R. L. Stine
R. L. Stine
Robert Lawrence Stine, sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor. He has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature" and is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The Nightmare Room series. Some of his other works include a Space Cadets trilogy, two Hark gamebooks, and dozens of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth8 October 1943
CountryUnited States of America
Normally, I spend a week on the outline and take two weeks to write the book.
When I was a kid my family was really poor and I remember one Halloween I wanted to dress up really scary and my parents came home with a duck costume. I wore that costume for years! I hated it.
I drive a lot in the summertime, but after that, I don't drive if there's snow predicted for anywhere in 500 miles.
I've never dreamed of a story idea. I have such boring dreams.
I do like a lot of things that a lot of adults would scoff at. 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' 'Looney Tunes.
I started writing when I was 9 years old. I was like this weird kid who would just stay in my room, typing little funny magazines and drawing comic strips.
When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books.
A real New Yorker likes the sound of a garbage truck in the morning.
I believe that kids as well as adults are entitled to books of no socially redeeming value.
Everything that has happened to me has been amazing and surprising.
Well, I hate it when authors come into a school and they say to kids, 'Write from your heart, only write what you know, and write from your heart.' I hate that because it's useless. I've written over 300 books - not one was written from my heart. Not one. They were all written for an audience, they were all written to entertain a certain audience.
I've had a very sheltered life. What can happen to you if you stay home writing all day?
The only lesson is, you gotta keep at it.
Sometimes it helps to scold yourself, to give yourself advice.