Viper
(paraphrased)
Aons look like Arelon; soulstamps look like MaiPon. Aons get weaker when you get further from Arelon, right? That's not just cause Elantris acts like a focus?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
That's right, it's based on distance. That's why there are no stamped objects in Elantris.
Viper
(paraphrased)
So do soulstamps get weaker further from MaiPon? If you left Sel via Shadesmar and went to another planet, would the soulstamp stop working?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
That's correct.
Viper
(paraphrased)
Could soulstamps be carved that used Arelon as a base form instead of MaiPon?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
That's very interesting, isn't it?
Viper
(paraphrased)
At one point someone [on 17th Shard] asked you if seons were Shards of--
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Aona.
Viper
(paraphrased)
Devotion ... yeah Aona, and you said that was close. My question is: are the Aons at the HEART of the seons Shards of Devotion?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
No, but close.
Viper
(paraphrased)
But... I was sure... the floating Aon at the heart, that's not a Shard...
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
*taking pity* You're close but a word is wrong. You're using the wrong terminology.
Viper
(paraphrased)
SPLINTER. Are the Aons at the heart of seons SPLINTERS of Aona?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Yes.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Why did the Lord Ruler have to stay aged at times?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
That's when he was doing his rebuild. He didn't really have to, but he let himself. He has to recharge periodically, and then stays on a higher and higher burn over the thousand years. It gets harder and harder. The way the magic works—he doesn't have to stay aged.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Is he burning or tapping?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
He's tapping.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
I’ve been fortunate enough to read White Sand and Aether of Night and I enjoyed them very much. Will they ever be published? I also managed to read Dragonsteel and I enjoyed that too.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
White Sand will definitely eventually be published. Aether of Night, not so sure on, because Aether is two halves of two books that didn't fit together. The two pieces didn't mesh. White Sand is part of the sequence and will be done. Dragonsteel is part of the sequence and will be done, but it will be very different now that the Shattered Plains have been used in Way of Kings.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
In your novellas Legion and The Emperor's Soul, there was a common theme of a creation of character. Were you making a comment on that as a writer?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
The Emperor's Soul was much more so, specifically dealing with the artistic process. That was part of the theme for me. Legion was more "Wow, this idea's awesome." I originally told Dan (from Writing Excuses) that he should write this, it's really quirky. He said, "I got my own ideas—go write it yourself!"
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Do you see Robert Jordan’s characters coming out in your writing?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
No. That may happen unconsciously, but my goal is not to have that happen, because I want to tell different stories. It would be like if Kelsier started coming out in Dalinar. It's just not something we want to have happen as a writer. We want everyone to be their own individual.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Someone else asked if Adonalsium had been self-aware.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Brandon said he couldn't answer that yet.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Dalinar and Lan, who wins in a swordfight? Both full Shardbearers.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Both full Shardbearers. Lan probably wins, I would guess. Lan is more pure swordsman than Dalinar. Dalinar spent a lot of time on things like battlefield tactics.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
When is the next Mistborn book coming out?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
2014
Questioner
(paraphrased)
When is the next Way of Kings book coming out?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Tor has it scheduled for November, we'll see if I manage that or not. But November until told otherwise.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
What about the Mistborn video game?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
We put it off until 2014, because of the new console generation. We had planned for it to come out right when the buzz was saying the new consoles were going to launch. And that felt like a bad idea to us. The Mistborn film is also in the works, but it is very early and it is not nearly as far along as the Wheel of Time film is. So if anyone's father is J. J. Abrams, have him call me.
