Who may be the first author that comes to mind when you think about horror and thriller novels? You may have seen the movie adaptations based on this author’s books, IT, The Shining, Carrie, and Doctor Sleep. Yes, all these books are based on novels written by Stephen King. They were so good that readers and producers requested a movie out of it. They saw potential. His novels were adapted into such movies because of the thrill, horror, and suspense the books delivered alone.

The uniqueness of his books and all the tips will be uncovered in this interesting read. You will learn how Stephen King captivates his readers by drawing their attention to his books and the perfection of his descriptions. The ability to suck readers into this dark and disturbing genre is tough. Learning about supernatural worlds and creating new concepts or horror to keep readers engaged and to wonder, “Now, how can the next book get any more terrifying?” Additionally, we will add his most famous quotes that support his writing ideas.

Let us get right into the best Stephen King writing tips.

Who is Stephen King?

Stephen King is a renowned author known for his work in horror, suspense, and thriller novels. He has gained attention from readers all over the world because of his unique writing skills and creative concepts about horror novels. No novel he creates is similar to the old one. There may be some slight connections that he adds to his work just to make the readers wonder and ponder deeper into the novel and create their own theories. That is the fun part. His most famous work is The Shining, which is known to be rated as one of the top horror/suspense novels and movies in the world.

Stephen King’s prose is both evocative and accessible, and this draws readers into the dark and disturbing worlds he creates. Most of his stories include other feelings, such as loss, fear, and the feeling of a supernatural presence, which is the feeling of getting goosebumps. That is the aim of his novels, for sure. Readers cherish his books and any movie that comes out with his influence in it. The horror genre in which Stephen King predominately writes allows him to get out the darkest and deepest corners of the human mind and psyche, and he loves to explore what would trigger and create that thrill for his reader. Simply put, he aims to create his next book even more disturbing than the first. Not many authors are known for this genre since it is tough to write in a horror/thriller genre, such as the effect of a jump scare a movie makes on a person. That is what his books do to readers.

Read more: 10 Tips on How to Write a Good Poem.

Top 13 Stephen King Writing Tips

Now that you know more about the author, we will break down his writing style, thought process, and some tips that he has publicly shared with this reader fanbase to answer their most burning questions on how he writes horror novels so well.

1. Use Failure to Your Advantage

This may sound odd at first, but there is wisdom in this tip. Do not think that all authors were born professional. They started from somewhere and built their way up. They learned from their issues and failures. Even if the novel was published and readers did not like it, they took that criticism to their advantage instead of bringing themselves down. One way to know how to write like Stephen King is to keep a little reminder on the wall to keep you motivated and going.

Stephen King would put a nail on the wall where he would hang all his rejection slips from publishers. Yes, he would keep them hanging on the wall to remind him about those failures. Each rejection slip was a reminder for him that he was closer to his breakthrough and success.

“By the time I was fourteen (and shaving twice a week whether I needed to or not), the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing.” -Stephen King.

Failure is part and parcel of life and something that no one can avoid. However, it all depends on how you see that failure and your perspective on that failure. If you linger on that failure for too long, you will end up demotivating yourself. However, each failure that someone goes through is a critical juncture that forks the road into two separate paths: endurance or resignation. This is where the choice is yours. Most young authors let their failures get the best of them, making them resign. However, it is the climb and the push through that matters, and that is exactly what Stephen King did.

We added this to Stephen King’s writing tips at the top of the list because the strength of surviving through failure shows you a multitude of benefits in the future.

More story writing tips: How to Write Great Adventure Books [10 Helpful Tips]

2. Don’t Do Fancy Vocabulary

Dressing up vocabulary too much can get annoying. It just shows that the author is trying too hard to impress. When authors use fancy vocabulary often in their work, it can frustrate the reader when they have to keep looking it up in the dictionary several times. Stephen King emphasizes this point because he knows from his errors. Authors should aim to write in a way that is relatable to the reader. If it is too unrelated, then it can become stuffy and annoying for readers. It will feel as if the readers are trying to force themselves to read your novel, which is something that you would not want.

“One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed, and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed.” -Stephen King.

This is one of the great writing tips that Stephen King shares because he has mentioned that even the smartest people do not know big, fancy words. Instead, use short, effective words and vocabulary that complement each other and make it sound strong.

