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nekaTydaerlA wrote:

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ScribeGT6817 wrote:

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nekaTydaerlA wrote:

 So Greg, I know you're getting asked a million questions per day about Bionicle, Ninjago, and essentially anything LEGO. What have you been doing lately? Are you still working with LEGO, or do you have some other business you're working for?

 

 Wait - I know! You got fed up with LEGO cancelling Bionicle, so you've gone to work for... Mega Bloks! GASP!

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I am still at LEGO Company, as Editorial Director, working mostly on the print magazines. BIONICLE was always a sideline for me, it was never my actual job here.

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 Yet you are swarmed with question after question about Bionicle. Does it have something to do with the books?

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And the comics, plus the fact that I spent years answering BIONICLE questions on a fan site. While I did not create BIONICLE, I was probably one of the more visible members of the story team and so I am identified with it (the original version, anyway).

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GBailey46 wrote:

Hi Greg,

 

Writing questions: do you ever get writer's block, and if you do, how do you address it?

 

Thanks

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Sometimes. I generally think the best thing to do is go do something that has nothing to do with writing. Go outside or play a game or something ... writer's block sometimes is a matter of overusing your creative muscle, and you just need to give it a break for a while.

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EddyGould wrote:

Buried.

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EddyGould wrote:

Updated list of the questions:

1) After the dismantling of GSR all remained there characters were saved, but what happened to the Zyglak? Did the Toa put them in the makeshift prison or something?

2) Did Conjurer came out of the coma?

3) What happened to Tyrant?

4) How Charger was transformed from Kane-ra into a sapient creature?

5) It saying "Devastator originated from the realm of Karzahni, and is reported to have emerged from a fiery crag in the barren landscape of the island". What is the actual origin of Devastator? Was he created by Karzahni?

6) What happened to Metru Nui in Toa Empire alternate universe after leaving of Takanuva and death of Tuyet?

7) Will Kopaka and Pohatu bring all revived beings from RS to Spherus Magna?

8) How the organic birds lived on Aqua Magna? There wasn't any land.

9) How the Bohroks travelled to Kumu Islets to clean them? On the boats? Or the Pahraks were creating the stone bridges through the islands?

10) Was the flora of the Mata Nui a part of the camouflage system? If yes, under similar climatic conditions on another planet, would we saw the same plants?

 

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Not buried - I simply haven't had time to answer them yet But I know they are there.

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slipperysnakeboy wrote:

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ScribeGT6817 wrote:

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ldillona wrote:
Hello Mr Farshtey,
If you could have any of your work conveyed in a major motion picture, what would it be and why? I'm just curious on your oppinion.

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Probably one of the novels I did before I came to LEGO Company.

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Ooh! Are you allowed to tell us what that was, even just a name?

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I had three novels published in the '90s -- The River of God, Hell's Feast, and Demon's Dream.

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Nexo81 wrote:

Hello! 

I have a couple questions for you! 

So im writing a book right now. I understand the whole don't make and outline thing but-

1. Any other tips and suggestions? 

2. Any cures for writers block? (I hate getting writers block)

3. Any ideas on how to make sure not to "overdo it" and run out of material? (Basically asking any ideas on how to avoid a "crash and burn" situation)

4. Any ideas on how to make the story a little better? (Like adding certain themes like action, suspense, romance, etc.) 

Thanks! 

-Nexo81

 

(I'm a HUGE fan of your work on bionicle! It used to be my favorite theme up until it ended. I'm kinda disappointed with the new ones. They'll never be as good as yours!) 

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1) Read a lot. I learned a lot of what I know about plotting and writing action scenes from growing up reading comics. Please note this can get frustrating, if you are reading people who are a lot better than you, but it does help.

2) I generally will stop writing and go do something else -- I might game for a while or do something physical like go for a hike. Sometimes I just sleep on it. Usually, if I get writer's block, it's because i got my heroes into a trap and can't figure out how to get them out.

3) Not entirely sure what you're asking, but one thing I would caution is don't worry too much about running out of material. I had a friend once who wrote a novel -- 4/5ths of it ended up being preparation for the main plot and only 1/5th was the actual plot, because he was so scared he wouldn't have enough main plot to fill the book. I cut 270 pages out of the book and no one noticed. The main thing I try to tell young writers is -- spend the beginning of the book getting to know your characters, and then let THEM tell you the story, instead of the other way around.

4) I would probably need a better idea of the kind of book you are writing to answer this one.

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ScribeGT6817 wrote:

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EddyGould wrote:

Buried.

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EddyGould wrote:

Updated list of the questions:

1) After the dismantling of GSR all remained there characters were saved, but what happened to the Zyglak? Did the Toa put them in the makeshift prison or something?

2) Did Conjurer came out of the coma?

3) What happened to Tyrant?

4) How Charger was transformed from Kane-ra into a sapient creature?

5) It saying "Devastator originated from the realm of Karzahni, and is reported to have emerged from a fiery crag in the barren landscape of the island". What is the actual origin of Devastator? Was he created by Karzahni?

6) What happened to Metru Nui in Toa Empire alternate universe after leaving of Takanuva and death of Tuyet?

7) Will Kopaka and Pohatu bring all revived beings from RS to Spherus Magna?

8) How the organic birds lived on Aqua Magna? There wasn't any land.

9) How the Bohroks travelled to Kumu Islets to clean them? On the boats? Or the Pahraks were creating the stone bridges through the islands?

10) Was the flora of the Mata Nui a part of the camouflage system? If yes, under similar climatic conditions on another planet, would we saw the same plants?

 

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1) Assuming the zyglak survived, I doubt they would have been captured. They are used to hiding.

2-3) The story is basically frozen where it ended, so nothing has changed on these fronts.

4) Charger was created by a fan, not by me, so I don't have info on his backstory

5) See answer to #4

6) Unknown. Had I done another story there, I probably would have come up with something on this, but I didn't worry about it since I wasn't going back there.

7) Again, unknown. I am not sure they would want to bring revived bad guys back, for one thing.

8) There are birds on our world who can fly for really long periods without going to land, and who feed on fish ... the only issue would really have been breeding, beyond that, they wouldn't need land for anything. If these are birds who developed the ability to breed and lay eggs in water, well ...

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9) How the Bohroks travelled to Kumu Islets to clean them? On the boats? Or the Pahraks were creating the stone bridges through the islands?

10) Was the flora of the Mata Nui a part of the camouflage system? If yes, under similar climatic conditions on another planet, would we saw the same plants?

 

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Not buried - I simply haven't had time to answer them yet But I know they are there.

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9) Gahlok are very good swimmers

10) Yes. And no, not necessarily on another planet. The camouflage system changed to match the approximate flora on whatever planet the robot was visiting.

1) No, destroying it would have the equivalent of destroying Mata Nui. Why would they do that? Tahu most likely found someplace safe to keep it.

2) The story is frozen where it stopped, but I can tell you Velika had every intention of setting off the explosives.