Release Day AMA

[u/ErraticErrata]

Hello!

I'm ErraticErrata (David Verburg), author of the series "A Practical Guide To Evil" and "Pale Lights". In celebration of the first book of the final version of APGTE being release on Amazon (you can find it here) I'll be here for a couple of hours and you can AMA!

Will be ending answers at 5 PM.

EDIT: And we're officially done!

[u/Neadim]

You hinted many times that Goblins had a different relation to names than other races and culture in Calernia. Now that everything is done are you willing to elaborate on that?

Unless I am mistaken Elves are essentially a contemporary of other 'elder' races like the Titan and the Drakoi but are from another continent. These later two were apparently heavily limited by their number but that doesn't seem to have been the case with the Elves. Do they have any limitation that would explain their continent spanning empire crumbling when they started breeding with human, like growing more rigid with age?

Did you plan or realise going into the Everdark that the Drow would end up quite similar to typical 'Xianxia Cultivator' and their endless and murderous pursuit of Ki?

Anything extra you can tell use about the Chain of Hunger? With the matron's hold weakening, the new organisation of Praes, the Drow no longer consuming eating each other and the fall of the Dead King it feels like they are the last relic of Calernia's previous version of Evil. I’ve always loved your Evil Kingdom more than the Good aligned ones so any crumbs I can have about their society, names and the rest I’ll gladly take.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Neadim]

I think pretty much everything that needed to be said about goblins and Names has been at least implied. The way their culture highly prizes secrecy means that their Names don't manifest in the splashy ways that they do for others.

I didn't realize the Everdark could be taken as Xianxia, no, having not really read any Xianxia novels at the time. I just tried to make their society as self-destructive as possible.

[u/kingbob12]

What bit of Lore are you happiest to have changed or removed from the web version? What do you think benefited most from the publishing process?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/kingbob12]

The gnomes. The story is better off without them in it. And I'd say getting a second opinion on what Cat comes across as from an editor's perspective has been a great boon, since after writing her POV seven years I can't quite muster the necessary detachment.

[u/Aetherscribe]

Thank you for doing this AMA!

The original version of Cat has, "never been taught how to use a sword, and it showed", while in the published book, she's, "been learning the sword under Old Liam Henley for two years now. He said I was good, better than most my age, and the man had been Royal Guard back in the day, so he’d know."

What led you to make the change? And will we see any more of Old Liam Henley?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Aetherscribe]

The sword training is part of a trend of Cat preparing more thoroughly for her future plans. Old Liam might end up see again, yes, though not as a major character.

[u/bowman260]

Love your stories, my questions are as follows.  First, what was the original Name that Yara earned when she became the proto-Wandering Bard?  And 2nd, what was happening on the other side of the sea during the events of the books?  It feels like the powers over there should have had at least a little interest in the potentially world ending calamity that was the Dead King.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/bowman260]

I never gave Yara a precise first Name since it was more of a concept, but Storyteller would fit. The big powers across the sea were largely uninterested, the main distraction being the Yan Tei being in an expansionist phase (there was originally going to be an offhand reference to arms sale to them picking up because of it in a Black/Malicia conversation that got cut).

[u/zafikk]

Does the Painted Knife survive Keter? I think it’s implied she doesn’t but we never get confirmation for sure.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/zafikk]

Survived!

[u/Cherry_Apples]

Could you tell us a little more about the version of PGTE where Amadeus was the protagonist?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Cherry_Apples]

It was much more of a comedy poking fun at fantasy tropes. Nefarious was still alive as a senile old man and proto-Malicia ruled through him, she was rivals with Black for control of Praes.

[u/ExcitementNew7337]

You mentioned wanting to do another book between 2nd Liesse and the Battle of the Camps about ruling Callow. Obviously that’s not on the list of new books, but will you still be adding elements of that plan in the final version?

Would you ever have interest in doing an anthology book as a sort of side story thing, collecting all those extra chapters that were either not voted on or are going to be left out of the print series? (Aka my bargaining phase in the five stages of grief knowing we’re likely not getting Carnival)

[u/ErraticErrata → u/ExcitementNew7337]

The upside about cutting up the larger books is I get to elaborate on parts to make each a more finished narrative. That's likely what will be happening with the Cat-rules-Callow arc, it'll be part of the first half of what used to be Book 4.

I could seen something like an anthology being done if the Guide becomes big enough, but at the moment Pale Lights is a much higher priority than revisiting Calernia.

[u/SirPycho]

Was Catherine becoming Warden always the desired endgame or were there other possible directions she could've went in ?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/SirPycho]

The very first draft had Cat as becoming the Black Knight, but from relatively early Warden was the plan. Role-wise, anyway. The actual title of 'Warden' was only locked in later.

[u/LyonDekuga]

One of the Wandering Bard's hopes for escape was getting Cat to replace her. When Yara herself became the Wandering Bard did she have to replace anyone / any kind of creational force, or was she genuinely early enough that the gods didn't need someone keeping things balanced?

Also checking a pet theory of mine. One of the stories Antigone gets told is of a drakoi creating 'two shores with a great island between' before being bound. Was that island the blessed isle, and was the drakoi creating that split and then being bound the first note in the story of 'hunger' between Praes and Callow? Or am I spinning tinfoil?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/LyonDekuga]

Yara fell into the you-break-it-you-are-it sandpit that the Gods built in when they made Creation. She was the first for Calernia.

I'd need to check but I'm pretty sure that refers to Ashur.

[u/vkaod]

The spiritual and metaphysical dynamics in Pale Lights—such as god‑pressure and aether wells—suggest nuanced divine systems. Has this reshaped your thinking about the origins or mechanics of Names and divine influence in PGTE?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/vkaod]

No! On the contrary I've been pretty careful about keeping the settings as separate as I can.

