Martin
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Vorkosigan saga is brilliant. I'm pleasantly surprised how much I loved Vorpatril's alliance which led me to conclusion that you managed to achieve a specific mood where more than one character can be a main protagonist without changing "feeling" of the story which I believe is quite difficult :). Are you considering continuing quest star stories?
Lois McMaster Bujold
I am not sure what you mean by "quest star stories". Every character is the center of their own universe, and therefore every character has some story potential. Some will be more interesting to me than others, but then there follows the question, "Will this interest sustain a whole novel?" Those are more rare. (Jo Walton has dubbed this centering quality "protagonismus".)
There's also the matter of plot-character interlock, as each creates the other. Some characters come with one perfect plot, and when that tale is told, they're done, ready to retire. Some more flexible characters can sustain more than one plot or one kind of plot, and from these sorts the writer can more readily squeeze a series.
The most difficult thing with late-series books is wrestling the backstory, even when it's cut down to just the most immediately pertinent backstory. This was pretty readily do-able when I just had 6 books; 16 is more of a challenge. As I've said elsewhere, the exact same text must be made to simultaneously serve the dedicated fan who remembers everything, the occasional reader whose familiarity with it all is dim, and the new reader who can know nothing but what is on the page now. Tricky stuff.
Ta, L.
I am not sure what you mean by "quest star stories". Every character is the center of their own universe, and therefore every character has some story potential. Some will be more interesting to me than others, but then there follows the question, "Will this interest sustain a whole novel?" Those are more rare. (Jo Walton has dubbed this centering quality "protagonismus".)
There's also the matter of plot-character interlock, as each creates the other. Some characters come with one perfect plot, and when that tale is told, they're done, ready to retire. Some more flexible characters can sustain more than one plot or one kind of plot, and from these sorts the writer can more readily squeeze a series.
The most difficult thing with late-series books is wrestling the backstory, even when it's cut down to just the most immediately pertinent backstory. This was pretty readily do-able when I just had 6 books; 16 is more of a challenge. As I've said elsewhere, the exact same text must be made to simultaneously serve the dedicated fan who remembers everything, the occasional reader whose familiarity with it all is dim, and the new reader who can know nothing but what is on the page now. Tricky stuff.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Katrine Cady
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hi Lois, How do you know when a novel is “finished?” Do you find yourself tweaking things for weeks after you first think you are done with a story, or are you more of a “once and done” kind of author? When I paint, once I’ve signed my work, I never touch it with a brush again. I was wondering if writing was the same.
Steve
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Are you worried that spending a lot of time communicating with your fans, especially in answering questions about older works, keeps you from getting back to writing and getting into the mood for something unrelated to past books? I have realized that if i spend too much time noodling on the Internet and Facebook and Goodreads, I don't get much else done for the day.
Melinda
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
What if Ethan of Athos starred a young Cordelia instead of Elli Quinn? When Ethan asks Elli if she'll donate an ovary to Athos, Elli mostly seems amused, not overly swayed by the thought of having hundreds of sons with her DNA. But Cordelia has an insatiable drive to expand her own biological empire. I bet Cordelia would have screamed "YES" to Ethan's question and gone and had it chopped out on the spot!
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