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Author interview with David B. Coe
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David B. Coe adds his voice to the Never Have, Never Will interview on Examiner.com. He is the author of epic fantasy series such as LonTobyn Chronicle and Winds of the Forelands. His latest release, The Horsemen's Gambit, was published by Tor Books in January 2009, and will be followed by the third in the Blood of the Southlands series, The Dark-Eyes' War, in 2010.
1. Is there a story you’ve written that will never see the light of day? Why would you deprive us of this genius?
Actually, there are several of them. I'm not even sure where to begin. There are a bunch that I wrote back when I was a kid -- high school, first year or two of college -- when I was first playing with the possibility of pursuing a writing career. And then, there are several that I wrote in the days before I began work on CHILDREN OF AMARID, my first novel. They were character sketches mostly, and attempts to find the right voice for that first work -- although at the time I didn't know enough about my profession to understand that I was in fact working on voice.
As to why I would deprive the rest of you of "this genius," well there's an assumption there.... There is no genius in these stories; just a young writer trying to find his way, and while I'm now willing to publish pretty much anything I write, these stories should never -- and will never -- see the light of day.
2. What’s a story you’ve never written, but always wanted too?
That's a tough question to answer directly and I'll tell you why. For me, creative energy is something that has to be guarded and marshaled with great care. This isn't about protecting ideas. Ideas are as individual as DNA. You and I could start from the same exact story premise and we'd wind up with two very different stories. This is about actual creative energy. I can't speak in too much detail about a book or story I'm working on because I find that it takes the energy out of my writing. When I begin to work it's like a soda bottle that's been jostled before it's opened. There's a lot of pent up energy in there. I have to let it out slowly, carefully, so that I can turn it into a written work. Every time I talk or write about that story, I'm letting some of that energy escape. I'm losing creativity in a way. So I have stories that I haven't yet written, but want to and fully intend to. But I don't want to write about them here, because that will use up that energy that I'm going to need when at last I get to them. I hope that makes sense.
3. Is there a character or plot point you’ve wanted to change in retrospect?
Oh, yeah. The lead character in my first novel, CHILDREN OF AMARID, for one. His name was Jaryd, and he wasn't a bad character by any stretch. But he wasn't nearly as good as he could have been, or as I could make him now. He was bland, too nice, too even-tempered. He didn't have enough rough edges to make him really interesting. I think one of the reasons I've never gone back to that world to write more (despite being asked to do just that by readers) is that I got bored with him, and with his love interest, Alayna, who was also a bit too bland and nice. The second and third books in that series focused, at least in part, on other characters, and I think I did that because I gave those ostensibly secondary characters more interesting personalities.
4. Which of your characters would you never want to meet (in a dark alley or otherwise)?
Cadel, the assassin from my Winds of the Forelands series. He was brutally efficient as a killer, cold-blooded as hell, but also charming and capable of being quite pleasant. That was part of what made him so dangerous. He'd be smiling, chatting with you, right up to the moment he slipped the blade between your ribs.
I'd also stay away from Lici, the madwoman who sets in motion all of the nastiness in my Blood of the Southlands trilogy, which concludes with THE DARK-EYES' WAR, to be released in February. She's nuts and bent on vengeance, but she's also keenly intelligent. Bad combination that.
5. Which of your worlds/realities/cities would you never want to visit?
Probably Bragor-Nal, the largest city in Lon-Ser, the technological side of my LonTobyn world. It's your basic urban nightmare, terrorized by war-lords, torn apart by assassinations and turf wars -- just really nasty.
6. Are there any real-world locations you’ve written about but have never visited (or never want to)?:
I had a short story come out last year called "Cassie's Story." It was published at Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show and is now available at my web site (www.DavidBCoe.com). It takes place in a prison, and I have never been in prison. So that's probably the closest I've come to writing about a location I've never visited. Otherwise, I really try to know my settings as well as I can.
7. Is there a piece of writing advice you’ve never followed?
Most people will tell writers who are just starting out to publish some short fiction before they try to sell their first novel. Often, they'll suggest that a writer focus extensively on short works before moving on to novels. I didn't do that. I wrote those character sketches I mentioned earlier, but nothing that I could publish. My first sale was my first novel. And in fact, I didn't publish my first short story until I'd completed my first trilogy and had already sold four more novels to Tor.
8. What is an aspect of the writing craft you’ve never had a problem with (and why)?
Writer's block. Because I don't believe in it. Seriously. This is a hard way to make a living, and if I sit around grappling with "writer's block" waiting for my muse to strike, I'll never get anything done. Creativity is, in part at least, a mystical thing. It's hard to understand, it's hard to predict, it's hard to harness. But it's not impossible. I choose to believe (and I think it is a choice) that I can make myself sit down every day and be creative for a set number of hours. I believe that the key to success in this field is productivity. I'm not the most talented writer in the world. I know that. But I also know that I'm disciplined, that I work my butt off, and that I make myself write as much as I can. Writer's block is a luxury I can't afford. I'm a professional writer, which means that I put my butt in the chair each day and I write. Simple as that.
9. What’s the one book out there that you wish you’d written (but of course won’t, because it’s already written, and writing it again would be plagiarism, and that’s just mean)?
Oh, there are a couple. Guy Gavriel Kay's TIGANA is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not THE best fantasy novel ever written. It's beautifully written, the characters are unforgettable, the worldbuilding is exquisite. So, yeah, that one. Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME is another -- brilliant storytelling. Maybe the best paced novel I've ever read. Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS -- another terrific book. Such a marvelous, simple idea and beautifully executed.
10. What aspect of writing will you never stop working to improve in?
Easier to ask me which aspect will I NOT keep trying to improve. I believe that I improve with every book I write -- most writers will probably tell you the same thing. I'm still learning my craft and will be until the day I drop dead at my computer. In my opinion, art isn't something that can be perfected. There's always room for improvement. So my worldbuilding, my narrative flow, my pacing and character work and voice -- I intend to keep on working to improve all of it.
11. What’s one part of the publishing industry/process you wish you could do without?
Oh, I really don't like the business end of things. I wish I could just write my books and hand them to my agent and never have to think about how much I get paid, or how my sales are from one book to the next, or what kind of marketing my publisher is going to do for me. I'm not only an artist; I'm also a small businessman. That's the nature of this profession. But the money stuff is not my favorite part of it. Not at all.
12. What’s the one thing you would never do to shamelessly promote your current release?
There's lots of things. I will do the normal stuff -- con appearances and signings, web work (blogging and more blogging and maintaining a website and online interviews and contests to give away my books, etc.), media appearances (TV and radio, newspaper articles). But I won't do anything that takes me too far away from my family for too long, and I won't do anything that compromises my integrity or my dignity. Life's too short, and in the end the only thing at stake, really, is money.
13. What’s a question you’ve always wanted to answer, but have never been asked? And your answer?
"No, I'm not George Clooney's twin, but thank you for asking...."
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