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On Writing
July 2022: Memoir
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On Writing by Stephen King rounded up to 4 stars
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At last, a book by King was was interested in (horror is not my cup of tea) and overall I liked it. I could have done with fewer swear words--interestingly he even writes about how he isn't into this much other than when writing for characters, but since I am just pulling that memory out without going back you can check that yourself. I read this over a long stretch, but about half if it this month.
This is a combination of memoir and writing advice. The memoir focuses a lot on his writing life from the time he was a child until he was an author, but has some other stuff in it as well that leans to memoir, but is made interesting. I'm not wowed by this book, but it was definitely good enough for me to round up. I am amazed at how many of my GR friends have read this over the years.
King's tips for writing aren't quite the same as Kingsolver's method, but there are some key overlaps such as reading a lot (but some writers I've read about stop reading novels while writing a first draft of their own) writing every day and setting volume goals (word/page), and of course editing. I did like the fact that King gave examples of writers who worked differently than him regarding when to start editing, etc, which I respected.
I also agree, but this is my way of wording it, if you don't read you have no business writing.