Tea G
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Dear Lois, I just read the Curse of Chalion and I really liked how the plot was fluid. I was delighted by Caz. My question: is Caz designed as a central character or occurring after the idea of the curse? What came first the chicken or the egg? Big warm greetings from Croatia.
Lois McMaster Bujold
Caz came first, and hung around in limbo for rather a long time till his setting, with a lot of pre-fabricated plot elements, arrived in the form of 15th C. Spanish court history. The idea of the curse slotted in subsequently -- I mean, a curse would explain so much about the real historical place and period...
The proto-Caz might have alighted in some other country of the era, as I was especially interested in that cadre of men who rose from the middle classes to become the right hands of assorted kings and queens and wrangle the transition from medieval realms to more modern styles of nation-states. Walsingham, Cisneros, Richelieu, the ill-fated David Riccio, etc.
In general, potential ideas or settings don't do much for me till an interesting character arrives. Only then does a story come alive.
Ta, L.
Caz came first, and hung around in limbo for rather a long time till his setting, with a lot of pre-fabricated plot elements, arrived in the form of 15th C. Spanish court history. The idea of the curse slotted in subsequently -- I mean, a curse would explain so much about the real historical place and period...
The proto-Caz might have alighted in some other country of the era, as I was especially interested in that cadre of men who rose from the middle classes to become the right hands of assorted kings and queens and wrangle the transition from medieval realms to more modern styles of nation-states. Walsingham, Cisneros, Richelieu, the ill-fated David Riccio, etc.
In general, potential ideas or settings don't do much for me till an interesting character arrives. Only then does a story come alive.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Sarah
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I have a vague memory a comment you made several years ago when someone asked about another Vorkosigan book that you had started writing about finding butter bugs in the radiation zone, but that was as far as the idea had gone. Is Flowers the end result of that idea? BTW, I'm about 70% of the way through and enjoying it immensely.
Bob
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
You've mentioned dealing with insomnia, do you ever write during that time? If so, have any memorable scenes or ideas come together as a result of your sleeplessness? Or is the causality the other way around? Can you not sleep sometimes because your mind is too busy trying to solve things to sleep? I'm betting on the latter because Miles.
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