Recent entries

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3201 Copy

    Nameless36

    All the Shards basically agreed not to settle on the same planet. Six of them - that we know of - immediately, basically broke that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So... they did not make an oath to it. There was a suggestion made... and perhaps the people who made the suggestion did not understand that, if you want the Shards to do something, you need an actual Oath. And they did not get one.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3203 Copy

    Questioner

    The moons of Roshar. Inspired by the Dragonriders of Pern?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If it was, it was unconscious. But, more, it was the fact that I had three gods on the planet, and I was working with that. But, of course, the moons existed before the gods came.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3204 Copy

    Questioner

    I love the concept of the hair changing colors, how did you think of that? How did you get the idea?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So with Warbreaker I knew I wanted color to be a big theme, and so I wanted a way it manifests in some of the characters, if that makes sense. So that's where it began. I eventually settled on the color, because I knew that I was going [to be having some of the characters change shapes,] because the Returned change and transform, and so I used that kind of hair as a metaphor for that.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3205 Copy

    Questioner

    I wanted to know why in The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn, all the gods were named after human traits?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So this is... all the books are connected. So a long time ago, the premise is, a being... god named Adonalsium was split into 16 pieces, and so the various "aspects" of god, and those aspects are now the gods of all of these things. So there were two in the Elantris world, there's one in the Warbreaker world. Mostly Mistborn and Stormlight is where you'll find out about them.

    Questioner

    Preservation, and... I remember Hatred [Odium] in Stormlight.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yep, Preservation and Ruin. And on Sel, it was Dominion and Devotion, or Love and Conquest were the two.

    Questioner

    So all of them are connected?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yep.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3206 Copy

    Questioner

    I admire your imagination and I wanted to know when you first thought about your first book. I meant what is the earliest book you thought of and what age?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I was fifteen or sixteen, and it was Dalinar, the character. So he eventually became Stormlight Archive, although back then it was a book called Dragonsteel.

    Questioner

    Was it similar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, just vaguely similar. It was about a man who was the brother of the king who had to take over when the king was assassinated, so that part is the same. But the personality changed a lot over the twenty years before thinking that and writing it.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3207 Copy

    Questioner

    So, at the end The Bands of Mourning, I kind of noticed what seemed to me like a massive implied spoiler for Stormlight 5.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, what is that?

    Questioner

    Red mist, not in the Roshar system.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right.

    Questioner

    So, I wanted to ask you, how do you handle interlacing stories without, like, giving spoilers on the one hand and being faithful to the logic of the world on the other?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, it's actually been a bit of a challenge and I just had to be aware that people might read your books in any order and things like this. So, when I'm doing stuff like that, I'm usually being a bit more coy than I look I'm being. That seems like a very, very big spoiler, but...

    Questioner

    But I assumed that it could be like Autonomy or Ambition...

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, there's more going on there, but yeah, I do take care. The real trouble has been wanting to do short stories in the future, like Sixth of the Dusk, and I had to be really careful with Sixth of the Dusk, not giving away too many things about the main stories.

    Questioner

    Yeah, like, who are these people...

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, I'm more coy than I look like I'm being, how about that?

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3209 Copy

    Halel

    Is the time that women are pregnant in Roshar, is it different? Is it nine months, because nine is a bad number?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is a bad number and also, the months and years on Roshar are a little different, so it wouldn't be... it wouldn't map exactly one-to-one to our world. So, usually, it's about 10% different, a year on Roshar is about 10% longer than one of our years, but the months are about 50 days, so I'd have to run the math, but it's not going to come out exactly.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3210 Copy

    Questioner

    When will we see a continuation for the Kelsier story?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You'll see a little glimpse of it in Wax and Wayne 4. Otherwise, you're gonna have to wait for either [Mistborn] Era 3, or if I manage to do a Secret History 2. Which I can't promise that I'll be able to do.

    Questioner

    Secret History was I think my best part of the Mistborn series.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh. Thank you. I do want to do one, but we're gonna have to see where the time... where deadlines fall and stuff like that.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3211 Copy

    Questioner

    How do you see the metal, burning metals in corresponding to film?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So I've always thought that they would make the metal glow blue once you start burning it rather than the lines. The lines I don't think will look as good on film as they work in the books so that is what I've always kind of thought it would do. You start burning it, all sources of metal start turning blue and then you can you know shove on them and things.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3212 Copy

    Questioner

    I have a question about Mistborn. Is it possible for a spike to steal powers from other worlds?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible, yes.

    Questioner

    And, by extension, Feruchemical storage... in the metalmind...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, in the metalmind, if they had the other power, could they store the power...

    Questioner

    If there is the Feruchemist, like the...

    Brandon Sanderson

    So that is theoretically possible, but it would take a lot of finagling. Yeah, theoretically possible.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3213 Copy

    Questioner

    Can cytonic people potentially use all the abilities from Defending Elysium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Potentially, yes. So mindblades and things like that. Mostly, I'm kind of pushing people into specialties a little bit more, like I've done with something like Mistborn where you're generally better at one thing than another. So you may see some divisions of powers, but they're all capable of it.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3214 Copy

    TomereK

    So Shardblades. When they cut off the victims, the eyes burn up. And deadeyes have their eyes scratched out in Shadesmar. Is there any relation between them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is indeed a connection there.

