More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Emperor · Post by **Emperor** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:47 pm

In your writing method which you've mentioned a few times, have you ever sat down put many a thought to "paper" moved to the next part, gone back and completely thrown out what you had done? Meaning like say you write a chapter, start writing the next, then delete the first chapter because it no longer felt right to you?

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:11 pm

I've definitely deleted things which I've written in the light of what I've later written. I can't recall any first chapters where this has happened, but there have been several cases where a first chapter has become a second chapter, and one case where a third chapter became a prologue [without deleting the first two chapters].

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:08 am

I'm re-reading in chrono-order and just finished "The Magic of Recluce" and am now part-way through "The Death of Chaos" (almost done!)

...

I was amazed at the amount of foreshadowing I saw in "Magic" this time through.

How much of the time-line did you have sketched out when you first wrote part one of Lerris' tale?

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:21 am

Actually, I had no idea of the precise details of the stories I would eventually tell, but I did have an overall idea of the history of the world and of some of the cultures, and so I put in a number of the historical details.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:09 am

Very cool!

I've seen the various posts around here where people have wanted to know more about Cassius.

I have to say that he completely fell out of my head after my first reading of the series. I'm not sure how -- now that I'm re-discovering him again -- since he definitely has a unique story. (He almost seems like "Fall of Angels" Part II.)

I realize that you've already been bugged about him on several occassions but, you must admit, you definitely gave him an interesting (if brief) story -- quite the tease!

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:57 am

While I probably won't be writing a novel about Cassius, there is a story about him that will be included in my story collection [Viewpoints Critical] that Tor will be releasing in February of 2008.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Emperor · Post by **Emperor** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:55 pm

Now this is going to sound kinda backwards knowing that it's plain what they were implying, but with Lorn'alt what did the alt stand for? I remember that at the end he had all three at the end of his name, but what did they stand for exactly?

are they abbr for titles?

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:01 pm

"'alt" is short for altage [Mirror Lancers]

"'elth" is short for elthage [Magi'i]

"'mer" is short for merage [Merchanter]

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Emperor · Post by **Emperor** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:02 am

Are those your own creations or did you pick them up from some where?

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:49 pm

Unless my subconscious has done me in, I created those titles.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

ShawnCowles · Post by **ShawnCowles** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:15 pm

Well: Mer, Merchant. That seems rather obvious.

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:57 pm

Or mercantile.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

BenJo · Post by **BenJo** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:18 am

What do you think of the inheritence triology and it's immence success? You have been writing good books for a very long time and Poalini becomes a celebrity after his first. Is it because Poalini started so young? Is it because his publishing company? Are his books really that much better then the one fantasy masters he's outselling? (L.E. Modesitt, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, and Garth Nix just to name a few)

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:34 pm

Cribbing from something I wrote elsewhere, there's a difference between excellence and popularity. Popularity arises from the ability of readers to identify with the work/author/etc. Excellence generally requires more work and education [formal or informal] to appreciate. Paolini, I think, is popular -- as is Rowling, because he has managed to tap into that identification.

Someone who wants quick and easy answers above everything else is far more likely to enjoy a Paolini book than one of mine.

The excellence/popularity tradeoff is a tricky thing, because sometimes books that are quite good become popular, and it's never a straight line matter. I have noticed, however, that the books of mine which people whom I know who have judgment and taste generally prefer the most are not the ones that are the best-sellers.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

BenJo · Post by **BenJo** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:59 am

Sorry for making you repeat yourself. Thanks for answering anyways

Tiervexx · Post by **Tiervexx** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:15 pm

lmodesitt wrote:Cribbing from something I wrote elsewhere, there's a difference between excellence and popularity. Popularity arises from the ability of readers to identify with the work/author/etc. Excellence generally requires more work and education [formal or informal] to appreciate. Paolini, I think, is popular -- as is Rowling, because he has managed to tap into that identification.

Someone who wants quick and easy answers above everything else is far more likely to enjoy a Paolini book than one of mine.

The excellence/popularity tradeoff is a tricky thing, because sometimes books that are quite good become popular, and it's never a straight line matter. I have noticed, however, that the books of mine which people whom I know who have judgment and taste generally prefer the most are not the ones that are the best-sellers.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

I had never thought about it quite like this but it makes a lot of sense.

At first I found it hard to read Magic of Recluse because I did not identify with Lerris at all, but as I got a little older I started appreciating the â€œexcellenceâ€

Brians256 · Post by **Brians256** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:05 pm

The popular but simple books remind me of Twinkies: sweet, simple yet still enjoyed by many people (with mild guilt being a side-effect experienced by a small percentage of users).

