On Writing: Difference between revisions
Created page with "{{Insert top}}{{Insert quote panel | {{On Writing/random quote}} }} == Introduction == {{Infobox book | name = On Writing | image = on-writing-stephen-king.jpg | full_title = ''On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft'' | author = Stephen King | country = United States | language = English | subject = Writing; Authorship; Memoir | genre = Nonfiction; Memoir; Wr..." |
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| website = [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/On-Writing/Stephen-King/9781982159375 simonandschuster.com] |
| website = [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/On-Writing/Stephen-King/9781982159375 simonandschuster.com] |
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📘 '''''On Writing''''' is Stephen King’s hybrid memoir-and-craft guide, pairing scenes from his life with plain-spoken lessons on how writers work and improve.<ref name="S&S20th" /> |
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First published by Scribner in 2000, the book has stayed in print through a 10th-anniversary update (2010) and a 20th-anniversary edition that adds new material from Joe Hill and Owen King.<ref name="SKsite">{{cite web |title=On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft |url=https://stephenking.com/works/nonfiction/on-writing-a-memoir-of-the-craft.html |website=StephenKing.com |publisher=StephenKing.com |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="Marmot10th">{{cite web |title=On writing : a memoir of the craft (10th anniversary ed.) |url=https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b38677416 |website=CMC Library Catalog |publisher=Colorado Mountain College |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="S&S20th" /> |
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Its architecture moves from “C.V.” and “What Writing Is” to “Toolbox,” “On Writing,” and “On Living: A Postscript,” blending memoir, mechanics, and method.<ref name="Marmot505" /> |
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King writes in an unfussy, tough-love register—“read a lot, write a lot,” avoid fussy diction and adverbs, draft “with the door closed” and revise “with the door open”—so the book reads like a lived-in workshop.<ref name="Guardian2000">{{cite news |last=Parini |first=Jay |title=King's English |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/oct/07/biography.stephenking |work=The Guardian |date=7 October 2000 |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> |
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It won the Bram Stoker Award for Nonfiction and the Locus Award for Best Non-fiction for works published in 2000.<ref name="HWA2000">{{cite web |title=2000 Bram Stoker Award Winners & Nominees |url=https://bramstokerawards.horror.org/about-the-awards/2000-bram-stoker-award-winners-nominees/ |website=The Bram Stoker Awards |publisher=Horror Writers Association |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="Locus2001">{{cite web |title=Locus Awards 2001 |url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_2001 |website=Science Fiction Awards Database |date=12 June 2020 |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> |
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In 2011, TIME placed it on its “All-TIME 100 Nonfiction” list.<ref name="TIME2011">{{cite web |last=Cruz |first=Gilbert |title='On Writing' by Stephen King |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/08/30/all-time-100-best-nonfiction-books/slide/on-writing-by-stephen-king/ |website=Time |date=15 August 2011 |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> |
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== Chapter summary == |
== Chapter summary == |
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💬 '''14 – Joe Hill: A Conversation with My Dad.''' |
💬 '''14 – Joe Hill: A Conversation with My Dad.''' |
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== Background & reception == |
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🖋️ '''Author & writing'''. King positioned the book as both a selective “C.V.” and a practical “textbook” for writers, released in 2000 by Scribner and available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook.<ref name="SKsite" /> The project crystallized around a turning point: after he was struck by a van in June 1999, he describes returning to the page—slowly at first—as part of his recovery.<ref name="Guardian2000" /> The structure readers encounter runs from “C.V.” and “What Writing Is” through “Toolbox” and “On Writing,” then closes with “On Living: A Postscript.”<ref name="Marmot505" /> The voice is colloquial and directive—he urges daily practice (often about 2,000 words), warns that “the adverb is not your friend,” and advises drafting behind a closed door before revising for readers.<ref name="Guardian2000" /> A 10th-anniversary edition (2010) updated the reading list, and a 20th-anniversary edition (2020) added new material and pieces by Joe Hill and Owen King.<ref name="Marmot10th" /><ref name="S&S20th" /> First-edition bibliographic details for the 2000 Scribner hardback—288 pages; ISBN 978-0-684-85352-9—are confirmed by major library records.<ref name="NLA2000" /><ref name="Marmot2000">{{cite web |title=On writing : a memoir of the craft (2000) |url=https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b11100175 |website=CMC Library Catalog |publisher=Colorado Mountain College |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> The original audiobook appeared in 2000, unabridged and read by King.<ref name="OCLC50104316" /> |
