Recent entries

    Jan to Jun 2020 ()
    #821 Copy

    tlor180

    The character to character interactions in Elder Empire are leagues ahead of his other books,(although tbf cradle has a very different focus). I hope the relative obscureness compared to cradle doesn't dissaude will from writing more character focused stories.

    Will Wight

    Not to bring down the mood, but it kind of has dissuaded me.

    IMHO, Elder Empire has two strengths:

    1.) The world feels cohesive. It has history and culture and a postal system, different characters have different opinions on people and events that everyone is aware of, there’s shared mythology, etc.

    2.) The major characters are a lot more fleshed out.

    I believe I can bring some of that over to Cradle, especially having refreshed myself on it by skipping over to OKAK, but back when I started writing EE I thought this was the direction I was going to take my writing.

    If you’ll pardon the comparison, let’s say Traveler’s Gate was halfway between a Japanese light novel and a traditional Western fantasy novel. Then Elder Empire would be a step more towards traditional novels and Cradle is a step towards light novels.

    Well, one of those did 10-20x better than the other.

    So I’m a lot more inclined to keep leaning toward the light novel side, which means not diving deeper into world and character development.

    Having said all that, there’s still room to improve my character writing even without changing the formula of Cradle at all, it just comes down to skill. I’m working on it!

    acog

    It's a tough question to answer since you're trying to guess why someone didn't buy it, and people don't leave feedback for books they decided to skip. Still, I think I'm not alone. I had a small company for years and one lesson I learned in sales was that "analysis paralysis" is real. If the customer is the least bit confused, the easiest thing to do is not make the sale. Look at how many posts there are in this subreddit asking about the proper reading order for the trilogies. Might be a sign.

    Will Wight

    I actually completely agree with what you’re saying.

    My experience is that readers need to think they know what they’re getting from a story in order to pick it up.

    Then you have to give them what they came for, as well as a little something extra they didn’t expect.

    So, given all that about the structure, here’s the situation I’m actually in: I’m going to start a new series, for which I’m DEFINITELY not doing a crazy new experimental format, and I have to decide whether to make it more like a traditional fantasy story or more like a light novel. (So to speak.)

    And I have three data points. The hybrid version (TGT) did very well, the traditional series did relatively poorly, and the one that was most like a light novel performed by far the best.

    Now, I too believe that it was mostly because of the structure that people didn’t try EE.

    But is it worth the risk to gamble with a traditional fantasy series?

    I feel like I’m at a crossroads where one road is covered in fog and vultures while the other is well-paved and raining gold.

    Jan to Jun 2020 ()
    #822 Copy

    acog

    Why didn't the Akura equip Lindon better in the Uncrowned tournament? 

    Will Wight

    I would have had to look up the answer to this except that I listened to Uncrowned just yesterday.

    Round one, the competitors can’t bring anything.

    Round two, they can all bring only what they can fit in their soulspace, and Lindon chooses to bring a bunch of utility constructs instead of a weapon.

    In the individual fights, Lindon CHOOSES to make himself a shield to the specifications he wants. He doesn’t cobble one together because he has to; in fact, he uses their foundry and materials to make it.

    Are they willing to give him all the materials of a shield but not a shield? Of course not.

    It’s also mentioned a couple of times in the book that there are restrictions across the whole tournament as to the kinds of equipment you can bring in (no armor + another reference to there being full rules for equipment), and they can’t bring void keys, so those rules together mean he can’t use the tactic he used against Kiro or Jai Long of just packing himself to the gills with weapons and then unloading.

    Jan to Jun 2020 ()
    #823 Copy

    cusecuse315

    Why isn't Cradle traditionally published?

    Will Wight

    From our best estimates, I earn many times more than I would be paid by a traditional publisher.

    COULD they offer me a million dollars (or some lesser but still ridiculous sum) per book? Theoretically yes, but they would have to be confident they could sell enough copies to make that worth it.

    In practice, they can’t be confident that they’ll sell significantly more than I’m selling now, so I won’t get that kind of an offer.

    Will Wight

    I like controlling my schedule and that no sane traditional publisher is going to be confident that they can sell 5x what I’m selling now.

    In theory they could, of course, but that would require giving me the All-Star promotional treatment, and 99% of authors don’t get that.

    Will Wight

    I’m right there with you! [Not wanting to work for a boss]. There are so many reasons, and this is a big one.

    For one thing, it would most likely be a pay cut to sign with a publisher. Probably a huge pay cut.

