STEPHEN
KING
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BIOGRAPHY
Writer. Born September 21, 1947 in Portland,
Maine. He graduated from his state university and
continued to live in Maine, at first supporting
himself with odd jobs while establishing his writing
career. The success of his first horror novel, Carrie
(1974), enabled him to publish earlier work under
the pseudonym Richard Bachman (1977–84), a
ploy which disguised the true extent of his prolific
output of novels, short stories, and screenplays,
until the ruse became public knowledge and he
abandoned it.
His own name became synonymous with bestselling novels blending horror, fantasy, and
science fiction into a consistently scary mix. His
books have sold more than 100 million copies
worldwide and include Salem's Lot (1975), The
Shining (1977), The Dead Zone (1979), Misery
(1987), Gerald's Game (1992), and Cell (2006).
He has also written collections of short stories,
including Hearts in Atlantis (1999). Several were
made into successful films, and he himself tried his
hand at film directing.
King and his novelist wife live in Bangor, Maine.
They have three children: Naomi Rachel, a
reverend; Joseph Hillstrom, who writes under the
pen name Joe Hill and is a lauded horror-fiction
writer in his own right; and Owen Phillip, whose
first collection of stories was published in 2005.
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-taken from biography.com
“ON WRITING”
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The scariest moment is always just before you
start.
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Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door
open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in
other words, but then it goes out. Once you know
what the story is and get it right — as right as you
can, anyway — it belongs to anyone who wants to
read it. Or criticize it.
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One of the keys to doing that is to have an honest
voice and honest characters with both bad and
good sides to them. People we can relate to with
all of their faults,
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If you want to be a better writer you need to read
a lot to get fresh input, broaden your horizons
and deepen your knowledge.
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I’ve saved the most important tip for last. To
become a better writer you probably – and not so
surprisingly – need to write more.
HIS WORKS
“It” tells the story of a man dressed in a clown
suit who terrorizes a group of people.
The 1986 movie “Stand By Me” was based on his
novella “The Body” from Different Seasons. It is a
coming of age story involving four teenage boys
out on a quest to find a body.
The 1999 film
“The Green
Mile” is about
the death row
guards who
befriend a
prisoner falsely
accused of
killing a young
girl.
The 1994 film “The
Shawshank
Redemption”
featured Tim Robbins
and Morgan
Freeman. It was
nominated for
several awards.
The 1995 drama
“Dolores Claiborne”
deals with such
controversial issues
as spousal abuse
and murder.
1408
A paranormal
expert is haunted
by hotel ghost in
the 2007 film
“1408”.
The iconic 1980 film
“The Shining”
dramatizes the
terror and
madness that is
born from isolation.
Stephen King
King has written a total
of 157 stories, 52 of
which are novels.
Many of his stories
have been adapted to
screen. Retirement is
not yet an option for
him, as he seems to
often find inspiration.