Re: About the Nextarillion.
Posted by: Anonymous User (---.in-addr.btopenworld.com)
Date: June 30, 2003 07:03PM
I am not surprised that you spotted Earendil, as you had already shown a disconcerting ability to see through me. Fortunately it doesn't seem to have spoiled your fun.
It's a hard job to judge how much to tell your readers. I was concerned to make sure that re-reading (!) would reveal clues that could be enjoyed on a new level, i.e. not to say too much, and at the same time not to give it away. Of course for those who don't know LOTR the response to 'Father!' might well be 'eh?', whereas for those who are familiar with Dave Rubach's sacred book (the Silmarillion) it opens up a whole world of possibilities. Notice I put some stuff in about Earendil earlier on 'for Minsky's benefit' in case anyone hadn't heard of him.
Earendil is the key to the whole Tolkien mythos, but I suspect you are aware of that. The hardest bit was finding an excuse for Rubach to be unlike Earendil until Rivendell, as I havn't decided whether I can'do' him yet or not; I am well aware that Sarah is far better at Avon than I ever could be, and I have no instinct for the wizards; Sarah, equally, knows her attempts at the witches are not up to her normal quality.
There came a point where I decided that Dave could NOT be a temporal alternate of JRR 862829 or Chris Crustacean, and in the end it suited William Crustacean to make Dave think that he was, to put him off the scent; hence the comedy enlarding.
I do hope the 'illis' don't get to the 'Next' version, as this would mean the Crustaceans had been after ME, and I can do without that! Interesting prospect - write a book as if it is itself in the course of a struggle over its content. Um. Damn! James Joyce beat me to it.
It's interesting that you 'liked' the WC version; I am sure Jim Slip would have done so, the real one has not read that chapter yet. Soon after I read LOTR I also read 'Bored of the Rings'. I found this a maddening experience, as the author clearly didn't understand what he was parodying, which is inexcusable (even then I had written a little satire, and knew that this was true. Parody what you know, or parody nothing).
Some time ago I realised that the way forward from this point was a kind of organic growth, in all sorts of directions. If people continue to like it, there are so many things I could follow up, and on a website (give me time!) you could download things in the order you wanted, rather than follow a book; rather like an adventure game (text, do you remember them?).
I have found writing for me goes in stages.
1) Tell yourself you aren't writing at the moment and burst out laughing at inappropriate times as new ideas come to you unbidden. Example, William Crustacean's poem in the 'game' thread (apologies).
2) Tell yourself you are letting the ideas moulder until they come right. Look grim and refuse to laugh at anything you think of, in case it might not be funny enough.
3) Start writing.
4) Get carried away as the book begins to write itself.
5) Desperately plan how you are going to get out of writing 'war and peace' as those formerly elusive ideas suddenly become a tidal wave.
6) Now I've got to put out. Overlaps with 1.
Looking back at N3, it was the happiest thing that has happened to me in ages, due in no small part to the encouragement of others, and especially Sarah. From here, I think I've written something that reads like a novel rather than fan fiction, though of course the subject is completely unpublishable. The question for me is whether my style is enjoyable enough to others to make it worth having a go at a publishable novel. I noticed that I wrote the thing almost without any sense of time or place, which ought to be tackled; apart from that, I think Ive learned enough to have a go. 80,000 words were written in 60 days, despite a 60 hour a week job AND settling into a new home, so I can afford to take my time over style if make a serious attempt at a novel. Do say that I'm not ready if you think so!
I have original ideas I would like to work on, and my nine year old daughter is quite insistent that I do; but N4 is winning at the moment.
Writiing this has poisoned other peoples' books for me. I am re-reading TEA at the moment, and Jasper is the only author who has risen in my opinion as a result of having a go at writing. You may have noticed I quite like Tolkien, but reading Chris Tolkien's 'laundry lists' has radically changed my opinion of the quailty of his fathers' work - downwards. I can now see the whole thing, less the language, as completely achievable; indeed we have a similar methodology. I will need time for my feelings about books to settle down.
Finally, the reason the imitators are so many and so commonly unsuccessful, is in my opinion because they have missed the point about JRR; what people find attractive about him (if they do) I believe they commonly mistake for something else, and the more they write about it, the more it isn't there. As for saying what it is, that is much harder for me to put into words. If you have liked the Nextarillion, than I must have done so within it.
Now where can I get a book by Geoff Dyer ----