In October of 2010, I put up a request on my blog (www.petervbrett/peephole) for readers to ask me questions, the best of which I would answer in the Desert Spear mass-market paperback. Thanks so much to everyone who submitted, even those of you who weren’t picked. All the questions were great, but I tried to select a nice variety and avoid ones whose answers would result in series spoilers. Some of them get a little nerdcore, which I always enjoy:
1. What inspired you to use wards as your primary mechanism of magic, rather than one of the more traditional systems?
Josh
Tonawanda, NY
I guess it depends on what you mean by “traditional.” Using magical symbols to ward off evil is a common concept in numerous cultures around the world, dating back to ancient times. You don’t get much more traditional than that. But in terms of traditional epic fantasy, I agree it’s a step off the beaten path, and one I took intentionally.
I enjoy reading about powerful witches and wizards as much as the next guy, but for my own series I wanted a “low magic” setting, where the focus of the story would be mostly on normal people who couldn’t depend on some magic deus ex machina to save the day.
Magic will play an increasing part as the series progresses, but it is still only a background for the human conflicts that drive the story.
2. You note that drawing wards in the soil is dangerous, because it could start raining, a wind could blow them away, or a leaf could fall on top. Isn’t it enough for the wards to just be there, or do they have to be visible? If the wards on Fort Krasia are carved and not painted on—what if sand blew into the grooves? Would the wards be deactivated?
Markus
Trondheim, Norway
Yes and no. Wards don’t need to be visible, but they do need to be intact and open to the air. Maintenance is key.
To use your example of Fort Krasia, its wards are giant symbols carved deeply into the sandstone walls of the city. Normal blowing sand wouldn’t significantly affect them, but over time it might wear down the integrity of the wards to the point where they fail. The wall is inspected regularly by skilled Warders, who clean and sharpen the wards as necessary to keep the warding strong.
3. Could you explain more of the actual math behind the ward circles? It has always intrigued me.
Lois Rotchford
Ithaca, NY
Sure. A ward’s strength and radius of effect are governed by its size and the precision with which it is drawn. The mathematical formulas for calculating this are the first things a novice Warder learns.
There are two ways to form a defensive wardnet. The first and simplest is to draw the largest wards possible for each of the demons you want to bar, and arrange them closely enough so that their areas of effect overlap. This usually means drawing the same wards multiple times around the perimeter of the net, but as each ward draws magic independently, disabling one does not affect the others.
The second way involves using “connector” wards to form a circuit, linking wards and evenly distributing their power. This is a cleaner and more efficient process that requires drawing the original wards only once, but disabling a single ward can be like a thrown circuit breaker and cause the entire net to fail.
4. Can you give us a step-by-step of how the story went from your brain to a full-blown novel? Do you write out notes and detailed outlines or just type away?
Dave B
The Internets
Every writer has their own method for this process. Some do indeed just type away, but that method has never worked for me. It often leads to dead ends that need to be chucked or rewritten later, and the control freak in me hates that.
I plan everything out in excruciating detail, making huge bulleted lists I call stepsheets, which detail all the action and motivation in advance. The Daylight War stepsheet alone is 188 pages. At this point, most of the plot problems have been solved and I can metaphorically back up and see the novel’s story arc as a whole.
Once that skeleton is complete, I then start writing the final prose, using the stepsheet as a map, but keeping an eye out for shortcuts and taking the occasional detour.
This method is a lot more work, but I tend to be much more satisfied with the end results.
5. In the next book, will you give us more insight on why the demons do what they do and whether they have any other purpose other than just to kill?
Ilynne
Sydney, Australia
Yes. As with some of the scenes in The Desert Spear, The Daylight War and the remaining books will contain sections written from the demons’ perspective. They have their own agenda, and their goals and motivations will play an increasing part in the overall story as the series progresses.
6. In Arlen and Jardir’s final meeting, I noticed that you see most of the events through both characters’ perspectives until the time when Arlen is thrown into the pit with the sand demon. Did you write this scene from Jardir’s perspective and decide not to include it, or was his reaction to the events in the pit just never written?
David
Sandusky, OH
It was never written. One of the more difficult aspects of writing the same events from two perspectives is avoiding undue repetition. In The Desert Spear, I wanted readers to understand why Jardir did what he did, and to know that he felt bad about it, but I didn’t want to retell every moment of the events in The Warded Man. I considered writing the scene you mention, but ultimately decided it would not add anything substantive to the story.
