In June of 1999, Stephen King was hit by a van while walking along the shoulder of a country road in Maine. Six operations were required to save his life and mend his broken body. When he was finally able to sit up, he immediately started writing. This book is the extraordinary result.
From back cover.
Memoirs of Stephen King, in which he reviews his life and career and on the way shares his ideas and views on the craft of writing.
Very interesting to anyone who is a fan of Stephen King or who is interested in the art of writing.

This is the first time I've deliberately bought a second copy of a book I own, especially for bookcrossing, and I'm hoping to run a bookray for this book.
On the list so far (mailing order):
Robbiesmum (UK)
Kirlepigen (Denmark)
Caligula03 (California)
nillabreen (Massachusetts)
HikingReader (Wisconsin)
Sherri5762 (Texas)
Hawkette (Australia)
JesseBC (US)
melydia US

Anyone else is welcome, but will be added to the bottom of the list and must be prepared to post anywhere :-)

Heading out to Robbiesmum today.

I remember Stephen King's accident, and reading an article about his recovery and return to writing. This has been a Must Read for a while, and I'm hoping will give me a new insight into Stephen King as I'm planning on rereading some of my old favourites afterwards.

I'm really sorry to have held up Loopy1's BookRay just as it was getting started, but I did want to read this. And now I'm so glad I did. Wow! What an inspirational book on writing. No jargon, just common sense and passion for his craft. I just felt so inspired to keep writing on my blank notepad as I read of King's rejections, his early successes, and his tips on keep getting that story down. I have lost some enthusiasm for writing from tutors' critiques which were wholly subjective, and I feel I can now take some extra energy away with me from the Horror King himself.

His anecdotes are very witty and poignant, and his voice speaks directly to you. Great book. Great author. has kept me going this past few days in hospital. Hope everyone else enjoys this.

Just got it in the mail today! I´ll read it ASAP - as soon as I´ve finished "Life of Pi"(another bookray/-ring) =0)

My first thought was "how odd - I'm reading about the person, Stephen King instead of a story BY Stephen King - I'm not sure I want to know this about him"(don't know what I expected but not this..) and I felt as some sort of an voyeur...

However as the book advanced my feeling of unease vanished and I got caught up in it. As I finished it and reluctantly (an adverb I know! ;0)) at the table were I filled with inspiration and just like the little train "I think I can ..." I think that I might can do it too...

"On Writing" isen't great on writing techniques but tries to capture the FEEL and ESSENS of writing instead...

In shorts it's a great written book about writing ...

I really enjoyed and thanks to a cold I got to read it in one sitting with lots of tea - which I can recommend. And not the cold off course!

Thanks for sharing! I´ll PM the next eagerly awaiting participant asap ;0)

Released on Monday, September 29, 2003 at Postal Release in Redwood Shores, California USA.

It's in the mail to Caligula03!!
;0)

The book arrived safe and sound. I have quite a queue of books before this one so I will do my best to get to this book as soon as I can. In the mean time, I can say I am looking forward to reading it. I have read other pieces by Stephen King on writing and have always found the interesting and insightful. :)

I enjoyed the book, especially the sections after CV. King rambles in CV. Although I found his life story fascinating, I was reading this book to learn his tricks of the trade! Shorten CV by 10% and the book will be 10.

I am glad that I read the book. I respect King for his openess about his methods of writing and about his ups and downs in his life. He doesn't try to paint himself as a saint or diety among writers. He's just a man who is passionate about writing (and reading). In the back there's quite a bibliography of suggested reading (all fiction, I think).

Oh -- and to Kirlepigen -- thank you for the wonderful Moped Cowgirl. I love this postcard. I will continue to use her as a bookmark. :)

Release planned for Saturday, November 22, 2003 at to a fellow bookcrosser in Somerville, Massachusetts USA.

Will mail to Nillabreen on Saturday. Enjoy the book! :)

I just received this book as part of a bookray. Thank you! I can hardly wait to dig in!

