Twitter #torchat Q&A

[Zas678]

Hello Fellow Sharders!

So today, Brandon answered several questions on twitter.com during a #torchat, and there are quite a few interesting questions. When I orignially saw it, I panicked a bit,but thankfully the Inseperable Peter Ahlstrom came to the rescue and posted Brandon's tweets for the past two weeks today. Thanks Peter!

EDIT- Part two now transcribed!

I decided that since the details on which people are asking which questions aren't super important, I'm going to cut them and just make it a straight Q&A.

Q. I messaged earlier regarding #alloyoflaw appendixnarrator, unaware of today's torchat. maybe you can respond in the chat?

A.I haven't been telling people the name of the appendix author. It is either Hoid or one of the 17th sharders.

Q. Are you going to start right away with stormlight archive 2 once AMoL is done or will you take a "break" again?

A. Going straight into it, this time. No break. I start Stormlight two asap.

Q. Do you have a narrowed down release window for AMoL yet?

A. I've been all over on this, when people ask me. I think Tor has been saying fall, but I am not certain. The thing is, we don’t know how long it will take to edit. We want to be very careful with this one.

Q. Brandon, are your worlds interconnected cosmologically?

A. Yes, they are. (At least, all of the epic fantasies.) Visit the forums atthe website 17th shard for more info. But there is character, Hoid, who has been in each of the books. Look for threads on him.

Q. What comes after AMoL: Stormlight 2, the sequel to Alloy of Law, orsomething else?

A. Stormlight 2. If I feel good about the progress there, once it is done, Iwill do another Wax book.

Q. Will Galad ever find out he's Rand's half-brother?

A. Ha! You know I'm going to RAFO that.

Q. Just how many Aes Sedai are there and how the heck do you keep track withall the similar sounding names?

A. I use the encyclopedia wot and Tar Valon's wiki for some help, but I relymostly on the notes and Team Jordan. As for how many there are . . . well,there are a lot. Hundreds.

Q. What are keys to balance family, writing career?

A. Good question. I had to make certain hours of the day “off limits" forwriting, so that I didn't feel I was missing out on writing time. I could ALWAYS be working, but that's not good emotionally or for the family.Otherwise, I try to make my writing time as effective as possible, so I don't feel that sense of "I didn't get anything done." That one makes me unbalanced, as I feel anxious if I haven’t gotten some good work done in a day.

Q. Any plans for a sequel to Warbreaker?

A. Yes, there are. But it is a long ways off.

Q. 3/4 of way through Alloy, can we twist your arms to pen another novel or 2with Wax in that era. Gripping !

A. Thanks! I plan to do more, if people enjoy this one. I’m still worried what people will think. People expect long and involved from me. Will they like quick and streamlined?

Q. Any suggestions for finding time to write for a full time dad with a fulltime non-writing job?

A. It depends on whether or not your day job is creatively draining. If it is writing/programming, etc. You'll have a much harder time, as those jobs flex the same muscles as novel writing. The people I’ve known who do it tend to get up an hour early, before their brain is worn-out, and write then. Basically,you'll have to give something up. Television, video games, golf, something.(But not family time.)

Q. Is your luck with flights still so bad #pancakesandfries!

A. Luck this tour has been great. Fingers crossed for the rest of it . . .

Q. Any timeframe for when the Way of Kings annotations will go up?

A. Afraid not. I haven't written them yet, as I couldn’t stop TofM to do them.I have Alloy of Law ones, though. I do plan to do TWoK annotations. It may take me a little while. Maybe they'll go up late next year.

Q. Your side characters often have physical infirmities. Can you explain why?

A. I feel that often, fiction tends to gloss over or ignore people like Clubs.So I find myself sticking them in.

Q. How Moiraine is able to able to learn which Forsaken is in power in Tear andIllian in 'The Dragon Reborn'.

A. I believe, but am not taking the time to look it up, she used means more mundane than you're probably expecting. Meaning good use of information networks. That said, I'll give a tentative MAFO and try to remember to look it up specifically.

