--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I still think that of all the people…" description: "\"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 tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/stephen-king-13_fiction_i-still-think-that-of-all-the-people-doi_2207936.jpg" --- # I still think that of all the people doing top fiction… ![“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.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/stephen-king-13_fiction_i-still-think-that-of-all-the-people-doi_2207936.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/stephen-king-13_fiction_i-still-think-that-of-all-the-people-doi_2207936.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/stephen-king-13_fiction_i-still-think-that-of-all-the-people-doi_2207936.jpg) > “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.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-fiction-974136/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-today-3773882/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [John Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-macdonald-2346203/) [Kicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kicks/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Macdonald Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/macdonald-best-4876524/) [Models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/models/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [To value the tradition of, and the discipline required for, the craft of fiction seems today pointless. 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