November Ask Terry Posted

Achilles Papatheodorakos writes: Since it looks like the major movie companies are out to lunch on making your novels for the big screen, I was wondering if maybe HBO has contacted you? I find that the making of Game of Thrones was a big hit for them?

Terry Brooks replies: Guess what? I did talk to someone affiliated with Game of Thrones, but that all came to nothing. I admire what HBO did with that series, but it turns out I am moving in a different direction. To wit, a new production company and an old studio have signed on to do Magic Kingdom. An announcement of what is planned will be forthcoming, but I can tell you that what they have in mind sounds good. A series of movies, starting with Magic Kingdom for Sale–Sold! for the big screen. As well, a different production company, coming in from an entirely new angle, is working on a deal with me to take the Shannara series to the movies. This group has a whole new take on how to do it, and I think it is the best thing that has happened to the series. More on this in the next couple of months, too. Lots happening, but no HBO.

Tim Bautista writes: Are we ever going to see a one shot book perhaps giving us a more fleshed-out back story for Garet Jax? He has been my favorite character out of all of your works and I’m sure I’m not alone on this.

Terry Brooks replies: You have probably guessed that you are not the first one to ask for this, Tim. And I have been thinking about it for the better part of ten years. What I think I will end up doing is writing a series of stories about favorite characters from varioius of the Shannara books. I don’t know how I will organize this, but I have at least a dozen stories in mind. If any of you reading this like the idea, let me know via the website. Maybe we will run a survey on which characters would be favorites for one more story.

Jessica Hughes writes: November is National Novel Writing Month. It challenges you to write a novel (50,000 words) by the 30th. I was just wondering how many words are usually in your books, and how many you generally write in a month? Are we WriMo’s crazy for doing this?

Terry Brooks replies: That’s a pretty intense writing schedule, even for a pro. You would have to write every day and you would have to write well and fast. Hard to do. But practice is what you need to be a writer, so from that point of view it’s a good idea. I would say trying starting with 30,000 words. That’s 3+ pages a day, writing every day. You can at least get a sense of what it’s like. The problem is that no two writers work alike, and much of that has to do with how fast and productive they can be and still keep up the quality of their work. Better to just find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. This isn’t laying bricks. It’s art, and that’s very particular to each artist.

Justin McKinney writes: Hey Terry! After re-reading both Angel Fire East (one of my favorite books ever) and then The Gypsy Morph, I am somewhat confused as to why Findo Gask was so hesitant to face John Ross. After all, Gask quite easily handled the battle-hardened Logan Tom, so I would imagine he would fare similarly against John Ross. So, can you please clarify why Findo Gask simply didn’t battle Ross straight from the get-go?

Terry Brooks replies: Jeez, Justin! There are some strong presumptions going on here. First, you expect me to remember a book I wrote a dozen years and fifteen books ago (counting the ones for the new trilogy). Second, you seem to think I was doing more than just keeping the book going for four hundred pages instead of ending it in thirty. Boy, howdy. Okay, let me walk you through this – if I can. First of all, I would dispute that Findo “quite easily handled the battle-hardened Logan Tom.” It wasn’t all that easy; mostly he handled him because Logan was saddled with issues about his family’s death and acted rashly in attacking Findo Gask so heedlessly once he realized who he was. He literally burned himself out. Also, Findo Gask was the stronger of the two. A long time had passed between John Ross and Logan Tom, and the demon had grown stronger in the interim, as demons do. Finally, John Ross was someone Findo Gask knew was his equal. Which is why he brought along the demons Penny and the K to help him dispatch Ross and put an end to any threat from the Gypsy Morph. Findo let his two minions absorb all the punishment before leaving Ross to his fate in the burning house. Anyway, taking on Ross right at the beginning was never the demon’s intention. Finding and eliminating the Morph was his principal goal. Getting rid of Ross was secondary to that. Hope that explains things because otherwise I’ll have to go back and read the whole book again.

Garrett Winters writes: I’m hoping you eventually respond to this, and I know I’ve asked it a few times…Is there ever going to be a series about the age of Faerie? We hear a lot about it in the books (especially with the King of the Silver River in almost every series), with the aforementioned King, his gardens which remind me of the Welsh Faerie, the Demons being creatures of Faerie, and the Elves sacrificing their magic and being creatures of Faerie to create the Forbidding. We learn it was from the time when the Word was young, we learn that no one had names because there was no need for them, and there are more things that have to do with that long ago time. But there has never been a book about that long-ago age, and I want to learn more about it.

Terry Brooks replies: Well, Garrett, you get half a loaf. In the new trilogy, Shannara’s Dark Legacy, the plotline revolves around a series of events that happened back in the time of Faerie. But the story takes place in the present of Shannara, so we don’t get to see all that much about what life was like in the old days. That story is still on hold. I don’t have plans to write it at the moment. Not saying I won’t, just saying I won’t right away. I suppose if there were a hue and cry about it, I might. But that hasn’t happened to date. Glad you care enough to ask, though. Keep the faith.