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Home | Interview Database

Interviews: WOR Signing Table Q&A

Summary:

Entries

121

Date

Mar 21st, 2014

Type

Verbatim

Location

Collegeville, PA

TourCon

Words of Radiance Book Tour

Bookstore

Towne Book Center & Café

Reporter

EHyde

Links

17th Shard

17th Shard

  • 1

    EHyde

    All right, the transcript is finished to the best of my ability. Most of the juicy questions were already in NutiketAiel's report, but if people want the exact wording, and there's some other good stuff too, especially some fun less cosmere-related stuff.

    Footnote

    This is not the general Q&A but the questions asked at the signing table. Some questions were omitted because they were reported by the people who asked the questions, in which case their paraphrases were replaced with the verbatim transcript.
  • 2

    Question

    Did it seem really awkward working with someone else's characters, with Robert Jordan?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You know, I thought that it would, but the fact that I've been reading them since I was a kid, they felt really natural to me, like writing my own characters. I'm quite pleased—I was quite surprised. Perrin and Rand and everyone, they're like my high school buddies. It was refreshingly familiar to me.

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  • 3

    Question

    In Mistborn, Allomancy tends to get a little addictive, is that something that's going to happen with Stormlight—holding it just because it feels good?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You are noticing a similarity. That is intentional.

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  • 4

    a young girl

    How were you inspired by Dragonsbane?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I was inspired by just how imaginative it was. I had never read a fantasy book before and I loved the idea of another world that was so similar and yet so different from our own.

    Question (later)

    When you read that one book, was that where your inspiration started, or were you always—

    Brandon Sanderson

    I was always telling stories, but I didn't find fantasy, and myself in fantasy, until I read that book.

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  • 5

    Question

    How often do your characters take you completely by surprise when you're doing the actual writing, and take you away from your outline?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They don't surprise me very often, I'm usually aware of it long before it would actually become an issue and I've rebuilt the outline by then.

    Question

    So you're not ever in the process of writing and they—

    Brandon Sanderson

    They don't do that. I cast people in my role, like not real people but I try a character out, and if they fit the role I keep going with them and if they don't then I throw that chapter away and I cast someone else. I rarely have someone go complete crazy off what I was expecting, if they do, it means they were probably the wrong character for that role.

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  • 6

    Question

    If Taravangian made the Diagram, and telling the future is of the Voidbringers, is that a bad sign?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on if you're speaking culturally or actually magically.

    Question

    Magically, I guess.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because he would claim to you that he did it all with strength of mind and no magical influence other than enhanced mind. That's what he would tell you. And so in that case it would not be—culturally they'd look very weirdly at it, but spiritually he would say it's not of the Voidbringers.

    Question

    Right. He would say that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh-huh.

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  • 7

    Question

    We were talking that it's kind of a shame that Dalinar doesn't have his own "real" spren. I think it's an upgrade, is there a way I should think of this? Is it a cool thing or a bad thing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's a cool thing, it's also a very dangerous thing.

    Question

    Well [the Stormfather] controls the highstorms ... follow-up question: if he dies, does that affect the spren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Dying, as long as the oaths are not broken, does not affect the spren in a very terrible way. There are effects.

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  • 8

    bookstore employee

    So, Anne McCaffrey ... what about Terry Brooks?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Terry Brooks also, but Terry Brooks was a little bit later—only six months later, but I discovered him after I was already neck-deep in the genre. I've since had dinner with him and stuff and he is delightful. [...] Landover is my favorite of his.

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  • 9

    Question

    So regarding Hoid, are we ever going to learn his real name at any point in time? I guess in Dragonsteel? I know he says about how he's borrowing stuff and about how he steals stuff.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. You eventually know his real name, but it depends on what you define as real.

    Question

    So also, regarding the magic systems and stuff, I hear you have another book that's unpublished and that you can send it to people.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, just drop an email, say that you want a copy of White Sand. It's okay. It's not great.

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  • 10

    Question

    Will the flute come back?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A lot of people are curious about the flute. I have been non-committal, so far.

    Footnote

    The flute that Wit gave to Kaladin, which he had to abandon in Sadeas's camp after the Battle of the Tower.

