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Jan. 2011: Avempartha / Q & A with Michael Sullivan
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Michael
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Jan 03, 2011 12:44AM
While I won't "spoil" things in books that have not come out yet, I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.
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Question 1 - I heard you wrote all of these before publishing the first - That's crazy ??!? Was that difficult to do. Do you wish you hadn't done it that way?Question 2 - Who is the heir? Okay I know you won't answer that but I thought I had to ask.
Question 3 - I doubt you'll tell me who is your favoite character (same thing as children you'll never be able to pick) but who do you like writing the best? Which character are you pumped for when it's time to write their scenes.
#1 Yes I wrote them all first. Partially because I write fast, partially because it takes a long time to get published ;-) And partially because I had this concept of an "arc" and I was terrified that I would get to book x and go.... doh if only I could plant a seed for this in book y. No I don't think I "could" have done it any other way there were too many times that I did indeed go back and tweek things here and there. Robin was an advanced reader and she was surprised sometimes when she found new passages added..."Michael, what's up with that" she would ask me.
Writing a series is difficult to be sure, I'm working on a stand alone now and that is much easier. I'm not sure whether I'll attempt anything like this again.
#2 - The heir is really...Well if I told you, you'd know I was lying.
#3 My favorites to write are Royce and Myron. Royce always gets the "best lines" and Myron is just so easy to write - he's like a puppy always fun to have around. My wife is actually shown as composites in a few characters (and she knows it) so in the interest of marital peace....I really like writing the mainline women as BEST!
Michael, do you read a lot of fantasy? Who would you say were some of your favorite writers?
I keep wondering how old Royce and Hadrian are. Sorry, I know this was probably mentioned in the books, I must have missed it somewhere. I think I get things mixed up too because I read them out of order.
I don't think their ages are ever given with any certainty. Unfortunately, Michael doesn't seem to be around. You might want to ask him in the Ryira Revelations group.http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Royce is older - by about 8 years - 42 - 44 over the course of the series. Hadrian is 34 - 36.
Hi Michael. Writing such a huge body of work as you did, what did you do to keep all your characters clear in your mind in terms of physical details, characters, arcs, etc?thanks
Christopher
Christopher,I really didn't do anything. I am aware that some authors create character outlines and such, but I've never worked that way. I generally don't even keep notes. I use a moleskin notebook to jot down things I research for consulting later, but as for the story and the characters I keep all that in my head.
I tend to know the characters as well as I know real people. It didn't start out that way, but after so many books, they do take on a certain reality. If however I forget the hair color of a minor character that appeared in an early book, I just go look up the passage they appeared in.
I do make an outline, but it really is the process of making the outline that I am after. In writing out the plot, it helps me to build it by forcing me to face problems or fill in gaps. Once I finish an outline, I usually never look at it again.
Keeping the entire story loaded in my mental RAM allows for me to play with it rewriting the entire scope on the fly. It is as if the story is a 3D model in a computer program. I can easily pivot it, tilt it at a different angle or change the light at will, and then when I get it just right, I render it into a single image.
Thanks for the explanation. You must have a lot of fish in your diet! My memory wouldn't be up to that sort of task.
Michael,I cam across you work purely by chance, as I listened to the podiobook of TCC, narrated by the wonderful Nathan Lowell. Do you have any plans to work with Nathan in the future, the other books in the series maybe?
