Recent entries

    Miscellaneous 2012 ()
    #2752 Copy

    Kurkistan

    Looking more closely at the [Steel Alphabet] font, it looks like we're missing some information. Note that the tin symbol for 'e' and 'i' are slightly different: the dot is in a different location. I suppose that the dots are diacritical marks, then.

    Any other diacritical information we should know about the Steel Alphabet (or Alethi, for that matter), Peter?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Moving the dot to distinguish vowels is a modern innovation, within the last 100 years by ALLOY OF LAW. I suspect that dots may be gone entirely (except for the two changed vowels, and maybe "capital" letters) in many fonts by the time you get to the second trilogy. Numbers might get a moved dot too. The placement of the dots in the original symbology has to do with Allomancy, but they're largely superfluous in writing.

    The Feruchemical symbols (which are in the RPG) are evolved from the same root (the ancient symbols you can see in MISTBORN 3), but I don't know about their use in modern writing. It could be something like the hiragana/katakana distinction. But that's just speculation right now.

    Miscellaneous 2012 ()
    #2753 Copy

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Silver is not Allomantically inert the way aluminum is. In that annotation, Brandon just meant that silver didn't do anything if you swallowed it and tried to burn it. It can be Pushed and Pulled. Years after Brandon wrote that annotation, what he means by "Allomantically inert" has changed.

    Miscellaneous 2012 ()
    #2754 Copy

    Zas678

    Does Nightblood think when he's on his own, or is it only when he's next-

    Brandon Sanderson

    He does think when he's on his own.

    Zas678

    Okay. I thought that maybe he was like the Spren.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There might be a connection, but he does think on his own.

    Miscellaneous 2011 ()
    #2755 Copy

    Bremen

    Theory: Imperial KKell power is the power to control the other KKell powers.

    While considering the no relatives problem and what happened if the emperor died with no heir I thought "well the priests could just adopt someone into the imperial family like they tried with kkeris". This naturally led to the question, "Where do the priests get the power to adopt/unadopt people." With the logical conclusion that it is the imperial kkell power. Either the priests take a kkell oath or they adopt themselves into the imperial family.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    That is actually correct as far as I know, but it never comes out in the chapters that were written. Though there may have been more than that.

    Miscellaneous 2011 ()
    #2756 Copy

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Brandon cannibalized the magic system and at least one character from Aether of Night into Liar of Partinel. But that book didn't work and he hasn't decided if it will stay cannibalized into the Dragonsteel series or if he will separate it out again (when he gets around to rewriting Liar of Partinel from scratch).

    Some aspects of Aether of Night were also put into the Mistborn series. Decay in that book is Ruin. Obviously Ruin would not show up in a different Shard book now. Aether is the trunk novel with the most overt Shard presence. Also, it was never intended to be a standalone, especially with the blatant sequel setup at the end. None of Brandon's trunk Shard novels were meant as standalones, unless you count Elantris with its non-immediate sequel.

    Miscellaneous 2010 ()
    #2757 Copy

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Nobody except Brandon has ever read all of Liar of Partinel. His writing group got about 75% of it, and those people are not going to talk.

    Chaos

    And rightfully so, if Adonalsium was Shattered at its ending.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    As I understand it, that does not happen at the end of that book.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2761 Copy

    AltF4WillHelp

    Sorry if this has been asked before; I haven't been able to find a direct answer anywhere. It came up while playing the Mistborn Adventure Game (which has been very fun, btw!).

    A Feruchemist can easily determine whether any metal is a metalmind, regardless of whether it's theirs, simply by touching it. And a Ferring can definitely determine the same, but for their own metal.

    But, a question came up: can a Ferring also—perhaps with practice—tell whether any piece of metal has been stored in/is a metalmind? Would this be easier for certain kinds of Ferrings? (Ones that are more directly in tune with Investiture, perhaps?) And, if they can determine that a piece of metal is Invested, would they feel something similar to what Vin did when she was examining Sazed's metalmind? Would they be able to tell what the metal it is based on how that power feels? (That last bit might be infringing on what skilled/savant bronze Mistings might be able to do).

