“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
Stephen King is a well-known, best-selling author and is known by people who haven’t even read his books. On Writing is his book on what he knows about the writing craft. Enough people were asking him for writing advice that he put it down on paper for all to read. While it was published in 2000, the advice is still sound today.
As a published author of two books with another coming out in a few months, I am actively looking at ways to become a better writer. As part of that, I am reading a book on the writing craft at least every few months. Almost every one I had read so far mentioned On Writing by Stephen King. I waited several weeks for the book to become available as an ebook from my local library.
I have only read one Stephen King book (11/22/63) and watched one movie based on one of his books (Green Mile). However, while I don’t read much in his genre, I do know he writes well. In On Writing, he shares his habits with writing and many tips. He does spend a good chunk of the book discussing grammar, which is definitely fundamental for every writer. I was reminded about not including all the information about what a character is doing, but just what the reader needs to know to move the story forward.
I would recommend On Writing to anyone who is interested in creative writing. While he does use examples from the horror genre, it is applicable to every writer. However, I would say because of the horror scenarios, it should be for readers high school age or older.
What is your “craft” and do you read books about it? If so, share in the comments!