Questioner
How were the original beads of Lerasium created?
Brandon Sanderson
They were created for the purpose that they were originally used for.
Questioner
Who created them?
Brandon Sanderson
They were created by Leras.
Questioner
Will we ever get a Renarin viewpoint?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Yeah! Like an interlude or...
Brandon Sanderson
Renarin is one of the ten characters.
Questioner
I kind of want to make one of Navani's fabrial bracelets but I've got some questions. 1: Are they all heliodors or are they polestones or what?
Brandon Sanderson
They will change, yes. They are not all heliodors.
Questioner
What's the significance of the different number of prongs on each gemstone? [...] Like some of the gemstones have two prongs, some have like *inaudible*.
Brandon Sanderson
On the picture? The picture there is no significance, I simply gave artistic license to Isaac to do as he wished.
Questioner
Here I was trying to match up the numbers because they were the double eye with the Radiant chart and..
Brandon Sanderson
Nope, that was simply done by him.
Questioner
In Allomancy, aluminum won't be able to be pushed or pulled, right?
Brandon Sanderson
Right.
Questioner
So if you put a piece of steel like a gun barrel, and then you surround it with aluminum, can you still push the gun barrel?
Brandon Sanderson
The aluminum will add some interference, it's gonna depend on how thick the aluminum is. It's probably unfeasible. That is a viable concept, I don't think it's feasible on a gun barrel.
Questioner
So what are the chances, once that last Stormlight comes out, that you might open up that worldbuilding wiki up for viewing?
Brandon Sanderson
You don't know, I might do that. That's feasible.
Questioner
It seems like it might be a cool way, other than like waiting another 3–4 years for it to be edited into 2 or 3 atlases or whatever, in this day and age a wiki seems like a good way to do that.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. The fun thing is, it's now like 15 years old, so it's got all the old stuff from the original write in it as well.
Questioner
Which would also be kind of cool to see.
Brandon Sanderson
Which would be cool to see how I've changed things. There's stuff in there before spren were even part of the world and stuff like that.
Questioner
Why was Drehy the first one to speak up for Kaladin from Bridge 4 in The Way of Kings. They were heckling him and he said "lay off of him."
Brandon Sanderson
Drehy was a little less beaten down than the others at that point. He was a little newer to being a bridgeman, was part of it. Also also he's one of those people—he's based off my friend Ryan Drayer—who is a big guy, tall, and is very used to sticking up for people, that's part of who he is. And I put his personality into the character a bit.
Jerich
Is the Hoed from Elantris similar to the state of [dead] Shardblades? If so is it possible to awaken a Shardblade if the bearer speaks the oaths of the Knights Radiant?
Brandon Sanderson
The status is... I would say not as similar as you're probably thinking, but it does have a similarity in that two bacteria causing a disease are both caused by a bacteria, so there is a similarity there.
I can imagine a sequence where a Shardblade would be reawakened, but I think it would be very difficult.
It's not the same that they're in the middle of a transition, like in Elantris.
Jerich
Oh, okay. So you have to actually... it'd be harder.
Brandon Sanderson
It'd be harder, yeah. It's not the same, they're not in the middle of a transition. They have had something ripped from them, and it's very painful and it's left them mostly mindless.
Jerich
So they have to have that something added back?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. So what you've got going on: the spren gain-- the bond lets them have sentience in the physical plane, like they can think and all these things, and when that was ripped away from them-- imagine... (this is a very bad metaphor, it's the first one coming to my head though): imagine you had wetware, you had a head-jack or something like that, and someone just ripped it out of your head.
Jerich
*stunned/horrified*
Oh.
Brandon Sanderson
Instead of surgically operating it out. Like that's what's happened, a piece of their soul's been ripped off.
Jerich
Are Skybreakers like the MPs of the Knight's Radiant?
Brandon Sanderson
Um, yes you could say that. That's a good way to put them. I will say more about the Skybreakers in the future, but yeah.
Jerich
After what Adolin does at the end [of Words of Radiance] are there still Radiant orders that would take him?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, there would be. In fact, yes. Definitely that's possible. I'm not going to say that he becomes one, but yeah.
