WARNING: The transcript below reveals very minor spoilers for Timecrest 3. If you are very sensitive to spoilers you may not want to continue.
We’re only a few days out before Timecrest 3: Luthor is released. We wanted to catch up with the writer behind all of Timecrest 1, 2, and 3, Lisa Gu, and learn a bit more about her process.
You’ve been a bit of a mystery-what motivated you to do this interview?
I don’t want to make myself the highlight of the story. My wish is for my work to speak for itself, but my co-founder motivated me to do this. So I want to take this moment before the release of Timecrest 3 to say thank you to everyone who has been loyal to Timecrest so far. 2020 has been a stressful year filled with lots of anxiety and fear. I hope that Timecrest 3 will be able to bring some magic and adventure to everyone.
It’s been 4 years since Timecrest 2: The Door was released. We did a bit of counting and found that Timecrest 1 was 69,638 words, Timecrest 2 was 138,387 words, and Timecrest 3 will be a whopping 355,516 words. Timecrest 3 alone is 6 novels worth of words! What led you to take on such an ambitious story for Timecrest 3?
It’s nice to have a tangible counter on how much Timecrest has grown and how much more of the world there is to explore, but at the end of the day, word count isn’t what really matters to me. Rather, I want to focus on just enough words to tell the story or create the right breaks and effects that are needed.
Did you have the whole story fully plotted in mind when you began writing or did you figure it out as you went along?
This is a complex question because Timecrest has many variables depending on your choices so the whole story actually exists as so many different paths in my mind all leading to their own complete endings.
What led you to have Luthor Timecrest as the main focus of Timecrest 3?
I have always planned to tell Luthor’s story after Timecrest 2. He has a special connection to the reader, and this is his time to speak.
After spending so much time with Ash, it’s a bit of a surprise to begin Chapter 11 speaking directly to Luthor Timecrest. Why switch narrators now?
Ash has been encountering mystery after mystery. Luthor is the perfect person to start answering some of the questions raised by Ash’s journey starting with how Chronos seems to already know you.
Things start out for Luthor in a Quarantine Zone due to the Valdorian Disease. Some may think this is related to current events in the world. Was this intentional?
Not at all. I wrote the story of Luthor’s life in the quarantine zone prior to 2020. I will say, I wish I didn’t have to release something about quarantine zones during this time period because I don’t want Luthor’s situation to be a reminder of current events and bring people down. But the Valdorian Disease existed in Timecrest 1 & 2, and Timecrest 3 takes us back to Luthor’s younger days when the Valdorian Disease was affecting him and his life. It would have been untrue to Luthor to change or downplay this aspect of his life.
You introduce a character that is blind in Timecrest 3. How did you approach writing this character, since you are not blind yourself?
First off, this character has already appeared in the series. Blind Timecrest fans have been asking great questions about what blind life might be like in Alyncia, so I had a long time to think about the direction of this character and whether or not I was adequate to write someone who is blind. I know writers write about everything, but I knew that I personally would never feel quite adequate about writing the blind aspect of a character. I read and watched interviews with the blind and visually impaired. I tried living my life blindfolded for a while, but like I said, I could never feel adequate no matter how much research I did.
But I didn’t want to just brush over the questions fans had lightly on social media. I didn’t want there to be no answers. And, I also didn’t want to just write a minor blind side character. I mentioned this character has already appeared in the series and is a major character in my mind. This decision can be good or bad for readers depending on what they would like to get out of this character. Major characters are heavily involved in the main plot so this character isn’t solely defined by being blind, but is a person living in Alyncia who happens to be blind. So perhaps the details of blind life won’t be enough for some, or it may be too much for others, but in the least, I hope this character will still be able to answer some of the questions that people had.
Major characters also have more stakes in the main story and you’ll learn more about them, for better or worse. It isn’t always about being the hero or villain—this character has flaws like you and me. And as a major character, there’s a chance to really get to know and befriend her, perhaps alter fate. If that is your choice to do so of course.
The world is much richer now, with new locations such as Unity or the Icecades really expanding on the places to explore in Alyncia. How do you imagine and create such rich fantasy locales?
One of my favorite parts about the Timecrest series is that each expansion fills in the world more. With each expansion, it becomes more rewarding for those trying to piece together the puzzle and see the bigger picture. Timecrest 1 started with an intimate journey with mostly just Ash. In Timecrest 2, you met Team 13 and got to use the map system to travel around and explore places you’re interested in checking out. And in Timecrest 3, there are many more new people and places to explore. When I imagine a fantasy location, I like to imagine ones I would want to visit. And even though some places might seem uninviting, like the frozen Icecades where hostile Crystallis live, I like to also imagine each place has warmth because there are inhabitants who live there and love it where they live.
You’ve written over half a million words for the Timecrest saga. Writing that much requires some grit and dedication. What advice would you give to those who are experiencing writer’s block?
Countless love stories have been told, but it’s the nuances that separate one love from another. In that respect, I believe everyone’s situation has different nuances, so what works for me might not work for someone else. Speaking for myself, the grit you mentioned, or persistence, is what got me through all the blocks.