7. Is the Krasian culture based on a real-life society (past or present)?
Richard Green
Parker, CO
Yes and no. The Krasians are not meant to represent or be a commentary on any particular society, but many aspects of their unique personality are inspired by real-world cultures. Every SF author does this to some extent. As storytellers, we want to create fictional worlds, but ones that are familiar enough to readers that they can empathize with the characters enough to be drawn into the narrative.
Much of the Krasians’ social structure is similar to those of medieval Japan and ancient Sparta. I was inspired by the Greek hoplites and the conquest of Shaka Zulu with regard to their spear-and-shield fighting style. Their clerics were inspired by Chinese fighting monks, with sharusahk (the Krasian martial art) using many of the same force-diversion principles as hapkido, aikido, judo, and other martial arts. There is a lot of medieval Middle Eastern flavor to their culture, and their faith has some aspects in common with early Abrahamic religions.
But that said, I also made a lot of stuff up, and formed a lot of their belief system and society around a history of three hundred years of slowly losing a war with the demons. They have evolved into a unique culture with all the good and bad aspects that go with any human society.
8. Have you had characters that you’ve written in and then later decided you didn’t like and taken them out? If so, what differences would they have made to the books?
Sarah
Victoria, Australia
I’ve never cut a character because I didn’t like them, but I have cut characters when I felt they didn’t add enough to the story, or negatively affected the pacing.
Sometimes I get a great idea for a character, and then have nowhere to put them. I’ve learned it’s best not to force the matter. There are a couple of characters in particular cut from The Daylight War that I liked so much they may yet find their way into their own novellas.
9. Do you find it easier or more enjoyable to write one character’s story thread than the others?
Melanie
UK
I love all my children equally, though each of them can be vexing in their own way. Sometimes I will get sick of a character and switch to writing someone else’s thread protagonist until I get some distance.
Being able to head-jump like that is one of the many benefits to having multiple point-of-view characters, though each one adds another level of complexity to the story, and too many can become unwieldy. This is why, as I mentioned in a previous question, I cut a few POV characters from The Daylight War.
10. Unlike many fantasy writers, you have developed a story free from the traditional orcs/goblins, elves/men/dwarves plot structure; how did you manage to develop the stories in a way that is totally original without the influence of other writers?
James Robinson
The Internets
I appreciate the vote of confidence, but the fact is I didn’t develop without influence from other writers. Every author is standing on the shoulders of the writers who came before them. Anyone who tells you different is either lying or thinks way too much of themself.
This isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of room for personal creativity in writing. Just because art is influenced by other art doesn’t necessarily make it unoriginal. I learned a lot from reading authors like Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, C. S. Friedman, George R. R. Martin, R. A. Salvatore, Philip Pullman, and literally hundreds of others, but I think that influence has helped me to develop my own unique voice, rather than copying someone else’s.
11. As of right now, how many books are you planning in this series?
Yelie
Cheyenne, WY
The Demon Cycle is planned for five books, not counting short stand-alone novellas like The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold, which are set in the same world and share characters with the main series, but are not necessary to enjoy the novels.
12. Would you say your novels are influenced to a certain extent by the ideological/geopolitical conflict that is happening in today’s context?
Daniul
Sydney, Australia
Undoubtedly. I’ve spoken before about how The Warded Man was a book about fear and its effects on people. Much of this came from being in Manhattan on September 11, 2001, and witnessing firsthand on that day, and in the months and years that followed, how fear affects everyone in their own way. The Warded Man was an attempt to explore the insights I took from that experience, and this theme continued in The Desert Spear.
But that said, I try to keep the reporting balanced in the Demon Cycle. Anyone looking for a direct commentary on today’s politics is likely to be disappointed. Either that or they will see only what they want to see.
13. If you had the chance, would you write a story which takes place in the Age of Science? Have you ever included an idea which came from a fan, or from a discussion among fans? When the Warded Man movie is made, would you like to have a cameo shot? Have you ever been recognized on the street as the author of The Warded Man and/or The Desert Spear?
Iris
Karlsruhe, Germany
I doubt I will ever write about the Age of Science. I like keeping it a little mysterious, and I have far too many story ideas in the current timeline.
I have never included an idea from a fan in a story. Usually by the time readers discuss something, I have plotted the story well beyond that point in any event.
Oh, I’d better get a cameo, at least.
