variety.of.passions

Writing Excuses has taught me so much--I never bought into the "we're not that smart" tagline. I'm so grateful for all the wisdom that Brandon, Dan, Howard, and Mary pass along to us. Here's a quick list of the most important lessons: -If you try to write perfectly the first time, you'll never finish. -When you feel stuck, just keep writing--you'll eventually practice enough to find a way to move forward. -If you write, then you're a WRITER--even if you're not published yet! -You can't write unless you're sitting down with your fingers over your computer--Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. -Writing routines are important--for so many reasons, but I don't feel like typing them all out. -Don't delete any of your drafts! You never know which trash might inspire gold later on. -Any many more... Also, I've learned so much about the other genres out there as well as how the publishing world operates. Thank you Writing Excuses!

It depends on what your story is about. What words describe/sum up the essence of it in a creative, attention-grabbing way? I've been working on a book series and the title of each book is a special title that my protag owns for that part of her life. It's hard to explain, I suppose. (Sorry if I confused you.) I also have several short stories that I've explored naming. One title is the name of the government in that story. Another is a line one of the characters says. I sort of cheated and named one for the protag and the name of the planet she lives on. My fourth story has a title that I'm not very proud of--the name of a group of people. Lastly, I have a title that essentially sums up what the protag is doing in the story. I hope that helps!

I just used the title of my blog. I'm rather fond of it and it took me awhile to come up with it.

Many people have mentioned Kaladin's unusual fighting stance. As a martial artist, I completely agree. However, upon further inspection, I noticed that the rock is cracked where his foot and knee touch the ground. Maybe he had just jumped across the chasm? That would also explain why he's not directly looking at Szeth. I don't typically like critiquing visual representations of books--there's always something wrong and it gets exhausting pointing out all the mistakes. But I wanted to put in my two cents about Kaladin's appearance. He looks way too old--he's supposed to be 19 in The Way of Kings. Perhaps Words of Radiance takes place twenty years after Way of Kings? As to the glowing thing under Kaladin's hand, he's either absorbing Stormlight from it or doing some sort of lashing on it. Overall, though, I love the cover. Can't wait to read it--even though I'm deeply upset that the release date was pushed back by two months.

I've never felt compelled to join fansites before--I mean, there's plenty out there that I get all nerdy for, but no one has amazed me as much as Brandon Sanderson. So here's a quick summary of myself: -I've just finished my bachelor's degree in English Education about 7 months ago -I'm in the final stages of revising/editing my first novel: Kayn (working title) -I've been trying to figure out how to balance the three majors passions in life: writing, teaching, and massage therapy--come this fall, I'll hopefully be able to spend a fair amount of time every week doing all three. I look forward to reading about what everyone else has to say about Brandon's stories!

Am I completely blind, or is there no place to discuss writeaboutdragons.com? I discovered it quite recently and I've found it to be very helpful with my writing. For those that are unaware, Write About Dragons has videos of Brandon's writing class that he teaches. My friend and I use to joke about enrolling in his classes, but know we don't have to! (Not that I still wouldn't love to attend, but I live in a different state...) Anyone else out there watch the WAD videos?

Speaking as someone who started listening AFTER Mary was brought on, I enjoy a female author's perspective. She's very insightful about HOW to do things. I've also noticed that Dan speaks less in the later seasons, but I've been starting at season 1, and he's still the one that says the least. But I like that he seems to think his answers through more carefully than the other men, which makes all his responses very thought-provoking. Back to Mary--I love that she's now on the podcast. I really enjoyed reading Shades of Milk and Honey and Kiss Me Twice.

I've had similar problems in the past. I have LOTS of characters, so I had a hard time making their speech be distinctive. Part of my problem was I didn't really know who the characters. Perhaps you might need to develop their personalities further. From what I've heard from authors, it's almost amateurish to use accents these days. I'm pretty sure there's a podcast on this--I think it's in season 1. I also agree with Hodor's method of basing part of a character on someone you know or the mannerisms of a particular actor. I did this with my own writing and it really helped me understand who my characters are.

eojsmada, you're missing Warbreaker! And Alcatraz! and Legion!

I'm always very curious about how people hear about new authors. Does anybody have an interesting story describing how they first heard about Brandon? One of my high school teachers told me about the Mistborn series over 4 years ago. I was taking an education class in college where I needed to do service learning hours in a classroom. So I spent over 50 hours helping this teacher. One day, she asked me for my opinions on some literature she wanted to include in a science fiction/fantasy class she was getting to teach the next year. She brought up Brandon's Mistborn series and described the concepts of Allomancy. I found the magic system so intriguing that I went and bought the trilogy. I've been a big fan of Brandon's stories ever since!

So I noticed on my profile that I have "Reputation Points." Where on earth did they come from? How do I earn more? What can I do with them?

So I thought that I'd grown out of the whole crush on a fictional character phase, but I guess I hadn't. I had it bad for Kaladin as I read The Ways of Kings. Oh, if only he were a few years older! I see that a lot of people are saying that they'd date Elend, but I'm not so sure that I would. Yes, I love that he's a big-time reader, but I just feel like he was too similar to my personality type. I don't need to date an intellectual twin; I want someone with some contrasting skills and passions.

Well, I already have a Talent for speaking gibberish, looking completely ugly in the morning, tripping, loosing stuff, and breaking things. I think I just might be the greatest Smedry ever! But coming up with one, I think my Talent would have to be singing off-key. (Note: I don't know if that's one from there series or not; I'm only half-way through book 3.)

Wow! How did I not know about this website before today? I'm so excited! Can't wait to read other posts and news. I found this site when Brandon announced the Steelheart fan art contest. I spent all day on my pic and submitted it a few hours ago