ROLES IN THE MINI-SERIES: Sam Raimi told me he expects to audition thousands of people for various parts in the mini-series. There is a lot to do before the casting for WIZARD’S FIRST RULE can begin, but when the time comes the date and location for auditions will be announced in the trade and posted here, on the web site. If you are at all familiar with Mr. Raimi’s work you know how talented he is at casting the right actors. He wants to look at a lot of people in order to find just the right ones. The only way actors will be cast is through those auditions, not through letters.

ADVICE ON WRITING AND GETTING PUBLISHED. I get many letters from readers asking my advice on writing and getting published. What advice I can give is rather limited, but I would like to give it here and save everyone a lot of time.

The subject of writing is a very complex topic. Libraries and bookstores have many good books on the subject of writing and getting published. If you are serious, read them. They have valuable information on learning the craft and business aspect of writing. To a greater or lesser extent, we’ve all had to learn the craft of writing. That much can be learned.

Ultimately, though, here is my sincere conviction:

I believe that real writers are born writers. I do not believe that the intellectual aspects which are critical to good writing can be taught. You either are a writer, or you are not. Writers are, for the most part, self-made. If you are born a writer, and you possess the will, you will do what you need to do in order to write.

There is no secret, no magic key that will get anyone published. I wish you the best in your adventure of writing.

From Eric:
I am the type of reader who likes to see where things are in relationship to others. Although the map included in the front of each of your published books gives a general description of locations, it isn’t very detailed. This is especially true in regards to the old world. My question is this: Are there detailed maps that you have created or others have created with your approval for the entire Sword of Truth series? Thanks for your great writing!

TG:
Thanks for the opportunity to address this issue, Eric. There is a very good reason why the map is no more detailed than it is: I don’t like having a map in my books and I will no longer expand on them. It’s not that I don’t like maps — personally I love maps and have quite a collection. I have enjoyed drawing maps all my life — in fact I’m the one who drew the map in the books.

But I’ve come to dislike having maps in my books for a variety of reasons. Among other things, they’re a crutch, distracting from the story itself while readers try to reconcile the story to a map. Worse, they are a fantasy cliche that turns away the very kind of people who are my typical readers. They see a map and mistakenly think it is the type of book they aren’t interested in. You don’t see maps in a John Grisham book showing where the coffee shop is, where the courthouse is located, marking the apartment building where the protagonist lives. Why? Because it just isn’t important. It’s not important to my stories, either. If I say a character went north, it is no more important than if I would have instead said that they went west; the compelling reason to go somewhere is what matters. The direction itself is not what the story is about. It’s not a role-playing game. My stories are about human themes, not about surveying and plot plans and world building.

While my novels contain secondary fantasy elements, they aren’t primarily fantasy books and for that reason the vast majority of my readers are not exclusively fantasy readers but general fiction readers. Maps appeal chiefly to fantasy fans, not general fiction readers.

If it wouldn’t cause a number of heart attacks at my publisher I would have the maps pulled out of my novels once and for all.

I know that there are people who like maps in books, and I certainly don’t mind that they enjoy and use them, but I personally think they’re a distraction from the story and a detriment to reaching those kinds of readers who would enjoy my books..

From TSgt Chai:
Once you’d completed your manuscript for WIZARD’S FIRST RULE, how did you enter the publishing world? Did you send it to several publishers yourself, or did you get an agent, etc. How much initial editing work did you have to do once accepted? Okay, I know that I submitted 2 questions, but hopefully the answers will complement each other, and give use aspiring writers an insight into your experience. I am such a person, right now a graphic artist for the US Air Force with Special Operations Command. I retire in 2 years and am very curious about your initial experiences with the writing/publishing world.

TG:
After I finished WIZARD’S FIRST RULE I wrote to the best agent in the country. My query letter aroused his curiosity and he asked to see the manuscript. He thought it was the most remarkable manuscript of the decade and at once accepted me as a client. He showed the manuscript to three publishers. They all wanted the book. WIZARD’S FIRST RULE sold at auction to Tor for a record price that still stands. That was ten weeks after I had written “the end.” (Keep in mind that large advances are not the complete picture of the worth of a book. A large advance for a book is meaningless if the book is a flop, and that does happen all too often. While the first sale is an exciting event for an author, I’m far more gratified that over the years my books have been enduring bestsellers and that my stories have touched so many lives in a positive way.)

Understand, too, that my experience was unusual and is completely useless as a guide for others. Just as everyone’s life is different, every author gets published in his own unique way. Some have gotten agents, some have submitted to publishers. Some have gotten tiny advances only to go on to enjoy huge or even record-setting sales. Circumstances are in constant fluctuation. The only thing that really matters is that the story has to be great.

I believe that the best way to get published is through an agent. Most publishers no longer have time to sift through mountains of manuscripts. Agents, needing to earn a living, are the champions of good books and don’t waste their time on bad ones. They know which publishers might be right for a given book. There are reference books available that list agents and explain query letters and submissions.

While people are always trying to get an agent, a good agent is also looking for that one truly great find, an author whose work sets new standards and will endure the test of time. An agent’s professional career is in some ways a journey searching for that one remarkable discovery, like a miner searching for that one big ore strike. Agents see endless tons of worthless rock. If you are that writer a good agent will spot you like a shimmering gold nugget on barren ground.

