| Stephen R Donaldson | Contributor: Amfo | Posted: 04/12/07 | 17:46 |
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Donaldson's work covers three very distinct genres: high fantasy, SF and mystery. Looking for a unifying theme is difficult at the best of times, but after chatting with him via the science fiction reality that is VOIP, it's clear that if anything defines his work it's this: he has a need to push himself constantly. You've said that though you thought the Gap sequence was your best work you feel Fatal Revenant has raised the bar again.
Yeah and now I really regret saying that.
You also talk a lot about getting older, so how do you continue to keep the edge? How is it your most recent work is also your best work? Especially when you are an established name with a respected back catalogue in a market where publishers are hungry for pretty much anything? How do you keep from getting lazy and just churning to a formula?
Well I have to look at myself in the mirror, don't I? Seriously, that's really important to me. I'd hate to find myself in a place where I'm bored with my own work.
I take heart because every new project I've tackled I've needed to learn new things to do it. I push myself to do something I haven't done before. So are you the kind of author who always does extensive rewrites?
Back when I did the first books, I kept myself going by writing the second and third book in the trilogy rather than going back and messing around with Lord Foul's Bane
But then after I'd run out of the alphabet - I was very methodical in sending to publishers - I did go back and do a very extensive rewrite of the first book. I mean, Fatal Revenant has been a much tougher book, but I feel I've risen to the challenge and I couldn't be happier with the results. This probably segues well with the question of editors. Now you're a bit of a Grand Master in the genre, do they treat you differently to the old days when you were a fresh, unproven face?
It's been... it's getting a lot better. They're starting to understand that I really do want to hear what they think.
When I did Runes of the Earth it was as if the editors were a bit afraid of me. They'd make all their changes via my agent, whereas with the new books we are finally managing to work more directly. I think they had a fear that because my books are often so emotionally intense that I would turn out to be a bit of a Prima Donna, but they are coming to understand that I want the books to be quality, and good editors have what it takes to make that happen. Do you work well with publishers? You often say you write very slowly. Are you often late?
Actually I was only ever late with the last two books in the Gap cycle and of course I gave plenty of notice. I'm usually pretty good with timetables. I'm supposed to be working hard right now on Covenant 9, but life keeps throwing things up. There's no danger of me being late with the book at this stage though.
You do present as being very aware of the way you work and how you work, and you have definite ideas about how you go forward. Does this ever make you feel isolated? Have you worked within a community of writers or are you a bit of a lone wolf?
Well I think all writers are in some ways lone wolves, but here where I am in New Mexico there are lots of artists. Painters, sculptors, poets, you name it.
At one point there were 75 professional novelists here in town, though the funny thing was we only ever saw each other when we went out of town to various conventions in other cities. I've never really been part of any definite group or guild or anything where we critique each other's work and help out, but I have been blessed with many friends who are artists themselves. |
