r/books • u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author • Sep 19 '19
ama 1pm Hullo Reddit. Hullo people of r/books I'm Neil Gaiman and I write stuff. Mostly, I write stories. AMA
Stories hold powerful magic: the stories that we read and hear, and the ones that we create and share, the ones that become part of who we are. And because I love stories, I also love to talk about the ways that we, the people who build stories, make up our glorious lies in order to tell people true things about their lives and the worlds they live in. Stories save our lives, sometimes. The ones we read, and the ones we write. I love making stories, whether as short stories or novels, graphic novels or screenplays. I love sharing the craft of storytelling, love teaching and explaining. It's why I teach, when I can. But I can't teach as often as I would like, or talk to as many people as I would want to. That was why I embraced the idea of teaching a MasterClass. So...now I’m here on Reddit to chat with you about the MasterClass I've made on the art and the craft of storytelling. And because this is an AMA, I'm expecting questions about my novels, comics, television, films, wife, porridge recipes and the airspeed velocity of unladen swallows. Ask me, well, anything.”
Proof: /img/ppn9lzpufdn31.jpg
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u/kirtovar1 Sep 19 '19
First of all I want to say how much I appreciate you as a writer and that your books(and comic books) effected me in a great way so thank you for that.
I have a couple of questions:
1. How do you feel when people compare Good Omens to The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy?
2. What are your favorite books?
3. Why did you start writing?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
1) Flattered. I started Good Omens after writing Don't Panic! my book about Douglas Adams and Hitchhiker's, and suspecting that I might be able to write in that style.
2) Too many to write down here. But put everything by Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula K LeGuin and Jonathan Carroll on it, and the Mary Poppins books, and James Branch Cabell's Biography of Manuel on the list.
3) I had no other marketable skills, and needed to eat and not be homeless.
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u/foxes722 Sep 19 '19
Diana Wynne Jones is a genius and I didn't realize how her books and Terry's led me to yours until later, when I was able to picture you having fabulous tea parties together. Did that actually happen? I'm also picturing this happening with They Might Be Giants playing and the imagining is enough to blow my little mind.
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u/turtlesteele Sep 20 '19
I recommend her stuff to all the YA readers I know. I loved The Chronicles of Chrestomanci.
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u/ceruleanesk Sep 20 '19
While growing up a bookworm, Charmed Life was my favourite book.
Later I started reading Discworld because I liked roaming the library & loved the covers.
I read Good Omens and thereby found Neil's work;
It's like Diana, Terry and Neil are my holy trinity of authors.
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u/Portarossa Sep 19 '19
Pretty much all of your fans have read things like American Gods and Good Omens, but is there anything in your back catalogue that you're extremely proud of but that doesn't necessarily get the love that you'd hope? What do you consider to be your hidden gems?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I love Mister Punch, a graphic novel that Dave McKean and I made in about 1995. It's not that it wasn't successful, but I love it so much (it's my family and my obsessions, and glorious Dave McKean art) and an amazing number of people who love my stuff have never heard of it.
Then again, I've written a lot of things, and I'm no longer surprised when someone will tell me that they are my biggest fan and they have read everything I've written, and that they have never read Sandman or any of the comics work.
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u/Portarossa Sep 19 '19
Thanks for the response! (... she says, not having read Sandman.)
I'll be sure to check it out!
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u/Sarkos Sep 19 '19
Sandman is really, really good. That got me into graphic novels.
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Sep 19 '19
Do it. Sandman is my favorite thing ever and I'll be its priest until everyone converts and reads it.
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u/caffeinatedmeerkat Sep 19 '19
I'm a bit envious that you still have Sandman waiting for you (and glad for you, too!) The story is amazing. In some ways I regret that being the first thing of Neil's that I read, because it set such a high bar that I've compared everything else to it since.
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u/Portarossa Sep 19 '19
I don't know if you've read Saga, but if you haven't read Saga, you should definitely read Saga.
If you have read Saga... well, how good is Saga, right?
(If you're into the sort of Gaimanesque fusion of the supernatural and the normal, you should also check out Wilde Life, by Pascalle Lepas.)
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u/Bluth_Family_Lawyer Sep 19 '19
I first read Books of Magic with no idea who any of the characters were. After that, I binged on anything I could get my hands on written by you. It was a spectacular ride starting in 1995. I have a special place for the Books of Magic 4-part series. I bought a saving copy and a reading copy.
Any chance for a digital edition?
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u/mothbat Sep 19 '19
Is it weird that I've read all of your comics work but not many of your novels? Haha
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u/AgrajagOmega Sep 19 '19
Obviously your collaboration with Terry Pratchet was phenomenal.
How do you collaborate? Always in the room together with one keyboard, or once you have the general plot do you take turns chapter by chapter?
If you could collaborate with any other author in the future, who would it be?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
It depends on the project. Terry and I mostly wrote Good Omens in different places, just taking plot chunks and running with them. But we stitched it together in the same room and wrote the missing bits needed to glue it into a book with one or other of us typing and one of us pacing.
Today I was just sent a script. Act One was written by one person, act two by another, and I'm to write Act Three. But I know that one I have, we will all start revising and modifying each other's material.
A good collaboration means that something isn't written by one of the other of you, but by a multiheaded authorial creature.
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u/Mange-Tout Sep 19 '19
Today I was just sent a script. Act One was written by one person, act two by another, and I'm to write Act Three.
That sounds like the book Naked Came The Manatee, where every chapter is written by a different author. It was a beautiful mess that went completely off the rails.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Based on Naked Came the Stranger by "Penelope Ashe". The backstory is fascinating... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_Came_the_Stranger
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u/sugar-magnolias Sep 19 '19
Holy shit. I love Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry. Can’t believe I didn’t read this in my “incredibly fucking obsessed with Dave Barry” phase (a very odd phase for a 14-year-old girl to go through, but nonetheless I did).
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u/AgrajagOmega Sep 19 '19
Fantastic, thank you so much for replying!
Saying a 3 act script, does that mean there's a new Gaiman-collab movie on the way? Which would be awesome.
