Misery

King has confirmed that Misery is substantially autobiographical—a metaphor for his addiction to cocaine and alcohol in the 1980s. Annie Wilkes represents addiction itself: the force that had King prisoner, demanding production at any cost. He has said he did not fully understand what he had written until he got sober and read it again.

King has cited a recurring nightmare he had as an early clue—in the dream, an obese woman was reading his work and prepared to harm him if he disappointed her. He has also said the character emerged from thinking about obsessive fans and the way fame creates a sense of ownership in some readers. The name came partly from a Scottish folk song.

Rob Reiner directed the film adaptation starring James Caan as Paul Sheldon and Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes. Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress—the only time a King adaptation has won a performance Oscar at that level. Her portrayal of Annie is widely considered one of the definitive horror performances in film history.

Paul writes the novel Misery's Return for Annie under duress, but it turns out to be his best work. King uses this to examine the paradox that constraints—even violent ones—can unlock creativity. Paul's imprisonment forces him to write without the market, his agent, or his own ego, and the result surprises him. The novel-within-the-novel becomes the book that saves him.