References or "In Jokes" in stories.

[lovecraft68]

I just posted a mother son story and there is a scene where the mother is on her son's laptop and finds out he has a incest site bookmarked.

She is looking at the videos and notices they're (of course) all mother son. To try to make it more fun I had her "read" the tag lines on some of the videos. Here is a small excerpt

My finger trembling on the mouse, I clicked it, and frowned as I saw about a dozen videos there. My eyes wandered across the tag lines and I wrinkled my nose in disgust .

"Billy rubs his mom's feet and she lets him rub more!"

"Joel's Mom makes his wet dream, a hot reality"

"Oh that's nasty," I muttered while looking at an older woman dressed in sexy Santa lingerie.

"Matt's Mom introduces him to a special Christmas Tradition."

Now the thing is that those 3 lines describe 3 of my other mother/son stories. I thought it would be fun to put it in there and see if anyone notices and comments.

I got this idea because I always liked when authors did that to reference their other books and see if readers would catch it(which gives them a thrill) a brief example is in Stephen King's Insomnia(which, by the way, is the cure for said disease) they find a shoe that belonged to an unfortunate boy named Gage, which refers to Pet Sematary.

Lovecraft and Bloch referenced not only each others stories, but each wrote one where the protagonist(which always comes to a bad end in those tales) was styled after the other.

Recently and my favorite these days is Stan Lee's cameos in all the Marvel movies. I find myself as I watch the movie keep thinking, "Okay he's going to show up any minute"

I like traditions like that and was wondering if anyone here has tried it and if anyone caught it. Or if you've caught another author doing it here.

Other examples from any authors and movies are welcome as well, I think its a fun concept.

 

[Typo Fu Master]

John Varley. The books involved were an earlier title, Millennium, and a later book called Mammoth. He pokes fun at Millennium but I enjoyed both.

 

[mynameisben]

Other examples from any authors and movies are welcome as well, I think its a fun concept.

I had this dream once, long ago, that when my first trashy romance novel was to be published I would lay out a huge canvas on the floor and splash multicolor paints all over it. And then a former lover and I would strip naked, thrash about in the paint, and have hot, passionate sex on it. Afterward, I'd take a photo of the canvas and send it off to my publisher to have it used as the dust jacket for my first book To millions of clueless readers, the book's cover art would appear to be a typical smeary, modern art painting a la James Pollock. Only I and that former lover would ever know it was a recording of our lovemaking. I'd grin every time I saw someone pluck it off a bookstore shelf or reading it while riding the bus.

But alas. She abandoned the dream before I did.

 

[lovecraft68]

I had this dream once, long ago, that when my first trashy romance novel was to be published I would lay out a huge canvas on the floor and splash multicolor paints all over it. And then a former lover and I would strip naked, thrash about in the paint, and have hot, passionate sex on it. Afterward, I'd take a photo of the canvas and send it off to my publisher to have it used as the dust jacket for my first book To millions of clueless readers, the book's cover art would appear to be a typical smeary, modern art painting a la James Pollock. Only I and that former lover would ever know it was a recording of our lovemaking. I'd grin every time I saw someone pluck it off a bookstore shelf or reading it while riding the bus.

But alas. She abandoned the dream before I did.

So if you ever did do this, can you imagine the look on her face when she saw it?

Then can you imagine the lawsuit (and the publicity) when she sues for royalties?

"Your honor, you see that small red dot? That dot is the exact size of my clit when excited! What? You need proof?"

 

[AlwaysDancing]

I've always been fond of these little Easter Eggs. Critics abound because they're viewed as indulgent and so on. I say whatever to these critics. Easter Eggs are like movie cameos. They're fun, light hearted and ... and ... fun (I'm so eloquent).

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I do them cuz Stephan King does it, and if you haven't been able to tell by now, I'm his fan to the point of obsessiveness.

I had a minor character from my first series show up as a cousin's boyfriend in my Series, "Tenderness"

Also in "Tenderness" I have a character who is a student at the high school where one of my protagonists teaches English. He becomes the main character in my Nude Day submission, "The Goats."

King is a lot better at it than I am.

Gerald's Game+Dolores Claiborne=Eclipse scene
Misery=Anne mentions the crazy man who blew up the Overlook Hotel.
The Tommyknockers+IT=Clown makes a cameo in TK
11/22/63+IT=Two of the kids make an appearance in 11
Desperation+The Regulators=Same characters, just different takes on how the situation could have gone.
The Dark Tower=Every damn stephan king book ever with stephan king as a main character.

