Recent entries

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7901 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7902 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7905 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7906 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7907 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7908 Copy

    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--

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7914 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7915 Copy

    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.

    Steelheart release party ()
    #7916 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7920 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7921 Copy

    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.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7924 Copy

    Questioner

    How could I be a better beta reader? Because I suck at giving feedback.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's just practice. And try not to fix things, try to just give your responses to them.

    Questioner

    Like how I felt about certain things?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, you don't have to tell them how to fix it, you just have to say, "I was bored here." "I was not empathizing with this character." "This line was really great." That sort of stuff.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7925 Copy

    Questioner

    So, you know, on Scadrial, once metal is burned, it returns to the ecosystem, because matter is not created or destroyed. Does color do the same thing on Nalthis? 

    Brandon Sanderson

    You're gonna make me try to decide-- does color have, um-- I'll have to think about it...

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7926 Copy

    Questioner 1

    Where can I find the rules to the game of Michim?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, probably nowhere. I would have to do some more work.

    Questioner 1

    ...I tried really hard to extrapolate the rules.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I know, that's what I'm saying. Probably nowhere, because-- the rules-- we'd have to look in my notes, to see if I even have them in there.

    Questioner 2

    Did you actually invent a game, just to put it in?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, enough rules-- I don't know if it would pass playing-rigor.

    Questioner 1

    How can you guess the ones your opponent has hidden if it's a game of skill, not chance? I can't understand!

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, I have to fudge these things, just in case it doesn't actually play, I don't have time to, like, playtest for a year. But we can work on it and see if me can make it work. If you beg at me with an email, we can try that.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7930 Copy

    Questioner

    Does the Almighty and the Heralds have anything to do with the bigger cosmere gods and deities?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    The Heralds, as well?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...Not as much, but a little bit. They do. 

    Questioner

    Does that mean that the Almighty is able to worldhop as well?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, the Almighty is Honor, and he is one of the Shards of Adonalsium, so he didn't originate on Roshar.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7931 Copy

    Questioner

    I'm wondering how worldhoppers are able to understand languages on different worlds.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, because I knew I was doing this whole thing, I made it fairly easy to use Connection to start speaking other languages, like you see in the Mistborn books happening. That's a pretty common thing with the various magic systems, one of the easiest things to get going. Some just learn the language. It does happen. But, for instance, Hoid isn't learning the language, which is why you see him making goofs, like when he says "coin" instead of "sphere." Because, like, that doesn't happen really, if you learn the other language. There's not really the word for coin. But the magic is trying to interpret the thing that he says, and it just comes out as a word that's not in their language, really. And you'll see worldhoppers making that mistake. You'll see them using words like "dirt" and stuff like that, and that's just a clue they're using magical means.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7932 Copy

    Questioner

    So, I had a question about the 16 in Mistborn versus 10 [in Stormlight], there's a big discussion on the 17th Shard about it...

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's more-- It's not random. 

    Questioner

    ... So is there a method to the madness?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is a method to the madness, but it may not be as important as some people think it is.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7933 Copy

    Questioner

    So, I'm intrigued by aluminum, especially the fact that it can only be found by Soulcasting on Roshar. So, how was it discovered in the first place?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...Did I say you can only get it through Soulcasting?

    Questioner

    In the Shallan flashbacks, she has the pendant.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Don't take what she says at 100% truth.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7935 Copy

    Mason Wheeler

    Harmonium is ettmetal... Its chemicals properties are sort of analogous to cesium. It explodes in contact with water. People are made out of water. You try to spike someone, you try to swallow it, you try to wear it as jewelry, it will not end well. Why in the world would he pick something so inharmonious?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He didn't pick it. It's unstable because of the two halves of him not meshing well.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7936 Copy

    Mason Wheeler

    So, because the world is flat in Shadesmar, if there's a place where you can't cross, so if a Radiant was on a ship, they'd have trouble getting across, because their spren would be stuck behind that line of discontinuity. Is the Origin of Storms located on that line?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, good question.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7938 Copy

    Questioner

    Who do you think would win, an atium misting, or Kaladin with Syl?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The atium misting, as long as they have enough atium, is probably got an advantage, but Kaladin can fly. So, I would bet on Kaladin, meaning he flies up high, waits 'til they run out of atium, then gets them.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7939 Copy

    Joyblu

    So, I just had a question about the name Hoid. I've gone through all these [Aons], with the "OID," I know he really cares about how it's spelled. Is there anything you can give me the "O" and the "I" and the "D"? The only ones that have the "O" and the "I" are these two right here. Am I onto anything here, or is that just a coincidence?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, those are just a coincidence.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7944 Copy

    Ethour

    Would a Shardfork be effective in combat?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...Depends on who has it. I think-- There were war tridents that were used, historically, but I'm gonna say that, on average, a sword's a better choice. But, I mean-- Lift isn't hot on hurting people, even when she's fighting them, so it's kind of a weird thing.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7949 Copy

    Questioner

    So, I'm about to read the last four books of Wheel of Time, and I know in your interview with Deseret News is that no one has asked you about something big, world-shattering. What should I be thinking of while I read these books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can't give you even a clue, because I've been sworn to secrecy by team Jordan. I made it up, but they said "We can't tell people this." So, this is something I added to the books, it's not something that was in the notes. So there, you learned something about it.

    Oathbringer release party ()
    #7950 Copy

    Questioner

    Where is the status, or will it ever happen on the pizza necromancer book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...Death by Pizza's floating. Really I can only start new things if it's directly for my contract for Tor or for my contract [with Random House] until I clear off a few things, so I'm not letting myself do that one. I considered slotting it in when I did Skyward, but Skyward was the one I ended up doing. So, that one's, basically-- I'm not gonna do it until at least I get Rithmatist and Alcatraz done.

    Questioner

    Well, I'm excited. It sounds fun.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is a load of fun.