This is the May 2015 Open Thread for Merlinscribe.

[merlinscribe]

An open thread where people can ask questions and make comments. Now appearing quarterly for your record-keeping pleasure. It will run until I start a new one.

Comments

[merlinscribe]

Tor permitting, the next books after the ones about the First Endarkened War will be a trilogy about a pivotal element in the Second Endarkened War: the siege of Vel-al-Amion. And you're right: there's a lot of potential material there!

[(Anonymous)]

Kudos to you for finding a very efficient way out of the dilemma I envisioned: Focus on specific events/times out of the 100 years!!! Wow, what a concept, and very doable since we all know how the 100 Year War turned out anyway. Bet I even get some details on how the High Magick came to be!

[merlinscribe]

Funny you should mention the High Magick. I hope you'll enjoy listening to Joraide and Dannait discussing it. At great length. Very loudly.

To write a book, or even a series of books, that tells about a long event in depth is difficult. Consider, for example, the Napoleonic War: there have been many books set during it, but in the sense that they are "about" something, they are about the life of a handful of people who are fighting (or living through) the war. And so this is the way I approach these books, and the history of the Fortunate Lands: find a person, and tell their story. Because while you know how the war ended, as do we all, you don't know the fate of the individual whose story it is until the very last page...

[(Anonymous)]

I'm very much looking forward to that very loud and lengthy discussion! If it's anything like Harrier and Tercel (though I understand different), I bet it gives me a few chuckles, if not outright laughs!!! I can sort of imagine it, knowing your style, although you kind of keep me guessing about your style because you change the tone from era to era, but aspects of your style remain consistent throughout all the books...and I do like your style! I also liked well-crafted turns of phrase and words. Some of your best examples of that are in 'The Phoenix Transformed'.

Terry

[merlinscribe]

Thank you, Terry. I'm so glad you're enjoying the books! One of the things I try to do as I write is use the style to help depict the world as it is in the timeperiod I'm writing about. As Rune and Vielle have very strong opinions on a number of things, I am certain their conversation will be...spirited...