Notes from ThiefCon (Summarized in Haste)
When I realized how many Sounisians were having technical difficulties, I grabbed a pen and paper and set to work making (imperfect) notes. Here they are!
Questions & Answers with MWT (attributed when able)
Q1 (FreeNarnian): To what extent do you plan ahead (outline) your stories vs. winging it?
MWT: She tells the story out loud to her husband, then sketches it out. Said this was the hardest part of the story-plotting. She acknowledged that every writer has a different process.
Q2 (FreeNarnian for whichever Sounisian asked it): Are some characters harder to write than others? Which ones?
MWT: Some characters have more immediate depth than others, while some are just placeholders. (Here she tantalizing mentioned something about the character she’s currently writing being one of the most involved/challenging so far?)
Q3 (Dee Cable): I've always wondered if there is any music that you associate with the books, Megan. Do you listen to music as you write?
MWT: Not while writing (she can’t hear her children) but sometimes on breaks. She’d be embarrassed to have you listen to her music (she mentioned ‘Little Mermaid’ and ‘Stayin’ Alive’.) She likes author Maggie Stiefvater’s playlists and wondered if Maggie would create one for the Queen’s Thief series.
Q4: Tell us about Norway.
MWT: Her kids like Norway. Food is expensive. She said that chicken is $10 a pound and beef is like $25 (or was it $30?) a pound for the really cruddy cheap ground beef (the kind where you wonder if it came from Chernobyl). They once flew to Dublin for hamburgers because it was actually cheaper than eating out in Norway.
Q5: What effect has the traveling had on your writing?
MWT: Writing goes well in Norway. She’s written some short stories. One is about a troll.
Q6 (Bookishbabe): Are any of the short stories set in Gen’s world?
MWT: Uncertainly, “…Nnoooo…”
Q7 (Bookishbabe): A question about how the short story “Thief” was published in a magazine (I can’t remember the exact question).
MWT: The magazine went out of business shortly afterward. She hopes it had nothing to do with her. She has the story up on her website, with the illustrations (permission of the artist).
Q8: Tell us about the curse you inherited?
MWT: (This one was answered vaguely… I can’t remember details, sorry! She mentioned a book by Rosemary Sutcliff - Sun Horse, Moon Horse? - that she loved. I’m not sure how it related to the question.
Q9 (FreeNarnian): What’s a story about Gen (and friends) that you’ll never write? (It was an odd question, I know…)
MWT: A story that would not further her purpose/ends for the series, one that has no beginning, middle and end. She sometimes thinks of Gen as a parent (as she herself is), and all the funny situations that entails. “What happened to your hand, Daddy?” “Don’t cross your mother.”…which would be entertaining, but not complete.
(We begged her for these stories anyway)
Q10 (Bookishbabe): Why the POV switch between books 1 and 2?
MWT: Because she wanted to explore the story from other characters’ perspectives, and because Gen is too unreliable a narrator for readers to believe his pain when told from his perspective. He complains a lot.
Q11 (Hazelwillow): My question is when did you realize that Gen was going to fall in love with Irene?
MWT: This was a great answer… it included something about Dite...unfortunately I don’t think my memory can do it justice! Someone please fill in for me here!
And I recall this question but can’t remember where in the order it went, so I put it last:
Q12(Dee Cable): Do you think we'll ever get the chance to learn more about Gen's Mom and the MoW? Or is theirs another story that will have to stay out of the books?
MWT: She knows a lot about their story, but doesn’t know just how much will be incorporated into future books.
*Phew* I’m only dipping my toe in here, so I hope everyone who was able to make it will help fill in the blanks. It was AWESOME. Many thanks to Bookishbabe for organizing it and a big round of applause for MWT!