Jerich
So like the Skybreakers or Dustbringers or...?
Brandon Sanderson
The Skybreakers might have trouble because it wasn't legal. But there are others who would be like "oh that was totally the right thing to do."
Questioner
Peter actually said on the 17th Shard that we should ask you about this, we'll see if I get RAFO'd or not.
Would you share with me how Vasher lost his sword to Nale?
Brandon Sanderson
How Vasher...?
Questioner
Well uh "Zahel".
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, oh. *having far too much fun with this*
So how Zahel lost his "sword"...
Questioner
We're talking about the same thing here. So Nightblood. How did that get in-- how did that transfer over?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not sure why Peter's telling you to ask that, because--
Questioner
Well he said something about that maybe you could share a little bit about, I don't know...
Brandon Sanderson
There will be a lot of information in the book Nightblood about how some of these things came to transpire.
Questioner
We've seen that the "Sylblade" can change shape to fit Kaladin's needs. Is there a limit on the size of the blade that Syl can become?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Okay. And can you share with me what the upper limits on those sort of things would be?
Brandon Sanderson
Upper limits of hers are about human-sized.
Questioner
Is it always going to be something that has to be a fighting utensil, or does it have to...?
Brandon Sanderson
That's going to RAFO. You'll have to see.
[...]
I will say this. You have seen Syl changing shape from the first time she appears onscreen and she is frequently not a weapon.
Questioner
Were the Listener the first residents of Roshar and the humans came in afterwards?
Brandon Sanderson
That is a big-ol' RAFO.
Questioner
Where does Syl go when she's not with Kaladin?
Brandon Sanderson
She frequently goes many places, wherever she desires. But she originally is from the Cognitive Realm, so Shadesmar. There is something going on there.
Questioner
Would [healing] something like a birth defect, would that require somebody to have Regrowth, or can they do it with just Stormlight?
Brandon Sanderson
It depends on how they envision themselves.
Brandon Sanderson
The Willshapers have to have Cohesion, because Cohesion is the "grab something solid and melt it and push it in any direction you want..." it's the weak atomic force.
It's, you can take this and push your hand into it and leave a hand print, or things like that, and that's a Willshaper thing, not a Bondsmith thing.
Questioner
I was also wondering: Shardblades, will there ever be any that aren't swords?
Brandon Sanderson
That is a RAFO.
Questioner
Is energy [i.e. Investiture] interchangeable between worlds?
Brandon Sanderson
To an extent.
Questioner
So like Breath could be used instead of stormlight?
Brandon Sanderson
It might require some hacking to achieve. Some cases it will not. For instance there's a certain sword that feeds on Investiture. And he'll feed on whatever Investiture he can get, and if he doesn't have any he'll just suck your soul out and feed on that.
Questioner
On the other hand if someone were to require Breaths and there were nobody giving out Breaths in that area, then...?
Brandon Sanderson
Right. Then theoretically that's the same sort of system, but I have no idea who you could be talking about.
Questioner
Are the Heralds originally from Roshar?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
I was just re-reading The Way of Kings when Kaladin meets Hoid, and Hoid mentions the stone that he's named after? Are we gonna find out more about that?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, though the 17th Shard probably can answer that for you right there *points, presumably*.
In the very first book that I wrote with him that I finished, his nickname in that book was "Topaz".
Questioner
Is Vin the only person who could have Ascended or could any Mistborn have ascended?
Brandon Sanderson
Um... That's a tricky question because you're giving a false dichotomy. It's not only Vin, but not just anybody. Does that make sense?
Questioner
I'm reading into that the timing of The Alloy of Law is roughtly about when we would expect the Pits of Hathsin to start regenerating--
Brandon Sanderson
*Disingenuously* Oh imagine that...
Questioner
Okay yeah, does that mean that atium is still important, or is there a new element for Sazed that you might be able to expect.
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Dalinar. A lot of people have theorized that his armor has glowed because he's channeling stormlight. I don't believe that's accurate. Is that right?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not going to answer much about the armor. The armor, you will have to find out about.
