I don’t know why I have waited so long to read the memoirs of one of my favourite authors.
What I didn’t expect was this openness about his life, which wasn’t easy in the beginning, or the difficult recovery after the accident. It took a lot of effort and help to get out of the struggle and back behind his desk to write his next novel. Maybe without this determination and good care, all those masterpieces wouldn’t exist today.
Where did he get his inspiration from? That’s only one of the questions he gets into in the toolbox chapter. For someone who wants to learn the trade, this chapter is an eye-opening experience. And those who don’t might enjoy the Q and A chapter and his recommended book list. I’m sure those books can also be read by readers who don’t aspire to a writing career. When I perused this huge list I was surprised by how much Stephen King reads himself, I have only read a handful of that list.
Maybe he is right, to be a good author you have to read too, in King’s opinion a lot.
As I was more interested to read about his life, I am glad that this book is not only about the craft of writing, the memoir part is quite large. Large enough to give me a clearer picture of an author I grew fond of over the years. Also, the book list is separated from the other chapters, much easier to find for future reference. It will take some time, but I will look up those titles and add some to my to-read list.
A must-read for every fan, writer, biography lover or just for fun.