I would like to make a side point about polishing a manuscript for submission. I always think it is best to put your best foot forward, to make anything you do the best you can do. However, a piece of plastic polished to a high luster will never be worth a diamond in the rough. Any publisher would take the diamond in the rough because they know that with a little work a rough diamond can be made into something extremely valuable, while a hunk of plastic will always be a hunk of plastic, no matter how shiny it is; it can never be more than an imitation diamond.

With my first book there was more initial editing than there is today simply because it was the first book I’d ever written. Still, that editing only consisted of untangling sentences for clarity. The story itself was sound, it simply needed housekeeping. My copy editor (the editor who edits for all the technical aspects) tells me that my manuscripts are now some of the cleanest she has ever seen. I put in a great effort during the writing process to ensure that every page is as good as I can make it. My editors will sometimes have a query about a point that may not be clear and occasionally I need to alter a sentence to eliminate any confusion. Other than that, I’ve never needed to rewrite anything more than a paragraph. What you read is pretty much what comes off my printer.

I would like to add that I think a person who has lived some life is in a better position to become a published writer. I don’t believe that young minds can yet begin to grasp all the complexities involved in writing good stories. Young writers regurgitate, they don’t originate or innovate. Quantity and quality are not the same thing. It often takes many years of practice before a person matures enough to write anything worthwhile. A writer needs to learn about life before he can hope to accurately recreate it in fiction. I believe that submitting work when a person is too young is the source of at least some of the reasons for rejection. In reality these authors are simply not developed enough to write a worthwhile book. Such advice to young people is usually greeted with disbelief and even disdain. I suggest to them that they try to explain to an enthusiastic ten-year-old why, at ten, they aren’t going to be able to write a worthwhile book and get published by the time they are twelve.

Writing is an extremely competitive field. For every writer who makes it there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, who don’t. There is a very good reason for this: many people can write very nice sentences but very, very few people can actually write a good story.

A good book will usually get published, one way or another. The problem is that there really aren’t very many good books.

From Grayson:
Did you always have a plan for the direction you wanted the story to take, or did it take on a life of its own so to speak?

TG:
In a way, both. When I began writing WIZARD’S FIRST RULE I wasn’t even thinking about getting published. I was simply, passionately devoted to writing the story of Richard and Kahlan. As I approached the end I started thinking about the bigger picture, about what would happen next. Once I got into the following books I always knew the major story arc, the conflicts, the themes that drove the story, and how I would carry the series through to the resolution, but along the way I loved expanding on compelling stories that would help define the characters and the themes, much like fascinating places one decides to stop at on a long journey.

From Jon:
First I think it is important to commend the author and webmaster for the fine work: thank you for those labors, they do not go unnoticed. On to the question. As I have heard with the writing process, many drafts, corrections, and even complete rewriting of themes and events take place before the text can reach publication. Do you find these reviews helpful in “cleaning up” events so as to not leave any unnecessary loose ends? Secondly, are there any specific events, characters, or themes that you would have written differently? That is to say, with how the series has moved forward, do you find yourself “painted into a corner” with earlier statements?

Thank you, both Mr. Goodkind and the web team, for the excellent work.

TG:
I know that what you describe is a common belief and there is truth to it for many writers, but I personally find it horrifying to even contemplate such a writing process. It in no way describes the manner in which I work.

What you describe is an author creating action without cause, events without meaning. At its root, such a work is an expression of confusion and helplessness.

In a good novel the theme is the abstract, the plot the concretes that explain that abstract. They are inseparable.

The theme of CHAINFIRE, for example, is belief in one’s self. The plot is one man’s struggle to prove what he believes to be true when everyone else thinks he is wrong. The theme of NAKED EMPIRE is the existence of evil. The plot is the struggle to get men to recognize evil for what it is, fight for their own lives, and to deserve victory.

The theme of FAITH OF THE FALLEN is the role of free will in man’s existence — the abstract concept of the importance of freedom to man’s existence. The plot is the battle for individual liberty in a altruistic-driven collectivist society. The concretes of Richard’s struggle make the abstract concept understandable and clear. (And because it is so clear it enrages those who want to cloud the issue so as to champion altruism; the naked hate they exhibit and vicious methods they use only go to prove the book’s point that altruism breeds force and brutality and produces only suffering.)

It would have been impossible to write FAITH OF THE FALLEN had I not understood completely what it was I was trying to accomplish, why I thought it was important, and how to do it. With the very first sentence (“She didn’t remember dying”) I was beginning to define the theme of that book and name the stakes. Had I not understood my philosophy completely I could not have written such a coherent book.

Imagine the impossibility of getting to the end of a book like that and then have to go back and do a “complete rewriting of themes.”

An artist’s style expresses the totality of his inner view of life. It can be the clarity of reality, or the murk of mysticism, a glimpse of the uplifting ideals of existence, or the confused and depressing embrace of debauchery, disease, and death. Style reveals an author’s reasoning mind, or his chaos and confusion, his humor or his bitterness, his sincerity or his hypocrisy. Style reveals an author’s soul.

