"Rilstone Box Set" -- Infrequently Asked Questions

In June, Andrew threw open the floor to his Patreon supporters: ask him anything — and he promised to answer.

Each reply was written in a single sitting, with only the lightest of edits. 

The questions ranged far and wide. The answers? Surprising, revelatory — and sometimes much longer than anyone expected.

Now collected as a digital "box set", the full series is available to non-Patreons for just $12.

But if you'd like to support Andrew’s writing — and throw your own questions into the ring next time — consider becoming a Patreon supporter today.

1: Your old pre-blog site contained much that is worthy of preservation, including your thoughts on the LotR films. Do you have any plans to restore these posts?

2: Who does the grail serve?

3: As someone who's spent *ahem* some time contemplating the intricacies of various canons, do you have any thoughts on the loosening of control over IPs we're seeing. E.g. AI Darth Vader saying any old thing in Fortnite would have been unthinkable in the Lucasfilm days. Where do you think this leads?

4: Why do we keep remaking the same stories, and what does that say about us?

5: What's your typical writing process? Your essays often seem carefully crafted, and I wonder whether that happens through rewriting and editing, or if they spring from your fingers in something close to their final state.

6: What is Doctor Who?

7: Your Doctor Who blog posts have been very interesting, although they've mostly focused on the Tom Baker era and the new series. Will you ever post about, e.g. the Pertwee or McCoy era?

8: In the 19th century both the pro- and anti- slavery forces used biblical arguments to make their cases. What are the biblical arguments for and against slavery?

9: Alan Moore's Jerusalem -- discuss.

10: What do you remember most about your (worthy, in my opinion) adventures in game design, and have you ever been tempted to try again? If so, what ideas have been bubbling under?

11: You've spoken in the past, off-handedly, about being uninterested, or in some way psychologically unable, to write fiction, despite your facility with essay-writing. I wonder if you'd care to elaborate on that...?

11 (continues): ....

Are there projects you outlined and abandoned? 

In what mediums, what genres? 

What is it that actually 'stops' you in the process, if it's anything definite? 

Is there anything — barring trivialities like "a billion pounds" — that would spur you to give it another go? 

Appendices

1:  I asked Andrew Rilstone to answer the question "Why Do We Keep Remaking the Same Stories?" what do you think he would say?

2: What Question Would Andrew Rilstone like me to ask him on his blog?

3: If I asked Andrew Rilstone the question: “What do you think about the way ChatGBT answered the question ‘If I asked Andrew Rilstone to answer the question “Why Do We Keep Remaking the Same Stories?” what do you think he would say?" what do you think he would say?

Epilogue

Was the cover for the "America" book AI generated?