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📈 '''Commercial reception'''. Upon publication, ''Publishers Weekly'' reported a 500,000-copy first printing in October 2000.<ref name="PW2000">{{cite web |title=On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780684853529 |website=Publishers Weekly |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> The publisher now bills the title as a “million-copy bestseller,” and continues to promote the 20th-anniversary edition and a refreshed audio read by King with Joe Hill and Owen King.<ref name="S&S20th" /> The work has remained available across formats since 2000.<ref name="SKsite" /> |
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👍 '''Praise'''. The ''Washington Post'' called the book an enjoyable blend of autobiography and instruction, noting how King uses personal memories to illuminate craft.<ref name="Wapo2000">{{cite news |last=King |first=Nina |title=Scare Tactics |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/2000/09/24/scare-tactics/27692248-cbbc-4a09-a94e-a37393f6e84b/ |work=The Washington Post |date=23 September 2000 |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> ''Kirkus Reviews'' singled out the closing account of the 1999 accident as “tightly controlled” and “as good and as true as anything King has written.”<ref name="Kirkus2000" /> ''Publishers Weekly'' highlighted the book’s “valuable advice” for novice writers and its candid, authoritative voice.<ref name="PW2000" /> |
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👎 '''Criticism'''. In ''The Guardian'', Jay Parini argued that King has “nothing much to say about writing that isn’t obvious,” finding the craft dicta less compelling than the life story.<ref name="Guardian2000" /> ''Publishers Weekly'' observed that the book’s three main parts “don’t hang together much better than those of the Frankenstein monster.”<ref name="PW2000" /> The ''Washington Post'' noted that some readers might bristle at King’s just-folks persona even while finding the mix enjoyable.<ref name="Wapo2000" /> |
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🌍 '''Impact & adoption'''. TIME placed ''On Writing'' on its 2011 “All-TIME 100 Nonfiction” list, cementing its status beyond genre and how-to circles.<ref name="TIME2011" /> In higher education, it appears on creative-writing syllabi—for example, Arizona State University’s ENGLISH 394 (Spring 2023) lists ''On Writing'' as a required text.<ref name="ASU2023">{{cite web |title=ENGLISH 394: The Art of Popular Literature — Stephen King (sample syllabus) |url=https://webapp4.asu.edu/bookstore/viewsyllabus/2231/31979/pdf%3Bjsessionid%3D218B14EF79290E551125F618659510EB |website=Arizona State University |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> U.S. public institutions also recommend it: the Library of Congress’s National Library Service includes ''On Writing'' on its curated “Writing Books” list (catalogued as a 2000 bestseller).<ref name="NLS2024">{{cite web |title=Writing Books |url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/book-lists/writing-books/ |website=Library of Congress National Library Service |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref> |
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== Related content & more == |
== Related content & more == |
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Revision as of 12:43, 8 November 2025
"The adverb is not your friend."
— Stephen King, On Writing (2000)
Introduction
| On Writing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft |
| Author | Stephen King |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Writing; Authorship; Memoir |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Memoir; Writing guide |
| Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | 3 October 2000 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 978-0-684-85352-9 |
| Website | simonandschuster.com |
📘 On Writing is Stephen King’s hybrid memoir-and-craft guide, pairing scenes from his life with plain-spoken lessons on how writers work and improve.[1] First published by Scribner in 2000, the book has stayed in print through a 10th-anniversary update (2010) and a 20th-anniversary edition that adds new material from Joe Hill and Owen King.[2][3][1] Its architecture moves from “C.V.” and “What Writing Is” to “Toolbox,” “On Writing,” and “On Living: A Postscript,” blending memoir, mechanics, and method.[4] King writes in an unfussy, tough-love register—“read a lot, write a lot,” avoid fussy diction and adverbs, draft “with the door closed” and revise “with the door open”—so the book reads like a lived-in workshop.[5] It won the Bram Stoker Award for Nonfiction and the Locus Award for Best Non-fiction for works published in 2000.[6][7] In 2011, TIME placed it on its “All-TIME 100 Nonfiction” list.[8]
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Scribner 20th-anniversary trade paperback (2020; ISBN 978-1-9821-5937-5).[1][4]
📖 1 – First Foreword.
