Stephen King's "On Writing": Sections 9 to 12

I'm continually impressed by King's ability to walk the reader step by step through the creative process. I'm convinced this book would be interesting even to people who would never dream of becoming writers. It's such a fascinating study of the process, and I think reading it makes a better reader as well as a better writer. We take books for granted, when we read them, but King pulls back the curtain and exposes the toil and sweat behind writing a novel.

I really enjoyed the passage in which King describes the deathly crush of writer's block, and the epiphany with which he escapes it. That moment, sitting on a park bench and realizing suddenly how to finish his story, is something the reader can picture perfectly - the joy and relief is palpable.

The concept of the "Ideal Reader," too is brilliant. All King's done, really, is point out something all writers already know. In doing so, he provides license to use the impulse to write for one person, as opposed to writing for an audience.

Over all, I was impressed with King's proficiency for making writing seem fun. One tends to think of writing as work - work that you may enjoy, but work nonetheless. King encourages you to have fun with it, and in that he departs from the conventional wisdom found in other writing books. It's also what makes his book so much more interesting, and so much more educational.