The name Stephen King is recognized around the world for his various novels surrounding fictional horror. King’s writing is a product of his unique blend of personal experiences and literary inspirations, which have all influenced the way he writes. Contrary to popular belief, kings fixation with horror does not stem from a dreadful childhood. It truly comes from the need to externalize his deepest fears. Moreover, he believes that the sole purpose of horror is to manage the dark thoughts within our minds. This need to manage the fears and darkness within is experienced by a great multitude of people, as a result King has had a very successful writing career. Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, at Maine General Hospital in
Portland, Maine. When King was only two
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During this time he would freely throw away pieces in which he saw no real potential. One such effort, a short story about a telekinetic teenage girl, was saved by King's wife who saw great potential in the work. She told King to complete what he had begun. With the encouragement of his wife, he finished the manuscript which would be published as Carie
(1974). He sold this story to Doubleday for a $2,500 advance. However, he would go on to sell the paperback rights for $400,000. (Happenstand) This was the first big step in Stephen King's career as an author. This large sum of money allowed him to work as a full-time writer. King would release one horror novel per year up until 1977. Between the years of 1977 and 1982 several short novels were published under the name Richard Bachman. Richard Bachman was created in order to publish novels that he felt did not quite fit the Stephen King persona, and to circumvent his publishers refusal to bring out more than one King book per year. The true identity of Richard Bachman was revealed in 1985, thanks to the curiosity and research of a bookstore clerk. (Hoppenstand) After Bachman's true identity was revealed King stopped