That's all I can think of for now.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The plots from many classic horror tales make cameo appearances in SKs scribbles.

 

[lovecraft68]

I do them cuz Stephan King does it, and if you haven't been able to tell by now, I'm his fan to the point of obsessiveness.

I had a minor character from my first series show up as a cousin's boyfriend in my Series, "Tenderness"

Also in "Tenderness" I have a character who is a student at the high school where one of my protagonists teaches English. He becomes the main character in my Nude Day submission, "The Goats."

King is a lot better at it than I am.

Gerald's Game+Dolores Claiborne=Eclipse scene
Misery=Anne mentions the crazy man who blew up the Overlook Hotel.
The Tommyknockers+IT=Clown makes a cameo in TK
11/22/63+IT=Two of the kids make an appearance in 11
Desperation+The Regulators=Same characters, just different takes on how the situation could have gone.
The Dark Tower=Every damn stephan king book ever with stephan king as a main character.

That's all I can think of for now.

Desperation ended King for me. It was horrible.

His older work was better back when his editors still had stones and would shorten his work or make him change things.

To me his glory days were Carrie to Pet Sematary. Although the Dark half which came after that was damn good.

I'm not saying all his work has been terrible since(and it's my opinion anyway) but I stopped buying it because "Oh, its Stephen King!"

Best example is The Stand. the original was great, then he release the version with the extra 400 words that were cut out. All with very good reason, now no one makes him cut anything.

 

[lovecraft68]

The plots from many classic horror tales make cameo appearances in SKs scribbles.

I think of all the genre's horror is best at admitting influences and paying homage to them.

The entire plot line of Lumley's Deadspeak was a tribute to Lovecraft's Charles Dexter ward.

 

[TxRad]

I might make references to other stories if I'm using characters from it in another story. I don't give the name of the story outright but it is usually easy to figure out.

The exception to that is "Out of the Night" which is a spin off of "A Cold and Rainy Day" in the fact that the mystery woman has read the first story and wants to make her own. You don't have to have read "A Cold and Rainy Day" to understand the references, which worked out well.

No one has mentioned any of the references in comments that I remember but a friend of mine to this day still won't sit on the chaise lounge in my living room.

 

[PennLady]

I've certainly referenced my own stories in other stories, and MugsyB and I have fun "tagging" each other's stories. I just do it to make it fun for myself and seeing if anyone else notices.

For those who will enjoy it,
The Stephen King Universe Flowchart

 

[lovecraft68]

I've certainly referenced my own stories in other stories, and MugsyB and I have fun "tagging" each other's stories. I just do it to make it fun for myself and seeing if anyone else notices.

For those who will enjoy it,
The Stephen King Universe Flowchart

That's fun. Like I said Lovecraft and his Circle did that all the time using the books and deities they created.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Best example is The Stand. the original was great, then he release the version with the extra 400 words that were cut out. All with very good reason, now no one makes him cut anything.

...

Um

...

Ah

...

Oh well, I might as well say it.

WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS ANYMORE!!!

 

[PennLady]

Desperation ended King for me. It was horrible.

That's funny -- I loved Desperation, even more than The Regulators, which it came with. I did like how he changed the characters around.

My most unfavorite books of his are Gerald's Game (booorrrring) and Misery (didn't like the book, but loved the movie).

Best example is The Stand. the original was great, then he release the version with the extra 400 words that were cut out. All with very good reason, now no one makes him cut anything.

The only version of The Stand I've read was the unabridged, and I have to say I was never bored. And if it was only 400 words against the entire length - how would you even notice? That was a long book.

I admit I'm not as enamored of many of his stories these days, and I never did hang around waiting on a release, but I still enjoy his writing most times.

 

[mynameisben]

I only dislike his scary stuff.

 

[litfan10]

Okay, I know Cruel is going to be hating me after this but....

I loved Stephen King until about Tommyknockers. My personal, very third person removed, opinion is that Stephen King was a great, great storyteller up to about when he was overloaded by hype and praise and then he felt he was a writer and he started to overwrite and stopped telling stories. I remember reading articles about him, and he would say how he got the idea for Misery by seeing if he could write something with minimal characters and setting. As well as other later works that were more writer's assignments or exercises than stories in terms of the prompt for him to write them.

