Fiction Quote by Stephen King
“I still think that of all the people doing top fiction today, John D. MacDonald is the best.He was my model as a kid. If there are people out there that want to write, all you need to do is read 20 of his stories to get an idea what it takes to make a story kick over.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Stephen King on Writing, 2010
King praises John D. MacDonald as a model for aspiring fiction writers, suggesting reading his work reveals storytelling craft.
In simple terms: Read MacDonald to learn story craft.
Key Takeaway
Read his stories to learn storytelling.
Themes
writing
inspiration
craft
mentorship
Mood
admiring
encouraging
Type
advice
literary criticism
When to use this quote
- aspiring writers
- writing workshops
- creative writing courses
Key Concepts
fiction
story structure
character development
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you apply MacDonald’s techniques to your own voice?
- What story elements do you find most compelling?
A Different Perspective
Reading alone may not replace practice and personal voice.
![“[W]hen you're shooting a doc, you're trying to class it up because you can. You know, you're trying to make this feel like cinematic experience. And when you're doing fiction you're trying to do the opposite thing you're trying to take this very artificial experience this very artificial…” quote by John Hyams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/023/john-hyams-51310_artificial_w-hen-you-re-shooting-a-doc-you-re-tryin_2584334.jpg)