I would like to note that there are good authors who don’t always think their work through as thoroughly as I might. A person with a well integrated and valid sense of life can start out with a conflict in a relatively simple story, say a detective novel, and discover how to tell it as they go along. But this kind of author is being guided by a subconscious which is logically organized with valid concepts. Any author, including me, will sometimes feel that events are unfolding on their own. The mechanism involved is the subconscious. The sum total of all our knowledge cannot be in our conscious awareness all at one time, so it is the purpose of the subconscious, where all of this information is integrated into concepts, to bring it forth as our conscious minds call on it. This is merely a more complex example of, say, recalling a friend’s phone number when you consciously wish to dial his number. If you have a well ordered mind, your subconscious mind will feed you well ordered solutions to your conscious need to tell a story. If you have a disorganized mind composed of invalid concepts, then you subconscious mind will feed you garbage.

A plot is a logical progression of events leading to a climax. There has to be a compelling purpose to the actions of the characters. They must have a goal that is important to them. That reason had better make sense or you have a boring book. Conflict is what drives novels, and values are what drives conflict. Arbitrary action is counter to the purpose of a good novel. There can’t be illogical or irrelevant parts. Nothing in a “logical progression” can tolerate “loose ends” or it isn’t a logical progression. Shoring up a teetering mess after the fact is not the way palaces are built but, rather, is the making of a hovel.

If characters are running around with no clear purpose, acting in a irrational, haphazard, pointless fashion, what does that say about the characters? What does it say about the author?

Novels should be about the grand issues of life. How an author crafts all of these elements reflects his sense of life.

I always know the theme of my book before I start. Theme is integral to a good book. I always know the plot. I know the cause and the effect. I know the characters and concretes I will employ to make such a story unfold. I fully understand the values (philosophy, remember?) that cause heroic individuals to rise to challenges and drives them to the limits of their physical and emotional endurance. I know the manner in which flawed characters will fail, and why. If one knows how to paint a floor, one doesn’t find one’s self painted into a corner.

There is no event, no character, that I would have done differently in any way. In my mind it is all the only way it could be.

That is not to say that along the way I don’t have to stop and think some of the details through. My books are, after all, extremely complex. But thinking during the writing is an orderly process, with clear issues to be addressed and resolved. It is not a confused, desperate attempt to leap over wet paint.

From Andrew:
Let me begin by saying that I am an avid fan of your books. That being said (clears throat) I have a slight problem with the fact that Richard is a “royal.” I know this is a somewhat out-dated feeling — I seem to be the only person these days who gets upset when the Queen of England or the Dalai Llama are mentioned — but I can’t imagine you are neutral on this. How do you reconcile in your philosophy that Richard is a king and an advocate of Democracy?

TG:
Throat clearing won’t save you, Andrew. Ulic and Egan are already on their way to your house.

You have a problem with Richard being a “royal?” Well, so did he.

In a way, you are laying the “sins of the father” on Richard in much the way some people in the story did. Is Richard guilty of a crime for being born into a system that existed before his birth? He didn’t approve of the system, either, now did he? Richard may have been born a Rahl, the leader of D’Hara, but he most certainly did not take on that role simply because he was Darken Rahl’s son and had a “right” to it. He earned leadership, and earned it for reasons completely different than the reasons behind inherited leadership. Every step of the way he won the loyalty of those who had come to know him and follow him, even if they had been ready to give him that loyalty because of his birth. He is like a man who inherits a fortune, but instead goes out and works to earn his own fortune.

The challenge was thrust upon him. It was not of his making. He did not create the system. He had to decide to rise to the challenge he faced, to fight for the things he believes in. He is not leading a people so that he can retain his crown, he is fighting for a common cause of the right of every person to live free. He earned leadership. In fact, one of the books had to do with this very issue. In it, he said that he couldn’t force his leadership on anyone, couldn’t force them to want to be free, but that people had to choose to follow him of their own free will.

I think, though, that what you are really expressing is your sense that every person should be able to become the best they can be, that they should have an equal chance to work toward their goals, that they can accomplish great things by their own intelligence and hard work, and that it isn’t right for someone to be given power by birth. If that’s what you are actually feeling, then I applaud that thought. Richard would as well.

As for Richard’s feelings on democracy, it would appear that you missed one of the books in the series: SOUL OF THE FIRE.

In that book Richard learned that democracy does not make something right. People use democracy as a free-floating abstraction disconnected from reality. Democracy in and of itself is not necessarily good. Gang rape, after all, is democracy in action.

All men have the right to live their own life. Democracy must be rooted in a rational philosophy that first and foremost recognizes the right of an individual. A few million Imperial Order men screaming for the lives of a much smaller number of people in the New World may win a democratic vote, but it does not give them the right to those lives, or make their calls for such killing right.

Democracy is not a synonym for justice or for freedom. Democracy is not a sacred right sanctifying mob rule. Democracy is a principle that is subordinate to the inalienable rights of the individual.

Many of the issues in the series deal with these subjects. Sometimes when people read the books again after they have satisfied their frantic, desperate desire to know what will happen next, they discover many of these issues in a new light.

