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Stephen King � along with Jo Rowling and a handful other novelists �, is one of the most successful writers of our time (at least in commercially), with bestsellers such as The Shining, It or Misery. One might wonder if there is some sort of magic formula he is using to write his books. The secret, of course, is that there is no secret. This book, however, is an invitation behind the scenes of the author's work and career and a masterclass for aspiring writers.

The firsts section is about King's childhood and early years as a writer of short stories when he used to jab rejection letters on a spike in his bedroom and worked at a laundry shop to earn a living. These were the years before his first big success, Carrie. King also speaks to his early alcohol addiction and how he overcame it.

He then goes on to give precise advice and opinions on several topics that shed light on his fiction writing: discipline, vocabulary, grammar, narration, description, dialogue, character, symbolism, theme, pace, revisions, publishing, and so forth. The book closes with the story of the accident he suffered while going for a stroll around his house, where he narrowly escaped death, and how writing helped him recover.

All said and done, while reading this book, the secret of Stephen King's success is palpable: his prose is crystal clear and totally without affectation or condescension. Even when he talks about the technical stuff of how to compose a sentence or a paragraph, King is often funny, smart, and always comes across as honest, sensible, and approachable. And (it's a foregone conclusion) he has a knack for telling stories � his own in this case �, in ways that make them straightforward, relatable, and moving.