Recent entries

Brandon Sanderson

I have it cutting right now, but I don't know if I can have it actually completely cut because we slide it through the rock and things like that, right? So it's gotta be that, like, atomizing a little bit into Investiture or something like that. Because I use it in a way that they just-- but there's not really friction on it, so mathematically I'd probably have to say that something is vanishing... I don't want it to but I probably have to.

Questioner

Yeah, I was just sitting there, thinking about Dalinar getting that trench. That would be difficult.

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO. RAFO for you, sir.

Questioner

The spren on the other side of the Oathgate in Shadesmar... One is an inkspren-- I am guessing, no? Because there are two spren that grant the Transportation Surge so that would make the other a Willshaper spren?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Questioner

Was Bloody Tan performing like Lessie?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Comatose

Was Nightblood black before being awakened by Shashara?

Brandon Sanderson

No.

Comatose

*written* Was Shashara known to wear red scarves?

Brandon Sanderson

*written* Nope.

*spoken* Good question. Good question

Ravi

What did you get Matt?

Comatose

Shashara was not known to wear red scarves.

Questioner

A friend of mine wanted me to ask: Was the cataclysm that rocked Ashyn and forced its inhabitants into the flying cities Investiture-based, and if it was was it Shardic in nature?

Brandon Sanderson

The same cataclysm that the-- did you finish [Oathbringer]?

Questioner

Yes.

Brandon Sanderson

The same cataclysm that they were fleeing, that they caused, is the one that forced people into the skies...

Questioner

Could you create an artificial perpendicularity on demand?

Brandon Sanderson

This is theoretically possible.

Questioner

Can you describe what Shadesmar looks like on either Nalthis or Sel.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. On Sel? Looks like a big old storm that will destroy you. More than a storm, it's like a big pressurized-- it's like plasma, almost. It is really dangerous. Really dangerous. That 'cause the Dor is hanging out there.

Questioner

So, when Cenn dies, and he says "The Black Piper in the night, he holds us in the palm, playing a tune no man can hear." Is that a reference to Hoid?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Good question!

Questioner

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Brandon Sanderson

I did. I considered-- When I started, I'm like, "Brandon Sanderson's a boring name, I should do a cooler name." And my editor and my agent prevailed upon me that, no, it was not a boring name, it was just fine. That was the big decision point.

Questioner

So, you post enough on Reddit. But you get by with not always getting noticed, and you can actually post stuff kind of like normally, like a person. How long do you think that will last until, you like-- like, if you get a movie or a TV deal...

Brandon Sanderson

People miss when Arnold [Schwarzenegger] posts on Reddit. People just aren't used to reading usernames. And I know, if they're miss Arnold, they're always gonna miss me.

Questioner

Did you have an inspiration for the Talents, in Alcatraz?

Brandon Sanderson

Stupid things that myself or my family do.

AllomancerSam

You actually mentioned at a signing I went to last year that the Rithmatist magic was going to be, like a cosmere thing, but you pulled it out. What about it wasn't working?

Brandon Sanderson

It wasn't the magic, it was the setting. I decided I didn't want Earth in the cosmere, even a alternate version of it. The magic still kind of works very cosmere-y.

AllomancerSam

Are there a finite number of types of spren, or can new ones be created?

Brandon Sanderson

New ones can be created.

AllomancerSam

If someone created another Awakened sword, just like Nightblood, with the same process, and then brought it to fight Nightblood the same way, would they destroy each other?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO!

Questioner

In Rithmatist, they talk about it's random to be chosen as a Rithmatist, but Melody says that everyone in her family has been chosen. Is it random? Or...

Brandon Sanderson

It is not random.

Questioner

Where did you get your inspiration for Kaladin's and Tien's relationship?

Brandon Sanderson

It grew naturally out of Kaladin's, kind of-- who he is and what's wrong with him.

Questioner

From a writer's perspective, in Words of Radiance: explosive things, lots of things happening at the end of that book. As a writer when you're writing that, which of those did you think would hit a fan the hardest? Like, biggest gut punch, or like, shocking moment.

Brandon Sanderson

I dunno... Probably when Kaladin finally says the Ideal.

Questioner

Me and my wife reading it, it was-- Adolin just shocked my wife.

Brandon Sanderson

Oh, yeah, that's the one. Yeah, you're right. That's the most shocking one...

Questioner

Multiple Investiture? Possible? Have we already seen it?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. And yes. Well, you've seen it, but you wouldn't be able to know.