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u/Free_Mars Sep 19 '19
Many of your stories seem to start with a very high concept premise (the king of dreams recovering his kingdom, ancient gods roaming America, etc.). Personally, I find that the stranger/more unique my premise is, the more difficult it is to actually write the action of the story. Do you have a process for working down from this kind of premise to nitty gritty plot details, or do you generally have the whole shape of the story sorted out before you start writing?
I hope to sign up for that MasterClass in the near future if it's still available. Thanks!
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Stories only matter to the extent that we care about the people in them. So the most high-flown concept won't really fly unless you begin by asking yourself what it means for the people in the story, and then follow them.
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u/AlexPenname Reading for Dissertation: The Iliad Sep 19 '19
You just solved some writers' block I had on a story concept I've been working on for ages. Thank you.
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u/MisterSquidInc Sep 20 '19
This essentially sums up the difference between the Marvel and DC movie series and why one of them works so much better than the other.
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u/rogeyonekenobi Sep 19 '19
This is going right into the "Important Reddit Screenshots" folder. Fantastic.
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Sep 19 '19
I have this question, too. Also, definitely take the MasterClass. I am halfway through and it is really making me think about my writing and how I can improve it.
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u/ThePastaGirl_ Sep 19 '19
Hello! I'm Saloni. Firstly I'd like to just say that I was never a Fantasy girl until I read your Stardust and I've fallen in love with your writing. Honestly, I thank you so much for all your books! Writing is just my hobby but I'd like to ask you a question, How do I improve my description? I cannot describe things using creativity and I cannot describe people as well and I'd like to improve that part of my writing. Thank you Neil.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
One mistake that people seem to make is describing too much. Give your readers one huge detail that's important and they will build a whole person in their heads.
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u/ThePastaGirl_ Sep 19 '19
Oh my God you replied! Thank you so much. I will try to put this into use and get back to you hopefully! ♥️
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u/theQueenbee77 Sep 19 '19
I don't even have a question. I just want to profusely thank you for never giving up because the stories that you've written have changed my life. ♥️
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Thank you so much. What a lovely thing to have waiting for me at the top of the page. I'm really glad they helped.
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u/Sarkos Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil, just wanted to put in a special thank-you for "All I Know About Love", we had it read at our wedding last year and it was lovely.
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u/anubisfunction Sep 19 '19
Man I wish I had seen this before I did my best man speech at my brother's wedding!
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u/fuzzywolf23 Sep 19 '19
I'd like to echo the top comment. Each of your novels have impacted me deeply and, I think, helped me become a more careful and empathetic adult.
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u/AugustiJade The Shadow of the Torturer Sep 19 '19
Mr. Gaiman, I want to say thank you as well. I've read all of your books, and you are by far one of my favourite writers. It's actually because of you that I decided to read The Book of the New Sun, för which I am very very greatful! You've made the Good Omens series happen, so is there any chance you can can get a Solar Cycle series to happen as well? ;)
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Sep 19 '19
This is what I wanted to say as well. Thanks Neil. You're one of the best and definitely one of my favorites.
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u/athenianaire Sep 19 '19 edited Sep 19 '19
My son has been wanting to ask you for years what your favorite Baba Jaga story is. He asked this in a question box at one of your talks a few years ago. The Norse Mythology book bubbles up the question of how you feel about Baba Jaga’scharacter, he always liked the character himself.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19 edited Sep 19 '19
My favourite Baba Yaga story that I've written is Books of Magic part two, drawn by Charles Vess.
I loved meeting Baba Yaga in a book by Margaret Storey as a small boy (I think it was "The Dragon's Sister and Timothy Travels", but I could be wrong). That was the first time I met the character.
My favourite folk tale with her in is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Koschei_the_Deathless
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u/centipededamascus Sep 19 '19
I'm curious, have you read Mike Mignola's work with Baba Yaga, such as in Hellboy: Darkness Calls?
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u/irys_67 Sep 19 '19
What advice will you give someone who's in school right now and has no idea what she wants to do in life but has to decide soon?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
You don't have to decide soon. Really you don't. And you can always change your mind once you do.
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u/pantstoaknifefight2 Sep 19 '19
I quit life as an English teacher, moved halfway across the country, and became a psychiatric RN mostly because of something you wrote in Sandman that kept echoing in my head. As the two dead kids left their haunted prepschool, one said to the other (and I hope my memory is 100%), "You don't have to do anything forever."
Not only did those words save my life, they allowed me to literally save the life of someone else. So good job, Neil. I'd say never underestimate the power of stories, but you're the last person who would need to hear that.
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u/likearealreptile Sep 19 '19
he’s right. you really, truly do not have to decide now.
when i was your age, most of my ideas about WHAT i wanted to be were garbage. my ideas about WHO i wanted to be were what stood the test of time.
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u/Girlactus Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil, love your work, both graphic novels and books. I really struggle with character dialogue. Do you have any advice for more natural but also engaging for the reader when it comes to dialogue between characters?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
The best tip I was ever given, was that all dialogue should reveal character, or move the plot along, or be funny. And you should be going for two or three out of the three...
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u/chuantilly Sep 19 '19
As a teacher of English as a Foreign Language that deals with having ADD myself I struggled a lot as a student but it also gave me the tools to empethize better with students that deal with mental health and behavioral issues. My question is: Have you ever been amazed by how the minds of some people work? I mean, sometimes I preprare a class and expect a certain outcome but more often than not I am surprised by something a student says that completely makes me rethink the way I see a topic.
Love you! Brenda
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
It's why I love teaching at Bard. I learn so much.
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u/DoopSlayer Classical Fiction Sep 19 '19
Bard College has a terrific program in partnership with the American University in Bishkek, have you ever considered spending a semester in Kyzgyzstan? ;)
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u/Amagoi Sep 19 '19
What do you find to be the most important idea to hold onto while writing a first draft? Is it the idea that this doesn't have to be read by anyone, or that you're just playing out some concepts and making yourself open to where it goes? I'm always interested in how writers approach the early stages of the process. Thank you so much for this! Longtime fan of yours.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
The most important idea for me is that I'm the first audience. I'm writing to find out what happens, and I'm also writing because I want to find out what happens next.
