Stephen King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and many of them have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television shows and comic books. He is best known for “Carrie,” “It,” “The Green Mile” and the Dark Tower series. The twentieth anniversary edition of “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” is now out with contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King.  For those unaware, Joe Hill and Owen King are Stephen King’s sons, both writers, with Joe Hill being the author of “NOS4A2,” a best-selling horror novel whose second season returns tomorrow June 21 on AMC.

I have my own copy of “On Writing” and it is a must-read for writers.  The best advice I took from it is:

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.  I take a book with me everywhere I go, and find there are all sorts of opportunities to dip in…Reading at meals is considered rude in polite society, but if you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns.  The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthful as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered anyway.”

From amazon:
Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, “On Writing” will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.