TheHunter
(paraphrased)
[Brandon Sanderson] said that someone in Poland had figured it out who the Terriswoman in Warbreaker was, and I asked him if it was Lemex's nurse.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
He nodded and smiled. He said he had no idea how anyone figured it out, which is interesting.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
What's one thing you wished hadn't been cut?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
There was a scene where Perrin, the Ogier, and everyone cleansed the Ways that had to be cut that I was sad about.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Apocalypse Guard is a first person, very quirky, fun person to write. I've written 50 pages so far in between SA work, and it was very refreshing and I'm very happy with it.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Teaching has really helped me be more defined as a writer. Writing is done very often by instinct, and I've discovered a lot about my writing style and process by putting it into lectures and words. That especially helps when the writing is hard. When it's easy you just go with it, but when it's hard I can really pinpoint what's going on.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
[Stormlight Archive] and Mistborn both have screenplays. SA’s is WAY too long, which is why we're going to a VR platform as a pitch for movies. SA has a couple drafts of screenplays and I’m very hopeful that it will go into the visuals phase next.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Apocalypse Guard is about this superpowered team that goes around saving entire worlds, but their intern without powers gets trapped on a doomed planet and has to figure out how to save it / herself.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
When you paint a shardplate, how do you change the paint job? Do you have to break the pieces to get it off?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
You would use a paint thinner and it would come off alright. Actually, you have to reapply the paint pretty often as it would naturally wear off on its own and it would have trouble sticking to the plate.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
When will we return to The Reckoners?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Apocalypse Guard will come out sometime next year.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Nakomi?!?!
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Nakomi is one of the things I'm not allowed to answer. Robert Jordan wrote the scene where she meets Rand coming out of the pit. I wrote the other one.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
Do you every drop hints for things that never come to pass as you change and tweak the story?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Oh ya, all the time. Best example is Arcanum Unbounded originally had a different story that was foreshadowed through Mistborn Era 1, among others, but it just never fit in the story. It just didn’t jive once you start putting the jig saw together. You learn not to get too disappointed when that happens.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
What was the driving force for Kaladin?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Two things: one, being a surgeon and a big brother, another was writing a hero who never thought he was succeeding.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Personal favorite scene is when Kaladin finally says the words of radiance. I waited a long time to write that scene.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Hoid has… a lot of things influencing that. I liked the Robots story in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books, I wanted to have a character that moved behind the scenes of each story like that.
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
RAFO on bronze/copper twinborns because I want to leave myself room to create things.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
How do you keep all of your information straight?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
I have a dedicated database shared between me and my assistants. I use wikidpad and have two amazing assistants to make sure I keep it all straight, but I still mess up a lot!
Questioner
(paraphrased)
I just got a job as an editor. What advice can you give me about my job from the perspective of an author?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
The editor's job is to figure out what the author is trying to do, and how to help them make a better book than the author has written. Get them to try out options even when they don't want to listen or change the parts that don't work.
Questioner
(paraphrased)
What inspired the Epics?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
I got cut off in traffic and thought, "you're so lucky I don't have superpowers because I would totally blow up your car!" And then I started to think about how I couldn't be trusted with superpowers and what the world would be like if no one with superpowers could be trusted.
samcui
Can a person holding a shard voluntarily give up the shard? Vin gave it up by killing herself, but could Harmony/Sazed just decide to quit?
Brandon Sanderson
I will answer this eventually in the books. So a RAFO with a promise that you will actually get the FO part.
sonofstannis
Regarding the sibling relationships of Yesteel/Arsteel and VaraTreledees/Shashara, were either pairing Returned simultaneously? If so, how did they know they were siblings? And do any of the four know their original birth names? Finally, is it coincidence that there are two pairs of siblings in the Five Scholars or is there something more at work?
Brandon Sanderson
I do intend to delve into questions like in your first point when I return to that world, so I'll RAFO for now.
CPiGuy2728
What would happen to someone who burned an alloy of Lerasium and lead? Would they a) gain Mistborn powers and a splitting headache from trying to burn lead, b) gain Mistborn powers and no splitting headache, c) just get the splitting headache, d) gain the ability to burn lead without a splitting headache, or e) die of lead poisoning?
Brandon Sanderson
This is a RAFO, not because I want to imply that lead has some big secret to it, but because I don't want to dig into the mechanics of Lerasium right now--and I don't want to kick off more questions like this at the moment.
vernontwinkie
Can two different people invest an item with Breath (either to use the sum of the investiture or just theirs, or as a way to tell that something contains Breath if it doesn't work)?
Brandon Sanderson
The question is tricky to answer, because it's partially a yes, and partially a no. So I'll RAFO for now.
Questioner
Is Shardplate also made up of spren or is it different?
Brandon Sanderson
You get a RAFO card. It means you’re asking a good question but I’m not going to answer it.
Questioner
If Vasher is Zahel, in Stormlight Archive? Will <inaudible>
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO.
You know what that means? That means "Read And Find Out". It means I'm not gonna answer right now because it will give you a spoiler... but read and find out.