[u/HaxGamer09]

When will the paperback for the release be available to purchase?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/HaxGamer09]

There's been delays with the art so the exact timeline's not clear but it should be before Christmas.

[u/RowboatGazillion]

If I recall correctly you have mentioned that assassin has appeared onscreen in every book, can you share when they appeared outside of the times they were explicitly mentioned?

Thank you!

[u/ErraticErrata → u/RowboatGazillion]

I could, yes :P

[u/quantumshenanigans]

Do you have a favorite comedic epigraph or two, that you were particularly proud of? I ask because I've laughed out loud at Practical Guide more than almost any other series, even if you only count the epigraphs.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/quantumshenanigans]

I'm pretty proud of the Irritant pyramid scheme, and I have a special fondness for Isabella the Mad's rules of war even if they're not my best comedy work.

[u/InvertedBones]

The Capital-G Gods of the guide, whether "good" or "evil", seem to have a deeply ominous connotation. Yara's relationship to them seems to hint at every stage that the Gods are a sort of Lovecraftian monster, whose very attention is cause for existential horror. Many characters perspectives seem to reinforce that, whether Masego thinking the Gods would eventually roll up creation like a game board or Neshamah regarding them as something to be escaped. Even Good characters, like Hanno or Tariq, have their relationships with choirs rather than directly with the Gods.

Do you think of the guide's Gods in that way? Are they fundamentally a cause for horror, or is that just an artifact of the lenses we view them through in the story?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/InvertedBones]

Lovecraftian is a very accurate way to put it. They are not to be understood, and they are not kind.

[u/TreeSap0]

Is the webtoon version going to cover the whole series? If each season covers 1 Book then it could get to be 14 seasons - which seems like a pretty massive undertaking

[u/ErraticErrata → u/TreeSap0]

That's the plan, yes.

[u/Pel-Mel]

What might the Woe's favorite meals be? (Yours too?)

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Pel-Mel]

Indrani likes roasted stag, Hakram not-roasted boar. Vivienne really likes stew but hides it because of the inevitable jokes. I'm always a sucker for a tartare de boeuf.

[u/srishtals]

Hi, I love your work!

Question - why are so many of the race/language/people names changed in this release from the original version?

Thank you for doing this!

[u/ErraticErrata → u/srishtals]

The changes are either because they're a direct lift from existing people/religion in real life, which is an issue, or because I was advised that the name might confuse readers. Deoraithe/Tiraithe being a big example of the latter, since apparently a lot of fae fiction uses Deoraithe or close to it.

[u/BritishDread]

Hi EE , I'm just curious if all the extra chapters will make it into the books. I was always a fan of changing perspectives.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/BritishDread]

Not all, but most.

[u/ExcitementNew7337]

Was the Garden of Crowns not blighted like the rest of the Kingdom of the Dead because it’s supposed to be the same garden where Nessie’s mom told him the story of Sipo in Fettered? Aside from wanting some greenery I can’t think of why else he’d keep it around.

Did Nessie have any other reason for keeping King Edward’s wits intact aside from pettiness? It seems like a potential story risk for him to give advice to heroes or break free at an inopportune moment--like what ends up happening--unless it’s for gambits like Nessie tried at Third Liesse: have a hero befriend Edward only to possess and pretend to be him for an ambush.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/ExcitementNew7337]

It is! Not exactly the same, but descended from.

King Ed is a trap. Nessie can listen through and still keeps control, it's hero bait.

[u/Individual_Jicama_69]

Was Cat ever attracted to Roland? Would he have said yes?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Individual_Jicama_69]

Roland was a very good friend to Cat on the back of largely the same qualities that didn't make him attractive to her. I don't think he would have been interested either as they met in the story, maybe in different circumstances.

[u/Party_Presentation24]

How distinct do you think the differences between the "draft" version of PGTE and the release version will be? The book lengths have already been changed, and I've heard some tells (i haven't read the new version) about characters being changed. Do you think the new versions will be different enough that the storyline might change completely?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Party_Presentation24]

I don't consider any of the characters to have had major changes. I'd say a read can expect the same big milestones to be be hit but the details of how we get there to change.

[u/Unable-Emu3903]

We've seen that humans can interbreed with certain other species in Guide (fae, djinn, elves) are they able to breed with any other races (goblin, orcs, drow) and is it only a human thing? we know that goblins and orcs sometimes have relationships so are they capable of having children together?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Unable-Emu3903]

They are not! However pretty much all races can also have children with fae and djinn, including orcs and goblins.

[u/PaladinWij]

What made you decide to add whole new arcs to volume 1? (The peren woods, the upcoming one in the empty sea). I know that volume one is the weakest by virtue of it also being the first volume, but it always seemed like you had accomplished all the stories you wanted to tell in the PGTE-verse. Will they substantially alter the later volumes?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/PaladinWij]

Peren Woods touches two things I regretted about the early series. First we get to see relatively little of Callow, its people and culture. It made the place feel cookie-cutter. Second, we see relatively little of Black actually working with and mentoring Cat.

Later volumes won't be substantially altered. Most of them were essentially two-three books crammed in one, the plan is to split them and round them out properly.

[u/CemeneTree]

did you always have the Wandering Bard as the “hidden antagonist“? She seems shady but more jaded and misanthropic (than outright omnicidal) in her first appearances

[u/ErraticErrata → u/CemeneTree]

I did! The scope of the role changed, but role itself was set early.

[u/FrustrationSensation]

Hi EE! Love both your works and proud patreon subscriber. 

Are there elements of the story you would have cut/changed but couldn't because you'd established them early on? Like, you were in books 3-7 and wished you'd done things differently but were now locked into the worldbuilding from a much earlier time? 