I’m sorry to have kept the book so long – the holidays are a busy time, and there were a few other bookring books floating around, and then I had a cold, so… But now, I’m finally ready to journal and mail.

Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this book!

It seems like I’ve wanted to write from the day I learned to read. As a child I sometimes narrated my life to myself as if I were Laura Ingalls Wilder – Little Tract House in the Big Suburbia or something like that. I wrote stories as a kid, but it was never encouraged, and sometimes, I’m afraid, it was the object of mild ridicule. So I wrote intermittently and secretly.

In college I busted out and majored in creative writing, so I was tickled by King’s take on writing seminars – he really hit the mark with that one. I took the student critiques of my stories way too seriously.

After college I tried to shake the writing bug. My parents’ poor reaction to my literary tendencies continued. I think it was just plain old fear that kept me from writing consistently. But just last November, on a whim, I singed up for NaNoWriMo – that’s National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I didn’t finish all my words that month, but I got a lot more words down than I had put into a work of fiction in many years. And it felt so good. It was the first time I had written like that – just write and write and don’t worry about a poor turn of phrase or a plot hole – it will all come out in the second draft. I loved King’s idea of writing with the door closed first and then with the door open, and the observation that in writing seminars you never get the chance to write with the door closed.

I was spoiled by NaNoWriMo – I’ll never be able to stop now. On Writing was just the right book for me. King says that the main thing he wanted to do with the book was give you a permission slip. You know you want to write – you wouldn’t have picked up this book if you didn’t. So go ahead. Write. It really is okay.

And so I will. I do. It’s hard because I’m so busy due to my full-time job – King’s suggestion that you get a desk in a quiet place and read and write there every day for four to six hours was – well, let’s just say a little on the optimistic side. But I try hard to work on my current project for a good chunk of time every week, and this book was marvelous encouragement in that effort.

This book is on its way to HikingReader. Enjoy!

Just got this bookring book in the mail and I can't wait to get started. Thanks for the chance to read it and I'll let you knwo what I think!

This book was a combination of mini-memoir by a popular author, some solid advice on writing, and a non-fiction vignette about the struggle to overcome obstacles.

It was kind of a strange mixture. I liked the memoir part for the humor and entertainment. I found the advice on writing to be good, friendly,basic, not really inspiring or original. The last section where King fights for his physical and creative health was probably the most affecting part, but then the whole thing ends with a short story that has nothing to do with anything preceding. A book for the short attention span that doesn't fully satisfy on any of the levels it attempts to...but was interesting and enjoyable all the same.

Received in the mail today. Looking forward to reading it this weekend or next week!

Dang, got kicked off line before my previously written, witty journal entry got uploaded...

I was thrilled to read this book. I am not a writer and have no aspirations to write, but I was an avid King fan in the past (his stories started to scare me too much and I stopped reading at some point... From reading this memoir, I think it was around the time he was drunk and high all the time) and was anxious to read what he had to say.

I was fascinated by his "CV" or mini-autobiography. I enjoyed "On Writing" for the bits of "back story" on some of his books, most of which I remembered reading (at least parts of), and "On Living" where he described in remarkable detail, his accident and recovery. I was shocked he could remember as much as he does.

In short, I dont' think you need to be an aspiring writer to enjoy this book, just being a fan of Mr King is enough to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Will be sending it off to Hawkette early next week.

Has arrived in Melbourne. Was interested in this back when it was first published - looking forward to it.

Stephen King tells us of his life, how he writes, and also of the horrors of the accident in 1999 and his recovery. He's candid and funny, and so much of his retelling and frank conversation style writing had me laughing. And bought a tear to me eye a couple of times when he talked on his loving marriage. Truely an amazingly gifted writer, and all round good bloke!!

He gives the writer in the reader a little nudge about how to go about writing, which is so inspiring and instructional that I feel like I could even give it a go - you never know!!

Plus, there is lots of background to his own novels, and the characters in them and how and when the story formulated for him. I have read several, but On Writing has inspired me to seek out more!!

Thanks!