Robert Jordan changed WoT based on fan feedback

[Mason Wheeler Elantrian]

In the most recent Intentionally Blank episode, Brandon said that, from his access to Robert Jordan's notes, he's about 95% confident that Jordan changed the plot of The Wheel of Time based on feedback he received from fans.

Brandon's always been fairly tight-lipped about Robert Jordan's side of writing WoT.  Has he ever mentioned this before?  Because I was pretty surprised to hear it!  (Not surprised to learn it; it makes sense.  But I'm surprised to hear Brandon actually say it.)

[The Sovereign Tarachin Superstar]

1 hour ago, Mason Wheeler said:

In the most recent Intentionally Blank episode, Brandon said that, from his access to Robert Jordan's notes, he's about 95% confident that Jordan changed the plot of The Wheel of Time based on feedback he received from fans.

Brandon's always been fairly tight-lipped about Robert Jordan's side of writing WoT.  Has he ever mentioned this before?  Because I was pretty surprised to hear it!  (Not surprised to learn it; it makes sense.  But I'm surprised to hear Brandon actually say it.)

You may be referring to something else, but I remember there being a lot of rumors that Robert Jordan had planned on Mazrim Taim being Demandred. Allegedly he changed it because too many fans had guessed at it prior to a point where he thought he had given enough clues for people to make the connection.

Edited August 11, 2022 by The Sovereign

[Mason Wheeler Elantrian]

I wasn't referring to any specific change; only to Brandon saying that changes had happened.  Personally, I'm completely neutral on the Taimandred theory.  I can see that happening, but I could also see that rumor being a bunch of embarrassed Taimandred theorists who saw that they were wrong and said "well we weren't really wrong; we were just too clever for the author and he changed it out from under us."  Hard to say what really happened without any solid confirmation.

[Cosfan4472 Skaa]

One of the big theories as to why Robert Jordan changed Demandred was the inclusion of Cadsuaine in the story.

It says that Jordan realised that because he figured out how to expose Semirhage like the way she was revealed, it damaged Demandred's backstory.

The very moment he tied Taim to Cadsuaine, as he did Logain, he was no longer Demandred, because his disguise would have been intterupted the exact same way Semirhage's would later be.

The other famous change of course, was the identity of Asmodean's killer. It is entirely possible that one change lead to the other by reworking the backstory. Demandred is still tied to Taim, just not as one character.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Cosfan4472