Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Susan Sto Helit is nothing to say alas about.  We need more such
Susans.
  

    
Rafe,

Tell me about it...

I've got the US proofs here for Maurice.  I love the book.  There's
bits of writing in it that I am really, really proud of, and one quote
that scared the hell out of me when I wrote it 'cos it seemed to be
coming from somewhere else.  But I can't read the proofs more than a
few pages at a time because, by now, I'ved read every damn word a
zillion times and if there's anything wrong I can't see it any more...

That's how come I write so many books.  By the time the final, final
edit comes around I tell myself 'hey, if you just do this, you'll be
allowed to start another book'.  And I do.  Because the first half of
writing a book is great
  

    
Catlike-treader...

Yes, the first draft of about the last half or third of ER was written
in about 30 hours.  I'd spent all day dealing with the PR of a nuclear
emergency (don't ask...the only thing that didn't happen was the
escape of any radiation at all, anywhere) and I was so hyper 
I just sat down and typed.  And Lyn was wise enough just to bring me
hot sweet tea occasionally.  I was Writing Myself Into A New Life
(background music swells...)

As for texture, it does sometimes seem strange that publishers think,
or profess to think, that readers can't cope with the factthat other
countries do things differently.  To an outsider, it's sometimes scary.

Terry
  

    
>We need more such Susans.

Maybe, but she's hell to write for.  She can blow holes in a plot. 
She's just too sensible and knowing to be put through the kind of mill
we usually put our characters through.

Terry
  

    
Recently someone posted the gist of a discussion you had at a reading.
One of the things he said you said was that you didn't think there'd
be more than some number of books. I think he said 5 or 6. 

DID you say that? And what did you mean? I mean, are you planning to
retire? Or were you just feeling your mortality?
  

    
>Recently someone posted the gist of a discussion you had at a
>reading. One of the things he said you said was that you didn't >think
there'd be more than some number of books. I think he said 5 >or 6. 

>DID you say that? And what did you mean? I mean, are you planning to
>retire? Or were you just feeling your mortality?

Every day...

I *think* I said there would be at least five or six.  I've signed a
contract for three more and they are stories I really want to write
(one of them so much I can taste it).  And Maurice counts as a DW book,
and so does the next YA title, The Wee Free Men. That's five. Three
years' work.

After that...I don't know.  Douglas Adams was four years younger than
me.  I don't plan to retire.  Nor do I plan to write the official last
DW book.  But how long can a series continue?
  

    
One of the things I love about Discworld is that it's a place
where a young man with mysterious origins, an ancient sword, and
a crown-shaped birthmark, a young man with the gift of leadership
who earns the love of all, can come to town and not get anywhere
the throne.

This would never happen in a Disney story.

On the other hand the Patrician is something of a philosopher-
king.

Can you talk a little about forms of governemnt on Discworld?
  

    
Forms of government?  Whatever works.

Vetinari believes that humans are venal, self-centered and
conservative.  That's why people like Carrot and Leonard fascinate him
-- they don't appear to work that way.  And he runs a free city. 
You're free to die any time you like, but not at the hands of
government hirelings (unless you are a mime artist, of course.)

I prefer Lancre's Loyalist state.  I think Americans get confused
about Northern Irelands 'Loyalists; they're only *conditionally loyal
to the Crown.  Just like Lancre.  If the King acts properly, everyone's
loyal.  If not, then not.  They're a long way from being serfs.  I
think, mostly, that people on DW are too busy to govern.

Terry
  

    
Terry,
I was wondering what your feelings were on crossing media, and letting to
many other people get their hands on 'your world'.  I know some authors like
to keep very tight reigns on things they've created, but with DW there are
cd-roms, RPGs, tv shows, plays, reference books, etc.  How do you deal with
all the other creative types that are working with DW based stuff?
  

    
Email from Catherine Young:

Terry, there is something in Moving Pictures that I've wondered about
since I noticed it.  The sentence in question reads: 'She [Ginger] isn't
beautiful, Victor felt himself think, but you could have real trouble
believing it.' The opening sentence of the book Gone With The Wind is:  
'Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realised it when cauht
by her charm.' Was this an intentional resonance, or just a big
coincidence?

Cathy
  

    
Jeff,

First, I'm closely involved in all the 'paper' spin off, even the
GURPS role-playing book.  Beyond that, I have to try to pick good
people to work with and let them do their thing.  Fortunately, most of
the spin-off is low key and a lot of the people involved are fans, so
it's not a huge problem.

I don't like merchanising problems.  When the end falls off your
plastic Light Sabre Mr Lucas never knows, but if something is wrong
with a DW product *I* get the complaint!
  

    
Catherine,

I wouldn't expect anyone to believe this, but it's entirely a
coincidence (at least, consciously); I'd be quite happy to own up if it
wasn't, given that it makes such a nice movie link.

Terry
  

    
So there are no democracies on Discworld other than the Patrician's
One Man One Vote scheme in which he is the man and he has the vote?
  

    
Catlike treader...

Well, there's the one in Ephebe.  Everyone has the vote except slaves,
poor people, women and idiots.  A *traditional* democracy, in other
words...

Terry
  

    
Classic democracy indeed, although one might also want to keep a
lookout for foreigners.

