On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Part memoir, part writing advice, part storytelling about recovery from being hit by a van (!) A great read, and I loved how down to earth he is. I was pleasantly surprised by his view that stories sort of tell themselves - you're discovering them as you go and sharing them with the world. Reminded me a little of the ideas in Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic. His writing advice was more general/applicable to fiction for obvious reasons. If you want specific pointers pick up the Elements of Style.

For the record, I've never read, nor do I intend to read any of his books. Not my thing. But the man is a household name for a reason and I enjoyed reading about how he got to where he is. It's in the same vein as Scott Adam's How to Fail book - an average guy who works really hard to get really awesome at what he does and finds success. If you hear enough stories like this you'll begin to understand what is meant when people say “you make your own luck.”