“I just love people getting scared!” – Culture – Kommersant
[ad_1]
Stephen King turned 75 last week. What one of the most popular writers of our time said about his success is in the Kommersant selection.
About childhood influences
“When someone asks me about my childhood, I always feel the hidden question: what is it that broke you so? In fact, I had a perfectly normal childhood. True, I had a very strong imagination, and therefore there were fears … But if you ask me if there was something in my fate that scared me to death for life, I will answer you: I just love it when people get scared!” (in an interview with Ogonyok magazine, 2014).
About searching for ideas
“There is no Dump of Ideas in the world, no Central Repository, no Isle of Lost Bestsellers. Good story ideas come from literally nowhere. fall directly on your head from a clear sky: two completely separate thoughts cling together, and something new arises under the sun. Your job is not to look for those ideas, but to know them when they come up.” (from his autobiography How to Write Books: A Memoir of a Craft), 2002).
About the secrets of success
“When people ask me about the “secret of my success” (the concept is idiotic, but there is nowhere to go from it), I sometimes answer that there are two secrets: I save physical health and I save marriage … The combination of a healthy body and a healthy relationship with an independent woman allows me to keep working. And I think the opposite is also true: my work and the pleasure I get from it contributes to the sustainability of my health and my family. (from his autobiography How to Write Books: A Memoir of a Craft), 2002).
About talent
“We often hear: “You know, this is so amazing, I just can’t describe it!” So, if you want to succeed as a writer, you must be able to describe, and even so that your reader will get goosebumps from recognition. If you know how to do this, your work will be paid, and deservedly so. If not, you’ll collect rejection sheets and maybe pursue a career in the exciting world of telemarketing.” (from his autobiography How to Write Books: A Memoir of a Craft), 2002).
About criticism
“I still remember how The Village Voice published a devastating article about my work. There was also a cartoon of me eating money flying out of my typewriter. I thought: “? How sad it is when you work as hard as you can, but you still get this.” But I didn’t say anything. I just kept trying and writing as well as I could.” (in an interview with The New York Times, 2020).
About film adaptations
“Who gave you the idea that I hate most film adaptations? There are at least eight really good films, and the only one I hate is Kubrick’s cold adaptation of The Shining. Three hours of watching an ant farm would have been more emotional.” (in an interview with Writer’s Digest, 2009).
About horror films
“The problem with most horror films is that sacrifices put on meat do not cause sympathy … If I managed to make you empathize with my heroes, worry about their fate instead of waiting for their heads to be cut off, then this is my victory. (in an interview with ABC, 2007).
About the target audience
“For the question “why are you writing all this nonsense?” inevitably the following arises: what makes people read all this nonsense? I think I found the clue in the pages of Newsweek in the film criticism section. The article was dedicated to a horror movie, and there was this phrase in it: “… a great film for those who like to slow down and stare at a car accident.” Not a very deep statement, but if you think about it, it can be applied to all films and horror stories. (in the preface to the collection Night Shift, 1977).
About restful sleep
“When I write, I sleep very well… I have a theory: once you set your brain to fantasies, it’s almost impossible to turn it off. The brain creates its own electrical circuits, so if you do not ventilate your fantasies by writing stories, by inventing something, then these fantasies invade your subconscious in the form of dreams. (in an interview with Ogonyok magazine, 2014).
About heritage
“I don’t know what will happen to my books when I die. Maybe everyone will forget about them. But I’m sure of one thing: Pennywise will stay. Everything else may disappear, but even after 200 years, people will say: “Pennywise is still very scary” ” (in an interview with The New York Times, 2020).
[ad_2]
Source link
