Eagles Over the Kennebec

Methodology:  Choose a question from the screened comments on this post.

I received 35 responses to this post, containing 65 questions.  One response  contained a record 22 questions.

More than half of the questions received are massive spoilers for the Liaden Universe®.  This is fair -- the name of the game, after all, is Ask Me Anything, not, I'll Answer Anything.

So!  Today's question is!

Do your characters sometimes head in a different direction than you were planning in your stories? And if so what do you do, do you try to force them into the original direction, cut that scene out and change characters, see where they want to go, or something else? How do you deal with a stubborn character?

Our-and-my characters always have their own ideas about where they're going, why they're going there, and what they will and won't do when they get there.

We consider this a feature.

Characters who have their own ideas about themselves and their lives, and strong feelings about what is proper -- or needed -- are what we want.  This may occasionally spoil or even void a scene, which is certainly inconvenient, but scenes can be rewritten, after all.  Stories are about characters.  To tell our stories properly,  we need to listen to the characters.

Being character-driven writers means that we are what's sometimes called "organic writers" -- which means we don't produce an outline at the beginning of a story and stick with it, come ice or nor'easter.  We do start with a general idea of where we, mere authors, think the story's going, but even that's subject to change.  As a rule, the things that must happen, happen because they are necessary to the character(s).  I would say "to the character(s) arc," but that would imply that we have some kind of control over that.

I have gone into a book knowing that one particular character, created for that book, would not survive their arc.  In fact, they would redeem themselves in death.  Except. . .in the course of the book, they redeemed themselves many times over, and bought back their life, in essence.  Which meant I needed to write a different ending, but, hey -- that's what writers are for.

Dealing with a stubborn character -- Steve and I learned our lesson there on the very first Liaden book -- Agent of Change -- where we were working with -- a very simple outline.  But one of the set pieces was that Val Con would arrive at a certain place in need of transportation, and that he would therefore steal a spaceship.  In fact, as it clearly stated in the outline, he was to steal a ship belonging to a friend, that was berthed at the station.

I was lead on Agent, by reason of having no day-job at the time, and I was zipping right along, barely able to type fast enough to keep up with Miri and Val Con, and there!  We got to the space station, there was the ship, and Val Con -- stopped.

Stopped dead, right there on the page.

I figured I needed a break, got up, took a walk, came back, wiggled my fingers over the keys and said to Val Con, "OK, then!  Time to steal a spaceship!"

Nothing happened.

I showed him the outline, where it said, clearly, Val Con steals ship.

He shrugged.

Nothing happened.  I pushed.  I put in a line, typed *** to indicate a scene change, and tried to jump ahead, to where he was already on the ship.

Nope, nada, nothing.

I went back to the original scene, and tried to give him a little shove down toward the dock, and was informed that yes, I was the one with the typewriter, and I could, in theory, make him steal the ship, but if I did, he would never work for me again.

Well, that was unnerving, so I got up and went into the kitchen to make bread.

Eventually, Steve came home from his day-job, took a look at my face, and said,  "What's wrong?"

"Val Con won't steal the spaceship."

"Oh, won't he?"  said Steve.  "I'll talk to him, OK?"

"OK," I said, and started to pull stuff to make dinner.

He disappeared into the living room (my desk was in a corner of the living room in those days), and I heard the typewriter start, then stop.  A couple lines were typed; paper was ripped out of the platen.  New paper was rolled in, a couple keystrokes, then. . .nothing.

At dinner, Steve said, "Val Con won't steal the spaceship."

"Right," I said, and we put our heads together and talked the scene over and how we'd gotten to the scene, and, eventually, realized our error.  Val Con and the owner of the ship he was to steal were friends.  Val Con did have his honor, and while he might do many things, steal from a friend, he would not.

So, we, as writers, had a couple choices before us.  We could change the ship-to-be-stolen, so that it no longer belonged to a friend.  This was actually the easiest solution, but we thought about it some more, and decided that there was a better solution, and we went back a few pages in the manuscript and wrote in a sentence where the friend gave Val Con permission to use any resource belonging to the friend that he might need.