Questioner
Alright, because my theory is that he's actually fulfilling the actual role of the Radiants—that's protecting people—therefore that's why his armor is glowing.
Brandon Sanderson
Interesting. Now which armor are you speaking about specifically?
Questioner
The Shardplate.
Brandon Sanderson
The Shardplate but which one?
Questioner
Dalinar's armor.
Brandon Sanderson
Dalinar's Shardplate. In which scene?
Questioner
In The Way of Kings. Several times.
Brandon Sanderson
*Disingenuously* I know nothing about what you're talking about.
Questioner
With covering the safehand for women, how does that affect how left-handed women are treated or perceived?
Brandon Sanderson
Left-handed you are trained- Well it's not a big deal for darkeyes because they wear gloves. Lighteyed women are trained to use the right hand, even if they're left-handed; which does cause some problems, but that's how they are trained.
Questioner
She wanted me to ask, has Zahel ever had any other well known identity *inaudible* on Roshar?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO...
Questioner
*inaudible* if he's one of the Heralds then her guess is Ishar.
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner 1
So I've spent quite a few hours trying to work out Pattern 1, you know Ceiling of the 2nd Rotation of the Diagram. *inaudible* But I wanted to ask you-- And Peter said you wanted to make us sweat, you know of course, on the 17th Shard. But I want to ask you, and hopefully you'll be able to answer this... Is Pattern 15 used in the solution? Would you tell me that at least? Please, I beg of you.
Brandon Sanderson
The solution... Indeed, the key to the solution is somewhere in the book.
Questioner 1
No, that doesn't help me!
Brandon Sanderson
That helps you! That helps you.
Questioner 2
*Questioner 1 moans* We've already got 15 pages. On the 17th Shard.
Brandon Sanderson
You can interact with Peter, because I ran everything through him on this. Because... And so... I actually did it all myself, but then he corrected me where I was wrong. So I'm gonna send it his way, because I don't know if he's made any tweaks to it from what my original concept was.
Questioner 1
I know there was a change in the gamma read with some of the number.
Brandon Sanderson
Mhm... Yes.
Questioner 1
You know it's pretty cool. There seems to be a ketek in there people have discovered, or a palindrome or whatever where there's numbers, patterns matching. Mirror image. Yadda yadda. *inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
You should be... Yeah, see what you do.
Questioner 1
I've just-- It would be nice to know.
Brandon Sanderson
I've alr-- I've given you the fact that there's a key to it.
Questioner 1
A key to it... *inaudible* *Questioner 2 gasps* Alright...
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. In the book, there is a key to it.
Questioner
He said, "I was reading through *inaudible* Szeth section he mentioned that 'we are all that remains'. Is he saying that the Shin are the lost Order? The one that didn't abandon the oaths? Of course the section *inaudible* alternatives-- *interrupted*
Brandon Sanderson
What they are doing is-- Szeth is saying, "We are all that remains that remembers what happened before." [...] And they may be-- they may not remember accurately. But they consider themselves the only ones who know. Does that make sense? [...] It is not reference to the Orders.
Questioner
Are the Unmade the analogs to Heralds?
Brandon Sanderson
There is certainly something similar going on there. Be aware that it's not a one-to-one correlation, that they're not exactly the same. For instance: Many of the- the Unmade are referenced by Taravangian in this, and he uses a phrase for them, and that is correct, that's what they are.
Questioner
How does a bridge crew set a bridge down across a chasm in front of them?
Brandon Sanderson
So... I may have to act this out.
*Proceeds to act it out, no video available*
I am Kaladin, running at the front of the bridge, right? Now there's a chasm there. I'm going to step out to the side and grab the poles to the side, and lower the front bridge down. Then these guys are going to lower theirs down while I run around to the back and grab the poles on the side, which extend out. And we're going to get several ranks and then we're going to shove together.