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, bronze Mistings are really good at reading investiture that is being used--it's harder to simply "detect investiture" as all things are made out of investiture in the cosmere. That said, I could see your game allowing this, as it's a natural extrapolation of the magic--and it could make for some good gameplay. Don't be afraid to extrapolate the magic for your own uses, even if it doesn't fall right in line with the way I do things.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2762 Copy

    WritesGeekyStuff

    I'd love to hear what some of your inspirations were for Skyward. I know you've listed How To Train Your Dragon and The Last Starfighter, but I'm curious if there are any books or movies that inspired you for the sci-fi worldbuilding and starfighter combat? As someone who loves pretty much anything starfighter, from Wing Commander to Stackpole's Rogue Squadron books, I'd love to hear how you approached it or if you have any reccos I'm not aware of!

    Brandon Sanderson

    I spent a lot of time on YouTube watching interviews and videos about what it's actually like to fly or take G-forces. Tom Scott did a nice one on centrifuges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMKcO-T5Y4o

    As for starfighter books, there really aren't a ton are there? Most everything in books focuses on the Lost Fleet/Honor Harrington/Vorkosigan style large ship combat. Stackpole is great, but you've already read him. A Fire Upon the Deep is great, but again, not a lot of starfighter battles. I'll have to think about it more--I don't have any that were specific inspirations for this series.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2763 Copy

    Blightsong

    I've noticed that in the Listener songs there are two different, semi-conflicting stanzas between the song of histories and the song of secrets when it comes to Smokeform. The latter song also seems to be more consistently critical and fearful of Odium and the forms of power. Am I noticing something relevant here, and if so could you elaborate on why?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, you are noticing something real.

    Note that Listener history is...fraught. And while the rhythms are standardized, the words are applied to them have a lot more cultural influence and interpretation.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2766 Copy

    athos45678

    Has anyone in the history of Roshar ever had Lift’s special physiology? Or is she like a whole new human

    Brandon Sanderson

    You could say anyone that has their DNA or spiritweb meddled with by the Nightwatcher is something new--that said, Lift is an experiment that hasn't been tried before.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2767 Copy

    Snarlezz

    What's the incentive of alloying lerasium and becoming a misting when you could just burn it normal and be a Mistborn?

    AltF4WillHelp

    My guess is that you'd presumably you'd use less of it? Also, arguably, not every way of using a magic is going to be the most optimal way.

    It's probably just a way that lerasium can work. If you alloy it or somehow mix it with things from other systems, it's quite possible you'd end up getting those magics instead, because it'd Connect you more strongly to a different Shard.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The replies to this are correct.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2768 Copy

    MasterDex

    I love every book of yours I've read. However, I'm a sucker for grim, dark and/or mature fantasy tales (Malazan, Black Company, The First Law, etc). Have you ever considered going right down that route? Have you any stories that you think would fall into more mature/darker territory? Or do you feel that you have no need to go there? (obviously, Stormlight Archive has some quite dark and mature moments but not quite to the level of the aforementioned series)

    If you're answer is No, could you explain why?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Threnody novel, if I find time with it, would probably be the closest you'll see from me. I've read and enjoyed each of the authors you listed above, though my own writing tends to not lean that direction. One reason is that I tried (when trying to break in) to make my style more gritty to see, since GRRM-like was what everyone was searching for. It just didn't feel true to my own voice.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2773 Copy

    Stormstoyou

    The Third Bondsmith Ideal that Dalinar swears in the end of Oathbringer. About taking responsibilities and becoming a better man. Is it the basic Ideal for ALL Bondsmith or this is Dalinar’s personal interpretation of the Ideal?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is Dalinar's personal interpretation, but ideals for a given order do have similar themes person to person.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2775 Copy

    Turambar97

    Will there ever be a point in your books where different or all types of investiture clash ?? What I mean will there be a fight between people with different kinds of investiture or will there be a team composed of such people ?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, this will happen.

