ipl-logo

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

1012 Words5 Pages

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related
1379 Words | 6 Pages

Brian Jacques first started in a very different way than you would think an author would start. He first realized he was good at writing was when he was in elementary school, while enrolled there, an experience marked his potential as a writer. After he had been assigned to write an essay about the unusual characteristics of animals, Jacques wrote about a bird that cleaned the teeth of a crocodile. Brian’s teacher refused to believe that a boy his age could write as well as he did. Brian refused to say that he had copied the story, he was called a liar.

Read More
177 Words | 1 Pages

I noticed that Kingsolver use the idea of language to demonstrate the distinct character. For example Rachel consistently misuses of words reveals a lot about her character. In book three looking at the last paragraph of one section where Rachel says, “But I won’t tell her. I prefer to remain anomalous” (270). In this line Rachel probably meant to say, “I prefer to remain anonymous.”

Read More
777 Words | 4 Pages

In Bad Ideas about Writing, Ronald Clark Brooks writes that everyone can be a writer because he believes that everyone’s experiences and perspectives are worth writing about. He expresses his belief that a good writer is not necessarily defined by their credentials or publishings. However, he acknowledges that there is a sort of stigma around writing that may discourage novice writers and offend veteran writers. In Brooks’ essay, he attempts to take an empowering and supportive approach in explaining how anyone can be a writer. He also says that even in writing classes, where there may be more structure and rules to follow for writing, optimism and a positive outlook make all the difference.

Read More
664 Words | 3 Pages

In Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing, he expresses dozens of opinions on his craft and provides a compilation of writing preferences for an audience of readers and aspiring writers alike. Jeannette Walls, the author of the memoir The Glass Castle, seemingly displays similar writing preferences to those of Stephen King. Specifically, Walls and King both leave out unnecessary words, they both use dialogue as a characterization tool, and they both believe in writing honestly. One of the first writing tactics King proposes is to, “...

Read More
1417 Words | 6 Pages

Geoffrey Sirc wrote “The Autobiography of Malcolm X as a Basic Writing Text” to convey to his students and all students of literature that this book “teaches the importance of passion and strength of character” that these are “essential attributes to growth as a writer.” This journal article reaffirms the reason why all students should be required to read the book and Sirc states that autobiography allows the student to develop a deeper understanding of how to be inquisitive when confronted with stereotypes or ignorance. The affirmation comes in the form of a quote from Malcolm X in the epilogue of the book “People don’t realize how a man’s life can be changed by one book” (X and Haley 400) and the impact that statement would have on future

Read More
381 Words | 2 Pages

I completely agree with Lily that this was one of the funniest anecdote that we had read thus far. I think it shows another side of Stephen King because he is a dark horror and sci-fi writer, but reading about his life you see that he is also quite a comedian. In “On Writing” he has been able to make fun of his life and not take himself seriously, and you can sometimes see that he is reflecting on the memories and realizing in the moment of writing what they even meant. The anecdote that really stuck with me is when he talked about having both a drug addiction and being an alcoholic.

Read More
253 Words | 2 Pages

The article by Donald Murray entitled, “The Maker’s Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts” provides readers a better understanding of the writing process and argues that writers learn to write, by writing and rewriting. Murray also contends that writers must learn to be their own best enemy. Well, I believe I have this trait covered! I will confess, that I purposely saved this course for last, due to the number of years between my last structured learning experience and returning to school to complete a BSN degree.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

In an ardent tone, King reminds writers that passion is a necessity. He writes, “The sort of strenuous reading and writing program I advocate—four to six hours a day, every day—will not seem strenuous if you really enjoy doing these things and have an aptitude for them” (150). “When you find something at which you are talented, you do it (whatever it is) until your fingers bleed or your eyes are ready to fall out

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

I am an eighth grade student at Tomahawk Creek Middle School. I understand that a committee plans to create a required reading list for high school students to choose for their English course. I would like the committee to consider the book I recently read, Michael Vey: Hunt for the Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans, for this list. This was a very good book. It had VERY interesting characters, a VERY intriguing plot, and it also has a very good message.

Read More
219 Words | 1 Pages

Many times while I was reading this I was reminded of a saying I have heard before, “That doesn’t seem to be enough sugar for a dime.” He also described how being a writer had its’ downfalls too and that it

Read More
599 Words | 3 Pages

I never recognized any of Stephen King’s work, so I had no idea what to do expect about his book On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft. When reading the book, I thought the pace was too slow, especially at the start. However, I did found it interesting to see how he connected his life story or events into his book. After reading the book, I’ve learned many tips, and gain new perspective about writing. When reading, one thing that really struck me was how King was able to make his stories.

Read More
1110 Words | 5 Pages

King used robust figurative language to persuade his audience, to impress upon them the severity of the situation. The fact that king was a preacher also contributed to his speech in many ways. Some of these ways included that King was practiced in the art of persuasion, he carefully chose his language each week for his sermon, and was clearly comfortable delivering a speech after the many hours of practice being a preacher provided. King used figurative language to empower his speech in such as way that the audience could see, feel, and hear what King saw, felt, and hear. King provided vivid imagery, one aspect that Lucas

Read More
483 Words | 2 Pages

Adding her own experiences provided a genuine counter argument to the common misconceptions people have about writers, and this was the most influential and persuasive part of the article, to me. This ties into previous readings we’ve had because they all stick with the same theme that writing does not come easy and you may not even realize you like it. This is illustrated in Writing with Super Pencil by Dylan DuLac. DuLac loved writing comics as a young child, but as schooling mindlessly controlled his writing and limited it to boring essays he didn’t have true emotion behind, he began to lose interest in it, until later in his life when he writes this piece. Basically, he hit a few bumps in the road when he was younger, but he eventually came back around and began to write again.

Read More
1344 Words | 6 Pages

He is credited with being the author to revive the genre of horror fiction. One thing that makes his work so great is the fact that his works can be linked together. It is as if his novels are all planets in one giant, horrifying, alternate universe. Each story if put together would make the biggest tale of nightmares imaginable. Stephen King states this was not intentionally done.

Read More
1443 Words | 6 Pages

Based on the preliminary market research conducted, Big Bites has gathered some information about the market needs and consumer profile of the target market. Customer and Market Needs Market Needs As Big Bites burger is a food product, the direct need of the target market that it intends to fill is the satisfaction of hunger. In terms of satisfying this need, it is noted that Big Bites generally has a number of rival firms which marks its threats in gaining customers since there are more affordable and more well-known ones. Aside from hunger satisfaction, affordable food choices, and good product quality, which existing competing businesses have already filled in the market, Big Bites focuses on remaining gaps including the customers’ desire

Read More

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

Related Topics

Open Document