November 22, 1999
Web posted at: 6:00 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- Michael Crichton, author of "Jurassic Park," "Disclosure" and creator of the television hit series "ER" join CNN.com to chat about his library of works and his newest book, Timeline, a novel that takes place in the 21st century where technology rules.

Mr. Crichton joined the CNN.com chat room on November 17, 1999 from the CNN.com newsroom in Atlanta. The following is an edited transcript of the chat.

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Chat Moderator: Welcome, Michael Crichton!

Michael-Crichton: Hi, everybody, great to be here! Fire away.

Question from Andrew: I would like to know from him how long it took for him to come up with the idea for Timeline, in particular to build the characters and the substance of the story.

Michael-Crichton: The idea was before anything else, maybe six years ago. But I actually began working on it three years ago, and the hard, serious writing, after the research, was about two years ago. And it got finished about six weeks ago!

Question from Da Animal: Do you find it difficult to deal with many of the inconstancies of time travel in your books?

Michael Crichton: What I did in this book was decide to eliminate all the so-called time paradoxes, and I have a long argument to explain why they don't make sense. Anyway, I got rid of them.

Question from Pace: How in the world do you come up with the information to base your many different perspectives in your many different novels? It seems that you've spoken from the perspective of just about every type of person there is.

Michael Crichton:Thanks. Actually, it's just research. Ordinary, regular research. Either visiting locations or reading magazines or reading books. And then putting together the story and the setting.

Question from Kate: When will we see a movie for Timeline?

Michael Crichton:The movie should be out in May 2001.

Question from Pace: As a reader, who inspires YOU?

Michael Crichton: I never know. It's a little like getting struck by lightning, you know. It just sort of happens unexpectedly.

Question from Andrew: I would be very interested to hear your argument for why time-paradoxes don't make sense! Have you written about it?

Michael Crichton: This is an extended discussion but you can find it in Timeline at some length. About three pages worth!

Question from Jennifer: Which part of your own life would you like to re-visit, if you could really time travel?

Michael Crichton: I'd go back to high school. Heh heh heh...

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Question from Metaphysician: In Sphere, the movie, the characters chose to be ignorant of the sphere because of their fear: This seems to be a mystical view -- there are things we can't know or communicate; the experience is the thing. Do you agree?

Michael Crichton: Gee, I'm not sure I see either the book or the movie of Sphere that way.

Chat Moderator: Do you agree with this interpretation, and do you consider yourself a "mystic,"loosely, a "mystery writer"?

Michael Crichton: And as to whether I am a mystic, I'd say no.

Question from White Night23: Do you research or develop a story line first?

Michael Crichton: I'm not sure what you are asking. Everything gets done at once---the story, the setting, the characters, etc. I don't have any sense of one thing before another. It's like building a house.

Question from Zzmahn: What do you think about the movie interpretations of your various novels?

Michael Crichton: I know a lot about movies, and have made them myself, so I know what to expect. And actually, in general, I feel I have been pretty lucky with the movie versions of my books. I'm particularly happy with Jurassic Park and with Disclosure.

Question from JeremyT: Do you have any plans on tackling the Internet and Information Technology in any future books?

Michael Crichton: In a word, no. But I did a book called Electronic Life which is now out of print, and I might do another version of it to discuss the Internet.

Question from White Night23: What is your opinion on legislation blocking studies on human cloning?

Michael Crichton: I'm not aware that there is such legislation, but as you may know, there are emerging problems with cloned mammals that were not anticipated at first. So, I think it makes sense to hold off on any human experimentation.

Question from GJE: Will there be prequel to Jurassic Park?

Michael Crichton: No. There will be a sequel.

Question from Willdyer: Why did you chose medieval France for Timeline?

Michael Crichton: I was particularly interested in a period when knights were a force in the society. And I wanted a time of chaos, a dangerous time, and so I chose the Hundred Years War, in particular the year 1357.

Question from Neil: If you could do things over again, would you still do Harvard Med? Did it add something to you that you wouldn't have gotten otherwise?

