Why I Haven’t Written a 4th Goblin Book
At least once a month, I receive an e-mail or a comment asking if I’m going to do a fourth goblin book. The answer has always been, “Probably not.” I can think of only two situations wherein I might consider writing another goblin book:
- DAW offers to pay me a million dollars[1. Or any publisher, for that matter. I’m not picky.].
- I come up with an idea for a goblin story that is both new and exciting to me as a writer.
The thing is, in my brain, Jig’s story is finished. I’ve shown him and his fellow goblins growing and changing over the three books. I leave them in a very different place in book three, and I like that. I like that we got to see Tymalous Shadowstar’s story as well. I like that we got closure for some of the other characters and situations from book one. It feels done.
Sometimes I wonder if I made the right call, if maybe I should have kept going with the series. Jig has some wonderful fans, and he really was a fun character to write. (Not to mention the goblins were making great money over in Germany!) And then last night I caught the rebirth of Scrubs.
This is a show that “ended” after season eight. I thought they had a wonderful series finale, and I was very impressed at how they handled everything. It worked.
And then they decided to keep going. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it was a purely commercial decision, or if someone honestly thought they had more stories to tell. All I know is that it was painful. Many of the characters had crossed the line into caricature. The stories felt repetitive–things we had already seen in earlier seasons. The whole thing felt hollow.
I hope they’ll improve as the season progresses, and I’ll keep watching to see where they go with it. But those two new episodes affirmed for me why I don’t just sit down and write a fourth Jig book. If I wrote it because the fans wanted it, or for money, or for any reason aside from my own love and excitement over a new story, the odds are that I’d lose the heart of those stories. I’d end up with the same kind of empty, repetitive caricature I watched last night.
I was disappointed when Scrubs ended, but I enjoyed the series, and I loved and respected the way they wrapped things up. As a fan, I find myself wishing they had left it there. And as a writer, I don’t want to do that to my own fans.
—
The Mad Hatter
December 2, 2009 @ 10:02 am
I’m in the camp of wanting you to do another Jig book. But I have to agree with you on Scrubs. I hate to see a pale imitation of the characters I’ve grown to love and I wouldn’t want that for the goblins.
The creator of Scrubs did want to call it something other than Scrubs and work it as more of a spin-off. I think Med School was the name he wanted to go with, but ABC made them to stay with Scrubs. Braff is only signed on for 6 episodes or so.
But Jig does have to have kids at some point. How about a short with them trying to live up to their father’s name?
Alexia561
December 2, 2009 @ 10:07 am
I saw the new episode of Scrubs as well, and couldn’t agree more! While I love Jig, I would hate for him to come back if the story wasn’t as good at the others and your heart wasn’t in it. That being said, maybe, someday, if the muse strikes, he could make a cameo in another series just so we know he’s doing okay? 🙂
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 10:09 am
I’d be more open to doing goblin short stories, but again, it would have to be something I was excited about.
I love that people want more Jig. That’s a great feeling. It’s just not the story I’m excited about telling right now, if that makes sense.
You know, I’d be tempted to pick up the DVD of the new Scrubs, just for the commentary and to try to learn what all went into the decision-making process for this thing.
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 10:13 am
I’m glad I’m not alone in my reaction to the new Scrubs. I’d like to believe they’ll get their bearings and do better as the season progresses, but right now … ouch.
I don’t know whether I could work in a Jig cameo, but I *was* thinking about– No, I should probably wait until after I’ve pitched that idea and know whether or not DAW is going to buy it.
Kelly McCullough
December 2, 2009 @ 11:06 am
It’s the right decision, even if it’s a hard one sometimes. SpellCrash will be the last WebMage book for at least a couple of years for the same reasons.
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 11:16 am
Five books is a respectable series. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of ’em!
KatG
December 2, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
But you didn’t quite finish the goblin story. [SPOILERS] You left open the question of whether Shadowstar might still exist or not. And we don’t know if Jig will ever face up to Relka’s feelings for him or ever return them.
Which is okay. You can leave mysteries and questions and still the story ends — that story. But it’s quite clear that these characters will have more stories in their lives, if you want to tell them. Whether you intentionally meant it or not, you left yourself an opening. And because we like the characters, we’re receptive to you taking that opening. Maybe you will write some stories or another book about Jig, or perhaps one of the other characters altogether, such as an elf who turned into something else. Or maybe you will simply move on because the main thing you wanted to do with Jig’s story is done.
But you made an impression. A place where people like to hang out (especially in Germany.) And that’s an accomplishment.
