R. L. Stine Quotes

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R. L. Stine

Profession : Writer

Birth : October 8, 1943

I started writing when I was 9 years old. I was like this weird kid who would just stay in my room, typing little funny magazines and drawing comic strips.

R. L. Stine

I always just wanted to be funny. I never really planned to be scary.

R. L. Stine

A real New Yorker likes the sound of a garbage truck in the morning.

R. L. Stine

Most fears are basic: fear of the dark, fear of going down in the basement, fear of weird sounds, fear that somebody is waiting for you in your closet. Those kinds of things stay with you no matter what age.

R. L. Stine

When I write for kids, I have to make sure they know what can't happen. They have to know it's a fantasy. But when I write for adults, they have to think it's real. Every detail has to be real or they won't buy it.

R. L. Stine

I've never turned into a bee - I've never been chased by a mummy or met a ghost. But many of the ideas in my books are suggested by real life.

R. L. Stine

When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books.

R. L. Stine

I got the chance to do things that I dreamed of when I was a kid: I got to travel around the world; I had my own 'Goosebumps' attraction at Disney World; I've been on TV and had three TV series.

R. L. Stine

I have a cheat-sheet for each one of my characters about their personality, the way they look, etc. So there is no possible way that I could have writer's block.

R. L. Stine

It's my job, too, to keep up with pop culture and what the kids are into 'cause you don't want to sound like an old man trying to write for kids. I spend a lot of my time spying on them.

R. L. Stine

At least I can write.

R. L. Stine

Read. Read. Read. Just don't read one type of book. Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles.

R. L. Stine

If you want to be a writer, don't worry so much about writing. Read as much as you can. Read as many different writers as you can. Soak up the styles.

R. L. Stine

Kids think you just sit down and start writing. I always tell them you never do that.

R. L. Stine

I used to get a haircut every Saturday so I would never miss any of the comic books. I had practically no hair when I was a kid!

R. L. Stine

If you do enough planning before you start to write, there's no way you can have writer's block. I do a complete chapter by chapter outline.

R. L. Stine

I love theme parks but I'm a real chicken on rides. I'd rather invent scary rides for my books than go on them for real.

R. L. Stine

I've never dreamed of a story idea. I have such boring dreams.

R. L. Stine

I'm obsessed with radio. It's a good start to Sunday morning.

R. L. Stine

I set a goal for myself everyday when I write - 10 pages a day - and it's much harder because I'm too dumb to turn off my Twitter and everything so it's always on and it's a real distraction. It's a major distraction.

R. L. Stine