From Faerie Magazine:
If you can, read the Outlander books in sequence before you watch the TV series. That way, you’ll have the characters take shape in your imagination before the actors get inside your head. Gabaldon agrees. “The show is a very good companion to the books,” she says. “But it’s not a replacement.”
Creating a richly layered, exquisitely detailed, multisensory world is important to the author, and she is really, really good at it. In fact, the attention to detail is a main reason Outlander resonates so powerfully with readers—it makes the books transportive. Gabaldon, who is really fun to talk to, is extremely articulate and strongly opinionated (a bit like Jamie Fraser!) and has mastered a writing style that propels—no, hurtles—readers forward. It immerses them squarely in a sensual world of her creation, and it turns out that is exactly what Gabaldon is going after. “I start with a kernel—an object, a vivid image, a line of dialogue—and I’ll write down a line or two that attempts to capture where that was. Writing immersively is a matter of technique but also seeing what’s there that’s having a sensory effect,” she says. “If you use any three or more of the five senses in a scene, that scene will become three-dimensional, and readers will feel like they’re in there. Most new writers use sight and sound, but not touch and smell.”
Thank you for so many fun and interesting connections to all things Outlander! Loved this story about Diana, and also love how you connect us to the actors, both current and former, directors, producers, cons, promo tours, just everything! So glad to get you notices! Keep up the great work!
What an amazing woman! I loved the interview and find it very interesting Diana’s perceptions and ideas. I love all her 8 Outlander books and am waiting for Book 9. I understand she is talking of getting around to Book 10 which, from what she mentions, will sort of wrap up Outlander. I would love to read what she has in mind for her future books.
That is a great interview. Diana is an amazing woman and has done so much in her life so far. I love her Outlander books and watch the TV series religiously. The books enrich the episodes by providing background that just simply cannot fit in to the TV series due to time constraints and some details just don’t translate well to the different medium. I am usually cautious about watching adaptations of books I’ve read, have been disappointed too often, but Outlander has done a great job following the books making only mainly changes needed to make the story flow better for TV. I look forward to her next book(s) as they are always real page turners and I love Jamie and Claire and their adventures.