And speaking of funny.... A long time ago, I sent SRD a question about ak-Haru Kenaustin Ardenol, asking him who Ken Austin was. And his response (I'm not going to dig it out now...) was something along these lines: "Ken Austin is the smarter and more handsome brother of Tex Austin, of course."
I've been too chicken to admit that I don't know who Tex Austin is, either. Google gets me either a NASCAR driver or a comic book hero, neither of which would seem to be SRD's style.... Can anyone enlighten me, or will I just have to suck it up and go groveling back to the Gradual Interview?
EZ Board Survivor
"Dreaming isn't good for you unless you do the things it tells you to." -- Three Dog Night (via the GI)
Drew Bittner: Mr D- second question of the month...
Can you describe how you developed the <i>Haruchai</i>? I pictured them as vaguely Polynesian or perhaps Southeast Asian, and wondered if you had any specific image or concept before creating the Bloodguard and their ancestral people.
thanks!!
Drew
PS, I finished reading Runes last night and wrote the review this morning. I give it my highest recommendation.
I imagine it's obvious that I had a vaguely Southeast Asian "type" in mind. As I think I explained much earlier in this interview, when I planned the first "Covenant" trilogy I concentrated on "roles" rather than on "characters": I knew what, say, Giants or Bloodguard or Ramen were going to do, but I didn't necessarily know what they were like; I discovered their character(s) as I wrote. (Incidentally, as I've also explained, I no longer work that way.) Well, when all you have is a "role," sometimes you need more to help you discover the "character." And at that time (the early 70's), I had the vague--if false--idea that martial arts existed as a Southeast Asian phenomenon. So I started there.
I'm glad you liked "Runes"!
(10/12/2004)
Ash Quadir: Steven,
Why did you make the relationship between Elena more than a “father-and-daughter” relationship? Elena kissed Covenant on the lips several times (the first time in Glimmermere); this felt “icky”. I know somebody who was turned off by this and did not finish the book. What kind of reactions did you get from this unorthodox relationship? (And I know Elena explained that she felt Triock was her father, but still…)
Another question, have you ever been offered to do a short story for Legends the very successful Fantasy anthology edited by Robert Silverberg? If so, would you do a Thomas Covenant story? (Perhaps a story about Kevin, Berek, Dameleon, etc? Or even a prequel?)
Finally, you wrote that you excised several hundred pages from the Illearth war by removing the chapter about Korik, Shetra, Hyrim’s mission to Seareach and putting it in Gildenfire and that you pared down your prose. You said that the original version of the Illearth War was over 900 manuscript pages, but the final book in paperback is a little over 500 pages. That’s a lot of cutting. Is a “manuscript page” equivalent to a “book page”? Did you remove other chapters or “chunks” of story besides the Gildenfire chapter and prose paring? Will we ever see a full and complete version of the Illearth War?
Thanks for writing such great books!
- Ash Quadir
Briefly:
Yes, Elena's incestuous feelings for Covenant were deliberate on my part. I thought when I wrote "The Illearth War", and still believe, that such ill-conceived attraction/hero worship both dramatized her essential imbalance and foreshadowed her tragic misunderstanding of Kevin. Strangely, readers haven't busted my chops about this very often. But Lester del Rey hated it. I had to tone it down quite a bit before he would publish the book. In retrospect, I think he was right: I did overdo it originally.
Silverberg approached me for a "Legends" story. I turned him down.
"Gilden-Fire" is the only coherent chunk of story that I've ever cut out of a book completely. All of my other cuts have been "pruning" or "re-envisioning" or "rephrasing." And I don't regret any of them, so there's no chance that they will ever be retrieved from my wastebasket.
A manuscript page is probably never equivalent to a book page. Publishers use smaller type and put more lines on a page.
