(Cross-posted from the Bloggernacle Times.)
A few weeks ago I was at the North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) in Seattle. While there, I met author Eldon J. Thompson when he moderated a panel I was on. The panel was called “Dragon Big, Knights Crunchy,” and it was about how to make it believable that your heroes will succeed against terrible odds. After the panel, I found out Eldon was LDS. Through sheer coincidence, three of the four panelists were LDS — Brandon Sanderson was also there. (Another coincidence was that Brandon and Eldon both had their first novels released the same month.)
Later during the convention, I had the chance to hear Eldon read the first chapter of his novel, The Crimson Sword, and found it very intriguing. So I bought the novel and read it, and it lived up to its opening. (You can read chapter one online on Eldon’s website. You can also purchase an autographed copy of The Crimson Sword here.)
Eldon kindly consented to allow me to interview him, and here are the results:
ERIC: How does it feel to see The Crimson Sword on bookstore shelves?
ELDON: It’s exciting, but not in the way I once imagined. As a youth, I anticipated that seeing my work in print would mark some kind of crowning achievement, representing a culmination of efforts that no one could take away from me. And in a way, I suppose it is. But long before the book was even sold, I came to realize that publication in and of itself is not the same as crossing a finish line in my writing pursuits. If anything, I hope my career will be like a marathon, and in that respect, seeing that first book is like being given a number to wear and a starting position from which to begin the race. I still have to run the darn thing, to challenge myself to make it to the end. Seeing the first book gives me a fresh sense of determination that I might be able to do this, but that’s about it.
Besides that, there are a lot of books on the store shelves. And the goal of most writers is not just to be published, but to be read. Granted, publication is a huge step in that direction, and an opportunity I shall be eternally thankful for. But for me, ultimate gratification is not in seeing something I wrote become commercially available. So far, the gratification has come in hearing from readers with whom the story has resonated in some way. I can picture nothing more rewarding than being told by some youngster that my story helped to inspire him or her in some way, just as the stories and authors I read while growing up inspired me. If anything, that’s what I’m looking forward to.
ERIC: How’s the work on the sequels going?
ELDON: It’s coming along, little by little. The first draft of Book Two, The Obsidian Key, is with my editor, who is even now making her way through it, looking for ways to tighten up the story and make it more dramatic. While waiting for her feedback, I’ve gone ahead and outlined Book Three, The Divine Talisman, and am just about ready to begin. One thing that has taken me by surprise is how time-consuming the promotions end can be. Since Book One was launched in May, I’ve done little more than do my part in helping to get the word out about it’s release. While traveling to conventions and getting to meet readers at signings has been both fun and rewarding, it all pales in comparison to the actual joy of writing. It’s a juggling act that all professional writers have to deal with, and therefore something I hope I’ll have to get used to. But as of now, I’m definitely itching to take off the salesman hat and get back to telling stories.
Contractually, Key is slated for a May 2006 release, and Talisman for a May 2007 release. Chances are we might miss those deadlines by a month or two, but at this point, we’re still more or less on track.
ERIC: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer, and why?
ELDON: I started writing when I was seven years old, and haven’t looked back. It’s been so long now that I don’t quite remember what drew me to it. I guess I was so caught up in the stories I read and watched as a youth that I didn’t want them to end, and thus felt I had to create my own. Part of it might be that I enjoyed the attention my stories brought me from teachers and classmates while in early elementary school. But if so, then it was of only moderate influence, because I was writing volumes and volumes outside of our school assignments that I never shared with anyone. It’s something I did for myself, for recreation, for escape. I did it without thought of money or acclaim. To this day, I think of those things only inasmuch as having them would allow me more time to write. And I’m convinced that’s the right view to have. If you’re in this for the royalty checks or the accolades, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons, and stand to be disappointed.
Although, as I mentioned before, there is certainly a sense of satisfaction in sharing your world views with others and finding that you’re not as alone as you might think you are. It’s a feeling that I believe all entertainers must crave to some extent in order to do what they do. The wonderful thing about writing?for most of us, anyway?is that you can entertain while remaining anonymous. Folks like Stephen King might have a slightly different view on that, but for me, it’s nice to know that as a writer, no one really needs or cares to see my face, as opposed to say, an actor or other physical performer. It’s like being in the spotlight without having to be in the spotlight, if that makes any sense.
