On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Recommendations from our site

"It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It's bracing: there's no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is." Read more...

The best books on Creative Writing

Andrew Cowan, Novelist

"What I love about it is that King really takes you into his own process, and then leaves you these little titbits of "how to" stuff……"Good description usually consists of a few well-chosen details that will stand for everything else. In most cases, these details will be the first ones that come to mind." That struck me. A lot of writers pile on details. This notion, just pay attention to your own thought process. What are the first details that come to mind? Those may be the best. That's tremendously helpful advice. It had never occurred to me before, and I've been writing for 30-odd years. This book is full of little things like that about how he works, just tossed off." Read more...

The best books on How to Write

Eric Olsen, Journalist

Stephen King is best known for his horror books, but even if that's not your preferred genre, it's hard not to be blown away by his memoir, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. King is a big audiobook fan, and he reads this book—part story of his life, part really useful tips on how to write—himself.

Narrator: Stephen King

Length: 7 hours and 59 minutes

Great Audiobooks Narrated by Their Authors

Stephen King's extraordinary memoir, On Writing, was published in 2000 and there's now a 20th anniversary edition. If you haven't read it yet, you must: it's an amazing book and teaches you not only a lot about writing, but also about life.

New Editions & Translations