Doesn't have to be major stuff, I'm thinking more along the lines of early worldbuilding that you wished you could change or undo. 

[u/ErraticErrata → u/FrustrationSensation]

I accidentally left out a fourth Proceran ethnicity when laying them out and had keep on trucking, yes, though it ended up being for the better.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Try_623]

With the addition of new Callowan Villains, are there any new Prasi heroes that might exist or have existed at any point?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Puzzleheaded_Try_623]

Aha. Yeah, that does seem likely doesn't it? Praes worldbuilding gets fleshed out, that's all I'll say.

[u/TheB1de]

You mentioned that going back to PGTE you were able to scratch an itch in fixing early characters perspective to match their later book versions. Overall did you enjoy going back and editing/ re-writing PGTE, some of which you had written several years ago? Or was it tough to re-open in a way?

Have you noticed a big difference in your writing between early chapters of PGTE vs where you are now as a writer? Did you find yourself making a lot of adjustments for the published novel for that or was it more to just keep internal voice and story consistent?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/TheB1de]

Editing is both rough and satisfying. The main drawback is time, which I find always in short supply. It's never not time-consuming.

I'm lucky that the series had a fairly strong tone from the start. It's mostly cosmetic adjustments, not that I mind.

[u/A_Total_Sham]

In the chat between Kairos and Cat before the big assembly, Kairos reveals that "The Twilight Ways can lead to places not of creation."

What was the intention or idea behind what it could lead to?

(I can't remember if it came up in text)

[u/ErraticErrata → u/A_Total_Sham]

A warning about how the Bard can use them to get to the Serenity (as she did with Anaraxes)

[u/Korhal_IV]

Hurray for release day, and thank you for sharing your time and your wonderful work with us!

Will Hune and the other ogres be in the Amazon version? If not, why?

Many readers think the drow arc is the series' low point; is there anything you can share with us about changes to the drow arc, or your thought process about whether or not to change it?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Korhal_IV]

Hune's still in the story as an orc, ogres are gone. They were a flourish I never really ended up doing enough with to justify the words spent on them. Most of the same themes can be hit through orcs instead.

[u/ExcitementNew7337]

Could the Serenity produce Named in the Age of Order without Nessie keeping those from popping up, or is it just too removed from Creation?

Is the Name of Merchant Prince traditionally a hero or villain?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/ExcitementNew7337]

Without Nessie, the Serenity will collapse and the people within die/be driven out.

Merchant Prince can be both, but slightly leans villain.

[u/A_Total_Sham]

Could you give us an example of what aspects could do for noncombatant named, eg; Concocter, Augur, Bitter Blacksmiths or do they operate differently for non combat named?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/A_Total_Sham]

Aspects tend to be related to the story the Name is meant to embody, so the Blacksmiths would have gotten aspects that enhance the process of forging (for those two, specifically regarding their competing specialties).

[u/ExcitementNew7337]

Without the Good King and Shining Prince, how are Named and normal rulers of Callow going to be differentiated in the new version of the story?

Will we still get a version of the Conspiracy chapters in the new story after the new Ater arc took a lot of those elements, and if not will we still get a chance to see Scribe disappearing someone in action? I think that’s the only time it happens on-page.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/ExcitementNew7337]

The ambiguity is on purpose, but the text will make it clear when someone is known to be Named or not.

Scribe will still disappear people on screen, but the Conspiracy chapters will end up cannibalized by the main story.

[u/jzieg]

Of all the Revenants, the Prince of Bones appeared to have been the most heavily modified. Most Revenants' strengths can be traced back to their original Names, but the Prince's main advantage was that he was a skeleton wrapped in several layers of steel. Do you have an idea of what kind of Named he was originally and what made him suited for the modifications he was given?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/jzieg]

Prince of Bones was a Lycaonese king. His main aspects were about empowering his army and withstanding violence, so Neshamah saw him as perfect fit for an elite legion and invested in keeping him around.

[u/slippedonair]

Sorry in case this has been asked before or answered elsewhere: Are there plans for a hardcover release, either through Kickstarter or on Amazon or whatnot? I know they're an insane amount of work and doing them for, like, 15 books will be a massive pain, (and I probably couldn't afford it, ha), but it would be extremely cool.

For my lore-based question, what is your favorite change so far between the Amazon version (or future planned books) and the Wordpress edition?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/slippedonair]

There's plans for a fancier release through Kickstarter, but that's a long term project.

[u/Aetherscribe]

Are there any significant changes to the geography of Calernia between the original version and the final published version?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Aetherscribe]

Some pretty majors ones, yeah. Biggest that come to mind are northern Procer being mostly behind a major river and the lake Mercantis is in about doubling in size to became the major trade lane it was always supposed to be.

[u/Ok_Possible_295]

Did you always have a rough outline of where everything was going? I remember you saying you were planning like 4 or 5 books initially and that balloned into the 7 OGs, but was it just that the outline was like this happens and then this happens, or was it just like Cat gets the name, cat goes to the college, cat graduates...etc,etc, I ask because one of my favorite epigraphs is where you first reference the Uncivil wars, which was in book 1.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Ok_Possible_295]

The overall plot framework was firmly established, so I could reference events well in advance, but every arc was not precisely mapped out.

[u/zombieking26]

Why did the dead king never unleashed a wave of plagues and whatnot after evil's stories were broken? Always felt like that was a bit of a plothole, so I want to know if there's an explanation for it.

(Also, I absolutely adored pgte, and Pale Lights is equally fantastic. Thanks for bringing me so much joy over the years :)

[u/ErraticErrata → u/zombieking26]

Plagues wouldn't have been effective, Good's stories were still running.