    Look for the future of the cosmere to be about the interaction of ideologies, magics, and settings. It's less about an avengers style team up, and more about the clash between cultures.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2777 Copy

    kdt05b

    Can Megan manifest a Cosmere reality? The Reckoners is not part of the Cosmere, but one of they main character's power is reaching into alternate dimensions. I want to see some epics on Roshar!

    Brandon Sanderson

    I wanted to avoid multi-verse theory type things in the Cosmere, in part because the Wheel of Time delved into these concepts, and even before working on the WoT was looking for ways to keep the Cosmere distinctive from it.

    Beyond that, multiverses (along with time travel) really play havoc with continuity. I felt the cosmere was stronger if I kept to the three Realms--that's complex enough. Assume that in the cosmere, while different possible futures/pasts do branch (and can be seen) things like Allomantic gold are NOT looking at other realities--and there is only one reality, once events actually occur.

    This does mean that time travel into the past is not going to be a factor in the cosmere.

    This separation does let me divide these concepts off and play with them in other realms (like the Reckoners) where they're 'quarantined' so to speak.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2778 Copy

    Kyrroti

    If I were burning iron, where would the line point to on a steel hula-hoop?

    Brandon Sanderson

    For something like that, it would depend on the Steelpusher's power. For some, it would just be pointing generally toward the center of the hoop--but for skilled Steelpushers, they'd be able to see softer lines pointing in all directions around the hoop.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2779 Copy

    Kyrroti

    What's your process for writing Rosharan Myths such as Fleet's race? They are always my favorite parts of the Stormlight novels.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I love folklore, and spend a lot of time looking into the folk myths and stories for various cultures. I try to make the various myths, particularly those shared by Wit, have a different "Voice" from my normal narrative voice, as I want them to feel like legitimate ephemera from the world.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2780 Copy

    mbue

    Do people on Threnody get really old or something? I can't work out the timeline of the events leading up to Shadows for Silence. She says her grandparents were among the first to reach the Forests of Hell, but also that the waystop has been safe for over a hundred years. Given Silence's age, her grandparents couldn't really have founded the waystop over a hundred years ago if life expectancy on Threnody is similar to other planets.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'd have to look at the timeline myself. That might just be me not looking at continuity closely. I wasn't trying to imply people living very long.

    Skyward Pre-Release AMA ()
    #2782 Copy

    valmeister

    Though question on Skyward, you recently said it was going to be 4 books instead of 3, and also said you have sent the second novel to your editor. Also you said next you will be doing Stormlight Archive 4. Do you think you will hop back in to Skyward after, or will it be much later? I just normally hate starting series that are underway, and Skyward sounds like a refreshing change of pace, so curious roughly how long the wait to see the end would be.

    Brandon Sanderson

    My hope is to keep the Skyward books at one a year. Their shorter nature, and the extensive outlines I've done, should let me hop over to keep myself fresh while working on Stormlight.

    If there's a break, it will be 2020 when Stormlight four (hopefully) will come out. But as I already have 2018 and 2019's books done, I'm confident that at the very least, we'll have Skyward 3 and 4 in 2020 and 2021.

    TWG Posts ()
    #2792 Copy

    Arabas

    The question is about the Lord Ruler's death.  He is basically killed because Vin was able to remove his Feruchemy storage bracelets thus depriving him of his stored youth and strength correct?  Once he didn't have access to these she could simply kill him like a normal man.Now on page 627 about the 3rd paragraph down the Lord Ruler states " I've survived burning and beheadings.  I've been stabbed and sliced, crushed and dismembered." (I also think this is also reference somewhere else in the book that I could not locate)If all it took to drain the Lord Ruler of his power was to remove access to his Feruchemy items wouldn't he have died if he was dismembered?  Remove the storage devices from the trunk of the body and he would die?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    I asked Brandon about this once, and I'm pretty sure he said the beheading survival part was a lie/exaggeration. I'd have to go back and check my notes.

    The Lord Ruler would have reason to want people to believe he had survived beheadings and being burned to ash.

