One of the most well-known modern writers, Stephen King has become a master of weaving minute details together to form intricate plots and settings. To the average reader Stephen Kings works of horror are the epitome of greatness and fear as far as books and writing is concerned. However to a literary critic the unorganized story lines and the overwritten plots become a hassle to read. Many critics are stunned to see how successful King has become based off his simple prose and messy writing. Kings success is directly related to his ability to paint pictures in the readers head. King is very descriptive in his scenarios and settings which draw the reader in.
Through the duration of Kings writing career he has been very critical of two main
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"The Green Mile (1997)." Revisiting Stephen King: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002. 59-74. Print. In several interviews King has expressed his influences from several past writers. King has shown that he has taken much inspiration from the works of Charles Dickens. Dickens writings broken down in to volumes influenced king to write his own novel in a series of volumes, such as “The Green Mile.” Each volume consisted of two story lines, the main story and then what King calls a “front story.” The front story is a sub-plot that helps to take some of the focus off of the main plot. The two plots of each volume can be seen as a balancing act, the front story helps to balance the main plot throughout the volumes. Some critics such as
Although Kings technique of the front story to help balance the main plot throughout the novel works great within each individual volume King is still faced with the problem of having to bring up past events in order to refresh it to the reader. In order to solve this problem King used the method of shifting the narrator from past to present. Kings solution of shifting the narrator between past and present “adds complexity to the plot because the first-person narrator can reflect on the events and their causes both in the reliving and the retelling of
“Each life makes its own imitation of immortality.” is exactly what Stephen King, one of top selling writers in history said when quoting on his own life. As one of the most renowned and famous authors of modern history, Stephen King has published a countless and immense number of bestsellers and worldwide hits. The King of Terror Stephen Edwin King is one of today's most popular and best-selling writers. His countless number of books have circled around the homes of millions of readers who are so intrigued by some of his most famous works. His works continue to embody the minds and fears of its reader while increasingly becoming ever more popular. Stephen King is not only a figure of present history but also a household
Reading one articles over and over push you to write like the writer. He shows us his own experience said, “When I read Ray Bradbury as a kid, I wrote like Ray Bradbury everything green and wondrous and see through a lens smeared with the grease of nostalgia. When I read James M. Cain, everything I wrote came out clipped and stripped and hard-boiled.”(212)King puts passion in reading and writing, by his teenage ages everything change, and his found his own style. This prove that practice make us perfect, when you have love for one domain and you put hard work, you succeed. We have to learn also that talent it is no enough, for we can see example of his son with saxophone lessons. Time, love, passion joy, determination help us to achieve our
In Stephen King's excerpt "On Writing" we get an in depth analysis from his point of view, on what a writer's toolbox is composed of. Every person's toolbox differs depending on what they see to help them excel in their own writing, through their own experiences and preferences. "Good writing is about making good choices when it comes to picking the tools you plan to work with." (Page 128). King's top priorities that are vital to produce a good story include vocabulary, grammar, and elements of style.
King, Stephen. "Stephen King -- Why We Crave Horror Movies." Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov.
He uses rhetorical questions, that the reader can then answer in their minds; he also tells many vivid stories with details and imagery to engage the reader’s emotions and imagination in order to create a more relatable story. For example, in passage 24, King tells the story of how he fell in love with Tabitha and talks about their differing backgrounds with religions, but how they came from similar working class families. Despite the fact that they came from different religions, they were strongly tied with words, language, and the work of their lives. “I fell in love with her partly because I understood what she was doing with her work. I fell because she understood what she was doing with it” (King, pg 62). This supports his larger argument that writing is not only to better yourself, but to help other people better themselves and find someone who inspires you to pursue your venture to becoming your best self. He inserts a poem that Tabitha had read aloud to the workshop that they both attended to once or twice a week, where after he realizes that she has the same views
text that makes the text far more enjoyable to read. Kings’ dialogue also creates an informal tone
Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” is a marvelous and unusual text. Within the first part of his book, also called C.V., he explains his life experience up to the day he finishes the book. King expresses his life with multiple literary elements that assist the readers on imagining his life of adventures, catastrophes, fears, and loves. Following are three of my favorite passages that caught my attention.
