies made based on Stephen King novels

Reading Level/Interest Level

Grade 9 and up/Grade 9 and up

Challenge Issues

This book may be challenged because of references to drug and alcohol abuse

1. Familiarize yourself with your library’s banning policy and with the Library Bill of Rights. Always keep in mind the ALA’s Tips on how to deal with complaints. Ask for help or clarification if you need it.

2. Familiarize yourself with the book in question; look up both positive and negative. reviews and see if the book has been banned before. (If so, see what they did about it.)

3. Try talking to the person about the specific complaint they have. See if a compromise can be reached.

4. If not, request a written, detailed complaint about what the problem is, what effect it is having on (all) the students, and suggestions on what it should be replaced with.

5. Start the review process. Have a review committee provide the school board with a final report. Explain to the complainant how the process works.

6. While the complaint is being explored, keep the material available to others.

ISBN

ISBN 0-684-85352-3

References

Stephen King. (2000). On writing: A memoir of the craft. New York: Scribner