Science Fiction And Fantasy Writer's Chat 3/09/11 with Kevin J. Anderson

2:03 am	TheKJA:	seems to be a lag, but I'm here. was editing all day on a new book, trying to get it finished before HELLHOLE tour next week. #sffwrtcht
2:03 am	sffwrtcht:	Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer?s Chat. #sffwrtcht
2:03 am	sffwrtcht:	Our goal is to talk w/ writers, editors, & others abt the craft of writing, specifically related to writing speculative fiction. #sffwrtcht
2:03 am	BryanThomasS:	@BryanThomasS Welcome! :) #sffwrtcht
2:03 am	BryanThomasS:	Our format is round table discussion. Please restrict ?s to writing craft, business of writing & the specific works of the guest. #sffwrtcht
2:04 am	sffwrtcht:	Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another & use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments.
2:04 am	sffwrtcht:	It?s up to the guest whether the question time will run longer than our allotted hour slot. #sffwrtcht
2:04 am	sffwrtcht:	I appreciate your participation and hope you find this enjoyable and informative. #sffwrtcht
2:04 am	sffwrtcht:	Next Wed. we have @brendacooper and on March 23, @KristineRusch #sffwrtcht
2:04 am	sffwrtcht:	Tonight?s guest is the author of books, including ?Star Wars? and ?Dune? tie-ins, the space opera The Saga Of The Seven Suns #sffwrtcht
2:05 am	TheKJA:	New book comes out in 6 days, but I'm trying to clear the decks of projects so I can focus on being on the road and meeting fans. #sffwrtcht
2:05 am	sffwrtcht:	His latest book, coauthored with Brian Herbert is ?Hellhole?. #sffwrtcht
2:05 am	sffwrtcht:	Welcome @TheKJA! Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht
2:05 am	sffwrtcht:	Why we don?t we start by having you tell us about how you got into writing. #sffwrtcht
2:06 am	shadowflame1974:	Hello @TheKJA #Sffwrtcht
2:06 am	TheKJA:	This lag is going to be like a Monty Python skit. I'll try to answer questions before they appear :) #sffwrtcht
2:07 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Sorry about that. It happens sometimes. I'll do the best I can to telepath questions to you #sffwrtcht
2:07 am	Agiliste:	#sffwrtcht happy Wednesday @TheKJA :)
2:08 am	TheKJA:	Wanted to be a writer since I was 5 yrs old. Wrote 1st story when I was 8, bought typewriter when I was 10, 1st rejection at 12 #sffwrtcht
2:08 am	billhousley:	Just no laden swallow questions. #sffwrtcht
2:08 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Wow, at 12. You must be determined to keep going after that. #sffwrtcht
2:08 am	jenniferbrozek:	I seem to be helping out @BryanThomasS with #sffwrtcht tonight.
2:09 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Was it always SF or did you write other genres? #sffwrtcht
2:09 am	shadowflame1974:	@TheKJA that is awesome trying to convince my 13 yo to start writing #sffwrtcht
2:09 am	BryanThomasS:	@jenniferbrozek Yes, you are. Thank you so much. :) #sffwrtcht
2:10 am	TheKJA:	In the meantime, you can see a very cool HELLHOLE book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUxH6aIXeTU #sffwrtcht
2:10 am	sffwrtcht:	?Hellhole? is the saga of a General who lost a rebellion and was banished to a barely habitable planet by a ruthless regime. #sffwrtcht
2:10 am	louisbshalako:	@TheKJA In 'The Edge of the World,' what makes it 'large scale SF?' #sffwrtcht
2:10 am	Brandon_Whaley:	Hey @TheKJA, do you think you'll ever dive back into the Star Wars universe again? #sffwrtcht
2:11 am	TheKJA:	Yes, it was always SF...monsters, aliens, other planets. I grew up in small farm town, so other worlds were much more interesting #sffwrtcht
2:11 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Growing up in Kansas, I can definitely relate to that #sffwrtcht
2:12 am	sffwrtcht:	It?s the first in a planned series of three, but you?ve created quite a Universe. Do you envision doing any more beyond that? #sffwrtcht
2:13 am	sffwrtcht:	And how did the idea for ?Hellhole? come about? #sffwrtcht
2:13 am	TheKJA:	@louisbshalako Edge of the World (Terra Incognita trilogy) is large-scale fantasy, but same plotting as my SF epics. #sffwrtcht
2:14 am	TheKJA:	@louisbshalako It's about the story, the world, the characters, not the genre label on the spine. (I'm mostly known for SF, tho) #sffwrtcht
