Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Here's the spot to ask Ray, or me, what you're dying to know about the process of our collaboration - with the chance of a few insider anecdotes along the way.

You said somewhere that you both came up with the idea for the first chapter. Did you both continue writing from that point or did one take the lead with the story, characters, etc?

What was your favorite character to flesh out (besides Mara)? Favorite scene?

I love the Asian inspired culture of the Tsurani. Somewhere I saw that you visited China (I think). How did this visit and immersion of Asian culture ultimately affect the book?

Amelia wrote: "You said somewhere that you both came up with the idea for the first chapter. Did you both continue writing from that point or did one take the lead with the story, characters, etc?

What was your..."

Here's the nutshell sequence as I recall it - Ray might add further insight.

Ray had the concept for the first scene and the ending point (of what later became Servant of the Empire's ending). Nothing in between. He had the concept that Mara's cleverness and ingenuity would use the game of the council to get to the ending point (you'll see) but nothing in between.

When, after a LONG period of browbeating, he got me to agree to collaborate (another story) - we sat down at World Fantasy Convention, face to face, and in about 4 hours hammered out (effortlessly) a tight outline of the story.

We then got together again and wrote chapter one, face to face. The chapter and outline were submitted. We did nothing more until the book sold.

Once it sold, we had one more face to face writing session - and roughly parsed out bits of the outline we wanted to work with in draft (each to our own).

Then we used the (then) phone technology to send computer files by modem....so the sections we each drafted solo were 'exchanged' and overwritten - not once but several times, until the whole was a contiguous match. You can't tell, as reader, and many times we can't, as writers, determine who did what, when...

Yes, I traveled to Korea, not China - and a lot of the impressions of cultural differences were put in the story. Even more so as the series progressed.

Korea, yes that was the place. I can see your thorough researching shining through in this book. Details make a big difference. It makes the book feel more substantial or real.

I think the book flows very well. I didn't detect any changes of style - so you both did an excellent job.

One more question, this one may end up being more for Ray. What was the inspiration for the Cho-ja? I know we first encounter them in Magician, but they get fleshed out more in this book as we see them in Kelewan.

Just finished the book and came back to read this. I was so pleased in my inability to tell how the book was written between the two authors. In total agreement with Amelia (message 4) that I could not detect any changes in style.

Having not read any of The Riftwar Saga books, I was concerned that I would feel I was missing out on vital information, but this was not the case. I was very satisfied with how fulfilling the book was on its own. In fact, having been out of the loop in this group for awhile, I did not even take note that this trilogy was tied to The Riftwar Saga books until I was part way through this book. My question would be this: was the ability to start reading without knowledge of the Riftwar books something you both discussed and kept clearly in mind as this book (and sequels) were written?

If you had read the Riftwar books, you would see other facets to this trilogy, and even, other views of some concurrent events.

Likewise, if you read Empire first, you would see other facets and viewpoints in the Riftwar's earlier volumes.

The two stories intersect, but do not rely upon each other - each is complete of itself.

I think this just happened organically...showing the Tsurani culture from an inside view naturally fleshed out the outsider's view depicted in Ray's other books.

Ray of course can respond with a totally different view - perhaps HE planned it so all along.

The fact this was its own self standing story was important to me. There is no way I would have wanted to 'collaborate' on a story that was just an extension of what Ray had done/or that was totally reliant on his earlier material. While some of the template was provided, there was a whole, rich scope of creativity available in the 'undefined' areas - and we enjoyed working together to flesh those out.

Thank you for the quick response, Janny!

I thought the book's pacing was typical of your pacing, Janny. A slow rise to a crisis in the middle, resolution & immediately we're back into building for the final, higher crisis. I didn't see that as much in the Rift War books. Was that a conscious portion on your part or...well, how did the plotting work out between you two?

Jim wrote: "I thought the book's pacing was typical of your pacing, Janny. A slow rise to a crisis in the middle, resolution & immediately we're back into building for the final, higher crisis. I didn't see ..."

Jim - I truly hate a predictable story, and that one/two punch plot structure is a natural result...that the obvious problem hides a larger, not so obvious danger and brings down larger consequences in reaction.

As to how we plotted: we spent a few hours discussing the story, event to event - what if this happened, then how about if that happened, and if this landed here, what sort of consequence would result....with two minds working and such a rich background, there was a lot of scope available for creativity.

We fixed what I would call a 'point to point' outline in which highlights of scenes and actions were tabulated in a certain order - then wrote the book and let the story weave around them.

That general outline occurred face to face - with a lot of scope, obviously - for stuff to be thrown in. One such 'toss' (on Ray's part) was Kevin - whose character was not announced in the outline, but - obviously in hindsight - that counterpoint of his off-world thinking provided the PERFECT foil for Mara's innovation....there were things I tossed in, too. The result became - as you see - a very dynamic synergy.

Kevin wasn't in from the beginning? Now that is a surprise. He certainly didn't seem pasted in, but a very integral part of the story & I would have guessed from the very beginning. Thanks.

Yes, Kevin did not appear in the 'outline.'

Originally, Daughter and what became Servant were supposed to be one book. Ray came to me with the proposal to collaborate with the opening scene, and the ending -


(MINOR HINT/not a true spoil for Servant but do not read if you wish)

was actually the ending MOMENT of Servant (won't spoil and say what)...there was no middle material. Our original outline covered the main events - and when Daughter got very big, and we realized the depth and intricacy, we broke that book into two. Ray wrote the rough draft for the opening of Servant - and there was the slave market scene, and - there was Kevin.

When I got the chapter draft from him (some details not yet fully fleshed out) I phoned and yelled - "Who's Kevin? HE wasn't in the outline!!!!" But once past the jolt, the idea made so much sense - it took off easily. I cannot picture the story without him. So while it was a surprise toss at first, it got fielded rather quickly - the character grew seamlessly into the story, and, the rest is history. The book was still in its formative stages - the scenes were not written - all the major scenes we had planned still occurred - just Kevin became part of them/with his own emergent role increasingly important in them/and the bits that occurred concurrently in the other trilogy woven through, as well.