Online Q&A with Brandon Today!

[mycoltbug]

If you are interested, Sanderson is doing a live Q&A on the fantasy board on Reddit from 12-4 MST It's a good time to get some questions answered by the man himself. Link to Interview Maybe I'll see you there.

[Aashyma]

It's too late for me but I definitely look forward to going over it with a fine toothed comb tomorrow!

Edit: Forget sleep, I'm getting an account.

Edited August 31, 2011 by Aashyma

[SOM1else]

Your link is bad, it goes to the page announcing the interview but not the interview itself. here's the actual interview My link

Edit- Just thought that maybe a Mod should post this thread as an article, more people will see it that way

Edited August 31, 2011 by SOM1else

[firstRainbowRose]

I figured this needed to be done eventually anyways, so while I wait for answers I figure I can compile them for everyone for now. Note: I'm posting these in the order that Brandon answers them, not the order that they were asked.

Most people know how awesome you are and will now proceed to tell you that and beg you to give them answers to questions that they’ll eventually RAFO. I’ll leave it to the others to gush and tell you those things (because they’re true). My question is about the Wheel of Time and is pretty menial but stands solely on a personal gripe with the word – why on earth is the word “loobie” used so much to describe Rand by his ladies – especially Min? Did Mr. Jordan leave a quota for that word that must be used a certain number of times? I just…especially for a character like Min that was, in particular, stronger and much less…sheepish than Rand’s other women, to have that as her affectionate word of choice makes me cringe. I would love to see a return of strong Min vs. sheepish doe-eyed Min, but if there’s any possibility of changing her word choice…I would find some way to repay you for you will have done me a great service. --ShutupElayneTrakand

Ha. I can't see into Mr. Jordan's mind, though I can say that he was fond of using the writer's device of character-identifying traits. You'll find that if you hang out with certain people, and listen to their linguistic patterns, often they will repeat individual words and phrases all the time. (I know one guy who uses the word "Brilliant!" every other sentence.)

This may be the case where life is more annoying than fiction should be, however. I'll keep the comment in mind. You can pay me in heaps of Magic cards, preferably from the alpha/beta era.

The characters in Mistborn all have very French names. My girlfriend insists Vin's name is pronounced almost "Veh", as it would be in France, and I'm almost convinced. How do you pronounce it?

You've also mentioned that in Elantris, there was more to Seon's than what came out in the book (as far as a magic system, I believe). When you have to omit something like this, do you still consider it canon to the story? For example, if you were to write a sequel, would you feel obligated to stick with the original magic system you put into place (but never published), or would you be fine with drawing up a whole new one? --RankWeis

The Central Dominance is intentionally French sounding. I say Vin's name like an American would, but everyone in world would say it with a French accent. Same goes for Kelsier, (which they would say Kel-syay.) Again, I say it as an American would, but then I'm not from the Central Dominance.

Yes, I consider the ideas around Seons to be cannon, though I don't always cannonize something that is not in the books. If it isn't on paper, I'm usually willing to change it as it needs to in order to fit. One issue, however, is that things like the Seons are part of the greater magic system of the Cosmere (which connects many of my works.) I can't change things too much, or I'll start contradicting myself. (Which I don't want to do.)

Brandon, you’re awesome. I love how you give back to the SF/F community, doing things like Writing Excuses, and - of course - AMAs on Reddit. I actually met you on your Way of Kings tour, which was cool. And today I have three questions for you.

1: You’ve mentioned some of the characters who we are going to see throughout the Stormlight Archive series (Shallan, Dalinar, Szeth, Jasnah, etc.). However, I don’t remember seeing you comment on Wit. Are we going to see Wit (or plain ol’ Hoid) more throughout the series? Or less? (Hopefully more! )

2: In your unpublished career (or published too, I suppose), what did you do when you got a bit discouraged? Writing has a lot of ups and downs for me. Some days, the writing goes well and the sun seems to shine just a little brighter. But sometimes it can be disheartening, lonely, frustrating - yet still, somehow, an activity without equal. How did you get through those moments when the going got tough?

3: I am in the same position you might have been ten-ish years ago. I have several fantasy novels under my belt. I don’t feel like I’m good enough to be published yet, though that is the dream. Do you have a recommendation as to when I should start sending stuff out? After I finish college? When I’ve written a million words (I’m chugging along at around 550,000 at the moment)? After I’ve written a book that’s at least a “7” on the scale of awesome that runs from zero to Knife of Dreams?

Thanks again for being awesome! I love your books! --staircasewit

1) Hoid has a large part of the story in the Stormlight Archive. You will be seeing much more of him. However, he will not get a 'book' of his own, most likely. He will get his own novels, just not among the Stormlight sequence.

2) I feel this too, to an extent. Every writer does. A few things really helped me. The first, and most important, was to decide once and for all that I was writing for ME. Not for a market, not for my friends, and not even to get published. For ME. I decided that even if I never sold a single book, I'd keep doing this until I died.

After that, I could focus only on the work. Now, that doesn't remove all of the feelings of depression, because it's still easy to feel that your writing quality is not what it should be. (Or that a story is broken, or that you just can't get past this certain point in a book.) The trick there was often to tell myself that I didn't have to put what I wrote on a certain day in the book. I just had to write. If it turned out terrible, that was okay. I could toss that scene and try another.

Coming to the realization that it was okay to fail was a big help to my writing.

3) If you have finished several novels, then it's time to go ahead and start sending things out. Many artists never quite feel that we're ready--we feel that the next book will be better, and we should wait until that one is done.

My suggestion: Take your most recent book, sit on it for six months while you work on something else. Then either workshop the book you set aside (if you like to workshop) or do one last draft. Then start sending it out. The worst that will happen is it will get rejected. Keep sending it out until you have gone to all of the major publishers, then decide if you want to go to the small presses.)

(Note, this is advice to those who prefer to publish traditionally, which I still think is viable. However, self publishing is also quite viable these days. I'll probably talk about that in another reply.) Also, keep in mind doing research about publishers, not just sending blindly. (I'll probably talk about this elsewhere too.)

Question the first:

Compared to many authors, you are just astoundingly dedicated to your fans. As your fame grows, are you finding that this close connection to your fans is becoming more difficult to maintain? Do you foresee yourself having to become more reclusive if your fanbase continues to grow?

Question the second (related to question the first):

Have you had any "crazy" or just odd fan encounters? Do people recognize/approach you on the street, or would you say that your fame is relatively low-key?

Last Question (which has absolutely nothing at all to do with the closing sentence):

What is your favorite kind of home-made cookie, and do you have any allergies that one should be aware of?

Thanks for taking the time to do the AMA, and for giving us all such amazing stories. I look forward to seeing you in Brooklyn for the Alloy of Law book signing in November! --Kaladin_Stormblessed

1) It is becoming...not a problem, but an issue I'm aware of. Basically, it means that instead of answering every person on Twitter/Facebook who contacts me, it means picking a little time each day and answering a handful of them. I feel bad about that, but I do want to maintain the interaction, so this seems the best way to do it.

I don't ever see myself becoming reclusive. I feel that in the sf/f community, a writer is part of a larger group of readers and thinkers. Those of us being paid to write are being directly supported by the community. I owe pretty much everything I have, including my ability to do what I love for so much of each day, to the readers.

2) Yes, a few, but they haven't really been that bad. Most are just awkward--but, having grown up as a sf/f nerd myself, I'm familiar with awkwardness. I have had people recognize me on the street, but only a handful of times.

Best story: I'm at the dentist, and I'm talking to the hygienist. One of the other hygienists--in the middle of working on some guy who has his mouth pried open by restraints--screams "Wait. You've got BRANDON SANDERSON over there?" She leaps up and leaves the poor fellow to come fangirl for a few minutes.

Being a writer, though, those moments are rare. My "fame" is really very low-key, unless I'm at a signing or the like.

3) LOVE oatmeal with butterscotch, toffy, or chocolate chips. (Or, well, really anything.) No allergies. See you in November!

Do you think publishers will ever get behind the idea of selling a hardcover book with an e-book coupon inside? Before I got my nook I would usually get two hardcover copies of your books, one to be signed and never read (sit pretty on my shelf) and the second to be read and personalized. I still plan on buying two hardcover’s, but now prefer reading on my nook, but not sure if I want to spend another $15 for the convenience of keeping my book in my pocket and not having to remember what page I left off on. --Halo6819

I certainly hope so. I actually lobbied hard to get it for The Way of Kings.