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  • 11

    Leiyan

    Can you tell me the order of the three planets in the solar system?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

    Leiyan

    Because I know Braize is the third one, I've heard that, is that true?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm staying closed-lipped about a lot of this.

    Leiyan

    Can you tell me which is the most massive moon [of Roshar]? Not the biggest, but the most massive.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think the biggest is the most massive. All three moons are much closer than our moon is.

    Leiyan

    And so is that Nomon?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Leiyan

    How big is Nomon on the night sky, like compared to our moon?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Larger than our moon, but not dominating of the sky. [...] I do believe Nomon is bigger, but I had to have Peter run those calculations, so he may come back and say no Brandon, that's not possible, but I do believe it's bigger than our moon in the sky. You're supposed to be able to see moderately well by Nomon.

    Leiyan

    So I had some things I figured out, I just wanted to know if they're true or not. So I have that the orbits of the moons would precess so that the farthest point is always pointing towards the sun.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, one more time.

    Leiyan

    [uses diagram to explain the question]

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, we have figured all this out. It's in the wiki--so me just saying--it's not in the wiki that you can find. I would need to go compare this. All the calculations on things like this--this is stuff where I sat down with Peter, who knows much more astronomy than me and said "here's what I want" and he's like "well it has to be this" and I put that in.

    Leiyan

    Do you know, do the moons orbit the opposite direction to Roshar's rotation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I believe they do but I'm not 100% sure.

    Leiyan

    There's no eclipses as far as I can tell, so the plane of the orbit must be strongly inclined, 'cause there'd be an eclipse every day if there were eclipses-

    Brandon Sanderson

    We had to fudge that because as you said, if there were any it'd be all the time.

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  • 12

    EHyde

    I was wondering, on Roshar, what sort of plants and animals do they use for fabrics, since they don't have a lot of wooly animals and the plants are different?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Most of them are plant-based. I think I've mentioned one of the plants.

    EHyde

    They have silk though, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. It's called sea-silk, they grow it in the water. It comes from the coasts.

    EHyde

    So they don't have anything like our silk, then?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If you looked at it, you would call it silk, but it is being produced in a very different way.

    EHyde

    Our silk comes from insect cocoons, and they have a lot of that there, but they don't use it for fiber at all?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Insect cocoons on Roshar are either, they melt in water from the highstorm cycle, or they have stone in them, so they don't work really well for textiles. There are certain rockbuds you can shred the inside of the shell to get a textile, there's sea silk that grows out in the ocean, and there are other plants of a similar nature.

    EHyde

    I was also wondering about the Steel Alphabet in the Mistborn books, each letter aesthetically looks like it's built from a cuff, a spike, and a bead, and was that intentional to reflect the magic systems?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Do remember that that writing system was developed by the Final Empire. They actually took the ancient Terris symbols and made them more to their aesthetic over time.

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  • 13

    Rhandric

    Is Vasher trying to find Nightblood?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Vasher misses Nightblood and feels responsible for him.

    Rhandric

    How many worldhoppers have we seen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, I haven't kept track, you've seen quite a few. There's one from Mistborn, did you catch him? I don't think people have really picked out the Terriswoman yet, who makes her way into them, but they're mostly not supposed to be noticeable yet, until you get to know them as characters and you look back and be like "oh that was that person."

    Rhandric

    Is it the Terriswoman I think it is?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't know which Terriswoman you think it is.

    Rhandric

    Tindwyl?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

    Kurkistan

    Speaking of the Terriswoman, is she the nurse in Warbreaker?

    Brandon Sanderson

    < Pauses; gleefully says > RAAAAAAFO!

    Footnote

    The last Q&A was transcribed by Kurkistan.

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  • 14

    Question

    Do you have any say in your covers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have a lot more than I used to. Originally, not much, though Tor, to their credit, even the first cover asked me—gave me a choice of three illustrators, and said "which of these three would you like the most? And then I picked Stephan Martiniere, and I got the cover from him, that I really liked. Nowadays I can say "give me this artist" and they do.

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  • 15

    Question

    Have you thought any more about metal allergies with your Allomancy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It definitely wouldn't be pleasant.

    Question

    Ok, I have this steel allergy, I got it last year, and I work in a steel plant.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It would not be pleasant, but I would have the instinct that fewer people on Scadrial would have that allergy, because of the Investiture during their creation. But, it could totally happen.

