When we talk about genres like horror and supernatural fiction, Stephen King is the author who dominates the literary world.
I am a Stephen King fan; I like to devour his books, though I am scared out of my mind while reading, but that never drives me to put his books down.
His spine-chilling books with complex plots, interesting characters, and supernatural aspects are favorites of many.
Scary characters from his books, like Pennywise, Jack Torrance, Carrie White, and Annie Wilkes, have led the audience to name him the King of Horror.
This article is dedicated to Stephen King, and here, I will briefly discuss how his writing journey started and what influenced him to become a writer.
So, if you love Stephen King and want to know more about him and his life, you have come across the right blog post. Without further ado, let’s get started then!
Who is Stephen King?
The American author Stephen Edwin King was born in the year 1947 in Portland, Maine. When Stephen was a toddler, his parents separated, and his mother raised him. First, he attended grammar school and then Lisbon Falls High School.
He graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Maine in 1970 and was qualified to be a high school teacher.
He got married in 1971 to Tabitha Spruce. His first novel, Carrie, appeared in 1974 and was an immediate hit. Since then, he has published many novels that audiences have loved and appreciated.
Belonging to Scots-Irish ancestry, standing tall with a height of 6’4”, he has created history with his notable works, becoming the author known as A King of Horror.
On 19th June 1999, King met with an accident where he was hit by a van while taking a walk. He was lucky enough to survive the accident, and his health has improved since then.
Many movies/shows are adaptations of his books. He mostly writes horror, supernatural stories, crime, fantasy, science fiction, and suspense.
How did Stephen King Become the King of Horror?
Stephen King has been writing since his childhood. Many incidents throughout his life helped him grow as a writer. From childhood to adulthood, various impactful experiences led him to become who he is today.
Scroll down to learn about the things that made him an incredible writer.
Childhood Days
Around the age of five or six, he spent most of his time at home because of his sickness and used to read comics, horror, science fiction, and mystery books. This led to the development of his imagination and storytelling skills.
Stephen King was a scared kid who feared almost everything, such as snakes, dark, rats, death, spiders, flying, closed places, and more.
King witnessed an accident during his childhood where his friend died after getting hit by a train. This is believed to be the reason for his scariness, although he says he doesn’t remember the incident at all.
Stephen King has admitted that a part of the reason he started writing was to overcome these fears and throw them out of his mind.
He began writing with reading, although initially, he copied most of the stories with slight modifications here and there.
Eventually, he wrote a story on his own, and his mother was his first reader and supporter. (I agree that reading plays an essential role in the writing journey)
Teenager
Another factor that helped him to grow was when Stephen’s brother, Dave, started a newspaper, Dave’s Rag, where King used to write articles and stories for the magazine.
Television was also a significant influence on King’s writing. He used to watch a lot of horror, science fiction, and mystery shows/movies. Forrest J Ackerman’s sci-fi and horror films impacted many artists, including Stephen King.
Stephen’s school offered him a Sports reporter job, which improved his writing skills. (He was also getting paid! Beginning of writing journey)
Adult
After finishing college, he got a teacher’s job, which kept him occupied but hampered his writing.
For the first time, he was struggling to write. But during this time, he got an idea and began writing. Stephen was unsatisfied after finishing the first draft and gave up the idea. (Self-doubt, huh?)
His wife, Tabitha, found the crumpled papers of the draft in the dustbin and read them then and there. She found it exciting and compelling and requested King to continue writing the story.
It became Stephen’s first successful book, and from here, his actual career as a writer started. (The breakthrough he needed)
All these experiences and influences impacted King, led to his success, and are the reason behind his popularity as the King of Horror.
Wrap-Up
It’s fun to read horror stories that give you chills, make you sweat, and take away your sleep, but there is no match to the adrenaline rush!
I hope this article helped you to learn about the author, Stephen King. The horror writer can grip the audience with his scary plotlines and incredible writing. No doubt people call him the King of Horror.
Are you also a fan of Stephen King? Which one is your favorite book of the author? Tell me in the comments below. I will be delighted to know!