Recent entries

Questioner

Will you ever do a prequel to Mistborn?

Brandon Sanderson

It is unlikely that I will spend very much time with prequels because as a reader I’m not terribly fond of them: Since I already know what happens it ruins some of the story for me. Though the video game, which by the way is taking a long time and I have no updates *laughter* was going to be a prequel. And so that sort of thing you might see mediums like that. And it’s not impossible that I will do something like that. You might see a novella or something like that, but it’s unlikely-- I’m unlikely to do a whole series about, y’know Alendi and Kwaan and people like that.

Questioner

What do you do when you have a really great idea and you read a book and someone has already done that idea?

Brandon Sanderson

Weep into your pillow a little bit...

*Laughter*

Then remind yourself that Ideas Are Cheap; in science fiction and fantasy ideas are cheap. Writing skill is what people are really looking for. And so if your idea has already been done, you can take a new spin on it. You know how many people had written young kid finds out they are secretly a wizard and goes off to wizard school books? *laughter* I mean, there are so many of those. Diane Duane did a great series of them. I think it’s So You Want to be a Wizard or something like that. And so don’t let that destroy you. Ask yourself “What is my unique take on it. What’s my perspective on it?” and go ahead and do it. A ton of people had done heist novels as fantasy books before, but I wanted to do one. So I did.

Questioner

Do you have plans to have anything to do with nicrosil and chromium? They seem like they have a lot of potential to them.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, I am planning to do a lot more with nicrosil and chromium in the Mistborn books. You’ll find out a lot about what the Feruchemy of those does.

Questioner

I know Hoid jumps around and meets various people that are very influential in the various books. I'm curious as to how he knows who he needs to meet, how's he lead to them.

Brandon Sanderson

This is a RAFO, but it is a question you're supposed to be asking-- You know what a RAFO is?

Questioner

No.

Brandon Sanderson

It means Read and Find Out. If you watch at the end of this book he's not always certain why he needs to be where he needs to be. So there is some measure-- something is going on here but it is not made clear yet and I don't want to clear it up with you quite yet.

Questioner

I was curious if in the future Mistborn models you were gonna get into the history of the dichotomy between Preservation and Ruin.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. With the history-- maybe not in future Mistborn novels, but in some novels you will find out their history and who they are.

Questioner

The arches in The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. The faces in the arches, are they dependent on something that happens in the chapter, or are they random or is there a pattern?

Brandon Sanderson

They do, but Isaac picks them, not me. So. There is a rubric for it, but-- so there is some significance, but Isaac is behind that.

Questioner

See *inaudible* and other signings that Hoid had both long life and lived through time when we was worldhopping, how about other members-- or not "other," just members of the Seventeenth Shard? Like are they time travelling or they have long life--

Brandon Sanderson

It is a mixture of both. Either, or, and.

Questioner

And the RAFO question: where did they get it from?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO! There are many methods and there is no one method, and you know some of them already.

Questioner

In Shadesmar, there's cities of spren, right, so-- or at least it's been said where I am. So I read that Shadesmar is kind of connected to all the worlds and that's how Hoid gets around, so why aren't there spren other places?

Brandon Sanderson

Okay, so that is *garbled* fallacy. You're implying there aren't.

Questioner

Safehands: Where did, that-- like why? Is there like a cultural *inaudible*?

Brandon Sanderson

There is a culture-- Now the actual answer to that is because different cultures have really different mores, and if you go around our world you will find places where, for instance, showing the bottom of your foot-- where the bottom of your foot is offensive, or where showing certain parts of your anatomy is not offensive that it is here. And that is very common, it's part of what it means to be human.

Now if you want to trace back in Rosharan time, there is actually a moment that you can point at and say "this is where it started" and it started right after the Recreance where all these Shardblades and Shardplate were suddenly out there everywhere, and certain people in power wanted to make sure that half the population didn't have access to them, and so they started emphasizing a certain philosophy book that had been written by a woman that said "feminine arts were one-handed, masculine arts were two-handed".

And because of this it became culturally ingrained, which then-- basically it was a misogynistic ploy to keep the women from having the Shardblades, and then in that a certain movement of the women seized writing, and that's when men stopped writing. It's kind of a reciprocation on it. But that's kind of where it went, but it's become much bigger than that, if that makes any sense.

Questioner

What do you do if you safehand is your dominant hand?