ERIC: Who are some of the authors who have influenced your writing?
ELDON: Hah! In twenty minutes or less? The most influential writer in my life has been bestselling fantasy author Terry Brooks. His style and story structure, as well as his expert use of language, have always resonated very strongly with me. If I had to pick one person to emulate, it would be him. But there are literally hundreds of others whose work I have admired, and whose tricks I try to borrow every now and then. I love the mix of action and inner turmoil of an R. A. Salvatore novel. I’ve enjoyed the intrigue and unpredictability of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. And I’m a sucker for a closely knit band of characters who go on a quest against impossible odds as they’ve done in Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain, C. S. Lewis’ Narnia, J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and so many others before and since.
Going back well before those guys, I’ve always been a huge fan of Shakespeare and of Greek tragedies such as those by Sophocles and Homer. Dante and Chaucer did some amazing work on an epic scale. Essentially, I love anything that’s big and imaginative and full of adventure, which is also what I aim to write. Even so, it’s the details that make a story come alive, bits of mystery and romance and characters with some single, unforgettable trait. For that reason, I’m constantly reading outside the genre, to see how the great authors do it. There’s a lot to manage in any epic fantasy, and I believe strongly in learning from the work that has already been done by others, rather than trying to figure everything out all over again for myself.
ERIC: What impact does your LDS faith have on your writing — other than having
a hero named Jarom?
ELDON: Both more and less than one might think. First off, the first book I ever “read” was the Book of Mormon. At five years old, I would sit in my parents’ room, listening to the audiotapes while following along in my graphic novelization of the BoM for beginning readers. Once I had worn those out, I moved on to the audiotapes of the real thing. As I’ve mentioned, I love epic adventure, and it doesn’t get much more epic or adventurous than Christian scripture. Though rife with battles and bloodshed, the stories within were more about inner strength than outer strength. They were stories of characters who fought with righteous indignation, who often sacrificed themselves for what they believed to be a higher calling. To this day, those kinds of stories, when well told, bring a chill to my veins.
On the other hand, any writer worth his salt knows?or quickly learns?that in commercial fiction, readers don’t want to be lectured at or preached to. I think a writer has to be very careful if he or she intends to incorporate religious beliefs into their work. In fantasy, there’s often a little more leeway because you are creating cultures, and most cultures have some form of theory on creation and/or the afterlife. But in this regard, the most I would endeavor to do is present such theories as myth and mystery. I’m not one to offer answers, simply raise questions. In fact, no two cultures of mine will ever agree exactly on what role gods and their like have within the universe of my stories?much like in the real world. Instead, I try to focus on universal human emotions such as hope and fear, strength and weakness, greed and sacrifice. In fiction, I think it’s safer to present morals and messages, if that is your aim, in the least obtrusive manner possible, which can be tough to do if abiding strictly by the precepts of one’s own religious belief system.
ERIC: Why did you choose to write fantasy novels rather than some other genre?
ELDON: I started to touch upon that when speaking of influences. Certainly, anyone taking a glance at my bookshelves would see that fantasy is the genre I most enjoy reading. But it’s also the most expansive genre I can think of, the least restrictive in terms of ideas. When I was younger, I tried my hand at mysteries, comedies, and just about everything in between. But fantasy provides a size and scope in which just about anything you want can fit. I suppose one could argue the same for other genres, that you can write a mystery, for example, which incorporates some element of the supernatural or fantastic. But to me, due to the massive amounts of world-building involved, fantasy is a readymade container in which a writer can be mysterious, comical, dark, whimsical?just about anything and everything he or she desires. There are no restrictions save those that we as architects of these worlds place upon ourselves.
That said, one of the challenges in writing fantasy is making sure we don’t break our own rules, and in keeping the story as tight as it can be. An epic adventure requires much more room to breathe than say, a police thriller. And yet, it can be easy to take it too far, to get caught up in our own imaginings of a race or city or land, and to spend too much time dwelling on it. Today’s writers, for instance, cannot get away with the type of storytelling that Tolkien did decades ago, chockfull of poems and history and characters who, while lending spice to the world and stretching its scope, do little to advance the story’s plot. As lamentable as it may be, we’re a society raised on fast food and MTV, and if you can’t keep a reader’s attention at all times, they’re going to turn the dial. So as much as I love the broad canvas that fantasy allows me to paint on, I have to constantly remind myself that less is still more, even in a genre where 800-page books are not out of the ordinary.
