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*(Updated with Q&A)* Anyone going to the Dayton Signing? (19th)


darkanimereal1

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I live about three hours out, and it's on a week day (meaning I'd have to leave work early and make up the time over several other days). 

 

I really, really, REALLY want to go, however none of my siblings can come (they're younger and it's a school night with a three hour ride back afterward). It sounds like one of my friend's may be able to come. If that's the case, I plan on going. However, right now it's pretty iffy if she'll decide to go or not. I don't want to go by myself only because I'd have to spend six hours in the car after working all day (three hours each way).

 

However, on top of the amazing chance just to get to meet Brandon, I really want to ask some questions based on all the great theories/wild ideas that have been flying around about WoR. 

 

I guess I'm really just curious to see if any of the 17th sharders will be making their way over :)

 

Update: Now that the event has happened, I'm going to put all of the hints and questions/answers in the OP so that they're easier to keep track of. I took a series of videos of the entire event (up until he started signing), and I have a video (hopefully will just grab the audio--the video is of my feet) of the second set of questions luke.spence and I asked him. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get all of those up, but I'm working on it.

 

Also, I wasn't sure if I should put everyone else's responses in here, so if you would like me to add yours to the list with your username, just let me know!

 

General Q&A:

(These are a few of the ones I thought hadn't been covered yet, or that were particularly amusing/gave good info.)

 

Q: I was wondering if any of the characters from interludes will end up with their own books.

A: Yes, they will. Lift, specifically, is one of the characters in the back five. I think she might be the only one who has had a view point so far. That’s, um, no … There are others. So, yes, interlude characters will end up with their own books later on. Right now they’re side characters.

 

Q: (This was my question. I basically asked how long he thinks it will take him to write future Stormlight books, since TWoK took 6 months to write and WoR took 18 months to write.)

A: My anticipation is that Stormlight should take about 12 months to write. It went in six months the first time because I had written the book already once. And so being able to start over from scratch, I had done it all once, so it was really like, even though I really wrote every word new, it was like doing a second draft. Words of Radiance took so long because I had to lurch out of the Wheel of Time mindset. I hadn’t written this book before, I had written the other one, and I was so steeped in the Wheel of Time doing two books that it took a lot more to pull me out. And I would start on it and would end up getting distracted by some other project like one of the novellas or I’d start on it and then I’d go back and do a revision on Steelheart and then I’d start on it. Eventually I managed to start on it and stay in it, but it took that extra six months of spinning my heels before I really dug into the book. And so, I would say that I’m hoping 12 months. I might be able to do them faster, maybe nine months. I don’t know. They are big complicated books to write, and you can’t really do these on the speed that you can do other things. It doesn’t scale. If I can write a novella that’s 20k words and I can write that oftentimes in a week, that doesn’t mean that when I’m working on Words of Radiance I can do twenty thousand words a week, because it’s just a lot harder to get everything connected. The longer you go, the longer it winds up taking per word.

 

A few fun tidbits: Brandon assumes that eventually they’ll make a collective art book of all of the Stormlight art. In addition, in the picture of Adolin, the double underlined sigh was “his addition.” Lol Also, this may already have been known, but for sure each of the ten books will be named after in-world books. Because of this, “Stormlight Archive” is a play on words (literally an archive of books).

 

Q: Are we going to be seeing more Wit in the Stormlight Archive?

A: Depends on if you mean the character or actual wittiness. I’m never sure if I’m actually witty or not—you’ll have to judge. But the character never knows when to leave well enough alone and will be muddling things for quite a long time.

 

Q: (This is CorwinofAmber's, I think) So one of the things I really like about this is that in the Ars Arcanum and the blurb on the back of the dust jacket, they’re not just Brandon Sanderson explaining the magic system, or Brandon Sanderson summarizing the book for casual perusing, they’re written in world by characters in the world, and I was wondering if you could tell us or give us a hint as to who wrote the dust jacket.

