I was very surprised at how much I am really enjoying reading Stephen King’s book On Writing. I have never read a Stephen King novel. I know (from what I've heard or read in magazines) he is a fabulous, inventive writer, one of the greats of our time, but I've just never been interested. So when we were asked to read this book, I was iffy about it. I honestly thought it was going to be boring and dry. I thought this because even though writing can be anything but, it's still a book just on the subject of writing, not a story of any sort, so I prepared myself!
Instead I was pleasantly surprised; I didn't even want to stop reading. In this book, Stephen King is very straight-forward, which is great. He kind of has that no nonsense, I won't bull shit you, but just give you what I think straight-sense of writing. As a matter of fact, he basically tells you that in the book. By him having this attitude, it made me much more interested in the actual content. For me, he turned a subject that could've been really monotone and boring into something interesting. Stephen King also uses many examples from his own life in his writing, which is another reason this book can keep me hooked. He wrote about his own 'writing spot,’ a place where he can really just sit, think, and just write. I felt as if he was trying to reach out to the reader or the fellow writer, when giving examples like that. By including real-life experiences to get the point across, I feel as if I can relate (in a sense) and I'm sure other readers can as well. Stephen King writes as if he's talking to me directly. He keeps your attention with his no bull shit outlook, but truly does give you pointers if you really do want to become a better writer, or make it a profession, or a serious hobby. He wants you to take it seriously, to read A LOT, and to try your hardest, otherwise don't bother.
Ultimately, this book has been eye-opening in the sense of writing for me. I do not plan on becoming a professional writer by any means, but I do enjoy it as a hobby. I'm glad I opened myself up to actually take in what I was assigned to read, because I feel I have learned new things that I will be able to continue to use on my own. Not only that, I've learned things from this book On Writing that are simple, that I've overlooked in the past. Now I hope realizing these things and working on them, I can become a better writer, with a little less fluff. :)
Instead I was pleasantly surprised; I didn't even want to stop reading. In this book, Stephen King is very straight-forward, which is great. He kind of has that no nonsense, I won't bull shit you, but just give you what I think straight-sense of writing. As a matter of fact, he basically tells you that in the book. By him having this attitude, it made me much more interested in the actual content. For me, he turned a subject that could've been really monotone and boring into something interesting. Stephen King also uses many examples from his own life in his writing, which is another reason this book can keep me hooked. He wrote about his own 'writing spot,’ a place where he can really just sit, think, and just write. I felt as if he was trying to reach out to the reader or the fellow writer, when giving examples like that. By including real-life experiences to get the point across, I feel as if I can relate (in a sense) and I'm sure other readers can as well. Stephen King writes as if he's talking to me directly. He keeps your attention with his no bull shit outlook, but truly does give you pointers if you really do want to become a better writer, or make it a profession, or a serious hobby. He wants you to take it seriously, to read A LOT, and to try your hardest, otherwise don't bother.
Ultimately, this book has been eye-opening in the sense of writing for me. I do not plan on becoming a professional writer by any means, but I do enjoy it as a hobby. I'm glad I opened myself up to actually take in what I was assigned to read, because I feel I have learned new things that I will be able to continue to use on my own. Not only that, I've learned things from this book On Writing that are simple, that I've overlooked in the past. Now I hope realizing these things and working on them, I can become a better writer, with a little less fluff. :)
