Interview with Carol Berg

SFFW: Among the many things that make Son of Avonar unique is the unusual structure and sequencing of the narrative. Would you elaborate on what that structure is and what made you decide to use it?

CB: My concept for "Son of Avonar" was a woman of middle years living in bitter exile because of horrific events that happened in her past. Because the story I wanted to write was the tale of Seri's return from exile (both physical and spiritual), the right place for her story to begin was with the singular event that will force her to re-engage with lifežthe sudden appearance of a naked man, violent, arrogant, mute, and without memory. I believed that the only thing that could force her to deal with this person was a mystery that engaged both her intellect and her emotions, and that required her to deal with the horrors of her past.

So as the action of the present time unfolds, Seri must delve into her past to find the clues to the mystery, to look back at the very things that led her to grief and tragedy before. But to understand these clues, the reader needed to know a great deal about Seri and her relationships and her history. Structurally, this means that for the first half of the book, we must hear both stories, past and present, not just in flashback snippets, but as lived events, interleaved a few chapters at a time. Halfway through the book we reach the climax of the story of the past, which triggers a major turning point in the present action as well, and from there we proceed apace solely in the present to the grand finale.

I tried a number of structures for this story, but this is the one that felt right. It makes for a complex and perhaps slower than usual beginning, but I like to think that each story enriches the other as the tension rises in parallel. To have written it from front to back, from Seri's youth to exile to mystery to resolution just didn't feel as powerful.

SFFW: Have you also found it challenging to structure the trilogy, distributing material between the different volumes? How does your experience with The Bridge of D'Arnath compare to your first experience with the Rai-kirah series?

CB: In neither series did I have any problem deciding what plot element went where. Even if a story spans multiple volumes, I believe that each volume must contain its own story arc that comes to completion by the last page. Yes, some threads may continue into the next volume, and unanswered questions may remain, but the first chapter of volume two or three must always begin a new story arc of its own.

SFFW: You have written two trilogies and a single-volume work, The Song of the Beast. Which mode of writing do you prefer? Do you find there are any trade-offs?

CB: I don't really think about this when I start writing. The story develops and takes as long as it takes. As "Transformation" took shape, I believed it was a standalone novel. Only when I reached the end did I realize that there was more to the story, because I had never explained the origins or motivations of the rai-kirah. I thought I had one book's worth of additional story, but it turned out to be two very full books' worth. As "Son of Avonar" developed, I knew early on that the story was too big for one book. A natural stopping point came when the arc of the first mystery was solved, but I knew that the main threads of the larger story could not possibly be wound up at the same time. "Song of the Beast" felt like one book as I approached the end. Aidan found his answers, and Lara found a new perspective on life. It's true that I left Aidan's world in a worse state than I had originally thought I would, but I felt like I had developed the characters enough to take on those problems and deal with them. Someday I might revisit Aidan and see how he is getting on, but only if I have another complete story to tell.

SFFW: Fantasy is obviously the preferred genre for your writing. What draws you to it? Have you considered writing anything in a different genre?

CB: I read in many genres, especially enjoying mystery, historicals, mythology, classics, and science fiction as well as fantasy. I have no ingrained objection to writing in other genres, but I enjoy the freedom that fantasy offers to explore ideas and to synthesize a lot of this miscellaneous knowledge I have acquired over the years into a new world.

SFFW: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. It has been an honor and a great pleasure.