I stumped Stephen King!

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WriterInChains

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I just got back from his lecture in Portland -- is he the coolest or what?
I haven't laughed so hard at a literary event since Guts.

Anyway, in the program was a card to ask the speaker a question. He read mine: What question have you never been asked but you'd like someone to?
He just stared at the card for a few moments, then at the audience for a few more, laughed and said, "I don't know." Someone in the front row shouted that someone stumped him and he said, "This is surreal." Hehe, I'm surreal!

He gave it more thought, and said, "Nobody's ever asked what color underwear I have on." So, of course someone had to shout it out (not me, I was grinning to hard). He said he didn't remember.

Just had to share. If I had a Christmas letter, this would go in! Maybe I'll start a new tradition -- it's been a helluva year so far! :)

Hehe, I stumped Stephen King! :) He's only been my favorite author since, oh, 1979? Maybe '78, I was in Jr. High.
 
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Don't be surprised if he beheads a character named Caren in his next novel or novella, whatever that is.
 

C.bronco

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That's cool! I remember when I was 14 I met Peter Straub at a fantasy/sci fi convention and asked him for advice. He said I should type my book first (it was hand written) before sending it out. He was really nice. Meeting Stephen King might have been the only thing to top that!
 

aadams73

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That is just too cool, and I'm dead jealous. :D
 

badducky

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Let me get this straight... You could have asked Stephen King any question in the world, and you asked him what question he's never been asked?

Going meta with the Man won't make your writing better, you know.

I'm not trying to be a downer, but that is my reaction to hearing about it. Stumping someone isn't as wonderful as gleaning new tips and techniques from them.

I could stump just about any teacher I've ever had (and I often did), but that wasn't as vital as learning what I could from them.
 
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I stumped Michael Dukakis' daughter in law during the 1988 Presidential campaign.

At University of Buffalo.

The Student Center.

She's there campaiging for the Duke. Talking, walking around, shaking hands. She has a small crowd around her. I walk up and hear her yapping about this or that and I wait for my moment. She says something about "Reagan and Bush have run up the deficit."

I interject..."Well the Congress has to pass the budget that ran up the deficit. And the congress is controlled by democrats."

She looks at me, stumped, for about two seconds. Not a hint of an intelligent rebuttle on the horizon.

An aide says "Okay, we have to go."

He grabs her arm and they're off.

It was a good day in Thrillyland.

I'll tell ya that.
:)
 

WriterInChains

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billythrilly7th said:
Don't be surprised if he beheads a character named Caren in his next novel or novella, whatever that is.

THAT would be awesome! I hope he does (but won't hold my breath, even if I did sign the little card w/my full name :)).
 

WriterInChains

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badducky said:
Let me get this straight... You could have asked Stephen King any question in the world, and you asked him what question he's never been asked?

Going meta with the Man won't make your writing better, you know.

I'm not trying to be a downer, but that is my reaction to hearing about it. Stumping someone isn't as wonderful as gleaning new tips and techniques from them.

I could stump just about any teacher I've ever had (and I often did), but that wasn't as vital as learning what I could from them.
I wasn't trying to stump him. I just wanted to hear something that was going on inside his head - anything -- a comment about a character, his WIP, Lisey's Story -- anything HE wanted to talk about right then.

Everyone else (except one woman who said he was her b.d gift to her mom & asked him to say Happy Birthday -- he had 2,770 people sing to her! :)) asked the usual questions I've heard a million times at readings: What book do you wish you'd written? What's the most important piece of advice you give to new writers? What's your favorite book you wrote? What are you reading now?

I just wanted to ask something different, so I did.
Hell, that's probably the only time in my life I'll get to communicate with The Man directly. Couldn't waste it on a question he's heard a million times before!

