For some, the old adage “write what you know” is a major part of the writing process, includingStephen King, who has written many novels where the main character is an author just like him. Since 1974,King has written more than 70 novels, novellas, and short story collections. Although he is mostly known for his horror stories, King has also written fantasy, sci-fi, and even some romance in his day. With such an expansive catalog,it is inevitable that King’s stories would follow similar themes, and one such theme is the main character who is a writer.
Some of King’s most popular novels have protagonists who write for a living. At times, these characters' proclivity for writing has very little to do with the story, and is just a fact of their lives. On the other hand,some of King’s horror storiesare directly related to the fact that the main character is a writer. Arguably,these stories are some of King’s best because they come from a place of honesty and authenticity. King has often threaded his own life into his books, which leads to interesting stories that feel especially true to life.
An Author Buys A Haunted Painting
Though not a novel,The Road Virus Heads Northis a major contender when it comes to King’s author characters. Published in the 1999 anthology,999, the story follows a successful horror writer namedRichard who is returning to his hometown of Derry, Maine after attending a literary conference in Boston. Along the way, he stops at a yard sale and finds a disturbing painting of a man with filed teeth driving a Pontiac Firebird across the Tobin Bridge. Richard takes the painting, but soon discovers that the piece of art is much more powerful than he thought.
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The Road Virus Heads Northmay not be the most well-known King story, but it is one that is definitely worth checking out. It is creepy, tragic, and intense. Although some may wonder how a story about a painting could be scary, King manages to keep readers on the edge of their seats in just a short amount of time. Plus,Richard is a horror writer, which makes this story stand out from others.
9It
A Group Of Kids Are Haunted By An Evil Clown
One of King’s most popular stories that includes a writer main character isIt.This 1986 book follows a group of children in the 1950s as they are terrorized by a murderous clown named Pennywise, who lives in the sewers and returns to Derry, Maine every 27 years. After barely escaping with their lives,the “Losers” reunite as adultsto try and defeat Pennywise once and for all. Notably, their leader, Bill Denbrough, grows up to be a writer.
Ben Hanscom
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Bill’s role as a writer is both irrelevant to the plot and super important. On one hand, Bill’s job doesn’t really affect his hunt for Pennywise. Arguably, the Losers are all leaving behind their normal adult lives to finish what they started as children. Yet, Bill’s profession is also notable because of its blatant connection to Pennywise.Bill likely became a horror writerbecauseof his encounters with Pennywiseand the death of Georgie. Thus, Bill is a notable writer character.
8The Tommyknockers
An Alien Spaceship Starts Possessing A Writer
Despite being one of King’s least favorite books he’s written, another novel that falls perfectly into the writer main character category isThe Tommyknockers.This 1987 story is set in a town called Haven where a mysterious object in the woods begins possessing the people of the town, turning them into aliens. The book focuses specifically on a writer named Bobbi, who is becoming possessed, and her poet friend, Gard, who wants to protect Bobbi.
Stephen King cites his addiction to drugs during the time of writign as a main reason why he dislikesThe Tommyknockers.
The Tommyknockershas not one but two writers as main characters. In this case, their professions aren’t super important to the grand scheme of the story. In fact,the events of the book actually pull Gard and Bobbi away from their jobsas they become obsessed with the object in the woods and what it is hiding. In this way, the role of the writer is quite minimal inThe Tommyknockers.
7Desperation
A Possessed Deputy Abducts A Group Of Victims
A novel that has similar aspects ofThe Tommyknockers,alongside a writer character, is the 1996 novel,Desperate.In this story, a group of people are systematically kidnapped by a deputy who is being possessed by an evil entity named Tak.Among Tak’s victims is Johnny Marinville, a writerwho is on a road trip to get new material for his next book. In some ways, Marinville plays a different role than King’s other writer characters.
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Rather than being the protagonist of the novel, Marinville is part of an ensemble of characters. In this way,Marinville offers a perspective that his peers may not have, especially when it comes to taking down Tak. He is not the center of the novel, but he definitely makes an impact as the cast of characters fight off Tak. In fact, Marinville even sacrifices himself. Marinville’s role inDesperationmay say a lot about what King thinks of writers as characters.
6Lisey’s Story
A Woman Mourns Her Recently Deceased Husband
One of King’s more recent books with a writer protagonist isLisey’s Story.The 2006 novel follows dual timelines: the story of Lisey as she mourns the death of her famous writer husband, Scott, and the story of Scott’s life, as told by Lisey. Unlike King’s other novels,Lisey’s Storyis not a horror story, but a psychological thriller romance. Lisey’s loss and reflection on her husband lead her to question certain horrifying moments in her and Scott’s lives.