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  • 16

    Question

    I really like the leatherbound—are these [the Stormlight Archive] ever going to come out in a leatherbound edition?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would assume that someday we will make that happen, but it is not in the near future. You'll probably see a Mistborn leatherbound first. To kind of gauge the market.

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  • 17

    Question

    You said you've played Magic since it came out, what kind do you play the most?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I play draft the most right now, particularly cube draft, but any sort of draft I can be a part of I love. [...] And you know, any time I can play I enjoy it, but if there's a set that I can draft some sort of screwy combo deck like spider spawning or swarm or something, then that's the sort of set I love. Or some sort of screwy five color deck.

    Question

    I play a lot of commander.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Every time I play commander I get stomped. I haven't quite figured out how to make a commander deck that doesn't get stomped. But of course I think that the format's all about everyone getting stomped so, it makes sense.

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  • 18

    8-year-old girl

    When is the next Alcatraz book coming out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I am working on it right now, I hope to have it out by next year. I'm not sure when, but hopefully next year. [...] I did buy [the rights] back and I sold them to Tor, who's releasing a new edition, so you won't have to order them in from the UK anymore. [...] We will have a Tor edition starting in 2015, hopefully with the last book.

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  • 19

    Question

    You said that you had your lectures online, are they on your website?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. We link them on my blog, but they're at brandonsanderson.com/writing-advice. You can also look on YouTube, they're all on there.

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  • 20

    Sweetness

    What do the glyphs in the Kholin glyph pair mean?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh boy, it's in my notes, I should know that, but I'd need to look it up.

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  • 21

    Sweetness

    What would the Willshapers think about Adolin killing Sadeas?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Willshapers would probably be ok with that.

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  • 22

    Sweetness

    Since the evil on Threnody isn't a Shard, can you tell us anything about its actual nature? Is it an actual being, and is it related to Adonalsium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Everything is related to Adonalsium in the Cosmere, most of the magic you're seeing is a just a natural outgrowth of Cosmere related magic and cognitive shadows. The Evil is similarly related.

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  • 23

    Sweetness

    Were the Ryshadium artificially enhanced or created, or were they natural?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, RAFO! Good question!

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  • 24

    Question

    Any new news on the Mistborn game?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have no news, unfortunately. I'm still hoping that it comes out late 2015, but I don't know. [...] It's based on a story I wrote for them specifically for the game.

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  • 25

    RIT

    Alright, glowing Shardplate and retractable helmets. Is that a similar origin of the Shardblades—

    Brandon Sanderson

    There's a similarity, but they are also very different.

    RIT

    Yeah, I noticed they do seem like advanced fabrials, because Adolin just keeps going on and on about how they're all interchangeable and how they all feel comfortable after a while, and it doesn't have the same kind of thing with the Shardblades.

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, it doesn't. Though a Shardblade, used for a long time, will change shape slightly.

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  • 26

    Question

    Is it the power of the bond between humans and spren, the Nahel bond, or from the swords—the existing Shardblades—that causes the eyes to turn light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh ... yes.

    Question

    Does each specific order have their own spren that they would bond?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Each order has a spren that is distinctive. All Windrunners come from wind— from honorspren.

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  • 27

    a young boy

    So I was reading the Wheel of Time and in the first one they get the saidin and saidar, the pools—they seem very similar to Shardpools.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, and that is something that he kind of dropped, the Eye of the World is just like pure saidin, and I would be surprised if that weren't an unconscious influence on me, I didn't think of it when I was coming up with these but that's definitely way back in my brain when I was creating these.

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  • 28

    Question

    So Nohadon's still alive, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ... RAFO! Why would you say that Nohadon's still alive?

    Question

    I know he's still alive.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why would you say he's still alive?

    Question

    It's the perfect trick, that you're gonna bring back Nohadon. Um. It's my feeling about things.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um ...

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  • 29

    Question

    When do we get to see a Radiant and a Mistborn go at it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's gonna be a while. It is gonna be a while. Unless—yeah.

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  • 30

    Question

    Is Shai on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hehehe, good question!

    Question

    Has she already popped up?

    Brandon Sanderson

    She has not already popped up.

    Question

    So she's not a Radiant. Or is she?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You have not seen her on screen yet, other than in her story.