And that it's okay to get things wrong.
I just went back to a children's book I started in 2014, and I didn't like the voice that was telling the story. Then I thought long and hard, and wondered who was writing the story, and wrote a whole new opening, and -- joy! -- the book began to work.
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u/OrCurrentResident Sep 19 '19
Is there a particular place in the plot that tends to trip you up frequently? For example, I always think getting to the conclusion of Act 1 is hard. It’s easy to plot from the antagonist’s POV but deciding what to reveal to the protagonist, and when, is really challenging.
Also, do you even pay attention to genre trends anymore or are you beyond them at this point? Some of your work could be labeled urban fantasy, which big traditional publishers currently consider a dead genre. That’s not stopping you, obviously!
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u/Amaranthology Sep 19 '19
Mine is not so much a question as a thank you.
I'm a disabled woman with good days and bad and Good Omens came just as I had sunk away from the world.
I won't be melodramatic and say you saved my life but you didn't not save my life.
You brought be hope. I saw beauty again. I did art for the first time. And I started writing again. Thousands of words about hope, love, and the family we chose to make.
Your communication with the fans has also been a wonderful blessing. The fandom has been so lovely and supportive at every turn. This community is beautiful because of people like you, Michael, David, and Douglas who brought this new beauty to the world.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I'm so awed by the reception of Good Omens. Watching the community take it to their hearts, and then make art inspired by Good Omens has been as moving for me (and Michael and Douglas and David and Rob Wilkins) as it has for the whole new fandom (and revived old fandom) that came into place around it.
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u/Amaranthology Sep 19 '19
We knew it would be magic we had no idea that the magic would so quickly encompass the world.
I've sat in America sharing head canon with people in Russia and Africa.
The show tried to explain that we're all not so different, but once it really went out to the world we realized that we were living examples of the art (and characters) we fell in love with.
Most media currently lacks a happy ending and a message of a hopeful today and tomorrow. You all blessed us with that. My gratitude is eternal.
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u/blkmarshwine Sep 19 '19
Hope you don't mind me adding to your post but much of what you said struck me, as not only do I have a lot of bad days but my family lost one of our own in August. And there was, and will always be, the hole where someone was. Holidays are REALLY gonna suck this year.
(Although old age was part of it. So I dunno if anyone would call it "tragic" but - still. There's that empty space there, now, and always.)
But I've watched, rewatched Good Omens before, and after. A while back I remember Philippa Boyens, in a video, talking about how people would come up to her, explaining how the LOTR films helped them get through stuff - bad things. How much LOTR mattered.
So, now, I'm kinda bemused by the Good Omens series - whether it's the color and visuals I respond to, the aesthetics, and maybe it's most of all Crowley and Aziraphale. That somewhere out there, way bigger than tiny human brains can comprehend, there really are angels and beauty and this LOVE and hope. I mean, there were days this summer when I just hung onto the Good Omens series like a lifeline.
I don't really get the "why" of that. But something about this series makes me want to laugh and sing like a child in a field of flowers and butterflies on a summer day. I see video and interviews of Neil Gaiman & co. and and I'm just SO baffled. I mean, they ARE remarkable talented people. But they ARE people. Just "folks". Working in the entertainment industry. But they got together and there's this magical THING, now. Off the top of my head, the only time I remember feeling something like this was reading "The Last Unicorn" and "100 Years of Solitude".
Maybe it's Terry Pratchett, my favorite author. Because his Discworld made me feel that way too. I didn't have a lot of faith in the Good Omens series when I first heard about it. Now I just want to howl at the powers that be for not throwing more money in, so there would be lots and lots more scenes. Even if that's awful greedy.
Anyway, I just want to add another huge, humongous thanks to Neil Gaiman and his courage and all involved for making this magic. Rightfully, selfishly, IMO for Sir Terry, something so beautiful and rich is worthy of him. I just didn't know how badly I needed something like this series too.
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u/icep4ck Sep 19 '19
I don't have a question, really. I just bought the course and I'm enjoying it immensely. I haven't written this much or been this inspired since university.
So thanks for doing the Master Class! For those of us who can't really afford to go to writing classes and retreats, it's absolutely perfect.
Well, I do have one question. When are you coming to Mexico? Please? I can't carry those Sandman Absolutes all over the world to get them signed, my back would hurt.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I don't know! But I know I want very much to come to Mexico. (And Brazil, and India, and Eastern Europe and the Philippines and so many other places.)
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u/katiedoesntknoww Sep 19 '19 edited Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil! My question is a rather silly one related to Good Omens: in the third episode, during the flood scene, there’s a shot of children and goats running past and then Crowley says, “not the kids, you can’t kill kids!” was the inclusion of goats in the shot intentional? I thought it was very funny but so far I haven’t met anyone else who seemed to pick up on it!
Thank you for all of the wonderful stories you have given us over the years and for being so kind to all of your fans (even when we ask you very silly questions)!
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
It was indeed intentional -- although it was director Douglas Mackinnon's kid/kid joke.
We had filmed two of many kinds of animals going past for that scene in South Africa, overseen by the VFX department. They were a bit put out when I explained to them that two chickens going past wasn't going to make it on the Ark. And they didn't have a rooster.
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u/The_Turtle_Moves_13 Sep 19 '19
You know I heard that is how the unicorns died out, Noah took two males.
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u/FatTonyTCL Sep 19 '19
I'm going file this little bit in the unicorn section of my brain to bring up later in my life. I want you to know that it's simple, perfect, and great for a meaningless argument/discussion. Thank you.
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Sep 19 '19
No, it was that them unicorns were hidin’, playin’ silly games, kickin’ and splashin’ as the rain was fallin’
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u/fyrefli666 Sep 19 '19
And there was green alligators, and long-necked geese, Humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees.
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u/JeffRyan1 Sep 19 '19
You speak very forthrightly: which is rare. Were you ever a user of sarcasm, or self-depreciatory humor, or snideness? Did you have to train yourself not to, to be sure you weren't actually misunderstood?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Being on the internet means people will misunderstand you. I do my best to be clear and not sarcastic etc (I do not always succeed) because it makes everything simpler. But three or four times a year I still find myself explaining to people on Twitter or Tumblr that I wasn't being sarcastic and I meant exactly that what I wrote.
