He’s one of the most successful and well-known authors alive, but have you read any of his books? Maybe you have seen a movie adapted from something he wrote. He didn’t just write horror, he wrote the stories behind Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Stand by Me. That last one was a novella called The Body, but the idea is the same. The Dark Tower is King’s sprawling fantasy series, proving he can write in multiple genres and find success. What do you know Stephen King for?
Stephen King May not be Everyone’s Cup of Tea
I know right now a lot of my friends and family members don’t respond positively to the name of the author alone. And I get it. He rarely wrote with kid-friendly topics and he often dove into topics that people can’t stomach or just refuse to read. But his success means far more people have embraced his blunt, often gritty style than rejected it.
One of the Most Successful Writers of All Time
I remember taking to google to find out if Stephen King was more or less successful than JK Rowling, and being surprised that the Harry Potter author remains the better seller of books. While she published fewer titles, she has sold more copies, and not by a small margin. Still, Stephen King has churned out more short stories, novels and novellas than most authors.
King might be the author with the most film and video adaptations of his work. Think of how many times It, The Shining, Pet Cemetery and a few others have been recreated audio-visually. Other names like Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Stand, and Misery are household names. I could go on just dropping titles, but you get the point, right?
Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
One of the few times King wrote non-fiction was his instructional guidebook for writers, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s the only King book I’ve read cover-to-cover (so far), but it is the one I am going to recommend most adamantly to people who write. While I don’t agree with everything he says, most of it is enlightening and inspiring.
The book is split into 3-ish sections. The first section is King’s “CV,” literally him telling stories of why he has the right to tell people how to write. His tendency towards horror writing makes a lot of sense because of a few of his experiences. The second section is more direct writing advice, describing not only how to improve one’s composition word-by-word, but also how to organize ideas and how to present them effectively. The third section comes suddenly, as did the moment that inspired it. While not literally the last third of the book’s pages, the last portion of the book is mostly dedicated to King describing the time he was struck by a van while on a walk, nearly killing him. He goes into a level of detail that is at once fascinating and disturbing. It’s a miracle the man is still alive today. Altogether, it is one of the most eye-opening books I’ve ever read.
What Stephen King Books Have you Read?
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Please Buy Withered Kingdom on Amazon today!
I’m not Stephen King, but I am trying to make my way in the world of writing. I wrote a fantasy novel and every time someone buys a copy, it helps support me as I work on more books and this blog. So please, if you have read this far, go check it out now! Here’s a quick summary I’m workshopping to catch your interest:
A man with no memories befriends a half-giant, discovers he has phenomenal magic power, and wins the heart of a nation. But in a privative world at war, the only path to peace lies on the other side of the battlefield.
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