So the question asked on Quora is a simple one.
"What makes Stephen King a good writer?"
Numerous answers. A few snotty answers that were not helpful to the person who posted the question. I tried to be more helpful.
Stephen King is a very capable pulp fiction writer. Now that isn’t a bad thing. I actually like pulp fiction because it’s fun. His attention to detail is impressive and I like how he will sometimes spend a page or two on a minor character or just the background. Personally I feel that such attention makes King’s fictional worlds come alive. Now is King a Theodore Dreiser or Thomas Mann? Of course not and Mr. King has never aspired to such lofty heights. He writes popular fiction - mostly popular horror fiction-and King understands that. Which is another reason why Mr. King is a good writer (within the parameters of what he writes about). Mr. King seems to genuinely enjoy writing and that can come through to readers. Now Mr. King is a prolific writer and that means he will have hits and misses. It’s inevitable. Nobody hits one out of the ball-park all the time. Sometimes you have to be happy with a ground-ball. It has been pointed out that Mr. King often has trouble with satisfying endings and I have to agree with that, but regardless of his weaknesses I like reading (most) of his novels, essays and short-stories. That last thing that makes Mr. King a good writer is that the reader not be a snob. Snobbery and Stephen King do not mix.
"What makes Stephen King a good writer?"
Numerous answers. A few snotty answers that were not helpful to the person who posted the question. I tried to be more helpful.
Stephen King is a very capable pulp fiction writer. Now that isn’t a bad thing. I actually like pulp fiction because it’s fun. His attention to detail is impressive and I like how he will sometimes spend a page or two on a minor character or just the background. Personally I feel that such attention makes King’s fictional worlds come alive. Now is King a Theodore Dreiser or Thomas Mann? Of course not and Mr. King has never aspired to such lofty heights. He writes popular fiction - mostly popular horror fiction-and King understands that. Which is another reason why Mr. King is a good writer (within the parameters of what he writes about). Mr. King seems to genuinely enjoy writing and that can come through to readers. Now Mr. King is a prolific writer and that means he will have hits and misses. It’s inevitable. Nobody hits one out of the ball-park all the time. Sometimes you have to be happy with a ground-ball. It has been pointed out that Mr. King often has trouble with satisfying endings and I have to agree with that, but regardless of his weaknesses I like reading (most) of his novels, essays and short-stories. That last thing that makes Mr. King a good writer is that the reader not be a snob. Snobbery and Stephen King do not mix.
