Quote:

'Outlander' author learned characters have minds of their own Diana Gabaldon, author of the bestselling "Outlander" series, will speak at the Fort Vancouver Diana Gabaldon had never set foot on a heather-covered hillside in the Scottish Highlands when she wrote her first "Outlander" novel. Scottish blood doesn't course through her veins. Her ancestors were English and Mexican-American with a smidgen of German. She lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. That didn't stop the 36-year-old biology professor. She has always known she wanted to write novels. But she didn't have characters, plot, outline or a time period in mind until she was inspired by an old "Doctor Who" episode. When the doctor picked up Scotsman Jamie McCrimmon in 1745, Gabaldon was struck by the image of the kilt-wearing clansman. "That's fetching! Why not write about Scotland in the 18th century and the Jacobite rebellion?" she asked. It was 1988. Online research hadn't developed yet, so she visited her library. "I wrote that book for practice," Gabaldon said. "I wasn't going to show it to anyone." From the beginning, she learned that characters have a mind of their own. On her third day of writing, she introduced an English woman who, unbeknownst to her, was her protagonist, Claire Beauchamp. "When she walked into the scene, I had no idea who she was or what she'd do," Gabaldon said. "All of the men in the room were staring at her, but I didn't know why. Then she opened her mouth and started talking like a modern woman. I fought with her for several pages, trying to make her talk like an 18th century woman, but she just kept talking like a smart-alecky modern woman. It's all Claire's fault there's time travel in 'Outlander,'" Gabaldon said. After hanging out in a CompuServe literary site, Gabaldon found people interested in Claire's story. Before she finished writing the book, she had acquired an agent, who asked her to write a trilogy. Now, 26 years later, Gabaldon is an international best-selling author who has traveled to Scotland about 20 times. She's written eight "Outlander" books, the Lord John series and a nonfiction book. She thinks a ninth "Outlander" may finish the saga. Currently, there are 26 million copies of her books printed in 38 languages and sold in 42 countries. In August, the "Outlander" television series premiered on the Starz network. Gabaldon and her husband were invited to the Scottish Highlands to watch the filming and to meet the cast and crew. She appears in episode four in a cameo role as a rich merchant's wife. Starz has ordered a second season, based on "Dragonfly in Amber," the second book in the series. She still does not plan her books in advance by creating an outline. "I write a scene," she said. "And then I write another one." During National Novel Writing Month, the 62-year-old author offered three rules for would-be novelists. "Read the kind of books you like to learn technique and craft. Look closely at characters and see if they talk like real people talk. "No. 2 is write. "No. 3 is most important: Don't stop. "Simple? Yes," she said. "Simple is often terrifying."