From Ivy:
First I would like to start by saying your books are the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. You astounded me with your words and with your insight. You take me to far away places. I thank you for the breath of fresh air. My question is, How do you see the world you write for us compared to the world we live it? Are there events that you can compare to our reality?

TG:
The issues I write about are firmly rooted in reality, as are the characters. I often hear people say that they read to escape reality, but I believe that what they’re really doing is reading to find reason for hope, to find strength. While a bad book leaves readers with a sense of hopelessness and despair, a good novel, through stories of values realized, of wrongs righted, can bring to readers a connection to the wonder of life. A good novel shows how life can and ought to be lived. It not only entertains but energizes and uplifts readers.

Throughout the history of mankind life has always faced threats. Life has always been a struggle. And, our lives are finite. We need to celebrate the life we have while we have it, hold close those we love, relish every moment of living. I want my stories to inspire people to rise up and live their lives to their fullest.

To do this I try to show real issues in a new light.

The same basic struggle has existed throughout man’s history — the age-old struggle between mysticism and reason. This battle is marked by eras of enlightenment or darkness. For example, when those devoted to ideas born of mysticism held the upper hand they took the world into the Dark Ages. Enlightenment and reason brought about the Renaissance.

The Japanese and Germans in the last century are but a few of the most recent examples of great forces lusting to enslave or destroy peaceful populations. Their efforts were only stopped because free people rose up and crushed their ability to destroy us. We did not stop until we had also broken their devotion to corrupt beliefs. Breaking that devotion to evil ideas enabled the people in these countries and their descendants to regenerate as a prosperous and free people. But before we were able to accomplish all that, they slaughtered millions of innocent people in their attempt to bring about depraved ends.

The enemies of man’s mind today, as throughout history, would like to take us back into mysticism and darkness. This time, they intend to end this age of reason with nuclear weapons. The fight is the same and at its root it is the same fight Richard faces.

In Richard’s world the Imperial Order not only uses violence but will also use the boxes of Orden if they get the chance. In our world, if not stopped, Islamic extremists will use nuclear weapons to destroy the West and end freedom, to plunge the world into a new dark age. Jagang has vowed as much. There are those in our world who have vowed the same. Both are deadly serious. Both mean what they say. If the good people in both worlds fail to defend themselves effectively, then they both face the dawn of a savage new world.

I draw heros and villains from the characteristics and beliefs of people in real life and because of that they ring true. The Imperial Order is no fantasy philosophy; I created them from beliefs that are all too real.

By showing how it is possible for heroic individuals to rise up and fight for life, I hope to give people the courage to see that their own life is worth living to its fullest. In this way my novels are meant both to entertain and to inspire.

From Keith (the fan, not the artist): Terry, with the unfortunate and sad death of Keith Parkinson, who will do the cover for the last book?

TG:
When Keith and I were working on cover concepts for CHAINFIRE he came up with a number of color roughs that, because of their simple, iconic nature were very close to being final. At the time I recognized three of these roughs as perfect for the Chainfire Trilogy. That means that the final book of the series had already been done by him before he passed away so that is the cover that will appear on the book.

From Brad:
I have read and enjoyed your series so far and I’m anxiously awaiting the next books. (Author’s note: Anxiously means “worried and uneasy.” I think Brad means “eagerly.” But then, maybe not . . .) I noticed some occasional similarities in name choices between yourself and other authors, most notably Robert Jordan. The question I have is, was the “stone of tear/s” an original name for both of you, or is there some relational thing between authors that allows/encourages similarities such as that?

TG:
There is nothing between authors that would encourage similarities. What purpose would be served? As for something that “allows” such similarities, again, what would be the point? On the other hand, if an author names a character “Joan” he can hardly expect that all authors in the future will mutter a curse under their breath and say “Dang! And here I was about to name a character Joan. Now I can’t! And the only name left is Hortense!”

As for the Stone of Tears name, I found out after I’d written the book that Robert Jordan has a place in his books called the Stone of Tear. I don’t really know the meaning of the name in his books other than I think I recall that someone told me it was a building. The Stone of Tears in my book is a small stone from the underworld. The name is in some ways meant to embody all the tears for all those who have died. Other than a meaningless superficial similarity, there is no connection.

From Ri:
I was wondering how old Kahlan and Richard are supposed to be in the very beginning of the series? I think it makes it hard for a lot of people to put an image in their minds to a character without an age, and it is an ongoing debate/discussion with my friends and I, and sometimes on the forums as well.

TG:
I’ve never liked the way some authors ascribe a level intellectual awareness to characters who are too young to realistically have such abilities. I was a teenage boy, once, and I know now how little I really knew back then, despite what I thought I knew. (In fact, the character Fitch in SOUL OF THE FIRE had to do with this very issue, demonstrating the reality of how young people are easily manipulated by those older and wiser.) I’ve always wanted my stories to be realistic so I deliberately made Richard older.