Michael Crichton: Yes, I'd do it again. Medicine is a kind of traditional training for writers; lots of famous writers were doctors first; and I think it is excellent experience for writers. It was for me.

Question from Stryder: What/who were some of your favorite books/authors when you were young?

Michael Crichton: Conan Doyle, Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and a lot of science fiction writers from the 50s like A.E. van Vogt.

Question from KenGreen: When you wrote Jurassic Park, did you ever believe the scientists would be trying to make a Mammoth as they are trying to right now with the frozen one they found way up North?

Michael Crichton: Yes, actually I think that possibility is discussed in the novel.

Question from White Night23: Do you see Terminal Man as more of reality every day?

Michael Crichton: As a matter of fact, it seems to be less and less of a reality.

Question from Ed: Mr. Crichton, having read your works since the ripe old age of twelve or so, I'm always curious as to where your initial ideas come from. How did you first get the idea to write a book about time travel rooted in quantum physics?

Michael Crichton: I get all my ideas from an 800 number. You just call in and a voice gives you the ideas. (Grin.) I don't know where ideas come from.

Question from NCboy: Mr. Crichton, do you have any plans to release any books on the Internet before hardcopy publication?

Michael Crichton: No.

Question from Vonu: Someone else has already written in to ask about where you may think a movie has done your work injustice. Do you have a policy of not criticizing the movies? If not, didn't you think Rising Sun came out a little too reduced to formula?

Chat Moderator: If not, didn't you think Rising Sun came out a little to reduced to formulaic safe bets on sex and fear?

Michael Crichton: No, I criticize movies. I LOATHED Terminal Man and made no bones about it. I thought it was wretched, and a lost opportunity. I felt Rising Sun was a missed opportunity as well.

Question from Pace: How involved are you with the making of ER? Did you just come up with the idea, or do you take a part in writing of the scripts for each episode?

Michael Crichton:I was very involved in the first two years of the show. But as an editor/producer, not as a writer. I felt it was important to let the other writers take over the show, since as a practical matter, I simply couldn't---I didn't have time. In more recent years, I have just been an audience for the show, which I think is terrific. I admire it a lot.

Question from NFP: Are you pleased with ER and where do you see it heading in the future?

Michael Crichton: I never discuss the future of the show.

Question from Avnerman: How do you think people will view your books in the future? In other words, will your works survive into the next centuries?

Michael Crichton: I have no idea what people will think in the future. It's such a difficult thing to know, in fact, an impossible thing to know! I just do the best I can as I go along, and let the future take care of itself. (Which it does!)

Question from NCboy: Mr. Crichton, do you seek out new and fledgling authors?

Michael Crichton: Do you mean, to read?

Question from NCboy: Or to help get published?

Michael Crichton: No. I am not in a position to help anybody do anything. One of the truths about writing, or movies for that matter, is that everybody has to get there on their own. If I were to help someone, the people in the business would think that I was doing a favor and helping someone who couldn't do it on their own! So, I don't help.

Question from Nosferatu: Which character in Timeline interested you the most?

Michael Crichton: I don't have favorites among my children.

Question from JoeyB: Now that Timeline has been released, what are some things you may be writing in the future?

Michael Crichton: I'd love to talk about what's next. Unfortunately, I don't know. I just finished Timeline a few weeks ago, and now I am online talking to you all...so...I haven't thought much about what is next.

Question from Pace: At what point in your live did you realize that you wanted to be a professional writer?

Michael Crichton: I was always very interested in writing. I showed some obsessive, tendencies in the third grade. I wanted to do it professionally by the time I was in high school. But I didn't think it would be possible. I didn't think I could succeed at it.

Question from Labelle: How do you gather the technical information you need for your books? By reading or by contacting people working in the field?

Michael Crichton: Primarily by reading. I don't go into the field until I know pretty much what I need to know and then I go out to get details, or background information, or what is sometimes called "local color."

Question from Pace: Have you ever made a character in one of your novels represent yourself?

Michael Crichton: They all represent me, in a way. And they all don't represent me, in a way. But I was aware of the Noah Wyle character in ER, and the Anthony Edwards character in ER, being close to me because they were close to my life experiences.