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  • 31

    Question

    When are we gonna see a published copy of [White Sand]?

    Brandon Sanderson

    We're working on a graphic novel of it right now.

    Question

    Who's gonna do the art?

    Brandon Sanderson

    We have four or five people who have sent us pitches, and we are looking through them to decide who we want to use.

    Question

    Can you put me in one of your novels? I'm a three-fingered Irishman who speaks four languages.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, write me an email that says "I'm a three-fingered Irishman who speaks four languages," we'll see what we can do. [...] Who did you think Hoid was, in White Sand?

    Question

    Hoid is not a real person, he did not start life as [can't make out].

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, who did you think he was in White Sand?

    Question

    I don't know yet, I'm not that far.

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  • 32

    Question

    You talk about music a lot in your books, but you never talk about the notation, or how advanced they've come with the chords and scales and stuff, do you have that all planned out or is that just—

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have an idea in my head, but it's not something I spend a lot of time worldbuilding. [...] I play trumpet, not piano, so my music theory is all squished through brass, which leaves me with kind of a weird perspective on it. My wife did music theory, and played piano, and all this stuff, and me it's like, you know, "it comes out the front of the horn!"

    Footnote

    Music theory is generally easiest for pianists because they play more than one note at a time (as many as 11-12), and can play several voices in counterpoint with each other. Trumpet players often can't even read bass clef; pianists read both clefs and more commonly have the ability to play in any key.

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  • 33

    Question

    How do you come up with all your detail for your books, all the different sequences.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Just lots of practice. Practice a lot, and it starts coming to you.

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  • 34

    Question

    I was wondering if you had, off the top of your head, any one-armed Herdazian jokes.

    Brandon Sanderson

    (laughs) Only the obvious one. How do you get a one-armed Herdazian out of a tree? You wave.

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  • 35

    Question

    Are you ever going to go further in the Elantris series?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Someday I will. It's a ways off, but I will someday.

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  • 36

    Question

    I was writing about the stances, and I was wondering if you could match them with (unfolds drawing).

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would have you email this to us, because Ben McSweeney made the final call as he drew these, which one was which. While I had notes on each of them, he matched the stances to them, so it would be really easy for me to get them wrong.

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  • 37

    Question

    Did you ever make a conscious choice to be as open as you are, in your process, with your fans?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was just really natural to me. I think it was me looking at things that I wished authors were doing, and I'm a product of my generation, with the internet and things like that, so, I wouldn't say conscious.

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  • 38

    Question

    Do you think you're going to write in the Wheel of Time world at all?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's unlikely that I'll ever do any more Wheel of Time books. I don't think that Robert Jordan would want it to keep going.

    Question

    What about your Steelheart, how many—?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a trilogy. I've finished the second book and turned it in, then one more left to do, and then it'll be done.

    Question

    Final and kaput? No multiple trilogies?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hmm ... you know, I could see ... but I have no plans right now to do any more. I have my next YA book that I've already got planned what I'm going to do.

    Question

    The Rithmatist, how many in that series?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's also three.

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  • 39

    Question

    So what's your favorite thing from The Way of Kings? Quotes, coming from the actual book in The Way of Kings.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The book in-world? I would say it's the story that Nohadon shares about walking and passing the man with his burden.

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  • 40

    Question

    With the ten books split into five and five, is that going to be chronological?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. They will be chronological.

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  • 41

    Question

    So, Joshua [Bilmes ha]s looked at two of my manuscripts, how many did he look at of yours before—?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think he looked at four. [...] If you're continuing to get better and better feedbacks, that's a really good sign with Joshua. Now, you should also be sending other places. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. But as long as you're getting increasingly good feedback, then he's paying attention, and he doesn't read a lot of new authors' work anymore, he has his assistants do that, so if he is reading it himself (and if he says he is, he is) then you are in a good position.

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  • 42

    Question

    I was curious, I know Jasnah wasn't in it too much ... I was curious—she's such a believable non-religious character, was it more difficult writing her as a religious person? I just thought she was so well done even though she's not—

    Brandon Sanderson

    You know she's always been that way in my head, since I conceived of her. I spent a lot of time on atheist forums, learning how to talk the right way to make her real.

