Steven King is one of the most successful writers in the world both at the time he was publishing books and now. But he didn’t always start as a writer. He was first introduced to writing after a guidance counselor at his school wanted to get him to use his “restless pen in a more productive way.” His counselor found him a writer for a newspaper who taught him how to write a story. He taught him to write the story for yourself that you would like. Similar to a rough draft but then he taught him to go back and take out all the parts that aren’t the story similar to a final draft. I believe this to have been King’s first real writing experience, but it does not compare to Alexie’s upbringing.
Alexie must be the youngest starting writing prodigy I have read about. He taught himself how to read a little over the age of 3 by reading Superman Comics. He connected the pictures to how the words looked and taught himself to read by connecting the dots. His motivation was his father, he loved his father and his father loved to read so Alexie learned to love to read aswell. Growing up in an Indian Reservation was hard for him. He talked about how it was dangerous for a young Indian to learn at the pace he was and they he was lucky to have been able to and that he did. His motivation changed from his father’s approval to wanting to help more Indian children. They grew up reading in school but not like Alexie. He wanted to share his knowledge with them in hopes they could teach themselves more. He wanted them to unlock their own doors in order to have a better future. His upbringing compared to King’s is like no other, in this way King does not compare to Alexie.
