The Gradual Interview

Post by **StevieG** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:26 am

This is an interesting explanation about how the "reality" of the land modulates to its "importance" - what makes something "real" as opposed to "meaningful".

Mike S.: Hello Mr. Donaldson. I have a question on the topic of "Unbelief" in your TC series.

I think it's fairly obvious to anyone who's read your books how Unbelief is the cornerstone of Thomas Covenant and his interaction with the land. However, two other aspects of unbelief have become clearer as I've read (and re-read) your series over the years.

First is that TC's unbelief appears to fade over time, with him ultimately accepting the reality of The Land (and his responsibility to it and its denizens). However, would it be fairer to say that TC shifted his unbelief from the land to the "real world"?

Second, does not Mhoram exhibit a fair amount of unbelief as well? Or, more specifically, isn't the fundamental flaw of the New Lords (after the fall of Kevin) "unbelief"? I don't know how else to put it, other than they refuse to accept that the very thing that made Kevin's Lore so powerful was the same thing that cause his destruction (i.e. the power of passionate commitment). They refused to believe that it was necessary to accept PERSONAL, human emotion and passion as necessary to the use of Kevin's Lore - and were subsequently stunted in their attempts to recapture his lore.

I could also go on with other examples (Linden's unbelief when confronted with the existence of The Land and Lord Foul, the unbelief of the Masters for the value and importance of Earthpower, etc..).

Sorry for the long post, but it seems that there is more than a few currents of 'unbelief" running through this series.

Thank you for your excellent work, and I look forward to the next installment.

Thank you for your observations. *I* certainly believe that "unbelief" is a "cornerstone," not just to the first trilogy but to the whole "Chronicles". You've pointed out some of ways in which this is true. But I wouldn't say that Covenant shifts his own "unbelief" from the Land to the "real world": after all, he lives a life of pretty thorough commitment in the real world during the ten years between the first trilogy and the second. Nor would I say that his "unbelief" fades over time. From my perspective, his "unbelief" *modulates*, which is not at all the same thing: he gradually redefines his issues until they are less and less about "reality" and more and more about--for lack of a better term--"importance". This matters to me because it shifts the emphasis from "what makes a thing real" to "what makes a thing meaningful": a shift which moves us out of the realm of religious dogma and into the realm of spiritual inquiry.

And in practical terms, "importance" is an easier way to understand the shift that takes place in Mhoram's relationship with the lore and attitudes he inherited, or the shift that inspires the Masters to deny access to Earthpower (which they know is real). If you accept the idea of "modulation" that underlies my thinking, you'll be able to find more and more examples of the "cornerstone" of the first trilogy manifesting itself in the later Chronicles.

(09/06/2009)

Post by **Seareach** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:53 am

yes, I liked that answer.

Post by **CovenantJr** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:06 pm

Interesting stuff - though I never cease to be confused and mildly dismayed by the number of people who think Covenant accepts the Land as real when it's not just strongly implied but explicitly stated in the novels that this isn't the case.

*sigh* Mini rant complete.

Post by **danlo** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:57 am

Totally agree. (Your right is fabulous, btw)

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:23 am

Ossie: Thanks again for this amazing forum. I hope that now the draft of AATE is with the editors, you have a little more breathing space, at least for a while, but somehow I suspect that is not the case.....

Peter Jackson, director etc of the Lord Of The Rings films, has said that you never really "finish" making a movie, you just run out of time (to make any more improvements, add additional exposition, make this CG beastie look better, etc etc). Does this apply to your writing? Ignoring the I-have-to-eat-in-the-meantime issue, do you think the time frame you have "agreed" with the publishers is ultimately a good or a bad thing? Given the choice, would you prefer unlimited time to basically present the final story once you felt it was done, or does it help to have a deadline? (You have already said you would prefer to present in one volume, but I mean in the context of the Peter Jackson comment).

Thank you again

Where to begin? I know what Jackson means ("you never really "finish" making a movie, you just run out of time"), but I don't have quite the same problem. For me, books never seem to "finish" (never give any sense of closure) because the post-writing chores feel endless (copy-editing, proofreading, etc.--all of which have parallels in film-making, but in film-making things like, say, editing, or synchronizing the music, are far more creative than the chores in book publishing). But I don't "run out of time" the way Jackson describes because I've learned to demand MUCH more generous deadlines from my publishers than I actually need. (Put another way, the deadlines I impose on myself are always more stringent than the ones I allow my publishers to impose.) For me, external deadlines kill creativity. I can't write *at all* if I'm in danger of missing a deadline.

It's probably fair to say that my publishers would have been willing to pay twice as much for "The Last Chronicles" if I had agreed to produce a book a year. Three years between books makes them feel like they have to re-invent the wheel every time I turn in a manuscript. But I've learned--at considerable personal cost--that I can't work that way.