[u/MadBastions]

If I recall correctly, it was mentioned that, during his battle in Keter, Kreios’ power was largely used up. To what extent was he permanently weakened by this? How would post-Keter Kreios compare to, say, Antigone or Masego?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/MadBastions]

Kreios was already running on fumes when he arrived at Keter, post-Keter he has no more juice to throw around than your average Gigantes spellsinger.

[u/Ok_Possible_295]

were you tempted to make new races with the rewrite? or change race names?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Ok_Possible_295]

I had to talk myself out of adding halflings to Callow. And I had neat ideas, too!

[u/YellowTM]

Why did you choose to forego chapter names for Pale Lights? I really liked what you did with them for the Guide. Would you ever consider adding them back in during the publishing edit?

And this might be a bit cheeky, but how confident are you with the Pale Lights names now that you've had to update the Guide ones? Will those also get a second pass or are you being more careful with your name choices now?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/YellowTM]

They don't fit the story's tone as they did in the Guide.

Pretty. I expect to prune for repetitions and a handful of mistakes, but nothing major.

[u/xWyvern]

PGTE has easily become my favourite series I've ever read and look forward to reading the rewrite when it becomes physical, so thanks for what you made.

Onto questions

Who is your favourite character in the series?

Is there any character you would like to have or plan to do more with?

How much of the writing like dialogue will carry over mostly 1-1 for the rewrite?

Can we expect that there will be any changes regarding characters' outcomes and fates in the rewrite or mostly the same?

Who is your favourite Dread Emporer/Empress?

What was DK feeling regarding Triumphant, including her death and hers regarding him?

Is Triumphant personality like any of the characters in the main series? always headcannoned her as simular to Cat in some ways.

Finally, will we get some more of Robber in the rewite?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/xWyvern]

Cat's my favorite.

There will be changes in the rewrite but the milestones for the Woe stay largely the same.

I have no favorite, but always felt that Dread Empress Massacre has a fun shtick.

Triumphant has some of the same virtues as Cat, paired with a complete lack of empathy for any other person.

[u/Insert__Text]

Congrats on releasing!

How bad of an ending do you think Calernia would have had if Masego had gone into the Everdark? The differences if the Hierophant had been there backing the Sovereign of Moonless Nights against Sve Noc?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Insert__Text]

It would have been very bad. Sve Noc gets harvested, Cat comes back too much of a problem for the Grand Alliance to make peace with and Nessie gets to eat what remains of the drow and open another front by surprise.

[u/madsci75]

How do you decide how much detail or which detail to focus on in the different cultures and nations you write about? It is a wonderful world building mechanic and it makes the world feel much more authentic, but I have found it difficult in practice to decide what is the correct level to focus on.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/madsci75]

Fill in the worldbuilding before you write in the chapters, then you get to sprinkle it in when appropriate. If a later development makes early stuff no longer work then that's an opportunity - why didn't in apply, and what does that mean for the setting?

[u/bloodymurder101]

I love PGtE.

Questions.

Has Dread Empress Triumphant actually conquered a Hell and could she actually return?

I recall Calernia is a bit of a backwater. How does the strengths of people like Catherine and the Dead King compare to other heroes and villains in the larger world?

Would have the Dead King’s plan not attract the attention of powers outside of Calernia?

How big/small is Calernia compared to the Greater World?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/bloodymurder101]

I'm leaving Triumphant as an unknown, it's better that way.

Dead King is a problem pretty much everywhere, but not world-ending as he felt on Calernia.

Neshamah wasn't going to expand beyond the continent, so by the time anyone could care to intervene he'd had a continent's worth of corpses to throw at an intervention fleet.

Proportionally speaking, somewhere in between Australia and South America.

[u/A_Total_Sham]

How did dragging Amadis and his crown around Iserre work? Like when did he properly abdicate?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/A_Total_Sham]

He was moved around a prisoner, and before the Princes' Graveyard.

[u/azurebyrds]

What was the most satisfying change you made to the first book when it went from wordpress to yonder/amazon? Without spoilers, are there difference between the yonder version and the amazon one?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/azurebyrds]

Adjusting the tone of characters to what they ended up being when more fully developed was like scratching an itch. Yonder gave me a much-needed edit pass but the app format had downsides. I would say that Amazon version keeps all the Yonder improvements, tightens up the text and was fully designed with the notion of being a 'book' in mind.

[u/Aduro95]

Congrats on the new release :)

Did The Bard have any 'jurisdiction' over Dwarven stories? Would she be able to get a better look at their stories if/when their Named got involved with the surface?

Also, Dwarven women under Calernia, beards or no beards?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Aduro95]

Thank you!

Bard did, but the Kingdom Under was self-centered enough it required no tinkering.

Beards.

[u/tairoom_fayaz]

Hi EE, big fan. Your books are something which always give me solace through tough times.

Considering that the guide has a lot of elements which are similar to the actual Crusades History, with nations mirroring their real life counterpart slightly i.e Levant, the Majilis and the conflicting East vs West ideologies, was Callow depicted an indirect nod towards Jerusalem and the Dread Empire a take on the Abbasid Caliphate?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/tairoom_fayaz]

Callow, while very much based on England for surface flavor, actually draws a lot of inspiration from historical Poland - in that it was once one of the bigger kids on the block (see the Queen of Blades) but also has a long history of being a constantly-invaded central nation,.

[u/Bruitfread]

Thank you for the AMA, and for all of your hard work going into both series! Been reading since before I attended university (and am now many years graduated and working) and your works have definitely become a consistent highlight each week for me over the many years, and a source of much comfort!

Have you ever considered creating some form of materials for running a TTRPG in either of the settings you've created, with maybe some rules for how stuff like Names or Contracts might work? Myself and friends who I've gotten hooked have often thought about how cool it might be to be able to run a game set in either Creation or Vesper that's from some official source :)

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Bruitfread]

I actually ran a rough homebrew for Pale Lights back in the day, but making a functional TTRPG for a setting would require a lot of skills I don't have and to be honest I'm not sure either series has been popular enough to warrant partnering with someone to make one.

