Ask the Author: Owen King
Answered Questions (8)
Owen King
Doing a lot of research reading at the moment, but I'm hopeful that I'll have a bit of free time to read The Forgotten Girl by Rio Youers, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris, Hunger by Roxane Gay, A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, and Hilary Mantel's sequel to the amazing Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies. My eyes are bigger than my stomach, though, so I'll be doing well to go 3 for 6.
If you're looking for a recommendation, I give my highest one to The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan, which tells the story of the ruination that spreads ever-outward from a terrorist attack in a small market in Delhi. Mahajan's such a marvelous stylist and so astute in his characterizations. It's devastating, but well worth it.
If you're looking for a recommendation, I give my highest one to The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan, which tells the story of the ruination that spreads ever-outward from a terrorist attack in a small market in Delhi. Mahajan's such a marvelous stylist and so astute in his characterizations. It's devastating, but well worth it.
Owen King
Hi Cody,
I don't have a release date for Sleeping Beauties yet, but we're just about to do copy-edits, so you'll be seeing it sooner than later. Sometime in the second half of the year, certainly.
I'm sure I'm going to be talking about the collaborative process with my dad when the book gets closer to publication, but to speak to the way that Mark and I work: the key thing, I think, is that we are very free about rewriting each other. We have a story we want to tell, and a shared understanding of the characters, and based on that, we have complete faith in the other person to "raise" what we've written as they see fit. I'm almost never disappointed in the way that Mark edits and adds to what I've put down, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. Collaboration is hard if you get attached to too much.
It also helps that we have similar senses of humor and somewhat similar writing voices. If I explain an idea, and Mark likes it, he can create a version that contains everything I wanted - along with an extra flavor of his own that's totally unexpected and wonderful.
Thanks for the questions, and thanks for the kind words about Intro -
Best,
Owen
I don't have a release date for Sleeping Beauties yet, but we're just about to do copy-edits, so you'll be seeing it sooner than later. Sometime in the second half of the year, certainly.
I'm sure I'm going to be talking about the collaborative process with my dad when the book gets closer to publication, but to speak to the way that Mark and I work: the key thing, I think, is that we are very free about rewriting each other. We have a story we want to tell, and a shared understanding of the characters, and based on that, we have complete faith in the other person to "raise" what we've written as they see fit. I'm almost never disappointed in the way that Mark edits and adds to what I've put down, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. Collaboration is hard if you get attached to too much.
It also helps that we have similar senses of humor and somewhat similar writing voices. If I explain an idea, and Mark likes it, he can create a version that contains everything I wanted - along with an extra flavor of his own that's totally unexpected and wonderful.
Thanks for the questions, and thanks for the kind words about Intro -
Best,
Owen
Owen King
Hi Steve, see my next answer!
Best,
Owen
Best,
Owen
Owen King
Hi Gabriel,
Nice to hear from you!
Okay, to your first question: I start in different places.
The last short story I published, "Confederate Wall" (Subtropics, I think it's... issue #19?), has to do with a piled rock wall that one of the characters has been told was built by Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. My narrative sort of organizes itself around this wall with the characters returning to it. The genesis of the idea was - you probably guessed - that I met someone who had a rock wall in their backyard that they had been told was built by Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. I thought it was fascinating, and weird. From there everything came from the wall, the image of it, and the story I'd been told about it. I created a character who reacted to it in a certain way and then things began to move - I saw a path. So, yeah, in short, that was one that came from an everyday encounter.
But I've also written stories that were inspired by things I've read. For example, the initial germ of Double Feature came from an episode that's described in This is Orson Welles. And I've written to order, too, for anthologies. In those cases, I think about the theme, and see if something lights up for me.
Hope that helps!
I'm not sure I understand your second question. Can you elaborate?
Best,
Owen
Nice to hear from you!
Okay, to your first question: I start in different places.
The last short story I published, "Confederate Wall" (Subtropics, I think it's... issue #19?), has to do with a piled rock wall that one of the characters has been told was built by Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. My narrative sort of organizes itself around this wall with the characters returning to it. The genesis of the idea was - you probably guessed - that I met someone who had a rock wall in their backyard that they had been told was built by Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. I thought it was fascinating, and weird. From there everything came from the wall, the image of it, and the story I'd been told about it. I created a character who reacted to it in a certain way and then things began to move - I saw a path. So, yeah, in short, that was one that came from an everyday encounter.