In my own defense, I want to point out that if I lived by my publishers' current deadlines rather than my own, these books would be published every FOUR years, not every three. My contract gives me three years from D&A of the previous book to *submission* (not D&A) of the next book. By that standard, I wouldn't submit AATE for editorial consideration until mid-January, 2010--which would in turn make publication in 2010 physically impossible. But I submitted AATE in mid-June, seven months early. As a result, the prospects for publication in the fall of 2010 are good.

In a perfect world (unlimited time, no need for money), I would have liked to write the entire "Last Chronicles" before publishing any of it. That would have been my best defense against problems of internal consistency--AND once the books began to appear, my readers wouldn't have to wait so long for the next installment. Alas, we--or at least I--don't live in a perfect world.

(09/20/2009)

YAY! That's great news!

Post by **aliantha** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:33 am

Just one more year, then... Aaaauuughhhhh...

Post by **CovenantJr** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:38 pm

That might just about be enough time to finish Fatal Revenant.

Post by **aliantha** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 3:56 pm

What, you're channeling Jay?

Post by **matrixman** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:42 pm

Good to hear the book is on track for Fall 2010. I'm very excited about AATE!

(Actually I'm carefully restraining myself here. In my head, I'm already jumping up and down in anticipation...)

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:29 am

Mike D: Hi Stephen -
I have just a quick question - back in the beginning of june, you said that you had delivered the second draft to your editors, and it would be 5 to 8 weeks before you would hear back from them. I'm just curious if they've gotten back to you yet, and not knowing what editors actually do, what kind of feedback they give (grammatical, storyline, etc).
Thanks for all of your wonderful work, and I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this awesome storyline.
Mike

Perhaps I should have posted something in the "news" section. After all, I'm the one who first mentioned the issue of waiting to hear from my editors....

So. I had to wait about 7 weeks to hear from my US editor. My UK editor took 10 weeks. This is considerably longer than I've had to wait for editorial feedback in recent years. (Swine flu was added to the usual excuses.) But I've had much worse experiences. The editor of "Reave the Just and Other Tales" took something like five MONTHS to respond. The editor of "The Man Who Fought Alone" took more like SEVEN months.

At any rate, I'm now hard at work on what I believe will be the final rewrite of AATE. If nothing goes wrong, I should be able to deliver the next draft before the end of 2009.

What are the usual excuses? Mainly inhuman amounts of overwork. But overwork has an inadvertent secondary effect. Editors are forced to "prioritize" (a word I don't actually like), and so instinctively they give books that require a great deal of editing precedence over books that require very little editing. And in my case they both agree that AATE needs very little editing. (I disagree.)

A more obvious consequence of overwork is that editing tends to be cursory at best. I received a few comments about pacing and a couple of questions about story-logic: nothing else. On the plus side, both of my editors do want me to keep doing what I'm doing.

(10/17/2009)

Post by **StevieG** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:40 pm

This is entertaining because of the lengths the questioner goes to clarify that it's not a Creator question!

Uriah Knox: Mr. Donaldson Sir,

First let me state that my question is in no way a Creator question.

I have been unable to miss that you show reticence in relation to such questions. And well you should. After all, aren't such questions not unlike the unanswerables that plague the minds of theoretical physicists contemplating the initial picoseconds of our universe? They shudder to speak of that which is (presently) unspeakable - they have no names for that which existed when the concept of existence itself was in question. And we cannot help but respect this position. Why then should YOU be required to reveal more about your creative process than you yourself even know? Nevertheless, I feel shame, for there are those out there who may perceive my (forthcoming) question as a Creator question. Even though it refers to the Creator and queries about that which surrounds him, I am denying reality itself so that I may put this forth with a clear conscience, as I know of your discontent with such questions. I know in my heart of hearts that this is not a Creator question!

So...

Why "ochre"?

Since this is not a Creator question, I can answer with complete (if entirely mundane) honesty: I chose "ochre" because so many beggars of all kinds in India wear (or wore in my day) that color. Thanks to my background, ochre practically shouts "beggar"....

Incidentally, that's also why the Haruchai wear ochre. Just another example of "contradiction" as a deliberate thematic tool in "The Chronicles".

(10/26/2009)

Post by **Orlion** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:27 pm

matrixman wrote:Good to hear the book is on track for Fall 2010. I'm very excited about AATE!

(Actually I'm carefully restraining myself here. In my head, I'm already jumping up and down in anticipation...)

