Stephen king

A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir by American author Stephen King that describes his experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers. Originally published in 2000 by Charles Scribner's Sons, On Writing is King's first book after he was involved in a car accident a year earlier. Scribner later republished the memoir twice, in 2010 and 2020. The 10th anniversary edition featured an updated reading list from King; whereas the 20th anniversary edition includes contributions from King's two sons, Joe Hill and Owen.

On Writin
First edition cover
Author
Stephen King

Published

2010 (10th anniversary edition)
2020 (20th anniversary edition)
On Writing is organized into five sections: "C.V.", in which King highlights events in his life that influenced his writing career; "What Writing Is", in which King urges the reader to take writing seriously; "Toolbox", which discusses English mechanics; "On Writing", in which King details his advice to aspiring writers; and "On Living: A Postscript", in which King describes his van accident and how it affected his life.

In 2008, Entertainment Weekly included On Writing on their "The New Classics: Books – The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008" list.[1] Both Sharon Johnson in The Patriot-News and Julie Woo for the Associated Press, in separate reviews, praised King's advice as "solid".[2][3] John Mark Eberhart, writing in the Sunday Free Lance-Star, called King's writing advice "pedestrian", but ultimately concluded that On Writing was "a slight but transitionally important work that should lead [King] to better things."[4]