The problem was not desire, the problem was logistics. However, Baen has this down already. (I believe they sold a recent Honor Harrington hardcover with a CD inside that included ALL of the previous books in ebook for free.)

In fact, if you like ebooks and want to support publishers doing more with them in an DRM free way, go support the Baen Free Library. (My publisher, Tom Doherty and founder of Tor, is a silent partner in Baen, so we might see something similar for Tor eventually.)

I will work hard to get the ebook-hardcover combo working. I don't think it's too far off from happening for popular books. (Where the printing costs of adding a CD are lowered by huge print runs.)

Thanks for doing this. As someone who wants to be a fantasy author, you're a huge inspiration to me.

My question: How are you able to write so consistently? What do you do to prevent yourself from being distracted, and what do you do when you hit a block on something in a book you're writing? --supahamir

1) I see this phantom cubical chasing me, over my shoulder. If I slow down, it catches me, and I have to go get a regular job and become an insurance salesman or something.

2) Well, sometimes I have to just close the browser (and the like fifty tabs worth of material I've found on reddit) and turn off the internet for a little while... Sometimes it's done by setting daily goals for myself (wordcount wise) and not letting myself go do fun things--video games, etc--until I've hit my wordcount.

Motivation isn't a huge problem for me. I keep coming back to the idea that writing, and telling stories, is what I like to do most in the world. Yes, it can be tough at times. It is work. But unless I'm writing each day and creating something, I feel like I just haven't accomplished anything.

As for writer's block, I did a couple of post on that already. Here and here. (links to previous questions)

Hey Brandon, thanks for doing this! Do you listen to music when you write? What are you currently listening to? --puckthepirate

Yes. I use various Pandora stations for different moods.

Right now, it's one based on Tangerine Dream.

I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but you know that someone has to ask this question at some point:

Who killed Asm....

Oh wait, wrong question!

looks in bag of overasked questions

Ah yes, there it is:

Is there any forward movement on a Wheel of Time movie, TV series, or video game?

Thanks for taking the time to be bombarded with our questions --skylatron

Movie: No movement, if you're up to date on things I've said over the summer. Those things are thus. The books have been bought (not optioned) by Universal. They are planning on doing feature films, one per book. Many of us have suggested that television would be a better venue. (Perhaps Game of Thrones will persuade them.) I have met the studio exec and writer, but have been told I cannot release names. A script is done, but needs a lot of work.

Video Games: Red eagle is working with Obsidian on video games. I have suggested a KotOR style RPG. I don't know yet if they will listen, though there are talks of doing an Age of Legends MMO, and of exploring various time periods in the world. No specific games have been announced or begun, I believe.

I read somewhere that RJ said the final story wasn't set in stone, and was fluid depending of circumstances, feelings, etc. Are the notes that he left older notes from the beginning (original thoughts), or newer notes from right before he passed (changed from his feeling in the beginning of the series)?

And how much of the ending are you creating, not just filling in the blanks per se?

Thanks so much for being there for all the fans of everything that you're writing. -- keebler980

1) I have both. There is a lot of flexibility, because often he implied things like: "I'll do this, or maybe this. The tone I'm looking for is this. Make it feel that way."

Some are hardfast. He wrote the last scene of the series, for example.

2) I'm not just filling in holes. At the same time, I'm trying hard to keep anything RJ said in mind, and trying to make the book fit his vision.

It's a tough balance. There is a lot of work to be done, depending on the character in question. For example, for TGS, he left a lot on Egwene, but less on Rand. In TofM, a lot on Matt, less on Perrin. He left a lot of notes on how everyone should end up after the Last Battle, but often did't say how they'd get there.

One of the things I've been impressed by is this: Harriet and Tor could have hired a ghost writer and pretended that RJ finished the book before he died. People would have believed them. However, while a ghost writer could have imitated RJ's voice, Harriet felt she wanted a fantasy novelist to do it. First, to be honest to the fans. Second, because there was enough work to be done that the person couldn't just connect dots, but would actually have to build parts of the story.

She gave me complete creative freedom to do what needed to be done, with the understanding that she would edit. (If you don't know, Harriet is one of the 'greats' in sf/f editing. She edited Ender's Game, for example, and may of the big fantasy and sf authors during the 70s and 80s. She discovered RJ, edited him, then married him.)

So, when I go wrong, she is there to push me the right direction. It's hard to answer a question of how much is me, and how much is RJ. His fingers are on every scene, as I'm trying to match the character voices (but not his writing style exactly) and get them right. Most scenes come from at least a comment in the notes here or there, and for some, he left a paragraph or two explanation. For others, he wrote the entire thing.

For some, I'm building it from the ground up, taking where the character was at the end of KoD and giving them a story that earns them the ending RJ mentioned for them.

Are Rand and Aviendha going to get some time on screen together in a Memory of Light? They had such an interesting dynamic and they have barely spoken for several books. -- rileysweeney

RAFO. (You knew that was coming, eh?)

Though...it should be noted that prophesy says that Avi will have Rand's children...so, that's going to be kind of tough if they don't see one another again.

Question 1: What is your feelings regarding the reception of the ending to the Mistborn Trilogy? From my experience online it seems that this was the most heavily criticized part of the series.

Question 2: Do you plan to write the stormlight archive books with the same POV characters throughout the series (like WoT) or do you think that you give other characters POV (aSoIaF) as the series continues?

Question 3: Strangest encounter with a fan?

Question 4: What are 5 epic fantasy series or stand alone books you'd recommend?

And lastly, thank you for taking the time to do this! --ISw3arItWasntM3

1) Most of what I've heard has been positive, in a hesitant way. If someone is going to have a complaint, it's going to be about the ending. However, they usually admit it was the right ending in the same email or post. The bittersweet nature of it bothers many people, however.

2) Most of the main POV characters have been introduced. Each book will take one major character (Kaladin, Dalinar, Adolin, Jasnah, Shallan, Navani, Szeth, Taln) and give them 'flashback' sequences in the same way Kaladin got flashbacks in the first book. There are some open spots for which I'm toying with other characters being used.

Other characters will get viewpoints now and then, but I feel that one of the ways that big series get off track is by changing the focus to side characters. (Note that I will continue doing the Interludes to give some other voices and perspectives screen time. Few of these will be main characters.)

3) Oh, I had one follow me to the car asking me questions after a signing that went until eleven. It's not all that strange, but it was kind of tiring at the time.

Suggestions (Not including my work, or Wheel of time, which are given.) 1) Tigana. Genius. Actually, most everything by Guy Kay. 2) Melanie Rawn's Sunrunner books. (Warning, they're a little romancy.) 3) Jim Butcher's Codex Alera.

4) Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly. (The book that got me into fantasy.) 5) Name of the Wind.

You previously mentioned on twitter a GRRM-esque moment in AMoL. Any more on that? In the end are you going to apologize or feel awesome? --Axelkappa

When the book is out, ask me about this. I'll tell you which one it was.

It's something I was struggling with, trying different takes on. Finally, some things came together. I'll say more, but I'll put it in spoiler text. (It's not very spoilery, but some people don't want to know anything.)

Hi Brandon.

Things...

thing 1: I am not gonna lie, before you were chosen to finish up tWoT, I had no idea who you were. After reading your first addition to that series, I now have every book you've put out. I doubt I'm the only one out there like this, do you feel like your own sales have doubled/tripled/petered-off/declined/diminished/are no more primarily due to tWOT and Jordan's untimely passing?

thing 2: For years, I've tried to get my wife into reading the fantasy novels I enjoy. And, I'm happy to admit, that the Mistborn Trilogy is what has finally taken her attention.

So, thank you for that, thanks for writing books that bring me much enjoyment, and I definitely look forward to your upcoming works. (Really enjoyed the WOKs, btw, excellent start to that, sir.)

OK, questions:

1) Who do you enjoy reading?

2) How do you shape your heroes? To the plot or do you shape the plot to them? (I guess this is a which came first question...)

3) What's the coolest thing you've purchased since you've become a famous writer? (cheesy question, but hey, why not?) --Angry_Caveman_Lawyer

1) It's hard to separate these days. However, I got to huge boosts. When the announcement was made, all of my books jumped up to having 'first week' sales again. Most entertainment mediums follow the same slope. Huge first week sales, then a tapering off on a steady curve. (Sleeper hits and new books by first time authors don't follow this.)

When The Gathering Storm came out, I got another big boost, which was again a kind of 'First week' sales thing--though in that case, the bigger boost came around Christmas. It seemed that people bought Gathering Storm, read it, thought about it, then asked for one of my books for Christmas.