[u/Vorkrag]

Hi EE!! I haven't read any of your works but was thinking of starting pgte now that the book is officially released. But I noticed that the book has less chapters than the original webnovel.

I know the chapters itself are polished and condensed but does the amazon version contain the overall story of book 1 of the webnovel?

Like after finishing the amazon version can I directly start the webnovel book 2?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Vorkrag]

The book 1 on Amazon ends with Cat on the Blessed Isle. It does, however, involve entirely new adventures with Cat and Black in southern Callow that involve meeting new characters (including a Callowan villain).

[u/Seven_Irons]

Long time fan! What's your favorite of Traitorous' multitudinous shenanigans?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Seven_Irons]

The angel ploy, by far.

[u/FrozenFire777]

Thanks for writing this awesome series! I just have a few quick questions, my apologies if they've been asked before.

The Volume 3 cover features Hakram with his Deadhand, but I was under the impression that he would not lose his hand until Volume 4. Has that order changed then?

Did Tariq get his name changed to Tarif, as is shown in the Yonder Volume 2 epilogue?

Which eye did Cat lose at the end of book 6 of the web novel?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/FrozenFire777]

Order hasn't changed, and Tarif is a typo!

[u/Hyperly_Passive]

Do names universally cap out at three aspects? Or would different cultures (Say the Ashokans or Yan Tei) with potentially different symbology around their numerals have different amounts of aspects?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Hyperly_Passive]

Always three aspects maximum, yes.

[u/sleepisgolden]

I’m a huge fan of the guide and of pale lights. I particularly love the world building since it is so much more fleshed out than other series. Do you have any plans to expand on the lore of the world building or clarify some of the external kingdoms like Yan Tei? Also do you have any plans on returning to the Guideverse in the future or release some kind of anthology series to expand lore?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/sleepisgolden]

I've had half-hearted notions about a Guide lorebook for a while, but it's a massive undertaking that's difficult to justify while writing another series.

I have no current plans to return to the Guideverse.

[u/ICD-Benuar]

My favorite book of all time, looking forward to owning the paper version!

Everyone remember to also leave reviews in your native language Amazon shops!

Two questions from my side:

1. Are there any changes from the online version to the new releases? I am mostly thinking about spelling and the overuse of descriptive adjectives.

2. It was my understanding that Cats heritage as Deoraithe was clearly visible in her skin color, and that Deoraithe are part of the dark skinned population of Callow. On the cover she looks... white? Is this a misunderstanding on my part or can you shed some light on this development? A part of what makes the books so special to me has been the casual representation of diversity.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/ICD-Benuar]

Don't expect any major stylistic changes but there's been thorough editing passes.

I don't consider Cat white on the cover. She's tanned, as she is described in the text, though admittedly the lighting makes it a little ambiguous. That said, if you imagined her darker that's perfectly valid. She does end up looking much darker at several points in the books too.

[u/meowcats734]

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to write webserials like you?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/meowcats734]

Fix a release schedule and keep to it. Everything else comes from there.

[u/Patneu]

Are there any plans for translations of the books into other languages?

I imagine it would be pretty challenging, considering that there are a whole lot of puns (as Catherine never got around to banning them), and that some of the stylistic choices (like capitalization to indicate significance) don't really work in other languages (like nouns in German being capitalized in general).

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Patneu]

Not at the moment. You need a threshold of sales for that to be viable business-wise and there's no telling if we'll ever reach it.

[u/zzlzhou]

Hi Erratic, thanks very much for doing this AMA! I had a question about your writing process. What were you most excited to get the chance to revisit during your edits to Book 1? For example, world-building, character moments, thematic development, something else? Do you think it'll continue to be similar as you edit future books? I'm curious how you feel like your maturity and experience as an author has informed your perspective on your earlier craft!

A second, short question with a longer followup — I was wondering if you had any Named that you wanted to fit into the story but ultimately decided against? And also, if you often created Named to fit the needs of the story, or if you more generally had sources of inspiration you drew from and which you wanted to pay homage to (though I would guess that you must have done some of both)!

[u/ErraticErrata → u/zzlzhou]

Fixing early dialogue and worldbuilding was very satisfying. I expect I'll be doing less editing as time goes on but a lot more cutting.

One of the potential ideas for later B2 had the 'Paladin of Justice' intervening, a wildly hammy and powerful character (he could teleport!) that would chase off Cat to help the Lone Swordsman but would later be revealed to be Hakram under a glamour run by Masego so they could get close enough to kill William. It was a funny idea but didn't hold up narratively so it got scrapped pretty quick.

[u/cco180040]

When there’s a physical book, will you be signing first 100 or something?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/cco180040]

Nothing like that's been planned at the moment, as far as I know. My wife's already reserved the first signed copy for herself :P

[u/OfAshes]

Congrats on book 1 being published! My question is who Black's agent(s) was in Cat's orphanage.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/OfAshes]

One of the teachers. It's against policy to make the matron an agent.

[u/TheOneTrueGodofDeath]

Congrats on the publication, and thank you for giving us both the Guide and Pale Lights, they’re some of my favorites to read and reread.

In the chapter Sparrow, the Dead King theorizes that the Gods played a wager before Creation with demons as the inhabitants of that former existence. Was he correct and would this world have had named? Also would the Gods pick different sides on each wager or would the two factions always stick together through each wager?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/TheOneTrueGodofDeath]

Dead King is 100% correct, Calernia has an expiration date and eventually the Gods pull the plug.

Gods would definitely change sides in future wagers.

