KolinahrMaster

An obvious reason why Hoid would have bad names for the Nightwatcher is the same as anybody else: he may have received a boon with a particularly unpleasant curse. Alternatively he may be displeased with what she's done to somebody else. For example, she may have given someone the ability to track Hoid across the Cosmere, or he may not be a fan of the Diagram, or maybe it's important to Hoid that Dalinar remember his wife, or any number of things. The fact that she is associated with Cultivation, or that fact that she is a Splinter, may be irrelevant (except insofar as those things are related to her power to do the thing he didn't like).

That question came from someone in the back who was in a previous panel. Like you, I would never have worded it the way it was worded. I had eye contact with him the entire time he was answering this question and he was definitely not about to answer it on the merits. When I asked him for clarification, I knew based on his tone that he was going to RAFO a direct, pinpointed question. There's no doubt -zero- in my mind he knows we know he wriggled out of this one. It's something else.

I was the moderator for this Q&A and I had extended conversation with Brandon at other points during the convention, so I will comment here. Here are the exchanges that got substantial audience responses (the "woo!" moments he refers to): While there was an audience response, I don't believe it's the false herald question, because I knew, and he knew I knew, that he was wriggling so I tried pinning him down (I am the one who nailed his verb tense for clarification in the transcript). His reference is to a question in which his wriggling went unnoticed. I believe his wriggling is related to the two following question batches: Several hours after the panel, I asked him which question was the wriggle question. He of course laughed and said he wouldn't answer, and which point I said: Me: OK, Let's talk about the Nightwatcher and he got that rust-eating look on his face that said he was caught and said "sure!" I didn't record it, but here's the takeaway: 1) The Nightwatcher and Stormfather are parallel entities such that NW:Cultivation::SF:Honor 2) There is sort of a parallel for Odium, but the parallel is the various Unmade instead of a single entitiy; 3) They are parallel in that they are all Splinters; 4) The Unmade are voluntary Splinters, because Odium ("like almost all of the other Shards") voluntarily splintered part of it's power 5) The SF is different from the others because it's a Sliver. Edit: My first question in this off-camera inquiry was "Does the Nightwatcher predate the Shattering?" and he RAFO'ed on the grounds that the Nightwatcher and the Stormfather are parallel (see 1 above) and whatever he reveals about the Nightwatcher by extension spoils OathBringer which will be heavy on Dalinar and Stormfather reveals. He then trapped himself when he later said they were all parallel Shard-splinters (and thereby post-date the Shattering).

Great question. The first requirement is, obviously, be able to physically attend JordanCon in Atlanta. The second requirement is, somewhat less obviously, be confident that you can speak in an easy, conversational flow about a topic you love for about an hour in front of up to 100 people. This includes sipping on water (of COURSE it's water) while graciously letting other panelists speak. The third requirement is some expertise or insight in at least one aspect of the panel topic. Suppose the topic panel is "Military Tactics in Sanderson's Novels." I would expect you to have read at least several relevant Sanderson texts and bring knowledge outside the immediate and obvious conclusions drawn by an ordinary reader. In this example I would expect a panelist to be able to draw on some form of outside knowledge, like "Here's how the Battle of the Tower closely resembles the maneuvers at Agincourt" [which it does not remotely, but you get it] or "Unlike 99% of fantasy readers, I can identify how armor pieces actually fit together so let me spend a minute talking about Shardplate." "I am an Afghanistan veteran so let me tell you something about warfare in mountainous climates." etc. The fourth requirement is some level of preparation in advance as to what you would talk about if everybody on the panel suddenly collapsed for 15 minutes and the audience refused to ask questions. This is a shockingly rare trait among panelists, which is a shame. Prepared panelists are usually amazing panelists.

As mentioned in my post in the Introduce Yourself! forum, I will be the track director for the first-ever SandersonTrack panel track at the JordanCon literary convention in April 2015 in Atlanta. Brandon frequently attends this event, and when he can't make it you can rely on members of Team Sanderson (such as the Indefatigable Peter) to wave the linen shirt in his absence. In an attempt to elevate the discourse I have foolishly boldly decided to de-lurk and open the call for panel ideas or (better yet) potential panelists for the convention. I have a preliminary list of panel topics, but I don't want to reveal them because they may dampen the batshit crazy creative thoughts that may arise. My intent is for the panels to include a mix of literary discussion of Sanderson generally, some YA perspective, some religion, some hardcore Cosmere theory, and more. Also, as always with Brandon, an obligatory Magic: The Gathering tournament. Feel free to reply to this thread or, if you're attracting anxietyspren, send me a message here on the site.

Specifically, I have a preliminary panel list but am looking for additional panel topics (and then the expertise to address those topics). Also, panelists themselves if anyone is looking to attend in April.

Hi all! My name is Billy Todd, and like everyone here I'm a big fan of Brandon's books. Also, as indicated in my .sig below, I am plugged in to a few organizations he's affiliated with. First, I'm the track director for the inaugural SandersonTrack at the JordanCon literary fan convention held each April in Atlanta, Ga. Brandon frequently attends this convention for obvious reasons, and next year I have the pleasure/honor/horror of heading up a new panel track devoted entirely to Brandon and his works. Second, Brandon and I are both members of the Board of Directors for the Waygate Foundation, a registered 501c3 charity founded in honor of Robert Jordan, which is dedicated to helping the sci-fi and fantasy community pull off charitable endeavors. Preparation for my duties as track director have brought me out of lurker form and into a more active role. Whether this makes me more like Eshonai or Hoid is yet to be determined. I plan to post where I can contribute, but I'd also take this chance to invite anyone interested in 1) contributing content or ideas to the upcoming SandersonTrack at JordanCon to send me a message (or comment in this thread); or 2) charitable endeavors generally to check out the Waygate Foundation in the above link. I'm looking forward to joining this most excellent band of crazy.