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7 Ways Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ Loses The Plot
It’s outdated, inconsistent, and full of quotes from ‘pale stale males.’ Why is it still a bestselling writing guide?
Stephen King was America’s bestselling novelist until James Patterson dethroned him¹, but he had qualms about revealing his literary secrets. “Colonel Sanders sold a hell of a lot of fried children, but I’m not sure anyone wants to know how he made it,” he says in a foreword to On Writing.
Never mind that the KFC founder died decades ago and few of the horror novelist’s fans may be aware that he existed as more than a corporate logo.
King’s comment sets the tone for his book, a breezy mix of advice and memoir that even the author-friendly Publishers Weekly called “ramshackle.” On Writing has sold more than a million copies, is the second-bestselling writing guide on Amazon, and draws fawning praise from aspiring writers. On Goodreads it has 256,770 ratings, and the raves (“This book blew my mind!!!”) far outnumber the pans (“He came across as a pretentious sod”).
It’s easy to understand its success. On Writing was first published by Scribner in 2000, the year Tucker Carlson went on the air, and it’s perfectly pitched to the generation that came of age with the talk-show host’s rants. King…