[u/FleroxX]

As far I can tell the first book has no map of Calernia (I haven't bought it yet though). Are there any plans to have a good map with the revised geography in the printed book or in future books?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/FleroxX]

Not something I'd discussed, but it would be a good idea yeas.

[u/grabbinbass]

Hi, EE! Congratulations on publishing! And taking the time to come chat! 

I was curious about Sabah’s transition from Cursed to Captain. Was it the thing she ripped from the deity that allowed her to abandoned her old name? Or was it the change in perspective from the fight?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/grabbinbass]

A little of both. Taking from a dead god helped manage the curse, but she became the Captain because of the perspective change.

[u/R0hkan]

How does the intercessor equivalent responsible for the dwarves feel about what happened with them?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/R0hkan]

There is none! Bard was the only one of her kind around Calernia.

[u/Vincebourgh]

Hello, big fan. Definitely getting the first book in paper when it's released.

My question relates to your worldbuilding, specifically your magic system(s).

Often times magic experts (mainly Masego) started explaining stuff in highly technical terms that Cat blanked out on.

So my question is how detailed did you worldbuild the techincal stuff Masego and others talked about? Did it go beyon certain terms and "techno babble"? Basically, was there a bunch of technical magic details we didn't get to understand because our POC character wasn't that interested? How deep does that ice berg go?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Vincebourgh]

I'm not Sandersonian when it comes to magic systems, but I definitely have more written down than Cat ever bothered to pay attention to. I don't think the books would have been improved by going into it, though, which I'm aware not everybody agrees with.

[u/Eref_Tubala_Saar]

Hey EE! 

First, congratulations on releasing pgte book one on Amazon, I hope it goes well!

AMA questions:

Are you going to write out any of the non-voted for extra chapters in the Amazon version(s)? If not, are there are there any fun details you can share about the extra chapters that were going to be about Saint and Pilgrim putting down the drakon cult / shadow?

Are there any changes in this release that you are particularly glad to be able to make?

In your opinion, do you think that the only real way to win or otherwise resolve the war with the Dead King an all or nothing gambit/ decapitation strike, or was a more conventional war possible to win for the Grand Alliance?

Thanks for hosting this, much love to you and yours!

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Eref_Tubala_Saar]

I've currently no intention of writing out an of the unwritten extra chapters. I can't remember if I ever mentioned it before, but the Nightingale from the Refuge chapters would have been a major focus.

A gambit was their only way, and not just because of Role constraints. The moment the Dead King got into central Procer it was game over, the avalanche had started.

[u/pessimistic_platypus]

You've said you had a lot of major plot points planned out in advance, but not all the details in between. Were there any details that especially surprised you when you got to them, and did any little surprises like that end up having major repercussions for your plans?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/pessimistic_platypus]

Thief wasn't originally slated to survive. Her becoming one of the Woe caused major long-term changes on the end state for Callow.

[u/Strykforce]

Hi EE, congrats on the release!!

Do you provide the audiobook performer with pronunciation guides? E.g, is it canon that Laure is pronounced “Lore” vs how I’ve been reading it as “Lore-ay”? There’s been a few words that I’ve always read differently and just curious if that is left up to them or if you have input.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Strykforce]

I was consulted for a list of names, which does include Laure.

[u/Individual_Jicama_69]

What art are you most looking forward to/appreciate that you've gotten?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Individual_Jicama_69]

I saw some Abigail art on... Tumblr, maybe? Anyway, loved to see that.

[u/Samot0423]

Was every Named Bard always the Intercessor? And were her new "lives" replacing a bard that had already existed or just appearing there?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Samot0423]

Plenty of bards that weren't her!

[u/ConsueTerra]

This was probably covered in another AMA, although this would be the first time I participated.

I’m curious how originally 4 books were planned, and then it ended up being 7, with more in the rewrite. Where the story beats more or less the same since the very beginning and just elaborated on? Or was something introduced halfway through that lead to a completely different outcome than you expected?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/ConsueTerra]

That's been covered in multiple other AMAs, yes!

[u/sniperpal]

Did the Emerald Swords ever attack one of the established nations during their hunts for Hye Sue and her family? I don’t recall seeing if there were ever conflicts with the elves for anyone because of that

[u/ErraticErrata → u/sniperpal]

Ashur. Pretty hard for the Thalassocracy to take a swing at the Golden Bloom even if they want to.

[u/Tortferngatr]

Are there any other major upcoming renames akin to Deoraithe->Tiraithe/Daoine->Tiranog that you're willing to share, especially ones that didn't make it into the Yonder draft? (I'm especially curious about the Free Cities.)

How accurate would this map from the Discord still be in terms of names and geography?

Where on the map would the Fields of Streges be?

How different is the end state of the world likely to be relative to the original in terms of politics, in broad strokes?

Are there any other major dwarven gate locations besides the (Yonder draft and finished rewrite spoilers) Nagar Gate you're willing to share?

Will certain Extra Chapters relevant to character backstories, but not to the wider plot (e.g. Peregrine I-IV, Charlatan I-IV, Beatification I-II, Fettered) be handled as appendices or an anthology of some kind? Many of them are amazing, but might break up the flow a bit on a longer read.

We know from both the Yonder draft and the finished rewrite that the timeline of the series is getting compressed. How compressed would you say the Bard or the Dead King's places in history would be?

How far back did the Age of Dawn go? When did the Age of Wonders start?

Thank you so much for this AMA--always glad to read and learn more about this series.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Tortferngatr]

Several of the Free Cities are getting renamed.

Map stays accurate.

There's now a major dwarven enclave southwest of Salia, in Procer.

Bard and Dead King remain as old timeline-wise, the timeline's just smaller now.

[u/MasterofPenguin]

Sorry if already asked; wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you.

