On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen King is an American author who composes On Writing as part memoir, part instruction manual. King is born in 1947, and he and his mother and brother move around a great deal during his childhood, which 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). When King is in middle school, the family moves to Maine, where King remains for many years.

As a young child, King is fascinated by cartoons and begins writing around first grade, creating hybrids of cartoons and his own work. He begins composing original material and submitting to magazines. King is very inspired by science fiction and horror movies and notes, “I was built with a love of the night and the unquiet coffin, that’s all” (158). He contends with criticism of his subject matter, and this affects him. He notes, “I kept hearing Miss Hisler asking why I wanted to waste my talent, why I wanted to waste my time, why I wanted to write junk” (50). Eventually, some of his short stories are accepted for publication.

In college, King meets Tabitha, and the two marry shortly after.