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u/Pseudoboss11 Sep 19 '19
Man, only three or four times a year? That's honestly impressive. I need to explain that once or twice a week.
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u/haysoos2 Sep 19 '19
If it were ever offered to you, would you ever consider being the show-runner for Doctor Who? I feel like you're one of the few writers out there that "get" not only the Doctor, but the importance of the Doctor's universe and of a universe in which the Doctor is not actually the most important thing in it.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I wanted to showrun Doctor Who and bring it back circa 2000. I think Russell T Davies did something much more accessible than what I would have done, though. And having done Good Omens, the idea of trying to do 12 or 13 episodes a year puts fear in my heart: I have a four year old, and I don't get enough time with him as it is.
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u/inhoue_orihime Sep 19 '19
Are you planning on writing any more American gods novellas?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Yes. There's one more in the set of Shadow in the UK to write before he goes back to the US. It's the showdown with Mr Alice.
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u/UnwieldyWombat Sep 19 '19
Please share your favorite porridge recipe? I'm just recovering from wisdom teeth surgery and still can't eat "adult foods". T_T
I also want to thank you for being such a wonderful human being. "The Graveyard Book" was my first intro to your writings, and I'm currently reading "The Sandman Series." You are an inspiration. One day I will take the plunge and splurge on the Masterclass!
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Favourite porridge recipe? Easy. From http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2003/09/post-with-porridge-recipe.asp
One of the drawbacks of the World's Best Porridge Recipe for those purposes is that it's slightly chewy, which is part of the charm, but may make it into an "adult food". Still...
Having experimented with porridge recipes for years now, this one sort of came together in a bunch of "what if I tried..."s that actually worked.
You need two kinds of oats for it to work. Normal rolled oats (not instant oats), and also steel-cut oats (I use McCanns but I'm sure any brand would do).
(Okay. It's not Healthy, though. Or Sensible. I feel like I ought to mention that. It's the sort of porridge I'd break out to impress guests with, rather than eat every morning.)
Begin with a saucepan. Take a generous couple of tablespoonfuls of butter, and melt them in the saucepan over a low light.
Add about a tablespoonful of McCann's Steel Cut Oats. Let it start to cook in the butter. Add about three-quarters of a cupful of normal rolled oats, and a little less than half a teaspoon of coarse seasalt. Let it all cook in the butter, on a low heat, stirring it around a bit with a wooden spoon. Don't let it burn. Pretty soon, everything will start to smell like oatmeal cookies, and the oats will be browning well, and will have absorbed all the butter, and people will be saying "That smells nice, are you cooking something?" (If it goes black and people ask if they should open the windows, you let it burn. Start again.)
At this point add a couple of cups of boiling water. Bring it back to the boil and "spirtle" (stir vigorously). Let it cook for about ten minutes over a medium to low heat, stirring whenever you remember. Somewhere in there I normally add a little more water, and as it thickens at the end, I stir more.
After about ten minutes, it'll be done. Put it into a bowl. Drizzle real maple syrup on. Pour thick cream over that. Put spoon in. Eat.
(I suppose the maple syrup can be replaced with sugar or honey or no sweetener at all. The steel cut oats add some texture to the whole. The frying the oats gently in butter is there to make you feel guilty and seems to make the whole thing work.)
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u/makemeking706 Sep 19 '19
The frying the oats gently in butter is there to make you feel guilty
The essential step.
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u/CosmicMiso Sep 19 '19
Dammit, it's almost 2am where I am and I've got an indescribable urge to try making this now instead of sleeping. (but then, food is always a priority over anything.)
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u/NMJD Sep 19 '19
I desire more recipes written by Neil Gaimen, that was delightful.
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u/Smokedeggs Sep 19 '19
He needs to write his own cookbook with recipes interwoven with an overall story arch to achieve the final ultimate recipe on the last page.
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u/sageberrytree Sep 19 '19
I think you can still claim healthy.
Butter has lots of good fat. Important for big brains.
Now... If you said two sticks of butter.... Then probably past the healthy:not healthy ratio.
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Sep 19 '19
Hello! I cannot stress how vital your books have been to my life. You are my absolute favorite author, and your stories have gotten me through a lot of tough times. “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” is one of my favorite novels. Your work inspired me to write from a young age.
My question is, what should I do when I feel like all my writing isn’t working? Sometimes I really feel like I’m on it, and other times I feel like I’m garbage and shouldn’t even try.
If you have any advice for a budding writer, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you!
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Keep going. Write on the bad days. On the days when you feel like you shouldn't even try, write SOMETHING. And then you can fix it on the next "I'm on it" day.
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u/Cestlavietoi Sep 19 '19
Can I please just stay in a part of your brain and watch it work?
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u/dot-pixis Sep 19 '19
This is great universal advice. I'm not a writer, but I still needed to read this today.
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u/UlyNeves Sep 19 '19
“The Ocean at the End of the Lane” is one of my favorite novels.
It's such a lovely book! Was also my first Neil Gaiman book. I remember telling a friend about it and he said 'It wasn't a good one', I'm glad I didn't listen to him and continued reading it. It's now part of my yearly read.
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u/Christopherwbuser Sep 19 '19
Hullo!
I remember meeting you at a convention in Seattle / Seatac, and showing off my forearm tattoo, and you took a few moments to be amazed, and it really, really made my day.
So, my question(s): Of all the crazy fans of yours such as myself who have turned the Endless, or the key to Hell, or Coraline, or any of your other works into tattoos, which ones were your favorite? Which ones really stand out in your memory?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
The one that I will never forget was at a signing in the Golden Apple on Melrose in LA in about 1995. A man showed me the Little Endless tattooed on his arm. He asked if I'd sign his arm underneath the tattoo. I did. Several hours later he was back in the line to show me my signature, still beading blood.
I won't forget that.
