According to King in the Notes section in Skeleton Crew, the inspiration for The Mist came from a real life experience. While there were no strange creatures, a massive thunderstorm much like the one which opens the story occurred where King lived at the time. The day after the storm, he went to a local supermarket with his son. While looking for hot dog buns, King imagined a "big prehistoric bird" flapping around in the store. By the time the two were in line to pay for their purchases, King had the basis for his story: survivors trapped in a supermarket surrounded by unknown creatures.

She is a religious woman with the extreme belief in bloodthirsty God; Mrs. Carmody is driven insane by the scenario and eventually declares that a human sacrifice must be made to rid the world of the mist. She is shot and killed by Ollie shortly before the escape attempt. Mrs. Carmody was initially perceived by everyone involved as borderline insane, but achieves a growing congregation as the story progresses. Perhaps the most benign of the terms used to describe her was "Too Old Testament." At one point, she accuses someone of stealing food; after which she proceeds to sip out of a likely non-purchased pint of milk.