A: I can tell you it’s not the same person as who’s writing the Ars Arcanum, and neither of those are Hoid. How about that? That gives you something. I had to fight to get in world text on the back cover. I personally really don’t like summary blurbs. Those summary blurbs are either bland or they spoil too much, and they really get on my nerves. They’re marketing copy, not author copy. And so I fought and I fought and I fought. I won with Elantris, getting the prologue on the back of the hard cover, but then they didn’t do that for the paperback. But for the hardcovers of these I won, so I’m glad you appreciate that—I intend to keep doing that. But yes, they’re being written in world by a group of people on Roshar.

 

One on One Questions:

From me and luke.spence:

 

[Note, I was so dumb and didn’t record the exact answers for these first two, so this is paraphrasing.]

Me: So, the Purelake in Shadesmar is mountainous. Does this in any way have to do with the fact that the Purelake is so shallow?

Brandon: No. I haven’t yet discussed the nature of the relationship between Shadesmar and the Physical world.

Me: So, when Dalinar has his vision in what he assumes in the Purelake, he sees an obsidian fortress. Is that fortress in any way related to the fact that the Purelake in Shadesmar is mountainous?

Brandon: No.

 

Someone in line before us: Please don’t tell me you’re going to do a love triangle between Adolin, Kaladin, and Shallan.

Brandon: [he phrased this very carefully] I’m not a fan of the traditional love triangle. However, I am fond of conflict in relationships.

 

[Alright, these are from my recording, so word for word.]

Me: The weepings--Shallan and Kaladin react very differently to them.

Brandon: They do.

M: It just seems to me that the Weepings feel very close to Cultivation.

Brandon: The primary thing you’re noticing -- and I’m not going to say there’s not any magical influence -- but the primary thing you’re noticing is that Kaladin has season defective disorder and Shallan likes the rain. That’s the primary thing you’re noticing. I like the rain--my wife hates it. My wife gets depressed when it rains and I love when it rains.

 

Me: Did Taravangian go to see the Nightwatcher before or after Gavilar’s assassination?

Brandon: Um, oh man. I’m going to have to look at my timeline. I believe it’s before, but I can’t guarantee I’m right, because these things are all happening around the same time.

Me: Because he says that Gavilar confided in him the night of.

Brandon: Ooooh, you’re right. Nope, it’s after. It is after. You can send that question to Peter so we can confirm it. There might be something I’m forgetting about Taravangian.

 

Luke.spence: What caused a Desolation to end? Was it just the defeat of Odium’s forces? Because the Desolations start when the Heralds break under torture.

Brandon: Because the Heralds can no longer be in existence. There is a certain period of time that they can be there, and after that, if they’re there, they will start a new one. So the Heralds do need to leave for a Desolation to end

Me: Oh. So they’ve got a time limit.

Brandon: They do. Otherwise the Desolation will start again. What they discovered is not all of them have to. As long as one remains, the Desolation will not start again.

Luke: So, by the nine leaving, did that actually break the Oathpact for them? Did it change the cycle of Desolations?

Brandon: They have not completely broken the Oathpact, despite what they may think.

 

Luke: How much stormlight equals one breath? Do you have an actual ratio?

Brandon: I have a ratio. It’s not on me.

Me: Okay, that’s a Peter question again.

Brandon: Yeah, well, I may not answer it even then.

 

Luke: Are the Heralds actually aware that Taln is back?

Brandon: Are the Heralds aware that Taln is back? Uh, you’re implying that this person actually is Taln. [The smile on Brandon’s face at this moment was the best, most excruciatingly awful smile ever. And we thought Peter was a tease.] Which is not guaranteed. It’s not guaranteed. However, the return of the Voidbringers does indeed indicate to them, in their mind, that he would have returned.

Me: So they assume because the Voidbringers are returning--

Brandon: Because the Voidbringers are returning, would be a clue to them that Taln has returned.

 

I also happened to overhear a few questions that were interesting.

 

In particular, one woman in front of me said, "I really hope you're not going to do a love triangle between Kaladin, Adolin, and Shallan." Brandon's response (which he worded quite carefully) was, "I'm not a fan of the traditional love triangle. However, I am fond of conflict in relationships." And he left it at that xD

 

For the other one, I didn't quite overhear what the question was, but I did hear Brandon's answer (paraphrased): "An invested object resists any attempt to put additional investment into it. Just like you can't pull metal that's inside a person's body. When the shardplate cracks, the streams of stormlight that you're seeing are actually the plate doing what it's supposed to: healing itself." [This is, I assume, as opposed to "leaking" or losing stormlight.] "So, theoretically, you could maybe pull a tiny fraction of that stormlight out, but you can't just stick your hand up to the outside of the plate and retrieve it. However, if you have the plate open with the gem exposed and you were to touch the gem, then you could pull the stormlight from it."

