Recent entries

Questioner (paraphrased)

Nineteenth -  who would finish the Cosmere if he couldn't.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Maybe Brent Weeks.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Twenty-first - any future children's books?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, really enjoys it. Nothing until after Steelheart/Rithmatist/Alcatraz, but wants to write about a world where wireless energy happens naturally and everything is electrified. That'll be the next kids' book, but it'll take a bit to get the science right. Also discusses plot from POV of the "Dark One" who is fated to be killed by the Chosen Hero - this might be the plot for the electrified planet but maybe not, as it's definitely Cosmere.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Twentieth - are there any characters you dislike writing about and would like to kill off?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Joking answer: Cadsuane from WoT, someone else from WoT - Masema.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Seventeenth - how many series in the Cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

36 novels, don't tell some people because they'll get scared. (Mistborn is 9, Stormlight is 10, Dragonsteel is the prequel and those are the core; everything else will be a trilogy or one-off and some might be novellas.)

Questioner (paraphrased)

Fifteenth - Is there something that inspires the strength of his female characters?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

His mother graduated first in her class in accounting in a year when she was the only woman in the accounting department. First three fantasy writers he read were female (Melanie Rawn, Anne McCaffrey, and one other I missed) to the point where when someone tried to give him Eddings he said he didn’t think men could write the genre.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Fourteenth - Have you ever considered writing a horror novel or dark fantasy?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, played with it, wrote a short story for a Charlaine Harris anthology coming out this year and a book called 'Death by Pizza’ about a necromancer running a pizza shop. Is glad dark fantasy exists, but 'fantasy is the language of imagination and the language of hope’ (quoting Robert Jordan) and will write about mostly people he would like to be/admires.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Twelfth - is it challenging to write from the POV of a female character and why/why not.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Early on - yes it was, now less so. problem was: treated characters other than the main character as roles only, centered around main character. "writing characters without giving them their due". "You have to be able to write the other. Every character has to be a piece of you and a piece of not you." discusses Jasnah in particular. Point of literature is "to see what it’s like to be people who aren't us".

Questioner (paraphrased)

Thirteenth - Do the Windrunners have any Surges that Szeth doesn't have?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

RAFO because it's explained in WoR.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Eleventh - Who's your favorite Firefly character?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

WASH.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Tenth - third son born during WoR, did that affect the writing process?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, can now pick out when children are written poorly in books. family keeps him grounded; writing is about our world, not the fantasy world, and family reminds him of that.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Ninth - target audience

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

"Honestly I want everyone to read my books"; WoK/SA is targeted at epic fantasy lovers, Mistborn is more approachable for heist novels, Alcatraz books are written at himself at age 13 (kid too clever for their own good but convinced that books are boring).

Questioner (paraphrased)

Seventh - By the end of The Stormlight Archive will you look into the minds of everyone who will develop powers?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

No. Lists flashback characters; the next three are, in order: Szeth, Eshonai, and Dalinar.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Eighth - favorite character from Stormlight and why

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Obligatory "like picking a favorite child".

Questioner (paraphrased)

Sixth - when he comes up with a new magic system, what's the first basic thing he works on?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

References Sanderson's First Law; magic limitations come first.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Fifth - Favorite fictional curse word

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

the ones from Alcatraz, esp. Grandpa Smedry's cursing by SF/F writers.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Fourth - Outside of books, what influences his writing?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

1. People he knows (Sarene is based on a friend, etc; also includes character conflicts)

2. Cinema, especially when it does something poorly and he wants to do it better

3. video games may be an influence, unsure.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Third - when is the fifth Alcatraz book?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Whole series will be re-released next year, last book will probably come out with it. new versions will have artwork!

Questioner (paraphrased)

Second - most difficult character interaction he's ever written.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Mat and someone else from WoT, didn't catch it because it's a bit noisy but apparently they're both liars.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

First question is about a joke - writing a book with Rothfuss with competing teams of characters, giving it to GRRM for the ending - sounds like it probably won't happen but both Sanderson and Rothfuss have apparently joked about it.

dougpgc (paraphrased)

Could Hemalurgy be performed anywhere in the Cosmere

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes.

dougpgc (paraphrased)

So Hemalurgy is unique because not only can the power of Ruin be accessed anywhere (not just on Scadrial), but also by anyone (not just someone who's invested)?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It is weird that way.

dougpgc (paraphrased)

I asked him if a feruchemist were to visit Earth and tap Duralumin, could they do something as involved as talk local sports with someone?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

No -- when you trick your spirit into thinking it's from where you're currently tapping, it's not a full transformation, like Sel-ish magic making a copy.. It doesn't just fill your head with things from the place you're visiting.

Kaymyth

I also asked him about Terris food.

Brandon Sanderson

He said that he imagines it to be like Mediterranean food. He also allows that it could totally involve noodles.