It was intentional that the story never gave a specific age for Richard. I wanted it left up to the mind of the reader to imagine him at an age when the reader believed he could realistically behave in the ways he does — much the way you watch TV show without it telling you the specific age of the hero. I am not world building but rather trying to engage the reader’s imagination with the story. I did, however, give some guidance with clues that would mean that Richard is somewhere in his mid to late 20s as WIZARD’S FIRST RULE begins. The book has similar clues about Kahlan, who would be roughly the same age as Richard.

From Shane:
Do you ever plan to let a video game be made in the Sword of Truth world?

TG:
A video game would run counter to everything I do. I am writing stories with important human themes, not creating worlds. (Which brings me to another of my favorite quotes from Ayn Rand, one that I have mounted on my computer monitor:
“A good novel is an indivisible sum: every scene, sequence, and passage of a good novel has to involve, contribute to and advance all three of its major attributes: theme, plot, characterization.” I try very hard never to lose sight of that concept.)

A novel is a story involving the events in a human being’s life. If it is a good novel it’s a form of art that serves an invaluable purpose, as discussed extensively elsewhere on this site.

To create a game based on such a work would be the equivalent of reproducing a piece of fine art on toilet paper.

From Stephen:
When writing PILLARS OF CREATION, did you (or your agent, editor, publisher) have any reservations about writing the book around completely new characters especially coming off such a masterpiece with FAITH OF THE FALLEN? I truly love this book and it wasn’t until I was halfway through it that I realized that Richard and Kahlan weren’t even in it. I think this is a testament to your skill at drawing the reader in. What was the motivation and reasoning behind writing PILLARS OF CREATION with a brand new set of characters?

TG:
There is quite a lot to the answer to this question — more than I can go into here — but I’d like to give a general sense of what was involved.

First of all, I believe that a series, like a novel, needs to have a sense of pacing. You can’t have just one long continuous chase, for example. Things have to lead up to the chase, the chase has to end in a meaningful event that contributes to the story, etc. After FAITH OF THE FALLEN I could hardly write the same kind of book. I felt that there needed to be something that contributed a different element to the story. I wanted readers to see the wider world in much the same way we need to look at different aspects of our own world in order to more completely understand it. I wanted to show the events that were central to the main story from a different perspective. I wanted to show how the actions taken by Richard and Kahlan were touching others in that world, just as our actions have an effect on others.

I also wanted to do something that is extremely difficult: create a dual plot, in which those who have never read the series would have a completely different experience, with different worries and hopes, than readers who were familiar with the series. During the writing process it requires that you keep both plots logical and active, while at the same time working toward the point where they merge, and both sets of readers have a satisfying and logical conclusion. Let me tell you, this was really tricky and difficult to do, but I love challenges.

All the while, I also wanted to show how two very different people interpret the same events and handle the same basic problem — how someone learns to reason and how that aids their life as opposed to the consequences of irrational thought. Thus we have Jennsen and Oba.

Jennsen, for a variety of reasons, is an important character in the development and conclusion of the series so I wanted to introduce her with her own story to signify that importance.

My agent loved the book. My publisher was supportive, but trembled quietly.

Keep in mind that when I write I’m telling myself a story. I’m writing for myself, to my standards, to my tastes. Also, I’m an adult, so I when I write stories for myself I’m writing stories for an adult. That others read the books is secondary. This is a story I loved and wanted to write. I think some of the most memorable parts of the series are in this book.

An interesting thing happened when readers finally read the book: they illustrated the validity of my point that novels should be about important human themes. One of those important human themes is the value of heroic characters. I consider — and have always considered — heroic individuals to be the most important element of a good novel. In modern literature heroic figures who are actually worth looking up to are extremely rare, so rare, in fact, that when I took the spotlight away from Richard and Kahlan some readers went into full panic mode.

Readers are so starved for the value that Richard and Kahlan represent that they were unable to endure a story without them guiding the narrative. It was primarily the very young readers who went apoplectic because it is the young reader who most craves and needs this kind of hero. The young mind, lacking this kind of figure in literature and in life is starving for them. Older readers enjoyed the story because, among other things, it actually added depth and understanding to the heroic characters of Richard and Kahlan. In the real world adults understand how multi-faceted human relations are and so they were able to appreciate the way the new characters laboring under false assumptions searched for solutions. I know that I’m always amazed to hear what some people believe about me that could not be farther from the truth, so I really enjoyed writing about characters who started out believing all the wrong things.

I doubt that the children who read my books will be able to intellectually comprehend how important such a book is to the adult mind; they simply want more of their heros. I am very proud that my young readers feel that way because it affirms the importance of what I do, affirms the need for heros in our lives. I know that when they are older and read the book again they will see it in a new light. I know many adults who regard PILLARS OF CREATION as their favorite book.

Keep in mind also that the vast majority of my audience is adult. I have always said that I write for adults. I know that some children read my books, and that is all right, but I’m writing for adults.

Ultimately, for me, the book was invaluable in adding to Richard and Kahlan’s story. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

From (Name Withheld):
Can you explain exactly how Pillars of Creation (henceforth referred to as PoC) and magic interact? there have been many theories discussed on the forums related to why magic did not affect the clothes of a PoC, or how PoC can protect someone from magic. Also what are the conditions under which a PoC can see magic? In PILLARS OF CREATION Jennsen and Oba could see Wizard’s Fire and Additive and Subtractive lightning, but Jennsen could not see the conjured Horsemen. In NAKED EMPIRE Jennsen could not see the form of a man that was made by the sand interacting with magic. I know Richard attributes this to her mind not recognizing the pattern, but why would they see the other forms of “pure” magic?