In the long run, it's going to be very hard--as I said--to separate how many readers tried me out because of the Wheel of Time. As books take on lives of their own (as Mistborn did) they gain a readership through word of mouth. However, how much of that 'taking on a life of its own' happened because of the initial WoT boosts?

1) I like reading very widely, however my first love of sf/f basically holds the majority of my reading time. It kind of rubs me wrong when I hear of an author who doesn't read in their own genre. It feels like a doctor, not caring to stay up to date on what other doctors are doing.

My favorite living writer is Terry Pratchett. Most recently, I read a big chunk of the Hugo-nominated works this year so that I could vote intelligently on the awards.

2) I usually design my plot in some detail before I begin. (Though not in as much detail as the world, which I spend a LOT of time on.) I build it using the idea of focus scenes--powerful, game-changing scenes that I imagine cinematically and then try to 'earn' though building my plot.

Once that is done, I start my book with the characters. Characters, I grow organically. In writing terms, we speak of what we call "outline" writers and what we call "discovery" writers. (GRRM calls them "Architects" and "Gardeners.") I outline write my settings and to a lesser extent my plots, but I discovery write my characters.

In doing so, once I start the book, the character takes center stage. They have, at any point, the right to change the plot in any way to fit what they would actually do. I will often try a few different 'characters' in a lead role when starting a book. For example, there were three different Vins I tried out for Mistborn. The first one (which was a boy) did not work. The second one (a female) did not work either. It was the third time that I got her right.

3) Power Nine Magic Cards. I've always wanted them, and so I finally said, "You know, I had the #1 selling epic fantasy book in the world last year. I can probably afford these now..."

I'm not much of a spender, though, so it actually was kind of tough to get myself to do it. I love having them, though. (And yes, I'm a nerd. That chick from Gizmodo would TOTALLY have written something snide about me.)

It seems if you're not lurking on Reddit, you're either giving advice to someone on r/writing, or offering someone a book on r/books. Does interacting with readers and writers help motivate you? How important do you think community is when it comes to relatively solitary activities like reading and writing? --RattusRattus

That's a great observation, one that I don't think a lot of people see. Writing is very solitary. Having some interaction, even faceless, is good for me.

Beyond that, when trying to break in, I got a lot of good advice from established writers. I feel that in writing--sf/f particularly--there's a feeling that we're all in it together. There's a great tradition of the pros helping the newer writers, and I want to continue it.

WHO IS HOID? --Yserbius

A character from my books. (/trollface)

Brandon, when are you coming to the Netherlands (or an other country in Europe for that matter)? I'd love to meet you some day... --Athara

I was actually in the Netherlands this summer. (Sorry if I missed you.)

This goes for anyone else--if you want to know when I'll be visiting your area, drop me an email through my website and ask to be on the mailing list. (Also, tell me generally where you live.) I don't spam. I send out specific emails to people when I visit their country/city.

I'll be back in Europe this November to do a tour in the UK. I should be in France again next year. (I was there this summer, as well as last fall.)

Any plans to write in another genre such as mystery or historical fiction? --bjh13

Not currently. Anything I think of that is in another genre usually transforms into sf/f by the end. So, there will probably always be at least SLIGHT sf/f elements. I could see myself doing a Jurassic Park style thriller, though.

Which of the many fight scenes you have written would you most like to see done in film? --FirstRyder

I wouldn't mind seeing the Kelsier/Inquistior confrontation in Mistborn done in film.

Is Sazed the "Seventeenth Shard", as referred to in the epigraphs of part two of The Way of Kings? --basstrace

Those who are speaking about it below are leading you the right way. Sazed is not the Seventeeth Shard. Whether he's IN the Seventeenth Shard is another question. It is an organization.

Oh I just thought of another question. I've been to a couple of your signings and I know you love to get MTG cards as gifts from your fans. Is there anything else you like? --Nolder

I never say no to cookies or the like.

I'm a new reader (just finished Elantris last night) so I don't have any specific questions about your books. But I'd like to know more about your writing style.

Is there an element of fantasy writing that you particularly enjoy or dislike? For example, do you like worldbuilding more or less than individual character development, or are they "different but equal"?

Is there anything you want a reader to notice when they pick up one of your books for the first time? Like, do you want people to take note of how you address social themes, or appreciate your particularly clever uses of language, or just enjoy the damnation book? --Volrik

1) Different but equal depending on the stage. I love planning worlds, but I prefer to discovery write characters. (See here for more info.)

During the writing of a book, the character moments are the best. During the planning, the worldbuilding parts are the best.

2) I don't look to inject specific social agendas into my books. If anything, I try very hard to approach concepts like that from multiple angles, as I believe it is through discussion and thought that progress is made. So, I don't mind if people see the issues, but I hope that it's the characters (who feel differently about those issues) that take the stage. let the character passions decide what the themes of a book will be.

In the end, I really want people to enjoy the ride and perhaps think about some questions as viewed by people who are different from themselves. My grand aspiration is not about changing the world, so much as learning to tell stories about characters who feel real.

How did finding out the ending(s) to The Wheel of Time affect you personally? I feel like I have known these characters for so many years, and to not have something else to look forward to is going to be so weird for me.

Also, just wanted to say thanks for dedicating so much of your time and energy to finishing The Wheel of Time. I just started reading Way of Kings and I'm excited to keep reading. --sparhawk1985

I felt, reading it, that Robert Jordan's ending was deeply satisfying. I liked it a lot. It is also weird to know that, to one extent, it's all over.

(Thanks for reading.)

Will Stormlight 2 have more Shallan? I require more Shallan. --radda

Much more Shallan. It's probably going to be her 'flashback' book.

What was your opinion of A Dance with Dragons? --LionofLannister

Halo 6819 is right. I think GRRM is a genius, and I read Game of Thrones specifically to try to learn from his wonderful use of character. However, the brutality of it (Daenerys specifically) while beautiful on one hand, was just too much for me. Perhaps some day I'll read the rest.

Hey Brandon! Thanks for taking the time to answer questions here!

Feel free to answer only however many of these you want to.

1) Are Shardblades the physical form of one of the Shardholder's on Roshar (much as we saw the physical form of a Shardholder play a role in Mistborn)?

2) Why did you settle on a Nicrosil Misting for your second Mistborn trilogy? Did you consider any other types?

3) Will we see any Shardholders beyond the three already at work? Specifically, will we see Bavadin?

4) Is Peter employed by you, or by Tor? I suspect that you CHOSE him, but what I mean is did they offer to pay an assistant and you hired them, or is it something you did on your own?

5) I am coming to the Seattle signing for Alloy of Law. Do you think you'll have time for MTG on this tour? Should I bring my cards? =D --MindCanaries

1) Answer is forthcoming in one of the future books. 2) I considered others, but in the end this was one aspect of the magic system I hadn't explored yet but which is very important for the future of the series. I wanted to start establishing it. 3) You will see other Shards. Bavadin is on the planet Taldain, where White Sand takes place. 4) Employed by me. It is something I did on my own.

5) I'll bring mine, but I've got to be frank with you. In Seattle it's hard to find time to play, since I usually end up visiting Google or Microsoft, then going to dinner with friends. (Ken lives there, for example.) So...I'll try, but I can't make promises.

How much do you plot out before writing, and how much simply comes while writing?

Do you edit as you go, or write a whole draft, then go back and change things?

What advice would you give to less successful, or unpublished writers?

Also- Thank you --douchebag_karren

1) I plot a medium amount, focused on goals. I usually build my outline backward. I decide what I want to happen, I write that event down, then I write bullet points beneath it to lay the groundwork of what would have to happen for it to occur. This is a fluid thing, and often changes as I write the book. However, I keep the outline current.

2) I do very little self-editing as I go. I feel it's important for me to lay down a draft to work with before I start tweaking. The exception is if a character just isn't working. (See my other answer on discovery writing.) In that case, I will sometimes go back, tear the character out and replace them.

3) Write. I wrote thirteen books before I sold one. I'll bet you can do better than that. Just keep at it. The only way to improve is to practice. Treat your early writing like a pianist, learning to play scales. Don't think of it as work you have to sell, think of it as your practice jam sessions where you get your feet underneath you. Don't stress too much if it doesn't go as you want. You'll learn.

Hi Brandon, I've been an avid lover of your books since I purchased Elantris just based on the cover alone, and was pleasantly surprised with a completely amazing work of fantasy on the inside.

