Book Review: On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft

+Creative idea to deliver writing advice

-+Lots of interesting Memoiring, but somewhat distorts and distracts from the real focus of this book: on writing.

+Specific writing tips that can be applied to writing right now

+General tips that require a change of lifestyle

+Dark and sinister tone permeates certain chapters of this book

-King is a pompous and arrogant writer.

7/10

Stephen King attempts to write a technical writing book that flecked with the spice of storytelling. Overall, King achieves this task, and I think it is a creative way to present information. The story behind his life as a writer isn’t dry, and King admits it is a challenge for him to write his first non-fiction.

Though his prose and overall approach to writing about writing is creative (and engaging), the creativity distorts from the novels first purpose–becoming a better writer. King’s narrative strings a long for almost half the book. During the narrative, he drops a few hints as to how to become a better writer, but these hints are not direct, and at the very most, ambigious. Deciphering the writing tips, at least for the first half of the book, are pegged on the reader; in other words, the reader is shown a lot of story, and forced to really cog churn and decipher the “hidden code” about writing.

Even though King distorts his writing tips for the first half of the book, his book revives itself on the later half. After getting over the 50% mark, a reader will (finally) discover prose that is direct and related to writing. These tips are pretty strong. Many of the advice can applied to a writer’s wordsmith right away. King breaks down his grammar strategy, and offers several examples, creating a unified and cohesive piece of work for a writer to work with.

Not all of King’s tips are technical (and can be applied right now), instead, King insinuates lifestyle changes that are essential for a writer. These pieces of advice are also powerful, require habit in order to successfully execute, and show how dedicated a writer must be to her craft.

King recieves an applauding audience for his tone that permeates the pages of this book; he is a horror writer, and he (still) manages to write horrifically in a book about advice. It made this informative technical book read with a sense of engagement. King’s tone glued my eyes to the page, making it much more of an enjoyable read. The tone put’s King’s “On Writing” far ahead of Brande’s “Becoming a Writer” in terms of engagement.

In my personal life, I do not hangout with arrogant and pompous people, for the very reason that I aggression may ensue as a result. Modesty is an important characteristic that I find important in human beings. Unfortunately, King is an arrogant writer. His arrogance almost causes readers to stop and close the book, but I stuck through till the end. He often boasts his success, and states a lot of absolutes in terms of being a writer. For me, this arrogance really kept this book from garnering a 9/10.

Overall, this book achieves its intention, and it is a creative way to broach a somewhat dry subject. Reading technical books about becoming a better writer can be tedious, but King breaks that convention down it’s spine. King’s writing is dripping with arrogance, where at times, he reads like he’s some god of writing. King is an amazing writer,but his message in this book is distorted slightly with the creativity, and alot with his arrogant attitude. This book could be for you if you want to become a better writer and look past a pompous author.

 

 

 

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Upcoming Book Reviews

Days have passed since a good book review has been tapped out by yours truly. Below you will find a list of books that I am currently reading, or about to step up to the plate to be read.

1) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft– Stephan King

Written by a man who accumulated a networth of 400million through his written words, Stephen King promises to reveal his process as a writer. Read my review for this book here.

 

 

 

 

 

2) Among the Betrayed (Shadow Children Series Book #3)-Margaret Peterson Haddix

“Nina Idi—a third child in society where families are allowed only two children—has been betrayed by a boy she loved, and aressed by the Population Police for exposing other alleged third children. Angry and confused, Nina knows only one thing for sure: she is innocent of the charges. But now she is faced with the most difficult choice of her life: get three other prisoners to admit they are shadow children and be spared herself, or refuse to cooperate and be killed The options are clear. The choice, Nina discovers, is not…

Haddix’s first novel in the series, Among the Hidden, delivers a powerful punch to readers. Click here to read my review of Among the Hidden. Haddix is a great storyteller, but her writing has declined since her first book in the series. Will Among the Betrayed rekindle our spark for the Shadow Children Series, or will this be a repeat of her weaker Among the Imposters novel? Time will only tell when we peel back the covers of this book!

3) Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet Book 1)-CJ Roberts

Adult content is prevalent; this book is geared for adults, and some adults may be offended by it’s content. It is about a women who is held captive as a sex slave. This book will not be reviewed based on its disturbing content, instead it will be evaluated on whether or not it achieved its purpose– sexual slavery. This is a new genre and new topic I have dabbled in, I’ll see if series 2 is worthy of a reading.

Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

4) World War Z-Max Brookes

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague year

This is the first horror book I have ever read. And yes, I am teaching this text to my middle school students. It is blowing them out of the water, engagement like never before have I seen with this book. I am very excited to review this book and share its horror with the world at war.

5)The Reason For God– Tim Keller

Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics and non-believers bring to religion. Using literature, philosophy, anthropology, pop culture, and intellectual reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one. To true believers he offers a solid platform on which to stand against the backlash toward religion spawned by the Age of Skepticism. And to skeptics, atheists, and agnostics he provides a challenging argument for pursuing the reason for God.

I enjoy reading books about God, because it helps rekindle my faith. My girlfriend recommended this book and I think it’ll do a great job balancing the horror I have proclaimed to review above.