Orem signing

Event details
Name
Name Orem signing
Date
Date Dec. 21, 2017
Location
Location Orem UT
Entries
Entries 56
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#1 Copy

Questioner

So this flashlight is made of aluminum. So obviously, I could not affect the flashlight itself with iron or steel. Could I affect the battery inside it?

Brandon Sanderson

No.

Questioner

Could I like, pop the trigger?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

#6 Copy

JoyBlu

The Patji lake, theoretically, could an Aviar fly into the lake on its own and enter the Cognitive Realm? Like, have a bird catcher on the other side waiting for the bird to fly in and catch it?

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically... I'm going to RAFO that, but it's not a big RAFO. It's more along the lines of, I'm going to get into the mechanics of how things go through Shardpools in future books. Um, what you just described is not outside of reason.

JoyBlue

And could also, one of the grubs or one of the parasites or the rotten fruit, whatever, could that have fallen through the lake?

Brandon Sanderson

That is plausible. The question is, once it gets to be a non-sentient thing, how does going through the--- to the Realms work, and that's where it starts to get-- that's where you get your asterisk. Like, just a piece of fruit falling. I'm going to asterisk that one.

#7 Copy

JoyBlu

Evi, in Oathbringer, she uses strange idioms and you mentioned you wanna be on the lookout for people who use strange idioms... Is Evi native to Roshar?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes... Her people are related to the Iri, who are not native to Roshar. But she is not Iriali herself. And all the Iriali, they are native to Roshar, people who are born now, even if their people aren't. So Evi-- You can say, right, like, no humans are native to Roshar. But, yes, she was born on Roshar.

JoyBlu

...Would she might have some of the same blood in her that Vivenna and Siri would have?

Brandon Sanderson

Viviena and Siri... Oh, from... Ah, I'll RAFO that.

#9 Copy

Questioner

My question is, if you had two nicrosil Mistings, who, feeling like breaking the universe, and they got together and they touched each other and advanced each other's magic power at the same time by flaring nicrosil, what would happen? Would it cause a feedback loop?

Brandon Sanderson

*hands RAFO card* Well I'll go ahead and give you one right there! You got one!

#10 Copy

Questioner

So Hoid, was he considered a Lightweaver pre-Shattering?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, that would be an appropriate term. There are lots of different terms that would also be appropriate.

Questioner

But was it basically the same thing?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, no Stormlight. No spren. So, not a Knight Radiant. But, similar magic. But you've also seen Elantris magic do this. So there are-- there are certain things that-- I'll just stop there.

#11 Copy

Questioner

So I was curious. I really enjoyed your Snapshot book. Is there any way you're going back to that?

Brandon Sanderson

Probably not. What I do with those novellas is I write them specifically to get an idea out of my head. I could not promise a sequel and things. But there is a film in the works. MGM.

#13 Copy

Questioner

Are you doing a Warbreaker sequel?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. But I've determined that I can't do it until I at least have the Wax and Wayne sequence done. So it will probably not happen till after Stormlight 5. So you got a little wait on that. Because I'm going to do Wax and Wayne and then the next Stormlight. There's a chance I'll do it in between 4 and 5 but we'll see once we get there.

Questioner

So Wax and Wayne aren't finished?

Brandon Sanderson

One more book, Wax and Wayne.

Questioner

I thought they were just going to be a trilogy.

Brandon Sanderson

I wrote the first book as exploration. So I view the books two through four as a trilogy, with the first book kind of being like, "Do I want to do something more with this?" So there will be four.

#14 Copy

Questioner

So is there a connection with K's? Where the characters...

Brandon Sanderson

You mean names with K's?

Questioner

Yes...

Brandon Sanderson

I'm going to say it's more coincidence. It has to do with what I like to name people. Kaladin's original name was Merin and it was just bad. So I eventually settled on something I liked. I just like the sound of it.  If you dig down into it, most of the names in the cosmere do not have similar linguistic roots. Some do. I'm just going to chalk it up to coincidence.

#16 Copy

Questioner

So do each Shard's perpendicularity-- is that, like are they their own individual color or is that sort of--

Brandon Sanderson

There is a small thematic connection. This is not to be taken as one of the bigger deals in the cosmere, but there is a small thematic connection.

#17 Copy

Questioner

What was your inspiration for Jasnah?

