Stephen King Short Story Collection Will Include Writing Advice

Posted on March 19, 2015

It's been 15 years since Stephen King published his book On Writing in which he gives excellent advice for aspiring writers and gives great insight into how he creates. This fall, King will share more writing advice as part of a new short story collection called The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.

The Guardian reports that the new short story collection will hit stores on November 3, 2015. The book contains twenty short stories. Some are new and some were published in magazines. Each story will include an introduction by King. In each introduction King discusses "when, whey and how he came to write it." He also reveals the "origins and motivations of each story."

King's British Editor at Hodder & Stoughton, Philippa Pride, promised that the introductions will "delight all his readers including those who love his insight into the craft of writing." One of the stories included in the collection is "A Death" which was recently published in The New Yorker. The story is set in the 19th century. Jim Trusdale is accused of murdering a young girl for a silver dollar she got for her birthday. Trusdale claims he is innocent as he is led to the gallows, but not everyone is convinced he's guilty.

Ms. Pride gave The Guardian brief descriptions of three of the new stories, as well. One is about a man who keeps reliving the same life and making the same mistakes every time, which sounds like King's version of Groundhog Day -- and who wouldn't want to read that? Another tells the story of a journalist who writes obituaries which kill people. She says the collection also includes a tale about the end of the human race, and one about battling homeowners who enter into an ill-advised fireworks competition.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams will be released by Scribner in the U.S. on November 3, 2015. The hardcover clocks in at 480 pages. King is busier than ever. In June, his next novel Finders Keepers will be released. The book is a sequel to Mr. Mercedes and features a crazed fan who stalks a famous author who stopped writing about the fan's favorite character.