First off, I don't have an agent, and I never have had one. Why is a long story that I don't intend to tell in detail, only to note that when I started out, I couldn't find one, and by the time any were interested I didn't need them.
As for my "success" story, it's also too long for detailing here, but it took me more than ten years from the first poem I had published to the first SF story to appear in print, and another ten years after that before my first book was published, and nearly ten after that before my first fantasy was published -- and that was nearly fifteen years ago. Oh... and I worked full-time at other positions until just before The Magic of Recluce was published.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan
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chickenbuttlips
- Bookworm
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gollum
- Coveter of the Ring
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Re: Alasia
Thank you!lmodesitt wrote:The "she" referred to ...is Alasia ... 'she' wore clothing she detested in order to get close enough to Wendella to capture her...
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
That one liitle episode has been nagging away at me for two readings now.
I was sure 'she' was Wendella - too fixated on trying to understand from one viewpoint while being blissfully ignorant of all others.
The L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Excerpt Archive **found a new home** (thanks Kvetch)
My UserScripts for IBDoF & IBList
My UserScripts for IBDoF & IBList
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gollum
- Coveter of the Ring
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While we're on the subject of Erde...is a return book ever likely.
Even if Mansuur does send sorceress to be trained. Erde seems to be a world just waiting for an excuse....
The Spell-Fire wars?
Ranuak's society and attitudes reflect that history and sacrifice.
Even if Mansuur does send sorceress to be trained. Erde seems to be a world just waiting for an excuse....
The Spell-Fire wars?
Ranuak's society and attitudes reflect that history and sacrifice.
The L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Excerpt Archive **found a new home** (thanks Kvetch)
My UserScripts for IBDoF & IBList
My UserScripts for IBDoF & IBList
Spellsong Books
Whether or not I'll write another book of the Spellsong Cycle remains to be seen. Certainly, it won't be any time soon.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Anything to be said about forthcoming works?
I know Cadmian's Choice is forthcoming as is the third volume...and you're writing a new science fiction novel...
Are you willing to give any information about any of them?
I'd also like to ask if you've ever thought of writing historical novels? (I'm asking this because I'm reading Sharon Kay Penman's The Sunne in Splendour at the moment, which is really good, though I wish I could edit out her immense over-use of the passive voice....
I know Cadmian's Choice is forthcoming as is the third volume...and you're writing a new science fiction novel...
Are you willing to give any information about any of them?
I'd also like to ask if you've ever thought of writing historical novels? (I'm asking this because I'm reading Sharon Kay Penman's The Sunne in Splendour at the moment, which is really good, though I wish I could edit out her immense over-use of the passive voice....
"A writer's chosen task is to write well and professionally. If you can't keep doing it, then you're no longer a professional, but a gifted amateur." L. E. Modessit, jr.
Forthcoming books
The third book in the second Corean "trilogy" is Soarer's Choice, and it is tentatively scheduled for a fall 2006 release by Tor.
As for Cadmian's Choice, I can't say much without giving far too much away, except that it should have a few surprises for everyone. It follows the action in Alector's Choice directly, with Mykel and Dainyl discovering that matters are far more complex than they ever dreamed, as Mykel and his battalion are posted to Hyalt to rebuild the garrison there, and as Dainyl discovers that previous allies are present enemies, and vice versa, and that the ancients are anything but powerless -- except no one else seems to understand that.
The science fiction novel doesn't look like it will be particularly long, but it's among the more complex books I've attempted, although it won't look that way to the careless reader. That is, of course, if I can finish it in the way I intend.
I realize I'm revealing almost nothing, but that's not out of a desire to obfuscate, but because any "details" taken out of context will be misleading.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
As for Cadmian's Choice, I can't say much without giving far too much away, except that it should have a few surprises for everyone. It follows the action in Alector's Choice directly, with Mykel and Dainyl discovering that matters are far more complex than they ever dreamed, as Mykel and his battalion are posted to Hyalt to rebuild the garrison there, and as Dainyl discovers that previous allies are present enemies, and vice versa, and that the ancients are anything but powerless -- except no one else seems to understand that.
The science fiction novel doesn't look like it will be particularly long, but it's among the more complex books I've attempted, although it won't look that way to the careless reader. That is, of course, if I can finish it in the way I intend.
I realize I'm revealing almost nothing, but that's not out of a desire to obfuscate, but because any "details" taken out of context will be misleading.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
I just stumbled on this little bit on information :
And i wanted to ask what can we expect? When will the story take place? A story about the Rats? Hamor? Black or white protagonist? *excited and can't wait*
oh and greetings to all.
http://www.baensuniverse.com/L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
A new Recluce Story - the first Recluce short story ever!