2:15 am	TheKJA:	@Brandon_Whaley I loved my work in SW, did 54 projects for Lucasfilm. Depends on what projects they have in mind #sffwrtcht
2:16 am	TheKJA:	HELLHOLE is plotted as trilogy, beginning, middle, end, w/grand climax. But it's a big universe. Not saying NO we'd never do more #sffwrtcht
2:16 am	sffwrtcht:	?Hellhole? has a very large casts of characters. What are the challenges in balancing so many POVs? Any tricks you?ve learned? #sffwrtcht
2:17 am	shadowflame1974:	@TheKJA so you categorize a large scale fantasy as a lot of world building and characters #sffwrtcht
2:17 am	TheKJA:	HELLHOLE idea came from expansion of American West, colonization of hellish places, pioneers getting away from corrupt govts. #sffwrtcht
2:17 am	louisbshalako:	@TheKJA How much of any SF book is ecology, world building, inventing of critters? 5%? 10%? #sffwrtcht
2:18 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA It definitely has a space western feel to it. I enjoyed it. #sffwrtcht
2:18 am	WriteBrainMedia:	RT @TheKJA: HELLHOLE idea came from expansion of American West, colonization of hellish places, pioneers getting away from corrupt govts. #sffwrtcht
2:18 am	WriteBrainMedia:	RT @TheKJA: HELLHOLE is plotted as trilogy, beginning, middle, end, w/grand climax. But it's a big universe. Not saying NO we'd never do more #sffwrtcht
2:18 am	TheKJA:	HELLHOLE, like our Dune books, my 7 Suns & Terra Incognita, is a tapestry of people and stories. Lets you see the whole landscape #sffwrtcht
2:19 am	BryanThomasS:	Did you and Brian outline the book before writing? How do you divide it up? #sffwrtcht
2:19 am	GeekEdge:	RT @TheKJA: HELLHOLE, like our Dune books, my 7 Suns & Terra Incognita, is a tapestry of people and stories. Lets you see the whole landscape #sffwrtcht
2:20 am	sffwrtcht:	@TheKJA You and Brian have collaborated on a number of books. How do you collaborations work? Is one person the final word? #sffwrtcht
2:20 am	TheKJA:	@shadowflame1974 same goes for large-scale fantasy & SF. It's a big choreography w/characters, storylines, worlds. #sffwrtcht
2:21 am	BryanThomasS:	Do you and Brian pitch each other ideas until you both like something? Whose idea was "Hellhole?" #sffwrtcht
2:22 am	TheKJA:	@louisbshalako depends on book; some r ABOUT the world, some r character studies, some r survival stories against env. & critters #sffwrtcht
2:22 am	AUChief:	@TheKJA you really created the character of Jacen Solo, how do you feel about him being written into a derivative Sith Lord? #sffwrtcht
2:22 am	TheKJA:	Brian & I outline heavily beforehand, so we can keep storylines straight w/2 writers in the same big story. It's our blueprint. #sffwrtcht
2:23 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Do you do character sketches as part of that preparation? #sffwrtcht
2:23 am	TheKJA:	We brainstorm in detail, outline until we're happy w/chapter by chapter, then each write half, according to storylines or chars #sffwrtcht
2:24 am	sffwrtcht:	Do you rewrite each other then? #sffwrtcht
2:25 am	TheKJA:	@AUChief @RebeccaMoesta & I may have written Jacen, but he's not "our" character. He belongs to Lucasfilm and they decide #sffwrtcht
2:25 am	sffwrtcht:	#sffwrtcht I also know that you dictate and have the recordings transcribed when writing. How did that practice come about?
2:26 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS Yes, we do full character bios for reference, but we've also already talked through it all #sffwrtcht
2:27 am	jasonifischerio:	@TheKJA what sort of collective daily wordcount do you guys aim for with your collaborations? #sffwrtcht
2:27 am	sffwrtcht:	How did your involvement with ?Star Wars? books come about? #sffwrtcht
2:27 am	shadowflame1974:	@TheKJA is it easier to write in a collaboration or harder #sffwrtcht
2:27 am	shadowflame1974:	@TheKJA is it easier to write in a collaboration or harder #sffwrtcht
2:28 am	TheKJA:	i should mention, Tor audio put up a free audio excerpt of first 2 HELLHOLE chapshttp://kjablog.com/?p=1542 #sffwrtcht
2:28 am	BryanThomasS:	@shadowflame1974 Repeater :) #sffwrtcht
2:28 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Awesome. Thanks for mentioning that. #sffwrtcht It's a fun book, everyone. Check it out.