Questioner

With that, is the planet they're on that matters?

Brandon Sanderson

For most of the magics, no.

Questioner

Okay. Since there *inaudible*.

Brandon Sanderson

Among other things, yes.

Questioner

How many times has Vasher been to Roshar as of Oathbringer?

Brandon Sanderson

Uh... RAFO, but at least twice?

Questioner

Taldain. Are you ever gonna write any more novels set on there?

Brandon Sanderson

I would say 50-50 chance.

Questioner

I know you can have Shardblades be basically whatever you want. Can they ever be, like, a regular proportioned sword?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

So people can just use them as normal?

Brandon Sanderson

Yep.

Questioner

I know Dragonsteel is going to have, like, [Hoid] as a main character in the series, or at least a more prominent character. Is there any other book series that are planned that are gonna have him as a more prominent figure?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

And are those gonna come before or after?

Brandon Sanderson

After.

Questioner

...Is there anything in [Hoid]'s past that he regrets that he did? An action that he made that he, like, regrets.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

We have a Nicroburst Twinborn, who burns his old stored metal. What happens?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Questioner

So, if we switch to Scadrial, and I had lined the inside of my hat with aluminum, I'm protecting myself from emotional Allomancy. What if I was able to use emotional Allomancy? Would that block me?

Brandon Sanderson

So, it's going to interfere a little bit. But the issue with that is, a lot of Allomancy is coming from center and going to head. So, you're probably still gonna be okay with the helmet... So, I'm gonna say, you don't want a lot of aluminum around you, but you could probably still make it work.

Questioner

So, I noticed in the books that they like to paint their Shardplate, most of them do, with one notable exception. The Shardplate isn't dismissed, so I imagine, when it's broken, they have to repaint it after they've regrown it?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah.

Questioner

So, if I painted a Shardblade and then dismissed it, would I have used paint in the shape of a Shard to sell?

Brandon Sanderson

Uh-- it would come back without the paint.

Questioner

So, the paint would go away with it, but not come back?

Brandon Sanderson

I've never been asked this before, let me think about it. I think the paint would get left behind.

Questioner

So I would have used paint in the shape of a Shard?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, you would, yeah.

Questioner

So, you could mold a Shard?

Brandon Sanderson

You could mold a Shard, yeah, you could totally do that. Yeah... I haven't been asked that before but that's my answer right now, because-- yeah.

Questioner

If the books contradict then the books contradict.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah but I don't think they will. So yeah, you can-- I mean, it could come up.

Questioner

Is Honor still alive?

Brandon Sanderson

Honor? Honor's dead.

Questioner

What about Tanavast?

Brandon Sanderson

So, um, you can assume that there is no funny business going on there.

Questioner

What's with Kaladin being special with his oaths that he explodes with power every time he says it?

Brandon Sanderson

That is a function of Windrunners being very close to Bondsmiths, which has certain effects.

Questioner

Would other Windrunners also do that, as well?

Brandon Sanderson

Yep.

Questioner

As far as the Oaths go, for Orders of the Knights Radiant that have Oaths that are, like, set, like Windrunners and Bondsmiths, do they have to be spoken in a specific order, or is it just as the--

Brandon Sanderson

They have to be spoken in a specific order. But the Oath can vary depending on the individual's own interpretation and feeling about it.

Questioner 1

So, spren can just manifest themselves to different people. Can they choose whether or not to manifest themselves to other spren? Does it depend on the kind of spren?

Brandon Sanderson

So, depends on the kind of spren. You'll get some hints of that in the third book. Or you probably have already, if you read the preview chapters.

Questioner 2

I read the preview chapters, but, like, the way Syl acted, is that, like, something that she's able to hide from them?

Brandon Sanderson

She was not able to hide from that spren.

Questioner

How soon until we found out why Vasher and the sword got split up?

Brandon Sanderson

Oh why they got split up. Not this book [Oathbringer]. But soon-ish.

Questioner

 Is there any undiscovered planets in the cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

Are you planning on doing more graphic novels, outside of the White Sand series?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, there's a couple of things here. Like, we don't want to do another one 'til White Sand is done. They come to us and said, "We wanna do more!" because White Sand sold so well. We're like "No, you finish what you have, then we'll look at doing it." So, we're exploring other options, but we won't start any until what we've started is finished. I really wanna do the story I had for Mistborn, the video game, as a graphic novel with Ben McSweeney.

