I've started reading The Shining by Stephen King. And let me just tell you, it's amazing. I thought Stephen King might just be so venerated because his plot lines are so original and freakish. So I wasn't expecting the writing to be anything spectacular. But King's a unique and spirited author. His details are really descriptive and his characters are deep and thoughtful. So I thought I would just talk about the writing techniques that make him different from other novelists, because there are plenty.
One thing that makes King special is that in The Shining, there is no main character. For those who have only seen the movie, you might think it's Jack, but in the book, perspective rotates between Jack, his wife Wendy, and their son Danny, and sometimes it switches within the chapters. I think this really keeps the reader hooked. Sometimes the reader can become attached to one character only, even though the others also have interesting back stories. They all have different perspectives about the same events, so the reader doesn't form a biased opinion because they're instantly drawn to a character.
King includes just enough detail in his setting descriptions so that the reader is intigued but not bored. "Mr. Ullman was a step below them, buttoned into an expensive-looking brown mohair overcoat. The sun was entirely behind the mountains now, edging them with gold fire, making the shadows around things look long and purple." (page 145). King provides enough description to paint an image in the reader's mind, but doesn't go full on J.R.R. Tolkien. Also, I like the way he subtly hints at aspects of his characters, like Ullman, who's rich, and so is wearing a thick fur coat.
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