My question is, why are they called Shardblades/Shardplate? Is it because they are a splinter of the the Shard Honor, or is there something more to them than that? --b4dave

Thanks!

As for your question, you are on the right track.

Considering that you have the podcast, are on twitter, and have even replied to me personally in e-mail (some years back) it's pretty clear that you've gotten and responded to a lot of questions that people pose.

I'd wager that virtually every question that appears in this thread will have already been answered at some point in the past.

So, what question that you have never been asked would you like to be asked, and what's the answer?

If you don't have any, then what drugs did you and Ken Jennings do in college to become so good in your areas of relative expertise? --krizazy

Ha. You know, the question I dread most is the "What should I be asking you?" question. I can never think of anything.

I think, with both Ken and myself, the trick was just following our hearts and being lucky, both in large measure.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! I have 3 WOT related and 1 Mistborn question. Much appreciated!

Are there any rogue Heroes of the Horn?

Does the a'dam only work when the collar is worn around the neck?

Did the Dark One try to resist when Rand cleansed Saidin?

Do soothing and rioting work on a telepathic or physiological level (or both)?

Looking forward to The Alloy of Law and Brooklyn signing! --WinespringBrother

Hi, Winespring. How are things?

1) Depends on your definition of rogue. 2) Yes, so far as I know. 3) His resistance was primarily through the people he sent. 4) Primarily telepathic, though the body does respond physiologically. After the Soother is gone, the emotion remains for a time, so long as it was a natural emotion. Strong soothing/riotings against a person's nature can wear off quickly, and the body react (sometimes) with a strong opposite emotion in response. A very good Soother/Rioter can inspire emotions that begin telepathic only, but then have a response in the body, so the emotion gets more cemented.

Will Birgitte Silverbows eternal love Gaidal Cain show up in AMoL? Or if you cant answer that: will Gaidal Cain be spun out as a hero of the horn of Valere should the horn be sounded again? Can a hero show up there if alive? Will a hero become a "copy" that rests within the horn untill called to arms?

edit: cleaned up the question. (thx by the way on answering me on Greek Mythologi:) --simenisak

As I understand, if you are 'spun out' you do not respond to the call of the Horn. So no Cain showing up if it is sounded again, as he's been spun out.

RAFO for the the first.

How often is a "weeping" in Way of Kings? --som1else

Once a year. Opposite it in the year is an extremely powerful highstorm.

You have, undoubtedly, mastered the fantasy genre. Do you ever see yourself writing science fiction?

I ask because I remember reading two or three years ago on TWG that your plan is to make the second Mistborn trilogy set in a steampunk/industrialized world and the third and final trilogy in a more sci-fi setting. So I'm just wondering if that plan still holds. --Quafe

Both of my novellas linked above are SF.

I do plan to do SF in the future. The final Mistborn trilogy will indeed be sf, with a deep understanding of Allomancy and Feruchemy having allowed them to figure out a method of FTL travel. I also have a space opera I've been wanting to write. So far, no time.

Just out of curiosity - which subreddits are you subscribed to? --Dovienya

Oh, boy. A lot.

Many of the standards, but not politics or atheism. May of the writing related, fantasy and sf. Artisan and artisan videos. Depthhub (love it) and true reddit (also very good.) In depth stories, food for thought. First world problems always makes me laugh. F7U12 is a guilty pleasure. Parenting, specart, LDS. Most of the the ones dedicated to my work or the wot. Worldbuilding. And some others like unto the ones above.

Is Allriane really Cett's daughter? Skaa have to have Allomancy in the past six generations to get Allomancy and Cett says that she is the first person in their family to get Allomancy for centuries. --som1else

Yes, she is. Good thinking, though.

When plotting a series of books, how do you account for plot changes you didn't foresee you had to do? For instance, I read that Elend was originally going to be a minor character, but the end of Mistborn wouldn't have been the same without him. How did you work him into the plot later on without breaking the story? --Remagoen

After I wrote the first book, and Elend grew more important in my mind, I reworked the three-book-outline. Usually, when I build a series, I spend a lot of time on the first book and then have a few paragraphs on the rest. Then, after finishing the first book and seeing how it worked (and how the tone was) I go and do much more in-depth outlines for the rest of the series.

When the first book is happening, things are much more 'anything goes' as I don't have any established cannon yet. I allow myself to toss the rest of the outlines out the window, and just try to make the first book the best it can be. From there, I have continuity, and I feel it is important to maintain that for the integrity of the series.

I have no questions as of this moment (maybe I'll come up with something later) but I just wanted to let you know that one of my favorite scenes of all time is when Dalinar asks Kaladin how much a man is worth. That simple question, with the simple answer, pretty much sums up a lot of how I feel about other people and I found it incredibly inspiring to read about people who could sacrifice so much for others.

EDIT: I came up with a question! I know from reading your blog and various other comments that many of your books are in the same cosmos/universe, specifically Mistborn, Elantris, Warbreaker, and Way of Kings. I also am pretty sure that one day you'd like to do a series that ties all the different series/books together into one super-series. So my question is, would the various magic systems work on different worlds? For example, would a Mistborn be able to use his/her abilities in the world Way of Kings is located on? --insertcleverphrase

It depends on the magic system. They are all related to a kind of "Spiritual DNA" that one gets from their heritage on a specific planet. However, there are ways around that. (Hemalurgy, for example, 'staples' a piece of someone else's soul to your own, and creates a work around to give you access to magic you shouldn't have.) Some of the magics are more regionally tied than others. (In Elantris, you have to access the Dor, which is very regionally influenced.)

The end answer is this: With in-depth knowledge of how the magics work, and their connection, one could probably get them all to work on other planets. It may take effort for some of them.

You've mentioned before that RJ left pages and pages of notes, including character development for characters that we've never even seen "on screen". So my question is twofold - how great as a WoT fan was it to get to read those, and is there any chance at all that they will ever be publicly available?

By the way, big fan of everything I've read of yours so far. Looking forward to the next Stormlight book probably more than AMoL. Thanks! --pivotal

1) It was awesome. It also helped me grow a lot as a writer.

2) I would like, once this is all done, to publish a nonfiction book that includes a lot of the notes, along with explanations of what I did where and how I adapted specific notes. It will be Harriet's call. She doesn't want people's last memory of RJ to be the unfinished things he wrote, as he was very careful not to show unpolished work even to her. I can respect this.

Are you planning to visit any counties other than UK and France in Europe any time soon? --leaf25

I'm afraid that the soonest would be a year from now, when I plan to visit the continent again and hope to get to Germany and a few other countries I haven't visited yet. My trips to Taiwan and Australia next spring are going to dominate all of my travel time.

Brandon, thank you for your books. You got me back into fantasy.

What I really like is how you can go on your website and for every book, you have a "bonus" section. Annotations, deleted scenes, maps, and so many other goodies. My question is how much time do you spend on this? I understand it's part of the writing process, but it takes time to gather all the info and present it like this. Do you think it's worth it? (I surely do, so I hope you will keep on doing it). Thanks! --coroner4

It does take a lot of time, but I feel it is worth it. My readers directly support me in this job. I feel I want to give them the most bang for their buck, so to speak, in return.

The Mistborn series is among by top 5 series. I know Alloy of Law is coming out soon (November) and I am grateful for the early release of the 6-7 chapters released through tor.com. I want to say thank you for the many hours curled up with a book enjoying a mighty fine read. There are not many, in fact, very few authors, that I have given up on early in (some of) their stories. Also, thank you for almost always seeming genuine and kind to all your fans. With that said, Ze Qvestions Are Coming!

I really enjoyed Warbreaker, in fact I bought the hard copy when it first came out, and I would love to see another book in this world. The way that it ends is an obvious gateway into another adventure and leaves with so much potential. Have you ever thought about going back to expand on this world?

A.)This question is kind of multi leveled. I recently read that you are having both a game (pen and paper rpg/possibly video game later down the road) and movie of Mistborn come out/in the works. Would you be willing to expand the story(ies) in Mistborn to accommodate more installments? Are you willing to compromise things for the big corporation changes that normally come from this type of adaptations? If so, how/what?

B.) Gaming seems to be a decent chunk of your life. Has any games, in specific, influenced your writing or world/magic system creation? (I assume Magic The Gathering has a good influence on some of this, but I just wanted to ask) -- RedBeardRaven

1) There will be a second book in the series (though that is the end) eventually.

