You’ve written on your blog that as you’ve re-read the books, you’ve noticed that your sympathies for different characters evolved.
Yes, they have. When I was a kid, I found myself resisting the oppression of Moiraine and Nynaeve, and these older people who were trying to keep the younger guys locked in. I read the series now as an adult, and I feel like one of these people, saying, “Listen to Moiraine’s advice, Rand! Don’t do that—you’re being stupid!” I find myself empathizing with the older characters. It’s a testament to Robert Jordan’s skill as a writer, the ability to write so many people from so many different walks of life. As you change and become a different person, as you grow, as we all do, you’ll begin to see the perspective of other people in the book. It was quite shocking to me.
And now that you’re much deeper into the writing, has that shift continued?
Partially. One of the great tricks of being a good writer is to be able to see as a lot of different people. When I actually sit down to write, whoever I’m writing becomes the most important character in the book. Because in their mind, they’re the most important person in their story. When I’m writing even the minor characters, I need to be them, and I need to see the world as they do. It’s a constant shifting, depending on what I’m writing and what their feelings and beliefs are. I regard the book in a different way every time I change characters.
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