An invaluable read and different than anything else in the genre. Entertaining, insightful, emotional, and prescriptive, this book told King's story of becoming a writer. It offered advice on how you can to, but mostly it sets the groundwork, like a hiker breaking a path for you. You can follow in King's footsteps or you can take your own route, but it's nice to know how someone else made it to the summit before you.

King's memoir was one of the better books I've read on how to write better. Now I understand why all my writer friends praise it so highly! They recommended it to me, and I'm recommending it to you. This really is an essential text in the art of learning to write, even if you disagree with King's process, even if you want to take your own path to the mountaintop. If you're a writer, you should probably read this book.