Is there any doubt this man is a wonderful storyteller? I’m on disk 10 of a 25 disk set, and I’m going to have to recheck it out because there’s no way I can listen to something this long in three weeks just driving in my car. I find myself itching to hurry and get into my car at the end of the day so I can listen. Same thing in the mornings. This is one time I’m glad it takes me about 25 minutes to get to work!
When I first heard about this book, I thought “Okay, he’s going to try to stop Kennedy from getting shot. Interesting, I guess.” But I should have known this book was about so much more. The main character actually does more than that. I don’t know if the attempt to save Kennedy will be at the very end or if it will be sooner. Of course, I don’t know yet if he’s successful. But this book is not just about that. It’s about PEOPLE, just like Stephen King’s books always are. No matter how much STUFF happens in King’s books, they are always character driven in my opinion. You always get down into the heart and soul of King’s main characters. In this particular book, the MC goes through things that change him, but he does things he has to do. He’s a stronger man than he thought he could be. I LOVE this character, Jake Epping. I want so much for him to succeed because he goes through so much to get there. I don’t want to do any spoilers, so I can’t say too much more. I can say there’s kind of a butterfly effect going on in the book. VERY interesting.
One thing that I find amusing is how King can get by with things that everyone always tells authors NOT to do. I think the biggest thing is this. We are always told not to write anything that doesn’t “further the plot”. And yet, King does it all the time. And he makes it INTERESTING. He can throw things in a story that doesn’t really have to be there, but he puts it in there because he wants to. He can write about what people are eating and how good it tastes, but I get my hands smacked for it. Personally, when I read a book, I like to hear little side things that don’t necessarily matter to the plot but are interesting. So when Stephen King does it, I love it. And he gets by with it and people love him anyway. Because no matter what rules he might break (and I think he’s earned the right to break them by now), he’s still a great storyteller. And that’s what it all boils down to. Can you tell a good story? Do people want to hurry up and finish what they’re doing so they can get back to your book? That’s what it’s all about. That’s what it means to be a writer.
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Character driven stories are my favorites! And I’m with you…I love all those ‘extras’ that add depth to a story. No, they don’t have to be there…no, they don’t always further the plot…but the characters don’t exist in a vacuum – the world is going on – a world that doesn’t give a hoot about the plot. I like glimpsing into all those ‘nooks and crannies’ ….It’s the ‘comfort food’ part of my story… ( yes..I can relate almost anything to food…;}
…now if I can only learn to wield that tool as masterfully as King…I’ll be set. 🙂
*smacks hand to forehead woefully…then smiles and grabs up a notebook* Practice makes perfect…
Hi, Nadja. King is the master when it comes to characters. He can make you love them or hate them at his will. 🙂
I’m not sure ANYONE wields that tool as masterfully as King. He’s kind of in a category all his own. You can’t tell I’m a big fan, can you? LOL
I constantly rage against the rules. I don’t go out of my way to break them, but if by breaking them I feel I have a better story I have no problem doing it. I personally love those moments in novels and movies, and because of that I write those types of moments. Often they’re my favourite parts. As long as you know the rule and you don’t mind breaking it, break it!
I break rules when I feel it makes the story better. The thing is, some readers will agree and some will not. But you can’t please everyone. Lol
King is the ultimate entertainer! He’s very good at creating characters that you want to walk through the maze with, even knowing that you may end up somewhere dark and uncomfortable. I think a story dictates when rules must be broken. You have to tell it like it narrates in your head, whether it follows convention or not.
In the part I just listened to on the way home yesterday, he went off on something that really had nothing to do with the main story. But it WORKED. I wanted to hear about this little side story. He’s just amazing.
I just finished The Gnome and didn’t feel your food scenes detracted from the book. They blended in very well with the story. I don’t think any of your food scenes in your other books took away from the plots either, so I can’t understand why someone would make that comment.
I think the key to Stephen King is that he writes it because it interests him, and that works. I say break any rules that hinder your creative efforts. As long as you’re not doing something like not capitalizing the beginning of your sentences or messing up punctuation so you confuse the reader, the small details like passive voice, adverbs, etc don’t really matter. I’ll never understand why some people get bent out of shape over things that things that don’t matter. In the end, people remember the story, not if there was a sentence that ended in a preposition.
Most of the time, it’s other authors that are bugged by small things. The inner editor is always turned on and they cringe when rules are broken. It’s the nature of the game. That’s why I try so hard to reader as a reader, not a writer. I like to be entertained. Numerous errors, misspelling, and bad grammar bug me badly. But rules that seem to be made up from one year to the next? Those can be broken without pulling me out of the story.
Stephen King can break any rule he wants. He’s the King. LOL
I did have at least one reviewer mention I talked too much about food. 🙂
I haven’t read this book yet but my favourite thing about Stephen King’s writing is his intense focus on his characters. That is why I fell in love with The Stand many years ago as a young teen. I don’t necessarily love all his work but I can appreciate the love he gives to the people in his stories.
Emma, this book is so good. His characters are deep, and you have to love them, especially the MC. It has actually made me cry in several places. And he wrote a really good love scene, which some male authors can’t do well. 🙂 I’m not quite halfway through it. I can’t imagine what else can happen in 13 more disks!