AOL, March 1995

The following is an abridged transcript of an America Online chat that was conducted in March 1995. Be forewarned that there may be Spoilers for upcoming books in the text of the interview. You may find that some of the information is outdated. Updates on the publication of books, tours, etc. are more current on the pages of this site that are devoted to those topics.

Question: I wanted to know about the geographical research for the books. Several people had commented, who are more familiar with Scotland than I, that it seemed Ft. William moved around?
DGabaldon: This is true {grin}. This is attributable to the fact that when I wrote Outlander, I had never been to Scotland, and had only the vaguest idea where Ft. William was.

Question: Diana, are we ever going to find out what transpired between Jamie and Jack Randall?
DGabaldon: Yes, in the fifth book.

Question: Diana, how did you do the British vernacular so well, are you of British ancestry?
DGabaldon: Not really. My great-grandfather came over from England in the late 1800’s, but he died when I was four. I did it mostly by means of reading novels set in Scotland (preferably written by Scots) and listening to Scottish folksong tapes.

Question: Diana, I was wondering if you experience writer’s block, and what do you do about it?
DGabaldon: Well, yes and no. I haven’t had real writer’s block since I wrote my Ph.D. thesis {grin}, but there are always days - or weeks - when the writing is like shoveling rocks up hill. I do two things -- I keep a journal, which kind of prods me to write something, just so I can report to myself that I did write something (this works better than you might think), and then I also read good stuff, that inspires me when I’m feeling dry.

Question: Is it possible to purchase “your readings” of your books through Talking Books or Recording for the Blind -- if I am not visually impaired?
DGabaldon: I don’t know. I’m pretty sure you can borrow the tapes from Recording for the Blind, though I don’t know what the rules are. You might call RFB (they’ll be in the phone book in large cities).

Question: How do you feel about the casting for your upcoming movies we do on the boards (CompuServe and AOL)?
DGabaldon: Oh, the casting? Heck, I don’t mind -- there’s been a casting discussion going on CompuServe for the last month, at least {grin}. Since, I have as little to say about it as any of you, I just kind of watch and enjoy the suggestions.

Question: Why do so many romances take place in Scotland .. what made you decide on Scotland?
DGabaldon: I don’t know why anyone else does it. I did it because I wanted to write a historical novel for practice, and I happened to see a Dr. Who rerun with a Scottish character at the psychological moment {grin}.

Question: Do you still continue with your scientific work, and if so, what percentage of your time does it take compared with the romance writing?
DGabaldon: No, I retired from the university when I finished the draft of Dragonfly in Amber. Thought it would be nice to see what it was like to sleep more than four hours at a stretch {wry grin}.

Question: How do you manage to keep your characters so consistent in personality and temperament?
DGabaldon: Well...they’re me {GRIN}. I don’t change all that much from day to day. I hope.

Question: Do we ever find out if there are any more places besides Craigh na Dun, where one can go to other times? Interesting concept, esp. re: Nessie!
DGabaldon: Other places? Um.... have you read Voyager {grin}. The answer is yes, though.
Question: What? Where? I must’ve missed something - hint?
DGabaldon: Near the end, when Claire meets you-know-who in the cave on Hispaniola?

Question: Who does your medical/surgical research? What source do you use?
DGabaldon: I do. I do all my own research - how could I possibly tell someone else what to look for? As for the medical research - weirdly enough, I used to teach classes in nursing and Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Question: Do you have a support group of fellow writers?
DGabaldon: Not as such - I’ve been hanging around on CompuServe’s Literary Forum for the last eight years or so, though.

Question: What inspired you to create a redheaded hero?
DGabaldon: My husband has red hair. I’m...um...sort of fond of red-heads {grin}.

Question: You have many fans in the Math Dept. at U. of Mich.! What do you read when you’re “feeling dry”?
DGabaldon: Almost anything. I’m especially partial to mysteries, but really, I’ll read literary fiction (this is good for “dry” periods, because lyrical writing will get the words flowing for me again), thrillers, you name it.

Question: My friend, Pandra, is sitting here with me and is wondering if you were a storyteller/writer as a child?
DGabaldon: Yes. I’ve always been one. I used to tell long, involved, continuing stories to my younger sister every night. And I’ve known from the age of 8 or so that I was supposed to be a novelist {grin}.