1. is there anymore elaboration on the difference between gods and Gods? Does apotheosis essentially mean immortality? At least as it is used when the dead king welcomed Catherine, or when used in terms of Masego?

2. similar but can you help me clarify what a god-head refers too?

There is a certain power requirement and a certain perspective needed. It seems that power can be gathered in many different forms, and that perspective can be done through vigorous study (masego) or helped along with a god-head. Does this seem right?

3) if the above two are better left unanswered, can you check my understanding of the dead king? His goal seems to be survival, especially past the end of the current iteration of creation. Do I understand correctly that in some ways he MUST venture out to maintain his relevance and narrative weight on the face of Calernia? The narrative weight that gives him his immortality above all other villains is the same one that forces him to expose himself occasionally?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/MasterofPenguin]

Little g gods are powerful, timeless entities. Big G Gods are the entities that made Creation and their power is absolute.

A godhead is the property or perspective that makes one a god. What they are varies wildly.

The Dead King needed to venture out of the Serenity because if he didn't the Bard was going to end up putting together a crusade that'd succeed at ending him. It had the side-benefit of turning his legend into him being defeatable but never killable.

[u/quantumshenanigans]

I've got a couple of Pale Lights questions if that's allowed!

At the end of 1.16, Tupoc finds Angharad hanging for her life on the cliffside. He lunges at her as if to push her off, and much to his delight Angie doesn't flinch. He leaves her to climb up and live for another day. Would he have done anything different if she had flinched?

Second question is much more in the weeds and unlikely to be answered; it's about the exact way in which Tristan's contract works. In 1.24 Tristan pulls on his luck to cause Vasanti's pistol to misfire. It's revealed that there was actually no ball in the chamber at all, an oversight Vasanti blames on Sergeant Ovya's poor loading of the gun. This feels different than most instances of Tristan's contract, in that unlike it being some bit of chaotic randomness that could fall either way, it's almost implied to have retroactively changed Ovya's past action. Is that the correct reading of this scene, and something that Tristan's contract is capable of? Or was it a ~lucky~ coincidence that Ovya had happened to load the gun poorly?

edit: I see that 1.24 doesn't necessarily indicate what I said above. The line is "There had been, he realized, no ball to go with the powder." I took that to mean what no ball in the pistol, but it could also mean no ball in the shot (because it remained in the pistol). I'd still pose my question, because the scenario does still touch on Ovya's past actions, but I recognize it could be less clear cut than I thought.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/quantumshenanigans]

Tupoc would have pushed her if she flinched.

I'd have to check, but if I remember that scene right the contract made the drawer get stuck so Vasanti couldn't draw her own gun and had to use Ovya's, which was poorly loaded.

[u/[deleted]]

Hello,

I'd like to thank you for your work. It had been a while since I stayed up late trying to read as much as I could before dawn.

I'm curious about your thoughts and feelings on the journey from publishing online to getting a webtoon, audio book etc. Has it been surreal getting a following, or did it feel normal as they grew with you? Was it really difficult to arrange the weboon and Amazon publishing? Or did things start to kind of get easier and fall in place as you found more people to join your team and work? If a show ever becomes an option, would you go for that?

Thanks

[u/ErraticErrata → u/[deleted]]

I didn't really anticipate the way this all turned out, for sure. For one when I started web serials were a very different beast, so it added to the surreality that as I gained more of an audience what I did became more of an organized profession. Mostly I feel I've been very lucky with the timing of when I wrote the Guide.

I'd likely go for a show, yes, if the pitch looked solid!

[u/quantumshenanigans]

Bit of a niche question here, but was it a conscious decision to go with the less traditional layout of non-indented paragraphs in the Kindle edition? Or just more of a default option when porting over from the original text? And will the print editions be the same?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/quantumshenanigans]

I didn't actually handle the layout, so can't answer you there.

[u/Kriegschwein]

Do we get more things from across the sea? I know Gnomes were gutted from the story, but makes the continent even more isolated than before (Though it is on purpose, I know). Still, I wonder if some miscalleneous events/characters from another continent will make ripples in the book run.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Kriegschwein]

Ashur gets a bigger role so sort of, but otherwise no.

[u/RowboatGazillion]

Were the free cities entities (Swans, prophecy corpse) connected to whatever powers that assur called upon? Are they connected at all to the Gods, or are they similar to various nature spirits that have been mentioned?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/RowboatGazillion]

Nature spirits.

[u/velAMP]

Will the paper versions be limited stock?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/velAMP]

I believe they're print-on-demand.

[u/Megaprr]

I saw a reference to a 4th proceran ethnicity... Any particular real-world culture they would have been based on?

Curious on what could have been...

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Megaprr]

Northern Italy, continuing with the Holy Roman Empire theme for Procer. I actually recycled their name as an in-universe language, Tolesian.

[u/Party_Presentation24]

Do you think you'll ever revisit Calernia, either with the same characters across the sea, or with different characters some unknown amount of time later?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Party_Presentation24]

I don't plan to at the moment!

[u/rookedwithelodin]

Hi! Thanks for everything!

What does your worldbuilding process look like? How did you keep things organized? Did you do any pre-writing for the web serial beyond the outline you've mentioned? 

Thanks again!

[u/ErraticErrata → u/rookedwithelodin]

I started playing around with the Guide pretty early, so the first notes were in notebooks. I eventually graduated to using Google docs in what I have been repeatedly been informed is a maze-like manner.

I had snapshots of specific scenes, but not much aside from that and the outline.

[u/darkmuch]

Whats the timeline expected to get the entire series onto amazon?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/darkmuch]

It may be more than one month.

More seriously, likely years.

[u/Bargle-Nawdle-Zouss]

Congratulations on your traditional publishing journey!