Downhill ever since. Granted, even in his post prime (as I consider him), he is still a hell of a lot better than I ever will be.

 

[litfan10]

As to references and in jokes, I first found Lit over ten years ago with the story "The Bet" by amyscute. That story hooked me to this site and I've been here ever since a very, very happy boy.

Now years later when I started writing here, I wanted to acknowledge Amy and her work. After tracking her down as she had left here for years, she graciously gave me permission to extensively use "The Bet" in my Deal series. I had my characters in Jamaica witnessing the entire story as spectators and actually interacting with her characters without altering the continuity of her story at all.

A lot of fun and had a real sweet email dialogue with Amy for a while which was a pleasant bonus.

I was trying to do that again with my Holly series, and another great Lit writer, Annanova was incredibly gracious and willing to play but then my health got screwed up and I haven't written since.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

That's funny -- I loved Desperation, even more than The Regulators, which it came with. I did like how he changed the characters around.

My most unfavorite books of his are Gerald's Game (booorrrring) and Misery (didn't like the book, but loved the movie).



The only version of The Stand I've read was the unabridged, and I have to say I was never bored. And if it was only 400 words against the entire length - how would you even notice? That was a long book.

I admit I'm not as enamored of many of his stories these days, and I never did hang around waiting on a release, but I still enjoy his writing most times.

THANK YOU

I just read desperation/regulators back to back, and it's really fun!

I remember reading the abridged version of the stand (400 PAGES, not words) And I liked it, but then I read that book to tatters (literally) and I found another book in the basement.

I started reading it and I realized that it was a lot more about twenty pages in.

And I Fucking LOVED it.

So sorry =LC, I'm the exact person that his rambling unedited stories were made for.

 

[lovecraft68]

That's funny -- I loved Desperation, even more than The Regulators, which it came with. I did like how he changed the characters around.

My most unfavorite books of his are Gerald's Game (booorrrring) and Misery (didn't like the book, but loved the movie).



The only version of The Stand I've read was the unabridged, and I have to say I was never bored. And if it was only 400 words against the entire length - how would you even notice? That was a long book.

I admit I'm not as enamored of many of his stories these days, and I never did hang around waiting on a release, but I still enjoy his writing most times.

Big typo, it was like 400 pages! Maybe if I started with it, it wuld not have been so bad, but aftre reading the original everything seemed extra, especially the scenes that were pretty much torture/cruelty. They were smart leaving that off the first.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Big typo, it was like 400 pages! Maybe if I started with it, it wuld not have been so bad, but aftre reading the original everything seemed extra, especially the scenes that were pretty much torture/cruelty. They were smart leaving that off the first.

In the forward for the extended version, King pretty much admits what you're pointing out. He said that the only part of the cut-down version that he thought needed more was the journy of the Trashcan man from Gary Indiana to Las Vegas. (and I agree)

So yes, he pretty much admitted that the extended version WAS just a money-grub for hardcore fans. (like me )

Another thing he mentioned is that he edited the extra material himself, and that a lot of stuff in his earlier drafts was edited out for a good reason. So I'm glad that the editors "Had the stones" to cut down his work the first time.

Otherwise instead of a good cut-down version and a GLORIOUS extended version, we would have only had one rambly confused version.

 

[lovecraft68]

In the forward for the extended version, King pretty much admits what you're pointing out. He said that the only part of the cut-down version that he thought needed more was the journy of the Trashcan man from Gary Indiana to Las Vegas. (and I agree)

So yes, he pretty much admitted that the extended version WAS just a money-grub for hardcore fans. (like me )

Another thing he mentioned is that he edited the extra material himself, and that a lot of stuff in his earlier drafts was edited out for a good reason. So I'm glad that the editors "Had the stones" to cut down his work the first time.

Otherwise instead of a good cut-down version and a GLORIOUS extended version, we would have only had one rambly confused version.

If you liked the Stand and "The handful of survivors struggling in the new world" premise let me recommend a book to you that blows the Stand away.

Robert McCammon's Swan Song is unbelievable incredible characters and some great concepts.

McCammon blows King away period. They Thirst is one of the best Vampire novels ever (be warned though these are mean vampires!) and I have recommended Wolf's hour to anyone who enjoys the non human were stories here.