And i wanted to ask what can we expect? When will the story take place? A story about the Rats? Hamor? Black or white protagonist? *excited and can't wait*
oh and greetings to all.
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fortyseven
- Scribe
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Thank you, Paran, for the information on Jim Baen's Universe--I missed your post the first time I went through this thread.
Mr Baen has done it to me again. First he got me to buy his hardcovers by putting the first few chapters on his website prior to publication because I simply couldn't wait until the paperback release. I groaned then because my 8 book shelves are overflowing; books are crammed into nooks and crannies all over the house and hardcovers take up so much more space!
Mr. Modesitt's hardcovers have contributed greatly to my lack of library space problem...
Now both Mr. Bean and Mr. Modesitt have combined to drag me into the 21st century with electronic publications. I really prefer to hold the actual handcopy book in my hand while I'm reading--though David Weber's cd with the Honor Harrington series tempted me mightily...
(Though I'm not sure my husband would thank either Mr. Modesitt or Mr. Baen...he's just been informed that he needs to get me set up on the "hand-me-down" pocket PC I inherited from him.)
Mr Baen has done it to me again. First he got me to buy his hardcovers by putting the first few chapters on his website prior to publication because I simply couldn't wait until the paperback release. I groaned then because my 8 book shelves are overflowing; books are crammed into nooks and crannies all over the house and hardcovers take up so much more space!
Mr. Modesitt's hardcovers have contributed greatly to my lack of library space problem...
Now both Mr. Bean and Mr. Modesitt have combined to drag me into the 21st century with electronic publications. I really prefer to hold the actual handcopy book in my hand while I'm reading--though David Weber's cd with the Honor Harrington series tempted me mightily...
(Though I'm not sure my husband would thank either Mr. Modesitt or Mr. Baen...he's just been informed that he needs to get me set up on the "hand-me-down" pocket PC I inherited from him.)
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ethical morality
- Apprentice Scribe
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- Joined: Sun May 14, 2006 11:28 am
- Location: B.C. Canada
Mr. Modesitt, if I could have a minute of your time:
Do you tour often, or ever get up to the Pacific Northwest?
Do you write all your the series of books as taking place in the same universe at different times? I seem to remember in The Parafaith War, the Revs being mentioned as angels, Fall of Angels mentions both angels and demons, Ethos Effect(Parafaith) has Eco-Tech coalition, as does the Ecolitan series.
Do you tour often, or ever get up to the Pacific Northwest?
Do you write all your the series of books as taking place in the same universe at different times? I seem to remember in The Parafaith War, the Revs being mentioned as angels, Fall of Angels mentions both angels and demons, Ethos Effect(Parafaith) has Eco-Tech coalition, as does the Ecolitan series.
Responses
First, while I do get to the Pacific Northwest upon occasion, it's been about three years since my last trip there -- for the Seattle book fair/festival. I'd certainly be happy to be invited to be a GOH at a convention, but I've never been invited, and I can't afford to travel to all the conventions I'd like to on my own dimes, and Tor hasn't sent me on a tour in over a year, and probably won't for another year. I generally do three conventions a year, sometimes four, on my own, and those are MileHiCon in Denver, CONduit in Salt Lake [two of the closest to Cedar City] and World Fantasy.
As I may have mentioned before, what I write comes out of a mental "multiverse" -- that is, I tend to look at a range of possible futures and write books in different possible futures. Unlike Heinlein and others, I am not writing a linear future history. For example, if we really foul up the ecology on earth, the future is the ecological disaster of The Forever Hero. If we're a bit smarter, we get the future of Flash and Archform:Beauty. If an alternate universe is structured where magic can work based on order and chaos, we get the Saga of Recluce. If magic can be based on lifeform energy, we get the Corean Chronicles.
I hope this clarifies matters a bit, or doesn't muddy the waters too much.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
As I may have mentioned before, what I write comes out of a mental "multiverse" -- that is, I tend to look at a range of possible futures and write books in different possible futures. Unlike Heinlein and others, I am not writing a linear future history. For example, if we really foul up the ecology on earth, the future is the ecological disaster of The Forever Hero. If we're a bit smarter, we get the future of Flash and Archform:Beauty. If an alternate universe is structured where magic can work based on order and chaos, we get the Saga of Recluce. If magic can be based on lifeform energy, we get the Corean Chronicles.
I hope this clarifies matters a bit, or doesn't muddy the waters too much.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Possible futures? Hmm sounds interesting. I've never been one for Sci Fi out of the movies, though at my friends urging i'm looking into it more and more. I do really enjoy alternate history though, which could come before possible futures could it not?
The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.
