Background
In the introduction to The Bachman Books, King relates how Misery was supposed to be another novel published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. King was revealed to be Bachman before the book was published. King theorized that the book would have been a breakout hit for Bachman and might have made him a household name.
King has recently stated that Paul's addiction to Novril, and his dependency on Annie to supply it, was a metaphor for his substance abuse at the time and how he was unable to clean himself up before his family intervened. This was a theme he had also explored in The Shining, which he had been disappointed not to see in its subsequent film adaptation.
One of Stephen King's inspirations for Misery was the reaction his fans had to The Eyes of the Dragon. The fans rejected The Eyes of the Dragon because of its lack of horror. Paul Sheldon feeling chained to the Misery books by his fans was a metaphor for his feeling chained to horror fiction.
Read more about this topic: Misery (novel)
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