Question from Neo 2001: What is your all-time favorite book?

Michael Crichton: Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi.

Question from Jager: You seem to dance delicately between having a life in Hollywood and being a withdrawn writer. It seems that you avoid the spotlight, whereas writers like Stephen King embrace it. Do you feel this is accurate and why do you think this?

Chat Moderator: And why do you think this to be so?

Michael Crichton: I'm not enthusiastic about being in the public eye, that's true. I regard doing publicity as roughly the same as going to the dentist and having teeth pulled. It may be necessary, but it isn't fun.

Question from NCboy: Mr. Crichton, do you have a particular set pattern in which you write?

Michael Crichton: It varies with each book. Usually I need to write when it is quiet, so I end writing very early (5-10 AM) or late (6-11 PM). But sometimes, as with Timeline, there is no particular pattern.

Question from Decam: In the beginning you wrote to help support your education. Now that money is no longer a problem, do you write with an audience in mind or for yourself?

Michael Crichton: I feel I always write for myself, in the sense that I am the first audience. But that's just a strategy. I mean, how else would I decide if a book is going okay or not, except by how I myself feel about it?

Question from Gilgamesh: Do you feel that we're building a nation of rock stars? That is, encouraging kids so much that real talent is buried under the detritus of the masses?

Michael Crichton: I don't understand the question.

Question from Surfbum: As a director yourself, who are your favorite film directors or works , say, in the last five years?

Michael Crichton: I have liked Hitchcock, Kurosawa, David Lean, and Spielberg.

Question from Decam: What is the worst injustice Hollywood has ever done to his work?

Michael Crichton:You know, I don't keep lists like this in my head. I mean if somebody says, what is your favorite food, or favorite color, or favorite ex-wife, I really wouldn't be able to say!

Question from Caesar: The incident in Airframe was caused by the co-pilot. what do you think about the Egypt Air tragedy?

Michael Crichton: Hey, how about that!

Question from Cirruslynow: After you finish a book, do you need time to let it go?

Michael Crichton: No, actually I can let it go pretty much immediately. What I need time to do is to slow down, and relax. But I am only to ready to stop thinking about the subject---I'm sick of it!

Question from NFP: I thought Airframe was a very exciting novel. Was it difficult to research the facts for the story or are you just an aviation expert?

Michael Crichton: No, the research was extremely difficult. But for an unusual reason, I was talking to engineers at the plant and nobody usually talked to them, so...they REALLY wanted to talk! And it was hard to keep them focused on the subject I was trying to do. Very interesting work, for me. But it took a long time.

Question from Xenopus: Are you actually a "computer person?" Seems like you're hitting RETURN at the end of every line... that's what an old-fashioned typewriter kind of person would do. Horrors! You're not *gasp* old fashioned, are you?

Michael Crichton: These guys here at CNN told me to put in the CR at the end of the line. Personally, I never do it!

Question from Jennifer: You collaborated with your wife for a screenplay. Do you prefer to write by yourself or would you consider another collaboration (with anyone)?

Michael Crichton: I think screenplays are well served by collaboration. I collaborated with a writer on Rising Sun, too (the screenplay.) But novels I think should be done alone.

Question from Avnerman: If life made it possible for you to only publish one book, which would it be and why?

Michael Crichton: The next one.

Question from JoeyB: When writing your books, do you sketch out the plot and then fill in the detail, or do you just develop characters and then let the story just unfold while writing it?

Michael Crichton: No, my stories are not character driven. Usually I have the story first, and make the characters follow the story I have prepared for them. Sometimes the characters refuse. They can be troublesome. For example, in Jurassic Ian Malcolm wouldn't shut up. I wanted him to say a paragraph or two, but instead he rambled on for 4 or 5 pages! And I would look at this stuff and think, it's pretty good, but I don't really need all this. Anyway, it's always interesting to be writing.

Question from Stryder: Do you desire your stories to be profound, or just profoundly entertaining?

