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Stephen King Quotes about Character

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The idea for a novel is like a little tiny fire in a dark night. And, one by one, the characters come and stand around it and warm their hands.

The idea for a novel is like a little tiny fire in a dark night. And, one by one, the characters come and stand around it and warm their hands.

Character, Dark, Night

"Stephen King wants to reach out and grab you — with his writing". "PBS NewsHour" with Jeffrey Brown, www.pbs.org. October 6, 2016.

I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.

Writing, Character, Trying

The story is the only thing that's important. Everything else will take care of itself. It's like what bowlers say. You hear writers talk about character or theme or mood or mode or tense or person. But bowlers say, if you make the spares, the strikes will take care of themselves. If you can tell a story, everything else becomes possible. But without story, nothing is possible, because nobody wants to hear about your sensitive characters if there's nothing happening in the story. And the same is true with mood. Story is the only thing that's important.

Character, Writing, Important

Poe was the first writer to write about main characters who were bad guys or who were mad guys, and those are some of my favorite stories.

Writing, Character, Mad

Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fair chance as characters can create some interesting shades of gray—and shades of gray are also a part of life.

Hero, Character, Giving

"Writing Advice from Stephen King & Jerry Jenkins". Interview with Jessica Strawser, www.writersdigest.com. July 21, 2009.

It's dialogue that gives your cast their voices, and is crucial in defining their characters.

Character, Writing, Voice

Stephen King (2002). “On Writing”, p.178, Simon and Schuster

As a rule, I don't worry about genre. I just want to tell a good story, with characters that interest me and my readers.

Character, Worry, Stories

I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.

Character, Thinking, People

Stephen King (2002). “On Writing”, p.189, Simon and Schuster

Once I start work on a project, I don’t stop and I don’t slow down unless I absolutely have to. If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind – they begin to seem like characters instead of real people. The tale’s narrative cutting edge starts to rust and I begin to lose my hold on the story’s plot and pace. Worst of all, the excitement of spinning something new begins to fade. The work starts to feel like work, and for most writers that is the smooch of death.

Real, Writing, Character

"22 lessons from Stephen King on how to be a great writer". www.businessinsider.com. August 11, 2015.

Horror movies often work better when we have a stake in the game. The more we care about the characters, the more human they are to us, the more appealing they are to us and the more effective the horror tends to be.

Character, Games, Care

I would say plotting is the most difficult thing for me. Characterization is only hard because sometimes I feel I get so interested in it that I want to talk too much about the characters and that slows the story down. So I say, "Hey, people want to find out what's going to happen next, they don't want to listen to you spout off about this or that person." But I think even the bad guy deserves to tell his side of the story.

Character, Writing, Thinking

Stephen King, Tim Underwood, Chuck Miller (1988). “Bare bones: conversations on terror with Stephen King”, McGraw-Hill Companies

The situation comes first...the characters...come next...[then] begin to narrate.

Character, Next, Firsts

And if you are honest about the words coming out of your characters' mouths, you'll find that you've let yourself in for a fair amount of criticism.

Character, Criticism, Mouths

Stephen King (2000). “On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft”, p.121, Simon and Schuster

When you start, it's very cold, an impossible task. But then maybe the characters start to take on a little bit of life, or the story takes a turn that you don't expect ... With me that happens a lot because I don't outline, I just have a vague notion. So it's always felt like less of a made thing and more of a found thing. That's exciting. That's a thrill.

Writing, Character, Tasks

"Stephen King on the Creative Process, the State of Fiction, and More". Interview with James Parker, www.theatlantic.com. April 12, 2011.

Terrifying. . . . A Dark Matter is populated with vivid, sympathetic characters, and driven by terrors both human and supernatural. It's the kind of book that's impossible to put down once it has been picked up. It kept me reading far into the night. Straub builds otherworldly terror without ever losing touch with his attractive cast of youngsters, who age beautifully. Put this one high on your list.

Book, Reading, Character

Most gothics are overplotted novels whose success or failure hinges on the author's ability to make you believe in the characters and partake of the mood.

Believe, Character, Writing

Stephen King (2011). “Danse Macabre”, p.274, Simon and Schuster

With six weeks' worth of recuperation time, you'll also be able to see any glaring holes in the plot or character development. And listen--if you spot a few of these big holes, you are forbidden to feel depressed about them or to beat up on yourself. Screw-ups happen to the best of us.

Character, Screw Ups, Plot

Stephen King (2002). “On Writing”, p.214, Simon and Schuster

The writer's original perception of a character or characters may be as erroneous as the reader's.

Character, Perception, May

"Stephen King wants to reach out and grab you — with his writing". "PBS NewsHour" with Jeffrey Brown, www.pbs.org. October 6, 2016.

I identify with the characters very closely. At the same time that I`m outside, writing, I`m also inside, experiencing, and it can be very unsettling.

Writing, Character

"Stephen King has called Ira Levin-author of 'Rosemary's". Interview with Cheryl Lavin, articles.chicagotribune.com. April 7, 1991.

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