Influences for My Writing

Stephen King has helped me as a writer to learn and better understand the proper uses for description and dialogue in my writing. While reading Night Shift I was able to see how he uses horrifying description and dialogue to capture the reader’s attention. He describes the characters from head to toe, strange noises, and their conversations. By reading these three writing techniques King uses over and over again in his stories, I began to understand why the readers enjoy him so much. I discovered that like his other readers, once I picked up the book, I couldn’t put it back down.


The way King described the characters in the story Boogeyman was intriguing. I was not able to put the book down until I finished it. “The man was Lester Billings from Waterbury, Connecticut. According to the history taken from Nurse Vickers, he was twenty-eight, employed by an industrial firm in New York, divorced, and the father of three children. All deceased (pg 93).” Reading this first sentence I wanted to know why he was divorced and why all three of his children were deceased. I also liked how King used both description and dialogue to explain more about Lester, his relationship with his doctor, and decide whether he is crazy or not. “How were your children murdered?” “Don’t try to jerk it out of me! (pg 94).” These two sentences showed me that Lester didn’t want to be rushed in telling his story because he was going to tell the doctor anyway. At this part I wanted him to tell his story right away because I wanted to know what happened, like the doctor did.


I enjoy reading Stephen King because he always keeps you wanting more and more just like he did with me. Being a writer I want my readers to keep wanting more and more from my stories. I want them to understand just from my descriptions and dialogue how my characters feel.