One line review: If you read, write or breathe, go read this book.
Why did I read this book:
So Nathan Bradford asked his readers what the best book about writing was, in their opinion. I said Bird by Bird, but most people were saying On Writing. So I figured I'd go check it out.
I'm going to Boston in a few days and I was in a weird void time, not enough time to start revising No System At All, so I opted on doing a book binge, where I spend any free time I have reading.
I wanted to get my head in the right place for No System At All, I wanted to brush up on the basics. So I while I was in the library finishing Penny and Hank, I checked out On Writing.
The book:
The first 100 pages is Stephen Kings writer's history. A narration of his life and how he became a writer. Interesting and funny read, almost every page I thought, damn that was clever.
After he told about his writer's journey, he spends the next 200 pages giving away little gems about writing.
To recap the best:
No adverbs- your reader is smarter then you think they are. Adverbs=lazy writing
use Said, not said quickly, or mocked or coughed or whatever. Said is the right word to use.
Read a lot, write a lot and the only way to get good at description is to read.
By page 125 I knew I needed to own it. I got a copy at Borders and started to dog ear the pages and high light the crap out of it.
Downside:
The last 50 pages is about when he was hit by the car and revising. I was reading it for writing tips, so I skipped it. I know, bad reader bad.
Rating: 10 out of 10.
