Observe, don't imitate.

The language fictional characters use is chosen for effect, at least if the author is concentrating.

I don't think anyone wants a reader to be completely lost - certainly not to the point of giving up - but there's something to be said for a book that isn't instantly disposable, that rewards a second reading.

If I were to write Web now, it would be a much, much darker book.

Well, it's an adventure story, and a Bildungsroman, of course, but there was also the intention to describe a culture that had been seen in rather narrow terms.

Creating the fictional background for a game world isn't significantly different from creating a background for fiction.

We're all living on borrowed time. The trick is to come up with works of sufficient interest to pay off the debt.