The RPGnet Interview
R.A. Salvatore: As with most writers, the thing I’m most excited about is the book I’m writing now – in this case, the sequel to Neverwinter (and hey, I’m almost done!). In terms of your question, though, I can’t wait to gauge the reaction of readers to the rather dramatic changes that continue in the life of Drizzt. I’ve put the poor guy through the wringer over the last couple of years, and yes, that continues.
The beauty of the internet and accessibility and social networking and all of that, is that I hear, from the day a book is released, the cheers and the jeers, the screams of protest and the cries of “Finally!” The very notion of publishing a book has changed in the last few years, because there’s so much feedback, so quickly and so loudly. For a while, it had me off-balance – now I just think it’s a blast.
In this particular case, there are so many events, issues and emotional choices swirling about Drizzt that the noise will be interesting!
Brian: How closely did you have to work with WotC's creative team to keep all prevent story conflicts between your books and the Neverwinter games?
RAS: It’s a balancing act. I’m not writing the story of Neverwinter Nights (the video game), but rather, I’m putting the region in the state the game-makers wanted, mostly by blowing it up. That part was easy. Wizards asked me if I would be anywhere near the region in my next books and when I said that I would be, they just asked me to include a few items in the storyline to accomplish certain prerequisites for the game. Again, it was easy, because I was still gong to write the same book I had planned, only with a change in the surroundings. It was, essentially, the same cake with different frosting.
However, as we got going, things did get more complicated. Keep in mind that we’re working on different timetables and with different needs. There are things a video game company has to lock down very early on. I can change things in a novel with a simple rewrite of a paragraph; in a video game, that might mean tens of thousands of dollars scrapping old assets and building new ones. So whenever I came up with something in the book that could live on after my series, and thus intrude on the game timeline, I put it out to WotC, who looped Cryptic in, and in the end, it was Cryptic’s choice whether they wanted it or not.
All in all, though, the process moved very smoothly. WotC was a great go-between, and Crytic was respectful of my needs, as I tried to be with theirs. Shared world work can be tough, but it can also be a pleasure.
Brian: The tale of Drizzt Do'Urden just keeps going and everyone keeps loving it. How do you continue to come up with new ideas and plans for Drizzt? How far ahead do you outline new stories?
RAS: I’d be lying if I said that the plots are easy and just roll along. I’ve written more than 50 novels; that’s a lot of words, a lot of battle scenes and a lot of plot twists. But the thing that keeps me sane and moving along fluidly isn’t the plot, but the characters. A few years ago, I recognized that my writing career, the Drizzt books in particular, was a catharsis for me, a way to look at the world and make sense of it. I work hard to make sure that I’m constantly growing as a person, and as I find some answers, I inevitably discover more questions. That curiosity leads me to Drizzt and the gang, where I try to sort out the answers.
As long as I change, those characters change, and as long as they change, they stay interesting to me. I said I’d keep writing these books as long as people wanted to read them and as long as I was having fun. So far, I’m having fun.
To your second question here, the “official” answer is that I’m in complete control and there’s a master plan. If you believe that…
The truth is, I have to outline each book, by contract. And so I do, then I put the outline aside and get to work. Half the time, I don’t know what will happen on the next page, let alone the next chapter, let along the next book. I write my books the way other people read books, often on the edge of my seat, wondering how this guy will get out of this dilemma, or whether the end of the road is coming fast. I’m often surprised, usually confused (I mean that) and sometimes even angry as the story goes along. I’ll know, for example, that something very personal and deep is bothering Cadderly as I start writing the Cleric Quintet, but it will take me a couple of books to realize that he’s an agnostic priest – yeah, that should bother him more than a little.
Brian: This is your second book written in the new era of Forgotten Realms, are you finding it easier to fit your characters into this new world and tell the stories you wish to tell? Has it added new challenges?
RAS: I wish I could say yes to that, but not really. The changes – tieflings, eladrin – are hard to shoehorn in seamlessly in a series that’s been going on since 1987 (since 1st Edition AD&D). Think about it; what do I do with Narbondel, the timeclock of Menzoberranzan, when infravision goes away in one of the earlier edition changes? And how do I explain tieflings, tieflings everywhere when they were never mentioned before 4th Edition?