2A) For the video game, RPG, I am quite involved. In these, the goal is to expand on the world and story, not just retell the original trilogy. The video game, for example, will happen in the past of the world, closer to the founding of the Final Empire.

As for the film, I am as involved as I can be--but that's not always very much, where the writer is concerned. I think the risk is worth the potential payoff, but it IS a risk. The film could be a terrible adaptation. I like the producer/screenwriter, however, and so far I've been very involved.

2B) Oh, boy. Hard to say, since I've been playing many of them since childhood. Often, I find myself reacting against their magic systems, since I feel that books need to do things differently than games do. However, the rule-based nature of my magic systems may owe a nod to Palladium's systems. (Which I have always enjoyed very much.)

You've been publishing at an amazing rate for several years, though I understand you've largely exhausted your "buffer" -- the books you had written before becoming a published author. Can you keep your current pace? Is it too exhausting? How many books do you think you'll be able to publish in the next 10 years? Will you please continue to write until they nail your coffin shut, just like RJ? --slyth

1) I wrote 13 before I got published. Warbreaker, The Way of Kings, and Mistborn all took pieces of already written works. (Though I started from scratch in all three cases, stealing out the 'best' of their respective unpublished versions.) I still have two of these (White Sand and Aether of Night) that have good enough magic systems or concepts that the will see publication (in one form or another) eventually.

2) I cannot keep the current pace, as proven by 2011 having only one book release and 2012 likely only having one as well.

3) I would like to get back to one long book (in a series, probably) and one short book (an experimental work) a year, as I did during the early years.

4) I want, when I die, them to find me sitting in my chair with my face having fallen on the keyboard and having just typed seven thousand pages worth of the letter 'Z.' In this way, I'll have written even after I die.

You're awsome. Your books, your dedication to fans, as Kaladin_Stormblessed mentioned... Just awesome.

About Way of Kings: some Surgebindings have strangely similar symbols - left half of one is the right half of another. There are two such pairs. Is that important, or just a coincidece or something?

Is Jezren a Sliver? --eri_pl

1) Thanks! 2) I don't believe there is any connection there. 3) Jezrien is one of the Heralds, but has never held the power of an entire Shard himself. (So no, not a Sliver.)

As an aspiring writer I love picking the brain of published authors. My question to you is, how much do you outline before you begin writing? I've read some interviews where some authors, (Stephen King for example) does it all in his head and then writes from what he remembers, then others seem to outline almost every detail and then fill in the dialogue as they go. Do you lean one way or the other, or are you completely different in how you approach the pre-writing preparation? Thanks so much. --Thomas_Dare

I've answered this several places. Here is one of them.

If you search for "outline" and "discovery" you'll find some other things I've said. However, on a scale of Outline to No Outline my worlds are on the far left, my plots in the middle, and my characters on the right.

First off, I love the "dying world" settings that you use in a lot of books (ash covered ground, lands wracked by fierce winds, grey slime covered walls, even your Wheel of Time books focus a lot on the decay caused by the Dark Ones touch).

What made you decide on a 10 book length for The Stormlight Archive? Do you have the entire thing planned out, including how it will be paced and plotted?

Can we get your breakdown and opinion on the character development of Sazed and how you compare to him? I think he's one of the most philosophically interesting characters I have read in a while. --Yserbius

1) I had eight characters I wanted to tell a story about, and wanted to give each one a book to include flashbacks and specific character development. Once I got to outlining, I realized that I had material for about ten books, and ten was a very special number in the world. So I settled on that.

It will be paced and plotted much as the first, though I plan the future books to be a little shorter than the first establishing one. There will be two primary five-book arcs, so you could consider it two series of five, if you'd prefer.

2) Getting Sazed right was actually quite hard for the last book. (The annotations speak in depth about this.) My first major revision of the book was to work on Sazed's character and personality in that novel. He and I think similarly in many ways, though he is far more emotional than I am. I have never had as serious a bout of depression as he faced in that book, though he and I have some similar perspectives on religion.

Brandon! Thanks for taking some questions. This has been bugging me for a while and I would like to know if you have an answer for this.

Why does Verin make Mat promise to obey her letter if he opened it in ToM? In my mind of course if he would have obeyed the letter if he read it. All that Verin had to do was say "Mat, read this in a few days it's super important" then since he didn't have any reason not to read the letter he would read it and prevent the horrible battle with the trollocs. What was Verin's reasoning? --Shillster

A couple of things here.

The primary one is that Verin had to work around her oaths, which required her to go through some strange mental gymnastics. She actually tried out different ways of getting this information across, and could never make it work. (In her pouch was actually a letter that said something similar to Mat, but which read "Ignore what I say and open this immediately.) She couldn't pick it up at the moment, however. The oaths were binding. She would either have had to take poison right then, or bet on Mat being too impatient to wait.

Second thing is this, and it's a slight spoiler for the next book.

She built in a redundancy

Let's just say that Verin...didn't understand Mat as well as she thought that she did.

Hm, I should probably ask you something. Let's see, what comes to mind?

I know Robert Jordan always answered this by saying, whichever character he was writing at the moment, but, as you were fan of WoT to start with...who are some of your favorite characters, as a fan of the series, from Wheel of Time? --rand_althor

Now: Whoever I'm writing.

Before I started: Perrin, Aviendha, Tuon, Mat, Rand, Tam.

Hey Brandon, thanks for doing this. One unanswered WoT question that comes to mind...why did Moiraine's bond with Lan break when the doorway burned? Did she intentionally release it? Also, will we get more details on how/if Lanfear died in AMOL? --Terez27

1) She did not intentionally release it. RJ has something about this in the notes, but I don't have the quote handy. It basically has to do with the severing of the link between worlds.

2)Yes.

I have a few questions: 1 - Why are the people of Roshar so much more aware of the Cosmere? They seem to know more than any other world you've written to date.

2- I've read that you were thinking of 32-36 books total for the Cosmere, but it seems like the series are going to go beyond that if numbers you've given before are published (e.g. Mistborn being a trilogy of trilogies so 9, Stormlight Archive 10, Warbreaker 2, Dragonsteel 6 or 7, and still White Sand and others to come) so has the estimate of 32 been thrown out the window?

3 - Are there Dawnshards that aren't swords? The Parshindi person had a unique looking sword, so will we see any that in a spear for Kaladin or any other weapon?

4 - You've mentioned that other books in the Stormlight Archive will have different characters as their focus, is this linked to the 10 orders of the Knights Radiant? Or is this just coincidence?

Thanks for being such an amazing author. You work is fantastic, and I hope all is going well with aMoL. --sandersonfan

1) I believe the people of whom you are speaking are mostly not native to Roshar. On another side, however, it is the first planet we've seen with three Shards, and it is the furthest along in the timeline. One final thing is that they had some very unique experiences early in the planet's history. It involves the Heralds, and various items I think would be spoilers right now.

2) Eh...I don't know. My original breakdown:

Mistborn 9 Wabreaker 2 Elantris 3 White Sand 3 Stormlight 10 Silence Divine 1 Dragonsteel 7 (A two book and a five book.)

That's the 32, with allowances for a few side stories to get us to 36. There are planets not included in that, however, that I may write stories about. So maybe. But the core cycle is this (in order)

Dragonsteel Mistborn first trilogy Stormlight - Mistborn second trilogy (around the same time.) Mistborn third trilogy.

Everything else is important in their own stories, but as we're talking about the connections between the worlds are considered, this is the prime cosmere cycle.

3) RAFO.

4) It is linked. I may not be able to completely link it, but I'm going to try. The first book's symbol (on the front) is the symbol of the Windrunners.

Which Korea mission did you serve in? --adbarney

Seoul West under President Swain.

Can you give us any updates on the (hopefully) upcoming Mistborn game? Same question for the movie deal you twitted about quite some time back. --leaf25

Which one? Pen and paper RPG or video game?

Pen and paper is done. Coming out this fall, probably. I am hoping to go to Gencon next year to support it.

Video Game deal has not been signed yet, but contract negotiations are done and we should sign soon. I can give more details then.

Movie deal: An actor for Vin has been tentatively attached, though it's very preliminary. Screenplay is done, and I got the latest draft in July. It's quite good.

Brandon, you're awesome for doing this. Thanks for being so open. I have some very theoretical cosmere questions (as usual), but I'll keep it spoiler light.

Can Hoid jump through time? If so, can Shards jump through time?