    TomereK

    Is it RAFO?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's a RAFO, but there is a connection. You got something out of me there.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3215 Copy

    Questioner

    Are the people from Mistborn the people that came to The Stormlight Archive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Are they the people that what?

    Questioner

    In The Stormlight Archive, they discover that the people are not... that humans are not the people that [came to land?]. Are they the people from Mistborn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, they're not. They're from a different planet. The people from Mistborn, though, were based on them, in part. See, there's some people that predate what we call the Shattering of Adonalsium, where God was split to all these pieces, and humans predate that. The humans that were on Scadrial were created as an imitation of those.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3216 Copy

    Questioner

    Is there going to be another Wax and Wayne book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, there will be one more.

    Questioner

    Yes? And when's it coming out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have it scheduled to be one of the things right after Stormlight 4 but before Stormlight 5. So i have to get Stormlight 4 done, that will take another couple months writing and about six months of editing. So you watch sometime around July on my website we should start seeing the Wax and Wayne progress bar pop up or the Skyward 3 progress bar. Those are the two things I need to write.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3217 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    And your name is Topaz, huh?

    Questioner

    Yes, it is.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Topaz is a great name in the cosmere, because.. I if you know Wit/Hoid? Topaz is one of his aliases. It was the first name I came up for with him, when I was a teenager. I named him Topaz.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3218 Copy

    Questioner

    It seems like [Nightblood] takes Breaths at kind of an exponential rate. So, if you were trying to draw Nightblood in a perpendicularity, would it collapse at some point?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is RAFO... that is a RAFO, but yes, it's a good question to be asking.

    Footnote: Brandon has said before that Nightblood would be able to collapse a perpendicularity.
    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3219 Copy

    Questioner

    In the Lighthouse, it seems that it's almost like a fabrial, but not quite, because obviously, it's not a spren, obviously. So, is it like the Cognitive equivalent of what that would be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, what specifically are you talking about? Not the light itself, but the thing that Kaladin sees and stuff like that?

    Questioner

    Yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I wouldn't say that it is. So, I would go a different direction on that.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3220 Copy

    Questioner

    Why is there only one... I mean is there either one Allomantic power or all of them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What do you mean? Oh, why is that? That was mostly for narrative reasons and for making it easy for the reader to track. And, so, why in world? Just ended up being the way the Investiture split but mostly it was for narrative reasons, it was for author reasons.

    Questioner

    I was thinking if it was related to Identity?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, no. It's mostly for my convenience as a writer.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3222 Copy

    Questioner

    They're called "Wax and Wayne." Is that something to do with the moon or is that just...

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's a pun, it's just a pun on my part.

    Questioner

    So you did it on purpose but it's nothing in the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I did. Yeah, Scadrial doesn't have a moon so they wouldn't really... The words "wax" and "wane" still mean what they mean, but it's not part of common vernacular the way it is over here. So it's me being goofy and loving the pun way too much.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3223 Copy

    Questioner

    During the lecture the other day, you talked about the books that you never published, the thirteen books. You mentioned something you called the unspeakable, terrible book number nine. What is that about?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Parts of it ended up as Warbreaker. It was called Mythwalker and I never finished it - it's the only one out of all those I gave up on. It had a magic system that didn't end up working. So, that's pretty bad for one of my books. I had an intriguing concept, but it never worked.

    Questioner

    And do you have another one from the thirteen that you still intend on adapting, changing and then maybe publishing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Aether of Night will probably end up in some form or another, and Dragonsteel will probably end up in some form or another.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3224 Copy

    Avivsm

    Can a Nahel Bond be stagnant because of a spren's inability to progress? If the spren has a character deficiency they cannot break through or something?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Can a spren cause the Nahel Bond to not progress? This is possible. Not very common but it is possible.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3225 Copy

    Avivsm

    Did the old Knights Radiant know the Shin were in possession of the Honorblades?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So... the Knights Radiant are aware of where... most of them are aware of where the Honorblades are.

    Avivsm

    In the old times?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, I thought you meant the Heralds. Did the old Knights Radiant know where the Honorblades were? I will RAFO that one, sorry. I was thinking, yes, the Heralds knew where their Blades ended up, but I will RAFO the Knights Radiant.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3226 Copy

    Questioner

    Second thing, can I get a Releaser Ideal maybe?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A what?

    Questioner

    A Dustbringer?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I don't give the Ideals out until they come up in the books. They're all major plot points.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3227 Copy

    Questioner

    Are the Sleepless Invested? And if so, is that in every hordeling or is it like the hive mind is an Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will RAFO that. All things are Invested. So-

    Questioner

    Un-Innate Investiture, like extra...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Extra? I will RAFO that.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3228 Copy

    Questioner

    Two days ago, you read the first chapter of Stormlight 4 and Navani has a homesteward there and he has those rings, lots and lot of rings. Is it maybe... he has...

    Brandon Sanderson

    You're gonna ask if he is a Terrisman, right?

