Will Poetker
asked
Jo Walton:
Will you ever write anything with Aristotle as a character, or his works as a theme in your books? The same question applies to any other philosophers who work came after the time of Plato
Jo Walton
Aristotle, absolutely not. I hate Aristotle.
Other philosophers -- I have no plans at this time, but it's not impossible that at some future point it will seem like fun.
Some writers find a groove and are happy to write things in that groove. I get bored and it gets very difficult for me to write. I find it much more interesting to write books that are different from each other. Robert Graves talks somewhere about how his mother was delighted when he wrote *two* books about Claudius, and hoped he'd go on to write one about Nero and so on, that he'd finally found his subject. Lots of people do this, but Graves did not. And equally I'm not going to do Plato and then Aristotle and then work my way through philosophy. It's not at all the way I work.
Other philosophers -- I have no plans at this time, but it's not impossible that at some future point it will seem like fun.
Some writers find a groove and are happy to write things in that groove. I get bored and it gets very difficult for me to write. I find it much more interesting to write books that are different from each other. Robert Graves talks somewhere about how his mother was delighted when he wrote *two* books about Claudius, and hoped he'd go on to write one about Nero and so on, that he'd finally found his subject. Lots of people do this, but Graves did not. And equally I'm not going to do Plato and then Aristotle and then work my way through philosophy. It's not at all the way I work.
More Answered Questions
Kelly
asked
Jo Walton:
Ms. Walton, I admire the ingenuity of Tooth and Claw, namely that it's animal fiction for adults. In my experience as an author, the market for these types of novels has all but died in the last decade. Have you considered continuing the Tooth and Claw story or creating another animal universe? If so, is the present market a deterring factor?
Xena WP
asked
Jo Walton:
Jo, after finishing Transcription by K. Atkinson I wished for a few paragraphs at least of Juliet’s happy discovery of Italy and enjoyment of motherhood, things you describe movingly in My Real Children. I read My Real Children shortly after readingLife After Life and I thought they enriched each other. Have you read Life After Life and do you think it is a work of SFF? (If MRC is, then LAL is IMO.)
Eliana
asked
Jo Walton:
I was wondering if any of the stories I remember you talking about starting might still be in process? I know the sequels to Tooth and Claw are not happening (though every time I reread it, I like to wonder about the future you touched on.), ditto the Mansfield Park in space (wah!), but there was a world of unfallen Tom Bombadils, the Carthaginian lizardpeople, the 1950's flood, & the Tallyrand one...
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