Brandon Sanderson

If you are darkeyed it's not a problem, you just wear a glove. If you are lighteyed then you learn to write with your non-dominant hand, which is a problem.

Questioner

How does a bridge crew set a bridge down across a chasm in front of them?

Brandon Sanderson

So... I may have to act this out.

*Proceeds to act it out, no video available*

I am Kaladin, running at the front of the bridge, right? Now there's a chasm there. I'm going to step out to the side and grab the poles to the side, and lower the front bridge down. Then these guys are going to lower theirs down while I run around to the back and grab the poles on the side, which extend out. And we're going to get several ranks and then we're going to shove together.

We're waited on this side, remember, we've got the weights that roll to one side or the other. So it's weighted on this side, so we get it over and then plot it down. We're looking for a place where we're a little bit above-- with the paths, alright? And then we go to the other side, your reposition the weights or the poles or whatever it is on the thing so that it's heavier on this side and then get everyone and then you pull it back across and then you can lift it.

Questioner

Okay, great, thank you very much.

Brandon Sanderson

Now also keep in mind a couple of things: 0.7 Earth gravity, a very important aspect for actually making this bridge weight work for carrying it; and it is a soulcast wood. The only way to get the numbers to work if you've got engineers, the weight-- you actually have to realize that we've got a wood that is slightly stronger, yet lighter, than what-- it's like a-- Peter came up, it's like a balsa, there's a soulcast wood that is really a great wood for this sort of thing.

That doesn't mean it's light, it's still a really heavy book

Questioner

*Laughter*

Brandon Sanderson

A really heavy bridge.

Questioner

I'm reading into that the timing of The Alloy of Law is roughtly about when we would expect the Pits of Hathsin to start regenerating--

Brandon Sanderson

*Disingenuously* Oh imagine that...

Questioner

Okay yeah, does that mean that atium is still important, or is there a new element for Sazed that you might be able to expect.

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Questioner

<Something about favorite authors>

Brandon Sanderson

A few favorite authors: Robert Jordan, pretty obvious, right? Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffrey, Guy Gavriel Kay-- boy, there’s a lot recently that I've been reading. Last few books I read, one by N.K. Jemisin, her new one [The Fifth Season] which is really good. It’s got a viewpoint in second-person, and it works. So you Lit. English majors out there, it will blow your mind. I-- What’s that?

Questioner

The audio books good.

Brandon Sanderson

The audiobooks, I didn’t do the audiobook, I just read it. I read Jim Butcher’s new one [The Aeronaut’s Windlass], that one’s very good. I read Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, OOOOOOHHHHH, OOOOOHHHHH Uprooted. Go read Uprooted, it is so good. I’ve read David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers, that one’s good, it’s not like-- It’s fun. There you go those are the last one’s I read, and some of my favorites.

Questioner

So during the chase scene in Shadows of Self, it seems to imply that conservation of momentum is...

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Allomancy follows the law of conservation of momentum, yes. 

Questioner

So that is intentional?

Brandon Sanderson

It is, it does follow the laws of conservation of momentum. That was very intentional.

Questioner

Could they use [Oathgates] to teleport to different galaxies?

Brandon Sanderson

That is what we call a RAFO, which means Read And Find Out. *laughter*

Questioner

Do you by chance suffer from hippophobia, which is the fear of horses?

Brandon Sanderson

I don’t, but I’m not terribly fond of them either. They’ve been mean to me when I’ve ridden them.

Questioner

I was just curious, because Kaladin and Vin are both cautious when it comes to horses.

Brandon Sanderson

Yep.

Questioner

With Adolin you say there that he feels a connection to his sword. And all the other Shardbearers, when they touch a Shardblade they get the screaming in their ears. Does that mean he’s not going to be a Radiant.

Brandon Sanderson

It means he's- number one he's not on the path to being a Radiant, that's the main thing that means.

Questioner

Are the Shardblade practice guards... Are they made of aluminum?

Brandon Sanderson

Good question! RAFO!

Dustin

Does the scene where Shallan is counting heartbeats mean what I think it means? It just kind of strange to imagine her carrying around of of those but then again she does like secrets.

Brandon Sanderson

It means what you think it means

Blaze1616

Wax's earring is now gone, would you mind sharing what Allomantic charge it had?

Brandon Sanderson

Um, eventually.

Questioner

Can Shardplate be Soulcast?

