repeating myself
Mar. 16th, 2007 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adelaideseanI've been skimming through The Resurrected Man in recent days, preparing for my WORD masterclass next week.
Two things stand out so far.
(1) TRM is a novel about a metaphorically reborn, formerly white-haired man who embarks on a quest to fill in the blanks of his life while thinking himself guilty of a terrible crime. Saturn Returns is a novel about a metaphorically reborn, formerly white-haired man who embarks on a quest to fill in the blanks of his life while thinking himself guilty of a terrible crime.
(2) On p60 of the HarperCollins edition of TRM, and at many other points throughout, the female lead tells herself: Don't think. Just do. At least once in the first draft of The Force Unleashed, the male lead gives himself the same advice in exactly the same words. As I wrote the latest instance, I remember thinking that I had written those words before, somewhere. I even went back and checked the other Star Wars books I wrote, but the lines weren't there. Mildly mystified, I put the matter aside and kept writing.
The Resurrected Man, Saturn Returns and The Force Unleashed could not be more different in execution, style and content. I know there's nothing particularly profound or unique about either overlap, since I'm not the only author to have used that plot or written that line. That would be impossible. Also, it's obviously okay to return to themes more than once: hell, think of all the times I've written about broken families, the future of humanity, and very big explosions, and I've never once had a qualm!
But this time, these two have left me a little wobbly.
Why? Well, it's not that I think I haven't learned anything new in the twenty-plus novels between TRM and the latest two, or that I have nothing to offer my characters and readers than the same stuff I was trotting out ten years ago (although it's probably true that I should get out more).
What worries me is this: how could I find it so easy to forget the second book I ever sold?
Maybe I really am just getting old. :-)
Two things stand out so far.
(1) TRM is a novel about a metaphorically reborn, formerly white-haired man who embarks on a quest to fill in the blanks of his life while thinking himself guilty of a terrible crime. Saturn Returns is a novel about a metaphorically reborn, formerly white-haired man who embarks on a quest to fill in the blanks of his life while thinking himself guilty of a terrible crime.
(2) On p60 of the HarperCollins edition of TRM, and at many other points throughout, the female lead tells herself: Don't think. Just do. At least once in the first draft of The Force Unleashed, the male lead gives himself the same advice in exactly the same words. As I wrote the latest instance, I remember thinking that I had written those words before, somewhere. I even went back and checked the other Star Wars books I wrote, but the lines weren't there. Mildly mystified, I put the matter aside and kept writing.
The Resurrected Man, Saturn Returns and The Force Unleashed could not be more different in execution, style and content. I know there's nothing particularly profound or unique about either overlap, since I'm not the only author to have used that plot or written that line. That would be impossible. Also, it's obviously okay to return to themes more than once: hell, think of all the times I've written about broken families, the future of humanity, and very big explosions, and I've never once had a qualm!
But this time, these two have left me a little wobbly.
Why? Well, it's not that I think I haven't learned anything new in the twenty-plus novels between TRM and the latest two, or that I have nothing to offer my characters and readers than the same stuff I was trotting out ten years ago (although it's probably true that I should get out more).
What worries me is this: how could I find it so easy to forget the second book I ever sold?
Maybe I really am just getting old. :-)
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 11:06 pm (UTC)Of course, I'm also pretty old...
no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 11:14 pm (UTC)I suppose it makes sense, when I do the maths. 20-odd books + 100-plus short stories = almost three million words of text, full of character quirks, plot-points and all manner of things. There's no way I could keep that all in my head. This is why I need a new, robotised head, with extra memory, obviously.
Anyway, here's to aging disgracefully. I look forward to one day forgetting all my mistakes and hearing all those great jokes again.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 12:15 am (UTC)Oh, did I say that already? ;) Embarrassingly, I have quite a few of your older sf books (including Shane Dix collabs) on my to-read shelf, so I shouldn't be that impatient to get the new one!
Strangely, whenever I hear the book's title I've been reminded of something, and now that I think of it, it's probably Goldie's rather disappointing album Saturnzreturn (http://www.almostcool.org/mr/496/). Embarrassing! Surely you could remind me of some of the many excellent examples of seminal drum'n'bass rather than that one? ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 05:09 am (UTC)Thanks for being such a loyal purchaser, even if you don't have time to read. :-) Not long now until the new one finally hits the shelf. 39 days, by my reckoning. Not that I'm eager or anything...
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 07:56 am (UTC)I'm lucky in that I actually enjoy the process of writing, so sitting down to produce a chunk of words (usually around 1000-1500 while in mid-stream) doesn't strike me as being particularly onerous. When you do that every day of the year, it adds up pretty quickly.
Also, I've been writing full-time and supporting myself from it since 1999, so that gives me more hours to devote to writing (or staying sane) than someone who's teaching or pursuing some other form of employment.
There's a possible third reason, but I'm not sure if it's valid or not. I like writing SF, fantasy and media tie-ins, and sometimes the projects overlap. That everyday (or every month, or whatever) variety helps keep me from getting stale.
Everyone is more productive when work is interesting and enjoyable. Writers are no different, imho. I am very spoiled.
PS. I hope you enjoy the fantasy books. What a hard act to follow.
PPS. Every time I see your icon, I come away feeling like shrimp and a burger...
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 11:38 pm (UTC)Some years I'm slower than others. It also depends on scheduling, because of publishing lags. For instance, between this April and next, I'm likely to have six books out: the first two Astropolis novels, the first two kids' books, the Star Wars novel, and "Cenotaxis" from MonkeyBrain. And that's not counting the Pyr reprint of the third Book of the Cataclysm in the US. I certainly didn't write those six books in twelve months. It's just panned out that way.
There will probably be a slump after that point during which time the market can recover. :-)
I do get a bit of stick for writing tie-ins, but I can live with it I know that I'd never write a book just for the money. A friend once accused me of selling out for writing Star Wars, to which I responded: "No way! I grew up with Star Wars. I read the tie-ins as a kid. I love coming full circle and writing the books. The day you see me writing Star Trek or Stargate, however, that's when you'll know I've sold out." And I have no intention of ever doing that.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 11:52 pm (UTC)No offense intended to any of these shows! I just haven't the history or the investment I have with/in Star Wars and Dr Who. Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica are two other franchises I've been interested in. Sadly, I've come close (to the point of being offered contracts) twice now to deals with the BSG rights-holders, but nothing's panned out yet.
Yes, we sound of a similar age. Those books were fun, weren't they? The LucasLicensing people are much more careful with continuity now. I love mucking around in their sandpit...
There are actually four Cataclysm books, just to break the trilogy mold. :-) The series can, though, be viewed as a sequel-plus-trilogy, and can even be started at The Blood Debt rather than The Crooked Letter. Just to make things complicated.
I sympathise with your UK preferences. How do you feel about UK vs US covers? We generally get the UK versions down here.