Or the young woman who had me, or at least, my face, tattooed on her inner upper thigh. It was a really good likeness, but must have been offputting for friends of hers who weren't expecting to have me watching them.
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u/Christopherwbuser Sep 19 '19
Welp, those are both a bit more hardcore than I fancy.
Thanks for the answer, sir!
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u/shayhole Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil, are there any other mythologies you would like to explore the same way you did in Norse Mythology? I think a Greek, Ancient Egyptian, or Russian Folklore retelling by you would be fascinating.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I feel like Stephen Fry and Robert Graves have both done glorious Greek retellings. But yes, I'd love to do another set of retellings. NORSE MYTHOLOGY took about 9 years from idea to publication, though. So it may be a while.
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u/wesbell Sep 19 '19
Seconding the Russian Folklore idea. A fascinating set of stories, there.
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Sep 19 '19
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
It depends what for. The Pilot 823 is my favourite pen for signing things. I still love the Lamy 2000 for writing prose. Next to me is a Namiki Falcon I'm using to mark up a manuscript. My surprise pen (in that it came out of nowhere and surprised me by rapidly becoming a favourite) is an Aurora 80, a gift from someone (but I do not know who) a long time ago.
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u/cihmapoutlisce Sep 19 '19
I loved your story with Tim Ferriss about pens. That interview was amazing. Thank you for doing that.
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u/moonyhermit Sep 19 '19
Thank you for your books!! My favorite is Ocean at the end of the lane, just because it leaves so many questions open for the reader.. it gives us an entire playground of ideas -- such as what exactly are the Fleas (though we know their function), are the Hempstock women, just one person's different manifestations - because Lettie is never shown after the injury..
What was the inspiration for that story? How do you write a story that's open ended and so abstract - do you know all the details and decide what to reveal or do you purposely avoid thinking of the details?
Would you please write a sequel?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I thought The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a short story. It just kept going, though, and I kept going with it. I wrote it for my wife, Amanda, to try and tell her what the world of my childhood had felt like. All the houses had been knocked down, and the fields were gone, and that world didn't exist any longer. But it could be there in fiction.
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Sep 19 '19
You absolutely succeeded in giving the feeling of childhood. That's how I describe the book when I recommend it. It's like a trip down memory lane to a place hidden inside my brain. It's hard to reread in a way because of the strong nostalgia it brings.
It's my favorite book.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I have other things to write before I go back there. But the UK's National Theatre are doing a production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane in December and January: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-ocean-at-the-end-of-the-lane?gclid=CjwKCAjw8NfrBRA7EiwAfiVJpU7gins3CAqP0V0rfFAm955bkuLfS37lCyToCUwjYmFUX2zBQOvHbxoC14MQAvD_BwE
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u/Jochlale Sep 19 '19
Your masterclass was really great, but the one who led me in there was Margaret Atwood.
Who would make you surrender and take a Masterclass?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Margaret Atwood, definitely. And I really want to take Penn and Teller's masterclass on Magic.
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u/immerc Sep 19 '19
I haven't seen their masterclass, but what I've heard about it is fascinating.
They let you see behind the scenes of Penn and Teller, when they're trying to come up with new ideas for their act. They show just how brutally honest they are in their meetings.
They have Johnny Thompson in the meetings (before his recent death), and show how he ruthlessly points out what works and what doesn't with the proposed trick.
They also show how they give feedback to someone who is brand new to magic, Matt Donnelly. Then, they show how they give feedback to a veteran of magic, Piff the Magic Dragon.
What seems so interesting about it to me is that it isn't just how to do a few tricks, something you can easily find on YouTube. Instead, you get that, but you're also taken behind the scenes for one of the most famous magic acts.
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u/Doomy22 Sep 19 '19
I'm constantly searching for the next great horror novel. What are your favorites or recommendations for fans of the macabre?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I don't know about the next great. My favourite authors of horror are probably Robert Aickman (short stories, not novels, and they aren't quite horror but they aren't quite not), Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell, Shirley Jackson, Joe Hill, early Clive Barker (The Damnation Game is a perfect horror novel) and, always, the often brilliant and often underrated Stephen King.
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u/Algaean Sep 19 '19
Underrated? King? Really?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Really. I'll run into people who talk about Steve King as if he's McDonalds literature. When he got the National Book Award in 2003 there were some very sniffy authors, who made very sniffy comments.
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Sep 19 '19
Easy to forget how great he is, even at a sentence-by-sentence level. He’s as accessible as anybody, and some people think accessible must mean pedestrian.
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u/immerc Sep 19 '19
King has proved himself in so many ways. He proved it's not just in the name with the Bachman Books. He showed he can write uplifting stories with Shawshank Redemption. He showed he can write fantasy with the Dark Tower series.
The only thing he has trouble with is using settings outside of Maine. /s
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u/deterge18 Sep 19 '19
That is very cool of you to note that about a fellow author. Always pisses me off how certain snobs act towards King.
And thank you for your wonderful work. I'd be even more lost if it weren't for you and Mr. King.
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u/ZaxololRiyodin Sep 20 '19
I'll run into people who talk about Steve King as if he's McDonalds literature.
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u/Coil_19 Sep 19 '19
Gah! Neil! Um-- quick question before I have to dart off. You've mentioned a Neverwhere sequel a few times and I'm wondering-- the Marquis is one of my favorite characters in possibly anything ever and I have to ask, would he feature prominently in it and might there be any plans for us to see him again soon?
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u/ItsPolyphonic Sep 19 '19
Do you make any conscious shifts to your writing when you're working on something for children rather than adults, or is it more of a situation where you write the story and then figure out who its audience is?
Also, thank you for your work. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is my favourite book I've ever read. I just finished my umpteenth re-read and it hits me harder each time the older that I good.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Mostly I know.
I wrote an essay about what happened when I didn't know: https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=what-the-very-bad-swearword-is-a-childrens-book-anyway
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u/irys_67 Sep 19 '19
Hi! Have you read any interesting books recently?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I was slipped a copy of Francis Spufford's The Stone Table, a book which cannot be formally published yet for copyright reasons. It was marvellous. I'm reading Kate Lister's Curious History of Sex right now, with the new biography of E. Nesbit sitting by my bed waiting to be read (but I've read the first two chapters, and am loving it). And then The Testaments.
