Any and all books entitled "How To Write" and such can now, officially, fuck off. In reading Stephen King's non-fiction memoir On Writing (a mix of autobiography and lessons of the craft of storytelling) I have learned more than any English lesson I've had to date and whilst King can easily be considered one of the most, if not THE most, prolific authors in history, he has no qualms about stating, often quite bluntly, that there are no set rules, no magic spark. You just need to read a lot and write a lot and seeing as I do both it's quite an confidence booster for aspiring writers even if, in the latter half, he goes into detail as to how difficult it can be to get published.
It's brief and to the point, and all autobiographical segments are relevant in that they shaped the author into the writer he is today. Never dull, always informative and is to the point. Since reading I have frantically been revisiting my short stories.
This is a must read to anyone who has ever thought about writing.
5/5
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