greenlady
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I was pre-ordering "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" and discovered I had somehow missed a new novella. What a wonderful treat! Are you planning to release more short works? It's a different type of story telling and I'd love to see more of it. I'd think that Aral and Cordelia's time on Sergyar would be a great place to explore via short stories and novellas.
Lois McMaster Bujold
I'm glad you found "Penric's Demon", however inadvertently!
I'm not planning anything at this stage, though I'm open to possibilities. Part of the reason for the Penric tale is that I wanted to explore direct e-placement, which, among other things, has far fewer constraints on length or topic than other modes of publication. I'm certainly counting the experiment a success.
But, really, Penric's tale happened because I wasn't trying to write at all, but rather, had relaxed and kicked back. With my brain less busy, there was space to listen to myself think. (The internet, I observe, is quite willing to keep one's brain frantically busy 24/7.) Also, an idea needs to be of the right weight and length for a novella; too little and there's nothing to say, too long and it turns into a novel, which is not the point of the exercise. I will say, finishing something in a mere three months was a real treat. So, we'll just have to see.
Ta, L.
I'm not planning anything at this stage, though I'm open to possibilities. Part of the reason for the Penric tale is that I wanted to explore direct e-placement, which, among other things, has far fewer constraints on length or topic than other modes of publication. I'm certainly counting the experiment a success.
But, really, Penric's tale happened because I wasn't trying to write at all, but rather, had relaxed and kicked back. With my brain less busy, there was space to listen to myself think. (The internet, I observe, is quite willing to keep one's brain frantically busy 24/7.) Also, an idea needs to be of the right weight and length for a novella; too little and there's nothing to say, too long and it turns into a novel, which is not the point of the exercise. I will say, finishing something in a mere three months was a real treat. So, we'll just have to see.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Feodore
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
A quick thanks for all the lovely stories, particularly those from the Vorkosigan saga, that've kept me enthralled the last few years. Ran through "Dreamweaver's Dilemna" yesterday and I had to ask: Have you read Asimov's "Dreaming is a Private Thing" by any chance? If so, was that an inspiration, conscious or otherwise? Two stories that go in very different directions, obviously, but the core idea is similar.
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