On Writing- Blog 3

So, who would have known that Stephen King almost died? Definitely not me! I found this kind of "short story" at the end of the book to be a really surprising, entertaining twist. The way he described his accident and the moments that followed were amazing, considering the fact most people probably couldn't remember anything after a collision so severe. I found myself feeling really bad for laughing out loud in some of the parts of On Living: A Postscript. He cracked jokes in the middle of painful images and memories! How does he make something so painful and so serious funny? I know that I could never do it, that's for sure. This was one of my favorite parts of the book though; it really kept me on the edge of my seat. He was SO lucky he lived to tell the tale.

The rest of On Writing was good as well. I liked how he stressed that themes aren't really that big of a deal, and that just about every time your story is going to contain one, whether you mean to or not. King is a big believer in keeping the door shut while writing a first draft, the "all-story" draft as he calls it, and not telling anyone for a good while about his stories. I love his reasoning of this because that way no one can influence you or discourage you on your writing. He also believed you should take some time off after your first draft so you can spot the "gaping holes" in your stories later. I love King's reference to the Titanic when he mentions that everyone makes mistakes. "Someone really did design the Titanic and then label it unsinkable," he says.

I find King's love for his wife so incredibly cute. He just says the sweetest things about her in this book! I literally have to stop and say "Awww" out loud at some points in the book. The way he thinks about her as his "Ideal Reader" is really sweet. He thinks of the things that will make her laugh and smile. He even gives up "his darlings" for her. I know that this is what your supposed to do with an Ideal Reader, but the way he does it with her is so cute to me. Sorry, I am a hopeless romantic I guess.

King's editing process is plain and simple. Cut out anything boring or useless or messes up the flow of the story. I love it! Genius! He also pays very close attention to when friends read his book. He cares very much what other people think about his writing, as he should because the reader is his main priority.

All in all, I really did like On Writing. I found it to be entertaining as well as very informative. I really learned a ton from this book about writing, and I hope it will rub off! haha. Stay tuned followers for the essay on On Writing will be coming soon! :)