Since you're being so obliging, here's a question for you. You've spoken earlier about needing lead time before you actually start writing, time to let the project percolate in your mind before you set pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, whatever). But once you do start, are the characters fully-formed, or are there parts of their pasts (and thus their futures) which still come along to surprise you as you're writing? Take, for example, Meralonne, about whom there has been so much speculation among your readers. When he first appears in the Hunter series, did you just have in mind a mage with a certain personality, or was everything that has since been hinted at in later books all in place by then?
One reason I'm curious is that I was dumbfounded when I was reading Christopher Tolkien's books to find out that JRR had absolutely no idea who Strider was when the hobbits first encountered him at Bree. He'd gotten the hobbits there, and this unexpected character had cropped up and for some time thereafter his notes are peppered with comments like WHO IS STRIDER?!! Very amusing as well as surprising.
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branchandroot
Character Question
Date: 2004-12-05 06:33 pm (UTC)One reason I'm curious is that I was dumbfounded when I was reading Christopher Tolkien's books to find out that JRR had absolutely no idea who Strider was when the hobbits first encountered him at Bree. He'd gotten the hobbits there, and this unexpected character had cropped up and for some time thereafter his notes are peppered with comments like WHO IS STRIDER?!! Very amusing as well as surprising.
Cassandra