Quote · Last Podcast On The Left
Episode 670: Father's Day w/ Stephen King & Joe Hill
Where this was said
When Do Ideas Die? The Craft of Knowing When to Quit
At 53:05 · chapter starts 49:40
Henry poses one of the most practical questions of the episode: when does an idea tip from promising to abandoned? Joe Hill's answer is character-first — he can write on a strong concept for a couple of days, but if there's no one inside the story he gives a damn about, he walks away. The concept without the character is a dead story. Stephen's version is more mechanical: a story needs two parts, like an engine needing a transmission. Just having a great image isn't enough; it has to connect with something that drives the whole thing. He adds, with disarming vulnerability, that every time he sends a manuscript to his publisher he expects a call saying it's all 'blah blah blah.' Meanwhile Joe confesses he assumes everything he writes is brilliant. The gap between their self-assessments is hilarious and revealing.
Joe Hill found an old handwritten Entertainment Weekly review by his father — sent by courier on a legal pad, no strikeouts, no corrections. Every sentence perfect on the first try. It's either genius or demonic.
Joe Hill found an old Entertainment Weekly manuscript written by Stephen King in longhand on a legal pad, with no corrections or edits — every sentence perfect from first draft.
Every time Stephen King sends a manuscript, he expects a call saying it's worthless. Meanwhile Joe Hill is completely certain everything he writes is brilliant. The gap is hilarious.
