The non-conservative Pratchett slowed several times during the speech, saying the disease was “making the letters dance.” He compared Alzheimer’s to a “slow motion car crash.”

“Always, at the back of your mind, [is] the thought that sooner or later you’ll go through the windscreen,” Pratchett said.

He continued his ongoing comparison of Alzheimer’s to cancer, saying that while cancer is no longer a taboo subject, Alzheimer’s is still “stuck in a medieval fog of superstition, misunderstanding, and silence.”

The U.K. faces one million of Alzheimer’s sufferers by 2025, he told the audience, saying “I am just a little wave ahead of the rest. Technically, I have early onset, but growing older behind me are the baby-boomers.”

“We are facing a tsunami,” which will put too much strain the NHS and carers, with effects on the society as a whole, he said.

The cost of care for “a large population of helpless elderly” may be in the billions of pounds if something isn’t done soon, as Pratchett said, “what is unthinkable is to do nothing at all.”

Pratchett asked for more funding for research, saying healthcare and technology must advance if the nation is to deal with the problem. In addition, he said, he wants Alzheimer’s “to be dragged into the light and stay there and seen for what it is–a random disease and no cause for shame.”

He asked the audience, “Is there going to be a government of any stripe willing to put its money where its mouth is … or will dementia remain the most feard disease of the over-55s?”

1. AFP, Sept. 29, 2008.
2. The Press Association, Sept. 29, 2008.

After some initial banter with the fans (”As far as I am concerned, my books are Second Life.”), the questions and answers started. (The banter never really stopped.) Some highlights:

[12:03] Matty567 Dallagio: Why was “Nation” not set on Discworld?
[12:04] TerryPratchett Morpork: Good question; for one thing, the fact of it being on Discworld would change all kind of things that I could do. After all, Nation is hardly full of laughs. Setting Nation on a thinly disguised “alternate” world does, I think, give it more power and urgency.

[12:05] Matty567 Dallagio: Why a slightly alternate Earth instead of the real one?
[12:07] TerryPratchett Morpork: Because the real one has already happened. I wanted this world, but with a few interesting alterations. One details I’m sure you will have noticed is that Carl Sagan is still alive in that alternate earth.

Full transcript:

[11:59] Robby Pomeray: .-’`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-’`'-.
[11:59] Kelli May: *applause*
[11:59] IYan Writer: ***** APPPPPPPLLLLAAAUUUSSSSEEEEEEE***********
[11:59] Carl Blue: YAY
[11:59] Dedric Mauriac: YaY!
[11:59] Salaamata Afarensis: applause!!!!!!!!
[11:59] iAlja Writer applauds!
[11:59] Rain Runningbear: hurrah
[11:59] Matty567 Dallagio: applause
[11:59] Riss Altman: appluses
[11:59] Morrigan Vendetta: hooooo
[11:59] Mocksoup Graves: YAY!
[11:59] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Loud cheers
[11:59] Jo Sapeur claps
[11:59] Ron Khondji: clap clapclap clap
[11:59] Dedric Mauriac: lol
[11:59] Riss Altman: woohoo!
[11:59] Murdock Pennell: clap calp
[11:59] Vernes Veranes: Yaj Terry :D
[11:59] Tioh Fluffy: SQUEAK!
[11:59] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: clap clap

[11:59] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: made it
[11:59] Charis Parx: welcome!
[11:59] Tatsuki Kurosawa: Gday Mate!
[11:59] Brett Usbourne: Isn’t this romantic?
[11:59] You: clap
[11:59] iAlja Writer: lol
[12:00] Nick Gloucester: first question please
[12:00] Nick Gloucester: Vernes you had some good ones
[12:00] Vernes Veranes: jay! :D
[12:00] TerryPratchett Morpork: Hello everybody! Sorry, I’m new at all of this kind of stuff and so can anyone tell me how to get the rocket launcher?
[12:00] Roxette Wise: lol
[12:00] Mocksoup Graves: lol
[12:00] Dedric Mauriac: lol
[12:00] Robby Pomeray: lol…
[12:01] Samantha Poindexter giggles.
[12:01] IYan Writer: I think it’s “5″ ;)

[12:01] Kelli May grins
[12:01] IYan Writer: (plasma on 6 ;) )
[12:01] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: i love the fact we’re all papping Terry and taking pictures as in RL!!
[12:01] Jo Sapeur: sure, I have a few to spare! ^.^
[12:01] SignpostMarv Martin: lol, Terry’s first pulbic appearence in Second Life and he asks for a rocket launcher X-D
[12:01] Vernes Veranes: Must be odd, virtual Q&A
[12:01] TerryPratchett Morpork: …and I’m not really into all of this YourTube into MyFace kind of stuff!
[12:01] Vernes Veranes: But we’re all real behind our pc’s
[12:01] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I missed the rocket launcher :(
[12:01] Michaelx Beerbaum: Question is if Second life will appear in one of the books
[12:02] Robby Pomeray: i bet, he’ll have a zillion in a minute ;-)
[12:02] Vernes Veranes: I though roundworld was secondlife? :P
[12:02] TerryPratchett Morpork: As far as I am concerned, my books are Second Life.
[12:02] Brett Usbourne: Hi Nick - yep, Gav is here! - so is Zeb
[12:02] Vernes Veranes: yeah
[12:03] Matty567 Dallagio: Why was “Nation” not set on Discworld?
[12:03] TerryPratchett Morpork: Okay, I know that you have to get the shotgun first, but sometimes you get lucky.
[12:03] Multi Gadget v1.55.2 by Timeless Prototype
[12:03] Mocksoup Graves: lol
[12:03] Mocksoup Graves: closest thing I have to a rocket in my inventory… now if you had asked for a nice pair of stillettos…
[12:04] Charis Parx: I have an extra black hat
[12:04] Samantha Poindexter: Indeed. SL tends toward Make Clothes, Not War. :-)
[12:04] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: i have ice skates :(
[12:04] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: and a snowball fight thingy he he
[12:04] Dedric Mauriac: Should we be giving our questions to someone else to hold in a queue?
[12:04] TerryPratchett Morpork: Good question; for one thing, the fact of it being on Discworld would change all kind of things that I could do. After all, Nation is hardly full of laughs. Setting Nation on a thinly disguised “alternate” world does, I think, give it more power and urgency.
[12:05] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: should we IM them to Terry?
[12:05] Michaelx Beerbaum: Most books are so realistic, I guess the banking disaster might be a nice topic
[12:05] Sweetie Saunders: wasnt there a notice from nick in the group as to how to do questions?
[12:05] Matty567 Dallagio: Why a slightly alternate Earth instead of the real one?
[12:06] Carl Blue: IM HERE TO LISTEN TO TERRY NOT EVERYONE ELSES COMMENTS
[12:06] Nick Gloucester: can you im your quiestions to TYerry direct
[12:06] Roxette Wise: We would like to hear the questions too
[12:06] Robby Pomeray: yep
[12:07] Nick Gloucester: yes we will copy them back before answering
[12:07] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: why dont we all IM them to one person then one person asks the questions on our behalf? That would work and that way we would see the questions that terry is answering
[12:07] TerryPratchett Morpork: Because the real one has already happened. I wanted this world, but with a few interesting alterations. One details I’m sure you will have noticed is that Carl Sagan is still alive in that alternate earth.
[12:08] Sweetie Saunders: nods.
[12:08] Nick Gloucester: ok immortality you are nominated
[12:08] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: okay dont mind
[12:09] Nick Gloucester: thanks thats great Imotality….
[12:09] Nick Gloucester: first question please
[12:09] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: okay first question: What was the inspiration behind the book?

