Ask the Authors (Fandemonium)

[SalR323]

Well hello Sally. Here's a Q just for you. What was it like novelizing Rising? How different was it to the "Matter Of.." novels? Well..apart from being a helluva lot shorter and more expensive to buy lol.

It was very different! Obviously I had all the dialogue and story already written, so most of the creative work came in translating the action into novel form. Then there was the inner POV that I got to play with, working out what the characters were thinking as they said the words that were in the script. And occasionally I sneaked in an extra scene - just because I felt it needed it (McKay pondering calling his sister was one, Sheppard crashing out after they escaped from the Wraith was another). The pacing for a TV show is a lot faster than you'd usually pace a novel, so sometimes it was necessary to put in a small transition scene.

In one sense it was less stressful than writing MofH or CofH because I wasn't wondering what would happen next, or how (if!) I was going to get to the end of the story. On the other hand, it felt like a huge responsibility - I really wanted to do a good job of capturing the episode in a way that did the show justice.

[Elite Anubis Guard]

Was the length any issue? Sometimes, when I'm writing a script, I feel a pressure for a certain length. I mean, Rising was really short, so short that the font was increased in size.

[SalR323]

My question: When writing the novelization how much leeway were you given to further develop the scenes and characters?

Hi there

I found that it was an interesting line to walk. On the one hand, I was keen to bring something new to the novel - some added character insight. On the other hand, I had to keep the book faithful to the script.

What I tried to do was to use the inner POV of the characters to add more to a scene, without changing the dialogue or the action. However, I deliberately based the book on the script (rather than the DVD) because I felt that, in itself, would give the readers a slightly different take on the story. And if you compare the book with the DVD you'll see that there are some differences - on occasion dialogue is given to different characters, for example.

The biggest difficulty I had was when the script cut quickly from one field of action to another and then back again. It's great pacing on TV, but very disjointed in a novel! So sometimes I combined scenes that are split up in the show just to make it flow more easily.

Also - and this really bugged me! - I had a big problem with the climactic rising of Atlantis. It's really the centrepiece of the show, so beautifully symbolic and wonderful to watch. But when I came to write that scene I realised that unless I skipped to the POV of a fish, I had no one outside the city to witness it rising! Instead I had to write the scene from inside the city, so in that sense I did have some leeway. But, by and large, MGM were keen that the novel stick close to the episode.

I’m glad you enjoyed the book, it's great to know!

[SalR323]

Was the length any issue? Sometimes, when I'm writing a script, I feel a pressure for a certain length. I mean, Rising was really short, so short that the font was increased in size.

It wasn't really an issue. Rising was short, but that was the length of the script. TV scripts are very short, and even though this was a double episode it was never going to be as long as a novel like Cost of Honor or Survival of the Fittest, which come in at around 125 thousand words.

It wouldn't have been possible to make it any longer, while keeping it faithful to the script/DVD.

[KarenMiller]

As to a question, I was wondering if there was one scene above all others (in either show) you wish you could re-write, what would it be and why?

Thanks for visiting us and answering our questions too. Very cool!

You're welcome. Writers tend to sit by themselves a lot for long periods of time. This makes a nice change!

Have to say there's no scene I want to rewrite. But there were many I wanted to go on for longer, which is what prompted me to write the Medical Considerations fanfic series. The trouble with tv is you've got a finite space in which to tell the story. The fun about books is there's more room to play!

[sueKay]

Welcome Sally!!!

I read some your fanfics before reading your novels...loved them all!

A question to all the authors:
What shows besides the Stargates would you be interested in writing about?

[sonny1]

And another one for Sonny. Along side Sally, you're the only writer present who has written a novel for Atlantis and for SG1. What are the differences for writting for the two franchises?

Hi Elite,

Wow, I could write a paper on that...eh, come to think of it I am . (I'm with Beth, these smilies are ultra cool! - and James...sob! So soon you forget, men ::rolls eyes:: it's tequila, not beer!)
Okay, back OT. Writing for SG-1 vs Atlantis. Seriously, the research I’m currently doing highlighted the common elements in the Stargate universe and the 'problems' in dealing with a world that had not yet been fully fleshed out. I think this is the major difference. SG-1 is a well-mapped world, whereas Atlantis is very new. Yet they share common elements, certain technology, quirky, three dimensional characters, and at the most fundamental level, their mythology regarding the Ancients.

Essentially, there are two raw ingredients in story telling: characters and the world they inhabit. Each author goes about fleshing out both, differently, and each story will use different proportions of those ingredients to fashion those two interlinked components. With SG-1 we had such well-established characters that I chose to set them in a world that was a conceptual marriage of the ‘alien gods built the pyramids’ pop-culture cultism, archeology and the stargate mythos. Sabine also used archeology and ancient history, and married this to the Stargate mythos as the basis for Trial By Fire. In both cases, those stories really appealed to people who loved those mythology/archeology/alien gods aspects of the show. Sally, for example, set the characters in a new world, and that requires different tools, because you need to create this world from scratch, yet it must function like a real world.

Because Atlantis was such a new series, there was little option but to create a new, fully functioning world for The Chosen. I have a background in anthropology and geography, so – and this is boring, so you may want to skip this bit

Spoiler:

in The Chosen, for example, 99% of readers will not pick up that we use the economic principle of developing market gardens close to transport systems so that fresh foods can be delivered to market before they spoil (pre-industrial, non-refrigerated transport systems). Interfering, overtaxing, or making that transport system unavailable is going to create social disharmony and force people to move elsewhere. This is a basic principle in urban geography, and on some level that economic principle is going to work no matter what planet you’re on or what factors shaped that society.