    Questioner

    Maybe...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Maybe... RAFO.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3229 Copy

    Questioner

    When Zahel worldhopped to Roshar, did he ever do that before Warbreaker?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, in fact Roshar was where the idea for Nightblood kind of came from.

    Questioner

    Will you ever write about that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will probably reference it in future books and maybe I'll do some flashbacks, but I haven't decided. I'm unlikely to write a book that covers that time period on its own.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3230 Copy

    Questioner

    So my question is this: So, Investiture is a different [type?] of existence separate from matter and energy, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    So, does entropy apply to Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes... It does, with some caveats, but yes. It works a little differently, but it does apply. You should be able to apply all three laws of thermodynamics with... accounting for a third state of matter, energy.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3233 Copy

    Questioner

    Where did you get the inspiration for the <pilot unit> in Skyward, because you get the culture of the piloting program in Israel very well!

    Brandon Sanderson

    I actually went to a lot of pilots and asked them to be my beta readers and talked to them and they gave me a bunch of feedback.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3234 Copy

    Questioner

    If you took Nightblood into the Cognitive Realm, what would he look like?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, and yes, he has been taken into the Cognitive Realm before.

    Questioner

    More specifically,  would he stay a sword or would he give himself a sort of...

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a RAFO... that's the RAFO. Just make sure when you go through that perpendicularity, he's in a sheath. Otherwise, bad things happen.

    Questioner

    There would be a difference, you say?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, bad things would happen if you took Nightblood through.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3235 Copy

    Questioner

    So you said, so the only two ways to really worldhop are Cognitive Realm or FTL.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I did not say that, I said...

    Questioner

    So there could be another way?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. I said, if you couldn't use Shadesmar, is there another way. I did not say there are only two ways.

    Questioner

    Okay, so there could be more than two ways?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Okay, thank you. That's the answer I was looking forward to.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3237 Copy

    Questioner

    The Reachers in the ship that leads Kaladin and the group... What kind of Order do they create?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That will be answered in the next book. You'll have pictures of all of the Radiant spren and their bonds, except the Bondsmiths, obviously.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3238 Copy

    Questioner

    One. Can there be Nahel Bonds with more then ten types of spren because we have ten Orders.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Meaning, are there other possible spren that could form other Orders of Knights Radiant that are not the ten? This is theoretically possible, but that is basically what you could argue is happening to Renarin. So now if you want to say... if you want to throw out the exception of spren who were one of the ten who got changed, then this is theoretically possible but right now currently wouldn't work.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3239 Copy

    Alyssum

    So, Shadows for Silence... Threnody, or Hell at least, is based off of Judaism, right? And Shade sounds a lot like the Hebrew word for demon, Shedim. Is there a relation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes... yes. But it's not an in-world reason, it's just in my brain, right?

    Alyssum

    Okay, so I was going to ask like... do they have chicken legs, which is how [Jewish demons are depicted]

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, they don't. But, you know, things like She’ol [Hebrew word, the Jewish interpetation of the afterlife in certain texts] and things like that, they're in the back of my head - mostly because of Stormlight. I would say, I hadn't thought about it before, but that's definitely an unconscious influence on me. But they do not have chicken legs.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3240 Copy

    Alyssum

    I have a follow-up question about Nalthis and synesthesia. How would having a lot of Breaths affect the Heightenings of someone with chromesthesia, which is a form of synesthesia where you... light and color. I mean, sorry, sound and color.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, so you hear sounds and you see colors?

    Alyssum

    Or vice-versa, you hear color and see sounds.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, you hear colors and you see sounds... So, what did I say before?

    Alyssum

    You said that it would affect it in different ways, but you didn't say how.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Alright, so... See sound and hear color... *struggling* I'd have to think about it, honestly. I don't think I can off the cuff that one.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3242 Copy

    Questioner

    If an Elantrian were to tattoo someone with an Aon with the intent of it working...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Could that work? Yes... you could make that work. There is some trouble with moving some Aons around, so it's gonna depend on how you're building and things, but you can make that work.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3243 Copy

    Questioner

    So, about Feruchemy. If someone takes, for example, a copper metalmind, fills it with memories, and then a tin metalmind, fills it with senses, then melts them together into a bronze metalmind, would you be able to tap anything from it, and what?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If you made an alloy of them, you would not get anything out of them. You would know there's Investiture in there, but you wouldn't be able to pull it out. 

    Questioner

    Even if it's your own?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Even if it's your own, yup. They would interfere with each other to the point that you wouldn't be able to get anything out. Sorry.

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3244 Copy

    Questioner

    First of all, did Mormonism play a role in building the Cosmere at all?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It certainly did... Not really a conscious one, but my faith really influences who I am. Like, one of the big tenets of my religion is this idea that we're all gods in embryo that are then growing up to be like our Father. And so you can see in the Cosmere, it's really about the power of God given to men and what they do with it and how it kinda messes things up if it's not done right. I think that's probably deeply influenced by my religion. 

    Tel Aviv Signing ()
    #3245 Copy

    Questioner

    What is your favorite relationship between two characters?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Favorite relationship? Oh boy... Adolin and Kaladin. That was a lot of fun to write, because they're such different people, but they're really good for one another.