Stephen King vs. Peter Straub?

[dwalters]

I'm reading The Talisman for the second time right now, and I'm just curious how the two authors divided up the work. Did they take turns writing a short section and setting the other one up? Did they both write their own version of a particular chapter and then pick and chose what they wanted to keep and what to let go? Was it a purely collaborative effort that they actually wrote together at the same time? There are some sections that have a very definite SK feel to them, but they blend in so flawlessly with the story as a whole that it's hard for me to tell where one ends and the other begins.

[Moderator]

Before beginning with The Talisman and Black House, Steve and Peter discussed plot ideas in general terms. When it came time to write the books, each of them would take turns, one writing a section and then handing it off to the other when it felt like that was the place for their part to stop, continuing in this fashion until the books were done.

[dwalters]

Interesting. Thanks for the insight!

[B4victorycomestemptation]

u know its been ahile since I read this but I remember at times I thought I felt the story shift away from Stephen King. I would love to know more about which parts belong to whom.

[Jaedpact]

I suppose it's a bit like wanting to know which songs were written by Paul and which by John, I have always believed that the combined efforts made created greatness.

[mohctep]

Interesting facts that I didn't know.Great thread!

[Bryan James]

Anyone that would write a story with another person must be insane!

Good lord, imagine the insaniots that would collaborate with multiple writers....

[Spideyman]

Anyone that would write a story with another person must be insane!

Good lord, imagine the insaniots that would collaborate with multiple writers....

[bobledrew]

If I recall correctly, Straub and King have even played with each other's styles, trying to pull the wool over the readers' eyes. So if you read something that sounds totally King, it might be Straub, and vice versa.

[PatInTheHat]

Now when I first read The Talisman, I couldn't really have expressed an opinion on who wrote what, as I hadn't yet at that point really read enough of either of 'em to have had a feel for that opinion.
But as a little more time went on, and I put more of their individual works behind me, it did occur to me, the Straub contributions had to be the ones that made me feel a wee bit nappy ...it was when I did my first re-read.
Yes Sraub is a top notch quality writer, and yes I have enjoyed a lot of his work, but he makes me tad sleepy...SK on the other hand, has caused me so many days of humpin' through a day, simply from lack of sleep.
Straub has never kept me awake gitty with anticipation for the next page..and then the next page, and the next, right up til dawn if ya know what I'm sayin', and I'm pretty sure you probably do.
Now to be completely fair to Straub, there's not really that many that do, or at least not nearly as often as Mr. King has managed to do, bless his twisted sleep deprivation lovin' little heart.