[12:11] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Q: Hi Terry, how does it feel to be in a virtual world were everything is possible and wierd is excepted as normal
[12:11] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: hmm thats two questions there and there are a lot more. I shall wait for answers on those two first!
[12:11] Vernes Veranes: Let’s hear his answer first, yes
[12:12] TerryPratchett Morpork: I came up with the idea in 2003 and it was not long before I was going to do a talk and signing in Folyes in London. I was so excited that I told Sarah Lefanu and I’m glad that I did because she is one person who can vouch that I came up with the idea before the big Asian Tsunami.
[12:12] Sweetie Saunders: lol
[12:12] FromRimToHub Morpork: That tsunami is such a copycat
[12:13] April Kohl: haha
[12:13] Sweetie Saunders: bit like making money and the northern rock crisis :)
[12:13] TerryPratchett Morpork: I think I’ve lived in one of those for the past 60 years :o)
[12:13] Kelli May: hehe
[12:14] Charis Parx: yes, it’s weird to be normal these days
[12:14] TerryPratchett Morpork: Another question, please.
[12:14] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Question: Hi Terry, how does it feel to be in a virtual world were everything is possible and wierd is excepted as normal from Carl
[12:14] Charis Parx: ithink he just answered that
[12:14] Sibella Starbrook: When is the next discworld book ?
[12:14] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Have you any thoughts on how your characters (from Nation, Discworld, Carpet People ) SignpostMarvMarvinmight react if they found themselves in Second Life ?
[12:14] TerryPratchett Morpork: I have just answered that one…
[12:15] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: sorry just trying to track them up argggghhh
[12:15] Angel Slocombe shouts: Please submit your questions to ImmortalitySou Ballinger in IM
[12:15] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Any plans to do another non-Discworld book soon? from Charis Parx
[12:16] TerryPratchett Morpork: I think Sam Vimes would be very annoyed, whereas the witches would just deal with it. I have to say that I quite like the idea of Second Life, because it is a totally human activity. Monkeys wouldn’t be able to join.
[12:16] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Q: Q: What are you views on people in second life creating people, places, and things from your books and either giving or selling them to other players. from Dedric Mauiac
[12:16] Jo Sapeur disagrees!
[12:16] SignpostMarv Martin: I think the Librarian might object to that comment :-P
[12:16] IYan Writer: Oook.
[12:17] Jo Sapeur: SL is ape-friendly
[12:17] Matty567 Dallagio: The Librarian Isn’t a Monkey!
[12:17] Tenebrous Pau notes that the librarian is not a monkey ;)
[12:17] Dedric Mauriac: SL is L-Space
[12:17] TerryPratchett Morpork: I did not know about Nation until the idea hit me. I had no advance warning and that is how it happens. Sometimes an idea comes out of nowhere and grabs you by the throat.
[12:17] Sweetie Saunders: M word! ook
[12:17] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: First of all: THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SL! ^.^ (yay!) - Q: I noticed that religion was a major topic in “Nation”, how did the response from readers look so far? from Jo Sapeur
[12:17] SignpostMarv Martin: though one wonders if the Librarian would find SL as easy to navigate as L-Space…
[12:19] Dedric Mauriac: If the librarian is dislexic, it wouldn’t be a problem SL/LS Space-L
[12:19] TerryPratchett Morpork: It would be interesting to see what the law could do about Second Life! Regrettably for you, copyright and trademarks exist everywhere, but in reality I see this sought of thing as fan activity.
[12:19] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Do you think Moist Von Lipwig would have managed the banking system better than those currently in charge? from Ciaran Laval
[12:20] Meester Freese: Such a good idea to publish a non-Discworld book in the 25th year of Discworld.
[12:21] TerryPratchett Morpork: Religion; fantasy writers like religion. It’s so interesting to play with and it is a great forum for asking questions.
[12:21] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Terry we know you are a fan of computer games like Alien vs Predator, what do you make of Second life which doesn’t appear to have a plot or goal? from Trago Mills
[12:22] Sweetie Saunders: waves to Trago!
[12:22] Vernes Veranes: /nod
[12:22] TerryPratchett Morpork: It seems that, primitive as it is, the Discworld economy is considerably more stable than the one here. And, come to think about it, Moist’s solution to the problem was not a long way from what has been done over here…
[12:23] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Question for Pterry: “You haven’t written a non-Discworld book for a while. What kinds of mental adjustments did you have to make as you wrote it?” Question from
[12:24] You: that’s from www.FromRimToHub.com (me, if you couldn’t tell)
[12:24] Angel Slocombe shouts: For new arrivals - Please submit your questions to ImmortalitySou Ballinger in IM
[12:24] Sweetie Saunders: Elizabeth?
[12:24] TerryPratchett Morpork: Oblivion is my current computer game of choice, specifically because we (me and Rob) discovered modding, and I get a thrill from the thought that thousands of people write some wonderful mods and distribute them at no cost.
[12:25] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: What are you views on people in second life creating people, places, and things from your books and either giving or selling them to other players. from Dedric sorry folks I have just realised how to do this easliy so give me a chance to catch up o your questions :(
[12:25] Dedric Mauriac: I think he already answered :)