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  • 43

    Question

    You talked about how when you're reading it's an active process and you're almost like the narrator of the story, you're inventing details that aren't necessarily in the book. How much of that process do you think gets lost in the audiobook process?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think you lose a little bit, but you gain a little bit in return, their interpretation, and things like that. It does happen, you lose a little bit, but you get something else in return.

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  • 44

    Question

    My friends were appalled that I didn't know my favorite author's birthday and favorite color.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Koloss head-munching day (December 19) and maroon.

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  • 45

    Question

    I wanted to ask about how, you mentioned that in the [third] trilogy for Mistborn, all the things are tied together. All the different worlds. In books that you write after you've written that, are you going to attempt to tie them in?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will tie them in. I've already seeded hidden things that I can use to tie them in the way I want to. So it should all be there, the things I want to use. When you read, watch for a character named Hoid.

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  • 46

    Question

    You write such amazing magic systems. Have you considered doing some arrangement with like Pathfinder or GURPS?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I've done one with Crafty Games, who did a Mistborn RPG. So that was my first foray into that.

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  • 47

    Question

    Did you have a fascination with gemstones, and metals, or—?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have a fascination with everything. So, yes, but it takes a while to figure the right theme to fit a book. But I am fascinated by pretty much everything, and so you see that sort of thing manifesting in these books.

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  • 48

    Question

    I do have to know—how many cousins?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on what your definition of cousin is. By Lopen's definition, basically all of the people—there are a lot of cousins. He's counting like fifth cousins, like, dating his sister or his mom's sister—that's a cousin.

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  • 49

    Question

    How many people that we've met know the story of Dalinar's wife?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Know which story?

    Question

    The story about the pact, why he doesn't remember anything.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh. Not very many at all know that he doesn't remember. He's had to fake it.

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  • 50

    Question

    Is Lopen still going to have one-arm jokes? That's my big concern.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He's always going to have one-arm jokes. He's probably going to have to come up with some two-arm jokes.

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  • 51

    Question

    Have you listened to your books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have. I do really like Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, so I listen just to see what their interpretation is. I love that Herdazians are Australian.

    Question

    Are they on for the rest of the series?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Well, they said that they will as long as they're free.

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  • 52

    Question

    How are you going to finish the Cosmere stuff? Like when you get to book 35, how are you gonna resist like book 36, we're gonna say "Courage is held by a guy named Steve and according to Hoid he's pretty cool." Just extend it another ... how are you going to finish?

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll see. We will see. The thing is there's a beginning, middle, and end to the shattering of Adonalsium and the involvement there. More stories can be told in the Cosmere, but there's a beginning, middle, and end to that. When I finish that, that is the sequence that I wanted to tell.

    Question

    And you have that outlined out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I do.

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  • 53

    Question

    You were talking about the magic of writing, how you had to have your own kind of magic for writing, and I was wondering, did you kind of snap into that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, it took a while to kind of figure out, all of this took a while to figure out, none of it came, I had to practice, I had to learn, and this is just kind of my philosophies as I write.

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  • 54

    Question

    Are the Wax and Wayne stories going to always be in stand-alone, or are they ever going to tie in to the main Mistborn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They will tie in, in fact I intended the first one to foreshadow stuff for the next trilogy, so you will find things tying in with what's going on, but I kind of wanted them to just be more independent, so we'll see. It'll be a little of both.

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  • 55

    Question

    Is Lopen going to be one of the [main characters in the second five-book sequence]?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He is not, he's a side character.

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  • 56

    Question

    Who helped you go on when you had to do those eighteen drafts?

    Brandon Sanderson

    My wife is a big support to me, but I wasn't married during the early books, and then it was just my own desire to write, and I did have a writing group that helped me, and they're good people too.

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  • 57

    Question

    Any humorous character in the near future? I like the funny ones.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, if you haven't read Legion, Legion's pretty funny.

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  • 58

    Question

    Is there a difference between the Shardplate of the Radiants and the current Shardplate?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

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  • 59

    Question

    Kaladin in the second book seemed to be a different Kaladin than at the end of the first book.

    Brandon Sanderson

    What way?

    Question

    Angrier, and my question is, why did you write him that way?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He has always been angry. In the first book, he is focused on saving his men and now that his men are safe, all of those emotions—if you go look at him from the first nine chapters of Way of Kings, he's that way there, it's when he becomes focused on saving his men he has something to drive him and it kind of subsumes these things, but once they're safe all these things he hasn't dealt with came back out.

