From Carrie to Revival and Everywhere in Between

By: Madison C.

Stephen King is no Shakespeare, and he'll be the first to tell you that. But he is the wealthiest sonuvabitch ever to make a living from the written word, and though those who make their living don't like to admit it, that counts. From word one of Carrie thirty years ago to the upcoming Dreamcatcher, King has scared so many bejeezuses out of so many of us that we cannot ignore his impact on our culture or on his profession. Moby-Dick and The Red Badge of Courage may be what we're supposed to read, but Salem's Lot and Misery are what we do read, and that counts too.

"Long live the King" hailed "Entertainment Weekly" upon the 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 through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

One should not walk into On Writing looking for tips. It's not that kind of book. The value of King's memoir lies instead in what it tells us about the inescapable interweaving between The Person and The Writer, both in the formative years and in sheer crisis, from which emerges not just writing, not just fiction, but — yes, I'll say it — literature. It may not be Shakespeare, but it counts.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King, Simon & Schuster, July 2010, 288 pages