Submitted by Aditya Bidikar 
(Feb 07, 2005)This book gets 5 stars, no matter how much anyone argues or rants and raves (not that anybody is likely to). This book got me writing again. I had had my first writer's block, and, being of an immensely non-serious nature, I had just started entertaining the thought of quitting altogether. This book brought me to my senses, and, in a sense, brought me back to life. I owe a lot to this book.
The first part of this book is an honest and highly entertaining account of Stephen King's life and his writing career, and his recent accident (inspired by which he also wrote a lovely article called 'What You Pass On'). This narrative recounts his childhood, his writing, his marriage to Tabitha Spruce, his battle with alcoholism and drug abuse. It might not be highly objective, but as long as I don't have another source, I'll accept this account as the truth. The second part is on writing, and he gives us his theories on writing. Pretty well-written, and with many nuggets that I found highly useful - '2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%', 'never use adverbs', etc. This book is very sound advice for writers, and it should be accepted as more or less the truth, because it has been written by a writer who mostly practices the commandments given here, and because I say so.
My URL: www.geocities.com/adityabidikar
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(7 ratings)