After that adjustment was made, we went back to the space station -- and Val Con was already moving toward that ship, a spring in his step, and reviewing the best places to Jump for.

So, yanno -- that's how you deal with a stubborn character.

Here ends the answer to the First Question.

Many people across several venues want to know Things about the new digs, so rather than answer each of them individually (which, realistically, means that I won't answer any of them -- do you know how many books there are in this house?  That have to be packed?) -- I'll answer here.

First! The generator.  The generator may or may not move with us to the new place.  In theory, it increases the value of the house we're moving from.  If the new buyers want the generator, we'll work with them on that, and install a new generator at the new place.  If the new buyers don't want the generator, then the people who installed it for us will move it to the new place, and we'll get it hooked up.  Moving, as we are finding out, is Complicated, and there are things that have to be decided before things can be decided.

Second! Why now?  Um.  Because we found a house in an acceptable location that we can remotely afford to buy?  Also, because we happen to be at a point of synergy in regard to available funds, available brain power, energy, and emotional strength.  Now is just about the Most Perfect Time I can think of for this move, given the reasons why we're moving.

Third!  Why are you putting Accepting the Lance aside in order to move? That's not fair to readers!  Well. . .actually.  Fifth of Five curled up and died on us before we went to MidSouthCon (ref here).  Steve and I threw away 70,000 +/- of the Wrong Words, and we are in the process of re-visioning the narrative.  So, we haven't put aside the book in order to concentrate on something else.  Happily for us, re-visioning is something that can easily be done while putting books in boxes.

Fourth!  Moving is hard; why not stay where you are?  Because where we are is no longer tenable, for us at this time.  It was a terrific place for 28ish years, and it'll be a terrific place for some other young couple, sometime soon.  I'd also like to point out that writing is hard, and we keep doing that, so, clearly, we have rocks for brains.

. . .I think these are the most repeated questions.  Hope this information satisfies.  Thank you for all your support and concern.  We really are trying to go forward in a reasonable and rational manner.  Which is also hard.

Everybody have a good day.

This post is reflected, though slightly amended, from Facebook.

I have a question, O, Internets:

A little background, first. Many years ago, after we had sold our first three books, and been cut loose by our publisher -- but hadn't yet given up hope of finding a new publisher, and selling more books, it was said in some quarters that Miller and Lee were "writer's writers" and as such would probably not be able to make a living, as writers. There's some precedence for this, as writers read differently than even experienced readers, and tend to be delighted by V. Strange Things™, and in general Just Aren't The Target Market.

Mail arrived; no check.  At this point, I'm expecting that it got on the bus to Massachusetts (Massachusetts being "MA" according to the Post Office and Maine being "ME"; many people unfamiliar with addressing envelopes Simply Assume that Maine is "MA") and will be returned as "addressee unknown" to the agency in ten days or a month.

The betting pool is still open on whether or not the books arrive today.

Let's see. . .

Answer to question from the Roll Call:  Yes, we will be visiting Annie's Bookstop in Worcester on Friday, July 8, at 7 pm.  I talked to Trisha last night; she's not sure what happened to the calendar listing, but states that It Shall Be Fixed.  In the meantime, she sent along this link.  Hope to see lots of you there!

Considering all the questions which have been asked in Roll Call, I have a Question of my own:  Is it easier to ask a question where you know it won't be seen by anyone except, in this case, me?

On the schedule today is a podcast interview, writing, and staring out the window.

Yesterday, I did not write, but opted to read and rest my fingers after paying the scariest of the bills on the desk.

They say partly cloudy today, here, with thunderstorms on the overnight.

. . .and that's all I've got.

Everybody stay cool.

Today's blog title is brought to you by Train, "Calling All Angels."  Here's your link.

In a startling reversal, we have had news of a check!

It was cut yesterday, and will be on the bus to Maine this afternoon.

The reported amount of the check, sadly, reinforces my natural tendency toward pessimism, bearing in mind that, through the offices of our good uncle, Sam, we are currently constrained to put half of all receipts into the tax account.