Call me stubborn or dense, but in my mind's eye I still don't see the Haruchai as Asian...and frankly, I don't feel the need to change my view any time soon, even in the face of SRD's revelation. I've had the characters of the Chronicles in my mind for 20 years. That's a long time to develop and solidify my version of the characters. I'm not willing to toss all that out the window just because of a short paragraph in an interview. This is one instance where I assert my right as a reader to interpret the books on my own terms, no one else's. SRD in the books made the Haruchai nonspecific enough in appearance that readers are allowed to form their own mental image of them.
I always had Mongolian features in mind for the Haruchai - not the Polynesian that was mentioned in the Gradual Interview. I figured it made sense - warlike, acustomed to cold, etc.
Right on, dlb! I thought I was the only one. Everything but the pointy ears and maybe the Moe haircuts.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
Hey Creator, am I going to get grief when I ask SRD to sign your copy?
See Gradual Interview today:
Mike G: Enthused by this gradual interview, and armed with all of your insights, I reread The Gap Cycle, which I realized I had not read the last book of....I really enjoyed it a lot more this time- TDAGD was as breathless a finale as I have ever read....it all pulled together wonderfully, especially considering all the pov and storylines that had to be finished...
One question though- What happened to poor Victor? With all of his talk about dying, being a savior, not being brave, etc....all of the sudden he was just dead- like we missed a page or two....Did he jump in front of Angus to save him, or did he just get in the way? I (lol) feel bad for him,that his death didn't get more print...
Does it annoy you at all that readers pick apart your work or look for chinks in the logic, or do yoy just take it with a grain of salt, glad that they care? It must give you a chuckle or two wondering if we must have better things to do...
I (and I know this carries a lot of weight!) look for the new books to vindicate you to the naysayers who think fantasy should be mindless questfests...There isn't much thought provoking fantasy out there, it's mostly just escapism (which is certainly ok). But it is the depth of your writing that makes your books waht they are...
Enough ramblings from Another Reader Who Talks To You Like He Knows You.
Well, you've read the GAP books more recently than I have. And I don't have them with me. But I could have sworn that I gave Vector's demise/self-sacrifice more narrative space than you found. He was important to me, and I certainly didn't *intend* to scant his fate. However, events were pretty hectic at that point in the story. Maybe I made the familiar mistake (the curse of my writing life) of leaving out things that were obvious to me, although they could not have been obvious to anyone else.
I do occasionally get annoyed at the way some readers pick apart my work. (Just look at the way I OD'ed on "Creator" questions.) But from time to time I also profit from the information. And there are times when the sheer generosity of the things my readers share with me leaves me feeling humbled.
Anonymous wrote:Hey Creator, am I going to get grief when I ask SRD to sign your copy?
See Gradual Interview today:
Mike G: Enthused by this gradual interview, and armed with all of your insights, I reread The Gap Cycle, which I realized I had not read the last book of....I really enjoyed it a lot more this time- TDAGD was as breathless a finale as I have ever read....it all pulled together wonderfully, especially considering all the pov and storylines that had to be finished...
One question though- What happened to poor Victor? With all of his talk about dying, being a savior, not being brave, etc....all of the sudden he was just dead- like we missed a page or two....Did he jump in front of Angus to save him, or did he just get in the way? I (lol) feel bad for him,that his death didn't get more print...
Does it annoy you at all that readers pick apart your work or look for chinks in the logic, or do yoy just take it with a grain of salt, glad that they care? It must give you a chuckle or two wondering if we must have better things to do...
I (and I know this carries a lot of weight!) look for the new books to vindicate you to the naysayers who think fantasy should be mindless questfests...There isn't much thought provoking fantasy out there, it's mostly just escapism (which is certainly ok). But it is the depth of your writing that makes your books waht they are...
Enough ramblings from Another Reader Who Talks To You Like He Knows You.
