| Interview: R.A. Salvatore |
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Page 5 of 5
They really didn’t want to know, believe me. So I just shrugged and said “I dunno. I just make stuff up and people like to read it.”The bottom line is that people want different things from their reading experiences. Some people read the Drizzt books, for example, and enjoy them as a fun romp. Pure, fun pulp. Cool! Other people read them and dismiss them as “popcorn.” Okay, that’s their entitled opinion. Still other people read them and write me letters about how these books had a profound impact on their lives. There was a great story many years ago about a book store robbery here in New England. True story. Someone broke in and stole most of the Dungeons and Dragons material, which was very popular among teenagers, of course. Among the items stolen was my “Homeland” novel. Well, a couple of days later, all the material was returned, with a note from the thief explaining that Drizzt had become his hero, and if Drizzt was his hero, then how could he be a thief? Another time, I was in South Philly, signing books at a very cool store – I think it was a Media Play. There was this young black man, dressed in the floppy, crotch-at-your-knees style I’d expect of the inner city. As I was signing, I noticed that he kept moving back in the line. Every time more people came in, he’d usher them in front of him. With my typical small-town naivete, I began wondering (just a wee bit in the back of my mind) if maybe I was going to get robbed. Did this guy think the people were giving me money for the books. Man, I was such a parochial putz! I finally get through the line, and the young man presents himself quite well. “Hi, I wanted to get to the end, because I wanted to talk to you for a bit. Is that okay?” “That’s why I’m here,” I replied. “A couple of years ago, I had never read a book,” he explained. “I figured if a book was any good, they’d have made it into a movie. I was playing D&D with some friends and the DM threw a copy of your book at me. He said I should read it because you wrote characters like the ones I played. I threw it back at him, but he insisted. So I took it home. I started reading that night. I didn’t stop until I had to leave for school the next morning. I never read a book like that before.” I began to get that warm feeling I had known on that snowed-in day in February, 1978, huddled with Bilbo Baggins. “I just wanted you to know that,” he said. “I’m starting college this year as a Literature Major at Temple University.” So there you go. We fantasy writers are in the ghetto of literature? Okay, if you say so, but I’ll bet that many fantasy writers have very similar stories to tell. I’m not going to apologize for what I do, and the beauty of it all is that if what I do doesn’t fill the needs of some fantasy writers, there are now dozens and dozens of options each and every month. That’s the peculiar thing about being a writer; could you imagine going up to a home builder and criticizing him for not building the Taj Mahal? This “ghetto” isn’t a bad place to be. Do you have any desire to do some kind of collaborative work with another author who also writes in the world of the Underdark, such as Elaine Cunningham? No, I really don’t. The only author I’ve entertained the notion of collaborating with was Terry Brooks. We’ve tossed the idea around. At one point we were wondering what DelRey might do for the third Star Wars’ novelization; we wondered what it might be like to write it together. Really, though, writing is too personal an experience for me. I don’t think I could surrender the control enough to let someone else into that process. What do you find is the ideal environment to write in? Outdoors? In a closet? In the rain? With green eggs and ham? Wherever and whenever I can. Mostly I write on my laptop these days. The kids are off at school and my wife and I hang out during the day. I write a little, drink a little coffee (okay, a lot of coffee), write a little more. I’m in the process of remodeling my office, however. I’m trying to clean it up and make it a bit more inspiring. I’ve spent the last few months on vacation, recharging the creative batteries. I feel as if I’m in a new stage of my career now. I’m over that hump and I’m not going back to the other side. I’ve earned a bit of freedom, creatively and in the number of books I write. Now I’m trying hard to integrate my writing into a different phase of my life. The kids don’t need me anymore (except my daughter, who needs to raid my wallet at every turn). It’s a good place to be (my life, I mean, and not the wallet!). What other authors do you read? It’s funny, but I just don’t read much fiction anymore. I think being a writer has a way of destroying that pleasure; it’s my biggest regret about my chosen profession. I cannot read a book without acting like an editor, instead of just enjoying what this other creative person is offering to me. Right now, I’m reading a stack of political books. I see the upcoming election as the most important of my lifetime and I want to make the best choice possible. Just as importantly, when people talk about the election, I want to contribute an informed opinion to conversations that seem so incredibly misinformed these days. Remember, I went to school to study Communications/Media, which meant quite a bit of training in the field of journalism. What I see out there passing as “journalism” these days makes my stomach turn. Drizzt and Elbyran turned out to be remarkably similar, aside from one being Drow and the other human, both being a Philosphical Ranger. What this intentional or did it write itself out that way? I don’t think they’re that much alike below the surface. This is also a bit of a purposeful inside joke. People who have read the first trilogy of the seven-book DemonWar series will understand that Elbryan is, in a very definitive way, the anti-Drizzt. I knew what was going to happen in “The Demon Apostle,” the third book in the series, when I started writing the first one. Maybe, just maybe, just possibly, just a wee bit in the back of my mind, I had a subconscious desire to give some of the most vocal Drizzt fans what they seem to be crying out for (and be careful what you wish for!) on the massage boards. Hey, if I can’t have a little fun with it, then what’s the point? I’m not going to change the real world – none of us writers really are, in fantasy or in any other genre. I’m just plodding along like any other guy, trying to make sense of life and death and trying to have a little fun. R.A. Salvatore Full Story ... |
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