Recent entries

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4952 Copy

    Hoiditthroughthegrapevine

    Can modern-day Felt get his hands on atium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He would know how to try going about it, he would not be able to get ahold of it right now. It would be outside-- It's not something he can just pop off. He would have some ideas on how to try to go about it. I doubt he could pull it off.

    Skyward Atlanta signing ()
    #4954 Copy

    Questioner

    Back to the callsigns. Did you come up with Jorgen's name first, or did you come up with his callsign first?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The callsign was first. And then the name followed out of some of the linguistics I was using... Yeah, the callsign was first.

    Skyward Atlanta signing ()
    #4955 Copy

    Questioner

    Do you find it harder to write from a male or female's point of view?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is harder to write-- The more different someone is from me, the more difficult they are to write. Gender is only one part of that, however, and so some characters who are very like me, but maybe-- maybe a woman, would be easier to write than someone who is very different from me but is a guy. But that's all kind of part of it.

    Early in my career, before I got published, I was actually really bad at this; but the main thing I learned from that era of my writing was that I was writing people to a role in the story. It wasn't that I was bad at writing women, it was that I was writing all women as the love interest. Which resulted in bad storytelling and flat characters. And if you start to be able to learn: treat each character they are the protagonist of their own story, treat each character like they see themselves, not as a bit part, but as the story themselves; and start to explore who they are rather than putting them in a role in the story, your characters will get better all around.

    Skyward Atlanta signing ()
    #4957 Copy

    Questioner

    Is there anything more significant to Tien's obsession with rocks? Or is that just an example of him being a unique kid?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is a little bit to the way he's seeing color in mundane things. It's less the rock, and more the things about the world he finds interesting. So I'm going to say it's the second. It's an aspect of who he is; the rock itself is not the important thing.

    Skyward Chicago signing ()
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    Kurkistan

    What's it like inside a time bubble on a windy day?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, I've had to play around a little bit with the air. Air moves in and out, you would still feel it windy, but as I have it you will not feel it from the direction the wind is coming, it will be deflected a little bit. So you might be a little bit in a wind tunnel or something, probably a swirl.

    Skyward Chicago signing ()
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    Kurkistan

    How much wealth, approximately, does it take to buy enough Breaths for the Fifth Heightening? Like buying a house, buying a ma-

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ooh, okay. This is going to wait for official--

    Argent

    Oh for that project.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well I put some people on it, let's just say, so wait until we have the official project telling your conversion rates and then you'll be able to answer that theoretically once we get that all down.

    Kurkistan

    Just in terms of wealth on Nalthis? Like money?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It would take a large amount of wealth.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4966 Copy

    Questioner

    So the scene at the end of Oathbringer, when Odium is confronting Taravangian and he uses futuresight to expand upon the Diagram, we have this blacked out section with Renarin's name linked to it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Is that because Renarin's abilities interfere with Odium's futuresight similar to how electrum interferes with atium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Any time that someone else is seeing the future in the cosmere, it's going to have ripples against your ability. Like they are-- you can't-- It's the same sort of thing that if-- someone who has access to atium is going to mess up anyone else's futuresight in any way, because once you use that it's going to cause you to act differently, which then-- And remember futuresight is not very good in the cosmere anyway. But yeah, it's just gonna mess things up.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
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    Questioner

    The way Sazed describes the people group [of Trell] in the first time he explains it and later on in Hero of Ages seems fairly different. Is that because of different perspective on religion, or how the religion is?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's just say that is intentional.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
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    Skyward_Felt.jpg

    Hoiditthroughthegrapevine

    *written* Is Felt and agent of Harmony? If not, is he a member of a secret society that we have seen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *written* Felt is different in his allegiance depending on the part of his life.

    *spoken* Felt's allegiance has changed at various times during-- yeah, we'll just say that. His allegiance has changed over the years. There are times he's been a rogue agent.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4972 Copy

    Questioner

    The lighteyes-- Do their eyes actually glow or is it just blue or green?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. It's a very pale blue or green though. You can tell pretty easily looking at them who's lighteyed and who's dark. They don't glow. So--

    Questioner

    It's otherworldly?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Some of them would look-- You would say otherworldly, but not impossibly. You can find people on Earth who have eyes the shade that they are. Not all of them, right? Because some of them are yellows and things like that that we don't have. But if you looked at them and they were here, you might wonder if they were wearing contacts but it wouldn't be unusual to find out they weren't.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
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    Questioner

    Is Shallan's truth, "I am hap-- It's okay that I can be happy?"

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm going to dig into that, but this is a big part of it. Let me RAFO that because I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to express it as it goes along, but that sentiment is a huge part of what's going on with Shallan.