Question: How long did it take to complete Outlander from the first germ of an idea to completion?
DGabaldon: About 18 months. I’m very slow.

KCASKIE: Is that writing everyday then?
DGAbaldon: Yes. I average about two pages a day, even now.

Question: Did you base Jamie on your husband? If so, you’re one lucky girl!!!!!!
DGabaldon: Well, yes my husband is 6 foot 4, with red hair, and he does insist that I steal his jokes to give to Jamie Fraser {grin}.

Question: I’ve heard that you enjoy Anne Perry books. True?
Dgabaldon: Yes, she’s one of my “dependables” - authors whose books I buy without even looking inside. Also PD James, Deborah Maron, Ian Rankin...and about forty others {grin}.

Question: Diana, if you do all your writing in the middle of the night, how much sleep do you need?
DGabaldon: I don’t know. How much sleep I get is about six hours a night, with occasional naps in the early evening every third day or so. I’d probably sleep more if I were less busy, but as it is I seem to survive all right on that. I don’t hallucinate or anything.

Question: Any chance the series will end with the ghost and bring the story full circle?
DGabaldon: Yes.

Question: Will we ever find out how the stones “work”? Why Claire, Brianna, Roger and Geillis can go through but Jamie can’t?
DGabaldon: Well, we’ll learn more about it certainly - though I don’t know that we’ll know everything - after all there’s no definitive expert to tell us {GRIN}. As for why some people go through and others don’t, I expect it’s a genetic trait - like tongue-rolling {grin}.

Question: Why did you have Claire be from the 1940’s? Why not the present (i.e. 1990’s)? Was that a conscious decision or something that just seemed right?
DGabaldon: Two - well, three reasons. First was that I didn’t want to deal with very modern medical technology; the state of medicine post WWII was still very primitive, save that antibiotics and anesthetics were in coming use (major innovations, to be sure!). Then I’d originally had some notion of linking the time-travel corridors to war - making them active only when there was conflict nearby (in time). Dropped that idea as I worked though. The final reason was that by that time I’d been at it awhile, I knew the story went on (and on...) and I wanted to leave room in Claire’s future for it to happen, without me having to project in to my future.

Question: Why the science degree if you knew you wanted to be a novelist? Why not something more traditional like history or English?
DGabaldon: Because I didn’t know whether I could publish a book and I did know that most published writers don’t make a living at it (I got lucky). I liked science, and I was good at it - it just wasn’t what I was supposed to do. Besides, I never did think you could learn to write by going to school and writing historical novels didn’t occur to me until I did it.

Question: Did the scene that inspired you to write Outlander (while you were in church one Sunday) make it to the finished book...if so which scene?
DGabaldon: No. It wasn’t really a scene as such - if you mean the thing on TV that inspired me. Just a line and an attitude.

Question: Who is your agent and why did you select her/him?
DGabaldon: Perry Knowlton. I’d asked around among published authors I knew, and he had an excellent reputation.

Question: Are the stones at Craig na Dun a door to that particular time only? Does that time run parallel...to ours that is?
DGabaldon: It seems to run parallel. However, we know that it is possible to travel to a different “spot” in time through that circle, because Geilie Duncan did it. Now how she did it will no doubt be better explained when Roger finds her grimoire in Drums of Autumn.

Question: It will be a happy ending in the series with Jamie and Claire together? I’m back to the ghost again.....
DGabaldon: Yes. I firmly expect to leave the paying customers in floods of tears, mind you {grin}, but yes it will certainly be a happy ending.

Question: What tip could you give aspiring authors everywhere for making characters come to life?
DGabaldon: Gee...I don’t know. Be honest, I guess. Let them live through you when they want to, and put it down as honestly as you clan, even if it’s painful or distressing. Best I can do, I’m afraid.

Question: Diana, was Outlander accepted the first time you submitted it? Does Craig na Dun exist?
DGabaldon: My agent sent it to five editors simultaneously. Within four days, three of them called offering to buy it. I don’t know whether Craig na Dun exists or not {grin}.