Well, you've read the GAP books more recently than I have. And I don't have them with me. But I could have sworn that I gave Vector's demise/self-sacrifice more narrative space than you found. He was important to me, and I certainly didn't *intend* to scant his fate. However, events were pretty hectic at that point in the story. Maybe I made the familiar mistake (the curse of my writing life) of leaving out things that were obvious to me, although they could not have been obvious to anyone else.
I do occasionally get annoyed at the way some readers pick apart my work. (Just look at the way I OD'ed on "Creator" questions.) But from time to time I also profit from the information. And there are times when the sheer generosity of the things my readers share with me leaves me feeling humbled.
(10/20/2004)
Asking him to sign - no! Asking him a question - YES!!!
He/She who dies with the most toys wins! Wait a minute ... I can't die!!!
In the GI was wrote:(And I won't even mention the special relationship between the Elohim and the Worm of the World's End.)
@&#*!!! Just when the boat stops rocking, he tosses another cannon-ball into it. How am I supposed to figure all this out?
(Come to think of it, the only sources of information we have on TWOTWE comes via Findail, and from the Giants, who claim to have heard about it from the Elohim.)
I just wanted to say that I think your poetry is awesome. I especailly like "Rock Poem", which reminds me of how a dear friend felt when I first met him. He was so lost to himself.
And "The Unholy" is fantastic. They are all wonderful!
You said: "The fact that I could only scrounge up eleven poems to post here demonstrates that I don't write much poetry. And the unevenness of the work demonstrates that I'm no poet. Still, I like the idea that visitors to my web site may occasionally read these verses. And I'm confident that no one will actually hold them against me."
My response to this: You are full of hooey. Hold them against you?? Good Lord, man!! These and all the ones I've read in your books, are music! Poetry speaks to the soul and heart of a person. And all of your works, whether it be prose, poetry, or essays, have spoken to both my heart and soul.
I'm a simple reader, and I don't hold to the old myth that poetry has to rhyme, or follow some rigid meter. It's the words and the music that make it a poem. It's the emotion and meaning it conjures it up that makes it a poem. And, being the simple reader that I am, I would love to see more of your poetry. "I'm no poet." Bah! I'm here to tell you, that is just not true.
Have a nice day. <big smile>
Peace,
Tracie
I'm posting this, although I have no actual answer to it, because: a) it's good for my ego <grin>; and b) I need a chance to say "Thank You!" to Tracie, who has been *very* supportive ever since I started this site.
TOM C: Mr. Donaldson, thank you for answering my first question regarding your thoughts on the matter of fan fiction. Since receiving your response I wrote a short piece, that I shared with Kevinswatch, to illustrate my opinion on the subject of Lord Foul’s tenure on the Council of Lords. (Per your advice I made certain to include the proper disclaimers.) Though I certainly enjoyed writing the story as a fan, I felt far more satisfaction in making my point in the discussion. The concept of the Land’s most hated enemy having infiltrated the Council and befriending Kevin himself is fascinating to me and I would like to ask you about the nature of Foul’s participation. I have proposed that LF may have at times deliberately created scenarios for which he would be given the opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty and bravery to Kevin and the Council while at the same time furthering his clandestine and far reaching plans. In the scenario I created, Foul (whom I name Lord Jeroth for the sake of a less obvious label) hatches a fairly complex plot in order to do away with a certain young Lord who has drawn his ire. I liken it to using a sledgehammer to crush a cockroach. However the argument has been made that Foul may not have risked meddling or influencing events so that his deception would remain iron clad until he felt the time was ripe to spring his trap. I personally don’t believe LF could resist stirring the stew while he waited for it to cook. I realize this debate concerns subject matter that you have only hinted at in the course of telling your story and my question likely asks for a great deal of speculation on your part but I would appreciate any thoughts you may have on the subject.
Thanks,
Tom Cummins
As I've just said, one problem here is that the subject may or may not contain spoilers. In some cases, I don't want to discuss certain things because I have specific plans. In others, I avoid discussion because I simply want to keep my options open.
