Dealing with health issues and spending more time at home than in school, a little boy developed a fascination with comics and fiction. In his free time, he started writing, drawing inspiration from comic texts, and incorporating them into his own stories. His mother was his first literary critic and a so-called purchaser of stories. The price, of course, was not significant, yet the earned dollar was a source of pride for the young talent. This little boy was Stephen King.

All famous scriptwriters, editors, and authors have faced rejections. Stephen King could even get an award for the number of rejections he received from magazines throughout his life. "No" or "Not good enough" were the most frequent responses he heard. However, King didn't lose his enthusiasm; instead, he started treating rejections as part of the game.

He nailed a spike to the wall and attached every rejection he received to it. By hanging each new piece of paper, Stephen King understood that he was still in the game and had a chance to win. One day, the spike fell off, unable to hold so many rejection letters. The writer didn't give up and found a bigger spike, nailing it instead of the previous one, and continuing to play.

Analyzing the rejections, Stephen King noticed that over time, they became more constructive. The words weren't as harsh compared to the initial responses from publishers. He began receiving advice for his improvement. For example, he was told to replace staples for manuscript binding with paper clips. With each piece of feedback, he became better.

At 16, he received his first letter saying, "This is good. Not for us, but good. You have talent. Submit again." With his enthusiasm, he kept trying. As a result, in 1974, after 20 years of writing, Stephen King made his breakthrough. The publishing rights for his novel *Carrie* were sold for $400,000.