Comments on: On Writing by Stephen King

By: leslie parts

leslie parts — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:27:46 +0000

I don’t think he was saying he was as good as Lee. King has always been somewhat self-deprecating (as he once said, he “writes salami”). I think he was just pointing out that he simply does not get writers who only write one book. He feels that way because, as far as his own writing goes, he feels as if he can’t stop. I don’t think it’s a slap in the face to Harper Lee to wonder aloud why she hasn’t published more work.

Also, he wasn’t comparing the content of the books, but, rather, the volumes published, and the work actually created.

Who knows? Maybe Harper Lee has a vault of unpublished work somewhere. If that were the case, it would probably make more sense to King.

By: Corrington

Corrington — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:01:15 +0000

I’ve never read anything you’ve written and honestly I have zero intention of doing so. You are an awful writer.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:31:53 +0000

Hi Alex, point taken!

By: Alex M

Alex M — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:16:53 +0000

“a creative (yet disturbed) story teller, but he is not a good writer (in my definitions) [sic]”

You seem to look down on King for two reasons: his prose (understandable) and his genre. If you genuinely believe that great writing is only possible with some subject matter and not with others, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s prudish and wrong.

But aside from that you’re quite right, “On Writing” was useless. Good luck!

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:29:25 +0000

Schatzi, I see your point: some people have lots of stories in side of them and feel the urge to share! Apparently Harper Lee wasn’t one of them. I do think her one story was pretty darn good, though.

What are you suggesting he would have said about Dickens? I’m not sure I see the extension, as Dickens wrote many books.

I’m a lot less angry about Stephen King’s book this many months after the fact. I’ve moved on.

By: Schatzi

Schatzi — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:27:07 +0000

I have not read On Writing, but I have read a great deal of Stephen King, particularly his Forewards and Afterwards, in which he often discusses writing, so I feel qualified to respond. I think you’re reading a great deal into the above quotation, particularly the perceived insult to Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird. King often writes of his drive, his need to write, to tell a story. He knows–and admits–that what he writes isn’t considered Art, but that doesn’t matter to him. It doesn’t matter because a) some people do enjoy his work, finding it highly entertaining, and b) because that need to write will not let him stop. In mentioning Harper Lee and others who wrote A great book, but nothing else (or very little else), he is pondering the difference between people who apparently only have the one story and those who have many. What is that difference? It isn’t at all a comment on the quality of said works, or even a comparison. Perhaps you would have been less offended if he had mentioned Dickens, who was after all paid by the word?

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:12:10 +0000

arthur harding, ah, well. To each his own! glad it works for him.

By: arthur harding

arthur harding — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:30:48 +0000

lol .. i can’t believe King thinks quantity is greater than quality. He’s a good writer, he’s awesome at creating atmosphere but he’s nowhere near the best. a lot of his plots are sloppy..
And implying that he’s superior to the author of Mockingbird is just laughable.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:28:41 +0000

Well, Samantha, having read one book by Stephen King, I don’t feel inclined to read any others. It didn’t inspire me at all. If that makes me a snob, so be it. I feel every reader is a snob in some ways because we all have to choose which of the millions of published books we want to spend our limited reading time reading. By turning up your nose at _[fill in the blank with a book I read that you haven't]_, for example, you would yourself be a snob by your definition. (In my mind, you would be missing out on a lot of great writing.) You don’t need to feel “sorry” for me for missing “good writing.” I love what I read and I feel I experience wonderful writers with most of the books I pick up.

I suppose part of my point is that being published should not be the standard by which we judge good writing. It seems we disagree.

I certainly don’t think I will be perfect in any part of my life and by putting my blog out in the world, I obviously know I will be judged, as you have done. I wish you the best of luck finding a blog that better matches your reading preferences and that is less “moronic”!

By: Samantha

Samantha — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:15:48 +0000

This is the most moronic blog I’ve ever read. How on Earth can you consistently assert that Stephen King is a bad writer whom you hold no respect for, when you admit to never having read his work? You are not a discerning literary scholar–you’re a snob, plain and simple. I’m less offended by your words than I am sorry that you will truly miss out on a lot of great writing due to your prejudice.
Best of luck on your poetry, letters and poems. I’m sure you’ll have much success never getting published and therefore proving yourself to be a worthwhile writer of substance–which will have no effect on the general public as it will never be read. But I realize that this is what you and most of the other authors–not writers, who possess a real live work ethic–hope for: To never be judged, and thus, always be perfect in your own minds.