But that’s what shared world work entails. There are negatives, but changes can also create inspiration. I recently wrote a very detailed battle scene using the new metrics and new spell system. I tried hard to take the framework of the card descriptions and rules and weave it into a battle scene that made sense. I think it succeeded quite well, but I was left sweating and exhausted on the couch.
There was nothing easy about writing that scene because this edition of D&D is much more technical and structured. Everything from swinging a weapon to casting a spell involves tactics and movement – sometimes the movement makes sense, other times, it’s for game balance purposes. So for me at least, 4th Edition has put some serious boundaries and mechanics around which require a lot more detail and explanation in order to fit the “realism” needs of a novel.
Brian: In Neverwinter's sample chapter, it looks like a major element is going to be Drizzt and Dahlia's battle over each other's moral compass. Is that likely to be a short-term or long-term element of their story?
RAS: Well now, congratulations! You’ve figured out the most important aspect of the current events in the life of Drizzt. For most of his life and most of the series, Drizzt surrounded himself with people of similar weal, people who, for the most part, shared his moral compass. He knew that any of the Companions of the Hall would take an arrow for him, as he would take one for any of them.
Not so any longer, where Drizzt’s new companions see the world quite differently. The question is, will he bring them towards his way of thinking, or will they drag him down to their level? We’ve all seen this around us. Remember the kid in high school who fell in with the wrong crowd? Or the guy who fell in love and was lifted from his errant course by his new partner?
Is this short-term or long-term? I don’t really know quite yet. Right now, it is the element of the relationship and the story. Right now, Dahlia and Drizzt are feeling each other out, but a lot of the deeper issues readers might see coming like a runaway train, remain buried, either because they both need each other right now, or simply because one or the other, or both, are blinded by the sheer attraction to the other. Drizzt is a bit scared, of course, as his world’s been torn apart, and Dahlia, who so betrayed a very dangerous group, has no shortage of enemies hunting for her (and given that, who wouldn’t want Drizzt on their side?).
Your question goes to the heart of Neverwinter, and the next book, and perhaps beyond that. Like I said earlier, I often don’t know what’s happening on the next page, and this particular issue is something new and something with long-ranging implications. Given Dahlia’s past, isn’t it likely that she’ll wind up battling Drizzt to the death, and who knows which will win that battle? I don’t.
Brian: As fans, we've had a great loss of beloved recurring characters during Forgotten Realms' transition. Can we expect some new recurring characters to arrive on the scene?
RAS: You’ve already met a couple of them, so yes, absolutely! No one character can sustain a series for very long, and the friends and enemies I put around the dark elf now will have to step forward and take control.
Beyond that, the joy of the Drizzt books, for me at least, is the camaraderie. Someone once said to me that the best part of the Drizzt adventures was that this was a band to which he’d want to belong. These characters are friends he’d want to walk into danger beside – the buddy in the foxhole, so to speak. I agree with that assessment. When I wrote the novel The Highwayman and the Saga of the First King, which followed the story of the Highwayman further, one of the things my hero longed for, though he didn’t realize it, was that special group of companions. We all want that.
So yes, we’ve met new recurring characters, and we’ll surely meet more of them as we go along. The Legend of Drizzt would never have worked without the core group – Bruenor and Catti-brie and Wulfgar and Regis – or the nemesis that was Entreri, or the interesting additions like Jarlaxle and Belwar. This is a series about people more than it’s about the world, or the plot, and we are defined more than a little by those around us. To this point, Drizzt was pretty lucky in that regard. Who could ask for a better friend than Bruenor Battlehammer? Has his luck run out?
Brian: What other projects are you working on right now? What can your fans look forward to next?
RAS: I’m almost done the next book, as I said earlier, and my mind is already spinning on the possibilities coming out of that one. On a side note to that, my son Geno and I are finishing up the 5-issue comic series that dovetails off the events of these books. And of course, I continue my work with 38 Studios – we’re all on the edge of our seats waiting for the release of Reckoning in February. We can’t wait to show off our new world after spending 5 years building it!
Other than that, I’ve got a lot of irons hovering over the fire now, but none falling into the flames. I’m staying agile and expecting something big to break. Will I write another DemonWars novel, either following the original 7-book series or picking up after the tales of the Highwayman? Yes, I absolutely will do that. Right now? I don’t know and won’t commit.
So it’s a very exciting time for me, professionally speaking, but full of things I can’t talk about! Makes for a great interview, doesn’t it?