[Sigh. The neighbor is shooting at his vegetables again.  It's a hobby, I suppose.  And at least it's at a decent hour in the afternoon, rather than 7am.  Apparently vegetables are particularly unruly at 7am.]

Steve and I had a brainstorming session a couple nights ago, and came up with A Conceit, the implementation of which will mean, I very much fear, that the Work in Progress will shrink Yet Again.  I'm tempted to title it The Incredible Shrinking Novel, and have done, but perhaps something. . .more convenable will occur.  In the meanwhile, among the working notes I have here is, "save Festina for later."

One of the things I love about my job is the necessity of occasionally leaving myself notes like, "save Festina for later."

What else?

Someone inside the roll call asked for my opinion of The House of Shattered Wings, which I recently read.  I usually don't give my opinion of the books I read, because I overwhelmingly read science fiction and fantasy, and. . .I know a Whole Lot of science fiction and fantasy writers, as colleagues and friends.  I'm not being paid to review things anymore, and I don't like to hurt anyone's feelings over what is, after all, merely a question of personal taste.

I will say that, if you are looking for Gothick Urban Fantasy, complete with fallen angels, and immortals banished from the court of The August Personage of Jade, set in post-World War Paris, The House of Shattered Wings is your book.

Yesterday, for a brief period in the afternoon, we had Weather, in the shape of An Awesome Thunderstorm accompanied by a prodigious down-pouring of rain. Today, it is intermittently sunny, humid, and warm, and cloudy, humid, and warm.  Sprite is asleep in the red basket on my desk; Belle is asleep in my her rocker.  Scrabble sleeps with the heffalumps, and Trooper is on hammock duty in the front room.

In a few minutes, Steve and I will meet for ice cream, and then I'll commence in tearing apart the first section of the WiP, remembering to save Festina for later.

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Progress on Book the Next
35,686/100,000 OR 35.69% complete

"Truly, sir, if I stood in your place, I would be extremely cross. The tree has been less than apt, and wounded an ally, besides. Indeed, I find it possible to be cross in your stead, and I mean to deliver it a ringing scold, when next we meet."

. . .the behinder I get.

Yeah.

So!  Book the Next has shrunk again, as last night I Officially Removed that questionable 5,652 words, and placed it in a file named "Five of 5."

This brings the word count for Book the Next right down to 32,777.  As a colleague said, "It would be so much easier, if writing a novel were only about stringing words together until you have enough."

So, that.

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One more question from the Roll Call:  Will there be a Jethri and Tan Sim story?

...one assumes that this is not a request for slash, but for a novel, and the answer is -- Don't know.  It's not on the current list, but we're pretty sure to have another list, sometime in future.  What we chose to write about is predicated on a number of factors, the most important of which is -- What do we feel like writing?  As people frequently mention, it takes us a long time to write a book -- far too long, in fact, to live with characters we dislike or a story we didn't really want to write.

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Several people in a number of venues have asked where they can find more of Tolly Jones.  This is pursuant to yesterday's posting of "Wise Child" (which is here, if you missed it).  Tolly, of course, makes an appearance in Dragon in Exile, and is also present in Alliance of Equals and! Book the Next.

There is some curiosity about Where Disian Came From.  First I heard of her was in Book the Next, when Tolly casually said something, and I was like, "Wait, what?"

Folks also want to know the "rest" of Disian's story -- which, she having arrived fully formed, so to speak, I happen to know!   Sorta.  What I don't know yet is where that story belongs.  And, no (to forestall a frequent variation on a theme) I won't just tell you.  Just telling you is not a story, but it very well may ruin the story, in that, having just told you, I'll be bored, and won't write it.

Writers are twisty wights, no getting around it.

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Steve and I have had a go at putting together a blog tour for Alliance, and our first stop was at YA Authors You Never Heard Of.

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He'd asked Disian, once, how moving through Jump looked to her. And she'd waxed rhapsodic enough that he'd decided right then and there that a man might have no better use of his time than to seek out the Uncle and offer to do whatever it took, so long as he ended up downloaded as the main brain of a spaceship.

