The first Stephen King book I ever read was his memoir On Writing. He struck me as a writer who was dedicated not just to the art and craft of writing, but also to a life of reading. Alongside his passion for popular science fiction and horror of the 1950s and 1960s, his growth as a writer was equally fed by his love of Dickens and Trollope.

King’s story is one every writer dreams about. In the 70s, while working low paid jobs and making ends meet, he wrote his first novel, Carrie. Its rapid success made him both successful and financially secure almost overnight.

Fast forward a few decades and King is as prolific as ever. His new book, Holly, comes out later this year. Although he is known as a horror writer, he has recently been regarded (not least by his publishers) as a writer of thrillers. This may be a reflection of a shift in style, or it may be driven by the publisher. Thrillers sell. Horror is seen as a niche genre.

I recently read The Institute, which is full of some of King’s favourite elements: children with supernatural powers; jobs with night shifts; the daily lives of people on the fringe of US society; big questions about good and evil. King is evidence of the famous observation that a writer just writes the same book again and again. This is not meant negatively, but is rather an observation about how, perhaps unconsciously, a writer will return to the same material. I have read at least one review in a national publication which complained that The Institute featured themes King had already covered. I think this kind of criticism fails to appreciate the way that creative endevours draw on unconscious material. The writer uses ideas which spring into the mind. This is part of the mystery of creative work.

One of the impressive things about King is his creative energy. It’s not just that he writes long books (as he always did), but that he still has the “What if?” starting point that he would have had right back at the beginning. The Mr Mercedes series is evidence of this. It became a trilogy, the second of which, Finders Keepers, gave King the chance to explore the world of writers and readers, when the young protagonist stumbles across a manuscript which has both literary and monetary value.

King has written many novels about writing and the art of writing. I think it is a brave choice to do this, and aspiring writers should think hard before they make their main character a writer. It seems like naval gazing, like the writer has limited experience and so writes about the process they are in. Misery and The Shining famously have writers at the centre, but several other works do too (‘1401’, Finders Keepers, Dumas Key, etc). King makes a success of this, where other writers would have failed.

Over the years I have come back to King a number of times, constantly rediscovering him. He doesn’t stay still, and he doesn’t rest on his reputation. He keeps writing, keeps telling stories.

What is King’s secret to success? There isn’t one, except for the obvious. He read a lot, he writes a lot, he has always been interested in storytelling and words. As well as this, he has cared little for trends. An aspiring writer should write what they want to write and not try to ride the latest wave of popularity. If King had done that, he may have been finished years ago.