[whitesilkbreeze]

How do you study technique?

That's all the nuts and bolts of writing. One really good way is to copy every writer you admire, to see how they do things from the inside - that's particularly true with poetry. But also, in reading, looking at how a narrative is put together, how characterisations are built, how a writer varies the texture of his/her work to create emotional states...novels do fascinate me as an art form, and I'm always really interested in how they're put together as structures. Also, spelling, syntax, grammar and things like that, which I am (still) learning.

That's the part I have trouble understanding, I think - I'm not sure what I'm meant to be looking for if I copy a passage. Admittedly, I have never actually tried that. (I want to like it but I'm afraid I might not. And it would be very unpleasant if I don't like it since I need to do it anyway.) Is studying technique something you pick up as you copy passages out or do you have to learn about the kinds of things to look out for?

Or have English classes begun to lead me down this path without my knowing what they are actually doing? :D It's surprising how much I can forget in two months, but I have vague recollections of studying language choices, symbolism, recurring themes, simple techniques like alliteration, and particular words to convey a particular scene/theme/mood. If I were to major in English in university, would I study technique in more depth, do you think?

And, because I have been bombarding you with questions without any gratitude whatsoever, I'd like to take this chance to thank you very much for answering them all so far. :D

[Becks]

Erm.....could you give me a hint on Sharmas appearence....I mean you dont have to....but Id really like to know what he looks like... :D

[minney]

hey this is so awesome that you can talk to the author! okay so my question.

Milana was a first bard so why didn't she use a glimmer spell and easily escape from slavery?

[alison]

Hi Aras

Could you describe the way Maerad and Cadvan look, how would you? (Physically, and then, if you're up to it, how they are personality wize.)

I don't think I can go much further than what's in the books - Maerad is dark-haired with very pale skin, pretty but in an unconventional way, quite short and slight but wirey and strong for her size. Very blue eyes. She's stubborn, very intelligent and has a bit of a temper. Quite shy, but when stirred feels things passionately. Cadvan is tall and dark-haired, high cheekbones, physically strong; prone to be taciturn, often difficult and argumentative, sometimes arrogant, but with a talent for friendship.

Hi Melliyna
We know from both The Gift and The Riddle that the Bards have a complex ethical system. In regard to war, do the Bards have something like a Geneva Convention and what do they think of outright pacificism?

There wouldn't be a Geneva Convention as such, but the question of violence would be addressed in the Balance, but mostly as a dilemma, rather than as a series of hard-and-fast rules. Bards are by no means pacifist: they have a warrior ethic, and swordskills and aggressive magery are among the things they are taught. However, the Balance does limit what might be done: there are several conversations through The Gift and The Riddle which address these questions - eg, when Nerili speaks of the Dark thinking the Light weak, because the Balance ties its hands, although she says that the Light is quite capable of defending itself when necessary. Or when Maerad commits the dreadful crime in The Riddle, and Cadvan's fury, since such acts can only be excused in the utmost extremity. Or Cadvan's troubledness when he is forced to kill a Bard at the end of The Gift. In all cases, the Balance would demand that Bards behave with respect to life.

Was Sharma evil in the beginning when he came to Afinil to be taught? And could the that the fact that they scorned him when he came offering jewels have contributed to his downfall?

No, Sharma was certainly not evil to begin with (Bards don't believe in anyone being born evil). He was welcomed by the Bards of Afinil, although they did treat him with mockery when he arrived, and this would have kindled a deep resentment which probably informed the choices he made later. He was arrogant, precociously talented and, deep inside, very afraid of his own death: it is that last thing which made him seek out the spell which made him become immortal, and which led to everything else.

Hi Becks -

could you give me a hint on Sharmas appearence....I mean you dont have to....but Id really like to know what he looks like...

Actually, I would like to know too - but do you know, I've never seen him. I've tried and tried to look but never quite managed it.... ;) I do know what his voice sounds like, though.

Milana was a first bard so why didn't she use a glimmer spell and easily escape from slavery?

Hi Minney - welcome to the forum! That's the same question Maerad asks, when she realises how powerful Milana really was. The reason she doesn't is that Enkir broke Milana in their encounter at Pellinor...it's quite likely that Milana had no magery left after what he did to her. And she was also heartbroken after the death of Dorn and the loss of Hem/Cai.

[alison]

That's the part I have trouble understanding, I think - I'm not sure what I'm meant to be looking for if I copy a passage. Admittedly, I have never actually tried that. (I want to like it but I'm afraid I might not. And it would be very unpleasant if I don't like it since I need to do it anyway.) Is studying technique something you pick up as you copy passages out or do you have to learn about the kinds of things to look out for?

Or have English classes begun to lead me down this path without my knowing what they are actually doing? It's surprising how much I can forget in two months, but I have vague recollections of studying language choices, symbolism, recurring themes, simple techniques like alliteration, and particular words to convey a particular scene/theme/mood. If I were to major in English in university, would I study technique in more depth, do you think?

Hi whitesilkbreeze -

I actually didn't mean copying out passages - though that's one way to read in depth, and I've actually done that with passages of books that I want to remember. I meant by having a look at something - say, how a scene is constructed - and then trying it out yourself, with your own story. Checking out things like - how making sentences shorter makes the writing move more quickly and urgently, whereas longer sentences give a feeling of expansiveness and (perhaps, depending) peace. How dialogue is actually written on the page - a biggie, as far as I'm concerned - poor novels are often given away by bad dialogue. In what order things are revealed. How economical description is, or is not...whether a story follows something in great detail, or suddenly jumps dramatically into the future. How using different types of words can change the texture of the writing. And, of course, how important grammar is...so you know who is talking or doing things in every sentence.

Yes, absolutely, studying literature is the way to do it. Though a warning: several writer friends have told me that studying literature at university also inhibited their own writing, in some cases severely. It might be better to stufy this stuff in private and study something else...

[whitesilkbreeze]

It all sounds so hard. When did you start consciously studying technique? And when did you find your own voice, so to speak (your writing voice that isn't an echo of another writer)?

Fortunately, I have a talent for forgetting things that inhibit me. ;) This is good, as I seriously can't imagine studying anything other than English. On a side note, what did you study?

[Tari]

Hi Tari - Ivan's Chilhood is a bit hard to get, it was made in the '60s and is a beautiful black and white film. Not the one you're thinking of (I think that's Roman Polanski).

Yeh i think that is the one i awas thinking about.

anywayz i have a question.

Will we ever hear of Dernhil again? bcoz i think there is something in both Maerad and Cadvan that is yet to come to grips with his death, or mayb thats just me.

How did you decide on the length of your novels? i mean did u plan to write it with four books or even a novel length at all?

one last one and i shall return to my little corner.

How much planning do u put into your books? or do u prefer to let the characters take you on the journey so to speak? like i write without planning and my friend plans every detail b4 shes starts?

~ Tari

[Jennistar]

Hi, I've just logged onto this site and I think it's great! Just like an interactive book club, :rolleyes:

1. I wanted to ask who drew those fab maps in The Gift and The Riddle, I love tracing the paths they go along, it makes it that much more believeable and also offers some clues of where they're going to go next (like at the end of The Gift, I predicted they would go to Thorold).

P.S. I LOVE MAERAD AND CADVAN!!!!!! (Just for anyone who's listening :o)

[Becks]

Actually, I would like to know too - but do you know, I've never seen him. I've tried and tried to look but never quite managed it.... I do know what his voice sounds like, though

Ooooh, any hints??
Or am I gonna be unlucky again :D !

[Suzie]

hey becks im bak can u pleez fill me in on this thread