ERIC: Where do you get your ideas?
ELDON: Ah, the age-old question that most writers would rather avoid for fear of jinxing themselves and causing the creative well to run dry. I wish I had a snappy answer for this one, or at least some advice that other writers might be able to follow. In truth, ideas don’t come all that easily to me, and so it drives me nuts to hear others say that ideas are everywhere, a dime a dozen. But I suppose they are. The trick is in learning how to recognize them. If well-versed at mining ideas, a person can read a newspaper or take a walk through a busy marketplace and stumble across dozens. Traveling to different parts of the world and visiting different cultures can stir one’s consciousness in all kinds of ways. History is filled with stories and themes that keep repeating themselves over and over, and I suppose all any writer can really hope for is to be able to continue that trend.
Generally, what I’m looking for when I begin a story of any length is some kernel that just won’t let go. Often, it’s about a difficult choice that a character must make. If put into such-and-such situation, what might I do? The harder that question is to answer, the more intriguing it is to me to write about. From there, it’s a matter of crafting the narrative vehicle that will carry that idea over the course of hundreds of pages. For that, I look again at what sort of characters would be involved, and what sort of conflicts would naturally arise. Any scene in a well-conceived story is essentially comprised of two or more characters with opposing objectives, going at it in either overt or subtle means. Give two people something to fight over, be it with words or with swords, and?like any car accident?you’ll generally have something that people will stop to observe.
I don’t suppose that actually answers the question. But for me, ideas are like art. I don’t pretend to have an eye for it, but I know it when I come across something I like. When that happens, I’m alert enough to store it away and let it simmer until it becomes something that I feel I have to explore.
ERIC: What advice do you have for would-be writers?
ELDON: First off, do the work. That means learning everything you can about the language in which you’re writing, and how stories are constructed. There are a lot of simplistic formulas out there, one of which is: Read, Write, Repeat. I can’t stress how important it is to log those repetitions as you would in any other discipline. The best way to learn is to study examples, and then practice yourself. Do it until it becomes second nature, and then do it some more.
Second, be persistent. Determination plays a huge factor when it comes to writing, particularly if you’re undertaking a novel. Often, beginning writers overwhelm themselves with thoughts of having to reach page 500 or higher. Try not to think of it in those terms. There’s an adage which says: How do you feed an elephant? The answer is: One bite at a time. If you focus on doing a little bit each day?whatever you can manage?you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish as time goes by. It just takes focus and discipline and a passion for what you’re doing.
Third, look at attending writing workshops and conferences. Formal schooling can be a big help, but not everyone can muster the time and cost involved. Writers’ conferences can be a great substitute. Not only will you get feedback on your own work, but you’ll get practice dissecting that of others to see what works and what doesn’t?and why. Quite honestly, it can be very difficult to learn simply by studying our own projects, because we’re too close to examine them in an entirely objective manner. Let others bring a new perspective, and practice your own skills of examination on something to which you’re not emotionally attached.
As an added benefit, most writers’ conferences bring together agents and editors and professional writers currently working in the field. Nowhere else will you get a better gauge on what publishers are looking for. Not only that, but it gives you a chance to make your queries face to face. As with any business, there is an element of “who you know” to go along with “what you know”. Put yourself in front of the buyer and be as personable and accepting of feedback as you possibly can. You don’t have to be a sellout, but no one wants to work with a know-it-all.
Finally, write about something that interests you. If it’s not something you already know, then it had better be something you’re willing to research. It’s all part of the passion and determination I alluded to earlier. If you’re writing the next Harry Potter only because you think it will make you a fortune, well, good luck. But let me tell you, no one can accurately predict the market with any degree of certainty. Writing something that you care about is liable to take you much farther, and be much less painful along the way.
I’ve heard it said that if you can think of something you’d rather do than write, then do that instead. Writing is a tough profession. But I say there’s no such thing as an easy profession. No matter what you choose to do in life, you’re going to take your lumps every now and then. My feeling is, it might as well be at something you enjoy. If writing is what makes you happy, then don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done. Prove them wrong by working at it every single day until you’ve achieved something that even you may not have believed was possible in the beginning.