Viridian

Can you tell me at what point did Renarin hear the Shardblade…

Brandon Sanderson

At what point? Um… *long pause* Earlier than it may initially be obvious.

Viridian's eldest daughter

Did it take a life to create Nightblood?

Brandon Sanderson

Did it take a life to create Nightblood. It did not. It just required a lot of Breath, which you could assume each one is a little piece of a life so maybe. Multiple lives in that way but no one actually had to die. Good question.

CarolaDavar

Do you ever go on the 17th Shard just to see what random heck is going there.

Brandon Sanderson

Once in awhile.

CarolaDavar

If the Stormfather were to turn into a blade for Dalinar, would it be bigger than other Shardblades?

Brandon Sanderson

Um… That's a RAFO. *people get excited* That doesn't mean that I'm going to answer it, that means that answering it would either canonize something I don't want to canonize or it would mean that it is something irrelevant and I don't want to send fans spiraling into-- and so... It doesn't necessarily mean that something that will be included in the books.

little wilson

How many Shards are whole at the time of [Shadows of Self]?

Brandon Sanderson

How many Shards are whole at the time of Shadows? I'm just going to RAFO that because-- because I don't want to do math right now.

Bystander

More than half or less than half?

Brandon Sanderson

At the time of Shadows? How many Shards--

zas678

Or about half?

Brandon Sanderson

Ha! *long pause* *really high and stretched out* Half-ish?

zas678

Half-ish?

Brandon Sanderson

Half-ish. It depends.

zas678

Give or take?

Brandon Sanderson

Give or take. Like it de-- Are there now only 15? Like what's the number? ...So-- I'm not going to-- I'm not going to--

zas678

RAFO.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, RAFO.

little wilson

Is the gender of a spren bonded to a surgebinder based on sexual preferences?

Brandon Sanderson

It-- A lot of people are curious about this one… Not strictly but there is an influence there. But it's not strict. In other words Renarin having a male spren does not necessarily mean--

zas678

What some think it means?

Brandon Sanderson

-what some thinks it means. How about this you are more likely to bond a spren of an opposite gender-- a spren who identifies as an opposite gender, because spren don't actually have gender. But you are also more likely, statistically, to like members of the opposite gender. Those things have a correlation. Whether they have a causation is not a thing I am canonizing.

little wilson

Has Odium used the weapon created by Adonalsium's opposition?

Brandon Sanderson

Has who? Odium?

little wilson

Has Odium--

Brandon Sanderson

Odium, has Odium? That's a RAFO.

Seonid

I've heard about a Shard that just wants to survive, hiding off-- it doesn't have a planet it doesn't--

Brandon Sanderson

Right.

Seonid

--out there in space, trying to survive. Does it have the intent of like Fear, or something like that?

Brandon Sanderson

The intent is related but only tangentially. Mostly it just knows what's going on and is smart enough to get out of there.

Mailliw73

Can an Epic’s weakness change?

Brandon Sanderson

Can an Epic's weakness change? So far they have not.

Mailliw73

Does Kelsier ever talk to Marsh since Sazed's Ascension?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO… Good question. That's one I'll answer some day so it's not a RAFO for "nothing's happening".

scottwo

This guy [in the broadsheet], is that Nazh...

Brandon Sanderson

Nazh, yeah. Nazh. It's short for something.

scottwo

Is the radiance of the Returned, or people with Breath, is it like Stormlight coming off of people? Or is it a different concept?

Brandon Sanderson

It's a similar concept with different magic systems.

@Effir

What happens to the investiture that nightblood 'consumes'?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Axies (paraphrased)

You told us Odium broke 4 Shards. Can you talk about the 4th one?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

I can say that you've seen, maybe not in Spain, but American fans have seen, the effects of that. You'll see something about it on Arcanum Unbounded.

Axies (paraphrased)

Is Hoid human?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes... but. Hoid is... you can say that he is still human, but his DNA have changed. Now he is human but you wouldn't call him Homo sapiens anymore. It happens something similar with the Steel Inquisitors

Moridin997 (paraphrased)

Did Bavadin in any way help Odium splinter Dominion and Devotion?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Uhh...

Moridin997 (paraphrased)

(sensing an incoming RAFO): In any way...

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Uhh... Yes... Yes, you could say that...

dgenio8 (paraphrased)

What made Vin so special?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

RAFO.

dgenio8 (paraphrased)

If the force opposing Adonalsium is an entity like him/it (?), have we seen any magic that is related to this entity?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

No. All the magic you see come from the shards of Adonalsium.

dgenio8 (paraphrased)

You mention that, before the shattering, there was a force opposing Adonalsium. Was it an entity like Adonalsium?

He explain that they gave him to much wiggle room when the anti-Adonalsium question was made, explaining that is answer could mean that a group of people was against Adonalsium. But, for this question, we had to RAFO.

dgenio8 (paraphrased)

Was the Hoid we see born naturally, or was he created?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

He was born naturally.

