And then I never did that again

Post by **Rigel** » Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:08 pm

So I'm around six chapters in to a book by an otherwise excellent author, and I'm noticing something I haven't seen in their other works: an awful lot of statements of the sort in the title.

I suppose it's meant to convey a sense of foreboding, but really... it just seems cheesy and out of place to me. Honestly, you're only a fraction of the way into the book. If you want us to know that something never happens again, isn't there plenty of room to, you know, show it not happening over the rest of the story?

Post by **Avatar** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 4:31 am

Doesn't even really forbode, y;know? It's the sort of line I'd expect in something comedic perhaps, and even then only once...

--A

Post by **Rigel** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:45 am

Sadly, it's not a comedic tale... I'm actually reading "Bag of Bones," by Stephen King.

I know I've encountered the phrase at least twice so far, though I might have seen it another time or two. And it's completely out of sync, tonally, with the rest of the novel so far.

Post by **wayfriend** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 2:06 pm

Damn, I was about to guess Stephen King. I know he does that a lot.

Foreboding, yes. But, I think, if an author does this correctly, it creates a form of suspense. You know it's going to happen, but you want to know how it happens. There's also a certain amount of shock value. And messing with expectations.

Post by **Linna Heartbooger** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:02 pm

Rigel wrote:I suppose it's meant to convey a sense of foreboding, but really... it just seems cheesy and out of place to me. Honestly, you're only a fraction of the way into the book. If you want us to know that something never happens again, isn't there plenty of room to, you know, show it not happening over the rest of the story?

Haven't read that book.
Don't even know the ways of the author.

But... you flagged this as "this is either bad writing or something weird's going on"?
So Imma gonna take a blind stab. ("Fools rush in..." and all.)

What if "And then I never did that again" is "exactly the opposite of what's true"?
Like it happens again and again and again and again and the person is basically addicted to doing the thing he says "And I never did that again" about.

People often say things that are:
"exactly the opposite of what's true" (TM).
Like "No, it's FINE!" and "You're gonna be okay," and what have you.

Post by **Sorus** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:11 am

Haven't read that one, but I've always found Stephen King to be hit-or-miss. When he's on, he's on, but a lot of his books just don't grab me.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 4:50 am

Rigel wrote:Sadly, it's not a comedic tale... I'm actually reading "Bag of Bones," by Stephen King.

Haha, that book put me off King for years. I don't remember the issue in question, but I've probably blocked out big chunks of the book so...

--A

Post by **Rigel** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 6:20 am

wayfriend wrote:Damn, I was about to guess Stephen King. I know he does that a lot.

Does he? I hadn't noticed, but maybe I've read the wrong books of his. Salem's Lot, The Shining, and Pet Semetary. Plus the first few Dark Tower books, but I barely remember those.

Post by **wayfriend** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 2:17 pm

I want to say that King "pre-announced" someone's death in Dark Tower, but I am lacking details, and am not sure I am right.

Post by **Avatar** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 4:47 am

He did, but it was pretty late in the series. I'm on record as hating his foreshadowing.

He also does it right in the beginning of Pet Semetary by the way:

Spoiler

He straight out tells you Gabe is going to die.

--A

Post by **Rigel** » Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:37 pm

So I remember at one point in a book I was reading, "I'm really enjoying this story, I just wish someone else were writing it." (Jodi Picault, btw)

Where I currently am in "Bag of Bones," I find myself thinking "I'm really enjoying this writing, I just wish the story were better."

In fact, this would be a MUCH better story if King left the supernatural stuff out of it. There's enough drama in this guy's psyche without ghosts thrown in the mix.

Post by **Avatar** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:50 am

Yeah, I felt that about a few of his books.

--A

Post by **ussusimiel** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 3:00 pm

I've always felt that King's non-supernatural books are superior to the others. Misery is one of his best, IMO, and while Annie Wilkes is off the scale weird it's all kept in this world. Even the non-supernatural part can be better (e.g. the first half of The Tommyknockers). It's like he feels obliged to go weird, but it always feels like a bit of a cop out. I know that he has the whole other universe thing going on, but when he keeps it grounded in this world he's more than capable of writing a compelling tale.

u.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 4:47 am

Tommyknockers was one of his worst, ever.

--A

Post by **Zarathustra** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 4:01 pm

In a book about a writer, it's hard for the book in your hand not to be self-referential, to some extent. I actually like the way King repeats "Bag of Bones" in the book, because its meaning starts to change, especially by the end!

I thought this story had some hokey supernatural stuff, but then it started to make sense. I ended up liking the novel quite a bit. I think his abilities to handle character and story are at their peak in the mid-90s to early-00s.

I posted my final impressions of BoB here, but don't read until you finish the novel. I don't believe there's a BoB thread in the King forum, but that thread has several more of my ongoing thoughts as my opinion evolved and my appreciation grew.

Post by **Avatar** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:40 am

Maybe it deserves a reread...maybe...

--A

Post by **Orlion** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 6:24 pm

Avatar wrote:Maybe it deserves a reread...maybe...

--A

Oh no! That would be, like, two hours of your time!

Post by **Avatar** » Thu Sep 24, 2015 7:11 am

Well, a bit more, but...

--A

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Wed Sep 30, 2015 11:54 am

Rigel wrote:Where I currently am in "Bag of Bones," I find myself thinking "I'm really enjoying this writing, I just wish the story were better."

EXACTLY what I thought of BoB. I absolutely loved Firestarter, Deadzone, and The Stand. I love the way he writes. His style flows very nicely for me. So BoB was a quick, easy read that said nothing to me.

Post by **sgt.null** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:12 am

always loved King's short stories. the Mist is my favorite story of his. I have reread it at least a dozen times. love his short story collections. he can be a bit looser and satisfy any curiosity he has (Survivor Type)

I enjoy his novels, but some can be a slog.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

And then I never did that again

And then I never did that again

Re: And then I never did that again