Writes Miller’s Book Review - https://www.millersbookreview.com/
2024-08-03 - Stephen King’s “On Writing”
- https://www.millersbookreview.com/p/kings-english-stephen-king-on-writing
- Miller usually dislikes books about writing (e.g. he didn’t read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird or Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life) but found King’s memoir engaging due to its blend of personal story and writing advice.
- Four parts - King’s autobiography, tips on the craft of writing, a postscript about his near-fatal accident in 1999, and useful appendices.
- King came up with the idea of Carrie, when he was a janitor and while scrubbing the walls saw that some girls had made fun of another girl being scared of bleeding to death after her periods. He connected that idea with telekinesis. He wrote and threw it in the dustbin. His wife picked up, removed the wrinkles, read and asked him to send to publishers. The first publisher gave him some money. The second gave him 400k. The novel launched his career and fame.
- Advise - “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”
- He had his kids read books to him, which they say was a great experience.