Learn From Stephen King
Stephen King has written dozens of successful novels, most of which have gone on to sell more than a million copies just in the U.S. alone. What can be learned from the "Master of the Macabre"? Plenty.
Location, Location, Location!
King's first novel, "Carrie," was set in Maine, and guess where most of his book sales came from? Writers tend to forget that it's entirely possible to localize fiction within their own community and focus instead on creating a setting for their fiction somewhere else even when it isn’t necessary. The focus often happens to be places like New York City, or Los Angeles because those areas are more familiar to general readers.
The problem is that too many books are based in these areas. The locals have no connection to these books because, like so many movies, it has just become a part of life. But when Stephen King wrote a book set in Maine, the locals were enthralled to have their own neighborhoods involved in such a story. The book became a best seller.
It is still possible for writers to take advantage of this localization. And locals who aren’t generally used to such publicity will eat it up. When “Dawn of the Dead” came out, the very fact that the movie took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin generated dozens of local media reports and newspaper stories. Just imagine if it had actually been filmed there rather than an LA studio!
Interesting Characters
This topic has, at times, been problematic for King. He has always been regarded as having a very strong eye for adolescent characters, but his adult characters have often been regarded as being somewhat generic. At times, there have been continued complaints of characters who are too identical to characters in previous novels. It’s entirely possible that, after achieving such a high level of fame, King simply doesn’t have the resources at his disposal to study new “characters” in the real world!
This is a problem that can be countered very easily, and early on in any author’s writing career. Make characters sketches of friends and relatives. Now. Do it as often as possible. Do it of celebrities and politicians. Make a lot of character sketches to come back to later, because some day in the future a story might just require a meth-addicted, closeted homosexual evangelical preacher.
Stilted Dialogue
Another aspect of King’s writing that begs attention is the dialogue. King’s adult dialogue has oftentimes left very much to be desired. In a word, it can be cheesy! How is this possible, given that King himself has implied that the hours he spends consuming television and movies is minimized while his reading time is maximized? There’s a hint in his quintessential collection “The Dark Tower,” in which he himself takes the role of a character. Maybe, just maybe, King is a bit of a goofball in real life.
This shouldn’t be an excuse. To get into the head of a character and produce dialogue, it is the writer’s responsibility to create believable dialogue, no matter how much extra work this creates. If a writer cannot create the dialogue from his/her subconscious, then outside forms need to be digested. Sitting in a coffee shop and eavesdropping, engaging in dialogue with relatives and friends, writing down good dialogue … this is an essential nutrient in the author’s diet.