How Does Hoid Know Tress's Thoughts?

[Usseewa]

How does Hoid know what Tress is thinking and everything that happens "off-screen" (when he's not around)? For example:

(Tress ch. 29, p. 161)

Quote

Tress tapped her finger on the book. The caption was wily, and even Hoid--an obvious idiot (ouch)--had...

In Yumi, I recall him explaining something about Connection that allowed him to see through their eyes or something similar, but I don't remember him every giving an explanation in Tress. Here are some thoughts:

• Hoid had some Connection he didn't explain, like in Yumi.
• He asked the characters to give him the full story.
• Hoid made up parts (likely minor details, but possibly major parts) of the tale.
  • Are we trusting Hoid to be accurate/reliable while narrating?
  • If not, is that because he would intentionally alter the story, or because he may have made some more minor changes?

I also want to mention this:

(Wind and Truth spoilers)

Spoiler

Hoid reviews his memories and discovers the few-minute gap from the RoW epilogue. He stores his memories using Breaths, since he simply has so many after being around for 10,000 years, and also gets rid of memories he deems unnecessary. This seems to me like he can remember everything perfectly, so that explains how he is able to tell most of the story, even 20 or so years later (which I believe is when he is relating the events to his audience). However, the characters (Tress, Huck, etc.) wouldn't have this perfect memory, and wouldn't be able to tell you every time they sighed or tapped their finger, so that could be fabricated by Hoid while still being liekly to have actually happened.

So, how do you all think Hoid is able to tell the story of Tress?

Edited December 26, 2025 by Theory
Expanded on a point.

[Nitpicking]

Hoid is telling the story truthfully, according to his lights.

To Wit, "narrative truth" is more important (sometimes) than faithful recounting of facts. Do you think Dog and Dragon really happened? I'm sure Hoid would tell you he was telling a larger truth in that tale.

[Usseewa]

2 minutes ago, Nitpicking said:

To Wit, "narrative truth" is more important (sometimes) than faithful recounting of facts.

That makes sense, but I recall Hoid telling Kaladin that the stories he told had no "hidden lesson" (although they may have very well had one.) Is that different from what you are saying?

[Nitpicking]

5 hours ago, Theory said:

That makes sense, but I recall Hoid telling Kaladin that the stories he told had no "hidden lesson" (although they may have very well had one.) Is that different from what you are saying?

No, he was just lying. Or really, talking like JRR "Brandon Tuckerized him" Tolkien.

[Usseewa]

9 minutes ago, Nitpicking said:

No, he was just lying. Or really, talking like JRR "Brandon Tuckerized him" Tolkien.

I don't get the JRRT reference. Tuckerization means putting someone's name in a book (like a cameo), right? But why JRRT? Was he known for something that relates to this?

[Treamayne]

4 hours ago, Theory said:

I don't get the JRRT reference. Tuckerization means putting someone's name in a book (like a cameo), right? But why JRRT? Was he known for something that relates to this?

Being first written between World Wars, many asserted themes and allegory to those times - Wikipedia reference:
 

Quote

To those who supposed that the book was an allegory of events in the 20th century, Tolkien replied in the foreword to the Second Edition that it was not, saying he preferred "history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers."

Threrefore implying that even if a storyteller intends no larger lesson of a moral, culteral, ethical, etc. nature - does not mean those messages are not present. 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Treamayne
SPAG

[Nitpicking]

6 hours ago, Theory said:

I don't get the JRRT reference. Tuckerization means putting someone's name in a book (like a cameo), right? But why JRRT? Was he known for something that relates to this?

Brandon Tuckerized Tolkien into Hero of Ages: https://coppermind.net/wiki/Slowswift. Tuckerization can also be putting someone resembling a real person into your story with a different name.

[Usseewa]

10 hours ago, Nitpicking said:

Brandon Tuckerized Tolkien into Hero of Ages: https://coppermind.net/wiki/Slowswift. Tuckerization can also be putting someone resembling a real person into your story with a different name.

Ahhh, I was always wondering who Slowswift was. Thought maybe he was a Worldhopper or Hoid.

[Treamayne]

11 hours ago, Theory said:

Ahhh, I was always wondering who Slowswift was. Thought maybe he was a Worldhopper or Hoid.

Not sure if you like behind-the-scenes information or not. But, if you do, you may want to check out the Annotations. He has write-ups on his site for Elantris, Era 1 Mistborn and Warbreaker (he wrote the chapter-by-chapter annotations while doing the copy-edit for the books and explains a lot of information like why he chose what he chose). 

That was where Slowswift was revealed, for example (Mistborn-HoA Spoilers):

Spoiler

Annotation to HoA Ch 27:

Quote

Architectural and Character Cameos

Many of the High Noble keeps I described in the first book are real buildings. Keep Venture, for instance, is based on the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Well, Keep Orielle here is based on the LDS Salt Lake Temple, only with more stained glass. Go read the description again (I think it’s in this chapter) and maybe you’ll be able to see it.

In a similarly amusing cameo (I must have been in a cameo mood) we have Slowswift—who is based on Grandpa Tolkien. The name itself comes from his love of wordplay and of names that are inherently self-contradictory.

I’m no Tolkien scholar—I don’t know the man’s personality or how he would have reacted to this situation. I’m just a layman and a fan—who for some reason felt like sticking in a tiny side character in imitation of the master. We authors do strange things like that occasionally.

 

Hope that helps

Edited December 28, 2025 by Treamayne
SPAG