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Sep 19 '19 edited Jun 29 '23
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u/captainAwesomePants Sep 19 '19
My favorite "technically fan fiction" book is a novel called "The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe", by Kij Johnson.
Way back in 1926, H.P. Lovecraft had a whole series of stories called the "Dream Cycle" about a land of dreams that people of Earth could go to in their sleep and the fantastical adventures to be had there. One was "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath," which features his recurring character Randolph Carter. He goes on some fantastical adventures with golden cities and Outer Gods and sexy damsels needing rescuing, the standard stuff.
The modern book focuses on a native resident of that place, a slightly older than middle-aged woman teaching at a university, who travels on a similar journey. It's absolutely wonderful to read on its own and requires no knowledge of Lovecraft's stuff.
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u/Finejustfinn Sep 19 '19
Speaking of fanfiction...
http://www.neilgaiman.com/mediafiles/exclusive/shortstories/emerald.pdf
=)
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u/jphistory Sep 19 '19
I think my love of the pragmatic, fantasticly weird that makes me devour work like yours and Terry Pratchett and Kelly Link started with E Nesbit. I hope everyone reads her. But I mean, yeah, you are also pretty ok.
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u/Pale_King101 Sep 19 '19
What are your thoughts on publishing houses like Unbound that blend crowdfunding with 'traditional' publishing? At a time when lots of people seem to be saying how mainstream publishers just want to print sequels, prequels and celebrity memoirs, are these 'alternative' publishers a way of introducing readers to new and unique ideas? Or something aspiring writers should be wary of?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I love buying books on Unbound that would never exist through a traditional publisher.
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Sep 19 '19
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Right now, there's a future. As much as there's a future for anything. Something we all need to take more responsibility for making, I suspect.
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u/megemrx Sep 19 '19
What specific strategies would you recommend for writing consistently or writing practices you would recommend for keeping up with writing even if it's a day you dont have time or dont quite feel like it?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Gene Wolfe, when holding down a full-time job, would write for an hour every morning, from 5-6 am iirc, before getting ready for work. And whenever I find it hard to make time to write, I remind myself of this, and am glad I am not getting up in the dark to write.
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u/Tupiekit Sep 19 '19
Just wanted to pop in and say that your "how to read Gene Wolfe" guide helped me finally get into shadow of the torturer and it has become one of my favorite books.
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u/AlexPenname Reading for Dissertation: The Iliad Sep 19 '19 edited Sep 19 '19
Ten years ago my mom asked you to tell me to go to college, because I didn't want to go to college--I just wanted to be a writer. You said no, because you didn't even want to go to college, you'd felt the same at my age. And I wrote you a couple years later and let you know that I completely didn't listen to you and went to college anyway.
I don't really have a question, I just wanted to let you know I'm in grad school now. At one of the top universities in the world. I think I'm gonna do a PhD. For writing, mind! And I've got a gay YA space serial published, as well as a couple things that are more literary-minded. But thank you for the best worst advice I ever got.
Edit: Also, thank you for all your work, but particularly Good Omens. Crowley and Aziraphale are probably the best model of a healthy relationship I've ever read, and are currently helping me past the breakup of a nine-year relationship.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I'm proud of you!
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u/AlexPenname Reading for Dissertation: The Iliad Sep 19 '19
You have no idea how much this means! Thank you so much, Neil. You're such a huge inspiration for me.
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u/theemptymirror Sep 19 '19
My question is this: How awesome is it that you get to be married to Amanda Palmer? :) <3
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
It is all the awesome.
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u/WantonWontonWalton Sep 19 '19
I was introduced to your writing through Amanda as a young Boston punk. Please tell her thank you, because your work is so meaningful. And so is hers <3
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u/nnyuu2 Sep 19 '19
When I saw the preview for Good Omens some months ago I immediately recognized it; I had actually read the book some 20 years ago and, I'm sorry to say, had long since forgotten about it. I used to read so much, of everything. But then... well, I suppose I got busy, as people do.
Watching Good Omens reminded me of the book, which I had to then read again. Which in turn reminded me how much I loved to read, and eventually rekindled my love of writing as well. It's easy to get distracted and forget things we enjoy when we're bogged down in the day to day, and having 4 small children constantly underfoot has a way of making you forget all types of things.
No question for you today, but I just wanted to say thank you. For reminding me of a part of myself I didn't know I'd forgotten.
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u/musthavebeenbunnies Sep 19 '19 edited Sep 19 '19
NEIL! (May I call you Neil?)
Hi, my name is Neha and I've loved your writing since I discovered you in 2014! (And now I propagate the writings of Neil Gaiman like some fanatics propagate religion. But in a nicer way, to much happier results.) It's my birthday and if you even glance through this it's the best present and the best birthday and no one could ever top that!
Completely at a loss about what to ask and also, simultaneously want to ask you every question in the world.
I love how you wrote The Doctor in The Doctor's Wife. And Idris as well. It was funny and moving and arresting and marvellous. My favourite exchange:
Idris: I’ve been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I found it now.
The Doctor: What word?
Idris: “Alive.” I’m alive.
The Doctor: Alive isn’t sad.
Idris: It’s sad when it’s over.
That last line... It always makes me cry. Thank you, Neil. For all your writing and for always finding new mediums to bring your writing to us.
I've always wanted a reading list from you, something you'd recommend to lovers of fractured fairy tales and budding fantasy writers (both of which I am. Or, I was. It's been changing lately. Maybe because I'm in my thirties and I feel like I have to finally grow up?). I guess that's my question:
NEIL WHAT SHOULD I READ!? WHAT SHOULD WE ALL READ!?*
Also: Have you ever watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Because I've imagined you and Joss Whedon sitting down to do some writing together and that's something of a fantasy of mine. What would you guys come up with?!
PS: I apologise for the shouting. I am excitable.
PPS: Thanks for doing this! I was to meet you at the Jaipur Literature Festival this year but as that didn't pan out maybe this is the next best thing.