I understand that to form Wizard’s Fire, and Additive lightning, magic can be used to gather the required elements (heat, electrons), and thus a PoC should be able to see these things. But if magic simply gathers these elements, then the elements should! be real to a PoC. Thus Wizard’s Fire, while not having the devastating properties, should at least burn a PoC.

I ask these questions not to try to catch you in a mistake, but to better understand the world you have created.

TG (This is henceforth to be known as my Definitive Statement on Magic):
I have not used this reader’s name because I don’t want anyone to think I am singling him out but, rather, I want to use this question as representative of all such questions about magic. I want to address this issue so that readers can once and for all understand my clear point of view on this subject.

While this question contains errors brought about by misreading the books, a failure to fully grasp and mentally integrate what has already been explained within the stories, misunderstandings, misinterpretations, leaps of logic, and erroneous assumptions that for the most part could be cleared up with a careful reading of the books in the series, I am not going to go into lengthy rehashing of trivial details I’ve spent years writing in the first place because in the end such an exposition is really irrelevant.

This question, and all questions like it about magic, betray a fatal flaw resulting from a fundamental failure to understand the nature of reality itself.

As I have said many times, I believe that fantasy is only valid when used to illustrate important human themes.

I am now going to tell you something that probably no other fantasy writer would ever tell you: I’m making it up.

One of the reasons people get so technically absorbed in the magic in my books is because (as I’ve said in the section on my philosophy — please go back and read it if you haven’t) I use magic very differently than most other authors. The magic in my books is treated as an existent — a thing that exists. Things that exist have their own identity and therefore behave according to the laws of that identity. That’s the way I make magic in my books behave — by the laws of its own identity. I treat it almost as a mathematical equation. People don’t close their eyes and grunt and wish to make it work, but rather they must discover the natural laws by which it functions, just as they must learn how to make a bow and arrow. Because of this, because magic is handled as an existent, the magic in my books has a very realistic feel to it. That realism pulls readers in, makes them feel that it is real.

However, because magic is not real, it can’t really exist. There is no way for it to exist in reality. If you begin to deconstruct it, to analyze it down to a subatomic level, as this reader has done, then at some point it will always fall apart. Always. It has to. It isn’t real. It can’t exist in the real world where there are electrons, etc.

When some readers want magic to exist, they simply leap to the assumption that it somehow can, and then become befuddled when the inconvenient facts of reality — the laws of identity — keep popping up. They pop up because that reasoning part of their consciousness — the part which deals with the laws of identity of those things that exist — keeps making its presence known. It keeps saying to them “But wait, that can’t work.” A baby cries when spaghetti pushed off its highchair won’t bounce the way a ball would. He cries because he wants the spaghetti to bounce. He cries because he wants his mother to fix it, to make the spaghetti bounce.

These readers want me to overrule their sense of reason — overrule reality — and make magic real, make it exist; make the spaghetti to bounce. I can’t.

No writer can ever create magic that would work in the real world. No matter the book, no matter the author, if it is extrapolated — examined with the laws of logic — it will at some point fall apart. It is impossible for it not to because magic can’t exist in reality. No author can create an existent that can do the things magic can do.

Technology can seem to do some of the things that magic does. For example e-mail can be viewed as much the same as the journey books so, on the surface, it makes magic seem almost plausible, seem in a reader’s mind as if it might be able to work. But magic touches everything in the world of the series whereas in reality technology must address specific, narrowly defined areas to accomplish explicit things and those narrowly directed technologies are tailored to use the unequivocal laws of identity of the existents involved. For example, airplanes can fly much like a dragon, and e-mail can seem to work like a journey book. In my novels such things are all driven by magic, but in the real world each thing must be a specific solution to a specific problem — they are not universal. Whereas magic makes a journey book work and also makes a dragon fly, an e-mail can’t fly you and your family to the Bahamas.

If magic can’t really exist, if it is impossible to write magic that can be dissected exterior to the novel and have it hold up, if it can’t be extrapolated into situations outside the plot of the book, then why in the world would an author use such fantasy elements?

Remember what I keep telling you? Fantasy is only valid when used to illustrate important human themes.

It is those themes that are the central issue of story, not how electrons behave in a variety of magic circumstances. The magic is only there to help tell a story in a unique way. It is often used to shine a new light on common issues. For example, the scene with Denna in WIZARD’S FIRST RULE is about the nature of abuse, the true terror of abuse: helplessness, having your individual identity and liberty taken away. It’s about what it means to be human. The magic is used to add a different twist, making it unlike any story of abuse you’ve ever come across before. If you start in trying to extrapolate how an Agiel would work in various other circumstances you are missing the whole point of the scene. You are missing the humanity of it. You are missing the driving theme, the conflict, the struggle, the plot, what Richard learned . . . what Denna learned.