But remember that Lord Foul has a long history of working through misdirection, subordinates, and proxies. And remember that, in spite of his obvious delight in petty malice, there is no evidence that he has ever risked his larger plans for the sake of some smaller goal. No, even when he appears to be at his most overt and petty, his intent is to manipulate a response which will serve his larger purposes.
(10/29/2004)
TOM! What a great question!
Where is the story that you're talking about? I've never seen it.
Phillip Dodson: I just finished reading all of the gradual interview questions and answers, and I don't know if there were specific rules for questions. If there were, and this one is out of bounds or intrusive I apologize. I was just curious, could you describe the experience of doing this gradual interview Q and A, and maybe what, if anything, you've gotten out of it for yourself? If that's getting too personal, once again, I apologize.
Your works have deeply affected me, and came at a time when I was pretty young (14-15) and so having this opportunity to communicate with you in any way is actually pretty daunting, and I keep second guessing myself out of questions (this is the billionth I've come up with and the first I've submitted).
The most frustrating aspect of this interview, for me, is the way that questions I've already answered keep reappearing. This, of course, is a natural result of how long and unwieldy the interview has become. Perhaps the new organization which my incredibly diligent webmaster has designed will help alleviate this difficulty.
In spite of the frustration, however, I keep plugging away at this because I get two very significant benefits. First, your questions often force me to *think*--which is always good for me, even on those occasions when I would really prefer to be indolent. And second, the interest that this interview has generated reminds me constantly that the real importance of story-telling lies in its power to create bonds between people--people who usually could not be aware of each other's existence in any other way. Under normal circumstances, you can't know--and I can't know--that your response to what I've written connects you to literally thousands of other people around the planet (me included). But a forum like this one allows both you and I to discover that those bonds exist, and that they have substance.
Yeah, that was pretty great. I guess its obvious from reading his works that he has a great value for empathy and personal connections. But its still great to hear it straight from him. And directly to me! :) Wheeee!
Start where you are,
use what you have,
do what you can.
Let me start by saying brevity is not one of my strong suits, that being said… I ran across this site while trying to find some information on the release of “Runes”, and was surprised to see that an author in the midst of writing, promoting, and doing book tours, was willing to take the time to interact with his fans in this way, thanks.
I read some of the questions that were posted at the beginning of this Interview and the last couple month’s worth. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to read them all, so if I bring up something you have already touched on I’m sorry. I did read enough of them to notice that some of your fans remind me of those kids I knew in High School known as “Trekkies”. I’m not saying this as a “put down”, they just remind me that group because they are on the edge of the whole “what is real what is not” precipice.
I have also noticed another group of fans that write asking questions that seem to over analyze the intent and/or the meaning and/or the symbolism of the story. I have always felt that if you over analyze something or dissect it too far, it tends to loose its magical quality and sense of awe.
I bring all of this up as a preface to my question.
Do these types of questions or attitudes bother you?
Oh, and by the way, the Thomas Covenant series and Patrick McManus’ writings are the only books I’ve read more than once, thanks for the wonderful contribution to the literary world, Kyle
I'm answering this question--instead of simply deleting it--because I think you're making some mistaken assumptions about most of the readers who post questions here.
Of course, in all walks of life there are people whose need to immerse themselves in SOMEthing, whatever it may be, is so great that verifiable reality no longer has any relevance to their interests and emotions. Why else do fundamentalist religions flourish? Why else do we keep electing GW Bush? And I'm sure that somewhere out there are "Covenant" readers, or "Mordant's Need" readers, or GAP readers, who fit this description.