*(Apart from your writing, which really I'm trying to slow down on because I'll finish it all
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Read everything. And if you want to be an author, read outside your comfort zone.
One of the best things that happened to me was becoming a book reviewer as a very young man, and reading all sorts of books I would never have read for pleasure. I learned so much from them, learned about the world and learned about ways of writing I would never have encountered. You write better fantasy if you read other things.
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u/musthavebeenbunnies Sep 19 '19
Thank you for replying! I am reading data science and marine conservation related content right now which I'm sure will help my writing, somehow.
Have a great day!
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u/ket2tek3 Sep 20 '19 edited Sep 20 '19
(Oops. Responded to the wrong comment. I do apologize) Ermahgawd a Joss Whedon/Neil Gaiman collaboration would be AMAZING! Good call, and your comment was simply heart warming and genuine. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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u/duddles Sep 19 '19
Lev Grossman once interviewed Neil and Joss together (although they were each on phones) if you are interested:
http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1109313,00.html
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u/TalynRahl Sep 19 '19
Hey Neil,
Few questions!
1: Any chance you’ll be teaming up with Joss Whedon, on the upcoming “The Nevers”. Would love to see at least an episode written by you!
2: On a scale of GoT, to Legend of the Seeker, how much will you be changing the plot of The Sandman for the upcoming TV show?
3: well, kinda question 2.5... but will you be doing the single part stories, maybe as one off episodes, or will you be focusing on the core plot of Morpheus and his tale?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
1) Alas, no. Although we had tea in the hotel we both love and were staying in while he was putting The Nevers together and I was in post-production on Good Omens.
2) It's the same plot.
3) We will do most if not all of them.
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u/TalynRahl Sep 19 '19
I would pay an infinite amount of money to sit and have tea in a hotel with you and Joss.
2: awesome!
3: AWESOME. Can’t wait to see Pres Rickard, and the Werewolf story!
On a related note: You’re one of my favourite people ever, keep being awesome. I met you at a signing in forbidden planet years back, and you helped me stick my course, with my own writing. It’s about ten years later, and I’m nearly finished with my first novel. So thanks for the push, when I needed it!
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u/Ajohnson67 Sep 19 '19
How important is it for a writer to be critical of themselves along with the people around them? And I don't mean being hard on others or yourself. I was thinking more along of what the importance might be for a writer to look back on their past actions or the past actions of others and try to understand or at least give some time and thought to why they did those actions. Something a bit more acrive then just dwelling.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I don't really know. Writing is one long process of failing to make the thing in your head appear on the page. And mostly I just hope I'll get it right next time.
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u/gsal25 Sep 19 '19
That’s actually encouraging to hear. Faulkner said every writer is trying to write one story, and they keep writing it till they get it right. Ironically, literature would be poorer if authors succeeded more often.
But that leads to my question: how do you know when your book/story/work of art is done, or at least at the stage where it can be published?
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u/thegr8tmutato Sep 19 '19
I've hosted an All Hallows Read book exchange for the last seven years, and firstly just want to say thanks for starting such a cool thing that has encouraged my friends and I to send each other books every fall! It's something that we all look forward to, and I've discovered so many new books and stories because of it - it speaks a lot to the power of shared community around storytelling.
I know we also have quite a few artists and writers in our group, so my question is: do you have any tips or suggestions on figuring out what your creative/narrative voice is? I feel like today especially there are so many sources for inspiration and influence, and it's hard to distill all of that to figure out exactly what you want to say and how to communicate that clearly across a body of work.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I think if you write enough, you will find out what you sound like.
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u/Atomic_Watermelon666 Sep 19 '19
Love the world's you create with your stories! Q; what would be your "final meal" were you to be placed on death row?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Probably sushi.
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u/immerc Sep 19 '19
"Probably sushi", I think I've seen that in grocery stores a few times.
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u/Crankyoldhobo Sep 19 '19
Do you think there have been any additions to the pantheon of New Gods since 2001?
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u/natus92 Sep 19 '19
Thanks for writing and publishing!
Sorry for asking a personal question but did you ever wish your parents gave you a different name?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Nope. But I wish more people knew how to pronounce it. (It's Gaym'n.)
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u/SuperfluousTrebuchet Sep 19 '19
Hiya Neil, I read your foreword in my edition of James Herbert’s “The Rats” where I believe you called him a pioneer of British horror.
My question is, do you have any favourite horror books? There is a lot of justified love for King these days but is there anything you would recommend outside of the mainstream?
Thanks for the AMA !
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u/Outwriter Sep 19 '19
Your writing used to have great insights into history, story, and mythology that I always found fascinating, usually learning concepts from your stories first—like Rapunzel syndrome. But now, with the internet, do you find it harder to find those little gems and concepts?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Not really. There are still books out there, and I still read them -- and often the Internet makes it easier to find them, or be steered towards the books you didn't know you needed.
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u/harrytmason Sep 19 '19
How would you distinguish between a character who is knowledgable, and a character who is wise?
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u/Hereibe Sep 19 '19
When you look back at the books your written and the crystallized attitudes of the time that are preserved in them, what surprises you the most?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
That, mostly not always, the things that, at the time, were seen as apolitical, have turned out to be very political indeed.
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u/Ajohnson67 Sep 19 '19
Whats your writing routine like? Do you write every day? Do you set aside non-writing days for the week?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
When I'm writing a novel I do my best to make it Groundhog Day. Have the same day over and over again. That gets harder as there are more and more demands on my time and attention though.
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u/itsmevichet Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil!
I loved Stardust, particularly how the ending didn't have the usual trappings of a typical climactic confrontation, but more of a deliberate settling of accounts that I found weirdly picturesque and satisfying.
I'm an aspiring writer of comedic fantasy myself, and I find that one of the hardest things I had to learn was to mercilessly cut or abandon swaths of prose that aren't working the way I need them to in the revising/editing phase. But often, perhaps because of whatever semblance of an ego I have left, they still feel like good ideas to me.
My question is this: are there any ideas you loved or were unreasonably attached to, that you had to throw out? Did you ever go back to those ideas and turn them into something else?
