A short review of the new afterword in Cemtery Dance’s edition of IT.
As usual, King delivers a chatty afterword that leaves the reader feeling like they’ve just sat next to the author and had a nice few moments him. King has been interviewed so many times that he is an expert and anticipating the readers questions – and he always answers candidly.
King says that the actual writing of IT took around nine months, and that he started the work in longhand in a series of blue books. However, as the blue books piled up, he eventually moved to the typewriter.
I really like some of the insights King had to the writing process, and in particular to character development. IT forced the writer to deal with his characters on multiple levels; adult and child. I think King handles this brilliantly in the novel.
King obviously considers Bill himself, but the primary character in IT is the monster. Since Pennywise is a shape shifter, IT is able to take on many forms. This gave King great freedom in exploring monster myths as it gave him a platform to present all the monsters his imagination could conjure up!
I've begun to wonder if maybe for certain writers the act of composing by hand may work better than with a keyboard.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that for most the act of writing is simple enough to require no other help. However, on the two occasions where King turns to storytelling by hand it's almost as if the act itself frees up him up and disciplines his mind into being more orderly with the elements of story.
Let me just close by saying, you lucky bastard.
How many pages is the afterword? Looking forward to receiving my copy and reading it!
ReplyDeletePeter Straub's excellent horror novel FLOATING DRAGON bears a striking resemblance to IT in many facets... but it was published in 1982! I wonder if King mentions any influence it had on IT? Can't see how it didn't. But then those guys always went back and forth influencing one another's work. Anyway, I highly recommend Straub's novel to folks who like IT.
ReplyDeleteIs there an actual date set for the release of the IT remake? I can't seem to find any information at all. Have they even started production or are things still in the works?
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