INSIDE THE MIND OF STEPHEN KING

One would think that an author like Stephen King, after writing so many horror stories and novels, would be afraid of anything . . . but he is, and it's a monster of the mind -- dementia. "Every time I can't remember a word or something, I think 'This is the start'." He is referring to the mental decline of a fellow author, Terry Pratchett, and given his age (77), it's not unreasonable to have those kinds of thoughts.

This article from the NEW YORK TIMES Sunday CULTURE supplement from August 24, 2025 covers King's stellar career and the struggles he had along the way. And, good news for King fans; he says he's got a least one more book in him.

STEPHEN KING'S MAINE

"Places do have spirits." - Stephen King

It's no secret that author Stephen King is a died-in-the-wool New Englander. Born in Portland, Maine, he has spent his life in the "The Way Life Should Be" state. It comes as no surprise, then, that he draws a lot of his inspiration from the environs in and around the area, the genius loci, if you will.

In this issue of YANKEE magazine (October, 2000), photographer Brian Moriarty takes us on a guided tour of some of the real places that King has used in his stories and novels. As you can see by the pictures, it's no wonder why.

BONUS! Here's an article on Stephen King offering up advice for writers:

Writing Advice from Stephen King

By Melodie E. McIntyre | March 6, 2023 | HorrorTree.com

Stephen King is one of the most prolific and successful writers of the modern world. How did he get that way? What makes Stephen King’s work so enjoyable? How can we, as growing writers, emulate him? Luckily for us, Stephen King has long been open about his writing process and the lessons he’s learned over his lengthy career. The best way to learn about King’s process is to pick up a copy of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. But here I’m going to look at eight pieces of writing advice from Stephen King that resonated with me.

1. Read a Lot and Write a Lot

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” – Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

It baffles me when I see people talk about becoming a writer without doing any reading. Reading is an excellent way to learn and we gain as much from books we don’t enjoy as those we do. Even when reading simply for pleasure, our brains are absorbing and analyzing the words and story as we go. But reading other people’s work isn’t enough on its own. To be a writer, we must produce our own words. Not just because that is the definition of “writer” but by putting words on the page, it’s the only way we can grow and develop.

2. Write Every Day

Stephen King’s typical routine is to write for four hours straight every single day. Sure, he does take the odd day off, but for the most part he writes daily. It works for him. Writing every single day will not work for every writer – it doesn’t work for me, but it is important to have a regular writing schedule of some sort. Much like exercise, writing buildings on itself, and keeping to a regular schedule and word count is key.

3. Avoid distraction while writing

“Wherever you write is supposed to be a little bit of a refuge, a place where you can get away from the world.” – Stephen King in The Paris Review Issue 178, Fall 2006 

King describes writing as “self-hypnosis”. You need to immerse yourself in your writing to let the words flow. It’s easy to get distracted by the internet, your family, work, or my cat who loves to paw at my elbow when I work. Learning to shut out these distractions, or to find the right balance is key to the process. For example, I have trouble focusing without background noise and will often play music as I write.

4. If you don’t succeed, get a bigger nail

When King started submitting, he hammered a nail into his wall and stuck every rejection slip onto it. Eventually the nail buckled under the weight and King had to replace the nail. That is a lot of rejection, but instead of letting it stop him, he used it to grow and become a better writer. Rejection is part of the process; it can’t be avoided. It can hurt and be hard to face, but as writers we need to find a bigger nail and persevere.

King uses this piece of his life when he writes Harold in The Stand. Harold has a rejection nail, but instead of embracing the learning experience of rejection, Harold internalizes it to a dangerous degree with disastrous results.

5. Listen to the Critics

It’s hard to build on rejection if you don’t know why your work is being rejected. Critics and reviews should be approached with caution, but King advises listening to them, too. They can help you see your writing flaws and learn how to change what needs to be changed, and to let go of what isn’t working.

6. Kill your Darlings

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” – Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

This phrase did not originate with King and has been attributed to many writers, but what does it mean exactly? It does not mean kill your favourite characters, but to edit out the parts of your story that you may live, but don’t serve the overall narrative. Don’t be afraid to combine characters, drop that fancy-sounding, but meaningless sentence, and essentially to get out of your own head. Focus on what makes the story the best it can be.

7. Follow where the story goes

When Stephen King started ’Salem’s Lot, he did not intend it to be a dark tale. He wanted it to be the opposite of Dracula, where the good guys win, but that didn’t happen. Stephen King is a “discovery writer” or “pantser”, which means that when he writes his stories, he doesn’t have a detailed outline to work from. He “flies by the seat of his pants”. The opposite of that are the “plotters”, who meticulously outline everything before they write. Most of us probably fall somewhere in between or shift over time. Even if you are an outliner, this advice can still fit. Story and characters have natural progressions and when writers fight too hard against that, it can lead to awkward, hollow writing where things just feel “off”. 

8. Remember why you write

When asked if he writes for the money, King said “The answer is no. Don’t now and never did … I have written because it fulfilled me.”  – Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft 

There is nothing wrong with getting paid for your writing or wanting to get paid for it, but if that is your only motivation, it likely won’t be enough to carry you through the rejection or to hammer in the second nail. So when the failures outweigh the successes, and you are struggling, look back to why you wanted to write in the first place and hold onto that.

“Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life.”  – Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

TERRIFIER: VOMIT BAG NOT INCLUDED

I remember a Stephen King quote from his excellent book, Danse Macabre: "If I find I cannot terrify him/her, I will try to horrify; and if I find I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out". These words can easily be applied to sum up many of the slasher/survival horror films of late, and in particular, the pair of director Damian Leone's Art the Clown series known as TERRIFIER. These are literally ripping yarns, folks, and if you don't have a strong stomach I suggest you break out your 10-foot pole.