[12:25] TerryPratchett Morpork: I answered that one as well…
[12:25] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: DeutroJesaja Gothly: I read Carpe Jugulum when I was studying to become a missionary and reverend. How did you get the Quite Rev. Oats so right?
[12:25] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: April Kohl: If you haven’t already got too many questions, could I ask: “Was there any novel you found particularly difficult to write?”
[12:25] Meester Freese: Yay, Rob!
[12:25] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: sorry :(
[12:26] Vernes Veranes: It’s ok, don’t panic
[12:26] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: just as it was going so well he he
[12:26] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: its my first time at this be gentle with me
[12:27] TerryPratchett Morpork: Probably it was Nation. Probably because I wrote the first draft in six months and then spent the next six months wrestling it into the right shape.
[12:27] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: okay did you answer both questions there was one after another
[12:28] Dedric Mauriac: It’s best if it is in the shape of a book
[12:28] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: on that occassion?
[12:28] Tenebrous Pau: that helps dedric :)
[12:28] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: heres the next one
[12:28] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Kelli May: I hope this isn’t too morbid, but a lot of the characters in Nation question why fate or the gods have inflicted various trials on them. Is this a question that’s on your mind these days?
[12:28] Free Radar HUD v1.1 by Crystal Gadgets
[12:28] TerryPratchett Morpork: For obvious reasons, mostly because I am the poster boy for the battle against Alzheimer’s, there have been quite a number of days when I have been unable to write a word.
[12:28] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Vernes Veranes: What was the inspiration behind the book?
[12:29] Sweetie Saunders: ty for what you do.
[12:29] Sweetie Saunders: poor terry.
[12:29] Jo Sapeur: ty Terry
[12:29] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Jo Sapeur: How long does it usually take you to write a book?
[12:29] Ladyjane Plympton: oops sorry
[12:29] IYan Writer: :( best wishes in your battle from all of us, I’m sure
[12:30] TerryPratchett Morpork: Err, no. I don’t believe in Gods.
[12:30] Carl Blue: not even small ones?
[12:30] Vernes Veranes: :)
[12:30] Gellan Glenelg: but do they believe in you?
[12:30] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: have you answered Jo’s question terry?
[12:30] Vernes Veranes: If they read books they do :P
[12:30] Jo Sapeur: … I think a better question would be: Do you believe in humans?
[12:31] Dedric Mauriac: not even small gods
[12:31] Harmony Linden wonders if Terry believes in potatoes?
[12:31] Tenebrous Pau: lol harmony
[12:31] Sweetie Saunders: ofc :)
[12:31] TerryPratchett Morpork: For Unseen Academicals I won’t even hazard a guess. But for the last several years I have only done one book a year because of all the other distractions placed on an author’s life. Put it another way: Don’t ask a man to reply to every email AND do a full thousand words a day :-)
[12:31] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Carl Blue: Which of your characters do you feel is most like you?
[12:32] Vernes Veranes: ooh, good one
[12:32] TerryPratchett Morpork: Yes, I actually have a small potato in my coat pocket. In time of hunger a potato is more likely to be more useful than prayer.
[12:32] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: someone somewhere owes me a cup of cofee
[12:32] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Salaamata Afarensis: my wife Ab (sadly at work) asks: it seems from reading the early Discworld novels that you grew to respect characters like Granny Weatherwax and Sam Vimes the more time you spent with them. These two characters, in particular, have come to represent standards of ethical behavior. Do you find that your relationship with the characters in the books has changed over time?
[12:33] Sweetie Saunders: nice question!
[12:33] TerryPratchett Morpork: There is probably a bit of me in all the major characters. I would like to be like Sam Vimes, but deep in my heart I know I am Rincewind.
[12:33] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: thanks Harmony
[12:33] Samantha Poindexter: Hee.
[12:33] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Ciaran Laval: Would you like to see more of your books repoduced on film in the fashion they haven been by SKY?
[12:33] Tenebrous Pau is totally Rincewind lol
[12:33] Harmony Linden: Closest I can come to coffee, Immortality. :)
[12:34] Dedric Mauriac: we all have a bit of rincewind in us
[12:34] Vernes Veranes: let’s let him answer a few questions first.
[12:35] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: :)
[12:35] Jo Sapeur: stupid question: has anyone told Terry how to open the chat history?
[12:35] SignpostMarv Martin is keeping track of the answers to questions on http://www.flickr.com/groups/terry-pratchett-in-sl/discuss/72157607890478353/
[12:35] Jo Sapeur: (CTRL + H)
[12:36] TerryPratchett Morpork: That is a good question. It seems to me that if you get a character just right, they start doing the work for you. It is as if they become a subroutine in your own brain and you are right when you point out the similarity between Granny and Vimes; you might notice that both of them seem at every stage to be fighting some internal demon.
[12:36] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Vernes Veranes: Has your experience with discworld influenced the nation book (and how)?
[12:36] Jo Sapeur: heh, I didn’t want to ask about that ^.^
[12:37] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Ineed more questions….
[12:37] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: have one more lined up
[12:37] Angel Slocombe shouts: Please submit your questions to ImmortalitySou Ballinger in IM
[12:38] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: perhaps I shouldnt have said anything he he
[12:38] Angel Slocombe hears all LOL
[12:38] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: okay okay I am stacked again hang fire now until I get through this lot
[12:38] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: thank you for your patience :)
[12:38] TerryPratchett Morpork: Yes, but I don’t have any particular hopes for Hollywood. Besides, I like the British stuff, even though the budget is much lower than it might be in the States, I can get involved at just about every stage in the production. To an author, that is worth a great deal.
[12:38] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: DeutroJesaja Gothly: I know you don’t belive in gods, but do you mind if books or quotes from your books is used in Christan teaching for young people?
[12:39] Sweetie Saunders: hanging around set makes your feet hurt though!
[12:39] Jo Sapeur: don’t let Hollywood botch your stories, Terry :)
[12:39] Robby Pomeray: George Clooney would give a great Vimes;-)
[12:40] Jo Sapeur: I’m gso lad that you don’t let them butcher the Discworld so far
[12:40] TerryPratchett Morpork: Not at all. I have no problem with the existence of Jesus Christ, who I think was very probably a wise man and a compassionate teacher. It’s just that I don’t believe in the same god that he believed in :-)[12:40] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Vernes Veranes: Where in Second Life can I buy a complete SL-version of the book? Is Second Life even concidered a Niche market?
[12:40] DeutroJesaja Gothly: ty.
[12:41] SignpostMarv Martin would prefer Pete Postlethwaite for Sam Vimes
[12:41] Samantha Poindexter imagines trying to read a novel on an HUD and shudders.
[12:41] TerryPratchett Morpork: As an aside, myself and Rob would like to wish Lisa and Jason ‘Discworld Anthony’ our very best wishes on the birth of their baby Isobel.
[12:41] Charis Parx: Oh wow!
[12:41] Charis Parx: Congrats to them!
[12:41] IYan Writer: congrats!
[12:42] Jo Sapeur: …that won’t work, Verne - all content in SL is technically owned by Linden Lab
[12:42] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Congrats
[12:42] Sweetie Saunders: wtg Jason and Lisa
[12:42] Salaamata Afarensis: congrats!
[12:42] Angel Slocombe: Not true Jo. Linden Lab respect IP rights.