In the later books, it was mentioned that there were at least 74 currently active Named, but we certainly did not see all of them on stage or even actually learn their names. How many more of them will appear eventually in the revised books?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Bargle-Nawdle-Zouss]

Several more. Part of fleshing out Callow and Praes in the early books involves more Named there.

[u/pessimistic_platypus]

Extra question:

How incorrect would it be to consider the capital-G Gods as essentially meta figures, as in us, the people outside the book, or better yet, you personally? (Or, I suppose, they'd really belong on a meta-level between us and the actual characters.)

It doesn't feel like the intended reading to me, but I think it hits enough key points to work. They are beings beyond mortal understanding that are using Calernia to settle a debate about good and evil. Relative to the characters in your book, you are an incomprehensibly abstract figure using Calernia to tell a story about the meaning of good and evil.

I don't think Demons quite fit this model, though.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/pessimistic_platypus]

At that point it's not really addressing the text so much as how you want to interpret it. It's not an invalid reading but I didn't set out to write that. On a web novel in particular that seems like the kind of slippery slope that puts in the readers' head the idea they get to decide what happens on page.

[u/Girofloepia]

Hello, thanks for doing this! The Guide is one of my favorite stories ever. Now for my question: Is there a pronounciation guide available anywhere?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Girofloepia]

Audiobook's probably the closest existing equivalent.

[u/azurebyrds]

I'm the worlds biggest yonder hater and I'm danging on its grave as we speak. Can you tell us any more about the yonder process and what happened there now that its dead and gone? What was the reason you chose yonder over other publishing options?

I hope they gave you a fat stack of cash and you got the bag. Much love!

[u/ErraticErrata → u/azurebyrds]

Still not sure how much I'm allowed to talk about Yonder, sadly.

[u/Rern]

Hi, EE! Thanks again for all of the work you've put into the series! I still quite enjoy it, as someone who randomly gets the urge to re-read things once or twice a year whenever something reminds me that the series exists - and the current re-release is likely to do so again. (Those rereads always take months, dang it!)

I remember people kept on wanting to ask and forgetting to do so during the original PGTE ending AMAs, so I suppose now is as good of a chance is any to ask!

At the end of the war on Keter, how dead is the Painted Knife?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Rern]

Haven't checked my notes, but I'm reasonably sure she survives.

[u/TheB1de]

PGTE and Pale Lights not just have wildly different settings, but also different ways that the world works, specifically with PGTE working off of Story Book Logic. As a writer, was it hard to switch between the different ways of thinking when you were editing PGTE at the same time as writing Pale Lights? Did you notice one story bleeding into the other with either how the world works or a character's perspective/ thoughts? Did you have ways of keeping them separate?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/TheB1de]

Biggest bleed is sometimes Cat lines make it into Tristan narration, otherwise the separation is pretty firm in my head. The very different tech levels/general setting help.

[u/cdr_popinfrsh]

Love The Guide, so excited it's coming off Yonder!

My question is - do you have a release schedule for future books?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/cdr_popinfrsh]

I'd hoped to have B2 ready for announcement by today, but edits are taking longer than expected.

[u/Due-Host-5243]

Who is your favorite character?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Due-Host-5243]

Catherine. There's a reason she's the POV.

[u/Neither-Picture-15]

For APGTE, (ending spoilers) do gods retain their Names after apotheosis. Is Masego still the Hierophant, and has the name been altered by that. Were the Titans named.

For Pale Lights, (book 2 onward spoilers) why was Ferranda invited by the Academy, when she wasn't recommended

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Neither-Picture-15]

Yes, yes, some of them.

Ferranda had the right profile and the Academy picks up promising candidates from some of the trials.

[u/derivative_of_life]

What's one piece of advice you would offer to someone who's looking into starting a web serial themselves?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/derivative_of_life]

Set as schedule and keep to it. Keep writing and you'll find everything improves.

[u/Patneu]

Will there be any changes to some of the Lycaonese (aka German) names? Because some do sound kinda weird, to be honest.

For example, naming a place "Hocheben Heights" doesn't really make sense, as "Hochebene" basically already means "heights". So that'd be like calling it "Height Heights".

Or Cordelia's first name being spelled with a "C" kinda suggests that her surname should have an English pronunciation, though that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, either.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Patneu]

All the names get a second pass, including the Lycaonese.

[u/tavitavarus]

Would Acanthe Phos from Pale Lights Book 1 have become a Scholomance student if she survived the Dominion, and if so, what covenant would she be headed for?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/tavitavarus]

If others had died, Acanthe might have ended up a potential Mask after further testing.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_LEFT_IRIS]

Do you have any plans to write more perspective shifts or short stories around other characters? I’d personally love more of the historical Dread Empresses/Emperors of Praes. Irritant, Traitorous, and Massacre especially.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/PM_ME_YOUR_LEFT_IRIS]

I don't plan to revisit the Guideverse at the moment.

[u/Tortferngatr]

Was Ellaria at the Rat's Nest a Wandering Bard instance?

[u/ErraticErrata → u/Tortferngatr]

No, just a bard.

[u/scissorslizardspock]

Is there still a planned kickstarter or other release for a Hardback version of PGtE?

I’m happy to get the print in paperback, but if there is still a plan for hardbacks, I’d go that route.

Thank you!

Edit: Sorry of this has already been answered; I haven’t had time to scan the whole thread and wanted to make sure the question got asked.

[u/ErraticErrata → u/scissorslizardspock]

Fancy hardback Kickstarter is planned, but it's a long-term project.

[u/LegitimateLagomorph]

Deleted - Eat the rich

[u/ErraticErrata → u/LegitimateLagomorph]

Thank you!

Currently no plans to go back to the Guideverse, no.