Margaret Weis (left) with her dog, Tess, at one of their Agility trials. Chris Tresh (right) is Tess's Rescue Mom from Southeastern Wisconsin Herd Dog Rescue. Photo credit: Pet Personalities

An Interview with Margaret Weis

Interview by Jacqueline Morse Kessler

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2005

Anyone who's ever held a d20 knows the name Margaret Weis. Far more than the co-creator of the Dragonlance game world of Krynn, Margaret is a bestselling author whose books have been entertaining millions worldwide for more than twenty years.

With fantasy works including the Dragonlance titles to the Arabian Rose of the Prophet saga to the Star of the Guardians space epic, Margaret has proven herself to be extremely versatile. Along with her writing career, she is also the owner and CEO of two game publishing companies.

In August, she was kind enough to answer some questions from associate editor Jacqueline Kessler. Margaret's vast experience and thoughts about writing and publishing are equally helpful to those who have grown up with Tanis, Raistlin and Tas as well as to those who have never picked up a die with more (or less) than six sides.

Wild Child Publishing: First and foremost, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with Wild Child. I was thrilled to discover firsthand just how approachable you are.

According to your bio, you hold a BA in creative writing from the University of Missouri. Did you find formal study of the creative process to be useful when you became a professional writer?

Margaret: I found it very helpful. The creative writing classes were in writing poetry and short stories, and both taught me how to read and analyze the poetry and works of classical authors from a writing viewpoint [as well as] the discipline of words, thinking over each word you use.

WCP: Would you recommend that writers study writing formally in school?

Margaret: I would advocate creative writing classes in schools, particularly those that involve a study of literature from the writer's viewpoint. I found that to be immensely helpful (and I still use what I learned when I read a book!).

WCP: Before you became a professional writer, you were an editor for more than ten years at Herald Publishing House, working your way up from proofreader to editorial director of the company's trade press division. Then you took a job at TSR, Inc. (now Wizards of the Coast) as a book editor. What prompted you to make the switch from editing to writing?

Margaret: I was always a writer. The editing paid the bills! [laughs] I still enjoy editing. I edit anthologies for Dragonlance, as well as the game books published by my companies, Sovereign Press and Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd.

WCP: Speaking of your two companies, what prompted you to branch out from your prolific writing career to launch these ventures?

Margaret: I have always enjoyed role-playing games [RPGs], and it's great to be able to publish my own. Plus I feel that an RPG helps book sales and vice versa.

WCP: Regarding RPGs, which came first: the Dragonlance books or the game?

Margaret: The plot for games and books was formed simultaneously, since the games also had a plot that carried through 12 adventure modules.

WCP: What was involved in your editorial role for Dragonlance?

Margaret: I was responsible for taking the characters (who were a bunch of numbers!) and the extensive plot and turning all that into novels.

WCP: Given all of your editorial experience, do you work with an editor on your books, or do you turn in "camera ready" material?

Margaret: Editors are invaluable!! I would not write a book without an editor! As an author, you're too close to the manuscript. You can't see the forest for the trees. Editors are very good at seeing both and telling you when you need to prune, trim off a limb, plant some seeds, or start a forest fire! [laughs]

WCP: Given all of your published works, you must have quite a number of ideas buzzing around. Could you talk about your writing process?

Margaret: I write every day. Hey, it's how I earn my living! I can't wait to be "inspired." That said, I write four or five hours in the morning. The afternoons are spent going over in my mind what I've written and making mental changes, that I incorporate the next day, and thinking out what I want to write the next day.

WCP: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Margaret: The writing. I love to write. I love to tell stories.

WCP: Have your characters ever acted in ways that surprised you?

Margaret: Oh, all the time. That being said, you can't let characters run away with the story. I think of characters like teenage children. You have to respect them, listen to them, consider their ideas. But you're the adult. They need to obey your rules.

WCP: Have you ever experienced writer's block?

Margaret: Writer's block for me means that a story is not going well. (I can always write!). I usually just keep going until I figure out why and where the story veered off track. Then I usually go back to that point, toss out what I've been working (sometimes many chapters) and start over. In one instance, though, I ended up turning in the book, though I knew it wasn't what I wanted. My editor pointed out to me what was going wrong. I said, "Wow! Yes, that's it!"

WCP: During your career, you have written both as part of a collaborative team (for example, with Tracy Hickman for Dragonlance) and in solo efforts (say, the Dragonvarld trilogy). Do you have a preference: collaborative or solo?

Margaret: I enjoy writing both solo and alone. It's great to be able to write myself into a corner and then run to my co-author for help. [laughs] It's also good to have to work through a book myself.

WCP: You've written something close to a zillion books, including the Star of the Guardians saga, one of my all-time favorite series. From your written works, you have a favorite book or series?

Margaret: I guess Star of the Guardians would also be my favorite. Those were the books I worked on ten years before they were ever published. But I love all the other series, too, just in different ways. Kind of like a mother with a zillion children. [laughs]

WCP: If I remember correctly, you mention in the introduction to Star of the Guardians that you had a previous version of the story that simply didn't work. What prompted you to revisit and revise the story?

Margaret: What prompted me to rewrite it was that I went back to read it and it was terrible! Five years and much work had passed during that time, and I'd grown a lot as an author. I blushed deeply when I read that early manuscript.

WCP: Between your impressive list of published works and your equally impressive sales worldwide, it's obvious that you're very good at writing fantasy. But what is it about fantasy that prompts you to continue in the genre? What is the magic of fantasy for you as an author?

Margaret: I use fantasy as a metaphor for life today. I like sneaking up on unsuspecting readers, who are thinking, "Now I can escape the world!" and making them think about the world. [laughs]

WCP: Until the upcoming new line is launched in 2006, Wizards of the Coast hired authors, I believe, only in a "work for hire" capacity. Could you talk about how this differs from selling novels to other publishers?

Margaret: Basically, [Wizards of the Coast] hires authors to work on their shared worlds. Working in a shared world means that you need to be cognizant of what is going on in that world, what other authors are writing, and you need to be a part of a team. Or, as I like to think of it, an orchestra. Each author plays different instruments, different notes, and they blend together to create harmony.

WCP: Does an author need an agent?

Margaret: YES, YES, YES! Agents handle all the legal complications of contracts, plus they form a good buffer between you and the editor, so that the author and editor have a non-confrontational working relationship.

WCP: Last question: are you a Dog Person or a Cat Person?

Margaret: I am definitely a Dog Person. My border collies, Max and Tess, do flyball and agility, and we have so much fun together!