A book’s “Author’s Note'“ shares additional information about how the author got the idea for the story or some other historical information about the story if it’s based on fact. It is an opportunity for the author to speak directly to the readers.

In Stephen King’s, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, he puts his “Author’s Note” before the Contents page right at the front of the book. The message may have been inspired by the fact that this book is a collection of short stories, which is not the norm for Stephen King, but the news is a lesson in writing worth rereading and pondering. The entire message is below.

Author’s Note

“Some of these stories have been previously published, but that doesn’t mean they were done, or even now. The work is not finished until the writer either retires or dies; it can always use another polish and a few more revisions. There are also a bunch of new ones. Something else I want you to know: how glad I am, Constant Reader, that we’re both still here. Cool, isn’t it?

The Book

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King complies with 20 short stories. The review of this book can be found by clicking the link above. I had read some of these stories before but enjoyed them again. I admit some; I wasn’t sure if I had read them until I had almost finished.

All of Stephen King’s books can teach us something about writing well if we look for them.

—SK