3. Remove Unnecessary Details

It is normal for authors to get a tad bit carried away with the details. Sometimes, the descriptive monster unleashes itself and becomes unstoppable. Sometimes, authors feel that they can add more detail to certain scenes to make the imagination clearer to the readers, but there is a thing called too much information in some scenes that do not really need it.

“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” -John Gould’s advice to Stephen King.

This is when the power of proofreading and edits comes into action because it is necessary either way. This is another reason why many authors hire professional ghostwriters; they help them see some perspective. The author is the idea and the mastermind behind the novel concert; however, when there is too much detail going on, it is unnecessary as well, and the ghostwriters can advise what to skip.

Important read: Is Creating an Author Website Important? [A Complete Guide]

4. Write Your Novel to Yourself Before Showing it to Others

This is one of the best pieces of Stephen King’s advice to add to the list because, out of excitement, most authors feel the need to share their ideas and concepts when it comes to writing a novel. Write everything to yourself first before you ask for feedback. It is important for you to do this so you have a better and purer form of judgment toward your work.

“Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right — as right as you can, anyway — it belongs to anyone who wants to read it.” -Stephen King.

If you are tempted to show others your work too soon, try to remember this tip before you do.

5. The Connection Between Reading and Writing

If you want to find ways to be more creative with your work, simply say that if you want to write, you will have to read. Read several books in whatever genre you wish, but since we are talking about Stephen King’s writing tips, read thrillers, horrors, and suspense novels. When you read other novels by different authors, you can see a noticeable trend or some sort of similarity between them. Think to yourself how you can make that different and better.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” -Stephen King.

Reading will always help you with your writing, and that is a fact. Stephen King has mentioned in countless interviews that reading several other novels has allowed him to gain the creativity that he has. He always comes up with ways to make certain scenarios more complicated for his novels to make readers naturally think and stay engrossed.

So, if you want to write, then you have got to read!

Learn more: Is it a Good Idea to Write an Autobiography? [+13 Tips]

6. Avoid the Truth and Make Things Up

If you play it too safe in your horror novels, people will probably not enjoy them as much. Since it is horror, it is good to go extra dramatic with your character’s expressions and the scary entity that you plan on adding to the picture. The best writing, according to Stephen King, is raw and personal. Readers love stories that are made from real people and sounds that way, too. This also connects with our point number two, where you should not use fancy vocabulary because that sounds unnatural and will seem like it has been written.

“If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.” -Stephen King.

Real stories mean that you will be writing about real events. That is the key to Stephen King’s concept of writing. The settings and backgrounds that he creates are realistic and relatable. They are written so that the reader will remember the novel from a certain part because the place they are visiting in real life resembles the situation in the novel.

For example, you are writing about a horror scene that has a lot of suspense. Still, you really want to add emphasis to the haunted restaurant, so you will make the restaurant look like a normal one but with a major twist. The icy, cold, and haunting feeling is the difference, so when your readers go through that section of the novel the next time they visit a restaurant and your novel reminds them of the haunting and dreadful restaurant you were creating, consider your story a success in making it relatable.

7. Paragraphs Are the Maps of Intent

We will explain this point with an example. Horror novels, or novels that include thrill scenes and suspense, will not have short little paragraphs, right? You want the scenes to be descriptive, to build that edge, and to create that feeling of anxiousness.

“You can tell without even reading if the book you’ve chosen is apt to be easy or hard, right? Easy books contain lots of short paragraphs — including dialogue paragraphs, which may only be a word or two long — and lots of white space…Paragraphs are almost as important for how they look as for what they say; they are maps of intent.” -Stephen King.

Like the above, Stephen King advises that “easy books consist of a lot of short and simple paragraphs. ” While you do not want your paragraphs to be too complicated, you don’t want them to be easy either.

8. Skip the Adverbs

Stephen King’s amusing rant against adverbs is one of the best writing tips for someone interested in the horror and suspense genre. It has helped me understand that not only do people or writers tend to use adverbs often, but they are also used in ways that distract from what the writer is actually trying to say.

“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day…fifty the day after that…and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then, you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then, it’s — GASP!! — too late.” -Stephen King.

For example, which sentence sounds more persuasive? “I trust you” or “ I definitely do trust you.” The second one sounds more like a lie. Or that the person who is saying this is trying too hard to sound believable.

Adverbs are not always evil, but it is good to keep a steady use of them in your work. Too many adverbs can lead to your sentences having filler words to make the novel seem longer than it really is. You would not want that for your novel, right? Use adverbs when you have to put emphasis on something relevant in your work.

