Josh Angel
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I was reading through the questions you've answered on Goodreads, and I was struck by how much your answers read as if written by Desdemona herself. I mean that in the best possible way, as I find her quite funny. I know all the characters are technically "you", but I was wondering if there may be a little more "you" written into Desdemona than other characters?
Lois McMaster Bujold
Mm, perhaps. I wrote in the introduction to the collection Penric's Progress: "In the world of the five gods, magical powers are not inborn but obtained, by—among other methods—acquiring a chaos demon, an invisible bodiless entity stemming ultimately from the fifth god, known as the Bastard in His holy family. This led me to the need to make up the character of the demon, which, in this system, opened up a huge range of possibilities, since demons, all beginning as identical blobs of escaped chaos, learn their diverse personalities from the succession of sorcerers they symbiotically inhabit over, potentially, many lives. This also, to my vast amusement, gave me the chance to combine the fetching young male protagonist beloved by the market with the cranky older woman so familiar from the inside of my own head."
None of my characters are me, but they do borrow from my experiences, as from a lending library. Or as a cup of sugar from the neighbor, or junk from the attic, or a literary garage sale, whatever.
(Beware, by the way, the common misperception that only female characters are imprinted this way from a female writer. Or only male ones from a male, I expect. Creativity routinely escapes such restrictive social roles.)
Ta, L.
Mm, perhaps. I wrote in the introduction to the collection Penric's Progress: "In the world of the five gods, magical powers are not inborn but obtained, by—among other methods—acquiring a chaos demon, an invisible bodiless entity stemming ultimately from the fifth god, known as the Bastard in His holy family. This led me to the need to make up the character of the demon, which, in this system, opened up a huge range of possibilities, since demons, all beginning as identical blobs of escaped chaos, learn their diverse personalities from the succession of sorcerers they symbiotically inhabit over, potentially, many lives. This also, to my vast amusement, gave me the chance to combine the fetching young male protagonist beloved by the market with the cranky older woman so familiar from the inside of my own head."
None of my characters are me, but they do borrow from my experiences, as from a lending library. Or as a cup of sugar from the neighbor, or junk from the attic, or a literary garage sale, whatever.
(Beware, by the way, the common misperception that only female characters are imprinted this way from a female writer. Or only male ones from a male, I expect. Creativity routinely escapes such restrictive social roles.)
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Andrew
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
How do your family and friends relate to you and your writing? I imagine they would enjoy a special understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and values from reading your work. For instance, my wife and I have both completed the Vorkosigan saga and I've taken to quoting to her, apropos of family matters, "all true wealth is biological", which benefits from what we've both experienced in the novels.
Eliana
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
In a discussion with friends about Diplomatic Immunity, I mentioned having seen you say that you regretted not having made the plot resolution section with Ekaterin be present tense, from her POV, rather than described after the fact. Someone asked where I had seen that - and I can't find it! I had thought it was in an afterward, but I'm not seeing it. Do you remember where that might be? Thank you!
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