Andy Weir, author of The Martian, is in town for two local events: San Diego Comic Con, and a talk at the Fleet Science Center. Weir had worked as a software engineer prior to the success of The Martian, but has since been able to write full time. He describes himself as a lifelong "space nerd", and has a longstanding interest in subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and manned spaceflight. His latest novel, Artemis, is due for release in November. SDLS caught up with him at SDCC for this interview.
SDLS: You've said that you wanted to make The Martian as scientifically accurate as possible, and you put an extraordinary amount of time into making sure to get the details right. Were you as concerned about this with Artemis, or was getting the story right more important? By this I mean, making sure that all of the pieces of the plot fell together cohesively - the mystery, the criminal world, the characters, etc. vs the scientific details?
AW: Artemis is a crime story with a mystery. The Martian is more of a human vs nature story. Artemis was much harder to write because it is much more character driven, and there are several plot lines that need to be developed in ways that make sense. The science is less important to the overall story, though I still tried to be as accurate as possible in those details when writing them. I’ve done my best to make compelling characters with depth, emotion, and conflicting motivations, which made it harder to write in a different way than The Martian was.
SDLS: I am a registered nurse, and I can't watch medical TV shows, because the inaccuracies drive me crazy. Even though you aren't a scientist yourself, I know your father was a physicist and you are a self-described "space nerd", so, does it bother you at all when you watch TV shows or films that get stuff wrong?
AW: Yes, it does bother me. I flinch when I see blatant scientific inaccuracies. That being said, though, if the inaccuracy is something completely made up and is consistent in that world, I don't have a problem with it. For example, in Star Trek. There's no such thing as warp drive, but that's OK. I don't have a problem with that. I accept that as a thing that exists in their world. The show is able to create a suspension of belief, which allows me to buy into it and enjoy it.
SDLS: Since you describe yourself as a "space nerd", I am wondering, do you collect anything?
AW: No, not any more. I used to collect some Japanese toys and models, mostly of robots, and stuff from anime. I was into anime and manga at the time, but I don't collect anything now.
SDLS: What happened to that collection?
AW: I still have it. I just haven't added anything to it in a long time.
SDLS: Jasmine Bashara, aka Jazz, is the main character in Artemis. She is a 20-something year old female, who lives on the Moon's only city, called Artemis. She makes extra money for herself by working as a smuggler. Jazz is a very different character than Mark Watney, in very different places/situations. Was this deliberate? How was it writing a 20 something female?
AW: Yes and no. I wouldn't say I was deliberately trying to write a book different from The Martian, so much as I had a different kind of story I wanted to tell. I have always wanted to write a mystery, and Artemis was a great vehicle to do that. As for Jazz, obviously I'm not a 20-something female, so writing her in a believable way took extra work. I gave the manuscript to every woman that I trust, and I asked them to read what I wrote and give me feedback. I wanted to make sure I got it right, and that Jazz is believable.
SDLS: Artemis has been picked up by the same people who optioned The Martian, with plans to make it into a film. Was that the plan all along? Were you told in advance that your next book would be optioned, and did that effect how you wrote the book?
AW: Well, I knew it was a possibility, given the success of The Martian, but I did not think about it while writing Artemis. I didn't let it effect what I wrote.
SDLS: Artemis seems like the kind of story that could have sequels. Are there plans to write more books that follow from this one?
AW: Yes! I envision Artemis as my Discworld. Depending on how the audience responds to Artemis, I would love to go deeper into this universe. If the readers want more, I definitely have ideas for how I want the books to go moving forward.
SDLS: CBS picked up the pilot you wrote, "Mission Control" - a NASA drama involving astronauts & scientists who juggle their personal and professional lives during a critical mission. Did you write "Mission Control" deliberately as a pilot, shopping it around in the hope of it getting picked up, or were you already approached and asked to write a pilot?
AW: I wrote it hoping it would be picked up. It was something I had been wanting to do, so I tried it. Unfortunately, even though a pilot episode was cast and filmed, CBS decided not to go further with it. I was really disappointed, but I learned a lot about the business side Hollywood and television.
SDLS: Will we ever see what was filmed?
AW: That's a good question. I don't know. It would be up to CBS.
SDLS: You did a web comic, Casey & Andy, and another one called Cheshire Crossing. Any thought to doing a print comic or graphic novel? Another web comic?
AW: I don't know. I don't think a story like "Mission Control" would work as a graphic novel. I don't think anything I have currently written would work in that format, but I'm not opposed to it. If a story came to me that I felt would work in the medium, I would do it, but I don't have any immediate plans to do a comic book or web comic.
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Labels: Author Interviews