More writing tips for you: How to Write an Epic Fantasy Novel [+7 Tips for Beginners]

9. Aim To Write Everyday

Just because you are an author or a writer does not mean that you only get to write when you have to start your book. No. Keep your writing in check, write about random things, create stories about anything, and allow your skills to improve this way. Every powerful writer has a defined process. Stephen King’s process was to write every morning. He would spend most of his afternoons napping or writing letters, and then he would read often, hang out with his family, and in the evening. Amazing work/life balance right there!

“I like to get ten pages a day, which amounts to 2,000 words. That’s 180,000 words over a three-month span, a goodish length for a book.” -Stephen King.

This does not mean that you tire yourself out completely by endlessly writing; you need to keep the practice in moderation, but you have to keep it up on a daily basis like you need to drink water every single day. It is as important for a writer, and if it comes from Stephen King himself, then this is effective!

10. Know Your True Readers

In this case, if you are interested in writing horror, you should know what kind of horror your readers enjoy. Think of it this way: your readers have watched the scariest movies. Heck, they may have also searched the scariest movies or novels in the world, which means that you may have no chance of writing a horror novel that surpasses that, right? Wrong! You still have a chance. The trick here is that you need to know what horror they are already aware of. Then, in turn, you create something that is even more twisted and shocking.

“I think that every novelist has a single ideal reader; that at various points during the composition of a story, the writer is thinking, ‘I wonder what he/she will think when he/she reads this part?’” -Stephen King.

When you understand your audience better, or your target readers, you will have a clearer picture of what new horrors they are interested in. Read reviews, check out what other horror novels lack, or what the readers wish had happened instead of what actually happened.

Answering the most important question: What Genre is My Book? Unraveling the Famous Question.

11. Dig Up Old Stories

This may sound like an odd tip to come from Stephen King. However, it does make sense why. This does not mean that you copy other stories when you dig them out. You actually use the old stories to your advantage and create a better one in return. Stephen King describes his writing process as watching his characters and writing them down about what they do and say. He has even mentioned that he is supposed to most of the time with the choices they make.

“Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world. The writer’s job is to use the tools in his or her toolbox to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible.” -Stephen King.

Simply put, he is narrating his story.

Stephen King mentions that as writers, it is our job to unearth the story we need to tell. Especially for fiction writers, it means that there is a hidden story within the story itself, where each character created has their own story to share as well. It is up to the reader to decipher the hidden meaning behind their stories.

12. Edit Until You Make It

The saying goes, “Fake it till you make it,” but in the world of novel writing and stories, you need to edit until you have the perfect version of your creation. According to Stephen King, if you feel you’re using too many extra words to describe a simple task, you must edit those out remarkably. It is normal for people to exaggerate, but when it comes to adding filler words such as: “In order to,” change that to “to” instead. Keep it simple.

13. Solidify Your Story After the Draft

Stephen King does not believe in plotting stories; he allows his stories to take him to new places. This sounds different, and it is. But it is one creative way for you to get the best out of your horror novels. He mentions that once he is done with one section or part of his story, he looks back and reflects and tries to uncover what he has created is turning into. If you really think about it, it is more of a philosophical method for writing a book.

“When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest…[I]t seems to me that every book — at least every one worth reading — is about something. Your job during or just after the first draft is to decide what something or something yours is about. Your job in the second draft — one of them, anyway — is to make that something even more clear. This may necessitate some big changes and revisions. The benefits to you and your reader will be clearer focus and a more unified story. It hardly ever fails.” -Stephen King.

Stephen King encourages his fans and those interested in pursuing his method of writing to break that made-up “model” and see where the wind takes them instead.

Write A Novel Similar to Stephen King with BookCreating

Although we have compiled the most effective and useful tips from none other than Stephen King himself, it is important that you go through these tips and implement them into your writing strategy as soon as possible. However, it is important that you know that the best of the best writers need help at times, and that is okay. If you are starting your book writing journey or are on the path of becoming a successful author, you can always hire professional help that can kickstart your success.

BookCreating is known for the creativity and innovative ideas that our ghostwriters come up with. Not only that, but we have a complete team of proofreaders and editors who can help you speed up the process of publishing your book. Our eBook writing services have helped countless new authors start their journey toward success. The most important part is that our team understands your narrative and performs market research to understand your readers and help you get a better perspective on your work. If you are interested in writing a book similar to a Stephen King novel, our team of ghostwriters can help you get the best insights into the trending genres and more.