    But even more than that, I don’t WANT to work for somebody else when I don’t have to. I’d take a pay cut from what I’m making now if that’s what it took to keep my rights.

    So why would I accept less money for less control over my work?

    Will Wight

    There are a LOT of answers to this question.

    The two easiest answers are that 1.) I make more now than any traditional publisher would offer me, and 2.) I like having control over my work.

    I’ve gone into detail about both of those answers in other comments on this thread, but there’s another, related answer.

    Here’s the thing: I have no reason to expect that a traditional publisher would grant me MORE freedom and MORE time to work on my books. Only less.

    The freedom traditional publishing grants is the financial freedom to spend time working on a book instead of having to work another job. This comes in the form of an advance.

    Well, I already write full time and we save most of the money that the books generate, and we’ve been doing that for seven years now. So I don’t need an advance to keep writing.

    As for keeping up momentum in self-publishing, that’s very true and very real, but traditional publishing only makes that harder. Not easier.

    The rule of thumb for editorial turnaround is usually about six months, meaning the fastest a traditionally published book will be released is six months from completion.

    (If your name is Stephen King you might be able to break these rules, but it’s a good generality.)

    So the ABSOLUTE FASTEST you could POSSIBLY release books is twice a year, which is my current rate.

    And given that I would have to run it by a network of people, it’s likely to be slower.

    But that doesn’t matter because I don’t need the momentum anymore, right? The publisher will take on the burden of marketing so Amazon doesn’t have to.

    Well yes, but actually no.

    Publishers only put their big promotional guns behind the titles they know are going to be worth it...so basically just their top earners.

    Since my last name isn’t Grisham and my first name isn’t “New York Times best-selling author,” I have no reason to expect that treatment.

    So what’s likely to happen is slower releases with less attention that sell fewer copies and I make a smaller amount per copy, leading to a slow death spiral that ends in obscurity.

    I don’t see a world in which I can happily take more time per book. And that doesn’t even take into account the Golden Reason above all others: most readers don’t want me to spend more time per book.

    So I just can’t think of a single benefit to being traditionally published.

    ...having said all that, I could be persuaded otherwise.

    If a publisher is willing to sink a lot of money into a project, that means they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is, and I have every reason to expect good treatment of the property.

    But Cradle is no Minecraft. I have no reason to expect Bruce Wayne to shower me in blank checks, and therefore no reason to think I’ll be traditionally published.

    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #824 Copy

    Questioner

    First, just want to say your books are amazing. I started with House of Blades, another favorite of mine. I wanted to ask; if you had to give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be based on your experience as a professional writer?

    Will Wight

    Finish the book. Here’s some advice I gave someone on Reddit not long ago when they said that the advice to “keep writing” wasn’t working for them: That is very common, and I think most of us have been there. I think I’ve identified the cause, though: “just write” isn’t a strategy, it’s a mantra. “I realized it was bad and stopped writing,” wrong, keep writing. “I had no idea where to go next,” then you’re going to be very surprised at what comes out of your fingers when you keep writing. “You don’t understand; I sat down to just write and the result was an exact clone of Harry Potter as crapped out by Satan. I’m going to get both sued for copyright and exorcised by the Pope.” There is no good writing, only good rewriting.
    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #826 Copy

    Questioner

    What is the magic system of Traveler's Gate like in its native state, if the Way wasn't so thin and there were no fragmented Iterations attached to it? Would it serve no function?

    Will Wight

    I have some notes to this effect, but I’m afraid to lock myself into something by answering this question. Suffice it to say that I would like to explore this in the future.

    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #830 Copy

    Questioner

    Hey Will ! I am a big fan of your works (i probably already said this through my other user accounts but hey). I have a few questions if you don't mind entertaining.   Did Valin somehow have access to the Way when he created Valinhall ? Or the creation of Valinhall is kinda a Travelers Gate magic and nothing to do with the Way?   Did Eithan expect Yerin to eventually learn using the sword icon through his training ? Or that was just a pleasant surprise/coincidence that he did not know would bear fruit from his training?   Thanks for bringing Cradle/TG to life ! It has been a pleasure.

    Will Wight

    1.) It DOES have something to do with the Way, in fact. 2.) Who can know the mind of Eithan? (In all seriousness, #2 is a Read And Find Out.)

    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #831 Copy

    Questioner

    Have you thought about writing short stories about the Emperor and the Regents (from EE)? Could you give us a hint what these might be like?