Okay, I admit I watched the first in the series on Freevee, that "free" Amazon streaming service with the annoying ads that pop up regularly during the viewing of your movie. It starts off with a cliché: on Halloween night, two drunk girls, one the typical ditz and one the more serious and practical type, argue about who will drive each other home. In the meantime, they notice a person in a not-so-happy looking clown suit staring at them from down the street. Instead of driving (big mistake, of course), they decide to go to a pizzeria and eat something to sober up. While they are in the restaurant, the clown comes in, sits down and just stares at them. From then on begins a series of wildly gruesome murders. We are party to beheadings, knifings, and one of the most excruciating death scenes I've ever watched -- a naked woman hanging upside down who gets hack-sawed in half. These and another particular scene involving a torso-skinning would even make Ed Gein happy.

But, is TERRIFIER a good film? Besides the buckets of blood and gore, I'd have to say that technically, it is. Redeeming value or not, much care has been taken in the look of the picture, especially the lighting, which is reminiscent of the drenched colors used in Argento's SUSPIRIA. The acting is surprisingly good and David Howard Thornton does a very good job of miming Art's various actions without the use of dialogue. There is plenty of tension and yes, the murder scenes are stunningly vivid.

TERRIFIER 2 has hit the theaters this year and already the buzz is that it's more bloody and horrifying than the first installment. Reports of people fainting and vomiting has only increased its popularity. I don't think I've seen this much hysteria surrounding a horror film since THE EXORCIST in 1973. Even Stephen King has lent it some cred, praising it high on the scale of "old school" gross-out content, per his above-mentioned quote.

The articles below my suggestion for a barf bag to pass out to theatergoers chime in on this most unusual of phenomena.

'Terrifier 2' director reacts to reports that the horror flick made viewers vomit and faint during opening weekend

"Terrifier 2" proved to be too much to handle for some horror fans during its opening weekend. The slasher sequel premiered in theatres on October 6 and climbed to the top 10 at the box office, earning more than four times what it cost to make, according to Yahoo Entertainment.

The second installment picks up where 2016's "Terrifier" leaves off. When Art, the killer clown, is resurrected by a supernatural force, he continues terrorizing the residents of Miles County.

Since its opening, reports of viewers "vomiting" and '"fainting" during the viewing experience have hit social media.

"My friend passed out and the theater called an ambulance. Highly recommended," one Twitter user wrote. Another user wrote, "the guy behind me passed out cold n crashed into my chair, another guy left because he didn't feel good, I overheard him say and walking out theatre door I heard a guy puking hard & loud in the bathroom."

Writer and director Damien Leone recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the audience's visceral reaction to his film. 

"Listen, I would have loved to have a couple of walk-outs, I think that's sort of a badge of honor because it is an intense movie," he told the outlet, "I don't want people fainting, getting hurt during the movie. But it's surreal."

Leone went on to warn audience members to watch the first "Terrifier" before braving the sequel. After the reception "Terrifier" received Leone wanted to up the gore level to give the original fans what they want. 

"There is a now-notorious murder scene, a hacksaw scene, in Part I that everyone walks away talking about," Leone told EW. "We tried to rival that scene [in the new film] because the really supportive fan base that we've had this entire time, that has really started to put Art on a pedestal, I mean, those are the things that they really want," he continued.

Leone also announced that the "Terrifier" films are just getting started, and the twisted sequel has a cliffhanger that will leave fans wanting more.

"There's a lot more to explore with Art the Clown for sure," he told EW. 

[SOURCE: Insider.com]

Stephen King's Praise for Terrifier 2 Receives Response from Director

Terrifier 2 director Damien Leone responds to horror author Stephen King’s praise for his disgustingly gory sequel, calling it a “tremendous honor.”

Terrifier 2 director Damien Leone responds to Stephen King's high praise for the bloody horror sequel. Leone's latest installment in his Terrifier franchise released in select theaters on October 6. David Howard Thornton returns as Art the Clown, starring alongside Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman, and Samantha Scaffidi, who is also reprising her role of Vicky from the original 2016 film. Terrifier 2 is set one year after the events of the first movie, following Art the Clown as he targets Sienna Shaw (LaVera) and her younger brother Jonathan (Fullam) on Halloween night and goes on a savage blood-soaked murder spree.

Since its release, Terrifier 2 seems to be surpassing the first film in popularity. Not only is the gory splatter film seeing success at the box office, but it has also been met with generally favorable reviews from critics. The Terrifier sequel also earned a badge of honor for a horror film with reports of audience members passing out and vomiting in theaters. Terrifier 2's publicity has reached such a point that even renowned horror author Stephen King shared his review. The best-selling author praised the film with a short tweet that referenced some of Terrifier 2's spectacularly disgusting effects, saying, "Grossin’ you out old-school."

Of course, King's words attracted attention, and Leone has shared his reaction to the King of Horror's review. The Terrifier 2 director responded to King on Twitter and shared his gratitude for the "tremendous honor." declaring that the author's quote would be going on the poster. 

[SOURCE: Screenrant.com]

NOW . . . A VERY SCARY MOVIE (PART 2)

NOW . . . A VERY SCARY MOVIE (PART 1)

With a cover by Jack Kamen and stories scripted by Stephen King and illustrated by Berni Wrightson, CREEPSHOW was published in July, 1982 as an illustrated horror anthology to further promote George Romero's film released later the same year. Amusing and with a great cast (and great art by Wrightson in the book), it was King's homage to EC Comics. In one episode we even get to see Mr. King turn into a muck monster!