Scott Lynch is one of my favourite authors. The Gentlemen Bastard books are a hilarious fantasy/comedy/heist/con series with truly vivid imagery and characters... I decided to ask him about how he felt about the large amount of fan-art about his work, I wondered if it indeed affected how he thought about his work...
Hello, Adam--
First, many thanks for the kind words!
Second, I try very hard not to let fan art influence my understanding of things. I know that sounds like an utterly shitty thing to say to an actual illustrator-- but what I mean is that I love it, appreciate it, frequently admire it, and still I try not to let it displace my own intentions or internal vision of how someone/something looks. I'm very careful never to say anything like "wow, that's very close to how I imagined it" or "yes, that looks just as it should" when I'm reblogging or commenting on fan art. As I see it, if I start approving or formalizing the "canonicity" of certain pieces of fanart, I'm doing exactly what I swore I'd never do, and telling everyone who doesn't share that vision that the version of my books they see inside their own heads is somehow wrong. So I strive to approve and enjoy fanart without qualifying its "accuracy" in any way.
I hope that made any sense at all!
Cheers and best wishes,
SL
I am delighted he responded, it's interesting that he actively avoids establishing a canon visual interpretation, allowing for readers to project their own idea of how the characters should look...
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