Posted By: Nevar37 - 11/09/2009 - 10:27 PM EST

He is down to earth and one of us! Drops the f bomb and many others which just makes me laugh and chuckle to myself at times. How he sees writing is simply eye opening if not priceless. I have read it 3 times and unearthed many fossils. Some of mine were buried sphincter first but hey. I thought it funny on page 213 or so he said God is the only one who does the first thing right! Sometimes i think. When God made man he got a second chance and creating humans by creating him a mate to curb Adam's loneliness. A woman. Now he made them so perfect that in order to make men less jealous he added in a few flaws. Doosies if you ask me, to make men think how good they got it and not whine like we do. Take for example the bleeding for 5 days and not dying. Or child birth. I am rambling. Thank you for an insight into the mind of the best writers of our time. My daughter is reading it now. I hope to grow a better writer.

Posted By: Horror Whore - 09/20/2009 - 1:43 PM EST

There isn't much I can say about Stephen King that hasn't been said before concerning his stunning ability to creep out even the most skeptical amongst us, but I will try. I first met up with Stephen's craft through his story, Carrie, which had just been turned into a movie. After that, I went out and purchased anything I could find that he wrote. 'It' screwed with me for months after I read it. Who knew something as mundane as brushing my teeth or washing dishes could forever be changed into something that might turn sinister at a moment's notice--Stephen's notice. I ripped right through Pet Sematary, moving along to a whole host of other horrors by the King, every once in awhile, throwing in something by Clive Barker or one of 'the others' to lighten things up. As I grew through my early twenties, Stephen's influence grew right along with me. Cujo came along and changed my view of those whiskey toting, life-saving dogs forever. Salem's Lot made me buy my first set of mini-blinds and The Shining, well, I live in Oregon, not far from Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge. The flavor of my stays there definitely changed after seeing Jack's famous "Honey I'm home!" scene. Do I regret it--this loss of innocence and fear of the unknown Stephen's books have instilled in me? Not one iota! No way, no how! In the early nineties, I purchased my first copy of King's masterpiece, 'The Stand.' I say 'first copy' because I currently own four. Why so many? I just can't seem to get past a garage sale, book sale or (creepy) estate sale without purchasing one if I find it. This book is AMAZING! It is also the only book I have ever lent out that comes back to me after being read. I think it is because the reader cannot deny its existence after reading it. I was also able to pick the entire movie up and I have those tapes stashed away with the rest of my dark treasures. Three years ago, just as I was embarking on my own writing career, I had the opportunity to purchase 'Stephen King On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft.' This, I believe, has been the biggest influence in my writing style. I would never be able to thank Mr. King enough, for writing it, and releasing it to DVD, so it could be listened to on those days when sitting down to a book was just not an option. I spent many days, buzzing around my house, managing daily housework and chores with those dvds blasting through the hallways. My teens, who usually don't like anything that isn't part of their i-pod library, actually listened right along with me when they were home. Stephen's stories about growing up had them in giggle fits, but then the under-current about what his younger years were probably really like, would come in and knock us off our feet. Coming from a less than conventional childhood myself, with a abusive alcoholic dad and a mom that died at forty-one, I remembered my ability to make the best of even the worst, and know in my heart, this is the one gift I hold in common, with one of the greatest writers of our time, Stephen King. This small tie gave me the confidence I needed to write, and with the help of his instructional audiobook, I have graduated from 'writer' to 'author'. I have managed, this year alone, to sell nine short stories to five different anthologies, mainly horror. No--not a big publisher, but also not a vanity press or just an e-book release. I can't even describe the thrill of going into someplace like Barnes and Nobles and being able to order a book that I have work in. The bigger thrill will be when I don't have to order it because it is already occupying space on their book shelf! I think the best complement of my life came a few years back, when a writer's critique circle I had joined told me they could tell I had been heavily influenced by writers like Stephen King. They said that my story had actually scared several of them into checking their locks, looking under beds, etc. Hats off--all credit to Stephen. I was and am learning from the best. If you want to write, and write well enough to sell what you write, don't hesitate, go now and get anything and everything Stephen has written, but especially 'On Writing', that one is of the utmost importance in jump-starting your career. A personal note to Mr. King, on the off chance (hey, one never knows) that he would ever have the time or inclination to read things written for and about him; Mr. King, you have been, and continue to be (just purchased Nightmares & Dreamscapes) the largest POSITIVE influence in my writing life. I do idolize you, but not in a stalker type of way,lol. I have lived your advice and pass it on to other perspective writers on their way to the dream of someday being an author. Your influence might just someday drag me out of debt with my own first best-seller, who knows? And I gotta tell you, it couldn't come at a better time. I think my husband and I are at that point in our lives where we need that huge little financial miracle. If I could make that happen--you don't even know. . . but then again, I am sure you do. At any rate, you are helping me get there, one baby step at a time, but I am taking them. You are my mentor and I feel blessed and cursed all at once, when I think of what you have taught me. Blessed, because for a small price, I am learning from the best; cursed because ever since I have taken that first book of yours and curled up to read it, every other author's work seems robotic and lifeless. I can't even count how many books sit unread in my library today because I can't get past the first chapter. I can't live their books like I can live within the pages of yours, running along with those kids in Stand By Me when they are trying to get across those rail-road tracks or trying not to ride the Silver Bullet, while keeping a close eye on Christine, hoping I don't have to camp out in her to escape Cujo. You gave my imagination feet and I run pretty fast when I am scared shitless.

Posted By: Herb - 09/06/2009 - 1:54 AM EST

for many years,i always find myself in every trade books just to find stephen king books,and in 10 years i only found one,your heart of atlantis,which brought myself on the verge of tears,after that i hunt his articles,short stories,essays,etc, in our school lib.He haunt me when i heared his new book,on writing.My God Im in the 3rd world philippines,where do i get it.....