🧭 2 – Second Foreword.
🗣️ 3 – Third Foreword.
📜 4 – C.V..
🧠 5 – What Writing Is.
🧰 6 – Toolbox.
✍️ 7 – On Writing.
❤️🩹 8 – On Living: A Postscript.
🚪 9 – And Furthermore, Part I: Door Shut, Door Open.
📚 10 – And Furthermore, Part II: A Booklist.
➕ 11 – Further to Furthermore, Part III.
🔭 12 – Even Further to Furthermore, Part IV.
🎧 13 – Owen King: Recording Audiobooks for My Dad, Stephen King.
💬 14 – Joe Hill: A Conversation with My Dad.
Background & reception
🖋️ Author & writing. King positioned the book as both a selective “C.V.” and a practical “textbook” for writers, released in 2000 by Scribner and available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook.[2] The project crystallized around a turning point: after he was struck by a van in June 1999, he describes returning to the page—slowly at first—as part of his recovery.[5] The structure readers encounter runs from “C.V.” and “What Writing Is” through “Toolbox” and “On Writing,” then closes with “On Living: A Postscript.”[4] The voice is colloquial and directive—he urges daily practice (often about 2,000 words), warns that “the adverb is not your friend,” and advises drafting behind a closed door before revising for readers.[5] A 10th-anniversary edition (2010) updated the reading list, and a 20th-anniversary edition (2020) added new material and pieces by Joe Hill and Owen King.[3][1] First-edition bibliographic details for the 2000 Scribner hardback—288 pages; ISBN 978-0-684-85352-9—are confirmed by major library records.[9][10] The original audiobook appeared in 2000, unabridged and read by King.[11]
📈 Commercial reception. Upon publication, Publishers Weekly reported a 500,000-copy first printing in October 2000.[12] The publisher now bills the title as a “million-copy bestseller,” and continues to promote the 20th-anniversary edition and a refreshed audio read by King with Joe Hill and Owen King.[1] The work has remained available across formats since 2000.[2]
👍 Praise. The Washington Post called the book an enjoyable blend of autobiography and instruction, noting how King uses personal memories to illuminate craft.[13] Kirkus Reviews singled out the closing account of the 1999 accident as “tightly controlled” and “as good and as true as anything King has written.”[14] Publishers Weekly highlighted the book’s “valuable advice” for novice writers and its candid, authoritative voice.[12]
👎 Criticism. In The Guardian, Jay Parini argued that King has “nothing much to say about writing that isn’t obvious,” finding the craft dicta less compelling than the life story.[5] Publishers Weekly observed that the book’s three main parts “don’t hang together much better than those of the Frankenstein monster.”[12] The Washington Post noted that some readers might bristle at King’s just-folks persona even while finding the mix enjoyable.[13]
🌍 Impact & adoption. TIME placed On Writing on its 2011 “All-TIME 100 Nonfiction” list, cementing its status beyond genre and how-to circles.[8] In higher education, it appears on creative-writing syllabi—for example, Arizona State University’s ENGLISH 394 (Spring 2023) lists On Writing as a required text.[15] U.S. public institutions also recommend it: the Library of Congress’s National Library Service includes On Writing on its curated “Writing Books” list (catalogued as a 2000 bestseller).[16]
Related content & more
YouTube videos
CapSach articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "On Writing". Simon & Schuster. Scribner. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". StephenKing.com. StephenKing.com. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "On writing : a memoir of the craft (10th anniversary ed.)". CMC Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "On writing : a memoir of the craft (record 505 contents)". CMC Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Parini, Jay (7 October 2000). "King's English". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "2000 Bram Stoker Award Winners & Nominees". The Bram Stoker Awards. Horror Writers Association. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Locus Awards 2001". Science Fiction Awards Database. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cruz, Gilbert (15 August 2011). "'On Writing' by Stephen King". Time. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On writing : a memoir of the craft / by Stephen King". Catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On writing : a memoir of the craft (2000)". CMC Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On writing : a memoir of the craft (audiobook)". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 King, Nina (23 September 2000). "Scare Tactics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On Writing". Kirkus Reviews. 3 October 2000. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "ENGLISH 394: The Art of Popular Literature — Stephen King (sample syllabus)". Arizona State University. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Writing Books". Library of Congress National Library Service. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
<ref> tag with name "OCLC2000" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.