He explains what things he himself appropriates in his writing and things he chooses to avoid. He talks about using appropriate vocabulary, which is usually always the first word that comes to mind, stresses why a writer should never use adverbs, of which he loathes, and provides examples of what he believes to be good and bad writing and why. When he describes what he believes to be good writing, he does not reference modern day writing masterpieces or award winning pieces, he simply is describing work that is proficient, readable, and maybe even publishable. He describes two key components to ‘good writing’, these are to have a good understanding of the fundamentals, and to use the correct apparatus (142). These criteria cannot make a bad writer good or a good writer great, but it can make good writers out of merely competent writers (145). King urges writers to write what they know, not only in their minds but in their hearts and imaginations
Finally, some people don’t like watching or reading horror to be entertained. Despite the macabre fact that multiple women are killed in the short story “Strawberry Spring,” the experience is a “peculiar sort of fun” (King, “Why We Crave” 2). King explains that horror movies “deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us” (King, “Why We Crave” 3). Referring to this quote, King’s point is that all that seems frightening can be a simple joke to people, a way to make people, once again, release certain emotions, which could make horror movies particularly fun. Nevertheless, many agree with his statements, however, not all agree that to be entertained you need to watch or read horror. In the short story “ Strawberry Spring” King uses the mysterious problems of murders and suspense to grab the reader's attention. As intense as a horror movie or story can be
King’s style is informal, familiar and yet direct as a means of impressing his wisdom upon the reader. From the start he tells you exactly what you have to do, “If
Most readers identify Stephen King’s works as horror, however he sees them as suspense novels (citation needed). Stephen King is often associated with the horror genre because of his excessive use of gore in his novels. However, gore is merely a side agenda that helps King shape his ideas. Instead, King’s main goal is to create suspense. By creating a vivid image of the impact of a murder, rape, or other catastrophe he is able to foster his goal by unnerving his reader and creating a conflict. Stephen King’s extensive and creative use of detail and literary elements in his novels assists the motive for the conflict between good and evil, constructs a complete depiction of the supernatural and reality, and builds an ongoing sense of tension.
For some reason, readers are drawn to read or watch the very things that we fear to experience in real life. One of the most famous and influential horror authors of the past century is Stephen King. For over forty years Stephen King has been writing very successful horror novels. Some of his well-known works consist of Carrie (1974), Salem’s Lot (1975), and The Shining (1975). Although these are considered to be some of the best horror books of all
In truth, not everyone can appreciate Stephen King’s writing style. He uses cinematographic effects such as ellipses: “Yet so many shoes … and all the clothes … he can see a DVD package…” (Herman Wouk is still Alive) and “‘I’m sure those folks had…’ He trailed off” (Cookie Jar). Also, he uses an unconventional writing style by bifurcating sentences with parentheses and
A man who has written many stories, but who has given a new look into the fantasy world. A person who can take simple words and twist them, leaving the reader in suspense. Stephen King was known to be the master of horror and trickery, but could he leave the mind of a human being thinking about what could happen in the next few pages of his books? Getting to know King’s background is the first step into his mind, second step is learning about his career and third step is what inspires Stephen himself, to write books that the world loves so much. Stepping in the world of Stephen King might leave you worried, curious, interested, or even scared. Baby steps are needed to be taken to learn about the award winning
Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers of this century. He has written a number of short stories and novels many of which have been turned into movies. One of the reasons that King’s works are popular with readers is due to the fact that his stories give the reader something outside of the formulaic formula that many books are inclined to follow or endings that are predictable and derivative. King also made his foray into horror in the 1970’s when the genre was kind of lackluster. King offered the reader something different in that he did not shy away from the gore, gratuitous violence or cheap shocks.