    TWG Posts ()
    #2793 Copy

    MsFish

    I am glad Dragonsteel will not be on the front of the book, because Tage tells me there aren't really any dragons. If I picked up a book called Dragonsteel and then realized there weren't really any dragons (in the classical sense) I would feel extremely cheated and never read it just because of my anger.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    There was one dragon in the original book, of whom Brandon added more appearances in the later drafts. He was almost completely exciseable from the plot of that book (at least, in a simple, non-spoiler explanation), though he was clearly important to the universe as a whole and the series' overall arc.

    TWG Posts ()
    #2794 Copy

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Okay, just for my amusement, here's an analysis of your books so far (the ones I have):White Sand I 1.0 - 0.49 pptt (pause per ten thousand words)Star's End 1.0 - 0.34 pptt Lord Mastrel 1.0 - 0.83 ppttKnight Life 3.0 - 0.40 ppttThe Sixth Incarnation of Pandora 1.0 - 1.48 ppttElantris 6.0 - 3.51 ppttElantris 8.6 - 4.16 ppttDragonsteel 7.0 - 5.70 ppttWhite Sand II 2.7 - 6.11 ppttMythwalker 0.6 - 10.2 ppttMistborn Prime 4.0 - 9.63 ppttAether of Night 3.0 - 11.99 ppttFinal Empire Prime 1.0 - 9.65 ppttWay of Kings 2.1 - 8.1 ppttMistborn Final Empire 2.0 - 10.97 ppttMistborn Final Empire 3.1 - 11.56 ppttMistborn Well of Ascension 3.0 - 13.25 ppttAlcatraz Initiated 4.0 - 8.71 ppttMistborn Hero of Ages 3.0 - 9.68 ppttWarbreaker Parts 1-2 1.2/1.0 - 11.5 ppttStar's End and Knight Life only have 3 pauses each! Anyway, there's an upward trend, and then it more or less levels off. It took reading the book out loud for me to notice it. I have no idea how this compares with other writers. Well, the book I just rewrote has 2.47 pptt.Make of that what you will.

    Legion Release Party ()
    #2795 Copy

    Mason Wheeler

    I was re-reading the original Mistborn trilogy, and I was struck by how devoutly Demoux believes in the divine nature of Kelsier.  And I just had to wonder, what must it have been like for him when he later became a Worldhopper and got a peek behind the curtain?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, that's a very interesting aspect of his character, for specifically that reason, and I am going to write about it and explore it more deeply at a later point.

    Legion Release Party ()
    #2796 Copy

    Questioner

    What's the most RAFOd question that you're asked?

    Brandon Sanderson

    These days, it's about probably the sphere that Gavilar gave Szeth. That's probably the most commonly RAFOd one. But I'm not 100% sure. No, no, it's names of Shards that I haven't named yet. That's gotta be it.

    Legion Release Party ()
    #2799 Copy

    Questioner

    Back closer to the release of Rithmatist, you were talking about it being two to three books. Is it pretty much two books now?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's still three books in the outline. But if I can make that second book have a satisfying ending, so that it doesn't have a cliffhanger like the first one, I will be very much more happy. Even though the outline's still for three books. But, I just have to... getting Legion cleared off my list is a big step forward. Getting Alcatraz off my list would be another big step forward. Rithmatist is the most popular of those three. But it's also the one that I had the most trouble getting the sequel done with. But things are looking better and better as I clear other things off my list.

    Legion Release Party ()
    #2800 Copy

    Shadow Guardian

    If you had to pick three topics to learn and you have an aspect like Stephen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Great question. I would love to have an interpreter with me who can interpret all languages. Maybe... because there's no one aspect who does all of that. It might be too big of an aspect. But I would love to be able to go on tour and be able to do that. So that would be definitely number one. Probably a writer, to look over my shoulder and improve my books. Speed up the editing process, and things like that. And then I would pick something probably like physics or chemistry. Something I know a little bit about, enough to know that I really don't know what I'm doing. Because I have to rely sometimes on Peter and people on physics questions and things like that, and it would be nice to just have it.