The Agiel is not important in and of itself any more than the molecular workings of a Glock model 19 and its 9mm ammunition are to the story of a kidnapping. That Richard is placed in danger through the use of Denna’s Agiel is what matters. It matters that the Agiel and its magic was Denna’s means to capture him, to break him, to reveal his deepest feelings for Kahlan.

If you are obsessed with how the magic of an Agiel could function, then you are missing the human theme of the story. You are missing out on life. You are failing to use your consciousness to understand the true nature of reality. You are missing what it means for you to be human.

In part this is a monster of my own making because I’ve gone to such lengths to make the magic seem real, by making it an existent, that it tempts some people to become distracted by it. In a way it’s a testament to how realistic the characters are and the magic they use seems to be, so in that sense I sympathize with readers who want to understand it more completely. Still, they are going off track.

An author who makes magic a function of Primacy of Consciousness has only to shrug it off as “the wizard wished it and it worked because he’s a wizard.” That actually makes far less sense than what I do, but people have been lulled into blindly accepting such consciously controlled events. These authors are, in the minds of many, exempt from having to make sense. Their magic is never examined or questioned because it is a function of wishing, not reality. Yet this kind of hocus pocus actually makes the least amount of sense in a story and only erodes the validity of the book because it destroys a fantasy’s purpose: to illustrate important human themes. You can’t use the dead-end philosophy of wishing for results to drive human themes unless you are trying to portray ineffective secondary characters — to show their faulty thinking process which causes them to fail. If they are the protagonist, then you have real problems because the story is constructed on quicksand.

Most adult readers view such sloppy tricks as saying that the wizard simply wished it and it worked as an author’s cheap device, much the way any intelligent reader would have (properly) felt cheated if, when they got to the end of CHAINFIRE, I would have said “Richard was only dreaming of Kahlan all along through the previous books.”

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that I don’t occasionally make mistakes, because like anyone else I do, but I take very seriously my responsibility as a novelist to get the details as right as possible so that there are no contradictions within the story, so that it flows smoothly, and that it makes sense. The magic in the stories is very complex because of my desire to make it seem as real as possible. I am convinced that with a careful reading of the books it will make sense, that questions will be answered, and that the magic will contain no contradictions within the context of the story.

But it’s not real. Magic can’t be real. No amount of double-talk will make it real. Any author who explains away the magic he writes about with an incomprehensible labyrinth of impenetrable concepts and pompous rationalizations that make you feel as if he is so gosh darn smart that you could never understand his lofty genius, is really doing nothing more than trying to lay down a smoke screen. He’s trying to intimidate you into believing that you are too stupid to understand him so that he can deceive you into thinking he really can do the impossible and make magic work.

He can’t.

I hope that some of you will come to understand in a new light what I mean when I say that the only valid use of fantasy is to illustrate important human themes. I hope that you will come to see that the magic in the books is a tool for telling a story and nothing more. Ultimately, it is not magic that is important, but what people do with that magic, how they use their unique abilities to meet challenges.

From (again, name withheld):
A lot of people are continually arguing about this on the forums so I wonder if you could answer this so they would stop. Are pillars of Creation affected by Subtractive Magic.

TG:
This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about when I urge people not to skim the books, but to actually read them.

Not a single person who is on these message boards arguing this point could possibly have read the books because various novels say a number of times, in a number of places, in a variety of ways, that pillars of Creation are affected by Subtractive Magic because Subtractive Magic is the magic of the underworld, of death itself. Pillars of Creation are mortal, they will die just the same as everyone else, so they are affected by death, and thus by Subtractive magic, the magic of the underworld, the magic of death, of non-existence.

If these people would spend half as much time actually reading the books as they do having pointless arguments on messages boards there wouldn’t be any such arguments — everyone would get it.

From Stephanie:
Does your wife read your books? I’m getting married in June (my first marriage for the rest of my life) and (name of future husband goes here) doesn’t like to read my stories. He likes Louis L’Amour. I don’t like Louis, no offense to anyone, he just goes on about how helpless women are and how manly men are. I was just wondering about it one day and thought I’d ask. Sorry to take up so much time. I just ramble a lot. God bless you all.

TG:
Stephanie, you are not taking up so much time, and you are not rambling. Your question was coherent and well stated with supporting reasoning that was entirely valid. You have as much right to ask a question as anyone else — even more, perhaps, because yours made sense. Believe me, I’ve heard some stupid questions and yours was not one of them. So, please, don’t feel so down on yourself.

My wife, Jeri, loves to read my books. She shares my outlook on life and so enjoys the way I weave that outlook into the stories.

I never could understand why some writers treat women as helpless. Every woman I know is strong in her own unique way. Well, maybe not you, Stephanie. You seem a little helpless. I trust you will work on that. (Note from Zedd: Terry was only kidding wit that last part J )

From Daniel:
Your Sword of Truth series is great! I love all the details you write in your books. Would you ever consider possibly contracting a replica of the Sword of Truth to be made and sold to fans of your books? As you’ve described it, I would love to have one to display in my home, as I’m sure other fans would also. Thanks!