    Questioner

    I was expecting her to manifest Shardplate in the middle of her wedding because she had spoken such a core truth of her identity.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's just say that I'm being very careful about how I show off the first manifestations of Shardplate for narrative reasons.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4974 Copy

    Hoiditthroughthegrapevine

    So were the Dawncities, the ones based on cymatic patterns, created using a supercharged combinations of the Surges of Cohesion and Illumination? Using Cohesion to make the ground liquid and using Illumination to create the frequency.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You are theorizing in the right direction.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4979 Copy

    Hoiditthroughthegrapevine

    If a Dysian Aimian had the Elsecaller honorblade, could just a single hordeling transition to the Cognitive Realm? 'Cause I think I've heard that a person couldn't just transition a single part of their body.

    Brandon Sanderson

    They could transition a single hordeling, but as it works right now, they would probably lose contact with the host and would become broken-off and no longer part of the hive. It's not truly a hive. But it would be like of your finger got cut off and sent to-- something like that. It would start acting independently.

    Hoiditthroughthegrapevine

    So would you have to have the preponderance of the Dysian Aimian transition to the Cognitive Realm? And the ones that stayed in the Physical Realm would be cut off?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. It would be bad for half-and-half to go. Let's say that, one thing that they would love to be able to do is to have a little more versatility there. Let's just say that.

    Skyward San Diego signing ()
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    Questioner

    Is the crem--is it natural--are the highstorms magically created and that's why--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah the crem is there to keep the continent from washing away. So I had to add a magical element that, if it were not in the cosmere with magic, this would not work.

    Questioner

    Is that why the Weepings don't have crem, is that's a natural storm?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is because I didn't want there to be too much crem at that point. These are all story structure things, instead. World-wise, I would say a little more natural, sort of blow off steam, there.

    Skyward San Diego signing ()
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    Questioner

    Is the reason that the Fused have access to unlimited Voidlight because Odium is alive, and did the Radiants have that sort of access [to Stormlight] when Honor was alive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not exactly... They do not have access to unlimited Voidlight, how about that.

    Skyward release party ()
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    Questioner

    In The Stormlight Archive, you've got the actual book The Way of Kings, are you planning to write it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I am not. I feel like it would be an exercise that would take a lot of effort for very little value to the community or to myself. I like it also being open-ended so I can be like, "Oh, this should be in there," and then be like "Hey, here is a new quote from The Way of Kings".

    Skyward release party ()
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    Questioner

    If you had to pick actors to play Kaladin, Lopen, Skar, Dalinar, and Rock, who would you pick?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm not sure if I could pick them all. I really like Dave Bautista for Dalinar, he is somebody that I think would do a really good job. I can give you that one; I'm not sure about the others.

    Skyward release party ()
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    Questioner

    [Their question is] Why do you hurt Kaladin so? They're really sad by that. And why can't he be happy? And who the heck is Wit?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I hurt Kaladin because I tell the stories and the characters put themselves in the situations. Why can't he be happy? Kaladin has a hard time with happiness. He is working on it.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4992 Copy

    Questioner

    Who is Trell?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Trell? Depends on who you ask.

    Questioner

    He is the god that Wax... *inaudible*

    Brandon Sanderson

    Or a random person on Taldain, or someone referenced in Era 2, there are lots of different things that Trell could be.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4996 Copy

    Questioner

    You used the Julia Set as a basis for the map of Roshar; Is there any meaning beyond it, using the Julia Set? Or is more, "This is striking to me-"

    Brandon Sanderson

    The meaning is my fascination as a layman with fractals and equations. It is supposed to mean something in world; that Roshar was grown with a mathematical equation.

    Questioner

    But not specifically that one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not specifically the Julia Set. You can't learn much from the Julia Set.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4997 Copy

    Questioner

    Do we ever get to see more of Threnody?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You should, if I can figure out when to get the Threnody novel in, it's going to be a lot of fun.

    Questioner

    Like you said earlier you are trying to finish some things--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Before I start new things. You wouldn't see it until Stormlight 5 is done, for sure.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4998 Copy

    Questioner

    When you pictured Kelsier in the Mistborn Series, did you see him as a Christlike figure?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He sees himself that way, I do not.

    Questioner

    And the church that follows up after him, is that more like *inaudible*

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is hierarchical like some Christian churches are, but it is not meant to reference any specific church. I do not personally see Kelsier as... he has a more inflated opinion of himself than I think he should have.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #5000 Copy

    Wetlander

    Do you have a single name that you use to refer to all the singers, and the listeners, and the Parshmen: that entire species?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I usually use listener, but that's a cultural thing. So, I don't right now.

    Wetlander

    I keep struggling with what to call them as a species, and eeehhh are they all singers? I mean they aren't really all singers.

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll settle on something eventually.

    Wetlander

    Okay, but we don't have anything right now.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.