Allomancy provides many very dramatic effects, which some have noted is not very much like Preservation. Could you walk me through how Allomancy is of Preservation, though it does dramatic, dynamic things? I'm curious whether there is a deeper significance here than Preservation simply needing to be Ruin's opposite. It's a little odd that Preservation would inherently give up its power to fuel Allomancy, because you'd think he would preserve himself, you know? Does that make sense? --Chaos2651

1) Hoid, so far, has only moved forward in time. He has not 'lived' all of those years, but has used some time dilation techniques. That said, he is far older (both in relative and real time) than a normal person can live.

2) One of the 'basics' of the magic in all of the worlds is that the energy of Shards can fuel all kinds of interactions, not just interactions based on their personality/role. I did this because otherwise, the Magics would all be extremely limited.

The 'role' of the Shard has to do with the WAY the magic is obtained, not what it can do. So, in Preservation's case, the magic is a gift--allowing a person to preserve their own strength, and rely upon the strength granted by the magic. While Hemalurgy has a huge cost, ending in net entropy.

3) Yes, there is, but I can't talk about it now.

4) Preservation, as a Shard, is about preserving life, people, and the like. Not about self. No more than Ruin is about destroying self, or Cultivation is about growing herself.

How would you say that your relgious beliefs influence your writing? Have you received any criticism from your coreligionists for the content of your novels? --wishanem

Being a person who is, myself, religious, I am fascinated by religion and all of its different effects and mindsets. This is why you see me exploring religious characters, and those who are not religious, in my books. The different ways people look at these things are fascinating to me.

One of my core ideas when it comes to writing is that I feel I should express all sides of an issue, and try to do so well. I can't do every side in every book, but I try to be aware of my own biases. I think this actually has to do with my core religious nature--as one of my fundamental beliefs is that if something is right, it should be able to stand up to STRONG arguments opposing it, not just weak ones. Without strong opposition, there cannot be a discovery of truth.

I have received all kinds of criticism, from all sides. I have gotten emails from people who will not read my books because I am LDS, and from others who feel I am far too liberal in my writing, and should be advocating a certain view.

Usually, I don't pay much heed. The exception is with the Wheel of Time, where I try to be extra careful, as I don't want my own bias to take control of Mr. Jordan's series.

Hi Brandon, two questions for you:

1) Do you ever plan to re-write or release White Sand? I loved it when you sent it to me and am dying to know, also White Sand sequel?

2) How awesome is Dan Wells new ebook? --aspectual

1) I will write that book again, I promise. However, I cannot embark on too many series at once. So perhaps I will do it after Stormlight, but before digging into the next main Mistborn sequence.

2) Imagine a the most awesome real life creature you can think of. (A shark, obviously.) Then think of the most awesome feature someone can have. (A manly beard, obviously.)

This book is a great white shark with a epic manly beard that is circling [insert political figure you hate] getting ready for the kill. It's that awesome.

Is The Alloy of Law something that someone who has not read the previous Mistborn novels will feel lost in, or is it a place that new readers can jump into the world? --sblinn

It was written as a new place people can enter. It has only slight spoilers for the original trilogy, most of which a new reader won't realize are spoilers until they've read the original trilogy.

As readers, we hear a lot about your writing process. But could you talk a little bit about your revision process? (Semi-related - how do you take a book like the Way of Kings through a writing group? Surely chapter-by-chapter critiques, which seem to be the norm, would take years!)

Do you still have your beard from ComicCon? --stormingthecastle

1) I am a goal-based revisionist. I come up with a list of things I want to fix, I rank them in order of import, then I go through the book and read it page one until the end, fixing as I go. Every revision also has the goal of cleaning up the language and fixing the line-by-line.

2) The writing group agreed to accept 15k chunks for KINGS so I could get it out on time.

3) Still have it.

Will A Memory of Light be released as an e-book at the same time as the hardcover next year, or will we have to wait? And by the way, I loved both a Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight and look forward to reading other works by you (I'm currently re-reading the Wheel of Time series, I started a few weeks ago, and am almost finished the Dragon Reborn). Also, am I crazy or was a Memory of Light originally slated for November of this year?

Thanks for doing an AMA! --MattSteelblade

1) It's unlikely. Harriet has much worry about the ebook format, and the fact that we wouldn't have gotten #1 on the time list if we'd done the ebook release at the same time has her extra jumpy. She released the ebook earlier than expected by my request last time, and I think we'll get it even earlier this time. But it probably won't be at the same time.

(Though, it may depend on how the Times counts ebooks then. Harriet feels it's important for RJ's legacy that these last few books continue the string of being #1 hits.)

2) Yes, it was originally. After how hard it was to get TofM out on time (and after using up all of my 'buffer' by having books written and in the publication process before I started on TGS) we revised that date. It was just too much to do. Next year sometime for sure, though.

I've seen in your answers to previous questions that you are always open to changing aspects of your story so long as it's not already written in another book, or more importantly so that it doesn't contradict what the reader already knows.

That being said, how much of the Cosmere and its story would you say you already have a plan for? For example, do you more or less already know how each world and story ties into one another, or is that something that changes as you write? Given that there seem to be some constants in this universe (the number of shards, etc.), is there an end to these stories as a whole, or is it an ever-expanding universe?

If you answer this in a previous question, feel free to simply refer to that comment and I'll go find it. --blorcit

Things do change as I evolve as a writer.

There is an end to this story. Dragonsteel-Kings-Mistborn are all fairly well planned out, but I must allow myself flexibility.

Hi Brandon,

I've noticed some similarities between the father-son pairs of Dalinar/Adolin and Mormon/Moroni, was that intentional or did it creep in subconsciously? The M/M relationship is an incredibly powerful one for me and I'm glad to see it pop-up in unexpected places.

Thanks for doing this, I'm always impressed by the level of interaction you have with your readers.

Can't wait of Alloy of Law!

though the teaser chapters have made the wait torture --kmolleja

That's not intentional, but it could certainly be unconscious influence.

Thanks for reading!

How can a writer with a good book make connections with publishers? I'm not asking for myself.

I'm asking for this writer, and for every family that wants to raise children with open minds. --FallingSnowAngel

Easiest way in sf/f is to attend conventions--World Fantasy convention, which is professionally oriented, being the best. Worldcon is good too, as is the Nebula Weekend.

Brandon,

I have a question regarding your podcast. I am a fellow local author and my first novel just debuted on July 31, 2011. Would you consider me as a candidate for your podcast? If so, how do I go about setting up the air-time?

Also, what avenues have you found to be most successful for promoting your personal writings? --terron_james

Send me an email. I'd be happy to consider you. We record in batches, these days, because we need to fly Mary out to join us. Next batch is in November.

I found the best promotion was to visit bookstores, meet with their science fiction or fantasy reader on staff, and give them a free book. Other than that, writing great books, trying to have an active website, and avoiding the 'pushy' self-promotion methods such as thread hijacking or the like.

Once you are finished with AMoL, do you think there will be any prospect of making the series into a movie? I know there was talk of it a long time ago but nothing ever came of it. --DanK23

It is still under option by Universal. (Do a search on this page for Universal to get a few more details. There aren't many to be had, unfortunately.)

Will new versions of the Wheel of Time books be printed with the Ebook covers after AMoL is released? --RandTheHero

I'm pushing for it. Harriet is hesitant. She wants a re-release with something like the UK covers, more symbolic and classy. I kind of prefer the ebook covers, myself, though I wouldn't mind the UK covers.

How do you find the time to connect with your fans online so often while moving forward so quickly on AMoL and flying all around the country for book signings and panels? I have never seen an author so dedicated to... for lack of a better term... customer satisfaction. --shokker

I work long hours. Fortunately, I love to do it.

I've read a considerable amount of SF/F, and you're one of the most prominent writers in my mind when I'm decide what to dust off and reread again. You've got great stuff, and I'm looking forward to your stories in the future.

exhales Alright. Fanboyism out of the way: my question is simple. What were your most major influences for writing? Writers, personal experiences, values, beliefs, concepts...these are the things that I'm curious about when I read your novels. --KoryuObihiro

Thanks!

I'm deeply influenced by a lot of the fantasy authors from the late 80's and early 90's. (I put a list of suggestions in another post.) Basically, if it was out during that time, I've probably read it. I developed my style based on a few things.

1) Being annoyed at the same story being told again and again in fantasy. 2) Loving books that did rule-based magic systems with an almost scientific feel. (Melanie Rawn is a good example here.) 3) Wanting to have cinematic fight sequences. (Film influence there. See Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and its ilk.) 4) Loving the deep third person viewpoint as done by people like Robert Jordan, where everything you see is filtered though the eyes of a distinctive character.