We're waited on this side, remember, we've got the weights that roll to one side or the other. So it's weighted on this side, so we get it over and then plot it down. We're looking for a place where we're a little bit above-- with the paths, alright? And then we go to the other side, your reposition the weights or the poles or whatever it is on the thing so that it's heavier on this side and then get everyone and then you pull it back across and then you can lift it.
Questioner
Okay, great, thank you very much.
Brandon Sanderson
Now also keep in mind a couple of things: 0.7 Earth gravity, a very important aspect for actually making this bridge weight work for carrying it; and it is a soulcast wood. The only way to get the numbers to work if you've got engineers, the weight-- you actually have to realize that we've got a wood that is slightly stronger, yet lighter, than what-- it's like a-- Peter came up, it's like a balsa, there's a soulcast wood that is really a great wood for this sort of thing.
That doesn't mean it's light, it's still a really heavy book
Questioner
*Laughter*
Brandon Sanderson
A really heavy bridge.
Questioner
Safehands: Where did, that-- like why? Is there like a cultural *inaudible*?
Brandon Sanderson
There is a culture-- Now the actual answer to that is because different cultures have really different mores, and if you go around our world you will find places where, for instance, showing the bottom of your foot-- where the bottom of your foot is offensive, or where showing certain parts of your anatomy is not offensive that it is here. And that is very common, it's part of what it means to be human.
Now if you want to trace back in Rosharan time, there is actually a moment that you can point at and say "this is where it started" and it started right after the Recreance where all these Shardblades and Shardplate were suddenly out there everywhere, and certain people in power wanted to make sure that half the population didn't have access to them, and so they started emphasizing a certain philosophy book that had been written by a woman that said "feminine arts were one-handed, masculine arts were two-handed".
And because of this it became culturally ingrained, which then-- basically it was a misogynistic ploy to keep the women from having the Shardblades, and then in that a certain movement of the women seized writing, and that's when men stopped writing. It's kind of a reciprocation on it. But that's kind of where it went, but it's become much bigger than that, if that makes any sense.
Questioner
What do you do if you safehand is your dominant hand?
Brandon Sanderson
If you are darkeyed it's not a problem, you just wear a glove. If you are lighteyed then you learn to write with your non-dominant hand, which is a problem.
Questioner
Is there a maximum number of Bondsmiths that Roshar can support?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
In Shadesmar, there's cities of spren, right, so-- or at least it's been said where I am. So I read that Shadesmar is kind of connected to all the worlds and that's how Hoid gets around, so why aren't there spren other places?
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, so that is *garbled* fallacy. You're implying there aren't.
Questioner
See *inaudible* and other signings that Hoid had both long life and lived through time when we was worldhopping, how about other members-- or not "other," just members of the Seventeenth Shard? Like are they time travelling or they have long life--
Brandon Sanderson
It is a mixture of both. Either, or, and.
Questioner
And the RAFO question: where did they get it from?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO! There are many methods and there is no one method, and you know some of them already.
Questioner
So you mentioned that Kaladin gets sad during the Weeping. Is that due to lack of stormlight or maybe seasonal affective disorder?
Brandon Sanderson
It is mostly due to seasonal affective disorder. Now, you know, there are other things going on and whatnot, but yes he has strong seasonal affective disorder.
Questioner
The arches in The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. The faces in the arches, are they dependent on something that happens in the chapter, or are they random or is there a pattern?
Brandon Sanderson
They do, but Isaac picks them, not me. So. There is a rubric for it, but-- so there is some significance, but Isaac is behind that.
Questioner
Amaram and Dalinar, they both talk about Gavilar a lot. How many secret societies did Gavilar know about or was he a part of?
Brandon Sanderson
Ah! How many did he know about? He knew of more than he was part of, but he was not part of very many.
Questioner
How many other characters are in this *inaudible*
Brandon Sanderson
Oh I'm not going to give you an exact number.
Questioner
I'm guessing one or two, so far at least.
Brandon Sanderson
But there are multiples.
Questioner
With the soulcasting and the spren, is there maybe some quantum physics in there that you were thinking about?
Brandon Sanderson
There is. Yes, very intentionally.