What would you have asked him?
I seriously want to know, because now I'll need a new "different" question to ask at the next Rock Star Writer event I go to. :D
 

WriterInChains

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C.bronco said:
That's cool! I remember when I was 14 I met Peter Straub at a fantasy/sci fi convention and asked him for advice. He said I should type my book first (it was hand written) before sending it out. He was really nice. Meeting Stephen King might have been the only thing to top that!
Cool! He's another writer I'd like to meet. He could always creep me out too -- I love being creeped out! :)
 

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Congrats. However, I think you would have made more money in the long run and advanced your writing career further if you had humped Stephen King rather than stumped him. Just MHO...:D
 

WriterInChains

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Kate -- Too funny! He did tell about being asked "Boxers or briefs?" He said "Depends" -- and his wife said, "Nobody loves a smartass." I hadn't really wondered myself until now, though!! :roll:

Seriously, the man is as funny as he is scary. I won't give up any more of his bits, though, in case any of you are going to see him on this tour (short as it is).
 

WriterInChains

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SpookyWriter said:
Congrats. However, I think you would have made more money in the long run and advanced your writing career further if you had humped Stephen King rather than stumped him. Just MHO...:D
Ummmmm, maybe, but I doubt he would go for that. It's ironic -- he's so devoted to his wife that it makes him even sexier than the other Rock Star Writers. But, I'm just a surreal groupie so don't pay attention to this post! :D
 

badducky

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How about something like: "How do you avoid bad writing?" or "How have you managed to stay true to so many different characters after so many different years? I mean, haven't you run out of family members and friends to mimic somewhere between book one hundred and one hundred and fifty."
 

WriterInChains

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badducky: I think he's covered those topics, both in On Writing & in the first hour of last night's lecture. He says he thinks (poorly paraphrased, sorry Mr. K) writing is a gene, it's as much a part of someone as having blue eyes but you still have to work at it. It's what he was born to do.

I don't get the impression he bases all of his MCs on people he actually knows (but I could be wrong). He said he got the idea for Desperation while driving his daughter's car from OR to ME -- he stopped in a deserted Nevada town & the only sign of life he saw was a parked cruiser and a cop walking down the street & he thought, "Nobody's on the street because he killed them all." Maybe the cop's story & personality just suggested itself from that & he didn't base him on anyone? It's possible. :D

Besides, I've only recently embraced how differently my brain seems to work than most everyone else's I've ever met -- and I'm groovin' on it. Odd questions and all. :)
 
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WriterInChains

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Thanks, everyone, for commenting. I wasn't going to post about it, it seemed like bragging or something like that -- but my daughter encouraged me to. It's cool to re-live it. The whole night was a blast, even waiting 1.5 hours outside in the cold so I could get one of the "limited number" of signed books. It was fun meeting other King Geeks -- two guys even came in from England to catch all of the stops on the tour!
 

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I like the question you asked, Caren! It's so cool that you asked to hear what HE would like to talk about given the opportunity -- your question gave him that opportunity. Obviously, that doesn't seem to happen too often for him.

He sounds like a great guy to have a beer with. Thanks for the story.
 
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Silver King

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billythrilly7th said:
I stumped Michael Dukakis' daughter in law during the 1988 Presidential campaign.
My mind must be in the gutter, because I thought for sure this would lead to her getting stumped in an entirely different fashion.
 

writerterri

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badducky said:
Let me get this straight... You could have asked Stephen King any question in the world, and you asked him what question he's never been asked?

Going meta with the Man won't make your writing better, you know.

I'm not trying to be a downer, but that is my reaction to hearing about it. Stumping someone isn't as wonderful as gleaning new tips and techniques from them.

I could stump just about any teacher I've ever had (and I often did), but that wasn't as vital as learning what I could from them.
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odezines

I bet he did check when he got back to his room!!! I wish I was there to see the look on his face. Let us know if he ever writes you back or anything!
 

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What a brilliant question to ask. It's almost too bad you stumped him,but what a cool anecdote! I bet he thought of a few answers (besides the humorous one about his underwear) once he was off the spot.
Maybe he'll call you :D
 
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