King has openly stated that he was inspired to write this book after he returned home from a hospital stay to find his wife remodeling his writing studio, which made it look as though he had died, and she was packing everything up.
When it comes toLisey’s Story,Scott’s career as a writer is actually incredibly relevant to the story at hand. Lisey and Scott’s lives were deeply affected by his work and his success. Notably,Scott also symbolizes King himself. King has openly stated that he was inspired to write this book after he returned home from a hospital stay to find his wife remodeling his writing studio, which made it look as though he had died, and she was packing everything up. Thus, Scott’s career is imperative to the story.
5Salem’s Lot
A Man Returns To His Vampiric Hometown
Another popular King novel with a writer main character isSalem’s Lot.Published in 1975 as King’s second-ever published novel,Salem’s Lotfollows Ben Mears, a man who returns to Jerusalem’s Lot, a town he spent a few years in during his childhood.Mears arrives in Jersalem’s Lot with intentions to write a book, and quickly forms connections with some locals, yet it soon becomes obvious that something evil is lurking in the town.
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Once again, Mears' job as a writer comes into play inSalem’s Lot.The main reason why Mears returned to this town was to craft his new book around the Marsten House, where he had a traumatic experience as a child.Mears' interest in the Marsten House is what leads him to discover that something otherwordlyis hiding within the house and is putting the entire town in danger. UnlikeThe Tommyknockers,Salem’s Lotis one of his favorite books to date.
4Bag Of Bones
A Writer Suffers Delusions At His Lake House
The next notable King book with an author protagonist isBag of Bones.This 1998 novel follows Mike Noonan, a writer who is mourning the sudden loss of his pregnant wife. Suffering from writer’s block,Noonan decides to stay at his lake house in Maine. There, he becomes invested in a young mother’s battle for custody, and begins to unlock secrets about the past and his wife.
As proven by the premise,Bag of Bonesis reliant on the fact that Noonan is facing a serious bout of writer’s block. Like many of King’s writer protagonists, he wants to try and write another novel, but is struggling due to traumas in his life. Then, of course, the source of his inspiration is also the thing that gets him into a horrifying situation. In this way,Bag of Bonesis a solid King story with an author protagonist.
3The Dark Half
A Writer’s Pen Name Comes To Life
A King story that became particularly meta is 1989’sThe Dark Half.The novel follows Thad Beaumont, an author of unsuccessful literary fiction who also writes under a pen name, George Stark. Stark’s novels of violent psychological horror sell way better than Beaumont’s novels, yetwhen Beaumont is outed for being Stark, he decides to lay his pen name to rest.Unfortunately, Stark will not go down so easily and begins to haunt Beaumont.
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The plot ofThe Dark Halfis strangely similar to King’s real life. For a time, King was publishing his own work while also writing novels under the name, Richard Bachman. Eventually, King’s alias was outed, and he was forced to get rid of his pen name. However, throughThe Dark Half,King explores the psychological effects of killing your own alias. Arguably,The Dark Halfis one of King’s most meta novels of all time.
2Misery
An Author Is Held Captive By A Psychotic Fan
One of the most obvious examples of a King book with a writer main character isMisery.The 1987 book centers on Paul Sheldon, an author who writes a popular series of Victorian romance novels following a character named Misery Chastain.Sheldon hopes to leave Misery behind in favor of more serious writing, yet his plans turn upside down when he is involved in a car accident that leads to his abduction by an obsessed fan, who demands he write another Misery novel.
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What makesMiserystand out from King’s other writer-based novels is the fact thatSheldon is forced to write in the very book audiences are reading.While King’s other protagonists are often pulled away from their writing, Sheldon is tortured by his at the hands of Annie Wilkes. Readers get an intimate look at the struggles of writing a novel while also enjoying a shocking and intense horror story.
1The Shining
A Writer Is Influenced By Evil Forces In A Hotel
The best King book with a writer protagonist is 1977’sThe Shining.The story follows Jack Torrance, a writer struggling with alcoholism who takes a new job as the offseason caretaker at an isolated hotel.Torrance brings his wife and child, but they soon are put in dangeras the evil entities within the hotel begin to influence Torrance’s sanity. On top of that, Torrance’s son has psychic abilities which allow him to see the truth.
The Shiningis not only one ofKing’s most beloved books, but it is also one of the greatest with a writer protagonist. Torrance is haunted by his past mistakes and his inability to be successful. No matter how much he tries to be good, he often fails. This ultimately leads to him being vulnerable enough for the hotel’s spirits to damage him. Torrance is just another example ofStephen Kingsubtly inserting himself into his own narratives.