[12:42] Samantha Poindexter: Is NOT, Jo. Leaving intellectual property in the hands of its creators is one reason SL’s taken off.
[12:42] Dedric Mauriac: The IP of that content though is owned by the authors
[12:42] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: has Vernes qwuestion been answered?
[12:42] Vernes Veranes: Jo: actually, they stated that the creator has copyright of its own creation
[12:42] IYan Writer: (not so Jo, creators retain IP - some books have already been published in SL, too)
[12:42] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: sorry about typos typing too fast!
[12:42] TerryPratchett Morpork: All I can tell you is that my publishers are watching this event. They are probably disguised as palm trees.
[12:42] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: he he
[12:42] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Carl Blue: Whats you fave book, not your own?
[12:43] Salaamata Afarensis: lol
[12:43] Robby Pomeray: lol…
[12:43] Sweetie Saunders: what is Colin disguised as?
[12:43] Harmony Linden always was suspicious of those Linden trees.
[12:43] Dedric Mauriac: Let’s carve some canoes!
[12:44] TerryPratchett Morpork: Colin would be disguised as a bottle of wine.
[12:44] Sweetie Saunders: lol
[12:44] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: guys dont ask any more questions until I ask you am conscious of time
[12:44] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: What kinds of mental adjustments did you have to make as you wrote it?” Question from www.FromRimToHub.com.
[12:44] Elizabeth Burleigh: a nice cabernet, maybe?
[12:44] Sweetie Saunders: two bottles of excellent red!!
[12:44] Sweetie Saunders: i believe i can hear terry laughing?
[12:44] Charis Parx: and Rob is hiding in the mic
[12:45] Dedric Mauriac: oh, i want a gesture with terry laughing
[12:45] TerryPratchett Morpork: Actually, maybe a Pina Colada. With an umbrella.
[12:45] Gail Linden: hehe
[12:45] Sweetie Saunders: lol
[12:45] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Willi Reino: when you read for relaxation, who are your favourite authors?
[12:45] Charis Parx: what a picture that is
[12:45] Sweetie Saunders: Bit blue oyster club?
[12:46] TerryPratchett Morpork: I have a whole library shelf of favourite books. However, I still think that one of the funniest and best works of fiction was the “Evolution Man” by Roy Lewis. My favourite bedtime reading at the moment is “Feeding Nelson’s Navy” by Janet MacDonald. Believe me, it’s considerably more thrilling than the title might suggest.
[12:46] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Charis Parx: If you had a day with no demands on you at all, what would you do with it, BESIDES writing. :)
[12:47] Dedric Mauriac: no writing? that sounds like a demand
[12:48] Sweetie Saunders: sounds like a punishment.
[12:48] TerryPratchett Morpork: What do you mean, besides writing?
[12:48] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Wai Kamachi: Do you plot your novels?
[12:48] Samantha Poindexter grins.
[12:48] Charis Parx: Hah. I was trying for the answer I couldn’t predict
[12:48] Charis Parx: I failed!
[12:48] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I’m guessing that was the answer ….!
[12:48] Sweetie Saunders: smiles at Charis.
[12:49] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Samantha Poindexter: Any chance we’ll ever see Esk of Equal Rites again?
[12:49] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: whoops sorry pressed say!
[12:49] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Oh, I do hope so
[12:51] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: dont worry will repeat question after terry answers wais first
[12:52] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Nick I hope Terry can stay a bit longer as answering questions in text takes longer than voice and I have a number still lined up
[12:53] Sweetie Saunders: Sandra may kill Rob though!! :)
[12:53] Dedric Mauriac: maybe he crashed
[12:53] TerryPratchett Morpork: Believe it or not, I seldom read a novel these days. Nearly all the books in the 3ft pile beside my bed are social histories or the biographies of intereting, if not important, people. I’m also a sucker for the kind of books with titles such as “Picky – The History of 500 Years of Snot in Britian”.
[12:53] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Samantha Poindexter: Any chance we’ll ever see Esk of Equal Rites again?
[12:53] Mocksoup Graves: lol
[12:53] Samantha Poindexter laughs.
[12:53] Vernes Veranes: wow
[12:53] Malburns Writer: lol
[12:54] Sweetie Saunders: lol
[12:54] Dedric Mauriac: is that a real book?
[12:54] Jo Sapeur: … someone wrote _that_ book?? O.O
[12:54] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: i must look that book up my last one was pies and prejudice!
[12:54] TerryPratchett Morpork: Pies and Prejudice - I like that :o)
[12:55] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: by stuart marconi!
[12:55] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: very good
[12:55] TerryPratchett Morpork: I think that if the last Tiffany Aching book, which will be called “I shall Wear Midnight”, gets finished it will probably re-introduce Esk.
[12:55] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: DeutroJesaja Gothly: Howcome everybody knows a Granny and a Nanny?
[12:55] Vernes Veranes: yes!
[12:56] Samantha Poindexter: YAY!
[12:56] Salaamata Afarensis: omg! yay! Tiffany!!
[12:57] TerryPratchett Morpork: Because they are a widespread social sterotype and I am an observant author.
[12:57] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Dedric Mauriac: What fan art has impressed you the most?
[12:58] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: even my greek cypriot granny was a weatherwax down to the nose!
[12:58] Vernes Veranes: Can’t possibly seen it all :P
[12:58] TerryPratchett Morpork: Sorry. I really can’t remember.
[12:58] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: April Kohl: Many writers and publishers in modern magazines talk about how much more difficult it is to get a first novel sold now than it was even ten years ago. Do you think you had it easier than the new kids on the block?
[12:58] Rain Runningbear: deutro is marrying a Nanny act alike :)
[12:59] Harmony Linden: Argh, gotta go back to work. This has been fabulous! Thanks, Terry and the folks who put this together!
[12:59] Salaamata Afarensis: lol Rain
[12:59] Sweetie Saunders: see you harmony!
[12:59] Jo Sapeur: byebye Harmony
[12:59] Vernes Veranes waves
[12:59] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: bye say hello to Glenn
[12:59] Angel Slocombe: LOl Harmony you’re a Linden you’re AT work hehe *waves*
[12:59] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: and babbage et al
[12:59] Gail Linden: bye
[13:00] Nick Gloucester: bye
[13:01] TerryPratchett Morpork: I don’t think it was all that easier when I started, but the parameters have changed. If you can go on a comedy show and are on the telly long enough, and sometimes not for all that long, getting a novel published appears to be very easy and sometime you don’t even need to write it.
[13:01] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: SignpostMarv Martin: Would Terry consider a Discworld-based MMO, perhaps using something like OpenSim as the underlying tech ?
[13:01] Sweetie Saunders: two words naomi campbell lol
[13:01] SignpostMarv Martin pokes Immortality to paste the first part of that question as well plz
[13:01] Dedric Mauriac: John Stewart?
[13:02] Vernes Veranes: first part sounds cool anyway
[13:02] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: oh gosh sorry
[13:02] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: SignpostMarv Martin: for Terry: There haven’t been any full-length official Discworld games since Discworld Noir in 1999- now that Discworld films are being made, are there any plans for new games to be made ?
[2008/10/09 12:42] SignpostMarv Martin: ^as an addition,
[2008/10/09 12:43] SignpostMarv Martin: Would Terry consider a Discworld-based MMO, perhaps using something like OpenSim as the underlying tech ?
[13:02] TerryPratchett Morpork: What is an MMO? What is OpenSim? Can we accept for a moment that I’m not that engrossed by online activities?
[13:02] SignpostMarv Martin: lol
[13:02] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: sorry
[13:02] Mocksoup Graves: hahhah
[13:03] SignpostMarv Martin: Massively Multiplayer Online game
[13:03] SignpostMarv Martin: lots of Discworld fans running around the back of the disk of a virtual Great A’Tuin
[13:03] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Carl Blue: Will you be coming to live with us here in SL?
[13:03] TerryPratchett Morpork: Then no.
[13:03] Vernes Veranes: Aww chucks
[13:03] SignpostMarv Martin: OpenSim: open source Second Life server
[13:03] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Jo Sapeur: Is there a chance that you will return to SL for another Q&A session? I have several friends who are mourning because they couldn’t come after the the sim was full.
[13:04] Dedric Mauriac: man, i would love to play around an an ankh morpork, or grab a hotdog from CMOT Dibbler
[13:04] Vernes Veranes: We have a sim of Morpork now, but that’s not what you mean I think
[13:04] DeutroJesaja Gothly: A warm canine?
[13:04] Charis Parx: Dedric - that might be the last thing you ever do, though!
[13:04] Samantha Poindexter: I think he means a sausage inna bun. :-)
[13:04] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Sound very CMOT
[13:05] Sweetie Saunders: another visit would be really great!
[13:05] Sibella Starbrook: rat on a stick
[13:05] Sweetie Saunders: someone already built the Cloning Artificer shop
[13:05] Salaamata Afarensis: there is “Rat Onna Stick” in sl :D
[13:05] Sweetie Saunders: it had Bernard smoke rings coming out the chimney
[13:06] TerryPratchett Morpork: Early in 2003 we had approaches from about 5 or 6 games developers. I told them all to go away and knock up something that would show me that they had a grip on what Discworld would be about, and none of them came back. I’m not unhappy about that. Certainly I would require a new Discworld game to be as immersive as Thief II and with the sound and graphics suitable for the times.
[13:06] Malburns Writer: wonders how many discworld inspired avatars there are? esp after graphic novel version
[13:06] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Dedric Mauriac: Have you ever drempt that you were in one of your novels?
[13:07] Vernes Veranes: I like that answer :)
[13:07] Salaamata Afarensis: nice question!
[13:07] Sweetie Saunders: hear hear!
[13:07] SignpostMarv Martin: ooh. that’s a good answer. Especially taking into account that Terry is a fan of Oblivion, I think we can rest assured if there’s a new game, it would be really good :-)
[13:08] Vernes Veranes: indeed!
[13:08] Rain Runningbear: indeed
[13:08] SignpostMarv Martin: ^better wait for the possibility of a good game than have a rushed tie-in with one of the Sky films
[13:08] TerryPratchett Morpork: I think you’re going to have to improve the graphics considerably before I come back to Second Life. The graphics in Oblivion allow you to see the graphics in the bottom of a pond and I think that came out in 2002.
[13:08] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: i havnt seen the films :(
[13:08] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Mocksoup Graves: [12:48] Siyu Suen: Both you and Neil Gaiman’s visions of Death are pretty similar in some ways. They’re very human and more friendly than the typical grim reaper image. I know you two have worked together, did you guys talk about Death at all in morbid moments?
[12:49] Mocksoup Graves: Question from Siyu for Terry
[13:08] Adri Saarinen: For fans, by fans is the way to go for games, but it does sometimes proculde the great graphic quality
[13:09] Tenebrous Pau: hehe… Good Omens movie PLEASE thanks… lol :)
[13:09] Sweetie Saunders: there was a great panel in Noreascon with Terry and Neil
[13:09] Sweetie Saunders: about Death
[13:09] Lasynda Shichiroji: Are there any plans to do another book with Mr. Gaiman? I absolutely *love* Good Omens
[13:09] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I feel I know so little :(
[13:09] Lasynda Shichiroji: oooo a Good Omens Movie that would be really cool :)
[13:10] TerryPratchett Morpork: No, but I have often dreamt of scenes, usually just before I wake up.
[13:10] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Sibella Starbrook: the people on nation are asking if there is a chnace terry can pop pver there at the end ?
[13:10] Jo Sapeur: I hope Gail can relay that message to the other Lindens ;)
[13:11] Samantha Poindexter: Well, if you crank up the graphics settings here, things can be better, but, yeah, a platform in which all content is user-created and streamed on the fly is inherently more limited than one with a more constrained library you can install up front…
[13:11] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: as every Terry is just as popular in SL as in RL
[13:11] TerryPratchett Morpork: desire. The same could be said about Mort.
[13:11] Dedric Mauriac wonders how long it will be before he sees avatars looking like Terry Pratchett
[13:11] Sweetie Saunders: and we truly appreciate just how available you make yourself to your mad fans Terry ty
[13:11] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Do you think virtual environments will play a large role for the marketing of books (of fiction)?
[13:12] Carl Blue: You cant fall in love in a game.
[13:12] Sweetie Saunders: the answers are quite delayed.
[13:12] Sweetie Saunders: but you can fall in love in SL
[13:12] SignpostMarv Martin: coughSLisnotagamecough
[13:12] Samantha Poindexter: …you can’t?
[13:12] April Kohl: Carl: Tell that to the people who got married in WoW
[13:12] Willi Reino: so where *can* you fall in love???
[13:12] Sweetie Saunders: i know… looks at wedding ring.
[13:13] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: sorry has Terry answered last question?
[13:13] Vernes Veranes: No
[13:13] SignpostMarv Martin: I have no idea which question Terry’s last message was in response to
[13:13] Charis Parx: the dream one
[13:14] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I forgot to say who asked it. Sorry to whoever it was :(
[13:14] TerryPratchett Morpork: Good Omens movie? Regrettably people with enough money do not share your
[13:14] Sweetie Saunders: cant we all send terry gilliam some cash?
[13:14] Tenebrous Pau: if only that’d do it :)
[13:14] SignpostMarv Martin: Charis: this one: “[13:11] TerryPratchett Morpork: desire. The same could be said about Mort.”
[13:14] TerryPratchett Morpork: desire. The same could be said about Mort.
[13:14] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: okay so shall I go back through the list?
[13:14] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: or plough on with the next one?
[13:14] Tenebrous Pau: ahhh understand now :D
[13:15] Vernes Veranes: My question is still to be answered Sou
[13:15] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I shall go onto next question Terry
[13:15] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: Vernes Veranes: Do you think virtual environments will play a large role for the marketing of books (of fiction)?
[13:15] Elizabeth Burleigh: just wait til I win that lottery jackpot ;)
[13:15] Vernes Veranes smiles
[13:15] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: there you go vernes …!
[13:15] TerryPratchett Morpork: History says that Terry Gilliam is a worrying man to give money to :-)
[13:15] Sweetie Saunders: yeah…
[13:15] Tenebrous Pau: lol yes :)
[13:15] Sweetie Saunders: but we can hope.
[13:15] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Lol!
[13:15] Jo Sapeur: I guess film producers still try to remove Death from the movie scripts for proposed discworld movies
[13:16] DeutroJesaja Gothly: That’s just silly
[13:16] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: hmm where would quentin tarantino be without death and destruction
[13:16] DeutroJesaja Gothly: My kids love Death in Hogfather
[13:16] Lasynda Shichiroji: yeah Death is the coolest character
[13:16] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: probably writing scripts for childrens tv
[13:16] Tenebrous Pau: … sesame street probly
[13:16] Tenebrous Pau: hehe
[13:16] Dedric Mauriac: I like the name of deaths horse
[13:18] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: ive just realised I havent asked a single question :(
[13:18] TerryPratchett Morpork: Folks. We are now overtime on this chat and so I’m off to hang about on Nation island for a bit. Cheerio.
[13:18] Vernes Veranes: ok
[13:18] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Farewell for now….
[13:18] Tenebrous Pau: thanks so much Terry :D
[13:18] Willi Reino: bye terry