2:29 am	TheKJA:	I've been dictating for years, started because I wanted to preserve thoughts as I walked while pondering stories to myself. #sffwrtcht
2:30 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Is it difficult to compose prose that way? i.e. has it taken a lot of practice? #sffwrtcht
2:30 am	TheKJA:	@jasonifischerio on an average day, I do 3-10,000 words per day. Brian is close to the same. When we're in a project, we dive in #sffwrtcht
2:31 am	shadowflame1974:	@TheKJA wow, if I get 10,000 words in a week I'm very happy #Sffwrtcht
2:31 am	TheKJA:	Star Wars involvement: i was writing my own books, doing well, & publisher brought them to Lucasfilm's attention. They called me. #sffwrtcht
2:32 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA How do you handle keeping track of a world so diverse and well developed as Star Wars and getting it right? #sffwrtcht
2:33 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS I find dictating to be very natural way of writing. It's how the original storytellers did it. #sffwrtcht
2:33 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA That's true. And they told great stories too. An ancient tradition. #sffwrtcht
2:34 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS I had shelves of ref. materials, blueprints, maps, histories, and I read all the books & watched movies constantly #sffwrtcht
2:35 am	louisbshalako:	@TheKJA Sentient forest and sentient water are allegories for what? (Of Fire and Night?) #sffwrtcht
2:35 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Does Lucas Books give you the story or do you devise your own and work out the details with them? #sffwrtcht
2:35 am	TheKJA:	@passiko We tend to have our favorite chars or storylines, but we each edit the whole book several times. #sffwrtcht
2:37 am	sffwrtcht:	@TheKJA How did your involvement with the "Dune" books happen? And how did you partner with Brian? #sffwrtcht
2:37 am	shadowflame1974:	@TheKJA you would be able to see the flow of the story immediately with dictation #Sffwrtcht
2:37 am	TheKJA:	@Brandon_Whaley asks So Hellhole is yours and Brian's own thing, like 7 Suns is yours, not based on a property right? #sffwrtcht
2:38 am	TheKJA:	@Brandon_Whaley Yes, after 12 Dune books, we felt we were practiced enough to create a big universe of our own #sffwrtcht
2:38 am	BryanThomasS:	@Brandon_Whaley #sffwrtcht is the hashtag. Thanks for joining us and for the questions. :)
2:38 am	Brandon_Whaley:	@TheKJA That would be great! So Hellhole is yours and Brian's own thing, like 7 Suns is yours, not based on a property right? #sffwrtcht
2:39 am	TheKJA:	@louisbshalako and sentient fire creatures and sentient atmospheric creatures. 4 elementals: Air, Water, Fire, Earth. #sffwrtcht
2:40 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS I had a lot of freedom w/Lucasfilm; I pitched stories & worked w/them. Now I think it's a little more mapped out #sffwrtcht
2:41 am	AUChief:	@TheKJA Not a question but I really dig yours and @RebeccaMoesta 's contributions to SW and yours and BH's contribution to DUNE #sffwrtcht
2:42 am	BryanThomasS:	@AUChief Thanks for being with us tonight. :) #sffwrtcht
2:42 am	AUChief:	@TheKJA and I am excited for HELLHOLE! #sffwrtcht
2:42 am	TheKJA:	Dune books involvement, full story in HOUSE ATREIDES & SANDWORMS intros. We didn't want the Dune saga to be left incomplete #sffwrtcht
2:42 am	BryanThomasS:	What's your favorite aspect of the Dune universe? Environmentalism? #sffwrtcht
2:43 am	Brandon_Whaley:	@TheKJA The Dune books were great, recently read them and Frank's chronologically. Any more in the pipeline? #sffwrtcht
2:45 am	TheKJA:	For those who prefer text, Tor has posted HELLHOLE first chap & other material athttp://kjablog.com/?p=1519 #sffwrtcht
2:45 am	TheKJA:	@Brandon_Whaley next up is SISTERHOOD OF DUNE, in final edit right now, about formation of Bene Gesserit after Butlerian Jihad #sffwrtcht
2:46 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS Each time I reread DUNE I admire a different aspect of it. I still think this is the greatest SF novel ever. #sffwrtcht
2:47 am	BryanThomasS:	You also spend a lot of time mentoring other writers through Superstars Seminars and different talks. Thank you for that. #sffwrtcht
2:48 am	louisbshalako:	@TheKJA Can democracy work in space or off Earth? #sffwrtcht
2:48 am	Brandon_Whaley:	@TheKJA Excellent, I've yet to read Paul of Dune so I look forward to both :-) #sffwrtcht
2:48 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Has the next book in the "Hellhole" Trilogy been written? #sffwrtcht
2:48 am	AUChief:	@TheKJA do you have a favorite DUNE character? Which of Frank Herbert's books was your favorite? #sffwrtcht
2:49 am	sffwrtcht:	10 minutes left with @TheKJA on #sffwrtcht Please get those questions in.
