Why Do You Think Stephen King Is So Famous?

blacbird said:

1. He's a very talented writer.

2. He hit on a poorly-mined resource of story genre, at the right time.

3. He's energetic and prolific.

4. He's a damn good personal salesman. He's appeared as an actor in several movies based in his work.

caw

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All of this.

I bought Under the Dome because it reminded me of The Simpsons Movie.

rugcat said:

Also, I have it on good authority that he made a deal with the devil.

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Do we need an agent for that?

I'm a 'short story and novella Stephen King' fan. I could never really get into his books but his shorter works are some of the few pieces of fiction that I return to time and again.

My copy of Different Seasons is dog-eared.

scarletpeaches said:

I bought Under the Dome because it reminded me of The Simpsons Movie.

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As soon as I heard about Dome, my first thought was the Simpsons. Probably says a lot about me that my second thought was The Midwich Cuckoos.

Never been a huge fan, there's as much about his writing that I dislike as like. However I admire him a great deal, he may not be an awe inspiring artist but he is a dedicated craftsmen. Personally I've got a lot that I can learn from him

To Jamie Stone: The gunslinger is the first in the Dark Tower series, by far my favourite works of his. However they aren't really like anything else he has written and are very odd books. I'd recommend you borrow the first from the library to see if you get into it or not before splashing cash on the series. Could easily have a whole new thread on those books

1. Some luck...always luck.

2. His stories tend to be easy to read and follow. This is incredibly helpful if you're reading in line/on a plane/etc.

3. Well written, relatable, characters across the spectrum. (Gender, socio-economic class, age, race, etc. He doesn't have the ONE character, he's got a full stable of them.)

4. Incredibly prolific

5. Extraordinary sense of suspense

6. A lot film well, translating into readers who might normally only watch TV/movies

I'm not a fan, to be honest, but I think he's a tremendous talent. If I were Simon Cowell I'd hitch my trousers around my man boobs and tell Stevie he'd be back next week.

I also like his early stuff more than the later stuff, but if you feel that way, I heartily recommend Hearts in Atlantis and Duma Key.

And of course, On Writing, which I find more comforting and more helpful than any other book on the topic. On Writing, and Slushkiller - those two things got me off the couch

I recall reading an excerpt of Firestarter in Omni Magazine.

I remember Omni Magazine.

Celia Cyanide said:

I think he's the bomb. I like his writing. But what do you think it is about Stephen King that has given him such great name recognition for SO LONG, even among those who are not that interested in literature?

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He has books out regularly...and they are front and centre in every bookstore. Someone wants to buy a book for a present...who should I buy? I know...Stephen King. Everybody knows him.

From a reader's point of view...people who actually do read his work...I personally think he's one of the best character writers of the 20th century. I will always be entertained by a King book. He crosses genres...those who don't read have probably seen at least one, if not more, King movie. I really don't think this question has to be asked. He's everywhere.

He writes damn good stories, and populates them with interesting characters. That's enough for me.

I like his short stories better than his novels. They're fantastic.

Ari Meermans said:

...no other author can set me down on a quiet small-town street under a cloudless sky and make me feel as chilled by a glint of sunlight on the fender of a bicycle. I sense the menace but I'm never quite sure why I do . . .

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This.

He creates worlds and characters that feel so real...that's the reason for me.

But...I haven't enjoyed his newer stuff as much as his older stuff.

Soccer Mom said:

I like his short stories better than his novels. They're fantastic.

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Yep. As much as I love Uncle Stevie, he tends to get a bit of bloat in his novels. His short stories, though, are pretty much genius. I buy them the second they come out and devour them in one sitting.

I actually like his novellas best. Like others here, I think his novels tend to bloat, but I think Different Seasons was brilliant.

One thing that appeals to me in King's writing is that his human characters tend to be very believable: they have quirks, and idiosyncracies, and they're not completely heroic and wise under stress. (I am, it seems, one of the rare fans of The Tommyknockers, which is full of real people, by my lights.)

I also think part of his appeal is that the plots feel real. Good people die, as well as the bad ones; no one walks away unscathed, and you can imagine the survivors moving to another town and continuing their lives, but always looking over their shoulders.

Dear god, I love everything this man has ever written, I swear.

Which is weird, because other than him I pretty much only read YA fiction and romance-y type stuff.

See my fantabulous blog for a post specifically about my undying love for S.King =]

My copy of The Stand is probably the only book I own that looks anything less than perfect, solely from my having read it so FREAKING many times.