[13:18] Murdock Pennell: bye
[13:18] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I have two more questipns lined up :(
[13:18] Vernes Veranes: Bye terry
[13:18] Salaamata Afarensis: Thank you so much!! :DD
[13:18] DeutroJesaja Gothly: Thank you
[13:18] GaiusJulius Drut: Tahnky Terry
[13:18] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: oh well sorry folks
[13:18] Samantha Poindexter: Thanks for coming, and answering, and putting up with us! :-)
[13:18] Willi Reino applauds!
[13:18] Malburns Writer: Many thanks terry
[13:18] Carl Blue: thank yo terry
[13:18] IYan Writer: bye Terry, thanks for being here!
[13:18] Malburns Writer APPLAUDS!!!
[13:18] Elizabeth Burleigh: ta, Terry!
[13:18] Roxette Wise: Thanks Terry
[13:18] April Kohl: Bye, Terry. Thanks for coming and putting up with us
[13:18] Sweetie Saunders: ty so much terry
[13:18] Morrigan Vendetta: byes and thank you
[13:18] Malburns Writer APPLAUDS!!!
[13:18] Robby Pomeray: thank you Terry :-)
[13:18] Charis Parx: Good to see you here!
[13:18] Salaamata Afarensis: apppplausse!!!!!!!
[13:18] Robby Pomeray: .-’`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-’`'-.
[13:18] ImmortalitySou Ballinger: I will send them to Nick
[13:18] Roxette Wise: Applauds!!!
[13:18] Jo Sapeur: Take care Terry and thanks for joining us today ^.^
[13:18] iAlja Writer: bye, thank you!
[13:18] April Kohl cheers
[13:18] GaiusJulius Drut claps

