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On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft

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On Writing

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Stephen King
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Not since Dickens has a writer had so many readers by the throat . . . King's imagination is vast. He knows how to engage the deepest sympathies of his readers . . . It is part biography, part collection of tips for the aspiring writer. In the final chapters, King tells, in graphic details, the story of his recent accident . . . a bizarre and absorbing story, told brillinatly by one of the great storytellers of our time' - Guardian

In June of 1999, Stephen King was hit by a van while walking along the shoulder of a country road in Maine. Six operations were required to save his life and mend his broken body. When he was finally able to sit up, he immediately started writing. This book is the extraordinary result.

(P)2000 Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.©2000 Stephen King Art & Literature Authors Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Inspiring Heartfelt Funny Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

Part biography, part collection of tips for the aspiring writer . . . one of the great storytellers of our time
Absolutely fascinating . . . basic instructions . . . sensible advice
The childhood memoir is a triumphant display of wit, story-telling and guts. His advice to writers is hard-nosed, practical and level-headed in the classic journalistic Orwell-Hemingway tradition
This is the written equivalent of Delia Smith's How To Cook. And, like British home cooking, the world of popular fiction will be better off for it
Stephen King is a genius . . . In this book he tells us what first made him a horror writer . . . his very direct approach to getting his awesome imagination onto a blank page works (Jeremy Vine)
I am a life-long fan, and ON WRITING is one of the most important books I've read on the craft and the business (Lisa Unger)
The childhood memoir is a triumphant display of wit, story-telling and guts. His advice to writers is hard-nosed, practical and level-headed in the classic journalistic Orwell-Hemingway tradition
This is the written equivalent of Delia Smith's How To Cook. And, like British home cooking, the world of popular fiction will be better off for it
All stars
Most relevant
I listened to this a number of times over the years before I began writing myself but have just revisited it having become an author with a few books under my belt and therefore some experience to help put King's book in context.
I don't agree with every last word he says and some of the advice on publishing is naturally dated, but this is a brilliant book and I recommend it wholeheartedly to any aspiring author. Or, in fact, any author at all.

Brilliant

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Would you consider the audio edition of On Writing to be better than the print version?

I have both the print and the audio version and there are benefits to both. The print is useful as a quick reference guide but the audio is just a brilliant and engaging story and guide to writing

What did you like best about this story?

The insight into Stephen King's mind as well as the tips on writing. It made me want to start writing and also left me in awe at his ability to construct the perfect phrase.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I loved reading about the ideas for his books, how one simple idea would slowly transform into a long novel.

Any additional comments?

Utterly brilliant, exactly what an audio book should be, if you are on a long journey or doing a task long tedious task you can get yourself lost in the words of Stephen King, this audio book helped a 3 hour drive up the motorway fly by.

Genius

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Loved this start to finish - a true master of his art, science and craft highly recommended

Brilliant

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As a creative, I found this book fascinating. I am not a writer but I really enjoyed listening to how Stephen creates his work & his process. Although mainly focused on writing, for creatives in other disciplines, I feel a lot can be taken from this book.

Very Engaging

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Cabbage is inspiration, inspiration is cabbage, is cabbage inspiration? Is inspiration cabbage?
What you say? No

Fun on psychedelics

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