Gabriel
asked
Owen King:
It says I should as A question but I will lay down two: 1. Do you pick your ideas from everyday encounters and flashes, or do you build up to them a lot of time and thinking until that final shape of a brilliant writing? 2. How would you balance the American Writers over the European? Thanks, and God Bless!
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
More Answered Questions
Russ Morey
asked
Owen King:
Owen, I can't say enough about your highly entertaining book, We're All in This Together: A Novella and Stories. I discovered your books at Inquiring Minds in New Paltz, NY. I seem to suffer from short-attention span writing. All my stories end at page 25. As a successful writer of the long form and short form, would you recommend a new writer to attempt to publish a collection of short stories as a book? Thank you!
Cody Williams
asked
Owen King:
Hi Owen, I am wondering if you have any idea when we can expect SLEEPING BEAUTIES to be released and what the writing process was like with Stephen King. I know you collaborated with Mark Poirier on INTRO TO ALIEN INVASION (a fantastic graphic novel, I might add) and I was wondering if the process was different between collaborators. Also, do you have any more solo projects coming down the pipeline? Thanks!
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