On Writing is definitely different from any other book I have been required to read for school. It has actually kept my attention for longer than the first five or so pages. Stephen King knows how to write in a way that is not only simply worded, easy to read, and keeps the reader's attention, but also gets his point across, I think, exactly as he means it, without being ridiculously, excessively verbose. King uses metaphors, similes, humor, stories, and real life examples to make a point so well that sometimes the reader is so entertained that they don't even realize they are being taught a lesson. I liked that while reading On Writing, without even realizing, I was learning about how a writer is "formed" (not made; as King says, "the equipment comes with the original package"--people are either born with a talent or they aren't), the writing process, where ideas come from, and how rejection (in anything, not just writing) can lead to success eventually. For example, in the middle of one of King's stories about writing sports columns for the Lisbon Weekly Enterprise, he remembers how his boss John Gould edited his first story and taught him something that he still remembers to this day: leave out all the things that aren't the story. Here the reader learns this valuable lesson as well. And we thought we were just being entertained.
I love reading about people. I enjoy learning about people's childhoods, pasts, what experiences have happened to them that led them to where they are today. Perhaps this is one of the reasons On Writing was so interesting to me. Stephen King's childhood was very unstable, with a single mother struggling to meet her children's day-to-day needs as well as her own. I think it is intriguing, though, that even though he had such a rough beginning, he still finds ways to look back on his past with a sense of humor. Most people who come from similar situations like that I think would be feeling sorry for themselves.
I found it fascinating how King explains where his story ideas come from. Out of nowhere. While doing a tedious everyday job like cleaning the girls' locker room. It's neat to me that such a mundane task eventually led to his initial success as a real author. Also, I wasn't expecting that King is a Catholic.
On Writing so far has been pretty enjoyable for me, and after I finish it I'd like to check out some more of Stephen King's books. He is a brilliant author, very smart, and I think I could be becoming a fan.
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