Alex
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hello! I loved the Sharing Knife and Chalion series, but Sharing Knife really resonated with me. It's such a unique world and I've never read one like it. While I'm sure you get these questions all the time, will you explore the Sharing Knife universe further? Perhaps maybe a 50 years into the future or something. I'd love to see how Dag and Fawn, and their children, change their world. Thanks!
Lois McMaster Bujold
I have nothing new going on with The Sharing Knife universe at this time. I don't rule anything out, because I've discovered my backbrain can ambush me unexpectedly, but certainly nothing soon.
Dag and Fawn's tale feels told to me (and at great length, too.) In general what I need to start a story, and what I want to explore during the course of it, is not a setting or an idea, but a character or characters. Once I have the characters, well, the question of "what ideas can challenge this person?" brings things into line nicely.
This is rather the opposite of some classic SF tropes, where the characters are got up to display the ideas. The clearest example being where some random Redshirt is sacrificed to demonstrate the capabilities of the alien weapon; what's most important about the scene is the weapon, not the person. This is also done on a much larger scale and less obviously not just with alien weapons, but with all sorts of things up to and including political ideas. My brain does not seem to work that way. So what I need to start a new project is not an idea, but a person (one who, for whatever reason, matters to me) to whom that idea will matter.
Ta, L.
I have nothing new going on with The Sharing Knife universe at this time. I don't rule anything out, because I've discovered my backbrain can ambush me unexpectedly, but certainly nothing soon.
Dag and Fawn's tale feels told to me (and at great length, too.) In general what I need to start a story, and what I want to explore during the course of it, is not a setting or an idea, but a character or characters. Once I have the characters, well, the question of "what ideas can challenge this person?" brings things into line nicely.
This is rather the opposite of some classic SF tropes, where the characters are got up to display the ideas. The clearest example being where some random Redshirt is sacrificed to demonstrate the capabilities of the alien weapon; what's most important about the scene is the weapon, not the person. This is also done on a much larger scale and less obviously not just with alien weapons, but with all sorts of things up to and including political ideas. My brain does not seem to work that way. So what I need to start a new project is not an idea, but a person (one who, for whatever reason, matters to me) to whom that idea will matter.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Andrew
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Apropos of the recent news about the artificial womb, after the uterine replicator, what SF technology would you most like to exist? A short answer is fine - hope your hand is healing well! [Also, you've answered so many questions, 395 of them to date, Goodreads needs to let us search through your Q&As to minimize duplicates!]
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more