This is Why
Blog | Posted by Carole on Wednesday 26 November 2008
Since Dragon Moon was published, I’ve had quite a lot of emails and blog comments asking me to write a fourth Dragonkeeper book. I always say the same thing. It’s not going to happen. I don’t want to write a fourth book. After all her adventures, I think Ping should have a nice quiet life. She deserves it.
Some people get quite cross with me. They seem to think I’m just being difficult. Or they think I’ve run out of ideas. It’s neither of those things. It’s wonderful that people liked the books so much that they want more. But if my heart isn’t in it, it wouldn’t be any good anyway.
Writing a novel takes a lot of time, about a year for one of my books. It can be stressful, getting it all to work. You have to slog away at it every day, whether you feel like it or not, whether it’s working or not. So it has to be something that I want to write. I know that sounds selfish, but for me it’s the only way to do it.
I’m not the only one that feels that way. I heard Graeme Base talking on the radio the other week and he said the same thing. “I never do market research,” he said. “I just do the stuff that I feel suddenly inspired by and that I will get joy from doing and which I honestly believe is worth two years of my time.”
You never know if a book is going to be successful. I only write the stories that I really want to write, that I have to write, that I would still think were worth all the effort, even if they didn’t do well.
So I haven’t run out of ideas. I’ve just got different ideas. What I’ve run out of is enthusiasm for continuing that story with those characters. And even if someone did write to me and give me a fabulous idea for a fourth book, I couldn’t use it, because it wouldn’t be my story. (And if it was a big hit, bigger than Harry Potter and I got a seven picture deal and became a millionaire, then the person who gave me the idea would sue me!) I have to stick with my own ideas.
The interview with Graeme Base, was on Life Matters on ABC Radio National on 5 Nov and you can listen to a podcast of the full interview.
is long danzi really dead or did he reach the end of the ocean??????btw, i love ur books. maybe u should just write another series and just give up on the dragon keeper series??
…
I think that’s up to the reader to make a decision about that.
I haven’t given up on Dragonkeeper entirely. Not yet.
Hi Carole
I was wondering if you can give me some adivce
on how to write a book and find a publisher
Kim,
first of all you have to have a story that you REALLY want to tell. Then you have to write it. Sentence by sentence. It takes me about a year to write a book.
I have written quite a bit about writing on this website. Have a look at my FAQs
http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/faqs/#faq10
There are links to other authors advice and to blogs I have written on the subject.
I have also written an FAQ about how to find a publisher.
http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/faqs/#faq11
But you have to have a finished book before you think about that.
You might also want to have a look at this
http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/faqs/#faq12
Good luck with your writing.
Hey, i was wondering what happend to Danzi?
Please tell me and the fans?!
Thanks Carole
After many nights and days i have finished typing up my first book called “Orphan Girl”,
My mum read it and said “Wow Kim Looks like we have our own little author here”.
I was so proud of myself.
Now All i have to do is find a publishing company
Thanks-a-million Carole
Kim,
That’s great. Congratulations and good luck with finding a publisher.
please write another dragon keeper book, their really really good. I am almost burst when I heard that you wouldn’t write another one. You could write about Ping travelling back with Jun then Kai visits her dream to tell her his in danger… I don’t care if you use my ideas just please write a fourth book
Thank-you for considering, I know its your desision and I know you will chose the right one
Marni,
I wrote this blog two years ago today! I have had a rest from Dragonkeeper and now I am thinking about writing another book. It won’t be about Ping though. Ping is having a nice quiet life that involves no adventures!
Thanks for replying Carole.
Will the book your going to write be a dragon book? Also I might start writing a book. It will most likely be about wolves because I love them!! Do you have any tips? Also I am wondering how people name there characters such unique names, thats the most trouble I am having. My story is in a world that doesn’t actually exist but it is a bit like Japan. No technology, e.g phones, computers. My main character is a girl called chieme.
My characters name is pronounced; Chee-aim-ee which I forgot to add in the other comment
Marni,
The book I am thinking about is another book about Kai.
I have written some tips for writers on my FAQs page.
http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/faqs/
I don’t know how other people chose their characters names, but for my Dragonkeeper books, I use a Chinese dictionary!
Good luck with your story,
Awesome, I would love to hear more about Kai because I didn’t think Ping would leave him. Kai was my favourite character in the Dragon Keeper series, because I love dragons. Thank-you for the tips and the best of luck for your book.
To Carole,
I have decided not to write a book about wolves. I can’t think of how to start it and what will be the plot. I might try again later, but for now I am thinking of writing another one about people with elements. Like Avatar the last airbender (but heaps different). I think the main character will be a girl with a water element, because I love water and I’m an aquarius.
Marni,
The new book won’t be about Ping.
Sounds like you have lots of ideas.
first of all i love ur dragon keeper trilogie and i wonder if u could please please do another book following dragon moon cause i want mor
and Kai ( not me ) is so cute and he makes me lagh some times:)
Kai,
I have just begun writing a book that follows Dragon Moon….sort of…it is set 400 years later. So your namesake Kai is in it but not Ping. It will take me at least a year to write it though.
carole, i’m so happy you have started work on a new dragon keeper book! i know it will be great! and by the way your dragon keeper books where the first books that i read the whole way through and they have now lead me to read alot of other fantasy books! thank you so much!!
David,
I’m very pleased that reading the Dragonkeeper books encouraged you to keep reading.
I am not convinced that the new book will be at all great. I have written a post about it at
http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/news/2011/03/17/what-im-writing-now/
Dear Carole,
Hi Carole! I just finished reading Dragon Moon and loved it. I was wondering if you have any other book series that you wrote so I could look into them. I really loved the chinese background( i guess you could call it that) because i never read anything like it before. Well, thanks and please write suggestions. Also, what do YOU imagine happened to Danzi, Kai, and Ping after? Thanks for your time(:
Oh yeah, and i am glad you have started another book of Kai. I loved him for his short but understanding sentences. I think this should have nothing to do with dragon keepers so it should have a different series name. Good luck!!
Becca,
Glad to hear that you liked Dragon Moon. Thanks for the nice things you said about it.
You can see all the books I have written if you click on Books in the menu at the top of this page, or at the bottom.I have only written one other fictional series, that is the Ramose series set in ancient Egypt. That is for readers aged 7-12, I would say. They are shorter books than the Dragonkeeper series.
I prefer readers to do their own imagining about what happens to the characters after the end of the books.
You will see what I think happens to Kai when this new book is published.
Carole,
I am 12 years old so i think i will look into the other series.When do you think your new book is going to come out? Is Kai going to think of Ping even though it is hundreds of years later? and have you thought of a name for the book yet? when you can please post the first chapter as a sneek peak…. if you want to but i am very exicited(: thank you Carole!!!