2:49 am	BryanThomasS:	10 minutes left with @TheKJA on #sffwrtcht Please get those questions in.
2:49 am	AUChief:	I still havent read PoD or WoD RT @Brandon_Whaley @TheKJA Excellent, I've yet to read Paul of Dune so I look forward to both :-) #sffwrtcht
2:49 am	bellareads:	Love the #sffwrtcht chat tonight. It's awesome to hear how @TheKJA and Brian Herbert collaborate on their books!
2:50 am	BryanThomasS:	@bellareads Thanks for being with us, bella. #sffwrtcht
2:50 am	greytfriend:	RT @TheKJA: In the meantime, you can see a very cool HELLHOLE book trailer athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUxH6aIXeTU #sffwrtcht
2:51 am	sffwrtcht:	What other projects can we look forward to from you this year, Kevin? #sffwrtcht
2:51 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS yes, http://www.superstarswritingseminars.com, 5 bestselling authors teaching the biz. Important to pay it forward #sffwrtcht
2:51 am	joetages:	RT @TheKJA: Dune books involvement, full story in HOUSE ATREIDES & SANDWORMS intros. We didn't want the Dune saga to be left incomplete #sffwrtcht
2:51 am	talekyn:	@TheKJA Coming in late, so sorry if this has been asked -- any more Superman novels coming? Loved the Krypton book. #sffwrtcht
2:51 am	joetages:	RT @TheKJA: Wanted to be a writer since I was 5 yrs old. Wrote 1st story when I was 8, bought typewriter when I was 10, 1st rejection at 12 #sffwrtcht
2:52 am	TheKJA:	@louisbshalako big question for 140 chars! I think toughest part would be time & distance involved. Democracy seems local. #sffwrtcht
2:52 am	CLK_Shortcake:	RT @BryanThomasS: 10 minutes left with @TheKJA on #sffwrtcht Please get those questions in.
2:52 am	sffwrtcht:	Have you considered collaborating on books with Brandon Sanderson or Dave Wolverton or Eric Flint? Your superstars partners? #sffwrtcht
2:52 am	Brandon_Whaley:	@talekyn @TheKJA Seconded, Krypton is the book that made me give Superman a chance. #sffwrtcht
2:52 am	TheKJA:	@BryanThomasS Brian & I will be plotting HELLHOLE #2 during our tour next week, start writing soon thereafter. #sffwrtcht
2:53 am	fabiofernandes:	@BryanThomasS Just wanted to tell @TheKJA I really enjoyed the Dune books he wrote w/Brian Herbert. Looking forward to HELLHOLE! #sffwrtcht
2:53 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Great. Good luck with the tour. Wish you were coming to El Paso. #sffwrtcht
2:53 am	TheKJA:	@AUChief My favorite character is Duke Leto, and favorite book in series is DUNE. Of ours, my fav is MACHINE CRUSADE. #sffwrtcht
2:54 am	billhousley:	@TheKJA How do you handle inheritance rights with collaborations. I heard that has been a problem for other writers. #sffwrtcht
2:55 am	TheKJA:	@talekyn @Brandon_Whaley my other one is ENEMIES & ALLIES. Would love to do more #sffwrtcht
2:55 am	joetages:	RT @TheKJA: Star Wars involvement: i was writing my own books, doing well, & publisher brought them to Lucasfilm's attention. They called me. #sffwrtcht
2:55 am	Brandon_Whaley:	@TheKJA Is there a schedule of yours and Brian's tour? I'd love to come meet you guys. #sffwrtcht
2:56 am	TheKJA:	@billhousley Brian has blessing of other Frank Herbert heirs, & Frank asked him to do more books before his death, so no problem #sffwrtcht
2:57 am	TheKJA:	@billhousely My only other case was w/A.E. van Vogt estate, and van Vogt's widow asked me to complete the book; again, no probs #sffwrtcht