Q. (Same Person) Oh , what do mundane method do you think she used? She found which Forsaken was in power quickly and spot on in TDR

A. She is very smart, and she knew exactly what to look for. She knew they were coming, and what they would likely do.

Q. Will some of the loose ends in The Alloy of Law be tied up?

A. All of them will, but some are foreshadowing for the second main-line Mistborn trilogy.

Q. Can you post a google docs of the @JordanConInc winner names & the#brandalization of them in #AMOL #orjustmine

A. Yes, I will once I have them all chosen.

Q. Was Bloody Tan an atium misting?

A. No, he was not. Good question.

Q. What is your favorite book you've written?

A. Favorite is hard to pin down. I'm most proud of either TGS or TWOK, as theywere among the hardest and most satisfying.

Q. Is Mat's plot in AMOL going to be satisfying? Is the Horn of Valere involved???

A. Mat will be in the book quite a bit. And the Horn must be blown (for one side or the other) in the Last Battle.

Q. OK, so, give us a great hunt

A. Ha. Okay, The one about the Aes Sedai is fairly easy to guess, I think. It even has "Aes Sedai" in it. It also has some punctuation in it,though, of an organizational nature.

Q. Do you read ebooks or are you a purist (Have to have the physical book)?

A. I prefer to read physical when I am at home, and eBook when I'm on the road.(Like now.)

Q. Which book series is this Q&A for? Want to get the right questions asked.

A. Any of them! But I'm on tour for Mistborn,

Q. Do you have a trick for plowing through writer’s block?

A. Yes. I just write anyway, telling myself I don't have to use what I write. Iwrite it poorly, then try again. For me, that gets my brain working. You can't be afraid to 'throw away' what you've done for a day and try again. With that in mind, you can have the most random of things happen, knowing you won't keep them. Just to get jump-started.

Q. Have you decided who the main character of Stormlight Archive 2 will be andwhich character the book will focus on?

A. Book two will have Shallan's flashbacks, though she, Dalinar, and Kaladinwill remain the focus characters.

Q. What's your favorite book of all time?

A. Probably Les Miserables. Hope I spelled that right . . .

Q. Is the recipient of the letter in Way of Kings also in Dragonsteel? If sowould it be the person that Topaz gets mad at?

A. Yes. (Good question.) RAFO on the second one. I've already given you too much!

Q. You mentioned friday night in #Seattle Allomacy has "FTL" built into it, any more hints you can share on how that would work?

A. It involves where the lost energy from thermodynamic issues goes in certain Allomantic interactions.

Q. Has writing WoT affected the way you write your other books?

A. Some of them. I look at detail differently, foreshadowing differently, and large casts differently now.

Q. what was one of the first novels you read as a child?

A. First real fantasy novel was Dragonsbane. As a young child, I really liked the 3 Investigators books.

EDIT- So this is just part 1. I'll post the second half later, and edit it ontothis post when it's done. ; ;

Q. Did you ever study at martial arts yourself? Did studying a foreign language change the way you write?

A. My only martial arts study comes from reading and watching, with the occasional 'one shot' go learn some basics. Studying a foreign language was extremely helpful in opening my eyes to other cultures, and my own language.

Q. Do you decide what cosmere hints you'll let out before going to events? Or just decide on the fly?

A. A little of both. Usually they pry more out of me than I'm planning though.

Q. I'm watching the LOTR Two Towers, what do you think of the trilogy?

A. I think they are all very good, though I prefer the first two films to the last one.

Q. Any chance of seeing the WoT series continue post AMoL?

A. If it does, it will probably be in video game form.

Q. Nice! Another question, do you think you'll eventually publish a "The World of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere"?

A. Probably. Though first, we'd probably do TWoK and Mistborn world books

Q. Since the series is almost complete, if RJ could read it how would he react to your contribution to his legacy?

A. I honestly don't know. I hope he'd be pleased, but I also feel he'd be sadthat he didn't get to do it himself. Harriett has said she thinks, from above,he's looking down and this is his reaction.

