Stephen King On Writing

On Writing by Stephen King is Stephen King’s autobiography mixed with tips on writing and being a writer.

I’m almost halfway through the book and it’s amazing how much this man has gone through. You really have to be brave to stick to something you want to do for so long, while doing odds and ends on the side to sustain yourself and your family, and not lose heart. If you’re a Stephen King fan, or even if you’re not even remotely interested in writing, I highly recommend reading this book. It’s such an inspiring story.

For most things we want to do in life, to actually be successful in doing something, you just have to sit down and do the thing without thinking too much. Thinking is a trap. Thinking is the enemy. You just have to start doing even if you feel like you have no clue what the fuck you’re doing.

I’d like to quote from the book. He’s talking about one of the things he learned when he was writing his very first novel. His very first book that got published, that turned his life around-

Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.

– Stephen King