On Writing is a classic book (published just 20+ years ago, in 2000) by Stephen King. It is part memoir, part writing instruction, part how King did what he did, and does what he does.

What does Stephen King say

about writing?
about what it takes to be a writer?
about what you need to do to be a writer?

Listen, and find out!

Here are four quotes from the book:

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If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.

Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world.

The job boils down to two things: paying attention to how the real people around you behave and then telling the truth about what you see.

In the spring of my senior year at Lisbon High—1966, this would’ve been—I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once and forever. Jotted below the machine-generated signature of the editor was this mot: “Not bad, but puffy. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck.”

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Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about the book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

Our special guest is our first return guest, Bev Vincent. Bev was our guest for Season 1 Episode 7, where we talked about The Dead Zone. See author photo and bio below.

Bev Vincent is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, as well as over 100 short stories, including appearances in Ellery Queen’s, Alfred Hitchcock’s and Black Cat Mystery Magazines, and Cemetery Dance.

His work has been published in 20 languages and nominated for the Stoker (twice), Edgar, Ignotus and ITW Thriller Awards.

In 2018, he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King.

Recent works include the novellas “The Ogilvy Affair” and “The Dead of Winter,” the latter found in Dissonant Harmonies with Brian Keene. 

To learn more, visit bevvincent.com

Nearly one hundred years ago Universal Pictures got into the monster business, and created a legacy that has not been matched. The Mummy; Dracula; Frankenstein; and The Wolf Man were four characters that cemented Universal as the studio where monster movies were made, and audiences thrilled.

Dracula
Frankenstein
The Mummy
The Wolf Man

Universal also added The Invisible Man; and The Creature from The Black Lagoon.

Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about these early horror films, and more recent ones.

We will also do our recent either/or segment.

Our special guest is Michael Rowe. See author photo and bio below.

Michael Rowe is the Shirley Jackson Award-finalist author of three novels, Enter, Night, Wild Fell, and October, all available from Open Road Media, as well as an essayist and former journalist.

A 17-year veteran of Fangoria magazine, he is also a National Magazine Award finalist, a GLAAD Media Award co-finalist, and the winner of the Randy Shilts Award for Nonfiction from the New York Publishing Triangle.

His essays and reviews have appeared in numerous venues in Canada and the United States including the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Canadian Notes and Queries, and the Boston Globe.  Born in Ottawa, he has lived in Beirut, Havana, Geneva, and Paris. He currently resides in Toronto. 

This is the second episode of our two-part Exorcist episode.

We will continue our look at The Exorcist (the book by William Peter Blatty and the film by William Friedkin).

We will do our Dream Cast and Schrödinger’s Cast for the 1973 film. We will look at six key characters in the movie, and pick the actor/actress that would have best fit that role, and also an outside-the-box cast:

Regan MacNeil | Linda Blair
Chris MacNeil | Ellen Burstyn
Father Damien Karras | Jason Miller
Father Lankester Merrin | Max von Sydow
Lt. William Kinderman | Lee J. Cobb
Burke Dennings | Jack Macgowran

Troy Harkin and David Clink will continue to look at the book and the movie, and talk about the impact that they have had.

Our special guest, from episode 1, is back for episode 2. Valentino Assenza will have a lot to add about the 1973 film. See author photo and bio below.

Valentino Assenza has been a published poet and performing spoken word artist for over the last two decades.

In that time he has released four chapbooks and performed all over Canada and the US.

Valentino has been a co-host and co-producer of HOWL on CIUT 89.5FM, where he has interviewed names such as George Elliott Clarke, Anne Michaels, Denise Donlon, Ron Sexsmith, and Margaret Atwood.

The Exorcist is a book by William Peter Blatty, a film by William Friedkin, and there were sequels. The novel (1971) and movie (1973) tell the story of demonic possession. An actress’s daughter is the victim, and after exhausting all medical and psychological possibilities, they are left with a Catholic ritual to “exorcise” the demon from the child.

The book received a lot of praise, and the movie was a hit. Not since Psycho and Rosemary’s Baby has a film gripped the public’s imagination.

Here are six key characters in the novel and movie, and the actor/actress that played the role in the 1973 film:

Regan MacNeil | Linda Blair
Chris MacNeil | Ellen Burstyn
Father Damien Karras | Jason Miller
Father Lankester Merrin | Max von Sydow
Lt. William Kinderman | Lee J. Cobb
Burke Dennings | Jack Macgowran

Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the book and the movie, and talk about the impact that they have had.

Our special guest is Valentino Assenza. He will also be our guest for part 2. Valentino will have a lot to add about the 1973 film. See author photo and bio below.

Valentino Assenza has been a published poet and performing spoken word artist for over the last two decades.

In that time he has released four chapbooks and performed all over Canada and the US.

Valentino has been a co-host and co-producer of HOWL on CIUT 89.5FM, where he has interviewed names such as George Elliott Clarke, Anne Michaels, Denise Donlon, Ron Sexsmith, and Margaret Atwood.