Q. You mentioned how it's not common in fantasy literature to see magic be"discovered." Do you have a story idea for that?

A. Several. We'll see if/when I can write them.

Q. Will we ever explicitly find out who killed Asmodean?

A. It is stated explicitly in Tower of Midnight's appendix

Q. Did the ending of AMoL surprise you? As a reader and lover of the series andworld, was it fully satisfying?

A. It was hard to be completely surprised by anything. (Even if some elements,like Verin, did surprise me.)

Q. ???? (Presumably something about publishing Robert Jordan's notes)

A. There are way too many notes to fit into one book. Many will be in the encyclopedia that Harriett is doing. ;

Q. Sir, when Marsh made reference to his brother, did he mean Kelsier?

A. Yes

Q. Do you have plans to continue stories in the Elantris (hope I spelled thatright) world?

A. Yes. I hope to write a sequel for the 10th anniversary of the book'srelease, which would be in 2015.

Q. How is it that you've become so skilled? Lots of study and practice?

A. You've got it. Practice and study. I wrote 13 novels before publishing one(my sixth.) Practice, practice, practice.

Q. What exactly is a dueling cane anyhow?

A. Depends. Some are flexible, like sparring swords, and are used for duelswhere blood is not needed. Others are basically a big length of wood forhitting people, like a tonfa without the grip.

Q. (same person) Do canes have a hilt like a sparring sword then? I alwayspicture something like http://t.co/SQOUiaFw being used.

A. And most taper like that one. They are often of a uniform diameter all theway down. Many have a hilt. However for most, there is no crossguard or thelike.

Q. How "bad" are your 1st drafts? Many authors say their 1st draft of a novel is always terrible. ;

A. They're pretty bad. In a first draft, I focus on character arcs and laying down dialogue. So the descriptions are sparse, and often they're overly wordy to a fault. Drafts streamline

Q. Which author would you like to meet and get a book signed by him/her?

A. Alive? Terry ;Pratchett. Dead? Robert Jordan

Q. Elantris is what drew me to you. I would like a sequel.

A. I will do one eventually. Promise.

Q. Who has been your favorite character to write in WoT?

A. Perrin has long been my favorite, and continues to be one. Mat was hard, butfun.

Q. When writing WoT have you ever read RJ's notes and think that you would have written the plot differently?

A. I wasn't totally hip on the spanking scene in TGS. There is one other part that was tough. (can't say now.) I don't look at this as "how would Brandon do it." I look at it as "How should this work in the Wheel ofTime?" Certainly, I would have written a different series, as I'm a different person. I don't want to impose that here though.

Q. Any chance of there being a biography written about RJ and the writing of the WoT?

A. I think there is a good chance, though if it is done, I probably am not the right one to do it.

Q. When did Thom and Moraine's romance develop? Came out of NOWHERE in ToM.

A. It's in there, though subtle, in the earlier books. I'll admit, I found the engagement sudden myself. However, fans have been expecting something there foryears. RJ did foreshadow it, it was just subtle.

Q. Loved way of Kings, can you say where Shardblades go when not summoned, oris it a RAFO?

A. It is a RAFO, but that one will be answered for sure.

Q. Has any recent progress been made on the WoT movie?

A. There was a script done this summer, but it went to revisions.

Q. Hey Brandon! How's it going? would a keeping weave protect the seals on thedark one's prison?

A. No it would not. ;

Q. Kel said he ended Atium production for a few hundred years. WIll atium reappear in Alloy & such, or did Sazed move the Pits?

A. RAFO.

Q. You've known for your inventive magic systems-- how was it using RJ's in WoT, which is a more traditional system?

A. RJ's system was very rule-based and innovative for its time. It is part of what inspired me to do the systems I do. ;

Q. Will we ever meet Elend and Vin again? Will we see more prequels/off-spins to WoT? Do you plan a trip to Slovakia?

A. Elend and Vin have had their stories told. WoT spin-offs are unlikely.(Sorry.) I'd love to visit Slovakia. I'm actually reading a book about Slovakia right now, written by a friend who lived there. (It's called Vodnik.)