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  • 60

    Question

    Birthright.

    Ah ...

    Question

    So I've been in contact a little bit with [something], I own a RP gamer, and they went radio silence on me.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, yeah. I had dinner with Matt Scott like two weeks ago, he said it's still in development, but he's like buying a game studio that was working on it, or something? He had farmed it out? I think. So I don't know.

    Question

    Are you still writing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I wrote the story for them to use. The idea was I write the story, they build the game, and come back to me for dialogue. So I have got an overarching story for them but I don't write the dialogue till we actually have a game to plug things into. That's still my plan. He's still really interested in buying the Mistborn movie option, and he says that he's working on a mobile game, so he's really awesome ... but I have nothing to tell you right now.

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  • 61

    Question

    The epigraphs for The Way of Kings, that were talking about how the various Shardholders are influenced by their shards over time--how does that impact someone like Harmony, with multiple shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The main effect it's having on Harmony right now is his inability to act sometimes, because his two sides are pushing, and so he is having trouble being proactive. It'd take a long time before it really becomes manifest, but he's had several hundred years, so it's starting to have an effect.

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  • 62

    Question

    Could you use the Feruchemical ability to store identity to heal damage done to you in the Cognitive Realm?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um...yes, but it's gonna take a roundabout method to make that happen. But identity can be very useful for all sorts of things like this.

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  • 63

    Question

    Do you know if Graphic Audio is ever going to tackle the Stormlight Archive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would like them to, but it's really up to Tor Audio, or actually MacMillian Audio. They are the ones, because we sold the audio rights to them, that would decide when they're going to do subsidiary licenses. Which they only recently decided on Mistborn. So I'm sure Graphic Audio would like to do it, probably after a few books of this are out they'll start doing it.

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  • 64

    Question

    Before the Recreance, there were three Bondsmiths. Did they all bond supersprens, or is Dalinar an exception?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They did something similar.

    Question

    Can the Unmade be bonded?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Wow...plausible. Er, possible, I should say.

    Question

    If you came up with a Radiant-like ideal, for yourself as a writer, what would it be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What a great question! (writes the answer in asker's book).

    Footnote

    Does this imply that the unmade are spren?

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  • 65

    Question

    What Jasnah did, in the first book, with Shallan in the alleyway. And what happened at the end of this book, between Adolin and the other character. Would you put them on the same level? Or would you say that what Adolin did was maybe a little bit darker?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say that what Adolin did was less dark, personally. I would say that what Adolin did was something that needed to be done, that no one else was capable of doing.

    Question

    Will it have any ramifications for him down the line? With how it was handled?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, there are definitely ramifications. How it's handled, there's lots of ramifications. And there are certain characters who would think that what he did is totally, totally, totally wrong.

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  • 66

    Question

    Hoid said [in Warbreaker] that he learned stories from a place where gods have died. Is that Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. I will say this. A god has died on Roshar. Only one, that we know. So, "gods" would not be plural.

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  • 67

    Question

    Is Shallan's father actually her father?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Heh. People asked if her mother were actually her mother. No one's asked yet if her father was her father. Yes, it was her father. I will give you that. Her mother and father as presented in the story were actually her mother and father.

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  • 68

    Question

    Szeth a lot of the time throughout Words of Radiance is referring to the fact that he's hearing his victims scream in his head. Is that actually his conscience screaming at him or has he possibly already bonded to a spren in some way, that is displeased with-

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is not the spren. Good question. It is not...the spren is not a spren that is a...for one of the orders.

    Question

    But it is related to--

    Brandon Sanderson

    I didn't say that. I just said it is not a--it is not a blade. It is not one of those.

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  • 69

    Question

    If you had to pick one favorite character from the Stormlight Archive, right now, who would it be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's hard to say. Dalinar was my first character, so he'll always have a special place in my heart.

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  • 70

    Question

    What came first, Pattern or Chalklings?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Pattern was before Chalklings, good question. For some part of its existence, the Rithmatist was in the Cosmere, until I decided I just don't want Earth in the Cosmere at all, even a bizarre sort of version of Earth.

