Stephen King's On Writing: Memoir Or Master Class?

Stephen King’s On Writing: Memoir or Master Class? Which adjective comes to mind when you first hear the name Stephen King? “Psychopath,” and “wack-job” are probably among the first few, and rightfully so. Even having never read any of his books, the first word that came to my mind when I read the name Stephen King on the cover was “freak.” Although, after reading his memoir, the new first word that comes to mind when I see the name Stephen King is “brilliant,” followed closely by “teacher.” Not to say that he lectures the reader on writing during the course of this book; rather, he informs the reader on how he personally considers writing a lifestyle and how he has succeeded at the craft. In order to do so without being condescending, King

During these hundred pages, King gets the reader to find him relatable as well as reliable by truthfully recounting his “average Joe” childhood in a way that is both entertaining and easy to understand due to his use of figurative language. The very first page of the memoir demonstrates his honesty through a vivid simile, “[My childhood] is a fogged-out landscape from which occasional memories appear like isolated trees…the kind that look as if they might like to grab and eat you” (17). Here, King is not ashamed to admit that he does not remember every detail of his childhood, just as the reader likely doesn’t remember every detail of their childhood. Another example of King’s use of figurative language shows that he was never perfect as a writer, “I ran off about forty copies of The Pit and the Pendulum, blissfully unaware that I was in violation of every plagiarism and copyright statute in the history of the world” (48). Using this comical hyperbole shows to his readers that King was naïve at a young age, but he can now look back on his incompetence and laugh, making him personable. While the figurative language element adds this trait to his character, King’s word choice also contributes to his personable