#21On Writing
EW grade: A-
Here is an excerpt from the EW review:"....King can often be his own harshest critic. He questions his qualifications to pen a primer on writing, comparing his monstrously successful novels to fast food: ''Colonel Sanders sold a hell of a lot of fried chicken, but I'm not sure anyone wants to know how he made it.'' As he recounts his career and provides insight into his technique, he calls Insomnia and Rose Madder ''stiff, trying-too-hard novels,'' Maximum Overdrive ''a stinker,'' and himself ''a vulgar lowbrow.''
This elegant volume proves that self-characterization wrong. Blissfully brief at 288 pages (''I figured the shorter the book, the less the bulls---''), On Writing opens with ''C.V.,'' a mini-memoir so finely seasoned that it whets your appetite for a full-scale autobiography. Raised by a single mom after his dad abandoned the family, he grew up addicted to B movies: ''Never mind Snow White and the Seven Goddam Dwarfs. At thirteen I wanted monsters that ate whole cities." Full Review
This elegant volume proves that self-characterization wrong. Blissfully brief at 288 pages (''I figured the shorter the book, the less the bulls---''), On Writing opens with ''C.V.,'' a mini-memoir so finely seasoned that it whets your appetite for a full-scale autobiography. Raised by a single mom after his dad abandoned the family, he grew up addicted to B movies: ''Never mind Snow White and the Seven Goddam Dwarfs. At thirteen I wanted monsters that ate whole cities." Full Review
(Quick Note: I have already read 20 or so of the books on this list ...some I look forward to reading a second time and others....well, not so much. This one falls into the first category. I am a big fan of Stephen King..... I was 13 when I first read The Dead Zone and I have been in love ever since...)
I think at first glance, some people have scoffed at the fact that this book is #21 on this list. First off, it's Stephen King, a horror writer for God's sake. Secondly, its about writing.....what could be more boring? Well they couldn't be more wrong. I have always known what a great writer he is - but this book helped to convert the non-believers out there. Nothing about this book is boring, not the autobiographical section nor the "on writing" section. How many writers can make you laugh out loud during a discussion of the passive tense?
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