On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is half-memoir and half-writing manual from the legendary author. He begins by telling about his childhood and the experiences that later informed and influenced his writing career. The latter portion focuses on writing, both the nuts and bolts as well as more inspirational stuff.
I've read many books on writing and this is by far the best. For one thing, it's written by someone that you've heard of and who has demonstrated success in the field. He worked hard and became one of the best selling authors ever. His telling of the events surrounding the sale of his first novel, Carrie, is particularly interesting.
If you're a fan of Stephen King's works then you should read this book. I learned many things about his life that I didn't previously know. He writes openly about his problems with drugs and alcohol as well as his near fatal encounter with a van while walking along the road.
If you want to write professionally then you should also read this book, regardless of whether you like Mr. King's work. He writes with a great deal of skill and humor about the craft of writing.
I'm a big fan of Carrie as well as The Stand but he has many wonderful books. I can also personally recommend Heart-Shaped Box by his son, Joe, writing as Joe Hill. It is one of the scariest books that I've ever read.
As always, you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.
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