Insights such as his drug abuse and alcoholism notwithstanding, I still enjoyed the autobiographical details of my favorite King story, his reaction to selling the paperback rights to Carrie for nearly half a million dollars. He nearly apologizes for writing the book, tries to say its worthwhile and not worthwhile as a subject simultaneously. Then, into the first chapter, claims it isn't a memoir, and subsequently launches into a memoir. But my annoyance wore off quickly as King's voice took over, confident, a smooth stride, carrying the reader with ease from one anecdotal story of his upbringing to the next. In the mid-section of the book, King discusses basic rules, putting down for the record stuff most beginning writers pick up early on regarding passive voice, how to make paragraphs, and other grammatical tools.
King moves along the surface of the subject well, even entertainingly, which is an accomplishment.
One of King's themes throughout this instructional essay is that decent writers can become good writers, but that good writers cannot become great. He thus compels the beginning writer to settle for mediocrity, which has both good and bad implications. On the one hand, if a writer really doesn't have what it takes to be great, he must concentrate on what he does have, on improving his skills. On the other, if he isn't striving to be great, it seems the impulse to be merely good might stultify creative possibility. Hence, finally, it seems that King is merely subtly formulating an apologetic, or even a justification, for his own career and literary body of work.