Brandon Sanderson

I had done several times, when I was designing characters in the cosmere, someone who kind of thought they were an awesome scholar but really wasn't. That's the kind of thing with Sarene and a little bit of the thing with Shallan. They're young people who haven't quite made it there yet, whose opinion of themselves is kind of beyond their actual skill level. Who would be, like, the scholar? Like, the ideal Rosharan societal scholar? And I built Jasnah out of that, and then took her in a way that would allow her to also be in conflict with that at the same time. Always a good source of writing a character.

#18 Copy

Questioner

Is Kaladin's name influenced by Dune?

Brandon Sanderson

I've read Dune many times, so maybe? It's more looking at-- A lot of Dune names are Arabic inspired, and I went to that region for a lot of the names. But I think the word "Paladin" was probably more in the back of my head. I didn't even think of it until I started writing it, and I'm like, "Oh I bet that's where I got it." But it's often kind of based off of like, Khalid, or things like that? Like a lot of the Arabic names go Khalid.

Questioner

I was actually just thinking that the other day how the Knights are a lot like paladins.

Brandon Sanderson

It wasn't like, "I'll come up with the word." But after I started writing I'm like, "Oh I bet that's why the name felt right to me". But you can't separate an author from their influences, and I've read Dune like 5 times.

#19 Copy

Questioner

Would you be willing to admit the name of the Vessel of the Shard on Obrodai.

Brandon Sanderson

*gives RAFO card*

Footnote: The questioner is likely referring to the newly formed "avatar" of Autonomy referenced in the letters in Oathbringer.
#21 Copy

AllomancerSam

...When a Shard vessel dies and they've held the Shard for a thousand years, how much do they remember about what they've done?

Brandon Sanderson

Depends on the shard. Usually, everything or most everything. It is not implausible that there are Shards that don't want to remember certain things. They have a large and vast mental capacity for remembering things.

AllomancerSam

Would Ruin be one that would be more likely to want to forget?

Brandon Sanderson

I think all of them would have things they might want to forget. It depends on whose personality would be more likely to make that actually happen.

#24 Copy

Questioner

Hypothetically speaking, if some of the main Radiants were to die at the end of book 5, go to Braize and then spend the time in between 5 and 6 there, would they age?

Brandon Sanderson

There are lots of problems with that question. If a Radiant dies, they don't go to Braize. A Herald would, but a Herald is a Cognitive Shadow, so there's inherent problems in there. When you're a Cognitive Shadow, aging is different there, because you're basically a ghost. Even if you've been stapled to a body, it happens weirdly. So there's all kinds of flaws in that question.

#26 Copy

Questioner

How do you pronounce Szeth's name?

Brandon Sanderson

Zeth. 

Questioner

Just the Z?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. There's a little bit of s...

Questioner

And Sazed?

Brandon Sanderson

So, he says something more close to Saze-d. But Kelsier says Say-zed. And people just kind of go with what Kelsier does. I say Say-zed also.

#28 Copy

Questioner

Sah-zed, that's how you pronounce it, right?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, it depends on who you are. You can say it however you want. It's said all different ways in the books. Because he is Terris, and everybody's just kind of saying his name, right?

So Kelsier says Say-zed. But in world, he would say something more like Sahz-d, not Say-zed, himself. But I say Say-zed. You can say Sah-zed.  Some people would say that.

#29 Copy

Questioner

I'm curious, did you have [Sazed's] end result planned out from the beginning?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes and no. Mostly what I would do is I would generally write the first book as an exploration. Then I will outline the series, make sure the first book matches the series, then write the rest of the series. With Mistborn I did more of a write straight through all three. And then make sure they all fit... So where I had that, it would be very hard for me to pinpoint, because I kind of wrote the three books as a whole.

But I am an outliner, so I do know a lot of things ahead of time. You're asking me to remember back ten years, what happened while I was editing. I often say yeah I knew ahead, but the honest truth is it came in there somewhere. It might have been ahead. I would have to go look and see what my outline looked like.

#30 Copy

Questioner

Was it moral for Adolin to kill Sadeas?

Brandon Sanderson

Which morality scheme are you looking for?

Questioner

Yours. Your personal morality.

Brandon Sanderson

My personal morality. It depends on the day. That one's on a line. I would say yes. There's a little bit of-- there's enough chaotic good in me. I would generally put myself in neutral good. But there's enough chaotic good in me to say, "Yeah, that guy asked for it. He betrayed you, he was threatening your family." I would side on Adolin's side, I think.

#32 Copy

Mason Wheeler

Kelsier said to Vin, "Always make sure to burn off your metals before you go to sleep," because of toxicity issues. And when we get to Second Era, that just makes me think, because cadmium is truly nasty stuff. And most metals to burn them off, that'll be just fine. But with its effect, it would mean that trying to burn it off would shorten the night and you don't end up with any time to sleep. How does Marasi deal with this?

