Talon: Thanks! You, too.
Joe: This one took a lot longer to write than the first one.
Talon: If it wasn't for all the kittens I had to save, or the many babies I delivered, this would've been done a lot quicker. Hopefully, Part 3 won’t be as troublesome.
Joe: We followed the same writing formula as Grandma? Part 1:
1. We talk about what's going to happen.
2. You write it.
3. I change everything in the rewrite.
Talon: Tough, but fair.
Joe: The difference between now and two years ago, when we began this project, is that we did some scenes together using Google Docs. What did you think of that experience?
Talon: It was a lot of fun, a lot of learning, and something I would come back to if I ever did another collaboration.
Joe: Were you amazed by how fast I can write, watching me do it live in a Google Doc?
Talon: I do have to admit, the professionalism and the way I excel in the art of prose is pretty amazing.
And yeah, you were good, too.
Joe: You've made a few hundred bucks off of Part 1. What did you do with the money? Investments? Stocks? Bonds? Real estate? Bitcoins? College fund?
Talon: The money went directly and safely under my bed.
Joe: Saving for something special?
Talon: All of it is going to strippers when I turn 18.
Joe: Thank god. I thought you were going to just blow it on something stupid.
Talon: What are you going to do with your half?
Joe: It already went to strippers.
Talon: I think we’re getting off topic.
Joe: When can we expect to see Part 3? In another two years?
Talon: I can ask you the same question. But, if I had to estimate, I’d say, hopefully, in a month.
Joe: It's true that I've been pretty busy with other projects, and Grandma? wasn't a priority for me. But it's also true that you rewrote Part 2 about a gazillion times. So it isn't all my fault.
Talon: The more reading and writing I did, the more I realized I needed to change some things. Like, grammar, plot, characterization, suspense, POV, pace, explaining why things happened; you know, all that crap readers care about.
Joe: Yeah, readers do tend to care about that crap. Did you know Stephen King's son writes?
Talon: No way! That’s cool. Man, I wish Stephen King was my dad. He has like everything you don’t.
Joe: Including an appreciative son.
Talon: Let's list the things:
Good looks.
More books sold.
A nicer house.
Multiple movie deals.
Joe: You know King's son writes under the name "Joe Hill" because he doesn't want to ride on his father's coat tails.
Talon: Who would do such a thing? I could never use someone’s last name in order to boost my popularity. Which is why my last name is King now.
Joe: You're funny, Talon.
Talon King: It’s Mr. King, and can we hurry this interview up?
Joe: Yessir, Mr. King.
Since we're talking about Stephen King, I want to say I really loved Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace. Other famous authors would just cash in on their popularity and slap their name on any old piece of garbage.
Talon: Or create a Kindle World.
Joe: You're grounded.
Talon: Thanks, dad.
Joe: And since I now know where you hide your money, I'm now off to the strip club! Woo hoo!
Grandma Part 2 is now available on Kindle for only $0.99. Grandma Part 1 is free for a limited time.
This was fun, particularly since I also have just started collaborating writing with a progeny--in my case my daughter, Ashely Angelly. We are following pretty much the same path as you and your son are. We brainstorm, she goes and writes, I edit, she rewrites, we brainstorm some more, etc. One short story down and the second one at the brainstorming point.
ReplyDeleteGiven she has 5 children to take care of--I don't think the money is going to go to strippers--but who knows!
In any event. it occurs to me this is just one more benefit of indie publishing since I doubt very much if I went to a traditional publisher and said, "by the way, I decided to start collaborating with my daughter," that I would get a favorable reaction.
But I can say I am having the time of my life watching her writing develop and chatting over things like character development and what Head Hopping. And she gets to do all the heavy lifting so I can work away on my own stuff. A win win.
M. Louisa
we are in an age where everyone can write a Konrath book
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that your son has the same great sense of humor! I can only wish that my daughter was "writing-minded"...
ReplyDelete"Which is why my last name is King now." -- almost choked on my coffee with that one...Great laugh. I enjoyed part 1 and am looking forward to part 2, and 3.
ReplyDeleteA chip off the old block for sure. Enjoy working together. That is the real win in this scenario.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Talon and Joe! I enjoyed Grandma? 1 and I'm off to download part 2.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, having a last name of King doesn't guarantee that you'll sell a lot of books. :-)
ReplyDelete- TOSK (The Other Stephen King)
This was a great! How old is Talon? My son Elliot wants to be a writer too.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I wish the publishing world was like this when I was a kid. Granted, I didn't have any relatives who would collaborate with me, but I wrote some stuff that wasn't great, but wouldn't have embarrassed am early teenager to publish.
ReplyDeleteAnd at that age, making a few hundred bucks writing stories...shit, that would have been like running a corporate empire to me.
And don't forget, Stephen's other son, Owen, kept the King name in his byline! #coattailsdonnotalwayshelp
ReplyDeleteExcellent stripper jokes. :)
ReplyDelete'She won't bake you cookies' Blinking hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing some writing with my son as well - a cyberpunk-ish novel that's reached 68K words! We both write, and I think I have a clear direction established, then he comes in with something that both throws everything off track and is wildly imaginative.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure a lot will change when I make a final editing pass, but it's been a lot of fun so far!
Did anyone catch this on Shark Tank? A company called Beneath The Ink. Words you can click on in an ebook and those words will show you pictures of whats in the book; places, characters, etc.
ReplyDeleteNone of the sharks took the deal.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/778233
If you watch it, start at the 23:10 mark.
Gotta re-read Grandma 1 before diving into Grandma 2. So yeah, Grandma 3 soon would be great!
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, this is EXACTLY what would happen if I interviewed my kid after completing a project together. :/
ReplyDeleteWell, i's about damn time!
ReplyDeleteJoe and Talon - Love the Grandma stories! Talon needs to keep writing, he's got talent!
ReplyDeleteI'm hard at work on my paranormal erotic series of short stories, Touch, and it's set in a world overrun by zombies. Dystopia + hardcore sex = a lot of fun.
No zombie sex, though. Not even I could go that far. At least not yet.