Brandon Sanderson

Part One Wrap-up

Well, reading that section of the book again, I'm now very pleased with how it turned out. It introduces what I wanted it to, keeps things moving, and sets up the conflict for the book.

It's hard, however, to look at it objectively. It's been through so many drafts, with so many beginning chapters, that I can't quite see it the way that I once would have—and certainly can't see it like a reader might.

As we move into part two, things stabilize back to the original order and plot I'd planned and outlined for the book. (Though, there is another major upheaval at the ending.)

It's strange how a book, for a writer, can bring back memories. You know how scents can trigger memories in your head? Well, sometimes chapters can do that. You work on a project like this for so much of your life that it becomes part of you.

I submitted one of the revisions to chapter one (the Vin fight on the streets) to my college class in which I met Heather, the girl I dated for much of the year last year. I was beginning to imagine the ending of Mistborn 3 when I went on vacation last summer, and was missing Emily, whom I eventually married. I was imagining Mistborn 1 as I got the phone call that eventually landed me a book deal.

This series is a big part of my life, and I will be living it for years yet. That's kind of a comfortable, yet interesting, thing for me to imagine for some reason. I can't even begin to understand how it must be for authors who write series longer than trilogies!

Brandon Sanderson

Kandra are a race that will also get a lot of development as the series progresses. During the development of this book, I tried to resist using the "there's a spy among us" plot, but in the end, I just couldn't do it. The pieces were all there, and I wanted to play with the concepts of trust and reliability.

In the first book, Vin learned to trust. She learned that it was better to trust and be betrayed than to suspect everyone. The nice twist on that in book one was that there WAS no traitor in the book. Everyone stayed true to Kelsier and his vision.

So, in this book, I had to sew seeds of distrust. I wanted Vin to have to deal with those problems again, and really have to confront her suspicions and paranoia. The only way to do that was to have her begin suspecting members of the crew.

Besides, you don't just put in a race of shapeshifters then ignore the tension of people wondering if someone they know has been replaced. That would just be irresponsible.

Brandon Sanderson

I love this rescue scene, and I got to use the "Vin splits an arrow with its own arrowhead" scene, which was one of the coolest moments in Mistborn Prime. (Long story. Read the Mistborn 1 annotations.) There's a certain arrogant flare to this scene, and it ends up working quite well, I think.

Brandon Sanderson

Here we get the return of Breeze, a perennial favorite of the Mistborn world. He gets far more screen time–and depth of characterization–than Ham, Clubs, or Dockson do. You just can't develop everyone. (Especially if you're not George R. R. Martin.) I did my best with the side characters, and Breeze and Spook turned out the best, in my opinion. You'll see more of both of them, and learn more about them, as the series moves along.

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Eleven

A few things to watch out for. There might be an extra "Silver" or "Silvereye" stuck in the books somewhere.

If you read the annotations in the last book, you’ll know that I changed the Allomantic metal of silver into tin at the last minute. I couldn't find a good alloy of silver, and though I liked "Silvereye" as a word much better than "Tineye" I decided to go with the choice that was more logical for worldbuilding, rather than the one that sounded better.

There could still be a spare silver or two hanging around in this book, since it was written before I made the swap. (I just found one in Book Three and got it changed right in time.)

Brandon Sanderson

Obligators. This is the first time you see them in the book. It isn't the last time you'll see them, but it's nearly so. They just don't have much of a part in the story now.

I toyed with making them villains in the novel, involving them a lot more in politics, but discarded that concept. I decided that 1) The Lord Ruler's power was broken, and that fighting against remnants of it would be a little anti-climactic. 2) There just wasn't any more space in the book for more villains.

The armies invading Luthadel, and their leaders, are bad enough. Part of my rational is that the warlords–not the priests–are going to be the real danger in this new world. The priests were a force for stability. Now that everything has been overthrown, they simply won't have any power to be of a threat.

Though, I will note that a major force in the third book is, indeed, an obligator who has taken control of a section of the empire.

Brandon Sanderson

On a more serious note, this section contains some of the more lengthy additions to the rewrite. Elend's speech, and the arguments against it, were all added in the very last draft. As I said before, the first draft had Elend giving a much different proposal, as the army hadn't arrived yet.

This works TONS better. I worry that Elend comes off a little too strong–or, well, not weak enough–in this scene. I originally included it to show some of his faults as a leader. However, other readers have indicated that they thought he came off as too weak. Even if this is a book about Elend becoming a leader (or, at least, that’s a big chunk of the novel) he doesn't have to quite as hopeless as I originally painted him.

So, perhaps we've got a good balance going on here.

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Ten

There was an epic battle with my editor over some revision changes to this chapter. I though that the word to use for a place where someone stands to address a crowd was a "podium." He said that was an adulteration of the language, and that the pure, classical word to use was "lectern."

He won.