On Writing by Stephen King

I am kicking myself. Seriously, I’m so cross. Why has it taken me so long to read this book?

I’ve been a Stephen King fan forever. My favourites are “From a Buick 8” and “Misery”. But somehow this gem passed me by, and as a writer, that’s a serious omission. So if you write, or want to, and haven’t picked up “On writing: a memoir of the craft” then drop everything and read it. Now.

Stephen King draws you into his stories and keeps you there, holding your breath, inhabiting his characters, whilst the rest of the world falls away. This book, although non-fiction, is no exception. He talks about how he started, the triumphs and the failures (thus proving that every writer gets those dreaded rejection slips), and the life events (and people) that influenced him. The postscript, detailing his terrible accident and how he came back from that, is simply and directly told but incredibly moving. Shout out to his wife Tabitha here, who certainly is his rock.

His advice on writing is similarly simple and direct, but like everything he writes, authentic. I was surprised by his eschewing of plot – he doesn’t plan his stories – but it’s definitely something I want to try myself. Stephen King makes it look easy; it isn’t, but he certainly inspires, and the writing wisdom in this book is worth its weight in ink and dreams.

I’m off to write that novel now. Thanks Stephen.

Hodder, 2020, ISBN 9781444723230 (Twentieth Anniversary Edition)

The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean

Now this is a novel that’s really got to me.

Windmill Books, 2021, ISBN 978-1786091017

If you are a fan of 1970s ghost stories you will devour it. I read one chapter each evening, trying to make it last, to savour each delicious morsel. And it’s haunted me ever since. The works of M.R. James, the true life 1972 Philip Experiment, the Stone Tape theory – all the paranormal joy of the decade is encapsulated in this book.

Twins Tim and Abi are obsessed with the macabre, and decide upon conducting a bizarre experiment – to invent a ghost, and try to convince one other person that it’s real. The person they select for this trickery is isolated and pathetic schoolmate Janice. Their plan works like a dream – but then Janice turns the tables, in quite a shocking and disturbing way.

Years later, Tim finds himself embroiled in another experiment – to contact a ghost in a haunted house, alongside paranormal researchers and students. Again, nothing is quite as it seems, and the plot unfolds slowly, taking its time to get under your skin. This story is all about feeling. It builds and builds with a sublime sense of dread, sticky unease. And finally explodes, with a last line…. oh, the most perfect last line, one that will gnaw away at your consciousness for evermore.

Maclean perfectly channels the mastery of fear just like his inspiration M.R. James. The characters are wonderfully deep and messed up. The plot meanders making it difficult to predict (what a joy for a seasoned horror fan), and ultimately delivers a fantastic twist. The writing style draws you in and holds you close. It’s definitely one I will re-read, and likely find new detail, new twists.

Perfect.