Steve Buchheit
December 2, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
Just for the money is the worst motivation ever (I seem to keep choosing lower paying professions, (CompSci $60k, Graphic Design $36K (and dropping, although my current pay is higher), Novelists maybe $5000). I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
But if your heart isn’t in it, it will show in the Quality (see Robert Persig for definition). Leave them begging for more and you’ve done your job correctly.
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 1:11 pm
I think this gets into my own personal ideas about what an ending should and shouldn’t be. This could probably be its own blog post, actually.
Stories end. Life goes on. So for me, a good ending doesn’t wrap up every single loose end. It makes it clear that things will continue, even though this particular story is finished.
I deliberately left Shadowstar’s fate ambiguous, but there’s a lot that I wanted to be open-ended, to make it clear that Jig and the rest do have a future in front of them — but those are different stories, like you said.
As for your last comment, all I can say is thank you. That means an awful lot to hear.
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 1:15 pm
I can understand the need for money. I consider myself very lucky to have a day job that, combined with the writing, allows me to support my family. But money by itself is a lousy motivation, at least for me.
“Leave them begging for more and you’ve done your job correctly.”
Hm … so if I send book four to DAW with the final chapter omitted, meaning the readers get right up to the final climax and then the book just stops, then I should be good, right? 🙂
D. Moonfire
December 2, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
Some of the stories I’ve written over the years have gotten a lot of requests for the same thing, to keep them going. I usually don’t for the same reasons, though you state it much better than I did (“No, because I don’t know how to continue this.”). I happen to agree, but then again, I think all television series should have a finish date, regardless of how popular it is.
Liz
December 2, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
I wouldn’t mind knowing what happens to Jig (the idea of him at Court makes me chuckle), but I would rather not know at all if it is forced or somehow false. I like the idea of a cameo; you did make the goblins and pixies the same in ‘Stepsisters’, so it could definitely be possible 😉
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 8:18 pm
I do like the idea of Jig dealing with all of the formality and politics at court. But while it sounds like fun, it never turned into an actual story, if that makes sense?
Hm … have you read Mermaid yet, by chance?
Jim C. Hines
December 2, 2009 @ 8:21 pm
What about TV shows (and series) where each book/episode is more self-contained and episodic? A lot of mystery series seem to go this route. I thought about doing the same thing with the priness books, but as soon as I started in on book two, my brain was working on series-length arcs and trying to figure out how the whole thing would end, so apparently my brain just doesn’t work that way.
D. Moonfire
December 2, 2009 @ 9:20 pm
I happen to think they should end also. I liked some series for a few seasons, but there is a point where they start rehashing some jokes or archetypes (for me, Family Guy in season 3, Simpson in 5, South Part in 2). If some character leaves the show, they just replace it with a new version with the same personality. Kind of like in Coupling when they replaced the idiot with… another idiot. Or when Cosby ordered a new kid because the kid jokes weren’t funny anymore with the teenagers. There is the term, Jumping the Shark, but you get the idea.
Personally, I like plot in my stories. I’ve read tons of Doc Savage stories when I was a kid and it got to the point I could guess the turning point and the twists simply because I was at a certain point in the book. I also remember someone blogging that his daughter always got excited when he read a Disney book and got to chapter 8 (the good guy would start to win), but hated chapter 3 because that is when the bad guy got ahead.
Not to say they are bad, I just get bored with them when there is no cohesion between the individual stories. Probably why I like Babylon 5 over Star Trek. Or the “So You Want To Be A Wizard” series over the Harlequin Romance books.
Jim C. Hines
December 3, 2009 @ 8:31 am
That makes sense. I remember getting annoyed on more than one occasion about the “Replace this character with a clone of the character, because everything must stay the same!” phenomenon. And I love the story about the daughter figuring out which chapters marked various points in the Disney plot formula 🙂
Liz
December 3, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Not yet, I’m afraid. I’m waiting for my brother to finish so I can read his copy. It is definitely my next book. I’m looking forward to it.
Jim C. Hines
December 3, 2009 @ 6:31 pm
I hear rumors the author might have snuck some sort of cameo into that one…
Sean
December 3, 2009 @ 8:12 pm
I am spitballing here, but to rekindle jig..spock er i mean Tymalous could travel back in time and kill 2 princes questing in a the mountain creating an alternate reality that is completely unpredictable for jig..
yeah i had to go there.
Jim C. Hines
December 3, 2009 @ 8:46 pm
All accomplished with that mysterious magical substance known as blue matter…
Dennis
December 4, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
Just finished your excellent Goblin series and I am firmly in the camp of wanting more (someday). I look forward to reading of Jig’s eventual tussle with demigod status 😉
Mostly I will miss Smudge!
Jim C. Hines
December 7, 2009 @ 10:02 am
Thank you! I miss Smudge too 🙂 (Did you see that he got his own story in Gamer Fantastic?)