God bless Terry Goodkind, but his later books seem to have missed the mark of excellence although he is obviously trying hard. Think of Twinkies again. Unhealthy, right? Well, we can fix that by replacing the cream filling with 100% organic broccoli paste because we all know that broccoli is good for you and organic food must be even better. Yes, those new concoctions are probably more healthy, but I think the only people to eat them would be doing so out of loyalty and/or guilt.

Now, instead of eating a Twinkie (broccoli or not), wouldn't you rather eat stuffed pork loin with steamed zucchini, rice pilaf, and a desert of fried cinnamon apples?

Really, it's not hard to have a tasty menu if you purpose to do more than open a wrapper. In the same way, we can have entertaining but thought provoking literature at the same time. Now, if only there were about 5 more authors like Mr. Modesitt, I could read a new high-quality book every month. Well, presumably we could. Unfortunately, it seems that there are few authors like him.

This reminds me of the dilemma of different US sports. They seem to compete for similar stock (basic athletic build) and the waxing of one sport deprives the other sports of their "star" talent. Is it the same with Sci-Fi and Fantasy vs. some other set of jobs? With all due respect to Mr. Modesitt, I have to think that there are more than a few people in the world that can write quality entertainment. Where are they? Perhaps they are utilizing their fiction-writing skills in more rewarding (higher paying?) alternatives like politics.

I don't know that it is a limited market, and I hope it isn't. A dearth of intelligent readers is not just bad for Mr. Modesitt but bodes ill for a society since people that think have this reputation for improving things. Would another couple of good authors deplete Mr. Modesitt's income? I know I would gladly increase my book budget by 10x if good books were available. I don't like to just read non-fiction all the time.

Brians256 · Post by **Brians256** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:47 am

After reading Mr. Modesitt's blog entry on April 8th (belatedly) and I need to take back some words. Maybe there just aren't that many people that can write really well. I was just hoping to discover some untapped reserves.

Too bad Mr. Modesitt's children don't write in the same fields.

Tiervexx · Post by **Tiervexx** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:48 pm

Brians256 wrote:After reading Mr. Modesitt's blog entry on April 8th (belatedly) and I need to take back some words. Maybe there just aren't that many people that can write really well. I was just hoping to discover some untapped reserves.

Too bad Mr. Modesitt's children don't write in the same fields.

Probably a good thing. When children try too hard to follow in their father/mother's foot steps it often leads to disaster. It is probably better if they found their own thing.

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:27 am

I'd have to agree. As much as I have enjoyed *most* of the Dune prequels, the son is just not the father.

Aunflin · Post by **Aunflin** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:03 pm

Indeed,

Brian and KJA are easier to read...

Frank was a bit more complicated--made your mind work a bit harder... --though I'm saying this as an adult... I read all the Dune books as a teenager--and still remember them fondly...

Emperor · Post by **Emperor** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:07 pm

I miss the Dune computer game, sure not the same but still miss it.

I haven't read the books but did watch the movies (i know its the grade 4 book report trick but still) but i did enjoy the story.

This does of course make me wonder about any books from Mr Modesitt being turned into movies. From my personal experince with the novels I've read I think it would be easier to turn the Sci-Fi books into movies but that's just me.

I would ask this getting back to some of the previous posts. What makes a good writer? His ability to effectively put words to paper? or is it the impression of the reader from their perspective of the work?

Emperor · Post by **Emperor** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:27 pm

Strange question I know, but how would the people of the Recluce world handle same sex relationships?

lmodesitt · Post by **lmodesitt** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:16 pm

The people of Recluce [the isle, not the world] would handle it along the same range of ways people do other places, with a few differences. The hard-line "order" types would say it violated order-chaos balance. The "grays" would be less judgemental and basically look at the results.

In Candar, the hard-line whites would claim that same sex was a violation of the strength of chaos [since reproduction depends on the chaotic strength] and try to throw them out. In Spidlar and Kyphros, few would care so long as they supported themselves. In Sarronnyn and Southwind, no one would care much about gays, but lesbian pairs would still be expected to have children [daughters, preferably].In Lydiar, since you can buy almost anything, people would be surprised that it was an issue. In Naclos, there wouldn't be quite so many, and they'd still have to figure out the Balance.

At least, that's the way I see it.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Wed May 02, 2007 9:31 am

lmodesitt wrote:In Sarronnyn and Southwind, no one would care much about gays, but lesbian pairs would still be expected to have children [daughters, preferably].

I should have expected each of those responses from each group - but it was still funny reading them.

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More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Deletions

Recluce

Cassius

Titles- name suffixes

Titles

Titles

Christopher Poalini

Popularity

Re: Popularity

Re: Popularity

Same Sex

Re: Same Sex