 

Luke's Questions:

(Hopefully luke.spence won't mind me sharing, since these were shared in the "My Signing Questions" thread.)

 

Q: 2b. You mentioned that human can’t bond Honorblades, but Nalan tells Szeth that his bond 

with his Honorblade has been broken. Can you clear this up?

 

A: Humans CAN bond Honorblades. There's a crucial difference between Honorblades and Shardblades. When you drop an Honorblade, it does not disappear, even if it has been bonded. A Shardblade will disappear when dropped.

 

Q: Which map holds the Easter Egg?

A: The main map of Roshar.

 

Q: From which book?

A: Either book, it's the main one that will go in each copy. It's VERY hard and it won't change a whole lot.

 

Q: Does it have anything to do with the compass?

A: Not the compass.

 

Q: 13. How many parties were there to the original Oathpact?

 

A: 11. The Heralds and Honor. They thought that by walking away from their oaths, that it would break the Oathpact. They're going to find out that it's not quite as broken as they had previously thought (meaning the Heralds).

Edited by darkanimereal1
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I'm near Cleveland and have volunteered to be the "Tour Archivist" for the Dayton signing - see this post for info:

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/6177-wor-tour-scrapbook-your-participation-requested/

I'll be bringing cards for folks to sign and also (I hope!) a little something extra that will make for a cool tour photo/video.

 

A friend has volunteered to ride with me, so I won't be driving home late all alone (yawn!) like the last few signings; I'm taking the day off work and he's in job-search mode and has the time. I've worked a lot of extra hours so far this month and am able to take the 19th as a comp day - thankful to have that type of job!

 

I don't mind driving to Dayton. The store is a great site for an event like this and it's easy to find right off the freeway.

 

Please everyone come who can! Costumes might net you a Szeth stand-up figure!

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Also, FYI  -

 

In order to actually get your book signed, you have to buy it there.(I bought and read the e-book, so as to purchase my hardback copy in Dayton.)

 

The Dayton bookstore does check receipts and you can't get in the signing line without one.

 

You can be there and ask questions without buying a book, but no autograph.

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Okay, so quick question. I know that the Dayton book store requires you to buy the book from them--I don't have a problem with that. But in one of Brandon's blog announcements about the tour he made a comment that you can bring other books that you already own to get signed in addition. Is that still correct?

Still not sure if I'm going, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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You can bring other books.

I'm from the Dayton area and I used to ride my bike or even my unicycle to Books & Co many a Saturday, at their old location down on Stroop by Far Hills. Now that was a great store. Not a big box. I still haven't been to their new location. They used to be an independent, but they were bought by Booksamillion maybe 15 years ago. They kept the name Books & Co because of their great reputation in the Dayton area.

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I am not sure if this is answered already or not. If not, and anyone going to this signing would kindly ask, my question is:

"Three of sixteen ruled, but now the broken one reigns"

Is Odium one of the three?

If not who is the third?

Is Odium the broken one?

If so, how is he broken?

If not, is it Cultivation (broken by her loss of Honor)? or could it be the third (if the third is not Odium)?

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Awesome! Thanks for the heads up, Peter! 

I keep holding out hope that I'll somehow make it to the signing, but there's very little chance. I found out for sure today that I'd have to make the drive alone, and I'm worried about having to drive back in the wee hours with very little sleep. But I really want to go :( haha, oh well.

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I'm going. I'm 3 hours out as well (from Kokomo, IN). I called Books & Co. and as far as I understood it, you just had to buy A book there, not WoR. I was planning on getting the WoK hardback since I only have the paperback of that one. I really hope that's the case, because it will be hard to justify having 2 hardcover WoR, and no hardcover WoK lol.

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He almost certainly was, from the text of Warbreaker.

