On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft

Ranked #1 in Writers, Ranked #1 in Writingsee more rankings.

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, Stephen King’s critically lauded, classic bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

"Long live the King" hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood...
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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of On Writing from the world's leading experts.

Mark Manson Founder/MarkManson.netI read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side). (Source)

James Altucher Founder/StockPickrRecommends this book

Ken Norton Recommends this book

Jennifer Rock If you are interested in writing and communication, start with reading and understanding the technical aspects of the craft: The Elements of Style. On Writing Well. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. (Source)

Cameron Kasky @LaddEveritt On Writing. My second favorite book of all time, next to The Toy Collector by @JamesGunn, the guy who made me want to become a writer in the first place. (Source)

Benjamin Spall [Question: What five books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path?] On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King, [...] (Source)

Joann Corleyschwarzkopf @preetibose26 @Typical80sName By the way have you read Stephen King's book on writing.... it's fantastic (Source)

Kaci Lambe Kai These three books were very inspirational and broke down their way of creating in a way that was genuine and honest while still making me feel like I could be a writer. (Source)

Alina Varlanuta My professional path – copywriting – somehow intertwines with my unprofessional (hahaha) path – writing so I would recommend reading literature for both. Somehow reading and writing are two ways of doing the same thing: storytelling (even when you read you tell yourself a story in your own voice, bringing your personal emotion and empathy to the story you’re reading). The only difference is that when I’m reading, panic is far away from me, in a safe place. Nevertheless, the words below helped me rewrite and think twice before adding an exclamation point: On Writing by Stephen King. (Source)

Eric Olsen What I love about it is that King really takes you into his own process, and then leaves you these little titbits of how to stuff. (Source)

Andrew Cowan Yes. It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It’s bracing: there’s no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is. (Source)


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