20 Dec 2023

Memoirs of a Profession Stephen King

Everyone knows Stephen King. We no longer need to introduce this prolific American author. Many of us have read at least one of his many novels. Some know the book “Writing: memoirs of a Profession” published in the United States in 2000, in which he distills his memories and his advice on matters of writing.

In this very special book which goes off the beaten track, Stephen King opens up like never before and has decided to write about his profession and his life. He might never have written this book if he hadn't had that stupid car accident. During his convalescence, he began to write, establishing a very strong link between life and writing.

The book discussed in this article is both an essay on literary creation and an autobiographical story. It is also a revelation about the alchemy of inspiration. Stephen King proves, in this work, that he has become an immense writer, much more than an undisputed master of the thriller.

Initially there was

Although it may seem surprising, Stephen King took up rock music as a teenager, persevered and continued, even after becoming a bestselling and recognized author. He was part of a group made up of…writers! This cannot be invented! He was a guitarist. The group had a small success and, following a tour, a book was written about this period. The musicians played for the pleasure of making music and to have a good time together. They also gave lectures, because all the members were writers.

He had long had the idea of ​​writing a book on writing, but thought he had nothing interesting to say on the subject. He could not find the angle of attack, despite his popular success. He also wanted to question language, something that no one generally does when people write guides on writing. He refused to write “bullshit” in the author’s words.

It must be said that Stephen King has a passion for art, in the noble sense of the term. In this book, therefore, he explains how he came to write, why he became a novelist and how he practices his profession. He says he doesn't really understand what he does, or why his novels are so successful, if they are good, or why others don't work. This guide is 85 pages long, and the most valuable advice the American author gives on page 17 is to “remove all unnecessary words”.

Stephen King admits to having had a bizarre, chaotic childhood, having been raised by his mother alone, having undergone a number of moves. His indebted father had deserted the family home when the boy was 2 years old. He only has occasional memories of his childhood. Ambition, desire, luck and a little talent all played a role in his life. He is also convinced that many people have at least a little talent as a writer and storyteller, which just needs to be improved and refined.

Childhood anecdotes

At the beginning of his book “Writing - memory of a profession”, Stephen King, born in 1947, recounts memories and remembers having dropped a concrete block on one of his feet at around 3 years old and having suffered excruciatingly. He also remembers being tossed around by an incredible number of babysitters, including one who was aggressive and violent. He was even locked in a closet by one of them. He also recounts other memories from his childhood that marked him.

At the age when he should have been in first grade, he stayed in his bed for 9 months. His health problems began with a common measles, then the situation deteriorated. He had an ear infection, which caused him excruciating pain. His eardrums had to be pierced numerous times. Then little Stephen suffered a throat injury, and they had to remove his tonsils. He was confined at home for a year.

During this time of convalescence, Stephen read a lot, comic books, animal stories that were not very compatible with his young age. It was then that the boy began to write his own stories. He dared to show his works to his mother, who was charmed by them, in the words of the author. He himself was delighted by his mother's reaction. But, she advised him to write and invent his own story, instead of plagiarizing comic strips.

Endless possibilities

From the moment young Stephen was encouraged by his mother, he remembers a fabulous sense of possibility idea of ​​writing. Since then, he has believed that making up stories is like a vast building full of closed doors and that he is allowed to open any one he chooses. For him, there are more doors to push than one can pass through in his entire life. He still thinks so!

He began by featuring four magical animals traveling in a small car who came to the aid of small children. This first story was four pages long, written in pencil. When he read it, his mother appreciated it and replied that his story could very well have been published. He wrote four stories with the same characters and his mother gave him a dollar to reward him. The first dollar that Stephen King made in the writing business!

Stephen experienced many setbacks in the company of his brother David, four years his senior. Because of him, he sometimes got into the worst trouble. He felt the need to share the reprimands with his brother.

Stephen King remembers getting his first television at the age of 11 and remembers the first movie he saw: “Robot Monster”. He watched a large number of films, nourishing himself with a whole world of adventures that he lived vicariously, notably science fiction. He then developed a passion for a magazine in this genre “Famous Monsters of Filmland”. In 1960, he dared to send a story to the journal “Spacemen”. It was the first time that he submitted a text to a journal with the ambition of being published.

Promising beginnings

Stephen King published his first short story in a horror fanzine. A fanzine is a contraction of the English expression “fanatic magazine”. It is a printed or online publication these days, created and produced by passionate amateurs for other enthusiasts.

Stephen wants to affirm that there is no idea box or story center. The ideas in good stories literally seem to come out of nowhere, as if falling from an empty sky. Ideas are brought together and produce something under the sun.

Then he decided to send a story to Writer’s Digest, which was rejected. At 14, he had already received countless rejection letters from publishers. He hung them on a nail in his room. At 16, the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Fantasy and Science Fiction” told him that his story was good, and that he had talent, but that this did not correspond to the editorial line while encouraging the teenager to send him texts. Ten years later, the same magazine bought the short story he had rejected earlier when he was just beginning to have a little success.

At the end of the 1950s, the teenager Stephen became passionate about cinema, even if he was often bored with the projection. From the age of 13, he wanted monsters that devoured entire cities, and radioactive corpses. What appealed to him were horror films, science fiction films, those about gangs of marauding teenagers, about weirdos on motorcycles.

After seeing “The Well and the Pendulum”, Stephen decided to write an eight-page story that would tell the story of this film. He printed it on the drum press his brother had acquired and sold copies in class. Without knowing it, he was committing shameful plagiarism. It was his first bestseller. He sold his entire lot. He was summoned by the director who did not understand why he wrote such nonsense. He was ashamed of what he had written - a feeling he would feel for years afterward.