 

Beyond that, recall that Warbreaker was meant to be a "prequel" to Zahel on Roshar: I doubt that the prequel to a worldhopper's worldhopping has a prequel that involves worldhopping.

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I doubt that the prequel to a worldhopper's worldhopping has a prequel that involves worldhopping.

But what if worldhopping for that worldhopper could only be possible if that worldhopping prequel introduced the worldhopper's discovery of worldhopping through a cosmic worldhopping accident?
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My girlfriend and I are taking 1/2 days at work to attend. (She's not even a fan of his writing, but apparently a big enough fan of me!) Can't wait. I'm bringing some other books with me in the hopes that he'll sign, but definitely buying from Books & Co. It's the right thing to do imo.

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I didn't get a HUGE amount out of my time in line. My ears turned red and I stumbled on the English language and I really wish I had recorded his precise answers. The following is paraphrased:

Q: Could you make a Spike from a Lifeless?
A: "Oooo interesting!" He said their soul is so drained there wouldn't be much left, so you could only get the barest hint.
Q: But you COULD technically get a charge
A: Yes, but it would be very weak.

Q: I asked him to clarify a past WoB we went 'round and around on in the past. Basically, what happens when non-Nalthians come to Nalthis.
A: they cannot use their own soul to Awaken but could do so with obtained Breath.
Q: So anyone could start Awakening once they received Breaths (this is what it sounded like he was saying so I put it to him simply)
A: You would probably have to jump through some hoops to Awaken (talks about systems needing rigged up to work on different planets), but anyone can benefit from a Breath.  Essentially said "it's not that easy!"

Very cool. Glad I went.  Wish I had formulated better what i wanted clarified for my second question.

Edited by Pechvarry
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Had a great time and converted my girlfriend to Brandon Sanderson fandom! She may never read a single one of his books, but she really likes him as a person now after hearing him speak. He earned a lot of respect from both of us as an author. 

 

Also got to meet old aggie and a big shout out and thank you to her for the anticipation spren and scrapbook contributions. Classy lady. 

 

All in all, time very well spent and a rewarding experience. Would definitely travel to see him again. 

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It was really fun - a nice big crowd - everyone was so into it - plus meeting fellow Sharders F2F!

 

HUGE thanks to the person who gave Brandon their "anticipation spren" so that I can send mine to be included in the scrapbook.

 

There weren't a ton of deep questions ... darkanimereal1 asked a good one (please post it here - I didn't write it down), and one guy got a RAFO card, but IIRC his question wasn't on WoR. Several questions were from children - how awesome that they were there! I wanted to let others have the spotlight, so didn't ask the questions I'd prepared for the Q&A (Is Jezrien really drooling? and, If we really knew the full backstory on the Heralds, would we still feel sorry that they get tortured after dying in a Desolation?)

 

Lots of folks were just starting to read WoR at the signing, so it's probably a good thing we didn't spoil it too much for them.

 

One question I did ask at the signing table is, Is Roshar a spherical planet? He surprised me by saying Yes. I had theorized that it used to be a planet, but had been transformed into a plane that functions as an arena, where 2 sides battle it out. Huh. No more theories for me.

 

I really, really wish these books will be published less than 18 months apart!

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I had a lot of fun with my brother.  I ended up asking not very good questions though when I got up to him at the signing.

 

Q:"How do Bondsmiths use the Dawnshards?" really should have just been "Are Bondsmith's abilities related to the Dawnshards?"

A:RAFO

Q:"Do the Aimians predate humanity like the Parshendi do?" (I'm not sure if I included "on Roshar" or not.)

A:"You're assuming that the Parshendi predate humanity."

 

The next guy in line also had a Aimian question, I dragged my feet a little to try and hear Brandon's answer.  Basic stuff about the 2 types of Aimians, both of which have extended control of their own biology, both of which more or less refugees.  He also said that they have Cosmere significance, which sounded new to me.  I'm not sure whether the refugees thing means from Aimia or from elsewhere.

 

Also: It might have been in one of the other signing threads, but Brandon did say he was planning to use Lift as the main character of the one of the back 5 of the Stormlight Archive books.

Edited by Cheese Ninja
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