Questioner

Any plans for a Mistborn, or just Cosmere, collectible card game?

Brandon Sanderson

Um, yes. Asterisk. It's a hard thing to get going. It would probably be more like a deck building game than a CCG, just 'cause we would sell a box set of something you could draft or something like that, rather than trying to go the whole CCG route.

Questioner

Signed cover art? Print of the cover art?

Brandon Sanderson

...Yes, we should be doing that. That's more a Michael [Whelan] question, for the cover art, and a question for the various artists. But for, what we really want to do with the endpages is do, like, a calendar, that's like a Rosharan/18-month-Earth/10-month-Rosharan calendar. We're gonna try that. But they have prints and things, and signed prints, and stuff like that.

Questioner

Could a Windrunner in Shardplate travel to other planets?

Brandon Sanderson

Uh, theoretically possible. Take a long time.

Questioner

Yes, it would. 'Cause he wouldn't need to breathe, if he's got enough Stormlight.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, well, I mean, they can control pressure, so. You'd need oxygen scrubbers, but they can also, so... you can create a ball of air around yourself with their power anyway, so--

Questioner

Was the Trust in [Hero of Ages] a perpendicularity?

Brandon Sanderson

So... No. Asterisk.

Questioner

Does Nightblood annihilate Investiture?

Brandon Sanderson

Investiture cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change forms. But, anything more than that is a RAFO.

Questioner

What would happen if you alloyed a metal with atium and lerasium?

Brandon Sanderson

So, you've seen some of that. It would be a further extrapolation on that concept.

Slowswift

Similar to how Lightweavers have, kind of really good memories. Do the Skybreakers have any special abilities for telling guilty and innocent people apart?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Good question.

Slowswift

Is Slowswift an Allomancer?

Brandon Sanderson

No. Slowswift is a cameo for Grandpa Tolkien.

Questioner

Is Re-Shephir related at all to the Midnight Essence in Aether of Night?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. It's me, like-- Related in that Aether of Night isn't canon, and I really liked how that worked in the cosmere, and I ported it to this instead. So that's like--

Questioner

So you're not gonna write Aether of Night?

Brandon Sanderson

Aether of Night, I might eventually write, but the Mid--

Questioner

It may be different?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah.

Questioner

Someone on the forum I'm on wanted me to ask you about citrus fruits during Vin's time.

Brandon Sanderson

Citrus fruits during Vin's time because of the lack of flowers, and things like that? Their fruits were not our fruits. Let's say that.

Questioner

Were they close to, like, Rosharan, like bulb fruit?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, there were definitely some bulb fruits. But any actual citruses, I don't think that there were.

Questioner

You know Hoid's Letter, that's in The Way of Kings? It's given to a dragon, right?

Brandon Sanderson

He calls him an old reptile.

Questioner

Is he immortal?

Brandon Sanderson

Functionally, meaning he doesn't age, but he could be killed.

Questioner

And he's a he, not a she?

Brandon Sanderson

It is a he.

Comatose

I was wondering about the Steel Ministry's stance on sexuality.

Brandon Sanderson

If you're paying them, they don't really care.

Comatose

That sounds like a Steel Ministry thing.

Brandon Sanderson

Yup.

Questioner

Could Lift's food ability be taken by Hemalurgic spike?

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically yes.

Kogiopsis

Are there any parallels between the fish in the Purelake and the Aviar in Sixth of the Dusk?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

LadyKnightRadiant

So you're really good at ending books, especially like post-climax resolution that I feel is always my real weak point. I always find that I tend to write things that end up sounding really, really cheesy. I feel like you have, like, perfected the, like, decent resolution that's not horrifically cheesy. I was wondering if you have like any tips on how to end things properly.

Brandon Sanderson

It's all about promises, right, and I've talked about this a lot. Like, what-- remember that the ending, if you've earned it-- Cheesiness is based on whether the reader is on board with you or not-- Cheesiness is not like this intrinsic property of a scene. Cheesiness is, are they on board? Do they want this? Have you done a good job with this? So if you get people on board-- yeah.

Brightlord Maelstrom

Would there be a way that is reasonably feasible to use Aon Tia to teleport off-world?

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically yes.

Brightlord Maelstrom

...Would there be a way to create it where instead of teleporting you directly there, it opens a portal?

Brandon Sanderson

We'll go ahead and start RAFOing at this point.