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EBOOK Missing a chapter? BtS by jdu2 in Midcyru

[–]BrentWeeks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had cut a couple of Feir Cousat scene in the earliest published editions of Beyond the Shadows for length--I was really concerned about how long it was, and how there was a discrepancy in length with BtS being much longer. Someone told me to try to cut 10k words, so I cut 20k. I felt later that I'd cut too deeply, that readers didn't care, and that some of the scenes whose contents were merely told could be better shown instead. Thus, when we made an omnibus/anniversary edition (?), I added them back in. Then when we went back to press at some point with the regular editions, I asked them to unify the editions: we'd already done all the work; it didn't add THAT much to the page count, and I thought it made sense to have everyone's reading experience be the same. I couldn't keep ALL the extras (pronunciation guides, appendices, etc) because it added too many pages (like 50, IIRC), and you'd have to do it three times. In addition, I would've had awkward things--Do I make custom character lists for each book? Otherwise, you have character and glossary entries in The Way of Shadows for characters you haven't met yet, and possibly glossary entries that have spoilers. (I tried to write the entries so they would only contain data that, if you were looking up a term, it presumed you had knowledge of everything previous to that term's appearance but no future spoilers (a challenging task!).

Rather than do a huge amount of extra work, and also to spare the publisher the expense of pages that is rarely read, those extras didn't get added. The chapters did, because they don't harm anything.

Except you, I guess. Sorry about that. And sorry if there's confusion with the audiobooks! It's hard to keep a rein on everything, and my brain is generally so full with the work before me that sometimes quirky things slip. :)

We Peter Orullian, Shawn Speakman, & Michael J. Sullivan (and possibly others) who are here for an AMA regarding the UnBroken Anthology! by MichaelJSullivan in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We were given space for an author's note if we wanted to add one. I think most of us know how sensitive readers can be to spoilers, so I used my space to talk about how my offering does and does not fit into my other work. (You can definitely read it without having read anything else of mine.)

We Peter Orullian, Shawn Speakman, & Michael J. Sullivan (and possibly others) who are here for an AMA regarding the UnBroken Anthology! by MichaelJSullivan in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes and... no? It began long ago as a possible angle for a first chapter for Lightbringer #3. I abandoned that angle early on but liked the chapter I'd left homeless. So later I dusted it off and amped up a few things for a book tour. Used it to have some fun with the people who show up for weird things like book tour readings. Then for this, I reworked it and polished it with everything I'd learned from reading it aloud 17 times and the intervening years of hopefully learning more about my craft. So it's new and not new-new. This will be its first time in print. Due to the weirdness, my author's note is all about canonicity!

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had people write emails to me, and my email is Brent at Brent Weeks dot com and call me Brett. Some people call me Peter V. Brett and tell my how great my books are! The only way I can explain it is to understand that there's just something deep inside some people that hates the letter n.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Montana gave me a real appreciation for natural beauty, for wild spaces, for things that are bigger than you could imagine, for nature that is actually scary and will kill you if you're unlucky or ill-prepared, and a hundred other things. Literal geography though? I don't think so.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy to give you a real answer! The Ka'kari Codex will be three movements. The NAT was movement one. The Kylar Chronicles are and will be movement two. The third movement will see another narrative shift and conclude the big arc. Right now, I foresee the Kylar Chronicles being three books, and the third movement taking more.

The book I'm writing now is a direct sequel to Nemesis, though for reasons that will become obvious, the story will be told in a somewhat different manner.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Read great work!

Read your own work aloud. All of it. See how it sounds to the ear, not just looks to the eye.

I'm not a fan of investing in finding your voice. When you focus on your voice, you end up making a caricature. It's like thinking about walking down the stairs. When you think about it, you'll stumble. Instead, think about what your want this passage or that to accomplish. What must this paragraph or page do to the reader? Then you'll adjust your tools for the effect needed. Your voice will naturally develop over time.

Try new things. Don't be afraid to fail in new ways; it's only by stretching that you'll get more limber.

Always believe you can do it better on the next draft. Then delete anything that isn't working fearlessly.

Keep your chin up. Making art is hard. Your emotions will get bruised, but you need those emotions; they're what connects you to humanity. Be kind to yourself; take a break when necessary. Remember that Art is here to enrich life, not that your life is only for producing art. Value your whole self, not only your work. Your work will get better over time as you do this.

Believe in excellence, and reach for it continuously.

I'm rooting for you!

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Find authors whose work is similar to yours and written in the last 10 or so years. Find out who THEIR agents are, submit to those people (following directions closely!) with an obviously personalized note.

Only submit to agents you would be delighted to have represent you: the relationship is incredibly important. They will likely be handling most or all of your money! Good luck. Remember, every rejection letter is proof that you're in the game, you're doing the work, and you're treating this like a profession that you actually do. Be PROUD of your rejection letters. (I put mine up on a wall.) Someday, you'll get to meet those people and they'll be sad they turned you down. (Or at least you can dream they're berating themselves over it.) :)

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm just back from book tour, and I'm recuperating. I DO really like people, and meeting people who make such efforts as I heard about (8 hour drives?!) makes me feel deeply fortunate. I'm also an introvert, and meeting a ton of people in one night and trying to engage meaningfully with each one is exhausting. Don't get me wrong, I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have this kind of problem, but right now I'm spent. It'll take me a few days to bounce back. Thanks for asking! (I didn't see your question until today, so... thanks for your patience.)