Questioner
Is that gonna come into play?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
So Nightblood. Is it going to go into maybe in the next book how Vasher loses him, because I'm assuming that's what [Szeth] gets at the end of the book?
Brandon Sanderson
*Coyly*
Oh you assume that this is uh yeah...
Questioner
So far as we know that's the only sentient sword...
Brandon Sanderson
You will find answers to these questions eventually.
Arbron
So how long has "Zahel the swordmaster" been slumming it on Roshar? I mean I don't know who that is obviously.
Brandon Sanderson
Zahel the swordmaster has been on Roshar for a long while at this point. There's something on Roshar that's very easy for him to get that's very hard in other places. And so, yeah.
Arbron
So he retains his previous abilities?
Brandon Sanderson
He was actually in the first draft in 2002. But yes there's something in Roshar that makes it better for him to be there.
Questioner
I wonder if you knew what color the stone was inside of Horneater peaks and the mountains around the Shattered Plains?
Brandon Sanderson
Depends if-- most of it's going to be cremstone. So it's going to be various shades of tanish brown. Very generic stuff, particularly around here.
Horneater peaks, you-- *pauses thoughtfully* Horneater peaks you're probably going to get into some more slate, some more dark grays and things like this, weathered stone that doesn't have the crem buildup because the peaks are gonna pop up above where the crem is building up, so.
So that's where you're going to get some real, untainted rock which otherwise on Roshar you've got to burrow to get.
Questioner
So the gray one is the untainted one?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Questioner
The Heralds: I had a question if they might in fact be some form of spren?
Brandon Sanderson
The Heralds are not some form of spren. Good question.
Questioner
I was curious if in the future Mistborn models you were gonna get into the history of the dichotomy between Preservation and Ruin.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. With the history-- maybe not in future Mistborn novels, but in some novels you will find out their history and who they are.
Questioner
I know Hoid jumps around and meets various people that are very influential in the various books. I'm curious as to how he knows who he needs to meet, how's he lead to them.
Brandon Sanderson
This is a RAFO, but it is a question you're supposed to be asking-- You know what a RAFO is?
Questioner
No.
Brandon Sanderson
It means Read and Find Out. If you watch at the end of this book he's not always certain why he needs to be where he needs to be. So there is some measure-- something is going on here but it is not made clear yet and I don't want to clear it up with you quite yet.
Ness
So has Rock always been a third son?
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, clever man. No he has not.
Questioner 2
Yay!
Ness
Are the pools at the top of the Horneater peaks shardpools?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Ness
Any hints on the chapter 84 code thing?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, the key is somewhere in the book.
Questioner
If some of the cosmere books are set in different times in the cosmere, can Hoid time travel?
Brandon Sanderson
Not go backwards.
Questioner
So far all the spren that have bonded to humans appear to be emotion-based as opposed to nature-based. Is that true for all the Knights Radiant?
Brandon Sanderson
Well it depends. For instance: how would you define Wyndle?
Questioner
I struggled with that one.
Brandon Sanderson
Uh hm. So I would say that you are on the right track, that there is a definite inclination that direction.
Questioner
Towards Honor?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. There is.
Questioner
Is there other surges then, that are more Cultivation-exclusive or other Knights Radiant that are...?
Brandon Sanderson
We'll RAFO that, but the original Knights Radiant are more focused on Honor and his spren.
Questioner
The form of the Parshendi: Are there ten of them "of power"?
Brandon Sanderson
No. There are more. So they are not a one-to-one correlation.
Questioner
Is there a specific reason the South is never mentioned on Scadrial?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, 'cause they don't know about it.
Trickonometry (paraphrased)
What would happen to the function of a magic item if it were to be taken from one world to another?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
An invested object theoretically would work, but they may not work exactly the way they are supposed to.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Are larkin and lanceryn one and the same?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
There’s a little bit more than just [being] one and the same, but in some ways they are.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Do all greatshells have spren?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
In order to survive with the science that I built, the greatshells almost all require some sort of spren to keep them from collapsing. (I suspect greatshells in the water may not require them.)