TG:
In the past I would never allow a replica of the Sword of Truth because doing so might have interfered with film rights in as much as many film companies insist on having such product rights with any book they buy. Now that Sam Raimi has bought the film rights we may at some point in the future come out with replicas of the Sword of Truth. I’m not saying we will, I’m only saying that I’m open to the idea and with the sale of the film rights it is now a possibility.

From Josh:
I am really interested in what books you have read that you enjoy. I would also like to know what inspired you to start writing the Sword of Truth series.

TG:
I rarely have time to read any more. I’m a slow reader so it takes me a long time to read a book. I’m also a slow writer so I have to devote nearly every waking hour to working or I would never finish writing a book.

I mostly like to read nonfiction. I enjoy reading about philosophy. As I’m sure you’ve read elsewhere, Ayn Rand is by far my favorite author. I’m probably pretty unusual in that I most enjoy her nonfiction, rather than her fiction.

As for fiction, I’ve enjoyed a few different authors such as Dean Koontz.

Mostly, though, I would rather write my own story than read someone else’s. I think that one reason readers find my writing so different than any other author they’ve read is because I hardly ever read other fiction. Most authors devour fiction by the ton. I wonder if all of that reading of other authors’ work goes into the subconscious mix and homogenizes the way they tell stories. Since I so rarely read any fiction I have to write it completely my own way, without benefit of how others write.

From Stephen:
This question relates to the Devotion and the bond and the metaphorical meaning behind them. Terry’s books are about reason and free will. So one could wonder why the D’Harans and all the good guys have to say a devotion to their leader as such:

“Master Rahl guide us, Master Rahl teach us, Master Rahl protect us. In your light we thrive, in your mercy we are sheltered, in your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”

So, if the books are about free will and reason, what are the metaphorical meanings behind the devotion and the bond?

Richard is the embodiment of Reason and free will.

When a character gives the devotion to Richard, they are giving the devotion to what he stands for. Listen:

“Reason guide us, Reason teach us, Reason protect us. In your light we thrive, in your mercy we are sheltered, in your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”

This all has to do with the bond. Jagang can take away our free will. However, if you are devoted to Richard (which metaphorically means you are devoted to Reason) Jagang cannot enter your mind and take away your free will, take away reason.

Does this sum up the meaning behind the devotion and the bond?

TG:
I hope everyone paid close attention because this is an example of an excellent question.

From Kimmy:
There are fans in New Zealand and Australia for when Terry decides to do a world tour. We on the other side of the planet would like to say how much we appreciate his writing.

TG:
If Sam Raimi decides to film WIZARD’S FIRST RULE in New Zealand I promised him that if I had time between books I would go there. A wizard always keeps his promise.

From Pika:
I was wondering if Mr. Goodkind will be signing books in Europe some day. It would be so cool and he does have a lot of fans there, too!

TG:
Publishers invite me to Europe all the time and I would love to go but I don’t think I could ever find the time to take away from writing. I’m really a slow writer so I have to keep at it.

From WP:
What are Terry’s plans after he finishes book eleven? Does he want to continue writing in the same world? Or is he thinking of doing something completely different? Maybe something that wouldn’t be fantasy? I know I was reading his series not to learn about philosophy but to escape the daily doldrums and yet I always felt that I agreed with Richard’s reasons, his sermons, and then in FAITH OF THE FALLEN it was like an answer to why I always felt a bit different from other people. Since you have said that you are not a fantasy writer, I’m curious if you will enter a new genre. Also, will the philosophy be included like in this series, or maybe in a one book stand-alone like Atlas Shrugged?

TG:
First of all, let me set something straight. Throughout all of the philosophy section and these questions and answers I’ve talked a lot about the importance of philosophy in writing. I’ve done this in response to specific questions — in order to explain why I do what I do and to give readers some insight into what is behind my work. However, I am not a philosopher and I am not trying to teach philosophy with my books. I’m simply a writer trying to tell the best story I can. My philosophy dictates what I believe is the proper way to do that. While my books are about reason and ideas, etc., I’m writing adventure stories that I think are fun with heros worth looking up to. If a reader never realizes that there is “philosophy” in my work and simply enjoys the story, then I have done my job. I want them to enjoy the story.

As WP said, she found herself agreeing with Richard’s reasoning. This is because I’ve made Richard a voice for all of us who believe in the things he does, in the values he embraces. He is our champion, and at the same time an archetype character, that is, someone recognizable to us, a person with representative traits. I’m trying to write entertaining novels the way I believe they should be written and if someone learns something, that’s great, but if they simply enjoy the story as a story that’s great, too. But I believe (and this is important) that by writing in the way I do it enables readers to better enjoy the novels because the story rings true.

As for what I will write after the series, that depends on a number of factors. I likely will write many more books set in this world because I love writing about these characters. The world, after all, goes on after this conflict is resolved. When you read the final book I think you will be dying to know what will happen next in this world. Don’t get me wrong — the series will end, will have an ending that will resolve all the issues. But in that resolution you will also see a glimpse beyond and want desperately to go there.

I’m often frustrated by the limitations of being pigeonholed in the fantasy genre and would like very much to write contemporary novels. I have several books in mind.

On the other hand, you are simply not going to believe how this series ends and what lies beyond for this world. I’d love to tell you about it. Stick around.