Hi Brandon, just want to say first that i enjoy your books and am looking forward to the epis that "The Stormlight Achive" promises to be.

I was wondering whether you volunteered to finish the wheel of time or if you were approached and asked to finish it. Also do you find it difficult to set aside your own projects in order to complete it? --Jonathan_Entwisle

I was approached. I didn't know I was being considered until Harriet called me on the phone.

The hardest part was putting aside all of the quirky little side projects I was working on. I decided I could still go forward with some of my main projects (The Way of Kings as an example) but would set aside the smaller things. It was tough. It was worth it, but tough.

I'll still get to them someday.

How many books to you anticipate writing for Stormlight Archives? Please write like 200 of them. --zackbelow

It is planned as two arcs of five, though I will shrink or increase if needed.

Brandon, I just actually finished a chapter in The Way of Kings when I saw this AMA. Heck, I just finished the 3 original Mistborn last week.

Your take on "Fantasy" is very unique, and honestly I want to know your inspiration for the "magic" of your worlds.

Mistborn Allomancy has the feel of good old Newtonian Physics, push pull and equal and opposite reactions.

Stormlight brings more laws of Physics into the realm of magic.

Do you have a background in Physics? Or is it just a source of inspiration for your worldbuilding? --Mongolor

I do have a science background (biochemstry, actually. Wish I'd picked physics.) I did move to English after a couple of semesters, as I decided I wanted to be a writer. But I've always been an armchair scientist.

My inspirations are a mix of authors (mentioned in other posts if you look) and my love of the era in human history when science was a wonder. If you look back at the early discoveries in science, there's this feel that it's a boundless frontier with a magic all its own. That fascinates me, and I love writing about similar things happening in worlds with physics that deviate from our own.

I read A Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin because on the front cover there was praise for the book from Robert Jordan. Are there any books that you would recommend? --MattSteelblade

Many. I posted a list above.

To add to the list: Brent Weeks, Robin Hobb, Pratchett (whom I love, but don't start with the first), Daniel Abraham (warning, some people find him very slow.) Read and really enjoyed the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms recently.

The thing about suggesting books, however, is that it's hard to make suggestions unless I know what someone likes. Someone who loves GRRM will probably like Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch, but might find Babara Hambly to be too bland. On the other hand, someone who likes Robin Hobb may find Hambly right up their alley. It's tough to judge. But those are authors I've liked. (Oh, and Erikson is quite good too; I just haven't read enough of him yet to feel like I'm doing him justice.)

Hello, Brandon. Thank you for making yourself available. My question is about the creation of chapters. How do you organize a chapter itself and its place in the overall continuum of the story?

Just began listening to your writing excuses podcast, btw. I learned about it thanks to Reddit. Great stuff! --PoleMiXx2

I organize a chapter by having a goal in mind. Usually, I have couple of goals. "In this chapter, I want to accomplish X, Y, Z." Usually, they are small things. "Introduce this character" or "Show these two people not getting along" or "reveal this little tiny secret about what is happening."

I get three or four of those together, think about which viewpoint is going to be most interesting (usually, but not always, the person who is doing the most and discovering the most,) and try to pick a setting that--if it's not set already--will be different from nearby scenes. Then I go, trying to build a rise to a climax (however small) within that scene.

That's how it is for most middle chapters. End chapters are different, where the pace grows more frantic, and I split scenes into smaller bits, jumping about to keep the pace feeling exciting.

Why do you feel Mistborn: The Final Empire was successful when there are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of other fantasy novels out there that failed? --nomoreink

1) Biggest factor, luck. I'm not the best writer out there. Better writers have had less success. I got lucky. 2) I am a big fan of the genre, and feel that I understood (not intentionally, but just because of what I was) the frustrations of epic fantasy readers with things not happening in the genre. I naturally wrote books that went different ways, and these drew attention. 3) Enough of a personal stamp to stand out.

Because of the way the third Mistborn novel ended... How do your religious beliefs, whatever they might be, play into your writing? (which makes me squeal like a fan girl I might add ). --frodo_lives

I've answered this question in part above.

In a deeper answer, in regards to the way MB3 ended, some of what I personally believe made an appearance because of my similarity to Sazed as a person.

Like everyone else, thanks for doing this! I found out about you when you when it was first announced that you were finishing up WoT, and I heard you also lived in the Utah neighborhood. I went out that day and bought Elantris and have been hooked every since.

I guess my question is..when did you originally decided that you were going to link up all your worlds in this overarching Cosmere? It's seems like a pretty epic feat to have so much stuff related between all your seemingly different novels, only to tie them together bit by bit. I've never heard of an author doing this on a scale quite like yours before. What gave you this idea / inspiration? --deucemcgee

Covered here I think. Let me know if that answers it.

(And yes, it's a big feat. But, in part, I'd never seen it done before except in an after-the-fact retcon, as King and Asimov both did. Those were cool, but I wanted to try it from the get-go.)

Hi Brandon, We actually have a friend in common who is mentioned in your acknowledgments. I roomed with her in college, and it always makes me smile to see her name when I start any of your books. So Thank You for thanking her.

But my question: What are your thoughts on Neil Gaiman's blog post about an author taking as much time as they want to finish a series, no matter the readers feelings? Do you feel beholden to your fans at all? You've actually been churning out solid books at a fantastic rate. Is it motivated by a love of writing, or is there any element of "I'm doing it for the fans", or is it a rock solid respect for deadlines... ? --bec_82

I appreciate Neil standing up for authors like GRRM, as I feel an author has a right to do as they wish and have the perspective they wish on this.

I, however, feel differently. I feel indebted, and feel that I should finish what I start. However, I've also never done something to the length GRRM has. (Not yet.) So we'll see if I can keep it up.

For me, it's a mix of all three things you mention. Being beholden, loving writing, and having a good work ethic. I'm also fortunate in that I've got a very solid way of dealing with writer's block that works almost every time for me. (Answered elsewhere in this AMA.)

Hey Brandon, Just wanted to say I'm nearly finished with my first read through Way Of Kings and its fantastic. I know you have a lot on your palte but - rough estimate- when do you think we'll see another book in stormlight --Thaed

March/April 2013 would probably be the latest. Follow the % bar on my website, which I'll start on later this year.

Do you find it very difficult taking over Robert Jordan's work? Harder than your own novels? If asked to do the same for another author, would you do it again?

I've only read two of your books, other than the WoT, (don't worry, I'll read them all after my thesis is done!), but the thing I've noticed is that both have very specific and well thought out magic systems. Are these systems usually develped around the world the book takes place in or vice versa?

Something that has always amazed me about the WoT books is Jordan's forsight, or perhaps just his ability to weave everything into his stories. I have always wondered (since Mat read Thom's letter from Moraine) is, did Jordan know that the tower described the tEotW when Matt and Rand went down the river in Chapter 24 would be so important later on? I suppose this isn't something you could answer, but it is something I've wondered about for a long time.

Lastly, any chance you'll come to Western Canada on an upcoming book tour?

Thank you for being a great author, taking over a well-loved series and for being so great to your fans. --heliosbird

1) Much harder than my own novels. I have to be very careful to keep the character voices done his way, and keeping track of all of the side characters...wow. I write about about half speed on the wot as on my own books. Part of this is the great amount of reading/research I must do before writing a scene.

2) I don't think I'd do it for anyone else. I said yes to RJ because I'd been reading the books since childhood, and was up to date on the series. I was also a good match. For example, I love Pratchett, but I'm a horrible match for his style. GRRM is a genius, but I'd be a bad match there too. Hopefully, neither author needs anyone to finish for them.

I once would have said yes to a Star Wars book. Now, I've been too displeased by (and critical of) Lucas's treatment of the prequels to ever do that.

I find it interesting that you as an up-and-comer in the F/SF genre have been thrust into this situation where you have taken the reigns of one of the biggest and best series to date. It seems to echo one of the biggest themes of the WOT where simple people like Rand, Perrin, and Egwene wind up in places of power and influence. Have you thought of this parallel between yourself and the series before, or am I just reading too deep? --Perene

I think about this one a lot. Actually, if you'll look, you'll see one of the characters voicing my feelings on this burden as it's often best to write from experience.

Hi Brandon,

I have a couple of questions:

How many of the Heroes of the Horn are currently "in the flesh"?

