Talks at GoogleR.L. Stine | Goosebumps & Beyond | Talks at Google
Talks at Google
Introduction and background 0:01
Prem Ramaswami introduces R.L. Stine, noting his scale as an author: more than 350 books, published in over 32 languages and sold in more than 350 million copies. He points to the TV shows, movies, and Disney attraction that grew from Stine’s writing. Stine jokes that he is glad to be there because a teacher recently told him that children thought he was dead, and he enjoys being seen as less fearsome than people expect.
Comedy becomes horror 3:02
Stine says he never planned to write scary books. He started in humor, including a kids’ magazine called Bananas and many joke books. The turn to teen horror came when a Scholastic editor, angry after a fight with another horror writer, handed him the title Blind Date and told him to write it. He read other teen horror writers to learn the form, then found that Blind Date and Twisted both became number one bestsellers, so he stayed with horror.
Fast Writing Habits 16:30
He says he writes fast because he outlines every book first. He plans the beginning, middle, twist, and ending before he starts, so writer’s block is not a problem. That method let him write a Goosebumps book in two weeks. He also says technology helps and hurts. Google Chrome is useful, but Instagram and Facebook steal his time and cut his page count.
Safe Horror Rules 20:31
He says Goosebumps has one rule: no real world. The stories have to feel impossible, so readers know the scares cannot happen to them. That means no divorce, no drugs, and no serious life problems. He can still make the books very scary, but ghosts are always from long ago, and no one really dies in Goosebumps.
Fears And Success 23:00
He says he was a very shy and fearful child, afraid of basements, closets, and what might reach from under the bed. That memory helps him write panic well. He also says he knew the books were working when sales figures showed it. Goosebumps sat in stores at first, then children found them, shared them at school, and spread them without advertising.
Reading And Life 26:01
He says his favorite book to reread is Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, which he returns to once a year. He also likes The Roadrunner movie and is watching Slow Horses. When asked what scares him most in New York, he tells of losing his young son Matt at the Javits Center for less than a minute. He says the panic was terrible.
Questions and answers 32:30
He says the Goosebumps TV show was handled well, even though he could not give it much input, and he was especially pleased with the Jack Black movie. He says the old fears behind his stories do not change, because people are still afraid of the dark, getting lost, and being chased. He says he does not believe in ghosts, but jokes that they probably exist. He also says he writes for the audience in mind and does not find it hard to move between middle grade Goosebumps and teen Fear Street.
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