Back to King. I gave him another shot when he and Straub got back together again to do a sequel to The Talisman (another great book) called Black House.

King wrote the first part. It starts with him describing the town and introducing a few characters. 100 pages later he is still doing it. I gave the book away and have no interest in giving him another shot.

 

[PennLady]

If you liked the Stand and "The handful of survivors struggling in the new world" premise let me recommend a book to you that blows the Stand away.

You know, with the recent outbreak, if you will, of zombie stuff, I'm actually getting kind of tired of stories like that. Really. Although I'm actually reading one now (Living with the Dead by Josh Guess; it was free) I'm sure McCammon's stuff is good, but the whole thing, whether it's via zombies or war or whatever happened in "The Book of Eli," feels like it's getting overdone. Which doesn't mean I'll stop reading them but I may take some time out.

Back to King. I gave him another shot when he and Straub got back together again to do a sequel to The Talisman (another great book) called Black House.

I actually read The Talisman in high school, for my English class -- in a Catholic school even. I was bored stiff (people have since told me I was probably bored by the Straub portions, but I can't really say). I haven't read any Straub since then and the sequel didn't entice me.

Different strokes, I guess, eh? Ahem.

 

[litfan10]

If you liked the Stand and "The handful of survivors struggling in the new world" premise let me recommend a book to you that blows the Stand away.

Robert McCammon's Swan Song is unbelievable incredible characters and some great concepts.

McCammon blows King away period. They Thirst is one of the best Vampire novels ever (be warned though these are mean vampires!) and I have recommended Wolf's hour to anyone who enjoys the non human were stories here.

Back to King. I gave him another shot when he and Straub got back together again to do a sequel to The Talisman (another great book) called Black House.

King wrote the first part. It starts with him describing the town and introducing a few characters. 100 pages later he is still doing it. I gave the book away and have no interest in giving him another shot.

Back in the eighties I was heavily into vampire stories and two of the absolute best were McCammon's They Thirst and John Steakley's Vampire$. I often had a problem with how such powerful mythical creatures could so readily be killed by fairly stupid, and very normal people and that ruined so many books for me. Not so with these two works - the vampires were absolutely kiss-ass vicious and the humans were always lucky if they got away with only three-quarters of the large human party wiped out. Great stuff.

 

[lovecraft68]

You know, with the recent outbreak, if you will, of zombie stuff, I'm actually getting kind of tired of stories like that. Really. Although I'm actually reading one now (Living with the Dead by Josh Guess; it was free) I'm sure McCammon's stuff is good, but the whole thing, whether it's via zombies or war or whatever happened in "The Book of Eli," feels like it's getting overdone. Which doesn't mean I'll stop reading them but I may take some time out.



I actually read The Talisman in high school, for my English class -- in a Catholic school even. I was bored stiff (people have since told me I was probably bored by the Straub portions, but I can't really say). I haven't read any Straub since then and the sequel didn't entice me.

Different strokes, I guess, eh? Ahem.

Talisman reminded me as much of a fantasy story as horror. It did drag, but Straub is as wordy as King.

Straub was a frustrating author in the sense that he had some lights out books. Ghost Story was great(bad movie though) Floating Dragin is one of my all time favs. And Shadowland was so good I named my Comic store after it.

Then he wrote some weird Vietnam vet story named Koko that sucked and then sort of faded away for quite sometime.

I think we change as we age to. I read Talisman around my mid teens I think. If I were to read it now, maybe I would agree with you.

 

[lovecraft68]

Back in the eighties I was heavily into vampire stories and two of the absolute best were McCammon's They Thirst and John Steakley's Vampire$. I often had a problem with how such powerful mythical creatures could so readily be killed by fairly stupid, and very normal people and that ruined so many books for me. Not so with these two works - the vampires were absolutely kiss-ass vicious and the humans were always lucky if they got away with only three-quarters of the large human party wiped out. Great stuff.

Kobra is one of my favorite characters. An undead biker still using his mauser pistol.

I loved the characters. Solange was great and although I always seem to route for the bad guys. Wes, palatazin and especially Father Silvera were all well done.

I liked the touch of Cicero the drug dealer being immune to the cross because he was an atheist.

The book just rocked.

Lumley's Wamphyrie were the only vampires I have come across that were more vicious. The fact they had BDSM style sex slaves was a great touch as well.