Terry Pratchett
Dukey: And off we go. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Douglas Adams Continuum VIP Chat. A very special welcome indeed to our guest, author Terry Pratchett, the creator of, among other things, the Discworld novels. Terry, thank you very much for being with us tonight, for fitting us into your tight schedule. We are very honoured.
PTerry: Aaarg...Tiny little courior script ! Hi!
Dukey: Now, the first question, which we promised to publish, comes from our most recent guest; Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame. He had the following to ask: "Are you free for a beer on Saturday?"
PTerry: Two, probably:-)
Camilla: Hi Terry, do you think fantasy as a genre has reached its limits, or are there still many new things to be discovered and written about?
PTerry: Are we talking fantasy or sf here? I think fantasy will be with us as long as we're human. Sf... I'm not so sure.
Donna: What character/characters of yours are the most easy to write about?
PTerry: Oh, the City Watch, There's just so many kinds of plot available when you start with a bunch of coppers!
AJames Thrift: Hi Terry, Douglas as everyone seems to know would rather have been doing just about anything other than sitting down to write. You, by your prolific publications, obviously do not share this affliction. What's the secret?
PTerry: To judge by the biographies he thought writing got in the way of having a good time. For me, it’s the other way round. I get a kick out of it, is the simple answer. When a book is going well, I’m on a high.
Cagliostro: I occasionally hear about a Good Omens movie hopefully to be made by Terry Gilliam. Any life in that project still? I heard it was dead, but recently I thought I heard some stirrings. Also, what brought you and Gaiman to collaborate in the first place?
PTerry: Life? Well. it's twitching. I don't pay much attention any more. A fot the collaboration, it just seemed like fun, and it was early in our careers so it wouldn't matter much if it bombed, which it more or less did in the US.
Camilla: Do you map your stories out thoroughly at the beginning, or do you just start writing with a single main idea and see what happens? If the former, do you ever find the story dragging you off in an unexpected direction?
PTerry: All of the above happens, but mostly I write the story to see where it wants to go. I kind of go with the grain.
Thrithwaite: From Nellodee: the more your disc world series progresses, the more complex become the subjects you tackle under the guise of fantasy comedy. sometimes i have the feeling that you´re sort of testing the water if the public is ready to follow you into into an altogether different realm. so i´ve been wondering: will we see some major pratchett book in the near future that does not take place on the disc world or in a comparable fantasy world?
PTerry: Hmm. Not under the guise of fantasy, I think, They are fantasies. They just use a diffent paintbox and are pretty low on Dark Lords. I have no desire to go outsided the genre while it's stil such a lot that can be done.
Kaare: Your books are littered with references, more or less obscure, to other works. I never found any to Hitchhiker's. Should I go look again, or do you have any plans to parody any part of Hitchhiker's?
PTerry: No. I'm not even sure how it could be done!
cherade9: do you ever tire of the pressure to conform to the world you've created in the Discworld? Do you wish you could devote the time to new projects without 'sacrificing' the (punishing) schedule you seem to publish Discworld novels at?
PTerry: Look, I like doing this! I don't have a secret desire to write somthing else--if I did, I'd do it. There eill be a Y/A book that's non-DW next year, though. One book a year is not punishing, but life seems to fill up with other things,
hippocampus: Is it true that Sky are adapting Colour of Magic for next Christmas and can you tell us some more about the project?
PTerry: Colour of Magic and TLF run together with one plot, which is easy to do because neither of them had one. Thing are still fluied, but I will get a chance to play with thr train set again.
Kevin Davies: A few years ago, a company produced a Toby Jug caricature of you, complete with famous hat. Did you ever get a copy or see it, and what did you think of it? (My pal sculpted it freelance for the dodgy company and only got paid £25, never any royalties - so go on - be honest...!)
PTerry: I keep my pens in one. I'd be amazed if anyone got any money!
stejacorca: Dearest Terry, thank you very much for spending some time with us! Here's my silly question! If the lovely people from the BBC contacted you to write a script for Doctor Who, would there be a slight chance that you'd not decline it disgustedly? Despite messing up your busy schedule for a year? I'd love to see your take on the Doctor!
PTerry: Once upon a time it might have been fun, but I think the new series, while great entertainment, makes too much use of the element makitupasyougoalogium. But I loved Torchwood, especially the Fairies
Camilla: If you could introduce one of your characters to a character from another author's work, just for the fun of sitting back and watching them interact, which characters would you choose, and what do you think might happen?
PTerry: Sam Vimes to Sherlock Homes. They' d get on like a house on fire-- literally :-)
mellville1987: Do you plan to do anymore books in the 'Last Hero' format with all the illustrations and such? Either new stories, or reformatted versions of older books? I would love to see a 'going postal' version, and volunteer to illustrate if Paul Kidby's not available :) (I can dream, right?)
PTerry: We are working on an illustrated 'Wee Free Men' More? Who knows?
Camilla: For a relaxing read, which authors/what sort of books do you enjoy best? Do you find yourself able to unplug your author-brain and read just for enjoyment, or is there always a bit of background writerly processing going on? (I'm asking this, because another author whose blog I've been reading mentioned how nearly impossible it was for her to read just for fun these days, and not with the critical eye of a writer).
PTerry: She's right. That's why I mostly read non-fiction these days -- science history, anything. When I do read fiction, then it't generally crime/ comedt, like Carl Hiassen or Donald Westlake. I seldom read fantasy!
Dukey: Right, that's it. Terry, once again, our warmest thank yous for letting us pinch an hour of your evening! You are very kind, thanks for being so patient with the small point type. The final words are yours, if you like.
PTerry: I met DNA only once, at a crowded party, where it as almost impossible to be heard, and I think we were almost immediately dragged in opposite directions by people who wanted us to meet interesting people. I have no idea if we would have got on. I was in a hotel in Chicago when I read that he had died, and I sang the Betelgeusian Death Anthem, all by myself. It was a shame. Thanks for having me, guys.
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My husband found the link to the planned chat somewhere (through alt.fan.pratchett I think), so I thought I'd toddle along to check it out. I didn't realise there was supposed to be a stronger connection between the chat with Pterry and Douglas Adams' work, otherwise I would have pointed some of my questions in that direction.
