On Writing

Author: Stephen King

Finished on: 17 January 2018

Where did I get this book: Bought from a bookshop shack on a beach in Sardinia in 2002. They only had a stock of about 20 books, but one of them was this, and another was The Godfather, so they weren’t doing badly.

I spent most of my teenage years reading books by Stephen King. He came hot on the heels of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, for me, as a writer who had me well and truly hooked. Addicted hooked. All I want to do is drink peach flavoured fizzy wine and try and snog boys, but I will take 100 hours out to read this doorstop of a book hooked. I love reading so much it will become a source of never ending pleasure for my whole life hooked.

I realised when I became old and sensible, though, that it wasn’t worth it. I still hold Mr King responsible for my fear of the dark, and my inability to even go for a wee by myself if we’ve watched anything approaching a horror film. (Mostly Mr King, but also the parents of my best friend when I was 11, who let us watch The Fly at a slumber party). I remember being frozen with terror reading Carrie. Delores Claiborne made me quite unwell. This is a writer who has an alarming physiological effect on me. So, I gave him up.

He was exhilarating; he was exciting; he made me feel alive. He just wasn’t good for me.

But I miss him. Whenever I take my children to the library, I leave them to choose books in the children’s section and I sneak off to Fiction K, sit on the floor and read some Stephen King. The years may go by, but I will never stop loving him.

So, now I am attempting to write a novel of my own, I turned back to him. This is the best book I have ever read about how to write books. And it didn’t disappoint on a second read.

There are some wonderful autobiographical insights into what made King into the writer he became, and plenty of delicious behind the scenes glimpses into the stories behind the stories. But what is perhaps surprising is quite how beautiful this book is. Yes, it is a practical, nuts and bolts guide to the business of getting a book written. But it is also a moving love letter to the craft that has brought him so much joy and fulfilment.

A bit like this review has turned into a love letter to him. My teenage favourite. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to go back to him and his sick stories, that twisted bastard. In the meantime, this gorgeous non-fiction has given me just enough of a taste to remember quite how good he is.