A Goodreads user asked Lois McMaster Bujold:

I descovered Miles Vorkosigan very near the beginning of your career, and have been a reader ever since. As a writer myself, I hope you don't mind if I ask you about how you work. I'm now reading Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, and I find myself both admiring thehard work you put into it, and wondering about all the characters and how you developed them. Can you please enlighten me, without giving away the store? Thanks

Lois McMaster Bujold This is a very large question to answer in this tiny typing box, and has been answered before. It's unfortunate that this Q&A blog does not have a search function, but some of this is covered in earlier posts in this column if you scroll back, and in interviews -- see https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au... Interviews dated around the time of the specific book you are curious about may be more directedly fruitful.

Also Sidelines: Talks and Essays https://www.amazon.com/Sidelines-Essa... also on Nook and iBooks, and likewise The Vorkosigan Companion https://www.amazon.com/Vorkosigan-Com...

I've written reams of stuff on these sorts of process questions, some of it a lot closer to the times of actual composition, so likely to be fresher and more accurate. Have fun!

And thanks for the many years of faithful reading.

Ta, L.

...and now I'm wondering how many readers out there are too young to know what "reams" were....

flag