More pictures are available at the flickr group.

“I am appalled that research into Alzheimer’s and related diseases which affects 700,000 people in the UK, currently receives just three per cent of government medical research funding,” he plans to say in his speech tonight. “Perhaps that is why, for example, I know three people who have successfully survived brain tumours but no-one who has beaten Alzheimer’s.”

Pratchett donated £500,000 earlier in 2008 to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, for which Rebecca Wood is the Chief Executive.

“Dementia costs the UK economy £17 billion a year …” Wood said. “Politicians from all parties must recognise that the only socially just and financially prudent policy is to vastly increase funding for dementia research.”

The U.K. government spent £25 million on Alzheimer’s in the 2005-2006 period, an amount which a Department of Health spokesperson called “significant Government funding.”

No reader is ever likely to forget Terry Pratchett’s Nation…. Nation is — as Terry Pratchett tells us in his author’s note — “set in a parallel universe, a phenomenon known only to advanced physicists and anyone who has ever watched any episode of any SF series, anywhere.” It is also what’s called a crossover novel, which means that while Nation may be aimed primarily at bright-eyed young adults– as were Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and the Harry Potter books of J.K. Rowling — many grizzled old adults are likely to enjoy it, too. You don’t even need to know anything about Pratchett’s earlier work: It’s a stand-alone book, with no connection whatsoever to Discworld.

Nation remains at heart a novel of ideas, a ferocious questioning of vested cultural attitudes and beliefs. In form it is a classic “Robinsonade,” that is, a book in which characters are marooned on a desert island and there create a little civilization of their own….

It is a thrilling story.

Nation is out already in the U.K., and can be pre-ordered in the U.S.

“You’re more like a ringmaster,” 28 Days Later director Boyle said of directing an animated feature, “[You’re] kind of organizing this huge army of illustrators who can change the movie. It’s really weird.”