In Thief of Time, I admire greatly admire Lu-Tze's use of Rule
One of the

In Thief of Time, I was most impressed with Rule One of the dojo
of the History Monks -- "Do not act incautiously when confronting
a little bald wrinkly smiling man!" -- and found Lu-Tze's use of
it strangely similar to Granny Weatherwax's use of headology.  Is
it true that there is only one Way?
  

    
>Everyone has the vote except slaves, poor people, women and idiots. 
>A *traditional* democracy, in other words...

As oposed to American democracy where everyone has the vote but only
half of us bother to use it.

I'll thinik of an intelligent question soon, I promise.
  

    
Catlike treader...

Both Lu Tze and Granny thing of the whole game rather than the fate of
one player:-)

Terry
  

    
Whoops...should have been 'think'!

Terry
  

    
"After that...I don't know.  Douglas Adams was four years younger than
me.  I don't plan to retire.  Nor do I plan to write the official last
DW book.  But how long can a series continue?"

Well, if we all had OUR way, we'd turn you into a zombie, prop you up
in a fire-proof office, set a computer in front of you and keep you
writing forever.

I'd just as soon NOT see a definitive ending of the Discworld books. I
would like very much to have the "and they all lived ever after" kind
of thing. 

1. I was a little disappointed to see Jean disposed of at the end of
Thief of Time. She was such a wonderful character. Have you ever gotten
rid of a character and then regretted it later while writing another
book because they'd come in so handy? 

2. Are we going to see more of Ronnie Soak now that he's sort of back
in the picture?
  

    
Eh below quote is from a post on alt.books.pratchett.

I was just wondering if you actually did plan it this way or if this
person is reading way more into it than was meant?

"The Abbot deserves a post to himself for his use of language. 
Those baby babblings aren't random. 

Allowing for some of them to be verisimilitude, some of them are
interpretable. Rather like the not-entirely-random bashing of the
Acolyte with the rubber yak that Lu Tse notices (p.120 UK edition).
Here are a few I noted down: 
When he calls for his Teddy, the situation being discussed is one that
could induce fear - a teddy is a comfort object. 
When things get worse, he calls for the potty chair. 
p.116: dumdumBrr = idiot. Dumb, infantilized to dumb-dumb, and 'brr'
as the sound made by the caricature idiot playing with lip motions. The
Abbot is insulting the person. 
p.118 ddumddum serious = damned serious? It seems to be in the right
place for a word of emphasis. 
'Congratulations BIKKIT' = a biscuit is a reward food. Compare 'give
that man a cigar' though I'm not sure he's being quite that sarcastic. 
p.121-123 bdum = Ba-Dum, as in Ba-Dum-Ching! He is using partial
drumrolls as done in text for emphasis. 'He finds himself [bdum!] '
'you will [bdum!] BE that teacher!' "
  

    
Dodge

"1. I was a little disappointed to see Jean disposed of at the end of
Thief of Time. She was such a wonderful character. Have you ever
gotten rid of a character and then regretted it later while writing
another book because they'd come in so handy?"

Once or twice.  But she had to go, just like Mr Tulip did. Otherwise
I'd end up with all these 'wonderful characters' to find work for.
Sometimes, one appearance is enough.

2. Are we going to see more of Ronnie Soak now that he's sort of back
in the picture?

Well, he's out there.  It took me 16 years to find out who he was.  He
might turn up again, if a plot warrants it.

Boy, you guys get up early...

Terry
  

    
Dodge,

"I was just wondering if you actually did plan it this way or if this
person is reading way more into it than was meant?"

Both, I think.  The Abbott knows what he's doing, and reacts
consistently in certain aways, but sometimes babies just go
brrrmmmmm...

Terry
  

    
Email from Mary Beth:

Thank you for many hours of entertainment. I have loved your books for
years and wait (impatiently) for each new one. My fav characters are the
witches.
 
>After that...I don't know.  Douglas Adams was four 
>years younger than me.  I don't plan to retire.  Nor do I 
>plan to write the official last DW book.  But how long 
>can a series continue?
 
Well....we will all miss Douglas Adams - and a series can continue as long
as the Discworld Turns....
 
Mary Beth
  

    
Email from Martha:

Mr. Pratchett

I want to start with a totally uncritical rave. After each new book I
feel- I love your books, I try to get my friends addicted, [it's easy],
and I believe you are the very best writer alive, all fields included.

After I have read them a couple of times, I then become coldly objective,
and merely believe you are one of the best writers alive, because I
wouldn't want to exaggerate.

It may be a good thing that Humor Don't Get No Recognition, [Mark Twain,
of course, had the same problem], because you couild become an arrogant
bastard if properly honored, drinking and partying on the Riviera, and
stop writing. Oh, please, don't stop writing.

Obligitory criticism, to prove my objectivity- What happened to Eric?
Scathing, huh?

Martha Coyote

Is that a glottal stop in A'tuin? We have a turtle, known variously as
Sidney, Frank, and Little A'tuinino.
  

    
Mary Beth

"Well....we will all miss Douglas Adams - and a series can continue as
long as the Discworld Turns...."

Yes and, then again, no. There are some limits.  For example, the City
Watch.  They limit what can happen in A-M.  It's like having a League
of Super-Heroes -- Superman has to leave town so that Batman can have
an adventure.  What happens in one book effects what can happen in the
next one.  And there are other constraints. Many of them are capable of
workarounds, but if it ever comes to a point where I've having to do
serious backing and filling in order to write a DW book I might as well
start a new series.

Terry