I also thought "simpson's movie?" when Under the Dome first came out, but then I read it, . . . and read it again . . . . and again. I can't get bored even by his longest novels because he incorporates so many different characters and storylines . . . just me though =]

Celia Cyanide said:

I think he's the bomb. I like his writing. But what do you think it is about Stephen King that has given him such great name recognition for SO LONG, even among those who are not that interested in literature?

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he is prolific, for one thing.

he was aggressive in selling movie rights, for another.

and his rise coincides with the rise of american mall culture, when there was a waldenbooks and a b. dalton's at opposite ends of just about every american mall for two decades.

plus, he spins a good yarn.

Disclaimer: Avid Stephen King fan - the guy taught me how to read!

But if you look at his horror books, there isn't anything terribly original going on in his monsters. Vampires, telepathy, ghosts, evil houses, dogs, disease - all of it's been done before. What makes the books so fascinating is the characters. He has the ability to zoom into these people, get us into their heads and make them real for us. We either see parts of ourselves in these characters - or parts of ourselves we wish we had.

Because we relate so powerfully to these people, we flinch when the vampire crashes through the window, not because vampires creep us out so much, but because these characters are ours, we're invested, and we care.

That's the mark of a true master.

He's a brilliant stylist and storyteller. But I don't think his range is all that great. His non-white characters are embarrassingly inauthentic and his settings are limited. He seems to realize his weaknesses, however, which is why 90% of his stuff is set in Maine.

When it comes to short stories, I think he's one of the best writers anywhere, anytime, any genre. Total genius! I like some of his longer epics, but they tend to become bloated and derivative. That whole thing about writing himself into The Dark Tower series was laughably ridiculous. His quality has fallen off in the last decade but some of his short stories are still killers. I love that one about the haunted hotel room (1408).

I started reading outside of class and strictly for pleasure in the seventh grade (I'm a fifth-year senior in university now) and that's largely because of Stephen King. I read him nearly exclusively then. And I think why he's so successful, at least filtered through my experience, is that there's a character in his body of work for all of us.

When I was twelve or thirteen I could relate to his younger characters because he has an uncanny grasp on children, on childhood in general. Now, even some years into an English degree, I can't resist his stories, and, of course, as always, I still relate to those kids -- but now I'm also closer to his adult characters.

That might not be why he's popular, but certainly it's why he'll last decades from now.

Stephen King sorta reminds me of a martial arts expert.

Have you ever seen a grandmaster or 3rd degree blackbelt. They are so highly skilled that they actually make their art "appear" easy.

To me, that is Stephen King. He is such a gifted storyteller and writer that he makes it look easy when its anything but.

He understands people and writes in a way in which we instantly relate to.

Lastly, I bolded the storyteller part. That is key and a gift many writers really don't have.

Mel...

blacbird said:

He hit on a poorly-mined resource of story genre, at the right time.

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I feel it was more to do with this. The stories he told back then were scary for their time, so people really opened their eyes to him. Sure, he has the skill of writing too, but it was the stories more than anything else I believe.

These days it seems like he is really struggling to keep up, or to find his place. Novels about aliens bursting out of people's butts, and cell phones turning the population into zombie-like beings. Really? It's rather awkward to see him this way. I think he should have quit while he was ahead.

The only thing keeping his work alive now is that the film industry has no limits. No quality control. People will throw their money at any old rubbish put on the big screen, so these directors and producers will make it. This includes the recent Stephen King novels.

I know it's harsh, but I feel it's true.

he was lucky.

I don't want to take anything away from him--he also busted his ass, he didn't quit and run home to mommy after his fifth, or fiftieth, or even five hundredth rejection, and he told honest stories.

At the same time, King had a very successful debut and hit his stride when horror was a HUGE market, and had the good fortune to have several of his early works made into very good and very popular movies (The Shining, The Dead Zone, Carrie--his name recognition might not have been nearly that if his first movies made were Maximum Overdrive and Graveyard Shift).....some of his later films also got high dramatic critical praise as well, broadening his audience with Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption. And he's been very constant; I'm not sure where the earlier poster got "20 books a year" but King is pretty reliable at one to two books per year.

Droood said:

These days it seems like he is really struggling to keep up, or to find his place. Novels about aliens bursting out of people's butts, and cell phones turning the population into zombie-like beings. Really? I know it's harsh, but I feel it's true.

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I also loathed Dreamcatcher, but that's over ten years old, isn't it? It isn't exactly a "recent" book. A lot of folks liked "Cell", and while i felt the ending was a letdown most of the rest looked like the old Stephen. And since Dreamcatcher and the last 3 Dark Tower books, he's written Bag of Bones and Duma Key, which I thought were both very good.

there WAS a space in there where I think his getting sober at the same time as his accident left him struggling, but I think he's done quite a bit sonce then, and dreamcatcher was his first post-accident work, IIRC