10 Most Important Features Of Stephen King's Writing
Ever wondered why you love his work so much?
The work of Stephen King takes hold of its readers in a way that many writers struggle to compete with. He has a cult following of fans and his ability to produce the kind of writing that creates visceral reactions in different genres and situations ensures that he continues to find an ever-increasing readership.
The scope and range of his work (combined with his willingness to give away movie rights for his famous one dollar) ensures that film and television adaptations are produced on a regular basis, again bringing newcomers to his universe. This year's remake of IT was a huge success among audiences and critics alike and a younger generation of horror fans will surely now be seeking out the iconic source material. And in King's case, once a reader has found his work, they are certain to be hooked.
But have you ever thought about what the most importance features of his success might be? The man has been writing for a living since 1973 and is still going strong despite a life-threatening accident (the pain and frustration of which made him consider retirement) and his own gradually advancing age. He has written well over 50 novels and has sold 350 million copies of them.
There are several key ingredients that can be found in almost all of his fifty-plus stories...
10. Telling You Too Much
A man known as 'The Master of Suspense' should surely be careful not to give too much away as his stories unfold. Stephen King, however, gives tantalising facts to his readers that let them know world-changing events that are still to come. You may be just finishing a chapter when you are told of the looming death of a key character or that the protagonist's fears were focused on the wrong cause all along... and that something entirely different is responsible.
In Pet Sematary, around the half-way mark, we are told matter-of-factly that the youngest child in the Creed family has only two months to live. In The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, after a suspenseful page in which Trisha (the nine-year-old protagonist) makes the decision of which way to turn in order to find her way out of the forest she is lost in, we are simply told that she made the wrong choice. If she’d gone the other way, King tells us, she’d have been home hours later. But no, poor Trisha went wrong.
As readers, we are told of crucial moments, almost like being given a huge spoiler for an upcoming episode of hit television. However, we aren’t told how these events will come to pass, and it only serves to build intrigue and keep you turning those pages even though you know you should have gone to bed an hour ago.