    Will Wight

    I have! Especially while working on OKAK, I thought that might be something I would have liked to explore.   I would like to show the Elder War at its peak, when the Emperor and his companions had to go into territories warped and shaped by a Great Elder and convince slaves who had grown up with decades of indoctrination to follow fellow humans instead of the alien gods who own them.   I think that could be cool.

    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #832 Copy

    Questioner

    How did a bunch of Sages kill the Sword Jade? (Real question) Where can you find the best cookies on Cradle?

    Will Wight

    Deep in the Diamondvale Mountains lies the home of the Honeyfinger sect, confectioners and craftsmen without equal who raise ancient chocolate plants over generations and summon incomprehensible sugars from other worlds. They’re currently working to perfect a disc, a sandwich of two chocolate cookies with creme between them, the birth of which could change Cradle forever.

    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #833 Copy

    Questioner

    Any advice on developing magic systems for a fledgling writer? The Cradle series is one of my favorites hands down b/c of how well the magic system is thought out. Looking forward to future works!

    Will Wight

    Hey! I like to start with a general concept (e.g. “magical martial arts”) and then include all the things I know I want the practitioners to be able to do. Throw fireballs, leap really high, whatever.   Then I try to make sure it’s restricted in enough ways. Does it take years of training to form a fireball? Can you throw as many fireballs as you want? Usually it takes some kind of resource to use magic, even if that resource is just your physical stamina.   After that, I start trying to push the magic system by thinking of crazy new ideas or coming up with weird implementations. Like, if you use a spell by writing it on a scroll, what happens if you use a material other than paper?   Thinking it through more thoroughly in that way helps me to flesh it out some more, make it more real, and identify areas where I might need another rule.

    Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Q&A ()
    #834 Copy

    Questioner

    The reason for Lindon being labeled Unsouled was amazing. I don't want to spoil anything but it's so true about the limits we put on ourselves, other people's expectations of us and how we live our lives. Is this mindset, this possibility blindness, inspired by something or someone close to you?

    Will Wight

    Not anything specific that I can think of, just the knowledge that usually the thing that most shapes my opinion of myself is the story I tell myself about who I am. In order to change my thoughts, I have to change that story first.

    Jan to Jun 2020 ()
    #839 Copy

    Lamanai

    (In response to Will's post about re-listening to the Cradle audiobooks)

    Must feel weird reading your own book. I know some actors hate watching their own show/movie.

    Will Wight

    It really is very uncomfortable.

    But whenever I write a new book in a series, I re-read the older ones as well as my notes.

    This is just the first time I’ve done it on audio, because reading with my eyes is so much faster.

    Ray745

    May I ask why then? Why are you listening instead of reading if you can do it so much more quickly by reading? Is it just for a change of pace, or to allow yourself to multitask, or some other reason that I can't even fathom with my puny little non-author brain?

    Thanks so much!

    Will Wight

    I want to have a more intuitive grasp of Travis’ voices for the characters—I’ve heard them all, but I’m so much more familiar with the characters as I wrote them that I sometimes forget what the audio voices sound like.

    Also, I don’t want to skim or skip any sections even if I’m familiar with them. I think the slower speed might give me a new perspective.

    But that part is just a theory. It’s always hard to get immersed in a story I wrote myself, and it’s even harder when the slower pace of listening to audio gives me so much time to think.

    I’m sitting there thinking about what I should have done, what I should do later, ideas for the future, speculation about what I was thinking when I wrote the scene...

    Jan to Jun 2020 ()
    #840 Copy

    Windrunner

    Where was Tharlos at the end of OKAK?

    Will Wight

    Tbh there’s a pretty mundane explanation if you don’t mind knowing it:

    Tharlos is incapable of coordination with the others because he’s incapable of consistency, which is why he doesn’t help.

    The reason he isn’t mentioned again is because of the scenes I removed dealing with Tharlos specifically.

    One I actually wrote and then removed, so I have that saved, but the other one was supposed to be a Bliss epilogue that I never wrote.

    I felt like the epilogue scene would put too much emphasis on a Great Elder who in the grand scheme of things didn’t do much, and would detract pacing-wise from the emotional impact of the ending, so I cut it.

    Of course, what I then should have done was tossed in a throwaway line at the end where Calder senses what Tharlos is doing in order to tie up that loose end. But I didn’t think about it.

    TL;DR - The reason it doesn’t exist is because I cut the Tharlos scene, and then I didn’t include a line patching it up because I forgot to.