I hope he reads these comments--I wish someone would call me magical. LOL
Why Is Stephen King so good? Well, I'll tell you...
- Thread starter Christine62
- Start date
-
This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.
But Christine, you ARE magical. Don't you remember posting encouraging comments to begin writing? I read many of them and began to write. I have written much more in the past three weeks than in the preceeding two months. Never underestimate the power you have...8)
Awww! You don't know how that makes my day! And it is for me too! After many false starts I finally hooked on something I like and have been writing this story every day sitting in my car in the wait line to pick up my grandson--maybe we could share. Thanks!
Neesy
#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
Okay so some people might think that your sentence is a bit "over the top" but in my opinion - YOU ARE RIGHT! (oh sorry - didn't mean to shout - lost me head)
He has a real talent for communication. I liken it to Steven Spielberg. (And now I understand - I just have to change my name to Steve.)
Both have a fundamental grasp for the details that matter and conveying a story in a larger sense that communicates well with the viewer - BUT they do so in a way that is nonetheless artistic and meaningful in its own right.
And both suffer (suffer? well...) from dismissal by those who consider them too popular to be successfully artistic. And in that, the dismisser simply misses the boat. Because it's their fine grasp of the art that is a fundamental reason for their popularity.
Both have a fundamental grasp for the details that matter and conveying a story in a larger sense that communicates well with the viewer - BUT they do so in a way that is nonetheless artistic and meaningful in its own right.
And both suffer (suffer? well...) from dismissal by those who consider them too popular to be successfully artistic. And in that, the dismisser simply misses the boat. Because it's their fine grasp of the art that is a fundamental reason for their popularity.
People talk about how SK's pacing suffers from his expositions...I find his pacing to be one of the best in the business.
Two things.
He tells you what happens when the wheels fall off good intentions.
And he does it without sparing your feelings.
He tells you what happens when the wheels fall off good intentions.
And he does it without sparing your feelings.
I tried explaining to someone a few days ago just why his books are so good and told them that there is just an amazing flow to the narrative that makes them easy to read and that makes it difficult to read other authors because reading their books can be a labour - they just don't flow as well
It's really interesting that Mr. King's attention to detail is one of the many things his fans love him for the most.
I sometimes read the negative reviews of his books on Amazon and it's his attention to detail and character development that the negative reviewers seem to complain out. They think he overdoes it or believe that his stories take too long to come to the boil. It makes me wonder what they want from a story.
I personally find his ability to describe everything and the depth of his characters to be his biggest asset. I couldn't agree more with the person who said they felt like they were sharing a beer on Jud Crandall's porch listening to his stories in Pet Sematary. Stephen King can conjure up imagery better than almost anyone in my opinion.
I sometimes read the negative reviews of his books on Amazon and it's his attention to detail and character development that the negative reviewers seem to complain out. They think he overdoes it or believe that his stories take too long to come to the boil. It makes me wonder what they want from a story.
I personally find his ability to describe everything and the depth of his characters to be his biggest asset. I couldn't agree more with the person who said they felt like they were sharing a beer on Jud Crandall's porch listening to his stories in Pet Sematary. Stephen King can conjure up imagery better than almost anyone in my opinion.
I underlined imagery because that word and imagination mean the same thing, and I was going to answer the OP by saying that what I like most about Stephen King is his imagination, which is arguably my favorite of all my favorite fiction authors'; or his and CSLewis' both. I prefer the trip I take with these two over all others, which is something to hear myself say considering who those favorites are. I like Lewis' voice because of a certain quality, and sK's because of a certain quality, though the qualities are individual.
I simply enjoy where I go with sK because the reading him seems singularly unpredictable, other-worldly, exciting, suspenseful, mysterious, and scary. I also enjoy the characters he introduces me to (who he's being introduced to). My experience is as if I meet them as he does, and share with him the sometimes wonder, sometimes fear, he himself has about them. I don't feel that he tells me about them, but that I'm watching them with him.
I forget that I'm reading what someone has written. I think reading sK is like going to a really entertaining movie. I remember thinking this once, then remembering how much of a movie fan he's been ever since childhood. Like me. His voice is the voice of my friend, and we're on another wonderful adventure.
I'll probably get in trouble for saying so but I think he's talented, not good, and the reason is simple. I've read other people who were, according to form and function, were great at what they do but they were no good because they didn't make you feel anything when you read it.
It's the same with Emergency Medicine; you can learn every procedure down to the last detail and still be no good at what you do. They're the people who know how to do every procedure right but make you feel like they couldn't care one way or the other about their patients.
He's either talented AND good or talented period. I don't know for sure about writing but I've seen people who are good at what they do but not talented.
It's the same with Emergency Medicine; you can learn every procedure down to the last detail and still be no good at what you do. They're the people who know how to do every procedure right but make you feel like they couldn't care one way or the other about their patients.
He's either talented AND good or talented period. I don't know for sure about writing but I've seen people who are good at what they do but not talented.
Neesy
#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
I like your analogy - it sounds like you are very good at what you do. Mr. King has the ability to make us care and emphasize with his characters. You come away feeling like you know them personally. I love getting lost in his stories.
So true. And you said it so well
I understand you perfectly. A lot of people has written horror stories before. His way of bringing reality to mesh in perfect blend (ok, not always, but often enough) with horror makes them both more believable and more scary at the same time. Others have tried the same concept before him but hasn't reached that perfect blend that makes the characters live. I feel that if i went outside and met, say Beverly Marsh, i would have no trouble recognicing her. The way she looks, acts, talks and so on is there in the story and he makes me feel that she is a real person. That she isn't fictional. That is the power King has in his writing which i lack in many other writers. That is why you are gripped, captured and sucked into his world. While i read i believe. I believe that if i looked out the window there is a chance that i could actually see Peenywise draw an unsespecting kid down the sewer. Never happen with an other author of horror. It might be a good story weell told but when i look out the window the sun is shining and i'm looking at another world. When i'm reading King the books world and my world are one and the same. One part of it are all the little details, the way they talk, the time references, the thoughtprocesses and so on. Thats why i think King really is The King.