But I've also written stories that were inspired by things I've read. For example, the initial germ of Double Feature came from an episode that's described in This is Orson Welles. And I've written to order, too, for anthologies. In those cases, I think about the theme, and see if something lights up for me.
Hope that helps!
I'm not sure I understand your second question. Can you elaborate?
Best,
Owen
Owen King
Hi there, Russ. I'm so glad you enjoyed We're All in This Together. There are some things about that book that, in retrospect, I don't love as much as I wish I did, but there's also a lot about it that I still like.
Anyhow: setting aside the issue of publishing, which is another ball of wax altogether, I do think short stories are good place for a writer to start. It's not that they're an easier or simpler art form. They're not. Successful short stories require incredible precision. There are many fabulous novelists who can't write them.
However, short stories are manageable. They're endlessly tricky, but there's not so much narrative to keep straight. You can finish a short story and at least have a draft to work with. Once you have that draft - once you have a frame to work inside - then you can really dig in and start editing.
Hope that helps -
Best,
Owen
Anyhow: setting aside the issue of publishing, which is another ball of wax altogether, I do think short stories are good place for a writer to start. It's not that they're an easier or simpler art form. They're not. Successful short stories require incredible precision. There are many fabulous novelists who can't write them.
However, short stories are manageable. They're endlessly tricky, but there's not so much narrative to keep straight. You can finish a short story and at least have a draft to work with. Once you have that draft - once you have a frame to work inside - then you can really dig in and start editing.
Hope that helps -
Best,
Owen
Owen King
This answer contains spoilers…
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Owen King
Hi John,
I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the books!
I do have a couple of new novels chugging along the tracks. I'm in the 360s on one, and on about page 80 on the other. Probably a ways to go with both, and of course, someone has to want to publish them. Which is all to say, "Please remember me in approximately two years!"
About comics: My hope is that I'll get to take another crack at the medium down the line. I have one idea in that direction that I really love and would be a traditional superhero serial, except grounded in certain ways that I feel like might make it kind of special.
Besides all that, I've been wrapped up in some different tv/film projects. Fingers crossed that one of them works out!
Best,
Owen
P.S. I did publish new-ish stories in Subtropics (#19, I think) and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet (#31, I think).
I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the books!
I do have a couple of new novels chugging along the tracks. I'm in the 360s on one, and on about page 80 on the other. Probably a ways to go with both, and of course, someone has to want to publish them. Which is all to say, "Please remember me in approximately two years!"
About comics: My hope is that I'll get to take another crack at the medium down the line. I have one idea in that direction that I really love and would be a traditional superhero serial, except grounded in certain ways that I feel like might make it kind of special.
Besides all that, I've been wrapped up in some different tv/film projects. Fingers crossed that one of them works out!
Best,
Owen
P.S. I did publish new-ish stories in Subtropics (#19, I think) and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet (#31, I think).
Owen King
Hi Cory,
I feel like the answer to both of these questions is pretty subjective.
I mean, if you look at a master novelists, like, oh, let's say, Anne Tyler or Toni Morrison or Philip Roth, you have to guess that at this stage, they must feel good about all the amazing stuff they've written, right? But it wouldn't shock me if, sitting down to start something new, even greats like those writers suffer some anxiety. Every new project is terribly big before you've put down any words.
Then again, maybe they have no doubts from the get-go!
I would say that if your self-doubt forces you to be especially thoughtful about your writing, it's probably for the best. The trouble is if your self-doubt freezes you. The process of writing stories is inherently risky, so you do have to let go of self-doubt at some point.
Best,
Owen
I feel like the answer to both of these questions is pretty subjective.
I mean, if you look at a master novelists, like, oh, let's say, Anne Tyler or Toni Morrison or Philip Roth, you have to guess that at this stage, they must feel good about all the amazing stuff they've written, right? But it wouldn't shock me if, sitting down to start something new, even greats like those writers suffer some anxiety. Every new project is terribly big before you've put down any words.
Then again, maybe they have no doubts from the get-go!
I would say that if your self-doubt forces you to be especially thoughtful about your writing, it's probably for the best. The trouble is if your self-doubt freezes you. The process of writing stories is inherently risky, so you do have to let go of self-doubt at some point.
Best,
Owen
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Mar 21, 2018 10:17AM · flag