Page by page

I have to read this book by Stephen King for creative writing class. It is called, “On Writing- A Memoir of the Craft.”

Let me take a second to explain what this book actually is.

It is a 284 fat paged book that is Stephen King’s life story of becoming an author and his tips and “rules” to achieve success like he did in writing.

I have never read work by Stephen King before but I am pretty positive I will not read another after enduring this 1 inch thick paper weight.

I have no problem with the concept of writing tips and stories about how a person can thrive as an author. However, King does not give the reader tips. Instead he describes rules, limitations, and lines that “no good writer should cross.”

King himself says in the book, “…it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one.” He is basically saying there is no hope for anyone. King goes on and on with all these things writers must do if they are going to be “real authors.” A person must “create his own space” and it must be silent, with no distractions. A person should write a certain amount of work a day, at the same time, with the same schedule.

I believe King’s obnoxious and dictatorial advice is egotistical and over dramatic. Not every person must do what he says to excel in writing. The fact that King makes it sound like a person could not possibly be successful if he followed a different path, is so frustrating that I want to repeatedly throw this book out of the window.