--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I became a reader - never mind a writer…" description: "\"I became a reader - never mind a writer - because of Stephen King.\" — Paul G. Tremblay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/paul-g-tremblay-12829_because_i-became-a-reader-never-mind-a-writer-be_2349069.jpg" --- # I became a reader - never mind a writer - because of… ![“I became a reader - never mind a writer - because of Stephen King.” quote by Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/paul-g-tremblay-12829_because_i-became-a-reader-never-mind-a-writer-be_2349069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/paul-g-tremblay-12829_because_i-became-a-reader-never-mind-a-writer-be_2349069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/paul-g-tremblay-12829_because_i-became-a-reader-never-mind-a-writer-be_2349069.jpg) > “I became a reader - never mind a writer - because of Stephen King.” [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading King inspired a shift from writing to reading, highlighting his influence. **In simple terms:** King inspired reading over writing. Key Takeaway Read to learn from masters. Themes inspiration literary influence reading Mood curious motivated Type reflective literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - book clubs - personal growth Key Concepts author impact creative development Questions to Reflect On - How does reading shape your own writing? - What other authors inspire you? A Different Perspective Reading alone doesn’t guarantee skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Upon being asked by a fan how to become a writer, Stephen King replied, "Write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/upon-being-asked-by-a-fan-how-to-become-a-writer-stephen-king-replied/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [To be publishing Stephen King, to be a friend to Stephen, when he is absolutely what got me into this business, is a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chizmar/to-be-publishing-stephen-king-to-be-a-friend-to-stephen-when-he-is/) [Richard Chizmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chizmar/) > [Yeah, I didn't grow up in the '50s like Stephen King so I'm more versed in the '80s and the present day than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/yeah-i-didn-t-grow-up-in-the-50s-like-stephen-king-so-i-m-more-versed/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [Whenever I would see horror movies I would be traumatized and I'd have to watch them behind my hands or behind the couch sometimes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-flanagan/whenever-i-would-see-horror-movies-i-would-be-traumatized-and-i-d/) [Mike Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-flanagan/) > [The first time I ever met Stephen King, he came up to me, and we went to shake hands, and he had, like, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/the-first-time-i-ever-met-stephen-king-he-came-up-to-me-and-we-went/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [When I was growing up, if there was a Young Adult section of my town's library, I missed it. I wandered right from 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/when-i-was-growing-up-if-there-was-a-young-adult-section-of-my-town-s/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [Stephen King has inspired me with his humor and honesty, and his admonition that the author's job is to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/stephen-king-has-inspired-me-with-his-humor-and-honesty-and-his/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [Having Stephen King in anyone's corner is pretty awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-vellani/having-stephen-king-in-anyone-s-corner-is-pretty-awesome/) [Iman Vellani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-vellani/) > [I'm a huge fan of the book and Stephen King is one of my big heroes, literary heroes, and I am a fan, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-the-book-and-stephen-king-is-one-of-my-big-heroes/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [My first six books were horror, I think because when I was young I loved Stephen King. John Wyndham, Daphne Du Maurier, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-pinborough/my-first-six-books-were-horror-i-think-because-when-i-was-young-i/) [Sarah Pinborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-pinborough/) > [If you're Stephen King and you have a massive body of huge-selling well-respected work, you can pivot and do whatever you want. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-you-re-stephen-king-and-you-have-a-massive-body-of-huge-selling/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [They were kind of like little Stephen King stories... but these go back many hundreds of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/they-were-kind-of-like-little-stephen-king-stories-but-these-go-back/) [Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/) > [“I have often noticed that we are inclined to endow our friends with the stability of type that literary characters acquire in the reader's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-have-often-noticed-that-we-are-inclined-to-endow-our-friends-with/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“What is reading, in the last analysis, but an interchange of thought between writer and reader? If the book enters the reader's mind just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/what-is-reading-in-the-last-analysis-but-an-interchange-of-thought/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [the process of reading is reciprocal; the book is no more than a formula, to be furnished out with images out of the reader's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/the-process-of-reading-is-reciprocal-the-book-is-no-more-than-a/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) ## More by Paul G. Tremblay > [I want folks to take horror seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/i-want-folks-to-take-horror-seriously/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [I feel like too many horror writers and filmmakers sort of just assume that the default is, 'The horror movie must be all atmosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/i-feel-like-too-many-horror-writers-and-filmmakers-sort-of-just/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [Pop country definitely frightens me, how popular it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/pop-country-definitely-frightens-me-how-popular-it-is/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [I don't consciously sit down thinking I'm blurring genre lines, for the most part. I try to stay focused solely on serving the needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/i-don-t-consciously-sit-down-thinking-i-m-blurring-genre-lines-for/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [I think I got serious about writing in the late '90s. The first stuff I wrote was terrible and got rejected, but I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/i-think-i-got-serious-about-writing-in-the-late-90s-the-first-stuff-i/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [As an adult, I've learned to cope and pull the plug on the worst what-ifs before my mind takes me to a place from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/as-an-adult-i-ve-learned-to-cope-and-pull-the-plug-on-the-worst-what/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [Crime, horror, and satire each aim to reveal an ugly or uncomfortable truth: one that, after the reveal, will ensure we'll never be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/crime-horror-and-satire-each-aim-to-reveal-an-ugly-or-uncomfortable/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [Whenever you bring reality TV into the mix, it's only a matter of time before, whatever fiction you come up with, it'll become real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/whenever-you-bring-reality-tv-into-the-mix-it-s-only-a-matter-of-time/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [My first book deal was for two Mark Genevich novels. I hadn't planned on writing a second Genevich novel, but I was contracted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/my-first-book-deal-was-for-two-mark-genevich-novels-i-hadn-t-planned/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [I'm harsh on myself. But let's be honest: I'm not as harsh as the online one-star critic who says, 'This book is boring and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/i-m-harsh-on-myself-but-let-s-be-honest-i-m-not-as-harsh-as-the/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [In the early 2000s, I started selling some short stories to horror markets. I joined the Horror Writers Association.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/in-the-early-2000s-i-started-selling-some-short-stories-to-horror/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [Any day in which I get writing done is ideal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/any-day-in-which-i-get-writing-done-is-ideal-to-me/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [So much of my work is about children and/or parenting; it's something I'm drawn to without being able to completely articulate why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/so-much-of-my-work-is-about-children-and-or-parenting-it-s-something/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [Horror is often about how we live in the liminal, whether we want to or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/horror-is-often-about-how-we-live-in-the-liminal-whether-we-want-to/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [After my debut didn't go very well with Holt, I needed to be in a healthier head space. I was happy to emerge from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/after-my-debut-didn-t-go-very-well-with-holt-i-needed-to-be-in-a/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) [Explore all 53 Paul G. 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Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. 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