If you’re not famous as a writer, nobody asks you for advice on improving their game. Part of that is simply having a writer’s outlook. We all have our own ideas about how it’s done. I admire the work of Stephen King. He’s a gifted storyteller and his books often deal with the kinds of things I think about. I had his book On Writing on my reading list for years. What finally got me to read it was finding it in a local independent bookstore and wanting to support said venue. I found it both helpful and a little scary to read. This is part memoir and part instruction manual by someone who isn’t full of ego, despite his success. Egoism isn’t uncommon among writers, but King realizes that many people have talent, but not all know how to bring it to any kind of success, no matter how modest.
I really enjoyed reading the memoir parts. Indeed, I wish I could’ve read them when I was, say, in college. My own trajectory as a writer might’ve turned out differently. His instructive sections are also helpful, but the part about finding an agent is hopelessly out of date. The internet has made doing so both easier and more difficult. Too many people now flood agents’ offices with pitches that you practically need an agent to get you an agent. I know this from experience. Nevertheless, King’s advice generally feels quite solid. And it’s encouraging to hear of the commonalities we share in our upbringing. Writers often begin in less-than-ideal situations. If we can struggle out of them, some can find success in writing while others manage to do it on the side (this isn’t my day job). But write we do.
As with most of King’s books that I’ve read, this one went fairly quickly. Not every book that I read makes me feel eager for reading time, but King always does. In part, at least with On Writing, it’s because I can’t help but wonder if I’m doing this right. During the course of reading his book, two more rejection letters came for my fiction projects. Any writer knows that you have to deal with lots and lots of these. King started earlier, but, like me, he kept his rejection slips. Eventually I ditched mine because they’re too discouraging. And I still submit to what has become, since this book was written, a very, very crowded fiction market place. Still, this is an encouraging book, offering advice from someone who knows what he’s doing. It’s a shame I waited so long to read it.