How did the Eye of the World's location move about? --Isabelsedai

Oh, wow. You're going to make me dig into the notes, aren't you?

Why don't I MAFO those? Send me an email and I'll dig through to get your answers, or will have Maria do it.

Is the Eye of the World movie and a Wheel of Time video game, really, really happening? IMDB says 2013 for a movie and Red Eagle has been saying for a few years that a game is in devleopment. --MattSteelblade

I can only give one 'really' on either one. They are in the works, but anything coming out of Hollywood gets hesitance from me until we get a greenlight. (And there hasn't been one on the film, despite the projected release date. 2013 is possible.)

Video Games are more likely, but I haven't had any updates on those for a few months.

How can you write fantasy that you know is just a story, yet believe in the fantasy that is Mormonism? --Helen_A_Handbasket

I have had a personal witness from God that this is his church. I don't have answers to everything, and believe all things--even within religion--require rational examination. However, the feelings I have felt are repeatable, confirmable, and real. They are not produced by anything else I have experienced.

I try to keep my eyes open and my brain thinking, but the fact that I can confirm with real proof to myself the things I have read causes me to have faith and believe. I would not expect anyone else to believe without similar, first-hand proof.

You've mentioned how you spent years honing your craft, essentially writing dozens of books before getting published. During this time, did you ever feel like giving up and doing something else? If so, how did you overcome your self-doubt?

I'm an aspiring writer, and one of my biggest struggles is silencing my internal editor (who tends to be very loud). --grumbaut

My biggest crisis came when I felt that none of my books were ever going to sell because of several things.

1) Editors were telling me I was too long. 2) Editors were telling me epic fantasy by new authors no longer sold well. (Early 2000's, after Newcomb failed.) 3) Editors were telling me to be more gritty and low magic, like GRRM.

I tried a few books in an attempt to 'conform to the market' whatever that means. (For me, it was shorter books, without an epic feel, with dark, gritty, 'realistic' characters that were anti-heroes.) I failed big time. The books were very bad.

That's when I almost gave up. Nobody wanted what I wrote, and I couldn't write what I wanted. That was when I decided, one night, that I was going to just stop caring. I decided to disobey everything editors were telling me and write the biggest, most epic, most awesome book after my own 'style' that I could.

That turned out to be the Way of Kings. (Twice as long as the books editors were telling me were 'too long.') Right after finishing it, before sending it anywhere, I got a call from an editor wanting to buy Elantris (one of the books I'd written before trying to conform.)

First, You may or may not remember, but a few years ago there were 6 of us fans that went to dinner with you and Pemberly in Provo at a little Italian food restaurant. I really would like to thank you for that. It was really awesome, and blew my 20 year old mind. (We had to explain who Meatloaf was to one of the people there, if that sparks a memory. The singer, not your second son.)

As for a question, with all these complex magic systems in your books, do you have all the rules for them written down somewhere? Also, as the worlds are all in the same universe, are the magic systems related in any way to each other, or completely independent from each other? --Qurtys_Lyn

I do remember! That was fun.

I have them all written down. Currently, I use a wiki--find it [here](http://wikidpad.sourceforge.net/--to keep track of all of it.

The magic systems in cosmere books all conform to a few underlying rules. This came from my interest in physics, and its search for a 'unifying' theory. (Fascinating reading, if you haven't studied this.)

In my books, there is a unifying theory of magic, so to speak.

First thank you for the amazing books that you have published and your amazing podcast. Now onto questions:

Which of the many characters you have written do you like the most?

Probably a RAFO question but why does Syl have an aversion to shard equipment? Is it something inherited from Kaladin's interaction with shardbearers?

Are there any plans for another companion book for the Wheel of Time series?

Do you have any plans for companion's to any of your book series? --crucix

1) It's a tough call. You kind of get into a character's head, and enjoy them all. I had a blast with Mat in TofM, where I feel I finally started to get him 'right.' But each book has characters that are just plain fun to write. (Kelsier in the first Mistborn, Sazed in the last.) I can't really chose. 2) RAFO. (You'll will find out eventually.)

3) Yes. Harriet is doing a detailed encyclopedia. She was always intended to do this, not RJ himself, and they signed a deal for it before he passed away.

4) I will do a stormlight book eventually. There is a Mistborn pen and paper RPG coming out later this year which will cover a lot of that for Mistborn.

I first found you, when you were chosen to finish the Wheel of Time series, and I have to admit previous to that I'd never read anything you had written. So before the first one of the Wheel of Time came out that you wrote, I bought the entire Mistborn trilogy to see if I'd like your writing and if you'd be able to do the Wheel of Time series well. Well after just the first book I never had any doubts and by the last book in the trilogy I believed, and still do, that they couldn't have picked anyone better. Anyways on to the question,

If you could give any advice to someone starting out in the writing world what would it be?

I've also noticed you don't seem to like Terry Goodkind all that much from some of your twitter posts, as he's another favorite author of mine, i'm curious where that stems from? --TrevorMoeller

Many thanks.

1) Write, write, write. Keep practicing. There's advice like that sprinkled all thorough this AMA. Like here.

Really, just keep at it. Practice, practice, practice. Second, learn the business. If you intend to self publish, learn the real ins and outs of it. Don't just do it. If you intend to traditionally publish, learn not just the publishers, but the names of the editors at the publishing houses and what they personally worked on. (Even better, authors they discovered.)

2) Don't take it too seriously. Mostly, my aversion to Goodkind stems from two places. First, WoT fandom and SoT fandom on-line have had kind of a 'rival teams' type of thing going on. Much of it comes from this. It's like picking the Yankees or the Mets. (And there's nothing wrong with liking both. My editor goes to both teams, and Tor publishes both WoT and SoT.)

So, it's kind of a root for the home team (for me, the WoT) and not the rival. On the other side, Terry has been notoriously bad to work with in the publishing industry and has said some very divisive things to both other writers, and to fans. He kind of comes off as a jerk. (Then again, Orson Scott Card has had the same complaints leveled against him, and I enjoy his work.)

So, again, don't read too much into it. Wizard's First Rule was actually a very solid book, and though I didn't get into the second, I can see why people enjoy reading him.

has your fame ever gotten you tail? --psiphre

Oh, don't worry about the downvoters. It's all cool.

I met my wife AFTER I published, and she did read Elantris (my only book out at the time) before agreeing to a second date with me. So...not my fame, but my writing ability, can be said to have been an influence.

No questions Mr. Sanderson, just wanted to let you know that as a long time WoT fan I enjoyed your continuation of series and am looking forward to A Memory of Light.

With that said, this is a picture of Graendal and her large breasts in a black see-through gown - NSFW --relevant_rule34

Wow. I don't know what to say. I never thought, being who I am, I'd get RR34'd. (That's not a challenge, mind you.)

Glad you like the books. I hope you don't mind that I've basically never clicked on one of your links... I'm pretty sure the one you're linking to here is one of Seamus's works, though, so let me point everyone to his print gallery. He has done some of my favorite all-time character portraits for the series. His Perrin, Faile, and Tuon--for example--are exactly as I imagine the characters.

[firstRainbowRose]

Also, if someone were to go through and organize these questions in the wiki/word doc type stuff (Cosmere, WoT, Writing, personal, ect), they'd get major props from me.

[SOM1else]

It looks like he's going to answer every question that was on the front page by the time his interview ended, your list may have to be updated.

[firstRainbowRose]

It will. Right now I'm taking a break and focusing on feeling a little bit better (been feeling sick, and vomiting all day). I'll fix everything in a bit.

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey]

AHA! I knew it! Cultivation is female!

[Terez]

Also, if someone were to go through and organize these questions in the wiki/word doc type stuff (Cosmere, WoT, Writing, personal, ect), they'd get major props from me.

If it helps, I've done an organized transcript at Theoryland. I am caught up with Brandon (I feel your pain), and the threaded aspect might make it easier to organize into categories. I put the WoT stuff at the top since that's what Theorylanders are most interested in, but it's pretty much all there. (I skipped a couple of his comments where he just basically said 'hi' or 'thank you', and I trimmed the adulations of the fans and cut to their questions when possible.)

[mycoltbug]

Freak he's 4 questions away from mine. Which if he answers them may help us a lot with some other questions/theories.

[Zas678]

Also, if someone were to go through and organize these questions in the wiki/word doc type stuff (Cosmere, WoT, Writing, personal, ect), they'd get major props from me.

When I get enough time, you'll see it seperated with the rest of the Brandonothology in the new format.