Boyle tentatively hopes to work with screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, who has called Truckers his favorite book.

“Part of me thought: brilliant,” Boyce said of hearing Truckers would be adapted for the screen. “That’ll be a great film. But another part of me felt mugged. Truckers was my secret, a blessing I bestowed on the people I most liked.”

Danny Boyle has also directed Sunshine, Trainspotting, and Slumdog Millionaire, and hopes to work with Dreamworks on Truckers.

I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on a book…

Nation was born several years ago…. About four months later, when I hadn’t even scheduled the book, Indonesia was struck by the most recent tsunami, and I thought: There will be a time for Nation, but it’s not now. The story still cooked itself through, at the back of my mind, while I waited a few years.

After that disaster, I saw footage of people celebrating because the wave, which had flattened their whole village, had miraculously left their new mosque standing. But that seemed to me to be not much of a miracle—one that flattens flimsy huts and fails to disturb a solid-looking house of worship. Surely the miracle of a caring god would have razed his holy temple but left every little house intact? What had in reality taken place was the opposite of a miracle, wasn’t it? The trouble is, we call these things acts of God….

Is this the right kind of topic for a young adult book? Probably none better, I thought.

And the rest of the book fell into place like a clicking Rubik’s cube.

The cover blurb:

The sea has taken everything.

Mau is the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle Daphne—a girl from the other side of the globe—is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave.

Together the two confront the aftermath of catastrophe. Drawn by the smoke of Mau and Daphne’s sheltering fire, other refugees slowly arrive: children without parents, mothers without babies, husbands without wives—all of them hungry and all of them frightened. As Mau and Daphne struggle to keep the small band safe and fed, they defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down. . . .

Internationally revered storyteller Terry Pratchett presents a breathtaking adventure of survival and discovery, and of the courage required to forge new beliefs.

HarperCollins is also offering a sneak peek of Nation.

The U.K. edition of Nation was released September 11.

The title of Watt-Evans’s book is taken from rallying cry of the Omnian rebels in Small Gods.  If you were to write a Discworld fan guide, what would you call it and why?

You can find a review of The Turtle Moves! on this site.

This was of course another opportunity for an interview with the eloquent Terry Pratchett, and he expands a bit on his first decision to become a writer. After selling his first story for 40 pounds, he said he “bought a very good second-hand typewriter and that was it. I sold a few more stories and I decided that this was going to be for me.”

Terry Pratchett returned the favor to Buckinghamshire New University vice chancellor Ruth Farwell, making her an honorary wizard of the Unseen University, complete with a wizard hat, scroll, badge, and banana.

A video containing the beginning of Pratchett’s speech can be found at the BucksFreePress.co.uk.

Terry Pratchett will participate in a live question-and-answer session on Second Life October 9.

Second Lifers can get a look at Mau’s island, digitally imagined, on the digitally created world The Nation. The island will include scenes and locations from Nation, as well as opportunities to win Second Life prizes and real-life prizes through a treasture hunt.

The interview takes a bit of a detour, of course, into Alzheimer’s.  Pratchett points out that “Alzheimer’s made a mistake, because it hit me with a variant that leaves me still more than capable of thinking and writing and speaking, and a lot of my time now is taken up with publicity for Alzheimer’s funding.”

He also talks a bit about kid’s reading, saying, “when I was a kid I read books well ahead of what my parents thought I read. It’s a wise child that doesn’t always let their parents know what they’re reading. I picked up quite an extensive vocabulary from reading although I must confess that for years I thought the word ‘ogre’ was pronounced ‘ogrey.’ I’d never actually heard it spoken, but I’d read it hundreds of times.”

Most intriguing of all, to those who haven’t yet read Nation Pratchett’s answer to whether or not Nation is “magical”: “That depends.”

Nation came out Sept. 11 in the U.K. and Sept. 30 in the U.S. (it is now available for preorder).

It is hard not to see the terrible wave crashing through Mau’s people’s memories as an extended metaphor for the Alzheimer’s that has stricken Pratchett’s ever-fertile mind, and Mau’s struggle to recreate something new out of devastation akin to the author’s grappling with an assault on his creative powers. Yet like all serious writers of fantasy, Pratchett has always been proccupied [sic] with death. It is curious how those who dislike this form of literature believe it to be escapist when in fact it tends towards the opposite, dramatising the sorrow of eternal loss.

Nation, a non-Discworld book, can be ordered on Amazon.co.uk and pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

The Turtle Moves! is, as Lawrence Watt-Evans admits, literary criticism, but “it’s light and fluffy literary criticism, not deep and scholarly”–and that’s a perfect description. Part plot summaries, part commentary, and part ode to Pratchett, The Turtle Moves! is a breezy, casual introduction to Discworld’s literary aspects.

The first part (which contains chapter titles like Why You Should Read This Book If You Haven’t Already Read A Bunch Of Discworld Stuff, And Maybe Even If You’ve Never Heard Of Discworld, which should give you an idea of the style of this book)–anyway, the first part of the book explains why Watt-Evans chose to write it, why fans should read it, and, indeed, why people should read it even if they aren’t. Following Part One are general comments about the Disc and its stories, a short chapter for each of the three dozen Discworld novels (and even short stories), notes on the series as a whole, a chapter for nearly every sub-series, a brief look at the minor characters and places, and finishes up with a chapter called The Secret Of Discworld’s Success. The book also includes an extensive references section, which inexplicably neglects to mention FromRimToHub. (I’m looking at you, Mr. Lawrence Watt-Evans.)

But aside from that egregious omission, The Turtle Moves! has its fine points. Watt-Evans comments impartially on the media-generated “feud” between Terry Pratchett and J. K. Rowling, provides insights into the science-fiction aspects of Discworld (yes, they’re there!), explains particularly obscure references (for example, who knew Carrot is named after an actual carrot who becomes king in a comic opera?), and analyzes Discworld’s evolution from The Colour Of Magic to Making Money. The book is well cross-referenced, and allusions to to interviews, other Discworld-related publications, and film adaptations belie either very good research or obsessive fannishness. Watt-Evans’s analysis of the series is grounded in the concept of narrativium, the power of story, and his analysis of Small Gods is particularly good.

The organization of The Turtle Moves!, however, isn’t very thought-out (do we really need three different parts titled Comments, More Comments, and Yet More Comments?), and Watt-Evans’s conversational style is off-putting at first.

All told (and it is all told in this book), The Turtlle Moves! is a great book for the literary-minded but casual Discworld reader. The insight of another fantasy writer into Terry Pratchett’s creation is a good addition to any fan’s library, and it’s all written with a humor fans are sure to appreciate.*

* And yes, there are footnotes.