Argent
Why is it that Allomancers and Feruchemists get either one or all of the powers? Radiants / Surgebinders being limited to two Surges makes sense, because it depends on the type of spren they bond with, but Allomancers?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not ready to answer this one yet, I'm afraid. So it's a RAFO.
Argent
Fair enough. Is this something we'll see explored in future (far future?) books, or will we need to bug you about it during signings / AMAs every few years?
Brandon Sanderson
It will explored in far future books, most likely.
wlmkfi
(paraphrased)
If i was holding Szeth's Oathstone would he understand my commands?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased)
Good question, I don't believe anyone has asked it before. No, an Oathstone doesn't have any magical properties whatsoever.
Questioner
I want to know exactly what happened to Szeth with Nightblood.
Brandon Sanderson
There's some good stuff. His scenes don't start until about three-quarters of the way through. But there's a lot to them when they do.
Questioner
So Hoid writes a letter to his old friend, was that before or after he got the bead of lerasium?
Brandon Sanderson
That was after he had taken that, the letter.
Questioner
Is Marsh a worldhopper? Can he worldhop? Does he have the ability?
Brandon Sanderson
Ah, yes, yes.
Questioner
Will we ever see him do anything on the other worlds?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO. There's your card. But yes, no his Investiture would not prevent him from going offworld.
Questioner
Are you eventually gonna work on getting all of them out in leatherbound?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. One a year is the plan, just kind of, tenth anniversary style.
Questioner
When is the second [Rithmatist] coming out.
Brandon Sanderson
It is the most requested book I get, of a sequel. Oathbringer took a little bit longer than I expected, so I can't promise anything right now, but Rithmatist keeps staying right on the top of that list of to-do. I hope to do it soon.
Questioner
So, where did you get the name Roshar from?
Brandon Sanderson
I have no idea. It's been twenty years that I've been calling it that. I don't know what my specific inspiration was. It's just one of those words that just felt right.
Questioner
Is Spook alive?
Brandon Sanderson
There is more story to Spook. I won't confirm that he's dead or alive... If I write Secret History 2, there will be some Spook stuff. That's all I can say.
Brandon Sanderson
I pronounce it 'say-zed' (seizɛd). But I pronounce it like Kelsier does. But Sazed himself says something closer to 'sayz'd' (seizd)
Questioner
I'm curious how you came up with the names of the different lenses.
Brandon Sanderson
I just went with what felt cool to me. 'Cause for Alcatraz, it's kinda just all about what feels cool to me, right now. There were no specific inspirations. Just cool words.
Questioner
I know that Silence was written as a short story. It was one of my favorite stories. She's amazing. And I love the world. And I know that you told me it was *inaudible*, but...
Brandon Sanderson
There is a book on Threnody scheduled for the cosmere, for me to do. The book, right now as I have it, is a fleet trying to sail back and reclaim the Homeland from the Evil... So, that's the plan right now. We'll see if it changes over time.
Questioner
How do you fool your writer's block?
Brandon Sanderson
I write a bad chapter. Usually, writer's block, what's stopping me is I that know the chapter's not gonna work, or something's wrong. I write it anyway. And then I think about it for a few days, and then rewrite it over. It works almost every time. Once in a while, it's a bigger problem that's stopping me. And those cases, often it takes, like, a big extensive rewrite to get the book going in a different direction. But nine times out of ten, I'm just having a funk on one chapter; changing the perspective or writing it poorly in a sitting and letting myself think about it works very well.
Questioner
Could a Surgebinder potentially use a different kind of Investiture them Stormlight? So like if somebody from Elantris somehow bonded to a spren could they use the Dor?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah this is possible, not as hard as it may sound, there is a few things you need to do, but it's possible.
Questioner
I was wondering if a bond to a spren, a Nahel bond, may be taken with a Hemalurgic spike.
Brandon Sanderson
This is possible but it's gonna-- Since the spren has free will it's going to be-- Yeah it's going to have weird ramifications but it is a possible thing.
Questioner
What was the best Steel Inquisitor cosplay that you've seen?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably, there was one I saw in Boston, where they had gone all out and done the spikes, with the reflective sunglasses on them. They actually looked down a spike at these sunglass things, and that looked really sharp.