Edwin Schlossberg
Edwin Schlossberg
Languages
Actually, they don't. Candar and much of Recluce speak the same language because Recluce was colonized from Candar. Call that language "Middle Temple." High Temple is what's written there. Southwind has a different dialect, as Kharl finds out in the Wellspring of Chaos . Austra and Norda speak a variation of "Middle Temple," perhaps with the same variation as between Spanish and Portuguese, and Hamor speaks another language entirely, descended from Cyadoran, yet another tongue.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Mr. Modesitt, a question if you will.
Do you think it would be possible for there to be a level of technology similar to our own in the world of Recluce? I realize at the beginning (where they are the The Death of Chaos) they wouldn't be able to rely on black iron, but didn't it mention the Hamorians finding a new way to forge steel? If that's true, could that be a passage to higher technology in the world without using up massive amounts of order (and inversely creating more free chaos)? I'd think using the new forging method, it'd be possible to create stronger hulls/shields/gun barrels/whatever they may need without relying on the now non-existent order. Over a couple hundred years, they could be at our level of technology. I was just thinking what it would be like if our world was based on order and chaos, and then I thought of this... Do you think it would be possible? Or would some other factor(s) stop this from ever happening?
Do you think it would be possible for there to be a level of technology similar to our own in the world of Recluce? I realize at the beginning (where they are the The Death of Chaos) they wouldn't be able to rely on black iron, but didn't it mention the Hamorians finding a new way to forge steel? If that's true, could that be a passage to higher technology in the world without using up massive amounts of order (and inversely creating more free chaos)? I'd think using the new forging method, it'd be possible to create stronger hulls/shields/gun barrels/whatever they may need without relying on the now non-existent order. Over a couple hundred years, they could be at our level of technology. I was just thinking what it would be like if our world was based on order and chaos, and then I thought of this... Do you think it would be possible? Or would some other factor(s) stop this from ever happening?
"Explanation is not an escape from suffering."
- Gravity Dreams, L.E. Modesitt Jr.
- Gravity Dreams, L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Higher Technology
I don't have any doubts that the world of Recluce could reach at least the level of early 20th century technology, but whether nano/micro technology would work is another question, and one that I frankly haven't investigated or worked out.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
A question regarding alien life
I have just finished Eternity Artifact (marvelous by the way) and was intrigued as I thought back on your presentation of Alien's in other novels. In the Forever war there are two alien races as I recall, the Ursans (bearlike) and another mentioned in passing that I think were more flowerlike in appearance, both for the most part less "powerful" than humans. In Gravity Dreams there is an alien intelligence, nanitic in form and large discorporeal, but clearly not human. Technically in the Recluce series the world itself is sentient and reflects another alient "species". However, in general, human contact and responses to anthropomorphic aliens is limited. Is that a concious choice or just something you haven't considered yet? Just curious.
There are also the Farhkans in The Ethos Effect and The Parafaith War, plus the Ifrits/alectors in the Corean Chronicles.
I don't have that many aliens, not because I'm against aliens, but because I think it's highly unlikely that human beings will run into that many different species for a number of reasons, the first being that I doubt any intelligent species will persist for that long compared to the age of the universe, the second being that given the varying times it takes for intelligence to develop in a species, it's unlikely that many will be intelligent and technological at the same time, and the third being the immense size of even our galaxy... plus a lot more reasons of lesser import [at least to me]...
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
I don't have that many aliens, not because I'm against aliens, but because I think it's highly unlikely that human beings will run into that many different species for a number of reasons, the first being that I doubt any intelligent species will persist for that long compared to the age of the universe, the second being that given the varying times it takes for intelligence to develop in a species, it's unlikely that many will be intelligent and technological at the same time, and the third being the immense size of even our galaxy... plus a lot more reasons of lesser import [at least to me]...
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
I have a few questions that I hope hasn't been asked and answered previously however I will ask anyway.
Do you ever take readers suggestions into consideration when writing a novel?
Also have you ever recieved either criticism or praise that has changed the way you write something, or something that you've already written such as a scene in a book you are currently writing?
Do you ever take readers suggestions into consideration when writing a novel?
Also have you ever recieved either criticism or praise that has changed the way you write something, or something that you've already written such as a scene in a book you are currently writing?
The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.
Edwin Schlossberg
Edwin Schlossberg
Impact of Criticism or Praise
Generally, criticism or praise doesn't change much how I write. Sometimes, it does affect how much I explain. For example, some readers complained that Anna [in The Soprano Sorceress] used "simple" spells, rather than elegant poetry set to music. In a later book, I had her explain how spells were tools, and how the best tools are always the simplest possible. You don't use a cyclotron to hammer a nail. This was inherently obvious to me. It clearly wasn't to some readers.
I will note what readers like and keep it in mind, but it doesn't drive me.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
I will note what readers like and keep it in mind, but it doesn't drive me.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.