Biography On Stephen King Essay Example

shared his enthusiasm for the same genre. What struck him even more was the revelation that Donald King had authored numerous horror tales and made unsuccessful attempts at having them published in magazines such as Bluebook and Argosy. Stephen King was resolute in his ambition to establish himself as a writer. Even during high school, he endeavored to create original short stories. Although he didn't achieve any sales, he did secure first place in an essay contest sponsored by a scholastic magazine.

While studying, he joined the varsity football team and played rhythm guitar in a rock 'n' roll band called the MoonSpinners. After high school, King received a scholarship to attend the University of Maine at Orono. He studied English and took creative writing classes, as well as wrote a weekly column titled "The Garbage Truck" for the university's newspaper.

In 1970, after obtaining his B.S. degree, he had successfully sold two stories - "The Glass Floor" and "The Reaper's Image" - to Startling Mystery Stories for $35 each. Despite publishing short stories in Cavalier, Gent, Penthouse, and Cosmopolitan over the following years, he earned very little income as a writer, which forced him to work various jobs such as a janitor, library aide, gas station attendant, and presser in an industrial laundry. King experienced discouragement and sadness due to the increasing number of rejection slips he received, to the point where he almost abandoned the manuscript which would eventually become his first published novel, Carrie.

Luckily, Stephen King's wife found the discarded pages in the garbage and encouraged him to complete the book. She convinced him to send it to Bill Thompson, an editor at Doubleday

& Company, Inc., who had previously expressed interest in his writing. While a few critics deemed Carrie excessively gory, horror enthusiasts swiftly embraced it. Ultimately, the book sold more than 4 million copies and its film adaptation emerged as one of the top-grossing movies in 1976. King gratefully acknowledges that "the movie made the book popular and the book brought attention to me."

Over the next several years, Doubleday published four more horror books by Stephen King: ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), The Shining (1977), Night Shift (1978), and The Stand (1978). In 1980, he published Firestarter, in 1981, Cujo, in 1987, Misery, and has produced many more novels and short stories since then. King says, in his introduction to Night Shift, “Beneath its fangs and fright wig,” the horror tale is ”as conservative as an Illinois Republican in a three-piece pinstriped suit.

With the intention of emphasizing the importance of social norms, the text illustrates the consequences faced by individuals who explore forbidden territories. Most horror stories incorporate a moral code that is notably strict, resembling that of Puritans. King, a highly productive writer, skillfully transforms ordinary circumstances, such as peer pressure, marital tension, or infidelity, into scenes of horror. Numerous of his novels have been adapted into successful films. Additionally, King has authored works using the name Richard Bachman.