The First Day: Friday, August 22, 2008

[The convention] started (officially) with the Opening Ceremony. There were voice-over messages asking for the stage to be cleared of party debris and on came Lu Tze with his broom. After telling everyone to go home–the Con had been and gone, and the disruption in the Number 7 procrastinator was blamed–the Men in Saffron (1 of the 2 was me) were called in to rewind 72 hours.  Cue stone grinding and Tardis noises, the lights went up and Lu Tze and the Men in Saffron had been replaced by Terry.

After briefly touching on his illness (most of which has already been printed online in most places) he spoke about the last year which has propelled him from relative media obscurity to celebrity status.

The evening ended with Terry’s bedtime stories, where the usual nutters turned up in their nightwear clutching their various bed companions (mostly furry).  Terry then read from Nation. I had to leave after an hour and a half so I apparently missed the lighter passages.  Definitely a darker book than any previously written.

The Second Day: Saturday, August 23, 2008

[Saturday] was spent trying to familiarize myself with the Hotel. Although the standard of the rooms was very high, it lacked the atmosphere of previous venues. The rooms were at the end of very long corridors. There was no one place to congregate, [the hotel] having a number of bars and eating places, so I never saw some people I knew were attending, and some I saw briefly in passing and never again.  Although the lectures and workshops were very well attended, quite a lot were scheduled for the same time. In fact the lady running the candle workshop came down the corridor wondering what the queue was for and was quite horrified to find out it was waiting for her. Previously she had had around a dozen people attend and this time it was 60!  She had only brought the materials for 60 candles, so had to turn people away.

The Masquerade I shall have to leave others to describe as I took part and was locked up in the ‘Green room’ with the other participants for all of it, but I can say that during the acts the Ankh-Morpork street refuse collector was called and the anonymous disgusting gnoll that came to clear up was none other than our own Pam Gower, and the fact that she was unrecognised pleased her no end, and of course the costume was all her own work as usual.  In fact, off stage I didn’t recognise her myself until I overheard her speaking.

The Third Day: Sunday, August 24, 2008

I attended the “2008 Is Wallace Year” lecture given by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, which was both entertaining and informative and as usual showed that the Roundworld can be as wierd and wonderful as the Discworld, with many similarities.

Pat had made the great error of describing his audience as sitting ducks–bad move as most of the auction (and every other appearance he made) was punctuated by duck calls.  The Octavo made an extremely impressive centrepiece and I had to leave before it came up, because it never would have fitted in the car.

The evening was rounded off by the Gala Dinner and Dragon racing.  The meal was very enjoyable except for the fact that I went out for a nicotine fix between courses and someone replaced my pudding with 2 grapes on a plate!

Terry gave a speech mentioning that for half the attendees it was their very first convention, which does raise the question of what has happened to half of the regulars?  The last speech was given by Lord Vetinari and his statement of one man one vote and he had it was interrupted by Terry begging to differ. Terry also said that he wasn’t bad–he was just written that way, which amused everyone.

The Dragon racing was enjoyable with a Tote using our free money and despite numerous stewards enquiries, photo finishes and one dragon being lifted and ‘helped’ to the finishing post by Nac Mac Feegles went off very well.

The Fourth Day: Monday, August 25, 2008

[Monday] was spent mostly packing, saying goodbye to friends old and new.  The Mob had brought David Jason’s Rincewind hat (the one that had fallen in the water, so suitably snotted), Kring the magical sword, and the Bafta, which Stephen Briggs managed to photograph it held by many people.

During the Meet the Mob presentation it was mentioned that the order of the next films will be Going Postal, Making Money, then Sourcery.  Unfortunately there may be limited fan involvement as the next two will be filmed in Hungary due to a lack of suitable buildings here and that most of the action is set amongst architecture.

The Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony was the usual mix of sadness and joy.

Joy because the prizes were given out, and we were all able to fit into the room together as at the Opening ceremony, but also sadness as one of the prizes for the Guild member who remained in charactor for the whole convention and who had contributed greatly to their guild and in promoting other peoples enjoyment was given an award named for Ewan the young assassin who captured everyone’s heart at the 2006 convention and who died shortly afterwards.

At the very end when the guests and con committee had left the stage there was the voice overs asking for someone to clear the stage of the mess and on came Lu Tze and despite being told we had only just got there, was adamant that we only got one time turn and this time really had to go home, so we did.

Home again, Wadfest next weekend, then the frantic saving for Hogswatch and Nadcon in Arizona.

Many many thanks to demdike for the report!

Would anyone else like to share their experiences? And for those who couldn’t go, how jealous are you?

A drug called Aricept can slow the progress of the disease, and the good news is it costs just £2.50 a day.

The bad news is there are 400,000 Alzheimer’s sufferers in the U.K. so Aricept has been ruled out for NHS use in the mild stages of the disease everywhere except Scotland…. I’m a millionaire so I have no trouble paying, but there are people who can’t…. I would very much like to know the basis on which these decisions are made because some of them don’t seem to make very much sense. It is interesting to note I could get Viagra for free. I’m not too certain it’s the State’s job to provide Viagra.

He also points out that the NHS is not equipped to handle the upcoming wave of aging baby boomers.
Other interesting tidbits:

My wife and PA both noticed real changes in me after two or three months on it. I used to fumble with buttons and needed help with seatbelts. Now, I get dressed normally and seatbelts slide in first time. Mentally, it’s the difference between a sunny day and an overcast day. Ye Gods, that’s worth it!

—————

 I can still work at home and control my environment, and my rare variant of the disease is not yet a real burden. The novels turn up as they always have — only the typing is hard. There will now be a moment when the letter A, say, vanishes. It’s as if the keyboard closes up and the letter A is not there anymore. Then I’ll blink a few times and concentrate and it comes back.

I’ve handed in my driving licence — if my brain won’t let me see that A, it might not let me see the child on the pedestrian crossing. Unlikely, at this stage, but who would risk it?

—————–

And I can afford a voice recognition programme for the computer. There’s no way I’m going to retire, I’ll be writing until I die. It’s my passion.  I stood up and said I had Alzheimer’s. I didn’t expect all the fuss, or my mailbox to melt. Good grief, you write best sellers for 25 years in a kind of welcome obscurity, then you catch one lousy disease and every chat show wants to talk to you.

Also, catch Pratchett tomorrow on a special Panorama program called The NHS Postcode: It Could Be You Monday at 8:30 p.m.