Sounisians in attendance:
Bookishbabe
R. J. Anderson
FreeNarnian
bluejayfic
CrazedEddisian
Hazelwillow
kulai
Frith Te Aroha
Alex Nolan
RosaleeLuAnn
Octopirock
(hope I got everyone)
Questions & Answers with MWT (attributed when able)
Q1 (FreeNarnian): To what extent do you plan ahead (outline) your stories vs. winging it?
MWT: She tells the story out loud to her husband, then sketches it out. Said this was the hardest part of the story-plotting. She acknowledged that every writer has a different process.
Q2 (FreeNarnian for whichever Sounisian asked it): Are some characters harder to write than others? Which ones?
MWT: Some characters have more immediate depth than others, while some are just placeholders. (Here she tantalizing mentioned something about the character she’s currently writing being one of the most involved/challenging so far?)
Q3 (Dee Cable): I've always wondered if there is any music that you associate with the books, Megan. Do you listen to music as you write?
MWT: Not while writing (she can’t hear her children) but sometimes on breaks. She’d be embarrassed to have you listen to her music (she mentioned ‘Little Mermaid’ and ‘Stayin’ Alive’.) She likes author Maggie Stiefvater’s playlists and wondered if Maggie would create one for the Queen’s Thief series.
Q4: Tell us about Norway.
MWT: Her kids like Norway. Food is expensive. She said that chicken is $10 a pound and beef is like $25 (or was it $30?) a pound for the really cruddy cheap ground beef (the kind where you wonder if it came from Chernobyl). They once flew to Dublin for hamburgers because it was actually cheaper than eating out in Norway.
Q5: What effect has the traveling had on your writing?
MWT: Writing goes well in Norway. She’s written some short stories. One is about a troll.
Q6 (Bookishbabe): Are any of the short stories set in Gen’s world?
MWT: Uncertainly, “…Nnoooo…”
Q7 (Bookishbabe): A question about how the short story “Thief” was published in a magazine (I can’t remember the exact question).
MWT: The magazine went out of business shortly afterward. She hopes it had nothing to do with her. She has the story up on her website, with the illustrations (permission of the artist).
Q8: Tell us about the curse you inherited?
MWT: (This one was answered vaguely… I can’t remember details, sorry! She mentioned a book by Rosemary Sutcliff - Sun Horse, Moon Horse? - that she loved. I’m not sure how it related to the question.
Q9 (FreeNarnian): What’s a story about Gen (and friends) that you’ll never write? (It was an odd question, I know…)
MWT: A story that would not further her purpose/ends for the series, one that has no beginning, middle and end. She sometimes thinks of Gen as a parent (as she herself is), and all the funny situations that entails. “What happened to your hand, Daddy?” “Don’t cross your mother.”…which would be entertaining, but not complete.
(We begged her for these stories anyway)
Q10 (Bookishbabe): Why the POV switch between books 1 and 2?
MWT: Because she wanted to explore the story from other characters’ perspectives, and because Gen is too unreliable a narrator for readers to believe his pain when told from his perspective. He complains a lot.
Q11 (Hazelwillow): My question is when did you realize that Gen was going to fall in love with Irene?
MWT: This was a great answer… it included something about Dite...unfortunately I don’t think my memory can do it justice! Someone please fill in for me here!
And I recall this question but can’t remember where in the order it went, so I put it last:
Q12(Dee Cable): Do you think we'll ever get the chance to learn more about Gen's Mom and the MoW? Or is theirs another story that will have to stay out of the books?
MWT: She knows a lot about their story, but doesn’t know just how much will be incorporated into future books.
*Phew* I’m only dipping my toe in here, so I hope everyone who was able to make it will help fill in the blanks. It was AWESOME. Many thanks to Bookishbabe for organizing it and a big round of applause for MWT!
Sounisians in attendance:
Bookishbabe
R. J. Anderson
FreeNarnian
bluejayfic
CrazedEddisian
Hazelwillow
kulai
Frith Te Aroha
Alex Nolan
RosaleeLuAnn
Octopirock
(hope I got everyone)