Ugh, tell me about it... it gets so bad sometimes, I have to chain myself in a room like I'm a werewolf during the full moon...I'm really hoping for those crumbs to be tossed to us in the form of a trailer and preview

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:00 pm

Orlion wrote:
matrixman wrote:Good to hear the book is on track for Fall 2010. I'm very excited about AATE!

(Actually I'm carefully restraining myself here. In my head, I'm already jumping up and down in anticipation...)
Ugh, tell me about it... it gets so bad sometimes, I have to chain myself in a room like I'm a werewolf during the full moon...I'm really hoping for those crumbs to be tossed to us in the form of a trailer and preview

The trailer and previews just make the wait worse for me....yet, I can't seem to help myself.

Post by **CovenantJr** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:07 pm

StevieG wrote:This is entertaining because of the lengths the questioner goes to clarify that it's not a Creator question!

Uriah Knox: Mr. Donaldson Sir,

First let me state that my question is in no way a Creator question.

I have been unable to miss that you show reticence in relation to such questions. And well you should. After all, aren't such questions not unlike the unanswerables that plague the minds of theoretical physicists contemplating the initial picoseconds of our universe? They shudder to speak of that which is (presently) unspeakable - they have no names for that which existed when the concept of existence itself was in question. And we cannot help but respect this position. Why then should YOU be required to reveal more about your creative process than you yourself even know? Nevertheless, I feel shame, for there are those out there who may perceive my (forthcoming) question as a Creator question. Even though it refers to the Creator and queries about that which surrounds him, I am denying reality itself so that I may put this forth with a clear conscience, as I know of your discontent with such questions. I know in my heart of hearts that this is not a Creator question!

So...

Why "ochre"?

Since this is not a Creator question, I can answer with complete (if entirely mundane) honesty: I chose "ochre" because so many beggars of all kinds in India wear (or wore in my day) that color. Thanks to my background, ochre practically shouts "beggar"....

Incidentally, that's also why the Haruchai wear ochre. Just another example of "contradiction" as a deliberate thematic tool in "The Chronicles".

(10/26/2009)

Kind of sounds like dAN...

Post by **Seareach** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:56 pm

dlbpharmd wrote:
Orlion wrote:
matrixman wrote:Good to hear the book is on track for Fall 2010. I'm very excited about AATE!

(Actually I'm carefully restraining myself here. In my head, I'm already jumping up and down in anticipation...)
Ugh, tell me about it... it gets so bad sometimes, I have to chain myself in a room like I'm a werewolf during the full moon...I'm really hoping for those crumbs to be tossed to us in the form of a trailer and preview
The trailer and previews just make the wait worse for me....yet, I can't seem to help myself.

Yes, l'm looking forward to the up and coming trailer!

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:10 pm

Seareach wrote:
dlbpharmd wrote:
Orlion wrote: Ugh, tell me about it... it gets so bad sometimes, I have to chain myself in a room like I'm a werewolf during the full moon...I'm really hoping for those crumbs to be tossed to us in the form of a trailer and preview
The trailer and previews just make the wait worse for me....yet, I can't seem to help myself.
Yes, l'm looking forward to the up and coming trailer!

Oh, shut up, Miss I've-read-AATE.

Post by **rdhopeca** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:50 pm

Oh, shut up, Miss I've-read-AATE.

She's what?

Post by **Savor Dam** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:08 pm

Never mind, nothing to see here, move along.
There are certain Watchers and others who are SRD's readers.
Needless to say, they are bound by confidentiality agreements, as well as guidelines on the feedback they provide the author.
You have not been told this; if you had been told, the person telling you would then be obligated to erase your memory of what you'd been told.
<intense flash of light>

What were we talking about?

YouTube · Post by **Menolly** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:28 pm

Savor Dam wrote:Never mind, nothing to see here, move along.
There are certain Watchers and others who are SRD's readers.
Needless to say, they are bound by confidentiality agreements, as well as guidelines on the feedback they provide the author.
You have not been told this; if you had been told, the person telling you would then be obligated to erase your memory of what you'd been told.
<intense flash of light>

What were we talking about?

*nod nod nod*

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/album_comment.php?pic_id=1408

'nuff said

Post by **Seareach** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 12:45 am

dlbpharmd wrote:
Seareach wrote:
dlbpharmd wrote: The trailer and previews just make the wait worse for me....yet, I can't seem to help myself.
Yes, l'm looking forward to the up and coming trailer!
Oh, shut up, Miss I've-read-AATE.

Oi! I actually meant what I said.

I wanna see the trailer!

So kiss my ****

And all the rest of that stuff: it's all lies, I'm tellin' ya. Dlb was just silly enough to fall for it!

Spoiler

...in fact, he still thinks it's true. ....so shhhhh, don't tell him it's not! ...it's the only reason he likes me!

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

The Gradual Interview