On ON WRITING- "CV" Full of Wit and Stylistic Excellence

I must admit, the work of Steven King is typically frowned upon in my house. As the oldest (and by far the most sheltered) of five children, my bookshelves were too full of Dr. Seuss literary magic to house a horror novel or two. So when I received the assignment to read, annotate, and blog about On Writing, I figured it would be one gory ride that would hopefully end in an "A" rather than a haunting mess. Throughout my reading, however, I have come to enjoy not only On Writing, but also the style and personality of King himself. Narratives of his own experiences, descriptions of the characters in his life, and scattered tips for budding writers all made "CV" an exceptional chronicle of a life devoted to storytelling. The first section of On Writing, "CV", provides a pithy outline of Steven King's journey as an author. Beginning in his early childhood, King provides what he calls "snapshots" of his life. His use of parallel structure begins with one word that manifests itself throughout much of the section: pow! This onomatopoeia is first used when King describes his jolly (if not somewhat abusive) childhood babysitter and ends in his creative outburst that inspired King's first novel, Carrie. The witty and vulnerable accounts in between pack quite a punch. King details his trips to the Ritz, a low end movie theater that showed horror and science fiction films. His passion for horror novels obviously stemmed from an early love of the bizarre, the unknown-- the downright scary. Other narrative highlights include a hilarious poison ivy episode, a foreboding account of King's initial experience with alcohol, and an ironically to-the-point chronicle of the death of King's mother. Another enjoyable aspect of "CV" was Steven King's character descriptions. The people in his life become as interesting as his novel characters through sincere (often brutally honest) analyses. Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, the author's mother, is portrayed as caring yet detached; independent yet pitied; liberated yet fearful. Her influence is mentioned throughout "CV" as a presence that inspired the author. She supported King's writing from his meager childhood beginnings until the day she died (a copy of Carrie sat on her nightstand that day). King describes his mother's battle with uterine cancer with factual disengagement, showing how his mother's motto of "keeping herself to herself" also affected the author. King is cynical towards his own generation as well. His realistic generalization of lazy, middle-aged Americans is convicting and makes the reader feel like a character in the story as well. On the other hand, the character sketches of King's wife are warm and filled with gratitude. Tabitha King is depicted as a source of love, strength, and intelligence. King analyzes each character in his life with imagery, simile, and originality. Even though "CV" primarily provides an account of Steven King's beginnings as a writer, King uses his personal experiences to give direct advice to the reader. The first insight of the craft he offers deals with perseverance. He writes that when, as a teenager, his stories were rejected by publishers, he nailed them to his wall and kept writing. When the nail was too small to hold all of his rejection letters, King bought a spike and--you guessed it--kept writing. He also informs the reader of the editing process, claiming that the first draft is for one's self while the second draft is for the reader. King even uses the extremely personal details from his lengthy period of alcoholism to say that writing does not warrant substance abuse. He defaces the self-serving fallacy that many famous authors have used an excuse to become addicts with cutting logic: "We all look pretty much the same when we're puking in the gutter." "CV" ends with the philosophical conjecture that art supports life (and not vice versa). King tells the reader to put his desk in  the corner as opposed to the middle of the room for this very reason. I believe that suggestion was the most important piece of writing advice that King has offered so far.Overall, "CV" used wit and stylistic devices such as parallel structure, allusion, and a conversational tone to narrate and inspire.  The author's method of spreading helpful advice throughout a colorful memoir makes for a savory read. As I finished "CV", I reflected on  my previous opinion of Steven King. I had initially thought he was a dark, twisted man; however, his struggles and his triumphs are reflective of even those who aren't wildly successful horror novelists. "CV", which stands for Curriculum vitae, is a down-to-earth masterpiece that serves a wide variety of purposes for the aspiring writer.