On Writing

[Nameless_Rose]

I think it's sad that a lot of people look down on King because he writes horror. I think he is an excellent writer, and I don't think that some horror can't be considered literature just because its popular. In fact, I think that gothic lit can be more important to society than straight up literature, but that's just my personal opinion. This is why it bugs me when people are so surprised to find that oscar winning films like Shawshank Redemption, and the Green Mile are based on King's books. Is it really that shocking? Also, a lot of people don't know that the movie Stand by Me is based on King's short story "The Body." I have to say that my favorite work by him is the novella "Rage" in the Bachman books. It's the only one of his books which has ever been taken out of print because of controversy. It's about a teenager who shoots his teacher and takes his class hostage. I would highly reccomend it, but you'll need to find an old copy of The Bachman Books to read it, because like I said, it's out of print.

 

[Oblimo]

I think everyone who wants to write short fiction should read Stephen King's short stories to learn exactly how the job's done (his technical best, IMO, is The Moving Finger), and then read the unexpurgated version of The Stand to learn exactly how the job isn't done.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Jesus! Not even King buys the crap people write about him.

Do you ding dongs ever read his interviews?

 

[Oblimo]

Jesus! Not even King buys the crap people write about him.

Do you ding dongs ever read his interviews?

http://oblimo.pbwiki.com/f/Negative_Man_by_jollyjack.jpg

 

[manyeyedhydra]

I think everyone who wants to write short fiction should read Stephen King's short stories to learn exactly how the job's done (his technical best, IMO, is The Moving Finger), and then read the unexpurgated version of The Stand to learn exactly how the job isn't done.

I'll echo the comments on the short fiction. Clive Barker's Books of Blood is also a fine example of the craft. Shame he also went on to fall foul of the same mistakes in his later, longer work.

JBJ, I think you're hitting the wrong nail.

King tells a good story. Pointing out the deficiencies in his writing is like complaining at the lack of zombies in Sense and Sensibility. His imagination is what sells his books and his technical ability only needs to be good enough to force that through.

 

[SpicyPepper]

Here, here!

Also,
Oblimo, that is a HILARIOUS picture!

 

[john-the-author]

Ah, so. It was my first real movie (before that, it was the guy with the beach ball off to --fill in the blank Annette Funicello starlit's-- left shoulder in the beach scene). And the crusher was that I didn't realize it was a real movie--held out from watching it for years because it put me in a blue funk that I hadn't known it was for real.

You've been in other movies, too? Far out! I'd love to get a few bit parts. It'd be a lot of fun! You've been in a beach movie with Annette Funicello? (I'm assuming that that was in a day when we were all a trifle younger. )

Though I haven't been in a movie, one of my books was featured in a movie once: it appeared on Sandra Bullock's bookshelf briefly at the start of "The Net." It was incredibly visible--that particular book had large black letters on a bright gold spine, so you could read it very clearly. I heard about it from a bunch of Microsoft friends who'd seen the movie in the theaters. They saw my book and went "AH!"

I was very keen to see this for myself, so when "The Net" hit cable, I made a point of gluing myself to the screen to watch the first minute or two of the movie... and it wasn't there! I watched three or four more times before realizing that my book must've been in the portion of the bookshelf that was cut off when they went from the widescreen format to the TV size. I'll have to go find a widescreen version (renting the DVD, maybe) to see it. Shit.