Expanding Authors

In thinking about the NJO, CoK has some thoughts that have been floating around lately. It appears to CoK that the SW universe has changes considerably in the last few years. Some of the changes seem great, others CoK, remains hopeful that they will remain true to what Star Wars has always meant to me.

The latest thoughts that CoK has concern the number of authors invited to write in the Star Wars Universe. It seems as though there is a small fantsy community out there and they are all getting their chace in the EU.

Ya know, without naming names, some of these guys don't get the Star Wars universe. A few years ago, there seemed a small core of writers who were charging ahead with developing the EU. Stackpole, Zahn, Allston, Tyers, these pens had a certain feel for the SW universe.

Now, some of the authors, just do not connect with CoK. The EU has drifted and grown and is now so multifacted that it is losing some of the factors that made the novels so rivoting.

This is is no way meant as a slight on any authors who have written in the EU. they are all accomplished people and have been succesful in their craft. It just seems that some of the styles are definately not Star Wars. With growth, comes change!

 

A few years ago, there seemed a small core of writers who were charging ahead with developing the EU. Stackpole, Zahn, Allston, Tyers, these pens had a certain feel for the SW universe.


You seem to be either ignoring or forgetting the fact that there were many authors writing in the EU at that time, too, many of whom weren't much liked. And you seem to forget as well that the now oft-bashed KJA used to be in the lead, and lauded, when it came to "charging ahead with developing the EU."

 

NJO has been very Star Wars. How can you not look at Keyes of Lunceo's work and say its not truly Star Wars? Change is good. Plus, we still have Tyers, Stackpole, and Allston.

New authors = new stories = good = fun > Thrawn. (Don't even ask)

 

I'm just wondering if any of these new authors have even read any of the Star Wars novels. Have they ever said that they have?

 

I'm not sure what DR does now, but I do know that there's a lot of interaction between authors and editors and at least some reading of older books.

In the Bantam days once you were signed to do a book they deliver to you boxes of the old books, the movies, source materiel, etc...

And perhaps even more importantly is author interaction.

 

But it doesn't seem that the authors are interacting....rather they are given a few plot points and then they write it before knowing how the characters will develop in the novels forthcoming.

Don't get CoK wrong, there is some good stuff, but it all doesn't seem to be seeded with the Star Wars theme throughout. And yes, there were older books that also missed the mark (IMO), they just seem more frequent now and farther from what CoK always interpreted as the unique Star Wars feel.

 

CoK you're either forgetting or ignoring what has been said about author interaction on this board since you have been here. A recent and documented example is Keyes and Denning going back and forth discussing Anakin so he would appear to mess in both EoV and Sbs, that's one of many.

 

I must have missed that whole exchange. Fill me in!

 

Try this thread for details. Here's the quote:

Since the writing of SbS overlapped with Greg Keyes EoV, were there any surprises?

Obviously, several NJO authors are working on their books at the same time, or it would be impossible to keep the release schedule. Fortunately, the editors do a good job of setting parameters, and the authors are good about staying in touch and working out story particulars (in fact, the brainstorming was one of the most enjoyable parts of the process). Greg and I emailed and talked over the phone a lot, especially about Anakin's character and the nature of the lambent crystal that allowed him to (sort of) sense Yuuzhan Vong in the Force. But there are always surprises--in this case when Greg and I realized we had imagined entirely different processes for how artificial gravity worked on the worldships. It took us a couple of days of emailing and calling to come up with a solution that worked for both of us, but when we did it was very elegant and actually served to illustrate the story of the Yuuzhan Vong's journey from their own galaxy.

How did I prepare for SbS? How much research went into the story?

A lot. Though I'd been doing a little Star Wars reading for pleasure through the years, it hadn't been systematic, and I quickly discovered that I had no idea of how much material there really was out there. So there was a ton of Star Wars reading. Then, realizing that this story was going to have a heavy military element, I also did quite a bit of reading on futuristic weapon systems, jet fighter combat, special forces tactics, the engineering of skyscrapers, etc.--just anything that might be useful. I feel like this extra research really made a difference--many of the scenes I'm happiest with arose out of that reading.

Til tomorrow,

Troy

 

Tyers was never part of that group. She had one novel that didn't have much of an impact on the story, and a couple short stories for WEG.

 

Thanks for finding that example Dev.

 

NJO has some of the best examples of authors working together. They talk to each other over the phone, they have meetings, they do read the other EU. Look at Luceno, his best friend wrote early EU. Keyes, Denning, and Cunningham all had to read the YJK series! Come on.