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Did Adonalsium deliberately shatter itself?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Hmmm, good question! RAFO!
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Why didn’t Kaladin’s brand heal if Lopen can regrow an arm?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
It comes down to how one views oneself. It is the answer that you think it is. So really what that’s saying is Kaladin sees himself as branded.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Does Shardplate use a spren?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
That’s a RAFO.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Can Glys, Renarin’s spren, be a box?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
The box is not his spren.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Is a Desolation caused when a Herald breaks under torture?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
This person is asking the right kinds of questions.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Who’s Nahz? The person who retrieved Shallan’s notebook…
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
You have seen him before.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Why does Urithiru not have hallowed stones?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
That’ll be answered eventually. It’s cultural, not magical.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Why does Lift feel that Darkness isn’t a real person?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Because Lift is an interesting person who has her own perspective on the world.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Is there anything that I should have asked that I didn’t?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Probably not… Do you know if anyone has figured out the hidden things in the map of Roshar?
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Commentary: We discussed the pattern 15 code for a bit. I’m glad it’s been solved! He said that it wouldn’t be earth shattering, but it would be cool to know. And boy, it was!
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
I picked up the Easter Eggs for Mraize being a Worldhopper. It was actually the sand that did it, having been fortunate enough to read White Sand.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Now there’s something odd about that sand. What color is the sand in WoR?
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Speculated that I thought that at one time the Parshendi had used Odium spren or Unmade, and they must have finally divested themselves of the spren and that’s why they forgot how to get a lot of the spren forms. And they were trying to figure that out and things have taken a turn for the worse.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No comment.
AhoyMatey (paraphrased)
Are the Parshendi at the village the only Parshendi there are? Besides for the Parshmen...
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
The Parshendi as a people were all at Narak. Barring any scouts and things like that. That doesn’t mean that there might not be any other Parshmen out there that have bonded spren, but they would not have been part of this nation – any more than if you found another human that they may not necessarily be American.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Would the powers of a magical object change if it went to a different world?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
It is plausible that they will, but most likely is that they don't work right. Most of them will not.
Questioner (paraphrased)
I've lost track of the number of magical systems that you have created and I was just wondering if you could say a little bit about your process of creating magical systems.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
What I'm looking for is something interesting. It is kind of hard to explian, because to create a magic system, I've read a lot of fantasy, and personally I feel that one of my duties is to push the genre in different directions. There was a period where our worldbuilding was not as extensive as it should be. Stuck as we were for a while, it felt like the genre hit a bit of a rut, and I wanted to push it in different directions. The screwy magic systems I create are part of that. I feel excited about them, it's something I feel ?? Google Sanderson's First Law.
Questioner (paraphrased)
If you could burn one metal from Mistborn, what would it be?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Coinshot. I want to fly.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Why are Ryshadium cooler than regular horses? I suspect a spren bond.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
There is Investiture involved.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Can you tell me who the herald is for the Truthwatches.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
RAFO, sorry, good question.
Questioner (paraphrased)
How about one of the surges?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
I am RAFO'ing the Truthwatchers entirely.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Can you go into healing a bit more?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Regrowth in the books - Healing is an aspect, Regrowth is ??,
Questioner (paraphrased)
Best fantasy author debuted in the last year
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Brian McClellan with the Powdermage books, but that's a year and a half ago so it doesn't count. I'm reading a book right now by one of my former students that's really good but it's not published yet. Most of the books I've read in the last year are either friends or things I needed to catch up on.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Strategies for the Sagging Middle.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Middles are tough. My experience has been that the writer thinks the middle sags more than it does, because you're not at the exciting beginning wherever everything's fresh and not at the end with the climax. Stagger the climaxes. For instance, Words of Radiance, I built it and plotted it like three books with multiple climaxes from major characters at the end of part 1, at the end of part 3, and at the end of the whole thing. It'll make your novel read like a trilogy.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Travel time frame of reference - how long is a day's ride?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
There's two answers. One is the official answer, and that depends on the horse, what you're feeding the horse, how you're pushing the horse - I think a wagon can go 1-2 miles an hour, a good horse if you're trading horses can go further. My expectation that it's usually 20-30 miles but that's pushing the horse hard. You're usually not going that much faster than people can walk, 2-3 miles an hour. Humans are better at going long distance than horses. But horses are more comfortable and can sprint if they need to. This is not something that I do a ton on because most of my books take place in one location - that's what we're looking at for a day's ride. Eight hours between 16 and 24 miles, but someone can correct me if they know better.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Speaking of Rothfuss, can you tell us how far along he is...
