Recent entries

    Skyward release party ()
    #6102 Copy

    Questioner

    How can you make someone fall in love with a character? <Make them interesting?>

    Brandon Sanderson

    Those are both very different things. A couple quick tips. Relatable problem, even if it's not the main problem of the book. Making a character want something and not be able to have it is always instantly relatable to us. Making someone really capable and competent is another way. One of the reasons Indiana Jones works is we see how good he is at what he does, we are instantly intrigued by that as people. A good question, a good book question, can also work. Like, "Why would the character be doing this thing? It seems so odd." But likeable and interesting are very different things.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6103 Copy

    Questioner

    The magic systems. How much do you have to research, and how much can people just believe?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It really depends on the situation. Like, for instance, Skyward. I was doing actual fighter pilot stuff. I researched, wrote it, and it was wrong. And my fighter pilot alpha readers were like, "This is gonna kick out anyone who's a fighter pilot. You need to get this right." That sort of stuff, you can't fudge. But something like the Shattered Plains, where it's a combat situation no one in our world has ever been in before, I feel like I can control and say "This is what they would do because of the way their traditions are." So even if there might be an absolute better way to do something, I can make it reasonable. So, there's both. It depends on what's gonna kick people out of the story, and things like that.
    Skyward release party ()
    #6104 Copy

    Questioner

    Warbreaker. Any modifications to it to fit it better to Stormlight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I think that the connections are where I want them to be. We will do, when we do the tenth anniversary leatherbound, we do small continuity error changes and typos, but there shouldn't be any major changes.

    Questioner

    I was just thinking because of the whole Breath, the colors, and the Stormlight, I'm assuming...

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is where I want it to be right now, in those relationships.

    Skyward Anchorage signing ()
    #6105 Copy

    Questioner

    Do the Heralds know about Aons? I am asking specifically about Shalash. Shao, Ale, Ashe. Transformation, Beauty, Illumination.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's say that some of them do and some of them don't. The question is "do the Heralds know about Aons?" How cosmere-aware are the Heralds? It depends on the Herald.

    Skyward Anchorage signing ()
    #6106 Copy

    Questioner

    The way I'll phrase this then is, will everything else written in the Skyward universe be chronological going forward?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Everything in-- The Skyward books will be going forward, and they'll be delving more and more deeply into the ideas brought up in this short story.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6107 Copy

    Questioner

    A lot of authors say that a lot of their writing comes from personal experiences. For Warbreaker, do you have any personal experiences that led to...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I did write it on my <honeymoon>, so that may play into the whole marriage, all that stuff. I'll go with that one. There's a weird one. As I was working on Mistborn, my editor said, "Wow, Elantris and Mistborn both take place in pretty dark and grimy worlds. Do something more colorful next time." And so I'm like, "All right, I can do colorful."

    Skyward release party ()
    #6108 Copy

    the.fulgid

    I feel like knowing both basic and advanced studies of Realmatic Theory are key to understanding not just how the magic works, but how the very nature of the cosmere works. We already have some of the fundamentals, including:

    - The three realms- Shard aspects, knowing that they were made with intent, but the form they building blocks of much of the cosmere- Connection to a Shard is necessary to access its Investiture- I have a bit of an analogy where Identity and Connection work similar to an access badge to a building

    Is there a more advanced concept of Realmatic Theory we don't have yet that you'd be willing to share?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I could buy that.

    the.fulgid

    Is there a more advanced concept of Realmatic Theory we don't have yet that you'd be willing to share?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. Too hard to say, something like that, what we don't know. So no, I will RAFO that. I apologize. I will put them in the book when they are developed, and I can explain them in the way that I feel is appropriate.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6109 Copy

    Questioner

    I was wondering what kind of aviation research you did for [Skyward].

    Brandon Sanderson

    Fighter pilots. I did my best off of YouTube and researching. I still got it way wrong. Fortunately, I had a couple of long-suffering fighter pilots I did some phone calls with, who were able to set me straight. The final version, I think the only thing that I wish I would have changed is, I learned more about ejection seats and the way to eject, after the book had gone in. The things you need to do.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6110 Copy

    Shqueeves

    Stormlight, when you hold it, gives a sense of immediate urgency or movement. Does Voidlight have a similar emotional impact?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Shqueeves

    Is it the same as the urgency, or is it something different?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Something different.