Q. In Alloy of Law, are people still Snapping?

A. Sazed chose to alter the way Snapping works. It bothered him. It does happen, but differently. ;

Q. It seems that TLR still needed to store age "normally" but less. Did Miles ever have to store healing?

A. Yes. He did, but not in the normal way. ;

Q. Do you see WoT making its way to a video format like a Song of Ice and Fire?Or did that show hurt its chances?

A. I hope that show increases the chances. But we shall see. It's not impossible, but a feature is more likely.

Q. How old were you when you first started writing? Any advice for young writers, given economy at the moment?

A. It will probably take a few years to get published, or to be making money,so focus on the craft first. Think of becoming a writer like becoming a doctor. It can take 6-8 years. Who knows what the economy will be like?

Q. How does your approach differ in writing science fiction and then fantasy? Both stylistically and conceptually.

A. For SF I take many more things for granted, meaning I focus more on story and less on worldbuilding. In SF, I will also focus on a handful of ideas instead of a whole ton of them. This usually makes my sf shorter than myfantasy.

Q. Are there any plans for a Mistborn Video Game?

A. I signed a deal for one last week! Details forthcoming, but I will be heavily invovled.

Q. You already mentioned the Perun-Perrin connection. Any other myths we should read up on before AMoL?

A. Oh, let's see. Lots. The valkyrie myth makes a brief cameo. Have a look atthat one.

Q. ????(tritlo)

A. If it's not in your language yet, it's tougher, as you'd have to find someone to buy the rights and publish it.

Q. ;Do you have an idea of how many books you want to write for The Stormlight Archive?

A. Two sets of 5.

Q.I like that you are very involved with the fans. I want to start reading your books. What's the first one to start with?

A. If you want more action, Mistborn. If you want a slower, more thoughtful pace, Elantris. Thanks!

Q. So Demandred will be awesome in AMoL right?

A. Yup.

Q. Do you struggle to write Cadsuance from an unbiased perspective, since she'snot a favorite of yours?

A. I thought I would, but she has such a strong personality, she's actually easy. I've learned a lot about her, and about writing, from the series.

Q. Do Shardblades go to the Spiritual Realm when they haven't been summoned?

A. The answer is in future books.

Q. 'IronEyes' at the end of AoL is actually Marsh? It could be any kandra could it not?

A. It could be a kandra, but I will tell you specifically that this time it isnot. It is him. ;

Q. Thoughts on the upcoming Mistborn RPG?

A. Very excited for its release. I think it is well done and fun.

FINE.

[PeterAhlstrom]

Can someone help me figure out what question and who Brandon was replying to when he wrote this:

@tritlo The publisher in the country you want to translate. Look on my rights page for info (at the bottom): http://awfulagent.com/jabclients/sanderson"

@tritlo If it's not in your language yet, it's tougher, as you'd have to find someone to buy the rights and publish it. #torchat

I can reconstruct the question as being something like "who should I contact if I want to translate one of your books" but it definitely wasn't tritlo who said it.

Meh, this actually looks like answers to two separate questions.

Edited November 15, 2011 by PeterAhlstrom

[mycoltbug]

Hey Peter I threw it up on your facebook account.

[mycoltbug]

Can someone help me figure out what question and who Brandon was replying to when he wrote this:

@tritlo The publisher in the country you want to translate. Look on my rights page for info (at the bottom): http://awfulagent.com/jabclients/sanderson"

@tritlo If it's not in your language yet, it's tougher, as you'd have to find someone to buy the rights and publish it. #torchat

I can reconstruct the question as being something like "who should I contact if I want to translate one of your books" but it definitely wasn't tritlo who said it.

Meh, this actually looks like answers to two separate questions.

He deleted it it looks like. He had asked what he had to do to help translate books into his forgein language. I saw the question during the #torchat. The user name was (tritlo)