Brandon's writing quirks

[Terra of Roshar]

One thing I've noticed that I don't think has been mentioned is that everyone says "hum," rather than "huh" or "hmm" when they're distractedly responding to someone. When I was first reading Mistborn, I thought it was unique to Elend, and it was a cool character thing, but then I realized that everyone said it and I had only noticed it in Elend because he zones out more often than anyone else. It drove me nuts for a while, but I'm getting used to it now.

[Vin Shardashian]

So, the one that really gets me is "X stood, hands clasped behind his/her back." I feel like that or some variation of it is far too frequent. People don't normally stand that way nearly as often as its mentioned (in fact, I find it kind of uncomfortable). If it weren't for how awesome Brandon Sanderson's writing is, it would probably bug me more, but I do kind of twinge a little bit every time I reach that phrase. Am I crazy to think that this phrase is a little overused? 

[Atilium]

I notice those kinds of things all the time, and it makes reading a mediocre book VERY hard

[Dihatimus]

I have personally said bah 3 times this morning alone and shrugged twice. I grunt back at people when they ask me how its going.

 

I will also become annoyed in meetings when someone says "you know" in every sentence or feel the overwhelming urge to say um at every comma. 

 

I mimic people's quirks and everyone knows who I am referring to. I do not know what world everyone else lives in, but in mine everyone has a go-to saying, tic, or noise they produce. Start paying attention to what people do as they are talking, it is amazing what you will notice that is unique to everyone, someones peculiar laugh, smacking your lips when you eat, another's inability to make eye contact, anything. I enjoy this aspect of his writing as long as it is realistic as Peter said because it is realistic to do the same quirk over and over. 

 

On that note I crack up every time a Sandersonian yells out NOOOOoooo! and I have to listen to Michael Kramer do his head turned away from the microphone yell-but-not-yell voice NOOOOoooo! Kaladin, Dalinar, Perrin, everyone has the same NOOOOoooo!