What have I read? Oh, it was Stephen King's 'On Writing!'

I have been reading books on writing lately.  One of the best so far that I have read was Stephen King's On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft.  Yes, the bestselling American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction.  The author of 'Carrie', 'Green Mile', 'The Shining, 'It', to give you a few.  If you wish to know more of his writings, please click here to go to his website.

To be honest, I have not read any of his novels.  When I was young, I wasn't into horror stories.  I could easily get scared.  Perhaps you will find it weird but you know when I read, my whole world gets transformed into that of the book. I deeply get into another place deeply - into the world of the characters of the story.  After reading 'On Writing', which I find to be so excellent, full of wits, candor and knowledge on the craft, I got intrigued and very interested to read Stephen King's works so I got five of his books so quickly - 'Needful Things', 'Thinner', 'Firestarter', 'Dreamcatcher', and 'Misery.' I made myself a promise - that I will read each one of these books and no matter how scary, I will finish them (fingers crossed).  So, pray for me.

Now, this wonderful book, 'On Writing', is something that every book lover must read, whether or not you are writing, you will love it.  It is about his life and the accident he had in June of 1999.  I don't write reviews and the very first 'review' (if you really would like to call it that way) was after reading Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief.  But I thought what I'd do this time is to write the parts of the book that struck me, inspired me and that I loved the most.

Here they are:

1.  Must you write complete sentences each time, every time?  Perish the thought.  If your work consists only of fragments and floating clauses, the Grammar Police aren't going to come and take you away.  Even William Strunk, that Mussolini of rhetoric, recognized the delicious pliability of language. "It is an old observation," he writes, "that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of the rhetoric."  Yet he goes on to add this thought, which I urge you to consider:  "Unless he is certain of doing well, [the writer] will probably do best to follow the rules." - On pages 133-134

2.  Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex and work.  Especially work.  People love to read about work.  God knows why, but they do.  - On page 185

3.  If you want to be a successful writer, you must be able to describe it, and in a way that will cause your reader to prickle with recognition. - On page 202

4.  If God gives you something you can do, why in God's name wouldn't you do it? - On page 174

5.  Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends.  In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.  It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over.  Getting happy, okay?  Getting happy. - On page 326

My eyes welled up when I was reading the last page.  It really touched me.  This book is the best!

Note: The above are quotes from Stephen King's On Writing, any future changes in the book after today's date, 20 September 2010, will not be reflected on this post.  This is not a paid advertisement.

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