One of the reoccurring items on several websites discussing the perfect query letter was the suggestion to read Stephen King’s non-fiction novel – On Writing. Site after site talked about how insightful and amazing the book was. As a huge fan of King, it didn’t take much for me to immediately get the book. What I didn’t expect was the sense of understanding and joy as I flowed through the text.

Although King says the book is not an autobiography, the first part is all about his background and life. The book reveals he was a goofy, but clever kid that often found himself in trouble. It also details his early assent into writing. I read many of his books, so getting a glimpse into his childhood and young adult life made me understand his novels on another level. I don’t think it takes a psychologist to see that so many of his early characters directly related to his own life struggles.

I’m going to take a step back now and discuss another revelation I had, in addition to explaining how it made me feel. I have a dictionary/thesaurus app on my phone that pops up each morning with a word of the day. Sometimes there are words that would be awkward and difficult to use in everyday life, while others are fascinating new words that fill a vocabulary gap. Every once in awhile, I already know the word. – Please re-read that last sentence slowly and with tremendous glee. – Perhaps this gives you the feeling that I am elated when this happens (it is very true). It makes me feel like I have won a prize of some sort. Take this knowledge of me into the next section of information.

Beyond learning about King’s youth and rocky yet determined dive into writing, he talks about his personal rules and theories about what makes good books. As I am listening to the words straight from the big man’s mouth (King narrated his own audio book), I am nodding in complete agreement with the knowledge in my heart that I am already doing the things he is talking about. If I get excited about knowing a vocabulary word, you can imagine how I feel when I am already taking one of my favorite writer’s advise.

I have been reading/listening to this book for a few days, but realization finally hit this morning. Of course I am already writing in a way that King would approve, because he was really the one to teach me what good writing was. OK, I will stop for a minute and speak to the naysayers. I do not think I am as good of a writer as someone with decades more experience. What I am saying is that we are all influenced by the things we read, and I would argue that what we read early in life could perhaps be even more impactful.

My Grandma’s favorite author is Stephen King. When I visited my Grandparents as I child, I would admire Grandma’s shelves lined with his books. As I grew a little older, I finally convinced her to let me read the revered books. This may have been in middle school, although it is hard to place my finger on the exact time frame. As I continue to think back, Stephen King books encompass my earliest memories of reading. As a kid who had difficulty reading, holding his enormously thick books in my hands gave me a sort of power and legitimacy.

Let me bring this long story back to the point. I grew up pouring over King’s prose and it became the way writing should be. Of course I would emulate his style, no matter how unconsciously I do so. As I listen to him discuss his own writing, I agree with his preferences, because it was the way I learned.

My goal is not to compare myself to Stephen King. Instead, I want to reflect on the irrefutable influence our early learning and experiences can have on the way we think, behave, and in this case, write.