Terry Goodkind interview

[Brian G Turner]

HarperCollins have asked if I'd like to conduct an interview via e-mail with Terry Goodkind.

I have to admit with only being superficially acquainted with the writer - so what sort of questions would people like to actually ask of Terry Goodkind?

Preferably better if such questions are focussed on his work, than persona outside of it.

 

[Leto]

- For instance, as currently he use fantasy settings (at stated on his website) to tell his story, does he plan to use other settings (space, urban thriller, history epic, etc..) in his next novels ?
- What is he currently working on ?
- Which writer influenced his work and why ?

Did you get a risk additional fee for this ?

 

[dwndrgn]

1) What made him go back and write a prequel to the Sword of Truth featuring Zedd - did fans tell him they wanted more of Zedd, since he is such a fascinating character whom nobody really knows?

2) With the Sisters of Light, the Mord Sith and the Mother Confessor - your Sword of Truth series seems to contain an inordinate amount of powerful female characters as opposed to male ones. Do you have a fascination with powerful females or do you just enjoy creating powerful female characters?

3) There are a limited number of 'monsters/creatures' in your Sword of Truth series. Some seem fascinating but only appear for minute appearances. Did you want to include more and just not find an opening or were you trying to stay away from the fantasy fixation on monsters and dragons and such?

That's all I can think of for now! I hope you have fun!

 

[Ashen Shugar]

When is he going to write something interesting / worth reading etc?
I'll shut up now and let people with constructive comments speak...

 

[tonic]

Oy I had so many question when I first read his books but it's been so long...I'll try to think of some but how about this oneL

When he began to write The Sword of Truth series did he know he would be expressing so many of his beliefs through the characters. Were they a basis for everything he's written?

A lot of poeple complain about his books because they seem too "preachy" though I don't mind it at all. I can see why they would say that but everyone who writes expresses what they believe one way or another. I began to read Chainfire and Im only four chapters in and already I can see the effect it is having on his writing which isn't negative but seems clearer then it was at first. Other then developing why has his writing changed so drastically? From being common fantasy to something that sadly is beginning to look like our world every additional novel.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Wow, Brian, when a major publisher like HarperCollins ASKS you to do an interview, it's evident this site is gaining some clout. Congratulations!

 

[tonic]

Is he planning on writing anything else after he completes The Sword of Truth?

 

[hodor]

I am curious as to whether this author sees any other authors in the fantasy genre to be great. Does he admire, in any particular way, another author (currently not classic like Tolkien) in fantasy.

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

well call me mr boring, but I'd like to know the usual crappy stuff like:

1) How/Why he got into writing?
2) How does he choose his next story/characters?
3) How being called Terry Goodkind, he managed to avoid getting beaten up every lunchtme!

 

[hodor]

well call me mr boring, but I'd like to know the usual crappy stuff like:

1) How/Why he got into writing?
2) How does he choose his next story/characters?
3) How being called Terry Goodkind, he managed to avoid getting beaten up every lunchtme!

HAHAHA on the #3... but don't say that in the interview.

 

[Shoegaze99]

well call me mr boring, but I'd like to know the usual crappy stuff like:

1) How/Why he got into writing?
2) How does he choose his next story/characters?
3) How being called Terry Goodkind, he managed to avoid getting beaten up every lunchtme!

If you’d like an interview that rises above the sort of run of the mill press junket nonsense better left to press releases, I would avoid these questions. Every interview and chat contains them. They’re very “plug and play.” What you’ll get are canned answers barely different, if at all, from what other sites get.

Here are my questions. Feel free to use them verbatim if you choose to venture into this territory. Several repeat the same theme, as you’ll notice:

1) Mr. Goodkind, you have been very outspoken regarding the flaws you perceive in the fantasy genre, describing fantasy as “tired and empty” and made up of “simplistic stories of good and evil.” With that in mind, why choose to write within a genre you find so lacking in merit?

2) As a writer publishing in a competitive market, your series has been compared to others, such as the popular Robert Jordan series. You have indicated that perceived similarities are essentially nonexistent, while also indicating that you don’t read current fantasy. How many details of Jordan’s work were you able to glean without reading said work?

3) You have indicated that the market that pays your bills – fantasy – does not deal with “important human these” while your works do, a quality that separates your work from the rest of the genre. You have also indicated in previous interviews that you do not read modern fantasy. How do you reconcile the conflict between judging your peers in the world of fantasy and admitting to not having read their work?

