Long before you graduated to reading horror books like Frankenstein or Dracula, you were probably getting your socks scared off by R.L. Stine's Goosebumps and Fear Street series. R.L. Stine is perhaps the most prolific writer of children's horror, but there's more to this author than his spooky tales.
Do you know how long it takes Stine to write a novel? Or what his one phobia is? Read on to find out 5 creepy facts about the master of children's horror!
1. Stine is known as the 'Stephen King of children's literature'
R.L. Stine didn't always know he wanted to write horror for children. He accidentally stumbled into the genre after a friend (and editorial director at Scholastic) had an argument with another YA horror writer.
She vowed never to work with the author again, and asked Stine if he'd be interested in writing middle-grade horror. R.L. Stine had never read a horror novel aimed at children, but agreed to give it a try anyway. And the rest is history!
2. He takes about 3 weeks to write one novel
R.L. Stine is something of a machine when it comes to putting out books. He's written hundreds of novels and on average writes about seven books a year, taking three weeks to complete each one.
His secret? Stine never jumps into writing anything without outlining it first. He claims that the actual writing is easy as long as he has a laid-out plan.
3. Ray Bradbury is one of his favorite writers
It seems like a no-brainer that a writer like R.L. Stine would be a fan of Bradbury's dreamy, horror-like tales. But Ray Bradbury isn't his only classic fave. Agatha Christie ranks among Stine's favorite authors to read, as does P.G. Wodehouse!
In fact, R.L Stine loves Wodehouse so much, he refers to him as the 'Shakespeare of comedy'.
4. R.L. Stine isn't scared of anything
It probably doesn't come as a surprise that there's very little that scares the creator of Fear Street. Stine has said in the past that writing his books doesn't scare him, nor does reading horror books by other authors.
But while R.L. Stine rarely reads horror (except those written by Stephen King), he loves finding good horror movies. But not even a spooky horror film will set Stine on edge—he actually finds them comedic!
5. Except jumping into swimming pools
While horror novels and movies might not frighten R.L. Stine, there is one thing the scary writer just can't do: jump into swimming pools. Mind you, Stine isn't afraid of water itself, just the physical act of jumping into it.
Even R.L. Stine himself is stumped as to why he developed this phobia. Perhaps the fact that he grew up in Ohio and didn't see the ocean until he was 19 has something to do with it?
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