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No, I don't know how far along Pat is, when I hang out with Pat I don't ask him because he gets that enough. I'll tell you this, in my outline from ten years ago, the third book is named Stones Unhallowed, and his third book is named Doors of Stone. So either I've got to beat it or change it - I thought, "I have to write this book faster".
Questioner (paraphrased)
Out of all the characters, who do you identify with the most?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Hard to say because each of my characters I identify with in some way. Can't pick favorite characters or books becaues they're all my children.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Will you write any more books in the Alcatraz series?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes. I bought them back and sold them to Tor. I'm looking at doing it soon, this year or the next. I finished Firefight; the next book on my list is the Rithmatist and after that Tor has requested is Stormlight
Questioner (paraphrased)
What Radiant order would you be?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
I want to fly, so Windrunner.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Interludes having characters on the other side of the world - when can we see Lift again?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
She is seated (ceded)? for future use, indeed. Some of these interludes are for characters that I'll need in the future. Lift is there because she's going to do much Awesomeness in the future.
Questioner (paraphrased)
When do you expect to finish Shadows of Self?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
It was on the schedule for this fall to finish, but the third Stormlight book has pushed that aside, so it'll probably be the next book after that. Tom Doherty didn't want to have a four-year gap twice in a row, and I don't want to let it go so far. It's better to establish that I'll be doing Stormlight regularly before deviating. When I pitched Mistborn to my editor, I pitched a series going to modern times to space opera in the same universe. There will be another trilogy of thick books at 1980s technology, I pitched to my editor as "Tom Clancy Allomancy" and we will eventually get to the space opera, which will be allomancers in space.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Is Vasher the swordmaster-ardent?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
(coy) I have no idea why you would ask that.
Zahel the Swordmaster ardent was in the 2002 WoK by a different name and it blew my assistant's mind when he looked back in the original draft. It was ALL PLANNED.
Questioner (paraphrased)
When do we get to officially get to know what's going on in the Cosmere?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
All of my epic fantasy books are connected with continuing characters. That's a way off, and that's because I don't want people to feel like they have to have read all my previous books to enjoy the series. It should be about the characters. Eventually I will write one that's a mashup, but we're not there yet. I'll be very upfront about it when I do it. For now it's just easter eggs.
Questioner (paraphrased)
How do you pick names?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
It really varies based on the book. I'm often picking a linguistic paradigm. Alethi - there are two separate paradigms because I like linguistics to be messy. Usually based on symmetry being holy, so they'd pick names one letter off from symmetrical to avoid hubris. Also suffix - like Kaladin is Kalak (Herald) + din which is a suffix, all of them mean things, like the old Hebrew names have "born of" or "comes through". Stick that on and drop the last letter. Dalinar, Elhokar, all of those have suffixes - nar, kar. In Mistborn, I didn't want linguistics to be your focus, for in that I picked a simpler naming paradigm - I lifted linguistics from the real world. Central Dominance is French. The Germanic area, we have Elend and Straff, and then we have Spanish on the other area. I just kind of took Earth cultures and appropriated them. That's an easier way to do it, because Mistborn is kind of an earth analogue. But Roshar is very different. Mistborn I didn't want you to think of the difference, which is why I gave everyone nicknames that are easy to say.
Questioner (paraphrased)
What would happen if Alcatraz tried to wield Nightblood?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
They would get in a long conversation about random things and the book would just be those two having a discussion, and then the entire world would break probably.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Navani's fabrial bracelet.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
The stones don't have to be all heliodors. "They will change." (???)The number of prongs is not significant; the artist made the decision.