This is from a paper I did for my MFA program.
Stephen King's On Writing is more than just a book on
how to write. It is a memoir and a journal about how he wrote several of his
best sellers. It also showcases his keen eye for what makes a good story.
King is in the camp
that believes writers are born, at various skill levels. A writer cannot be
made of someone who is not born a "writer". Mr. King does believe that
the skill can be sharpened, thank goodness.
I found the memoir section
engaging. I'm not sure why this surprised me. Each of these little vignettes
was a little story of its own. Even though they were non-fiction, they were
quite entertaining. He remembered things that had some aspect that was either
jarring or gross. Elements that, no doubt, helped shape the direction his
writing life would take. I definitely empathize with getting poison ivy in all
the wrong places as a kid. I did notice, however, that even Stephen King uses
passive voice when describing something, colorful and evocative though it may have
been.
