Stephen King wrote hundreds of literary pieces with 49 novels under his name, seven novels under his pen names, Richard Bachman and John Swithen, five non-fiction books, and 200 short stories.
Stephen King’s Father Left When He Was Very Young
When he was only two, Stephen King’s father, Donald Edwin King, left the family, leaving only his mother and his adopted older brother, David. Stephen King’s mother faced financial strain due to that and moved back to Maine, the town her parents stayed.
Stephen King Witnessed One of His Friends Get Struck by A Train
Though he had no recollection of the event, Stephen King witnessed the death of his friend by a moving train. According to his family recollection of the event, Stephen King had gone to play with his friend when he returned speechless and in shock. While many people had attributed this tragic event to what drove his horror writing, Stephen King stated he had no recollection or memory of what had happened and that the event was not what gave him his drive to write horror.
Stephen King Threw His First Draft of Carrie Into The Trash Can
After he had written the first three pages of Carrie, Stephen King tossed it into the trash because he felt he could not write a short story about a high school girl. However, Tabitha fished out the discarded pages and encouraged him to keep on with the work, offering assistance with the female perspective needed to write it. Stephen King took his wife’s advice and expanded the first pages into a novel. After the book’s publication by Doubleday, its paperback rights were bought for 400 thousand dollars by The New American Library. Carrie was the book that set Stephen King’s career into motion.
Stephen King Suffered From Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Stephen King Developed a drinking problem in the early 1970s, and soon it worsened to the use of cocaine. Books like Carrie and It were written when Stephen King had his Drinking problem and drug addiction. In the late 1980’s, Stephen King stopped drinking and drugs after an intervention. He has been sober ever since.
Stephen King Thought His Fame Was Accidental
Believing his popularity was accidental, Stephen King decided to write under the pen name Richard Bachman. However, the books he wrote under the pseudonym had a great reception, and eventually, after people noticed the striking similarity of writing style, Stephen King’s alias was exposed.
Stephen King and Michael Jackson Made A Film Together
Yes, the King of Horror and the King of Pop came together to make a short film titled Ghosts. In 1996, Stephen King collaborated with Michael Jackson to produce a short horror film. Though the film was weird, it has had more than 14 million views on YouTube. The film featured Michael Jackson acting as both the Maestro of a haunted manor and the Mayor of the town the manor was located in, with the Mayor trying to chase the Maestro out of the town for good.
In 1999 Stephen King Had an Accident
With multiple fractures in his leg, a collapsed right lung, scalp lacerations, and a broken hip, Stephen King’s minivan accident took a toll on him, with him considering quitting writing at the time. However, Stephen King fought and came back, finishing The Dark Tower Series and making other books like 11/22/63.
Stephen King’s Father Was a Writer
Though Stephen Had no idea since he did not know his father, his mother claims there were piles of manuscripts Donald wrote, and none of them ever sold or was published.
Stephen King Worked As a Grave Digger
The King of Horror dug holes for the dead as a job. He spent his weekend and nights digging graves for pay. The job inspired Stephen King to write the story “I Was a Teenage Grave Robber.” The story ended up being his first published story appearing in the Comics Review in 1965.
Stephen King Once Lived In a Trailer
After starting a new family, Stephen King lived in a trailer with his wife outside Bangor, Maine. Though he finally found work at the Hampden Academy, he still had to work shifts at the laundromat and write about two thousand words daily.
