I\u2019ve already blogged about the Osten Ard series<\/a>, and also written about the first volume of the new Osten Ard cycle, The Witchwood Crown<\/a>. If you\u2019d like to learn more about Tad Williams\u2019 books, I recommend reading those two posts \u2014 there, I try to give a deeper impression of the cycle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As the winner of the meet & greet, I got to meet Tad an hour before the reading began \u2014 and he really took his time. I had no idea what a meet & greet would be like \u2014 the term, after all, comes from the music world, where it\u2019s often more of a fan-groupie thing. But meeting Tad was nothing like that \u2014 it was a relaxed, engaging conversation. Although he\u2019s quite a well-known figure in the fantasy world, he\u2019s completely free of arrogance, and our talk was one of equals. He\u2019s also someone who genuinely enjoys storytelling (which, of course, is his job), and it\u2019s great fun to listen to him. Later, during the reading, he spoke with humor and warmth about his books and answered questions from the audience. He struck me as a very kind, genuine person \u2014 and you could tell how truly happy he was to meet readers who love his work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n His wife, Deborah Beale, was also there \u2014 she\u2019s the one to thank for the continuation of the Osten Ard cycle. She kept asking Tad when he\u2019d finally consider writing a sequel. There was also that prophecy at the birth of Prince Josua\u2019s twins that was never revisited, which many fans took as a hint of more to come. Apparently, that was a misunderstanding \u2014 but Deborah didn\u2019t give up. When Tad tried to argue against the idea, he kept realizing that a sequel could actually work \u2014 and that he already had plenty of ideas for one. Tad Williams published the first Osten Ard books in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since The Dragonbone Chair<\/em>, about thirty years have passed \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly the time span he chose for his characters as well. Readers now return to a world that feels familiar, yet has changed greatly \u2014 just as Tad\u2019s own life has changed. When I told him I couldn\u2019t imagine Simon and Miriamel as grandparents, he laughed and quoted something that Oscar Wilde once expressed perfectly: \u201cThe tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n During both the meet & greet and the reading, Tad also talked quite a bit about his writing process. I found it fascinating that he takes almost no notes \u2014 for a cycle spanning roughly 3,500 pages, he keeps fewer than ten pages of notes, mostly just for structure and scene balance. The real work, he says, happens in his mind \u2014 as he thinks through the story long before typing a word. He begins with a rough idea and only a vague notion of the ending; his preliminary thoughts unfold fully during the writing itself. For instance, he had long planned the scene where Simon meets his fate with the wheel, using the wheel as a symbol throughout, but he left the exact form of the scene open until the end. His great talent, I think, lies in maintaining an overview \u2014 keeping track of all the plotlines, characters, motivations, and histories, and arranging them in time and space \u2014 all in his head. Anyone familiar with the Osten Ard books knows that multiple storylines run in parallel, often intersecting, and must align perfectly in content and timing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Interestingly, Tad doesn\u2019t really think of his works as a series, but as one single, very long story. The division into, say, four volumes simply arises from the fact that such a long text won\u2019t fit into one book. That\u2019s exactly how I experience them \u2014 as one long, immersive tale that spans a vast arc. Out of many small scenes, moments, and encounters, something greater emerges on a second level. His books have always had a kind of emergent quality to me \u2014 from countless descriptions, settings, characters, and dialogues arises something more than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I also found his answer to why he\u2019s so productive very authentic. He joked about his hungry children and dog, saying he simply has bills to pay \u2014 he hasn\u2019t yet had the fortune of a George R. R. Martin. Financial motivation seems to crop up for him again and again \u2014 for instance, The War of the Flowers<\/em> was written to make up for the failed Shadowmarch<\/em> online project. His first book, Tale of Tailchaser<\/em>, was written late at night after he came home from his two jobs. Considering his background, it\u2019s understandable that income plays a role for him. But then, monetary necessity has often spurred great authors on.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It was also fascinating to hear how much research Tad puts into his work, despite being a fantasy author. His office, he said, is filled with stacks of nonfiction books on a wide range of topics \u2014 such as the Thirty Years\u2019 War or religious studies, both of which influence his worlds. The different races of Osten Ard clearly draw inspiration from real-world cultures of past centuries. Combined with his imagination, this creates a vivid picture of his peoples and their histories. What I always find striking is the deep sense of age in these cultures and their places \u2014 their long history that surfaces again and again, whether in locations like the Hayholt built upon Asu\u2019a, the ruins of the Sithi cities, or in characters like Utuk\u2019ku.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Before starting his new cycle, Tad reread his Osten Ard books \u2014 apparently for the first time since writing them. Understandably so \u2014 after spending so much time immersed in them, he was glad to set them aside. There\u2019s probably little benefit in rereading your own work anyway. Amusingly, though, it turns out that his most devoted fans often know the books better than he does. During his Shadowmarch<\/em> online project \u2014 which, ahead of its time, embraced the idea of crowdfunding before Kickstarter even existed \u2014 a dedicated community formed around him, and he\u2019s been in close contact with them ever since. Some of those early readers still correspond with him, and he occasionally asks them detailed questions about his own Osten Ard lore!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another piece of good news: there will also be a continuation of The Dragons of Ordinary Farm<\/em>. The third and final volume is still outstanding, and Deborah has already begun working on drafts. I plan to read them to my little frogs one day \u2014 though that\u2019ll take a while yet. So Deborah and Tad still have some time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He has also finished the second volume of his new trilogy, so I\u2019m confident that the story will continue next year. He\u2019s impressively fast and productive \u2014 especially compared to authors like George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss, whose pace has been glacial for years. Tad compared it to preparing Christmas dinner \u2014 the mother spends days cooking, and in fifteen minutes everyone\u2019s eaten and moved on. I can imagine it must be frustrating to spend countless hours writing a book that readers devour in no time, only to immediately ask when the next one is coming. But in a way, that\u2019s also wonderful \u2014 it shows that all the effort was well worth it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n During the reading, someone in the audience \u2014 likely a fellow writer \u2014 asked about his preferred writing software. He uses good old Microsoft Word and emphasized again that, for him, the creative process begins long before typing. By the time he\u2019s at the keyboard, most of the story is already worked out in his head. Writing things down and discarding them would be too time-consuming \u2014 he prefers to test ideas through thought experiments instead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another interesting fact: Tad used to draw illustrations himself. His book The Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice<\/em> includes several of his own drawings. For him, visualization is an essential element \u2014 colors and landscapes play a major role \u2014 and I think that this visual inclination is what creates that vivid \u201cmovie in your head\u201d effect that his books evoke so strongly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In summary, the evening was truly wonderful \u2014 informative, entertaining, and inspiring. It\u2019s a strange feeling to meet someone whose imagined worlds you\u2019ve spent so much time in, and yet who is, in reality, a complete stranger \u2014 and somehow not. After all, a book is something deeply personal, filled with the author\u2019s spirit. My impression is that Tad is a warmhearted man who loves to tell stories, and who isn\u2019t so far removed from Simon, the character he created \u2014 a character I feel quite connected to. And so, I had him sign my twenty-year-old copy \u2014 the book I loved as a young nerd and still enjoy leafing through today, reminiscing about those early reading days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you don\u2019t have the chance to attend one of Tad Williams\u2019 readings for his new novel, you can join the live stream on LovelyBooks<\/a> on October 19. The Stuttgart event will be broadcast live at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Books have always been a constant thread throughout my life and, together with music, they form my very own personal soundtrack. I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not alone in this \u2014 many avid readers love losing themselves in stories and immersing themselves in other worlds. Depending on the phase of life, books \u2014 and the people and … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/tad_und_tobi.jpg\")
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