On Writing: Final Blog

Well, the reading is done. On Writing is complete. Stephen King has made a final impact on me. He has taught me about not only writing, but the art of it and his reasons behind his carreer. From his stories as youth to his critical opinions as an adult, King succeeds in taking us on a literature journey.

By begginning the book with his stories and past memories, Stephen King got me hooked on reading it. I loved reading about how he got started writing and his school times. I think the reason I favored this part of the book is in some way or another, I related to him. I felt that where he came from and how he was writing was quite understandable. He tells a story about how he got rejected many times as a youth AND an adult. I think including your failures along with your successes is important for any writer to do.

He had a certain spazz to his stories and I think that spazz was his humor. Sad or forgetful, King always made me laugh. Apart from his crued language, his simple jokes and sayings put a little of his personality on each individual story. He used a lot of parallelism in his writing as well: "Miss Hisler asking why I wanted to waste my talent, why I wanted to waste my time, why I wanted to write junk." Although this isn't funny, it still adds to the meaning of the sentence.

So enough about the first half of the book, what about the second half? Well I wish the first half would have kept going. I don't know why, I just found the second half of the book unenjoyable. He talked about the actual parts and ways of writing. Sure he still had some humor and funny moments but not enough to get into. I do like how he put his opinion on the use of some literary devices, though. I think that adds to the fact that he knows what he is talking about. (but of course i didnt agree with him on a lot of things).

We learn from King that writing is not just a physical act of writing words that come to your mind that happen to make up a story. Yet, we learn that writing is an art, a lifestyle, a means of expressing your thoughts and opinions in YOUR own way. We learn that, like King, writing has a personal side to it. All writers have certain reasons for their writing. There are tons of reasons writers choose this as a carreer for the rest of their lives. For King, it's to do what he loves best. I found that King was like no other writer. He had some high and low points but all in all, I'm glad I read the book. I think King hopes to make an impact on people so that we will remember his uniqueness and use of words and phrases. He uses many metaphors, comparisons, and imagery to help us connect to his purpose. I know they helped me. I don't think I will become a writer but I do know that I have a greater respect for the art, itself. As said in the title, we must always remember that writing isn't just an action, but a craft.