By: beth Powers

beth Powers — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:12:45 +0000

Goodness! What a ridiculous reply! Let me guess, you must be a Sarah Palin fan because for an author and a book lover, you argue like a book banner. Don’t bother replying to this, I am removing this site from my bookmarks.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:03:32 +0000

beth Powers,

I did read something by him: On Writing.

By: beth Powers

beth Powers — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:12:02 +0000

Rebecca,
“I have never read anything by Stephen King.” Your words! You can not then critique his works! How dare he? How dare You! I am not saying he is the greatest living writer, but he is good. Do yourself a favor and read, say, The Shining. If you still think he is not a good writer, THEN you are entitled to an opinion. How would you care for someone who has “heard of you” but has never actually read you making assumptions about your talent as a writer?

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:35:40 +0000

@Amanda: Yikes! If airport bookstores are the epitome of “success” then I don’t want it! @Jessica: I likewise have heard people rave about On Writing and I suppose that is why I was disappointed. There were some good reminders about the craft of writing, so it may be useful to read for an aspiring writer. Just keep in mind the author….Overall, I was simply shocked that King considers himself so “good.”

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:23:34 +0000

I’m shocked that King tried to compare himself to Harper Lee as well! Craziness!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:08:46 +0000

Wow. This is a very insightful post. I’ve heard everyone rave about On Writing. However, I tend to agree with your assessment that really good writers have better things to do than write books on writing. (I also can’t believe the quote from King about Harper Lee!!) I generally love to read about writing, though, so I might pick this one up just to see.

Also, I agree with your assessment that the more books an author publishes and the faster the individual books are published, the less enthralled I’m going to be. Admittedly, I’m a Harry Potter fan and a Twilight fan, but I don’t think those books are well-written. In fact, a few of the Harry Potter books and Eclipse are just down-right terribly written.

In the end, I need both a good story and good writing to have the book be one of my favorites.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:35:27 +0000

I’ve heard this book was good, but I’ve never read it, and I tend to be leery of best-sellers as well. A friend of mine said he wouldn’t consider himself a writer until his books were displayed in an airport bookstore, and to me, the idea was horrifying. I frankly don’t want to be lumped in with that category!

And, I must say, as a die-hard Harry Potter fan, I’m still with you: JK Rowling told a really good story, and her skills definitely needed to be improved. There’s a difference between good writing and good storytelling. Unfortunately, the reverse is true in a lot of current literary writing – you end up with authors who have crap stories and really good skill, and those books are frankly less interesting than the Harry Potter books of the world. It’s important to have both good writing and a good story, in my opinion.

Amanda
http://5-squared.blogspot.com

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:00:42 +0000

@Kelsey:

I have heard of Bird by Bird, and I have looked for it, but it is not to be found in Australia. When I return to the States in a few months, I’ll look it up. At least, I will if the sour taste of this particular “self-help” writing book has diminished…

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:58:49 +0000

@Amy:

Yes, I can understand the question. We’d all love to see another masterpiece by Harper Lee! What bothered me was Stephen King putting himself in the same category.

If you respect the influence Stephen King has, then you may enjoy his writing reminders in this book! Most writers seem inspired by it. Just not me…

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:39:29 +0000

I’m a lot like you. It’s difficult for me to trust any bestselling author or list of bestsellers because, as terrible as this may sound, I don’t trust people. I feel like reading to the vast majority of people has become a trend they follow.

I, too, want to be a writer (ever since I was in the 2nd grade and wrote a copy of that fairy-tale about the girl in the pumpkin…so our stories are kinda sorta similar!). Over the years, I’ve been given stacks of ‘How To’ books. Some that look promising, others that don’t. But I haven’t read one. It’s hard for me to pick up a book that intends to tell me how to do something as personal as write. I think every writer has to find their own path. I firmly believe this.

One, however, that has been recommended to me numerous times and one I really DO intend to read, is Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. I have it on my bookshelf at school and even though I haven’t actually read it yet, I do find the ‘thesis’ of it to be inspiring….

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:16:01 +0000

I think some best-selling novels can contain good writing. I have never read a Stephen King book, but he certainly has had a lot of influence. I actually bought this book but haven’t read it yet.

I generally like to keep as open a mind as possible when approaching a book. I do agree that the quality of the writing diminishes the more books you are cranking out.

Some writers are better story-tellers than craftsmen, and some have both.

In all fairness to Stephen King why didn’t Harper Lee write more novels is a fairly popular question.

By: Do You Need a Jump Start?

Do You Need a Jump Start? — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:57:56 +0000

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