I was recognized on the street once, but it only half-counts, because the reader was too shy to come up to me. She sent me a Facebook message that night asking if I was on a certain block in Manhattan at a certain time, and that was on the exact route I had taken to the comic shop that day. It was eerie.
14. In The Warded Man, the characters’ last names are almost never mentioned, but they are brought up more and more frequently in The Desert Spear, which felt odd. Was it a conscious decision to implement jobs as surnames in the second novel or was it just a natural progression?
Dwayne
London, England
All the characters had last names when I wrote The Warded Man, even if they weren’t used very often (if at all in some cases). The information became more relevant in The Desert Spear because of the strong cultural emphasis put on family relations by both the Krasians and the people of Tibbet’s Brook.
15. Do you have any ritual/process/fav food you use before/when you are writing to help you stay focused or inspired?
Funkigirl
Twitter
I mix cold coffee and Diet Coke into a potion that keeps me wired with caffeine late into the night. You will never find “real” food in my office refrigerator or cupboards, but there are always hard red apples, salty snacks that come in bags, dark chocolate, and some sort of sugary candy, often something from the Willy Wonka school, like Nerds, Gobstoppers, or Runts.
16. The science fiction and fantasy community is very open to stories and books being written in response/reaction to another author’s works. Have you ever been so inspired to create a piece? What do you think about fan fiction in general?
Mike C
Marlborough, CT
I spent many hours doodling pictures of Batman when I was bored during a lecture in high school or college. When I gave up art and began writing, some of my first stories were adventures about my D&D characters, set in the shared world of the Forgotten Realms, which was fan fiction of a sort. I never included any characters but those I created, but I was sharing gods, the magic system, monsters, the map, etc.
I see fan fiction as a subset of fan art, which is a fun exercise that gives people a lot of joy. And what greater compliment can there be to a writer than to have one’s stories inspire creativity in others? I run regular fan art contests on my website (www.petervbrett.com), and the entries from past contests are available in galleries for anyone to enjoy.
Even so, I think serious writers and artists looking to learn and practice their craft are better off focusing the majority of their energy on their own creations rather than someone else’s. For every picture of Batman I drew, there were a dozen pictures of superheroes I had created myself, and my D&D adventures quickly outgrew the Forgotten Realms and required their own unique worlds and magic systems.
17. Will we be seeing any new, unclassified demons in future books?
Alex P
Yakima, WA
Oh, yes. Wait until you see the chase scene with the field demons in The Daylight War. It is kickass, and just the tip of the iceberg.
18. Is it hard to dedicate all of your focus and creativity to one project? Do you already have other series/projects on the back burner?
Greg M
Milwaukee, WI
The Demon Cycle novels always get the vast majority of my attention, but at any given time I have a few side projects I am tinkering with—novellas, comic book scripts (currently working on one for Red Sonja, a comic I loved as a kid), interviews, essays for my blog, etc. Novels take me a long time to write, so it’s nice to have smaller projects I can actually finish on a regular basis.
19. Do you ever dream about your books? If so, what is the weirdest one you had?
Francine
West Sussex, England
Last night I dreamt that the Warded Man movie came out unannounced (even to me) and it was just a long, trippy animated Gorillaz video narrated by the late Dennis Hopper that had little if anything to do with the book. I distinctly remember the feeling of sitting in the theater full of impotent rage.
Of course, when I woke up, I knew this was nonsense. The Warded Man movie by Paul W. S. Anderson is going to be awesome. Paul and I have had long conversations about the look, feel, and theme of the movie, and I am confident he will do the story justice.
20. Your status as technophile extraordinaire is well known amongst your fans. Would you say that there is a single piece of technology that irrevocably changed your writing habits?
Lood
Pretoria, South Africa
“Technophile extraordinaire” may be laying it on a little thick, but yeah, I like my gadgets.
I don’t know that I can say there is a single piece of technology that changed my writing habits, but rather a hybrid of two devices, my iPod and my first Windows Mobile smartphone with a word processor and full keyboard.
The iPod let me cancel out the background noise of New York City and replace it with music that helped me find my zen. Thus shielded, I was able to use the smartphone to write during my morning and afternoon subway commute. I became a master of thumb typing, and I wrote most of the prose in The Warded Man and much of The Desert Spear in this fashion. If not for those two devices helping me find time to write in the most unlikely places, I might not be a professional author at all. Right now I am doing a lot of writing on my iPad, and enjoying it quite a bit.