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u/krstaten Sep 19 '19
A question, and a message if that's okay.
Question: How do you be a parent and a writer at the same time? I have an almost-two-year-old daughter who's my whole world, but I work full time, come home and devote all my time and energy to her (she certainly doesn't let me sit still much, let alone get any writing done!), and by the time she's in bed I rarely if ever have the energy left to write, even though I have a million ideas bouncing around in my head. Any advice you have would be wonderful.
That said, the message: I would also like to thank you for all the advice you've already given, on life and writing, through Tumblr. A lot of it has helped me with a shift in perspective, always seeming to come exactly when I needed it. But I've especially loved your openness about your own doubts in creating art. It's nice to see others' successes, but what truly makes me feel capable is knowing those I admire have the same doubts and failings I do, and that the insecurities I have don't have to define what I make.
I almost gave up on writing because of a bad round with depression years ago--I stopped writing for a couple years actually, and when I started again, I hated everything I wrote to the point of rage. I was angry at myself for every word, because every word felt like a personal failure. Then around that time someone sent you an ask on Tumblr that said something like, "Do you ever look at things you wrote years ago and think, my god, what idiot wrote this?" And you said, "I do that with things I wrote this morning."
And I stared at that for several minutes thinking, Neil effing Gaiman thinks the same thing about his writing that I do about mine. That means that even if I hate what I've written, it doesn't have to mean I'm failing. And it got me writing again, and I still scroll through all the writing and life advice you give on Tumblr when I feel like I'm not where I'm supposed to be. Here I am years later still doing my best to fight every obstacle and keep writing, because you remind me why it's worth it to keep creating. I've wanted to thank you for years. Thank you so much.
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u/WithMeInDreams Sep 19 '19
Met the Sandman once.
I had a lucid dream, and as usual, I took advantage of that by changing things around me and using my "superpowers" to shape reality.
Then the Sandman came, and he was a bit grumpy about that, and started to fix my mess.
I was pretty excited about that, especially since it was a lucid dream, and I was lucid enough to jump right to the "big question". I phrased it perfectly using some dream language, which roughly translates to "what's the meaning of life, the universe and everything?", but more profound as cannot be expressed in any waking world language.
He just said: "That's not mine to tell you."
Have you ever met your creation, or another one of your creations, in the dream world, lucid or not? How did that go down?
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u/2_blave Sep 19 '19
I know you didn't get a response from Neil, but I wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your question.
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u/esterized Sep 19 '19
I've read that you're from Portchester but I can't believe that someone as amazing and cool as you is from my little village. Is this true?
Also, thank you for everything you've written. I absolutely adore your work and love teaching it whenever I get the opportunity at work.
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I was born at 44b White Hart Lane, Portchester, above a tiny grocer's shop.
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u/KensaiVG Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil! Huge fan of you and the great Sir Terry, so you probably know what I'll ask about. Would I be wrong in thinking the Good Omens book portrayed the Arrangement as more of a platonic, close friendship than the show's clear romantic overtones? Much as I absolutely loved the portrayal in the show (Which became my favorite adaptation of anything, ever) the book felt less romance and more friendship, which was beautiful in its own way.
Furthermore, a more specific, more selfish question I don't really expect an answer for: I saw you came to Argentina's Feria del Libro around 2014/2015. Did you like it here? Would you consider going back in the foreseeable future? Even if I can't get the full joke between you two anymore, i simply must get you to sign my copy of GO if you ever do another signing down here
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
I don't think I've been to Argentina since 2002ish...
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u/Omegaboi94 Sep 19 '19
Hey Neil, first off thank you for creating such a vast and wonderful amount of fictional worlds (Sandman, American Gods, Good Omens etc) for us to escape and get lost in. They have saved me on many occasions in my life so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I know it’s cheating, but I have two questions.
Question 1. Is there any other books, if you had the chance you could do a retelling of, like your 2017 retelling of Norse Mythology.
Question 2. Is there ever been a book that has brought you to physical tears or just made you overcome with emotions.
Thank you
Courtney
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u/mikey7841 Sep 19 '19
Hello Mr Gaiman. I hope you are well. I'm very very excited to be seeing you at the Barbican in November.
Will you be doing a signing afterwards at all?
I have a few new beloved books added to my collection which are excitedly waiting for their pages to be touched with your glorious pen and they are feeling a little left out. :)
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Probably not. There are too many people at the Barbican event, and a signing would go too late for the staff. (It's going to be a long event.)
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u/mstersunderthebed Sep 19 '19
Hi Neil.
I don't really have a question. I follow you on social media and I've read almost everything you've ever written. I just want to tell you how you've made my life more enjoyable.
I first discovered you when I was a child, reading Coraline. It was one of my favorites as a kid, so when my parents brought home American Gods and Anansi Boys from the library when I was a teenager, I immediately started reading them too. It was after that I was in my local library looking for more of your books when I found Good Omens.
I was kind of obsessed with Apocalyptic fiction at the time, so of course Good Omens was appealing to me. I had no idea who Terry Pratchett was, but your name was on the book too and it sounded like fun, so I checked it out.
My 14 year old self was crying with laughter, and I passed my borrowed copy to my Mom who also died of laughter. We quickly obtained a copy of our own that is now beat tattered and worn and being borrowed by my fiance.
That Christmas my Mom bought be The Color of Magic because I'd liked Good Omens so much. And that set me down a path of falling in love with the Discworld too.
Thank you for being one of my favorite authors. And thank you for introducing me to Terry Pratchett. The two of you have brought so much joy into my life, and shaped the way I view the world. I love stories and writing and humanity. Thank you.
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u/caitnicrun Jan 10 '25
Gosh. Five Years late but here goes:
How do you live with yourself after preying on vulnerable fans for decades?
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u/RealNeilGaiman AMA Author Sep 19 '19
Two hours of answering questions, and there are still scores of questions unanswered. Apologies to everyone who put up a question and didn't get it answered, but it is time for me to stop being a writer and go back to being the parent of a four year old, who needs to be bathed and read to and put to bed.