STEPHEN KING IN FILM - THE HITS AND THE MISSES

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a seriously good writer? I know I have, as I’ve often contemplated what talents a person might need so they can master the age-old craft of putting pen to paper. Well, let’s face it, no matter what you do in today’s media-driven climate, be it watching a TV show, going out to the cinema, or even reading a blog on your iPhone, one way or another a writer is somehow behind it. I can see them now, sitting down behind their desks in their small candlelit rooms, placating their plots, creating their characters, setting up their scripts, and basically sculpting a scenario that’s both logical and enjoyable to follow.





How do they do it though? What special abilities do they possess so they can make something out of literally nothing? Perhaps it's biological in nature or even chemically induced? Better yet, maybe the art of writing is nothing more than pure luck, aided and abetted by good timing and a whim of fate? Take someone like Stephen King for instance, the award-winning author behind such horror classics as The Shining, Pet Cemetery, and Carrie. Realistically speaking, what do you think he had to go through in order to become the literary legend we all know and love today?

Now the obvious answer would involve him going to school so he could learn how to read and write, complemented by the fact that he was a big fan of such prolific writers as Edgar Allen Poe, H P Lovecraft, as well as the comic books published by EC Comics. But that said, what else did he have to endure to become the man he currently is?

According to official sources, over the years Mister King had to deal with a number of life-changing events. This began when he was two years old, when his estranged father unexpectedly left his mother under the guise of going out to the shops to buy a packet of cigarettes. Then, a few years later, he witnessed a friend being struck down and killed by a train. Plus to make matters even worse, his hardworking mother tragically passed away just before he became famous, and he also had to cope with a drinking problem that ebbed and flowed like a quill in an inkwell. Shocking, I know, and I suppose on some level explains why a portion of his earlier work was always shrouded in anger, mystery, and death.

That said, however, this small slice of biographical trivia doesn’t explain everything, does it? And I say this because at face value Mister King comes across like a very conventional and normal looking person. He’s married, he’s got three kids, a house, a car, and, you know, that sort of thing: The usual stuff. Yet underneath it all he still has that magical ability which allows him to conjure up stark and vivid images that he's able to translate into the written word. Even though his batting average isn't always a hundred percent, that doesn't take away my need to be as naturally creative as he is. Honestly I do. That way I would know how to finish this article. 

Hey! Has anybody got any ideas? Please, someone, give us a hand or else I may conjure up a hypothetical scenario stating that Mister King's talents derive from his supernatural spectacles, and trust me, you wouldn’t want me to do that! Oh! Wait a minute! What’s this I see before me? An infographic by money-pod.co.uk related to the man himself? Wow! What a nice surprise! You’re a lifesaver, mate. Which is something I can’t say for a lot of the characters featured in the following films, ha! Please enjoy.