On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Born from a near-death experience: King began writing On Writing in 1999, but a van struck him on June 19 that year while he was walking near his Maine home. He suffered a collapsed lung, multiple leg fractures, and a broken hip. The accident nearly killed him and deeply shaped the memoir's final sections.

Two books merged into one: The first half explores King's life story from childhood to fame. The second half delivers practical writing advice. Together they create something wholly unique.

Tabitha saved Carrie from the trash: King threw away the first three pages of Carrie, his breakthrough novel, because he felt uncomfortable writing about teenage girls. His wife Tabitha fished the crumpled, cigarette-ash-covered pages from the wastebasket, read them, and insisted he continue. She even helped him understand female characters better.

Writing compared to telepathy: In the book, King makes a fascinating comparison. He describes writing as a form of telepathy where he can plant images and ideas in your mind across time and space. You see what he sees simply by reading his words on a page.

The 2,000-word daily goal: King reveals his personal writing quota of 2,000 words per day, every single day, including holidays and birthdays. He believes writing less frequently causes characters to feel stale and the narrative edge to rust.

Stories as fossils to uncover: King uses a beautiful metaphor for his writing process. He sees stories as fossils already buried in the ground. His job is not to construct them but to carefully excavate them, revealing what was always there.

Roger Ebert called it essential: Film critic Roger Ebert praised On Writing, saying it had more useful things to say about the craft than any book since Strunk and White's The Elements of Style.

He wrote it longhand first: Despite being a prolific author, King drafted much of this book by hand. He found the slower pace suited memoir writing better than his usual typing.

Adverbs are the enemy: King famously declares that "the road to hell is paved with adverbs." This single piece of advice has influenced countless writers to trim their prose ruthlessly.

Serialized in The New Yorker: Before publication as a complete book, portions of On Writing were serialized in The New Yorker to vivid acclaim.

He reads constantly: King emphasizes reading as essential training. He claims to read 70 to 80 books per year. Bad books teach what not to do. Good books inspire.