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  • 71

    Question

    Which of your characters do you think would win in a fight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh … at what stage in their career?

    Question

    Not the Slivers.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, so they don't count, the Shards of Adonalsium don't count … does Kelsier have atium?

    Question

    Yes.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Then … a Mistborn burning atium is really hard to beat in any other way.

    Question

    So you think that Kelsier would beat Vin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, Kelsier would beat Vin if he had atium and she didn't. If they both did? Vin has more raw talent, Kelsier has more experience. So if you can pick Vin after she has more experience she will give him a fair fight, otherwise, not.

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  • 72

    Question

    The letter in the epigraphs in Way of Kings, the recipient--is he or she--are they in Words of Radiance?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They are not in Words of Radiance in person.

    Question

    Will they be in the next book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a RAFO. But they have not appeared in person in the series yet.

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  • 73

    Question

    If someone--Vasher says that Nightblood would kill him, is that just because he has this big deific Breath? Would it kill an ordinary person, like a drab?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It would suck the Breath from anybody, and if they were unable to feed it he would feed on their soul.

    Question

    So they would die.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Anybody wielding Nightblood, he will suck their soul. For too long, he will eventually, if you draw him, he will suck your soul.

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  • 74

    Question

    When does a person become a Surgebinder? Because Kaladin talks about when he was a child, about it being a familiar feeling, and Shallan obviously was younger. Or is it when they speak the Words?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The bond starts forming before the words are spoken, but if the words are never spoken that bond will eventually evaporate and get broken. But the bond will start forming before. Just like an emotion attracts a spren, acting in the way that the spren you would eventually bond will start drawing them toward you and that will start to create that bond.

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  • 75

    Question

    I know that there's three sorts of forms that magic presents itself in, the liquid and the solid and air. What would Breath be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Breath is definitely like Mist, it is in the form of the air.

    Question

    And is Stormlight the same?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Stormlight is the same. Good questions!

    Question

    Would Vasher be able to use Stormlight in the same way that he can get Breath?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That would not be immediately easy, but Stormlight could feed Nightblood.

    Question

    Which is why Szeth can wield Nightblood?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Eh, you'll have to see if … but yes. That could theoretically happen. You can use most of the magics on most of the planets to fuel the other magics, if you know how to do it, it is not easy.

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  • 76

    Question

    Are we going to get a book with Lift?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You are going to get a book with Lift as a main character. It is going to happen I promise. And I'll probably do some more shorts with Lift because she is so much fun.

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  • 77

    Question

    The Seventeenth Shard--is their purpose limited solely to tracking down Hoid? Or is it something grander than that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, they have other stuff. It is something grander than that.

    Question

    He's just one of many priorities?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. They are very worried about what he's going to be doing.

    Question

    But there's others they're worried about as well?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. [...] So they have a task, they have goals, and they are worried that he is going to be at cross purposes to them, so they are trying to hunt him down.

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  • 78

    Question

    What's his name, the one who sends the letter with pictures … Nazir?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, Nazh? Nazh… (he gives a longer name. Sounds like Nazreloft, obviously spelling uncertain)

    Question

    He's not in the list of …

    Brandon Sanderson

    He appears in one place in that book.

    Question

    Rock sounds Hawaiian, Hawaiian royalty. Is that a pun on Dwayne Johnson?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [Laughs] No, it's not. That's a coincidence.

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  • 79

    Question

    In other worlds, are we seeing any magics already? Like, Allomancy might be in Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You've seen people using Allomancy in Roshar before.

    Question

    You said that on Roshar the only reason they have aluminum is that they can Soulcast it, right? I think you said something like that … maybe? I was wondering how that would work, if an Allomancer were to--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Aluminum has some weird properties on all of the magic systems, not just allomancy. It does not have the same effect, but aluminum has some bizarre effects.

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  • 80

    Question

    Is the surge "cohesion," that we haven't really seen much, strong axial, is that related to the fabrials for the half-shards?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Aha! Um, I'm gonna RAFO. It's not me not knowing the answer, it's me not knowing if I should say or not. I will RAFO that, because I don't want to get into that too much right now.

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  • 81

    Question

    For the Honorblades, if somebody that was already a Radiant used an Honorblade, would they get that Surge also?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible to get multiples, yes. Good question.