Brandon Sanderson

Shardplate could be Soulcast, but anything Invested is very difficult to Soulcast and it would essentially destroy it. Which would be one of the few ways to destroy Shardplate.

Questioner

Can Shards be separated from their current holder--

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

Without [Splintering] the Shard or killing the person involved?

Brandon Sanderson

It is possible.

Questioner

It’s possible?

Brandon Sanderson

It is possible.

Questioner

Without either one of those <intents?>?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Argent

Is Vax a planet?  It’s clearly suggested that it is.

Brandon Sanderson

What’s that?

Argent

It’s heavily suggested that it is.

Brandon Sanderson

It is heavily suggested that it is a place.

Argent

It's a place. Okay, I'll take that.

*talking to other attendees* Vax is a place.

Brandon Sanderson

No no, heavily suggested that it's a place, is what I said!

Questioner

We both know that Hoid travels through space, but we’re not sure how he travels through time.

Brandon Sanderson

I haven’t answered that yet.  Let’s just say he’s not living every moment of it, not experiencing every moment of it.

Questioner

This is quick question about outlines… Going on Mistborn, Era 2 is like 300 years after the original series...

Brandon Sanderson

I think it ended up being 200 and something but yeah.

Questioner

And you said that the next trilogy will be in the future, do you have a rough idea of how far...

Brandon Sanderson

I’m planning 70 right now.  But I mean I’m going to have to write it and see.  It is far enough away that you are not going to see most of the characters, but close enough that like you could see--

Questioner

But descendents might be...

Brandon Sanderson

Descendants are totally going to be around.  And you could see some of the characters that are there now. Could be that one of them has just passed away, that sort of thing.

Questioner

Is the only reason that Yolen is not reachable, according to Khriss, because it doesn’t have any sentient minds on it thinking of it as a planet, so it doesn’t appear in the Cognitive?

Brandon Sanderson

Ahh, no. Good question, but no.

Questioner

The Expanse of Vibrance… Nalthis?

Brandon Sanderson

*more grunting* You would be making a good guess, if you said that.

Questioner

What does First of the Sun look like on the Cognitive Realm? I think it’s a whole bunch of grubs, or worms.

Brandon Sanderson

*laughs* That's read and find out. C’mon you know I’m not gonna reveal Cognitive Realm on the other ones! You know I am keeping that one only in my head.

Questioner

Have we seen the world mirrored by the Expanse of Broken Sky?

Brandon Sanderson

*long grunting and contemplation* I’m not answering that, I am not answering that.

Questioner

Does Khriss ever figure out how to get sand [to work] on the Darkside?

Brandon Sanderson

Ohhh, that’s a bit of a spoiler.

Questioner

Essentially her reason to become Cosmere-knowledgeable.

Brandon Sanderson

It is one of her primary motivations for where she has gone, is figuring out how all that worked. But her story I want to leave for her book.

Questioner

When a Shardbearer dies, and they’re not killed, they don’t give their Blade to anyone, what happens to the Blade?

Brandon Sanderson

It pops out next to them when they die and clatters to the ground beside them.

Questioner

I’ve noticed that in Stormlight and Mistborn, there’s kind of a money equals power theme...

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

Is that intentional?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.  I think that the--  In the Cosmere, sources of Investiture or relationships to the magics are going to be-- have an economic force and will naturally start to fall into that. So I’m making a point of--  It happens in Warbreaker too, Breaths have an economic value.

Questioner

Would you rather be a Shardbearer or a Mistborn?

Brandon Sanderson

Ooooh, I’ve never been asked that.  I’m going to go Shardbearer because the spren would be so much fun to have.  You know what I mean?

Argent

We have a very important question. Would this area be steel in Newcago?

Brandon Sanderson

Would this area be steel in Newcago?  I don’t think it reached here.  I’ve got the map but…  Yeah.

Questioner

We’re just gonna keep asking.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah you guys are going to be okay.

Tiffany

So this is a prediction rather than--

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, you guys will be okay.

Questioner #1

I'm like seven miles outside of downtown, what about me?

Brandon Sanderson

Uhhhhhh, you're in danger. You're in danger. [...] But actually it's better to be in, because electricity, and power, and things like that. Out here you'd be growing food for [Steelheart]!

Rachael

When she [Shallan] Soulcasts, does she physically go?  Or does she just think?

Brandon Sanderson

She transitions into the Cognitive Realm… Yeah she transitions but she’s not a hundred percent there…

Rachael

Then does Jasnah’s… does she work the same way?

