The marriage here of that biological problem and the nightmare area to which King returns suggests a certain infantilism in the person, I suppose, but also a key element in the novels. If you hesitate and cogitate, you will come up with another word . . . This rule will come as a relief to writers for whom thought is painful. The novice writer is told that ''writers have different skill levels when it comes to dialogue,'' that ''thin description leaves the reader feeling bewildered and nearsighted. Overdescription buries him or her in details and images.
People love to read about work.
A postscript titled ''On Living'' consists of 18 moving pages about King's being run over and nearly killed, his struggle to live, and his and Tabitha's collaboration on his survival through writing. Their courage is exemplary. A reader might be forgiven for wondering if the root of much bad writing could also be fearlessness.