    Shqueeves

    What is it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Good question.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6113 Copy

    Questioner

    Is there a group on Taldain that's tied to Autonomy? Directly, like working for Autonomy? I'm after sand mages versus...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say yes. Though there is some wiggle room in that question, I would say yes. I wouldn't canonize it. I would call it Word of Brandon canonized. Until it appears in the books, it's not super canon.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6115 Copy

    Questioner

    Mrall is the assistant to Taravangian. He's described as Thaylen but he's bald and no eyebrows. Does he lack hair everywhere else?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He does not completely lack hair, but mostly.

    Questioner

    His comments about how it's easy for him to turn off his emotions are a little bit eye raising.

    Brandon Sanderson

    They should be!

    Skyward release party ()
    #6121 Copy

    Questioner

    I'm curious, you mentioned at the Legion release that the Fused were after the spren that Hoid bonded. Was there a specific reason why they wanted that spren? Or was it just because [it was] the enemy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will say they would have done that for another spren in that situation.

    Questioner

    Any other spren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not any other spren; but there wasn't something uniquely identifying about that spren that they were hunting.

    Questioner

    They wouldn't have done it for any spren, but there were other spren they had done it for?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6123 Copy

    Questioner

    Can a coppermind be Awakened?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is possible.

    Questioner

    With the memories already in it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is going to be harder because those memories are going to be keyed to someone else, who, by nature, would not be the individual that it was made into. You would have to key those memories to who the metalmind was becoming. There would be an extra step in there; It wouldn't just naturally be that way. We're talking wild, wild, these are possible, but far out, stuff. Possible, but there is an extra step in there.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6126 Copy

    Questioner

    At the last signing event, I was asking about a Shard[blade] and paint, if it disappears, comes back, what happens? You said the paint never disappeared with it. But you seemed intrigued by other possibilities, and then I thought of some too. One of them would be a foundry, showing people how to make weapons, you put your Shard in the sand, make a sword in there, dismiss it, fill it with your molten metal, stuff like that sounded like...interesting ideas.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I like that, I like that a lot.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6129 Copy

    the.fulgid

    During his conversation with Shallan, Wit said that, "Failure is the mark of a life well lived," and I'm glad that you shared that because this question has been on my mind a lot, and he says, "And in turn the the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone." Is there anything Hoid has failed at that we haven't seen on screen that you would be willing to share?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are certain people he thought he was going to be able to help who ended up not surviving.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6132 Copy

    Questioner

    What do Shardblade Cryptics look like? They can't really have crossed out eyes. Would their pattern-

    Brandon Sanderson

    You mean like a deadeye?

    Questioner

    Yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It will be noticeable, but it won't be the same as the eyes. Let's just say their algorithm is messed up.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6133 Copy

    Questioner

    Of all of your characters, were some of them based off of people that are part of your life?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Definitely.

    Questioner

    And are there any of your characters that you wish were real?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh yeah, I'd have fun chatting with some of them. I would like to chat with Sazed, that would be a lot of fun. A lot of the side characters are based off of friends; not a lot of main characters. The most main character that's based on a friend is Skar, who is based off of my friend Skar.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6142 Copy

    Questioner

    Mistborn Era 3. Are you going to make a steel Twinborn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a very dangerous combination. Let's just say that certain elements in-world are very, very interested in finding and/or making them.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6144 Copy

    Questioner

    Would Hoid be able to harm a Herald or a Cognitive Shadow?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, so, he is curious about this too. I don't know if I should canonize this. Let's say: odds are, no. Cosmere scholars would guess no.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6145 Copy

    Stormlightning

    So Hoid has some sort of magical compulsion that doesn't allow him to hurt people.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is correct.

    Stormlightning

    Is there any other involuntary compulsions he has that would stop him from doing things he'd like to? "Involuntary compulsions" being the kicker there.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'll RAFO that.

    Skyward release party ()
    #6146 Copy

    Questioner

    What would happen if Hoid held Nightblood?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh, Hoid would not do that. Hoid would stay very far away.

    Stormlightning

    Not even hold it??

    Brandon Sanderson

    He would stay really far away. There are very few things in the Cosmere that Hoid is afraid of, and Nightblood is one of them.

    Stormlightning

    I thought he'd be afraid of the blade end.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So let's just say if very, very, very few things in the Cosmere had a chance of destroying you, you wouldn't even pick one up. You'd try to be in a different room entirely.

    R'Shara and Sunbird and JoyBlu

    *Whispering about Nightblood being able to destroy Hoid*

    Brandon Sanderson

    I didn't say, I said theoretically. I said "had a chance of", I did not confirm. Hoid doesn't know. But there's a chance, and so he is not going to risk that.