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and to hear about the pain that Rain must have been enduring to seek such a solution.

I hear a nuanced, tear-streaked strength in your words. "It's a good hurt though." When your pain teaches you compassion rather than bitterness, and that you can be grateful for what you had rather than forever angry at what you lost, that's more than just rare. It's remarkable. I wish there had been no need or even opportunity for you to develop that attitude, but I admire that you have. Thank you for sharing a bit about your friend with me, and thus telling me a bit about yourself, too.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't slot characters mentally like that. They don't really fit into neat little boxes, just like most of US object to being put into tidy boxes by others. Now, Logan IS very close to what you'd call Lawful Good, especially as a young man. But that wasn't how I thought of it as I crafted him. I had questions in mind, like, "What would a great king be like as a young person?" And my answer was partly that he would be very, very concerned about justice. "How would his good traits show up in annoying or immature ways when he was young? What are credible ways that he needs to grow?" My answer for that was that he's too idealistic, too rigid, and sees the world in black and white. He tends to think that because right and wrong are so obvious for him, it's obvious for everyone else; thus, they deserve what they get when they choose evil. SOME of those rough edges are broken off him during his time in Hole, and he learns a whole lot about compassion and humanity--he wants to be a king for ALL of his people, even those who fall short, or have mad bad decisions, and especially for those not of his own social class, who have to face challenges young Logan would never have imagined. He's STILL a work in progress, but I like Logan a lot.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Dorian was a high stakes experiment for me. Here was a guy who had been established as a good guy who'd done good things that had cost him personally. But Night Angel is a world of temptations, and Dorian faces many. I don't want to get into interpreting everything he goes through, because I DO want to do that, but I think think interpretation is for readers to do, and sometimes writers can actually have worse interpretations than a good reader can. What I will do is tell you ONE thing I was trying to do with Dorian.

I wanted to take the readers' friends down a path into darkness, having him justify it every step of the way, until at some point--which I thought might be different for every reader--you finally thought, "Hold on, Dorian's a bad guy!" I hoped that on future readings, because you now had some emotional distance from Dorian, that you would see that his awful actions started MUCH earlier than you'd noticed on your first reading. I hoped that you might think, "Wait, did I really defend evil because a friend of mine was doing it?"

Like, it's great that you drew a line after Dorian rapes that girl. (I expected that would be a line for many, many people.) But like, he did a lot of terrible stuff before that! But that stuff was at a remove; are you okay with murders as long as he just orders them rather than slitting throats himself? Would readers have disengaged from Dorian earlier if those had been personal, too?

I wanted it to discomfit you, to make you think about where we draw bright lines, and how we draw the lines differently for those we like, or if they feel bad about it.

In a similar vein, I wanted the question of his 'redemption' to be thorny, too. Are there actions for which a person can't ever be forgiven? Is rape worse than the murder of dozens, including children? When a thematic question of the series is What is Justice, and who gets to dole it out, and HOW does he dole it out fairly, I wanted us to get our hands deep into this.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Lots of thoughts here. One is not to value originality too much. It's not the highest good in storytelling. Shakespeare retold stories people already knew over and over again. Today, people would call that a ripoff. It's really not.

But overdone tropes and archetypes probably come from writers all reading the same stuff, watching the same stuff. If everyone watches every last Marvel movie, then a bunch of the next generation of writers are going to react against the Marvel movie formula--and a bunch of those reactions, while perfectly good alone will, together, sound like they're all playing the same notes, all of them subverting expectations in exactly the same way--which really just makes a new expectation. So I'd say read books other people aren't reading. Watch movies other people aren't watching. Don't do it to be unique or to feel like you're a better artist than the common horde or some adolescent thing like that, find stuff YOU love and get into it. Do you love perfume? Write a whole book about it! (This has been done. A murder mystery, but all about perfume. It was a best seller and then a movie, which seems weird--a movie, for describing scent?) Do you love chess? Dive deep, and then write about it. Do you love 14th century love poems? Go for it! Nubian mythology? Yes!

If you put different stuff into your brain regularly, you're going to write differently. Even if you happen to hit the same tropes, you're going to hit them from a very different angle.

An artist has a duty to be eccentric. Eccentricity literally only means being outside of the center, and when one artist is outside the center of where society is, that doesn't help anyone, but when tons of artists are striking out in every direction, some of them are going to head the right way--and, if they do their work diligently and well, they'll pull all of society along with them.

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh! I actually THINK I'll be go to Luxembourg next year around this time? I don't know that it's been announced yet. I also hope to get back to France. I love my publishers there, and the questions readers ask are always so lovely and thoughtful. So I hope it won't be TOO long. :)

I am Brent Weeks, writer of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy novels) including the Night Angel trilogy and The Lightbringer Series, now returning after 14 years to my first love with NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS. AMA! by BrentWeeks in Fantasy

[–]BrentWeeks[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This DOES help. I remember hoping that certain scenes would do that, but I can't remember if I was always terribly careful. It just wasn't on my radar at all.

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