4) In an online chat, a fan asks about a perceived shift in tone between your fourth and fifth books. You first indicate, “I completely disagree that there was dramatic change between the 4th and 5th book. This is simply not so.” You then indicate that when you started the series, “I wasn't good enough as a writer to accomplish such complex tasks (dealing with complex issues).” You appear to be saying two things. Has there or has there not been a shift in tone in your series?

5) You have indicated that publishers want more books like your own, but are unable to find them because “copying innovation is an impossibility.” In what specific ways do your books represent innovation within literature and/or the fantasy genre?

6) In your own words, your work has “irrevocably changed the face of fantasy.” In what specific ways do you think your work has transformed the genre?

7) Regarding the success your books have had, you have said, “What you are seeing with my novels is something unique. They are not like all the other fantasy books.” You have also indicated that you do not read current fantasy books. First, in what specific way are your books unique, and two, from where did you get your information on other fantasy books if not from reading them?[font=&quot]

8) You have said in interviews that you are a novelist, not a fantasy author, expounding your philosophies by writing tales with import themes. In saying so, you have attempted to put distance – a great distance – between yourself and fantasy. If you are a novelist writing about important human themes, why did you not write mainstream fiction instead of writing within fantasy?[/font]

 

[Neon]

Shoegazer, I think you kinda duplicated the same thought of "Goodkind: why write fantasy if you dislike it?" But you eloquently worded it very well many different times, lol.

My questions might be:

1. For your next series, do you plan to stay within the fantasy genre or branch to a different work of fiction?

2. Given your arduous pace of putting out 1 book per year, are you afraid you will burn yourself out of writing? And if not, how long of a rest will you take before embarking on the next series?

3. Has there been any errors in writing judgment you made in earlier books that you now wish you could change? For example, given that all magic temporarily died due to the Chimes one could deduce we no longer will see Scarlet the dragon. That was a very popular character within the series, yet it would be tough to write her back in given.

 

[Shoegaze99]

Shoegazer, I think you kinda duplicated the same thought of "Goodkind: why write fantasy if you dislike it?" But you eloquently worded it very well many different times, lol.

Yes, it was a conscious decision, as I noted: "Several repeat the same theme, as you’ll notice"

I find it interesting that this man is so eager to trash the genre that is paying his bills and the fans that have made him a successful fantasy author. And make no mistake, despite his protests to the contrary, he is a successful fantasy author. His books are not looked upon in the mainstream as sources of great philosophizing and insight into the human condition, no matter what he tells himself. That he finds it so important to distance himself from the very world that has lent him legitimacy as a published author is something worth exploring ... even if you have to drag some honesty out of the man. (Not the I expect honesty. Honesty often comes coupled with modesty, something Terry Goodkind lacks)

 

[Neon]

Haha oops sorry, in my skimming of your post I completely overlooked that sentence! But I agree with you how strange it is he can't stand the very genre which has made him a fortune. But then again, some of these writer types are strange cats it's hopeless to try and understand them. One of his other claims to fame is that Wizard's First Rule earned a record signing amount for a first book (or some such nonsense).

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I'm a little skeptical of that claim. Publishers are not in the habit of handing out huge advances for epic fantasy.

I think it would be interesting if Brian did ask one or two of Shoegaze's suggested questions -- perhaps a little more tactfully worded, and toward the end of the interview, so that Mr. Goodkind doesn't take offense and clam up without answering any other questions.

I'd particularly like to know how he could have possibly "changed the face of fantasy" if, in fact, that other statement, that no one can duplicate what he does, is also true.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Presuming the opportunitiy of an e-mail interview is real, I'll certainly ask about some of the more controversial issues surrounding his identity within fantasy. It seems there is a potential record to set straight. I'll probably ask more fan-based questions, though, as I guess an interview with Terry Goodkind would be of most interest to Terry Goodkind fans.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Be sure to throw him at least a few googlies though.

 

[jenna]

oh please ask some of Shoegazers questions! Goodkind fans already think he is a God, so ask some toughies for us! i believe i already know pretty much how he'll answer them, and if you choose the right combination of tough questions i think we'll see a huge mass of contradictions right there in the one interview!
at least can you please ask the one about how he can comment on what all other fantasy is like when he claims he doesn't read fantasy. that's the one i've been dying to ask him myself

 

[Tsujigiri]

I'd love to suggest a question, but I lost interest when he began writing a politically driven series instead of a character driven series.

That at least is my perception.

Maybe my question would simply be what caused him to change the flow of his writing.