Shoutout to the old librarian who kicked off my horror writing obsession

I was like 13 at the public library in Sioux Falls and this older librarian handed me a beat up copy of Stephen King's The Shining. She said 'you look like you need something with some teeth in it' and walked off. I read the whole thing in three days and started writing my own creepy stories right after. Has anyone else had a random person just hand them a book or a prompt that totally changed their writing direction?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.tara4d ago

Whoa wait, a random librarian in Sioux Falls just sized you up that quick and handed you King? That's wild. I grew up in a small town library and the most exciting thing I got shoved at me was a Judy Blume book about puberty. That librarian must have seen something in you. Your mileage may vary but that kind of intuitive match is super rare. I'm still waiting for someone to drop a perfect dark fantasy novel in my lap out of nowhere.

king.jordan4d ago

Ask them next time you're in. Most small town librarians get a feel for who reads what after you check out a few things. Tell them you're open to trying something darker or weirder and see what they pull off the shelf. I've had librarians hand me stuff based on nothing more than me scowling at the horror section for five minutes. People who work in those places notice way more than you'd think. If you want that perfect dark fantasy drop, you gotta let them know you're looking for it.