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Post by **wayfriend** » Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:06 pm

... that StoryMen interview actually is pretty powerful. He offers some amazing insights on the human condition, and explains the connections between his past works, his new series, and the world of "alternative facts".

"Commentary on the world we live in is not my conscious purpose. My conscious purpose is to write a story that feels important to me, about characters who have a lot of meaning to me, and who are not me. I have a passionate belief about storytelling that it's not only the best survival tool we have, it's the only path to redemption: we have to be able to get outside the bounds of our own skulls in order to consider reality as it appears to people whose cultures are different, as it appears to people whose knowledge-base is different, as it appears to people whose color and gender are different - if we cannot empathize, if we cannot cast our imagination somewhere outside our own skulls, we are DOOMED to live in a world that is terrifying and ignorant. And what I am trying to do is to create characters and make them as real for you as they are for me and see if I can get you to CARE."

... and that's not even the best stuff.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 4:37 am

Haha, cool, I noticed mine yesterday too.

--A

Post by **wayfriend** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:03 pm

For the longest time I felt like I was writing Covenant so that Covenant could teach me things that I needed to know. But by the time I got into the Last Chronicles, I was trying to teach him.

Now I am dealing with characters who once again are trying to teach me something that I need to know.

Holy crap.

Post by **StevieG** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:59 pm

They asked a great question about the scale of his stories - it's always been fascinating to me. How does he know whether a story is going to be a trilogy, novella, short story etc?

Basically, he just knows

But it was a very interesting response.

Post by **Avatar** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:24 am

Well, he though the Gap was going to be a short story, so...not sure if I believe him...

--A

Post by **StevieG** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:49 am

But he was never happy with the outcome of the novella, until he found that last ingredient (can't remember what it was now...) and then he knew its length.

Post by **Avatar** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:55 am

IIRC it was that the switch (victim / villain / saviour) wasn't clear enough without another 4 books of exposition?

(That was not really a serious comment.)

--A

Post by **wayfriend** » Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:55 pm

Just got the latest newsletter.

On-line version is here: link

Incidentally, my agent considers this one of my best books ever. He's been reading my work for a long time, and he doesn't say that very often, so his opinion counts.

Post by **Skyweir** » Fri Mar 23, 2018 6:33 am

Wow

.. how exciting

Cheers Wayfriend

Post by **Savor Dam** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:44 pm

The latest:

Stephen R. Donaldson
July 2018 News

I've reached what for me is a major watershed: delivery and acceptance (D&A). I have delivered my most recent (strenuous) revision of THE WAR WITHIN (Book Two of "The Great God's War"), and my editor has accepted it. So I'm done! (Well, not DONE done. I still have copyediting and proofreading ahead of me. But you get the idea.) Berkley has scheduled the book for April 2019. At this point, I have no reason to think that Gollancz in the UK will choose a different publication date. I'll get started on Book Three, THE LAST REPOSITORY, when I return home from a family wedding.

On a more personal--but still professional--note, I recently attended my 50th (!) college reunion. As part of the program, I participated in a panel discussion called "The Writers Among Us." The event was recorded (my generation would have called it "filmed") and then posted on Facebook. Since I am not on Facebook, I can't give you a link. But I imagine that if you search under "The College of Wooster" and "Alumni Reunion" and "Class of '68" and "The Writers Among Us," or some combination of those terms, you'll be able to find it. I know from other sources that it is there, and suitable for viewing/hearing.

Meanwhile, on a subject of professional outrage, I've recently learned that a web site called "Oceanofpdf.com" is making a vast quantity of copyrighted material available for free download. This is piracy, otherwise known as STEALING. Many of my books have been stolen: I stopped counting after 10. Of course, every publisher involved will bring all the legal pressure they can to bear, in an effort to shut the site down. I'm appalled by both the dishonesty and the hypocrisy of the people responsible for this crime. I hope publishers like PenguinRandomHouse and HarperCollins UK will succeed soon.

As always, if you want off this list, use the "unsubscribe" link above, or contact: NMJen11@yahoo.com. And if you know someone who wants to be added to the list, use the same contact. AND, if you've already asked to be on the list, but you don't get this newsletter <grin>, look in your spam folder. Or re-send your request.

Be well!

--Steve

Post by **wayfriend** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:49 pm

Another newsletter is out: July 2018 News

I have delivered my most recent (strenuous) revision of THE WAR WITHIN (Book Two of "The Great God's War"), and my editor has accepted it. So I'm done!

There's a description of a video on Facebook that he appears in as well.

Post by **Skyweir** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:30 am

Cools

Post by **Avatar** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 4:47 am

I should really get book 1...

--A

Post by **kevinswatch** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:02 pm

I think I actually GOT the July 2018 newsletter for once but it went to SPAM so I accidentally DELETED IT before I READ IT. Haha.

-jay

Post by **wayfriend** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:06 pm

kevinswatch wrote:I think I actually GOT the July 2018 newsletter for once but it went to SPAM so I accidentally DELETED IT before I READ IT. Haha.

Someone should let them know that you got a newsletter so that they can find out what went wrong.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Aug 07, 2018 4:14 am

kevinswatch wrote:I think I actually GOT the July 2018 newsletter for once but it went to SPAM so I accidentally DELETED IT before I READ IT. Haha.

-jay

Uh, lemme know if you want me to forward it to you.

--A

Post by **wayfriend** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 3:22 pm

The latest newsletter is out. It describes the end of all newsletters. [link]

I regret to say that I will not be sending out any more email newsletters.

(There's a Jay joke in here somewhere.)

From now on, news will be posted to his website, stephenrdonaldson.com, so fear not.

Post by **Skyweir** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:37 am

Yeah I got that too .. and fair enough .. instead being delivered to the convenience of my inbox .. I go there instead. Maybe we should get a return and report process set up

Post by **Avatar** » Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:22 am

Good idea.

When something new gets posted on the site, come here and link to it.

--A

Post by **Skyweir** » Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:26 am

I would be happy to

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