2:57 am	AUChief:	Me too! RT @Brandon_Whaley @TheKJA Is there a schedule of yours and Brian's tour? I'd love to come meet you guys. #sffwrtcht
2:58 am	TheKJA:	Full HELLHOLE tour schedule at http://www.wordfire.com/index.php/calendar/events-a-appearances #sffwrtcht
2:58 am	BryanThomasS:	RT @BryanThomasS: @AUChief You guys can find the schedule on his website. @brandon_whaley#sffwrtcht
2:58 am	bellareads:	@TheKJA One question if there is time, how many more Dune books will you and Brian be writing? #sffwrtcht
2:58 am	Brandon_Whaley:	RT @TheKJA: Full HELLHOLE tour schedule at http://www.wordfire.com/index.php/calendar/events-a-appearances #sffwrtcht
2:59 am	TheKJA:	Will be in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA area, San Diego, Denver, Lexington, Dayton, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston #sffwrtcht
3:00 am	sffwrtcht:	Guys, next week we have @brendacooper on chat. Let's all give a big thanks to @TheKJA for taking time to be with us. #sffwrtcht
3:00 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Kevin, thanks so much for making time to do this. It's been great to have you chat with us. #sffwrtcht
3:00 am	louisbshalako:	@TheKJA Love A.E. as well. Great interview, thanks to all. #sffwrtcht
3:01 am	TheKJA:	@bellareads SISTERHOOD is 1st in a trilogy, Brian & I have 2 more HELLHOLE books. that takes us to 2016. Haven't planned beyond #sffwrtcht
3:01 am	TheKJA:	thanks very much for a great chat. And, yes, I still have 20 pages to edit tonight before I quit. Hope to see you on the tour #sffwrtcht
3:02 am	billhousley:	@TheKJA Thanks for all this great info. I started on a SW novel and then dropped it when I learned that one has to be invited. #sffwrtcht
3:02 am	BryanThomasS:	Everyone be sure and check out "Hellhole" which is available from the SF Book Club, your local stores and more #sffwrtcht
3:02 am	BryanThomasS:	@TheKJA Have a great night! :) #sffwrtcht
3:02 am	bellareads:	@TheKJA thanks Kevin! I will be eagerly awaiting the Dune books. It's my favorite series, and can't wait for more :) #sffwrtcht
3:03 am	sffwrtcht:	See everyone next week for @brendacooper and the 23rd for @KristineRusch on #sffwrtcht. A transcript will be posted later tonight.
3:03 am	Brandon_Whaley:	@TheKJA Thanks for all the info! Maybe I'll see you in Atlanta! #sffwrtcht
3:05 am	AUChief:	@TheKJA Thanks for the tweets, thanks for all your work, and hope to see you in Atlanta! #sffwrtcht
4:06 am	darthspencer:	RT @TheKJA: Dune books involvement, full story in HOUSE ATREIDES & SANDWORMS intros. We didn't want the Dune saga to be left incomplete #sffwrtcht
4:06 am	darthspencer:	RT @TheKJA: Star Wars involvement: i was writing my own books, doing well, & publisher brought them to Lucasfilm's attention. They called me. #sffwrtcht
4:07 am	darthspencer:	RT @TheKJA: Wanted to be a writer since I was 5 yrs old. Wrote 1st story when I was 8, bought typewriter when I was 10, 1st rejection at 12 #sffwrtcht
5:37 am	SharoninaVolvo:	RT @TheKJA: i should mention, Tor audio put up a free audio excerpt of first 2 HELLHOLE chapshttp://kjablog.com/?p=1542 #sffwrtcht
5:39 am	SharoninaVolvo:	RT @TheKJA: In the meantime, you can see a very cool HELLHOLE book trailer athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUxH6aIXeTU #sffwrtcht