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Stephen
King often uses authors as characters in his stories. It's possible that no
other author before him or during his time equals him in this particular
enterprise. And it's impossible for you as a serious writer not to find
yourself parodied in one of King's stories.
Most
of the writers in King's stories (if not all) are men. Nevertheless, the sort
of distress they often get themselves stuck with is not gender-oriented. King,
at one time announced he was hanging his pen on stories featuring writers as
characters. I believe that was in the note on Secret Window, Secret
Garden published in a collection of novellas called Four Past
Midnight back in
1990. But alas, in 1998, a Stephen King novel, Bag of Bones featured
a writer as the main character and going through the worst dread that could
ever happen to a writer-writer's block. You can never trust a
storyteller, han?
Bag
of Bones (1998)
This
novel is by far, my favorite Stephen King book. It features the writer, Mike
Noonan, who is going through the worst case of writer's block, as the main
character of the novel. He has not written anything, besides his
laundry list, that is, for the past four years or so.
King
says he was inspired to write this novel after reading a story about Virginia
Wolfe who is reported to have been so prolific she had to deposit her books in
a safe. The book borrows its title from Thomas Hardy who said, "The
most brilliantly drawn character in a novel is but a bag of bones"
Noonan's
block is worsened by the death of his wife, Jo, who passed away
with their unborn child on the pavement of a pharmacy. But Noonan doesn't
realize the death of his wife and the baby is in part, fulfillment of a
generational curse. If you want to learn about the art of writing and how to
deal with writer's block while having fun, read Bag of Bones. It's
King's best effort, so far.
Secret
Window, Secret Garden (1990)
Morton
Rainey is the main character in this novella. He is a writer and recently
separated from his wife. As a review says, Rainey is trapped in the
demonic depths of a writer's worst nightmare. He has relocated to his
summer home awaiting the finalization of his divorce from his wife when one hot
afternoon, a stranger wakes him from his siesta. He opens the door and sees a
guy who looks like a character from a Faulkner story. The
first words the guy says to him and which marks the opening line of the novella
are, "You stole my story." And from that point in
time, Rainey's nightmares begin.
Stephen
King masterfully twists the plot line, sometimes Rainey is a split personality, possessed
by this strange character, John Shooter, who appeared at his doorstep
uninvited. The story revolves around a writer exhibiting rare symptoms of
dissociative disorder. You can't guess where King is taking you, even after the
story is told. The suspense is just too intense.
Here's
a short story and part of the collection, Skeleton Crew about
a writer who receives the gift of a custom built word processor from his
fifteen-year old nephew, Jon. The machine has supernatural powers to execute whatever
commands a user typed.
Richard
Hagstrom, a struggling writer, uses the word processor to bring back his nephew
who died in an accident caused by his drunken father–Richard's older brother.
But not before deleting his son and
wife from the face of reality. Word
Processor of the Gods is a short story that attempts through allegories,
to show how fiction immortalizes our dreams and hopes.
1408
(2002)
Of
this story, Stephen King said, "I never intended to finish it. I
wrote the first three or four pages as part of an appendix for my On
Writing book, wanting to show readers how a story evolves from first
draft to second."
Mike
Enslin visits places haunted by ghosts or spirits or some other evil and then
writes about his experience. Olin, the manager of the hotel tries to discourage
Enslin from going up to Room 1408 (the number adds up to 13–the so-called evil
number), where several paranormal activities had occurred but his attempts were
rewarded by fierce rebuttal.
Enslin
went into room 1408 but barely escaped with his life when the thing in the room
set him ablaze.
Misery
(1987)
Imagine
meeting a fan of yours who wants you to write one last novel for an already
concluded romance series you have been writing. You may not want to consider it
as an option but she can be persuasive... with an axe! That's the scenario the
main character in this story, Paul Sheldon, finds himself thrust into. Involved
in an accident, bugged down by a broken ankle and rescued by a psycho nurse who
is responsible for the deaths of over 100 people, Paul Sheldon is in a worst-case
scenario. And Annie Wilkes is the perfect muse for any complacent writer,
believe that!
Lisey's
Story (2006)
This
is the story King said was inspired by visions of his own death after his now
famous accident. He returned from the hospital to find his wife had rearranged
his study and the thought came to him what becomes of his wife after he dies.
Lisey
Landon, wife of the deceased writer, Scott Landon is faced by
scores of people demanding her late husband’s unpublished manuscripts to the
point of threat. The story is paranormal romance at its best.
The
Road Virus Heads North (2002)
Richard
Kinnell is a horror writer who picked up a picture with supernatural powers at
a yard sale. The original owner and artist had hung himself in his basement but
not before pinning a note to his breast which read, "I can't stand
what's happening to me."
Eventually,
Kinnell, observes that the picture keeps changing and he tries to rid himself
of the thing. He dumps it in among the pine trees behind a fast food joint. However,
when Kinnell gets home he finds The Road Virus, that is the
name of the picture on the wall at his home.
‘Salem's Lot
(1975)
Is
the story of a writer, Ben Mears who returns to a town, Jerusalem's Lot
('Salem's Lot, for short) where he grew up and had been away from for years. He
finds the town almost in the same condition as he had left it but at the same
time, he discovers an unspoken evil hovering over the town.
It's
a vampire story with a twist. King said he did a "restructuring
and updating (of) the basic elements of Bram Stoker's Dracula to
create 'Salem's Lot."
The
Shining (1977)
Jack
Torrance was hired to take care of a large hotel all winter but the tide turns
against him. He becomes psychotic and tries to harm his family. His son, Danny,
and wife eventually escape owing largely to the 'gift' of The Shining the
kid possesses.
The
Dark Half (1989)
Thad
Beaumont is a writer in distress as his pseudonym gains substance and tries to
steal his reality. Beaumont was switching genres and had celebrated the fact
with a mock funeral of his pseudonym with a picture on the cover page of a
magazine. A few days later, the grounds keeper of the local cemetery discovers
a 'hole' in the same spot Beaumont had used for his mock burial.
Something
had dug its way out of the 'grave'. Then the killings began and Beaumont's
fingerprint is all over the evidence. Yet, Beaumont has proof he was home on
the night of the murders. This story is allegoric presentation of how fiction
can influence the life of a writer.
Stephen
King has more stories which, involve writers but I intend to end my ranting
with Dark Half. If you want to learn the craft of writing, do read King's nonfiction book On Writing but do not stop there, read his novels, as well. You'll learn
vastly by following that route.
Keep
your pen bleeding.
Akpan
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