It’s an apparently insignificant background element in The Chosen, and yet if you read it with that piece of information in mind, add a few other notoriously predictable human characteristics, the evolving social structure makes perfect sense, and the ‘gotcha’ moment comes as much less of a shock.

With the characters, although they were also new, we had some neat baggage to deal with. I had the, ‘What if we toss Rodney into something really nasty, and see what happens?’ concept, and that was married to Beth's basic idea for The Chosen, and a scene she had in mind with Sheppard and McKay. I did the same thing with Exogenesis, taking a 'what if this happens to Rodney?' situation and developing a story around that and again, Beth had some great character pieces/conflict involving Sheppard and others, so that came together very fast. I was also fortunate enough to spend a little time with David Hewlett and Paul McGillion in Sydney, and David Nykl then came up to visit me in Brisbane. (OT, I took him shark diving – there are shots on my website to prove that while Zelenka can’t swim, David is perfectly at home in the water. In Exogenesis

Spoiler:

because of this, I did something to Zelenka underwater, and Zelenka played a larger role in the entire story, which was fun

). I also had a brief but highly productive conversation with Torri Higginson a week or so earlier, about her character’s feelings after The Eye.

David Hewlett in particular was amazing to be around, because on one level he is nothing like Rodney (he’s also much better looking!) but on another, he could be Rodney if he had Rodney’s truckload of neurosis. Being around these guys for a few days gave a huge insight into character nuances so by the time The Chosen was finished, I felt I had a more three dimensional handle on that world than would normally be possible after just one season of television.

Now we're into Season 3, we have more to play with, an of course SG-1 has taken an entirely new direction, so it also feels much like a new world with some well-loved characters.

cheers,

[Elizabeth Christensen]

I was wondering how involved you all are in each others novels? Reading the acknowledgements in the novesl, alot of folk seem to all thank Tom or Sally but how involved are you all in helping your fellow authors get through the novel? Do you provide second opinions, a proof reading eye?

I think it's probably different for each of us. I'm one of the newbies, so I haven't been involved in the production of any novels besides our two, but Sabine, Sonny, and I have helped each other out on other projects. And Sabine's been a most excellent line editor for The Chosen and Exo; she always finds a way to point out unclear or, occasionally, bizarre sentence construction in the most amusing and non-confrontational manner possible. Sabine, you must have missed the memo: editors are not supposed to be cool.

As a group, we're a pretty varied (and rather busy) bunch, and it'd be tough to get everyone coordinating on everything. But so far in my limited experience, everyone involved has been nothing but generous with their time and assistance.

About the previous question on characters (forgive me for not grabbing the quote; I'm taking baby steps here) -- I think Teyla's a little tricky for some of the same reasons Teal'c is. She can't use too many Earth colloqualisms, but she can't sound like a walking thesaurus, either. For me, Ronon and Rodney have opposite rules of thumb: Ronon says as few words as possible, and Rodney never uses two words when ten will do.

EAG, thanks for the "reputation" boost (didn't even know such a thing existed until just now) and the comment -- hope you enjoy Exogenesis!

Night, all -- Beth

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Yikes -- I leave this page open on the computer for a while, and suddenly I've missed a slew of posts and the whole gang's in here.

Hi, Sally , and James, good to meet you. Rather than the harem image, though, I was thinking "James's Angels" ...

[KarenMiller]

A question to all the authors:
What shows besides the Stargates would you be interested in writing about?

Truthfully? Right now, nothing. There are many shows I really love but for some reason not one of them prods me into making up stories.

[Lauriel]

You're welcome. Writers tend to sit by themselves a lot for long periods of time. This makes a nice change!

Have to say there's no scene I want to rewrite. But there were many I wanted to go on for longer, which is what prompted me to write the Medical Considerations fanfic series. The trouble with tv is you've got a finite space in which to tell the story. The fun about books is there's more room to play!

Oh dear! This is what happens when I post late at night, I'm afraid. I didn't mean this question to be disrespectful to the writers of either show! I was reading the posts you guys had made, and as so much fanfiction is extending or extrapolating scenes written in the show, or rewriting it with an AU ending, I was curious as to which scene any (and all) of you most wish to do this to. Thank you for answering the question I intended to pose, rather than the one I actually did! Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll endevour to post and sleep in equal parts in the future.

[Elite Anubis Guard]

Wow, thanks for the long post Sonny.

Okay, two more.

Everyone: Have you pitched any stories to Fandemonium that have had to be declined and if so what are they?

Sabine: I'm just re-reading Trial By Fire in anticipation of SotF - Gotta wait till payday before I can order it - and it had me thinking. Just how did that story evolve? Your starting off the series, what made you decide to use that story?

[KarenMiller]

Everyone: Have you pitched any stories to Fandemonium that have had to be declined and if so what are they?

Well, I wanted to play with Aris Boch but somebody beat me to it ...

[Elite Anubis Guard]

Wanna tell us the specifics? Or was it a case of just going "I wanna do Aris Boch"?.

[JMSwallow]

Harem, huh? Me? With my reputation?

What shows besides the Stargates would you be interested in writing about?

Writer of Fortune that I am, I'm always looking for places to tell stories and some of them are in the realm of of TV tie-ins. I can say that I'm in discussion with the publishers of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly tie-ins...