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Stephen King's Hobby Journey
b. 1947
Author of horror and thriller novels (The Shining, IT, The Stand); one of the best-selling authors of all timeHobby Timeline
Childhood
Reading fiction voraciouslyHorror movies and comicsEarly story writing
Teens / Young Adult
Submitting stories to magazinesGuitar (self-taught)
Career
Rock guitar (co-founded the Rock Bottom Remainders with authors Dave Barry, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver)Red Sox fandomBowlingJigsaw puzzles
Later Life
Writing pop culture criticism for Entertainment WeeklyReadingGuitar (privately)
Surprising hobbies
- ✦Played guitar in a rock band with famous authors for 20 years — the Rock Bottom Remainders (1992–2012)
- ✦Writes pop culture journalism for Entertainment Weekly
- ✦Loves bowling and jigsaw puzzles
- ✦His love of baseball directly inspired the novel 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon'
How hobbies shaped their career
Reading fiction as a child directly fueled his writing career. Horror movies shaped his storytelling sensibility. Music and rock culture inform the rhythm and energy of his prose. His pop culture journalism keeps him connected to contemporary trends and feeds material back into his fiction.
"Bruce Springsteen told us we weren't bad, but not to try to get any better otherwise we'd just be another lousy band. After 20 years, we still meet his stringent requirements."
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