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Steven
King (1947- ) is by far the best-known contemporary writer of horror
fiction. His novels have sold more than one hundred million
copies. Five of them have been on The New York Times
best-seller list at the same time, and his name remained on that list
for more than ten years. Born
in Portland, Maine, King grew up in relative poverty after his father, a
merchant sailor, deserted the family when King was two years old.
King recalled that in his childhood he was subjected to "very
ordinary fears", such as fear of the dark. His love of horror
movies and radio shows, he admits, contributed to scaring him.
"I had friends and all that", King recalls, "bit I often
felt unhappy and different, estranged from other kinds my age." King
is no longer estranged from the world: He is extraordinarily popular and
has a happy family in Bangor, Maine. In fact, people meeting him
for the first time are often disappointed to find that he is so
normal. |
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King sticks to a rigid writing
schedule. After a brisk morning walk, he writes six pages every
day ("and that's like engraved in stone", he says), revising
in the afternoon. One odd aspect of his writing process is that he
does his research after he writes his first draft, almost as if he is
gathering facts to support a position he has already
expressed. |
