Lois McMaster Bujold
I'm very glad you find my work heartening, but I do have to say I didn't start out to represent anything but the characters themselves. All sorts of characters, in all sorts of situations (that interest me, a necessary caveat), revealing themselves and their stories to me as I write them.
I do think that readers generally pick out and respond to aspects of any tale that resonate with them, regardless of how complex the tale may be. The obvious negative form of this is triggering, or special individual allergies to whatever story element it may be; the less obvious positive form is loving a work for particular elements it presents despite what else it contains. I compare this with how one person's hearing may be especially sensitive or muted in some specific range of frequencies.
Reading a wide range of reviews of the same work gives insight into this effect. All reading the same words, responses wildly varied; therefore, what's happening can't be in the words themselves, but in that other half of the text-reader partnership. (The half the writer can't control, I note.)
Ta, L.
I'm very glad you find my work heartening, but I do have to say I didn't start out to represent anything but the characters themselves. All sorts of characters, in all sorts of situations (that interest me, a necessary caveat), revealing themselves and their stories to me as I write them.
I do think that readers generally pick out and respond to aspects of any tale that resonate with them, regardless of how complex the tale may be. The obvious negative form of this is triggering, or special individual allergies to whatever story element it may be; the less obvious positive form is loving a work for particular elements it presents despite what else it contains. I compare this with how one person's hearing may be especially sensitive or muted in some specific range of frequencies.
Reading a wide range of reviews of the same work gives insight into this effect. All reading the same words, responses wildly varied; therefore, what's happening can't be in the words themselves, but in that other half of the text-reader partnership. (The half the writer can't control, I note.)
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Catherine Nemeth
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
One thing that struck me in the WGW series was Dag denying that he had to return to the Lakewalkers and fight malices with them their way because he was necessary the cause, and said that it should never get to the point where any one person is indispensable. Now it seems there are quite a few people all over the political spectrum insisting that they are indispensable. Any thoughts on Being the MC vs group effort?
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