Brandon Sanderson

She goes completely over.  That’s one of the differences between their magics. Shallan could get there if she wanted to, she hasn’t so far completely transitioned.

Argent

Even during regular Soulcasting, for both of them?

Brandon Sanderson

Oh for regular Soulcasting Jasnah doesn’t either.

Argent

‘Cause we were talking about the scene with the ship and Shallan. So would an outside observer see her shift over or—

Brandon Sanderson

The outside observer would see weirdness happening for sure.

Alex

Taln’s Scar.  Was it present throughout the entire timeline and just not mentioned in books, say Elantris? Or did it appear at a certain point in time?

Brandon Sanderson

It did not appear at a certain point.  And it is not equally visible through the Cosmere, simply because of where it is in the sky and where they are in relation to it and things like that.

Alex

And how much ash in the sky.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes…  Peter knows exactly where it is.

Alex

I am hoping that the map in the anthology...

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, it should.

Tiffany

We are really excited about the map. Also the writing, but really about the map.

Brandon Sanderson

I’ve seen the little star charts that Isaac’s done for each of the worlds, and they are awesome.  Because they’re going to be--  This is more, like it’s the Cosmere Collection, we haven’t hit scientific revolution in most of the worlds yet, so it’s going to be more like if da Vinci had drawn them or something.  So don’t expect--

Brandon Sanderson

So don’t expect it to be like science fiction star charts yet, but they will be very helpful in these sorts of things.

Argent

Could you nudge Isaac to release a wallpaper version or a poster or a printable of any of those?

Brandon Sanderson

Okay yeah, I can totally make him do that.  Like if the full Cosmere one turns out well I’m sure he’ll want to do something like that.

Questioner

Nightblood.  Is there a person-- like are we seeing the outpouring of a sword that can now think more than a sword or was there a person...

Brandon Sanderson

There was--  There were many people who went into that, because it was all the Breaths that were little pieces of people.

Questioner

Okay, but there’s not one person more than another?

Brandon Sanderson

No.  Nope, it attained sapience kind of through sheer weight of Investiture.

Questioner

In terms of timeline for Mistborn: Secret History and Elantris.  Is there a chance that the characters in Secret History would know the characters from Elantris or are they way far apart...?

Brandon Sanderson

I haven’t really dug into those outlines yet but it’s not impossible.  In fact it’s very possible--  It’s possible for some of the characters in Secret History to have met people from Elantris. That is possible, but some of the people in Secret History are very abnormal, so that's not necessarily to say--

Questioner

And the characters from [the last Mistborn series], do they end up on a different planet?  Like the planet that Warbreaker takes place?

Brandon Sanderson

By the final Mistborn series there will be space travel between worlds.

Questioner

About the the last Mistborn series, it's like a sci-fi thing, right? Is it going to be more in a cyberpunk vein or Star Wars?

Brandon Sanderson

More space opera. That’s not to say--  I’ve thought of doing a cyberpunk before, but the third [series] one will have some cyberpunk elements already.

Questioner

For the next Stormlight [book], will there be chapters from Jasnah's perspective?

Brandon Sanderson

There will be, I believe, at least one chapter from her viewpoint. I could change that but the outline has at least one from her.  It’s dangerous to do too many from her viewpoint because she’s eventually going to be a main viewpoint character, and she has a large chance of taking over a narrative that she’s part of.

Questioner

[...] The [...] written on a Shard, is there a correspondence [correlation] between that and when the Blades, and the armor in Words of Radiance and The Way of Kings [...] on a Shardplate?

Brandon Sanderson

Yup, yup.  There is a direct correlation there.

Questioner

The Shard...

Brandon Sanderson

I mean the naming convention is the same naming convention.

Questioner

[from…Radiant...]

Brandon Sanderson

I haven’t answered that yet, and I’ll remain close-lipped on it for now.

Questioner

Where did the worldhoppers get their powers, because if all powers come from the Shards, and the Shards came from the breaking of Adonalsium, so how can Hoid have his powers before...

Brandon Sanderson

That is correct.  So before the breaking there was magic in existence.  For instance, the spren on Roshar, some of them predate the breaking-- the Shattering.

Questioner

So, if spren are caused by thoughts, and the Shards caused some of the humans, and humans cause thoughts, then there were people alive before

Brandon Sanderson

Then there were people on Roshar before the breaking of Adonalsium.