But you won't find many of them here. Why? Several reasons. One is simply that reading books takes *effort*--an exercise of both intelligence and imagination--and *effort* automatically weeds out the people who want their obsessions handed to them (which is what fundamentalist religions, politics, and even movies tend to do). Another is that, well, I don't know a better way to put this: the more intelligent, thought-provoking, and complex a piece of communication (book, film, music, whatever) is, the more it discourages the readers you describe. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and complex works throw the reader back on him/herself--which is decidedly *not* what the readers you describe are looking for. And a third reason. One of the defining characteristics of "intelligent, thought-provoking, and complex works" is that they *repay* study; they *reward* analysis. The more you pay attention to them, and the more closely you pay attention, the more you get out of them.
Now, I'm not qualified to state that my books are "intelligent, thought-provoking, and complex works"--although I certainly hope they are. But I *can* state with confidence that it is a mistake to dismiss, say, the readers who post questions here simply because their interests or needs don't coincide with yours. Even those questions which most obviously blur the distinction between "fiction" and "reality" often have a valid point beneath the surface. And much of what you consider "over analysis" involves a search for continuity which (I believe) the reader has a right to expect. It's only "over analysis" when the author has nothing worthwhile to say.
Damn straight. That guy needed taking down a peg or two, arrogant git.
[spoiler]If you change the font to white within spoiler tags does it break them?[/spoiler]
Matthew Orgel: Well, I would first like to say that in the past months I have pulled a Donaldson marathon, rereading Mordant's Need, and reading the entire chronicles for the first time. I finished White Gold Wielder last night and I am still shell shocked. (I got The Real Story sitting on my nightstand right now)
The emotional impact these books have had on me is profound, and I seem to be drawing absolute reams of personal meaning from what I have read.
The only time I cried in the whole chrons? Lindon and Covenant's realization and consummation of love. I just wanted to know, is this all my own personal interpretation? Or was this the core of your purpose?
One other thing, this mad passion of yours for killing principles was beginning to wear me down at the end of WGW. Was this consciously vindicated by Cear Caverol's breaking of the law of life? Perhaps the only thing in the whole series that affected me as much as the redemption of Covenant and Lindon was Sunder's breakdown after you killed Hollian. (I somehow grew extremely attached to Sunder, I felt he was an important anchor for Covenant and Lindon)
Well, I can't honestly say that "the core of [my] purpose" in "The Second Chronicles" was to make you cry. <rueful smile> But Covenant's and Linden's discovery of love for each other *did* lie at the core of my purpose. You will perhaps have noticed that the entire story revolves around "relationships": Covenant and Linden; Sunder and Hollian; the First and Pitchwife; on a different level, Honninscrave and Seadreamer; and on a *very* different level, Vain and Findail. One of the points I was trying to get at is that it is these relationships, rather than any individual heroism, which defeat Lord Foul and redeem the Land. As an old poem says, "Two are more than one and one." Even in the first "Chronicles," Covenant could not have done it alone; but that truth is explored (I hope) more deeply in "The Second."
As for the body-count: what can I tell you? Hope is meaningless if it can't exist in the face, in the very teeth, of death and despair. I don't think it's possible to tell the truth about evil without confronting murder, mayhem, and self-sacrifice. But I'm afraid I don't understand your question as it pertains to Caer-Caveral. I don't believe that there are any conditions under which life can exist without death. It follows, therefore, that between them Caer-Caveral and Elena have opened the door for the utter destruction of the Earth.
Oooh. (this is my question btw) Nice little sneak peek of what SRD has in store for final chronicles.
Sean Casey: Stephen, what are the opinions of people in the industry (your agent, editor and publisher, other writers etc) to the Gradual Interview?
Thanks.
I don't know what other writers think (they may well be horrified <grin>), but my agent, editors, and publishers are delighted that I'm doing this, and they hope I'll keep it up for a long time.
(11/11/2004)
I love the GI, and I check it every day for new questions/answers. But I want it to stop for a while, so SRD can focus on writing Fatal Revenant.
Google gets me either a NASCAR driver or a comic book hero, neither of which would seem to be SRD's style.... Can anyone enlighten me, or will I just have to suck it up and go groveling back to the Gradual Interview?