Michael Crichton: Oh gosh. I don't think very deeply about what I do. At least, I try not to. I try to do what comes to mind and not to question it, because if I decide to MAKE my story be something, or make some point, then it takes on a different quality. A kind of nagging quality.

Question from HIServant: What makes you laugh?

Michael Crichton: Jokes. (Ha, ha) Okay, okay. Did you hear the one about the three guys who go into the bar, a black man, a white man, and an Asian man, and the bartender looks up and says, "What is this, a joke?"

Question from Sonya: We are all waiting for Travel N°2. Will you consider writing it?

Michael Crichton: I am writing it.

Question from Pace: Why would you not like being in the public eye? It seems that being a celebrity is something unattainable by the common man, so those who have celebrity status would have a little fun with it.

Michael Crichton: In a restaurant, people watch you eat. What if, like me, you have trouble with spaghetti? What if lettuce leaves stick out of the sides of your mouth like a dinosaur? What if you are always wiping gravy off your chin? While people stare at you? Huh? I mean, think about it. This is the tragedy of celebrity. (Grin.)

Question from Roscoe02: Mr. Crichton, what do you see as the next big scientific exploration? Will it be in outer space or even right here on Earth?

Michael Crichton: I think it will be in small dimensions. Nanoexploration.

Question from HIServant: What's the biggest misconception people have about you?

Michael Crichton:That I am a nice guy. (Sorry. I am getting a little batty.) Uh...that I get my ideas from an 800 number. Uh...that I can tell them where I get my ideas, because I know what I am doing. Actually, I have no idea what I am doing. (Some of you may have noticed that by now.)

Question from Castor: What inspired you to start ER, and did you create the characters?

Michael Crichton: Yes, I created all the characters, at least the original ones. And the inspiration was simple: I wrote a screenplay about my experiences working in the ER.

Question from Carguy: Mr. Crichton, do you always know the ending of your book, or are you sometimes surprised as to the outcome?

Michael Crichton: Generally I do not know the exact ending. This means, especially in suspense stories, that as I come to the ending, I am tearing out my hair, saying "How will I finish this thing?!" So I guess in that sense I am recreating the experience of the characters, who also don't know how it will end.

Question from Bd: How do you know when you've done enough research on a book and when it's time to write?

Michael Crichton: You run out of time. The publishers start calling and saying "How's it going?" And you haven't started writing yet and you told them it was going great two months earlier. These are the things that make you stop doing research and start writing. Never.

Question from Neo 2001: Do you often chat anonymously on the Internet?

Question from Roscoe02: Mr. Crichton, would you consider doing another book that took place sometime in the past, i.e., Great Train Robbery, Eaters of the Dead?

Michael Crichton: Yes, I have been thinking about it.

Question from White Night23: Does writing allow you more or less time with your family than you expected?

Michael Crichton:Less. When my daughter was about a year and a half old, she was sitting at dinner and she turned to me and said, "Dad, are you..." and she broke off. She could see there was a funny distant look on my face. And she said, "When are you going to finish your book, Dad?" So even tiny children can see I'm not there.

Question from GJE: Do you enjoy any of Stephen King's works?

Michael Crichton: Yes, I like to read him. Pet Sematary scared me particularly.

Question from KDog: In Travels, you spoke of a cactus you spoke to while on a desert meditation retreat. Do you still speak to this cactus sometimes?

Michael Crichton: Haven't seen that cactus lately. I've been in different deserts. On the other hand, I do speak to people who aren't there. As now, for example.

Question from Roscoe02: Was Arthur C. Clarke an influence? Your science-backed fiction is much alike.

Michael Crichton: I like Arthur and I certainly admire his writing about science. Personally, I don't see that much similarity between his fiction and mine. But I am probably not a good judge.

Question from Andrew: Do you think that you will create a book continuing the story of Jurassic Park, or is the next story going straight into the theaters, as I have read?

Michael Crichton: Straight to theaters. The screenplay is being written now.

Chat Moderator: Thank you Michael Crichton for joining us today! A transcript of this chat will be available in a few days at http://cnn.com/chat. Thanks, everyone!! Wonderful questions!!