An Alert Reader has noticed that February 2018 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Liaden Universe® in print.  This is derived from the fact that Agent of Change was published as a paperback original by Del Rey, in February 1988.

Said Alert Reader has put out a call for celebratory Limited Edition Hardcovers in honor of this anniversary.  Clearly, this is not something that we, the authors, can do.  We can, however, take the idea to Madame the Publisher, if there seems to be sufficient interest.

This is where you come in.

If Limited Edition Liaden Universe® Hardcovers were published, would you purchase it/them?

I realize that price is very often an object for you, as it is for me, so if you have a price in mind, let me know that, too.

Thanks for your help.

. . .Sprite also thanks you for your help.

So, here's the thing.

I have An Idea, and I need your -- yes, all of you! -- help.

As writers, Steve and I are fairly frequently called upon to read from our own work in front of an audience.  This is fairly often an enjoyable thing to do, and, when we have a new book out, we just start from the first page and read for our allotted time, feeling that this is Fairest.

However!  Sometimes we are called upon to read from our own work in front of an audience, and -- we have no new book or story to read from.

And it has been in my mind for a while now that we should read the -- or at least some of the -- Favorite Passages of members of the audience.

This, however, has never proved practicable, since we don't always have all of our books with us at conventions or on book tour.  With the advent of tablets and ereaders and other technologies, though, the thing perhaps becomes doable.

And here's the part where I need your help.

If you could ask Steve, or me, or us to read ONE favorite scene from one of our novels or stories. . .

What would it be?

Be as specific as possible -- page numbers and edition with a short description of the scene will be best, I think -- and remember!  Only ONE.

Choose well.

In your opinion, what is the:

Darkest Liaden book?

Lightest Liaden book?

Please show your work, by which I mean, explain your choice.

NOTE:  Since the eArc of Dragon in Exile is available and some folks have read it, it may be nominated for either of the above categories.  HOWEVER, since the official publication date is not yet upon us, please, if you do nominate DiE, leave a spoiler space before your explanation, out of compassion for those who wait for the retail release.  Thanks.

Over in another part of the internet, a question, in several parts, has arisen, to which I used to know the answer, but it seems, like so very much else, that the Wisdom of the Internet has produced a new, and startling, answer.  This happens a lot, as we get older, that what worked for us no longer works for anyone else, so this is in the nature of a reality check.

So, first, the meta-question, with my own response beneath, in parenthesis.

1.  Do you need an agent?

(Well, no.  You don't need an agent.  We've variously had agents and didn't.  When we have had representation, I've found it to be worth the 15% commission.  In my experience, agents not only vet contracts, but they're also on hand to make those Awkward Phone Calls, such as:  "In the most recent contract, X Rights are reserved to the author, and yet you, the publisher, have now exercised those rights.  We assume, of course, that this is an honest error, but, still, it needs to be addressed.  How would you like to proceed?"  Also, we often ask our agent for advice regarding situations we haven't faced, and which she likely has, by reason of representing many authors. So, that.)

2.  Is it "better" (as in "more cost effective") to have a lawyer go over your contract, as opposed to an agent?

(My received wisdom is that lawyers look at publishing contracts and their heads explode, because they simply don't know what the words mean.)

3.  Will the publisher get angry with you, the author, if, after they've offered you a contract, you hire an agent (or a lawyer) to go over it?

(Myself, I think that a legitimate publisher would be delighted to have a pro going over their contract and dealing with the writer's questions, rather than having to cope with that, themselves.  I also think that, in the probable case of the agent/lawyer finding nothing amiss, that this finding would be the beginning of a foundation of trust between author and publisher.)

4.  Would you ever not read a contract because you know that the publisher would never, ever act against your interest as an author?

(Myself, I think that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Also that good fences make good neighbors.  Mistakes happen.  Somebody new in the Contracts Department might send the wrong contract, for instance.  It's a pain, but -- just better, all around, to read the thing and reassure yourself that your publisher loves you.)

5.  I addressed this somewhat in my answer to #1 above, but -- Do you feel that having an agent is actually cost-effective?  Why or why not?  Examples are encouraged.