Brandon Sanderson

You measure very carefully and you deal with the side effects of being an Allomancer.

#36 Copy

Questioner

When is the second Rithmatist book coming out?

Brandon Sanderson

I put an update on my blog two days ago, so you can look in there. I'm having a lot of trouble writing it.

Footnote: The post in question, the 2017 State of the Sanderson, can be found here.
#37 Copy

Questioner

So I think you dropped like, so many cosmere bombs in Oathbringer. And I'm just low-key worried that there's not going to be much more to reveal. I hope that that's not the case and I just want a small confirmation.

Brandon Sanderson

There is still plenty to reveal. Remember it's two five book arcs.

Questioner

So we're okay?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. I've still got a few bombs to drop.

#40 Copy

Questioner

Did Harmony give Ironeyes full Mistborn powers, or anything other than what he has with his spikes...

Brandon Sanderson

Just what he has with the spikes, I believe. No-- okay let's say this: Harmony did not do anything... That doesn't mean that Marsh hasn't done things himself.

#42 Copy

Questioner

Cephandrius is kinda like a bard. And Tanavast is almost a Paladin. And Ati we're thinking like a priest or cleric?

Brandon Sanderson

You're starting to stretch. You can definitely put Hoid into a bard category.

Questioner

And then our final one was Preservation. Is he almost like a rogue or thief type person? Because he gives off that kind of vibe.

Brandon Sanderson

I'll RAFO it. You're going to have to wait on those until I write them out.

#44 Copy

Questioner

If I'm a Mistborn and I change planet-- if I go over to Roshar, do I have to bring metal from Scadrial with me?

Brandon Sanderson

No, you do not.

Questioner

Could I use Stormlight, and just have the same power?

Brandon Sanderson

Not-- not-- It would take some work.

Questioner

Yeah, okay. Okay, but I could use steel from Roshar, and you can-- Okay, thank you sir.

#45 Copy

Questioner

What was the most outrageous things somebody has asked you to write?

Brandon Sanderson

A lot of times they'll have me write something insulting to their friends, just gleefully. That's pretty weird. Lots of inside jokes and things like that, that make no sense to me. You know, "From brain to sandy. Write brain to sandy! That's what we call you!" Stuff like that.

#51 Copy

Questioner

I do have a question about the Fourth Ideal of the Windrunners--

Brandon Sanderson

Mmhmm?

Questioner

Does it have something to do with either killing or allowing people to die in order to protect others?

Brandon Sanderson

*RAFO card*

Bystander

Aw, RAFO. *laughs*

#54 Copy

Questioner

How do you get the Asian themes in without it being so corny?

Brandon Sanderson

You try to break down... Use multiple inspirations and tie them together. Try to extrapolate. Try to look at what are caricatures and stray away from that. Being influenced by the philosophy and the thinking and the culture to create things that are similar but going their own direction will help you do that sort of thing. Justifying things in-world rather than just dropping them in. Take a look at the safehand, which is based off of not -- but as an Asian culture thing, when I lived in Korea, you didn't show the bottom of your feet to people. It was considered rude. That was really interesting to me, and creating a similar taboo but with different groups and different reasons, it was... You can see my experience in how it came out. Do things like that.

#55 Copy

Questioner

Is Koloss Head-Munching Day like Weasel Stomping Day?

Brandon Sanderson

Someone asked me way before I was famous, back when it was five or six people who read my books, like "Are there any holidays?" and I'm like "Yeah, Koloss Head-Munching Day!" And then the fans took it and ran with it. At the next signing, they said "What is it?" and I'm like "Uh, my birthday" and then it just became a thing.

Questioner 2

What is it? What does it mean?

Brandon Sanderson

It means it's the day that the koloss go have some heads to eat.

Questioner 2

What I want to know is how the koloss can make a decision on their own? To munch heads? Somebody has to tell them, right?

Brandon Sanderson

The thing about koloss is that they try to imitate and recapture being human. So they wear coin pouches and things like that, so they get it wrong. They know that holidays exist.

It's partially just a joke.

Footnote: Koloss Head-Munching Day/Brandon's birthday is December 19th. Weasel Stomping Day is a Weird Al song.
Event details
Name
Name Orem signing
Date
Date Dec. 21, 2017
Location
Location Orem UT
Entries
Entries 56
Upload sources