Hey there, you... wink wink
So the other day, I talked a lot about my reading experiences as a younger lad. Today I want to talk about one writer, that may have had the most impact on my reading journey, from then, til now.
I must have been around thirteen or fourteen when I read my first Stephen King novel, although it was published under the name, Richard Bachman. I loved every minute of "The Regulators" and have been hooked ever since. (Yes, I was a horror kid, even then. My dreams involving Freddy Krueger were not horror movies, but action/adventure flicks, or sometimes even more like buddy comedies)
Of course, immediately after finishing that book, I jumped into "Desperation," which was its counterpart, published under Stephen King. From then on, I was hooked.
I followed Mr. King's work from horror to fantasy and back again. Even in his world, where demon clowns or evil dogs may eat your fingers, his writing seems very honest. His characters have weaknesses and flaws that usually outweigh whatever hero-qualities they possess (just like people here in real life), and even his villains have their upside.
Mr. King is also one of my favorite short story writers. I grabbed a collection of his, titled "Everything's Eventual" from an airport kiosk when I was traveling from Spokane WA, to Reno, NV. I made it through all of those stories in one day, even though my flight was only three hours. Airport benches are not the most comfortable, but they'll do in a pinch if you need a place to sit and read.
What is the point of all this musing?
There may not be one. I love Stephen King, and if you have somehow not read any of his works, you should. (is that a point?)(Hey, I never promised these blogs would be well formatted)
Any thoughts on Mr. King?
I don't know if you've noticed the difference between his use of language in his earlier work to his recent work. Aparently, and don't quote me on this, back in the day he used to get paid by the publishers per word, so he used to pad his stories out, hence why he was famous for large pieces of work (The stand comes to mind). But things have changed now, and his work is a lot tighter, with less redundant, unneeded parts. But don't take this the wrong way. I'm with you. King is one of my favourite authors, along with Rice, and I have a huge collection of his books. (just finished the Shining, funniliy enough. Classic)
ReplyDeleteI am probably the only person who has only seen his fiction on screen, but his book on writing was one of the most interesting and informative writing books I've read. I learned so much from it!
ReplyDeleteStephen King is wonderful. I have several of his books with me. I am a huge fan of the short story collection. Will try to get the short story collection you mentioned.
ReplyDelete@DRC- I have noticed just that thing, I recently read "Lisey's Story" and was just amazed. He's been writing for so many years, and yet continues to sharpen his craft.
ReplyDelete@Elizabeth- I have been told about his book on writing by so many people, I know it has to be amazing. I always forget, though, when I'm out at the book store :(
@Rachna- You won't be disappointed, "Everything's Eventual" and "Just After Sunset" are both wonderful collections!