Should you read Stephen King’s On Writing?

Among the resources page of this website, I have a list of books that I highly recommend to writers to read. Some are craft books, focusing on certain aspects of crafting fiction. Some are just resource materials that can help bring some realism into our stories. Others are "How To" books, associated with non-writing related topics that writers still need to get their heads around.

On the main page for my recommended books list, I highlight that the list is far from exhaustive, inviting others to send me book suggestions for the list that I need to investigate further. However, I also mention that if I honestly don't believe that the book is suitable for writers of all levels, then the book will not make the list.

For the longest time, I was resistant to include one book in particular on the list. There were some who bounced up and down, saying that it's the best book ever about writing. (Okay, maybe they don't use those exact words, but they'll use something similar.) But in my opinion, it was a book that was often given too much credit and viewed out of context. I'm talking about, in particular, On Writing by Stephen King.

It has a subtitle for a reason.

Click cover for Buy link.

This book has the subtitle of A Memoir of the Craft. In my view, this subtitle is actually a better title for the book, because that's exactly what it is. It's a group of anecdotes and little story snippets that describe Stephen King's personal journey towards being a top ranking writer. However, this book is NOT the inspiration that so many profess it to be and there is absolutely no way I would ever recommend this book to a writer who is just starting along their journey. It is for this reason, and this reason alone, that you will NOT find Stephen King's On Writing on my recommended reads for writers.

Don't get me wrong, there were elements of his story that I actually found inspirational, but I've also been on this journey of writing and editing for over 10 years (over 20 years, if you want to count all my years of writing pure nonfiction). I am by no reach of the definition a newbie writer, even though ironically I still fall into the debut writer status — but that's a definition of publication status, not a measure of my knowledge of the industry or of the craft.

To me, a newbie writer is someone who has literally just began taking their writing seriously, moving from the realm of the dabbler or hobbyist and into the realm of someone looking seriously at being published. They are still new to the whole industry thing, and those newbie writers often feel completely overwhelmed with all the information out there, with no clue as to which way to turn. All they know is that they want to one day be published. Everything else is looked upon with the eyes of a deer caught in headlights.

A newbie writer is often still learning about the little nuances associated with their chosen genre, still coming to grips with the concepts of show vs tell and narrative structure. They can, and often do, piece together a nice story, but there are certain characteristics associated with dialogue and basic writing that are all tell-tale signs that one is still new to their craft.

And the biggest trait of a newbie writer, one that I adore, is that they hunger for knowledge and are more than willing to listen to any pearls of wisdom you can share with them. However, because they are so new, they have yet to learn that not all pearls of wisdom suit all writers. So, someone with some experience will say something, and when it doesn't work, the newbie writer is disheartened, thinking that they have somehow failed. (Of course, they HAVEN'T failed, but the self-doubt monster is the cruelest beast ever.)

It's a book about a writer's journey.

Stephen King, when he wrote On Writing, never intended the book to be taken as a bible on how to write. He even admits that during the first few pages of the book. Yet, there are some who have taken the knowledge of the way he writes and have insisted that they too need to follow this path. This is where I have issues with the book.

Let's start with the time that it takes Stephen King to write a first draft. He says that if it can't be written in 3 months, then it's not worth it. People, he's a FULL-TIME writer, and does nothing else. Most writers do not have this luxury. If you do the time math, you'll quickly see that those 3 months can easily become a year, if not longer, if you have a full-time job that has nothing to do with your writing. So, before you throw in the towel on that manuscript that is only 3 months old, remember what else you do.

Then you add in the alcohol and drugs. Time and time again, Stephen King discusses how his life was actually a train wreck in slow motion — with the odd moments of fast forward. He's a self-professed alcoholic and drug addict. He even talks about the time when his wife gave him the ultimatum to clean up or get out. And he confesses that it was his writing career that led him to that point.

I don't care who you are. No one should aspire to follow in those particular footsteps. Those were real dark moments in Stephen King's life, and moments that he almost didn't resurface from. You can feel his anxiety as he remembers those events, but they form a part of who he is. Just from the tone of those passages, you get a strong sense that he keeps those events strong in his memory as reminders, so he never goes back there again. They nearly killed him.

As a writer with over 10 years experience in fiction, seeing the struggles that he faced all in the name of his writing career makes me feel better about my own struggles (which actually almost led to divorce). Knowing that one of the biggest names in the industry has had such a f***ed up life has given me permission to accept my own screw-ups as part of who I am as a writer. It has also helped me to re-prioritize what is important to me.

Had I read his book when I started down my writing journey, I probably would have been completely demoralized and had given up right then and there. In just the past 10 years alone, I know that I have changed as a person; my outlook on life is dramatically different to what it was 10 years ago. As such, I'm able to look at Stephen King's On Writing with a completely different eye, filled with objectivity and not the doe-eyed look of the fresh meat ready for the slaughter.

I DID find the book enjoyable and enlightening. I also found it inspirational. But I would NEVER recommend the book to a newbie writer. I don't want to totally crush their dreams before they've even had a chance to discover their own voice.

If you are an experienced writer, one who has been at this game for a few years now, regardless whether you're published or not, do take the time to read this book. You might see something that might help you rationalize your own insanity. But newbie writers... get a few years under your belt first, then come back and read it.

Update 2021:
Since first writing this blog post back in 2019, I have read other books that are similar in nature: advice to writers about the industry based on personal insight. As a consequence, I finally caved in and added this book to my recommended book list, but under the special category of Industry Insights. As I encounter other memoir-style books of this nature, they will get added to the list too.