Questioner

How does Vasher lose [Nightblood]?

Brandon Sanderson

I will eventually answer that, but I am not answering it yet.

Questioner

I am not entirely sure… I don’t think his intentions… might not all be good…

Brandon Sanderson

Your instincts are good.

Questioner

For characters like Hoid, who travel between worlds-- Do you have a timeline set out for them, so that they aren’t in two places at once?

Brandon Sanderson

I do [...] But it’s easier to keep this straight by making sure that the books aren’t, so far, happening simultaneously.  But the more short stories I write, the more simultaneous things will get, and so that’s where we need it. Like, I realized I had a contradiction--  Fortunately that I hadn’t canonized in any of the books, when I wrote Secret History.  I was like “Ah, I need to make sure he is where he needs to be.” And stuff like that.

Questioner

With safehand culture, with one hand feminine, two hand masculine: is knitting considered masculine?

Brandon Sanderson

Knitting is not one of the prime arts, and so it would be considered either direction. It’s not one of the major arts mentioned, so men can knit their socks and things like that at war and not have to feel feminine, but women could knit if they wanted to, also.

Questioner

Okay. So, Dalinar can make baby socks.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, Dalinar can make baby socks and not feel--

Questioner

With Forgery and ChayShan, can anybody from that country do them?

Brandon Sanderson

Forge? No.

Questioner

If a kandra and a human were to have a baby, what would that baby be like?

Brandon Sanderson

I would say that right now… It would depend... The kandra would have to remain in human form, keep the same body, and then would give birth to a human. If it was a woman [human] with a man [kandra], it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, with a kandra. Does that make sense? Because when the kandra is in human form, they can identically recreate the bodily functions and things if they want to.

Questioner

So, what is the actual Firefight, Megan’s opposite, what’s their weakness?

Brandon Sanderson

I’m not going to tell you. That’s a RAFO.

Kurkistan

How exactly does Hemalurgic decay work for Feruchemy? Is it like a leaky tube or something, or…?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah… yeah.

Kurkistan

So they try to store 10 units of health and only 9 gets through, or…?

Brandon Sanderson

Hemalurgic decay meaning someone who has been spiked is less powerful? That Hemalurgic decay, or the Hemalurgic decay when a Hemalurgic spike is left outside of blood?

Kurkistan

Less powerful. So like the Inquisitors are less powerful Feruchemists so they had to spend longer storing: so why did they have to spend longer storing?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah they lose a little bit, it’s a leaky… You’re there, exactly. It just doesn’t quite… it’s not as efficient: it’s an efficiency thing.

Kurkistan

So when that cork [in The Bands of Mourning] was thrown above the train, if the cork had been thrown by someone who was standing besides the train, what would have happened when the bubble hit [the cork]? So the bubble's moving at 60mph and the cork [is not moving laterally relative to the bubble] and gets hit by a bubble...

Brandon Sanderson

Right. Right right right... So... this one's complicated. Let me see if I can... So anything that touches the bubble will immediately be lodged into the bubble, and be hit by that... So say you throw something up, the bubble hits it, is what you're asking?

Kurkistan

Yeah.

Brandon Sanderson

But it does not have momentum the same as the thing? So it would probably be in the bubble for a short time.

Kurkistan

So if I threw the cork straight, and then the bubble came from the right, the cork would shift to the right within the bubble as the bubble thought it was moving or something? So the bubble thinks the cork is travelling like 60mph North, the cork thinks it's not moving at all... So does the cork move the opposite direction of the bubble or something?

Brandon Sanderson

Ask Peter the math on that one, and I'll have him run the math. That one's kind of... it's kind of like the time travel train experiment stuff, with the flags and things. So let's go ahead and PAFO that one.

Questioner

In Secret History, we see an Aon written in the steel Alphabet, have we seen any other kind of-- examples of something similar yet?

Brandon Sanderson

I don’t think we’ve shown you any, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. For instance the Aon written on the wall in Emperor’s Soul would probably not look exactly like an Aon, because it’s different culture.

Questioner

Similar to the Dakhor monks use different...

Brandon Sanderson

No, more along the lines of, if you start writing-- if Chinese characters became a big part of everyday life in America, we would probably end up changing them so they don’t actually look like one 100%, does that make sense?  So yes and no, like that.  I don’t think I’ve ever drawn one out like that, but there are references to other characters and other cultures [across the cosmere].