Why Do You Think Stephen King Is So Famous?

Torgo · Aug 24, 2011

He's a superb writer who works really, really hard at it. That's about the size of it, I think.

Alpha Echo · Aug 24, 2011

Celia Cyanide said:
I see the similarity, certainly. However, the comparison only proves to me that King has something that she does not.

I've read very little of his fiction, but I am utterly sold on him from his non-fiction. Any time I read his column in Entertainment Weekly, The Pop Of King, I would be referencing it for years when a subject he spoke about came up in conversation. The only thing I say more often than, "I read this Stephen King essay about that" is, "Did you see the South Park episode about that?"

I didn't know he had a column - thanks! I also am not really a fan of his fiction, but I read On Writing and loved it. I think he's just a great story-teller, a great writer.

AVS · Aug 24, 2011

In the future Mr. King gains/has gained/will have gained/will be going to gain (gah) access to a tachyon driven mind control device. This is why he's popular.

Or perhaps he hits the sweet spot between good writing and good popular stories. Plus he's reasonably prolific.

Steven Spielberg hits the same place.

Hmm I think I will change my name to some variation of Steven/Stephen... it seems to help.

Selah March · Aug 24, 2011

quicklime said:
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

I'm re-re-re-re-reading On Writing wherein King states that he had eleven years of sobriety before his accident, which happened in June of 1999.

quicklime · Aug 24, 2011

Selah March said:
I'm re-re-re-re-reading On Writing wherein King states that he had eleven years of sobriety before his accident, which happened in June of 1999.

and I'd have to go back and see what was published....i had thought much of that time was realtively dead and uninspiring, but I'd have to see what came out in that time; i may be wrong about his sobriety years. I am CERTAIN, at least for me, that his early post-accident work was much different though, and much worse.

blacbird · Aug 24, 2011

Cuz he's a good and highly prolific writer who has sold a scheissload of books and is a considerable egotist and narcissist and likes to be on camera.

caw

quicklime · Aug 26, 2011

blacbird said:
Cuz he's a good and highly prolific writer who has sold a scheissload of books and is a considerable egotist and narcissist and likes to be on camera.

caw

I love the guy (*gets ready to fight) :tongue

seriously, he is my favorite author (when he's on his game) but I've seen a few comments of his, like when he said something about "stealing from the blind newsboy" when he released "The Plant" despite selling another book or two that year for over ten million in advance alone, that make me think "you have no idea how far from reality you have slipped in some things, do you?"

synger · Aug 31, 2011

He takes normal people to whom you can relate, and puts them in situations you pray you'll never have to face.

And something has to be said for a writer that my 10yo is beginning to read, now that she's graduated from "Goosebumps." She's struggling with Pet Sematary; it's probably the hardest book she ever read on her own. But she keeps plugging away at it.

Because she wants to know what happens next.

Isn't that the essence of good writing?

Why Do You Think Stephen King Is So Famous?

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

Alpha Echo

I should be writing.

AVS

Selah March

quicklime

all out of fucks to give

blacbird

quicklime

all out of fucks to give

synger

Analysis Paralysis