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  • 82

    Question

    For the Honorblades, if somebody that was already a Radiant used an Honorblade, would they get that Surge also?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible to get multiples, yes. Good question.

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  • 83

    Question

    Does Szeth have a puppy, and what would it be like if he did? Because I feel like he could really use one.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Szeth could totally use a puppy. He totally could. He does not have an axehound pup, but he totally should get one. But he does now have something very puppy-like.

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  • 84

    Question

    The Long Trail of the Iriali, was one of the first three lands Braize?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hehehe. No. Excellent question.

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  • 85

    Question

    The Aimians seem disliked throughout the world. Is that based on something that has happened in the past?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, yes, but they're also really creepy.

    Question

    Are they open to manipulation like other sentient non-human humanoids of Roshar? The Parshendi? Or, similar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, RAFO.

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  • 86

    Question

    What's your working title for the third book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It has two. The original working title was Stones Unhallowed. However, Rothfuss is using Doors of Stone, and I kind of feel like I might want to do something different, so my interim title is Skybreaker, but it has to be an in-world book. The in-world book for book 3 is kind of a different one, so I can do a lot with it, but Stones Unhallowed is easier.

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  • 87

    Question

    If somebody with some kind of magical ability, for example Allomancy, etc., were to travel off-world, would they still have that ability?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on the ability. Some are easier to use off-world than others. You have seen Allomancy used off-world already.

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  • 88

    Question

    Are we going to get ten different perspectives for Gavilar's death?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will get five.

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  • 89

    Question

    Did the shattering of Honor happen in the Cognitive Realm, and Ruin in the Physical? The reason I'm wondering is, are spren the expression of the shattering in the Cognitive Realm while Ruin's physical being is an expression of the shattering in the Physical?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is an interesting theory that I don't want to completely shoot down, but it is not heading in absolutely correct directions. The shattering of a Shard is an event that transcends all three realms.

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  • 90

    EHyde

    I was also wondering if there's any chance of seeing a Nightblood point of view.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is a chance of seeing a Nightblood point of view. It is something I have sincerely contemplated...and even maybe posted about online.

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  • 91

    EHyde

    Were there Desolations before there were humans on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

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  • 92

    EHyde

    And, how were the Radiants able to summon their Shardblades at the Recreance if they'd already decided to break their oaths?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Their Shardblades are part of what brought them to--part of the Oathpact--but breaking the Oathpact did not affect their ability to bond or unbond Shardblades.

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  • 93

    EHyde

    What information do Stormwardens use to predict Highstorms?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, many things, some of which is necessary to the process and some of which is not. But previous highstorm arrival is a very big part of it, and highstorms from previous years, most recent highstorms, and if they can get when the highstorm left the other side, that's a calculation that will help them, and things like this.

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  • 94

    EHyde

    Was Nohadon a Bondsmith?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO! Good question.

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  • 95

    Rhandric

    Have the Bondsmiths ever had a Shardblade? Have any other Bondsmiths had Shardblades?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO! Good question. Good question.

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  • 96

    Leiyan

    I'm guessing it's a RAFO, but why do Honorblades work the way they do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Honorblades were crafted before Shardblades existed--

    Leiyan

    So they were crafted.

    Brandon Sanderson

    They were crafted before Shardblades existed, and all Shardblades that exist came about as certain individuals trying to find out how to copy Honorblades.

    Leiyan

    So would it be fair to say that Honorblades are analagous to fabrials in some sense? Trap spren in a crystal yada yada Stormlight power?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is an analogy there, that I think would pass the SAT's rigor for analogies.

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  • 97

    Leiyan

    Is Nightwatcher Cultivation, or an analogue of the Stormfather to …?

    Brandon Sanderson

    These are excellent questions you should be asking.

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  • 98

    NutiketAiel

    Were the original sixteen Shardholders after the shattering all human?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh … RAFO. There are three races on Yolen. Three sentient races.

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  • 99

    Leiyan

    I'm curious about the sun, it's described as white, and our sun is typically described as yellow. Is it a different type of star?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The yellowing of our sun is not actually caused...so our sun being yellow is not based on the star's actual color.

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  • 100

    Leiyan

    So is it bigger than our sun? Smaller? If there's anything you want to throw out there I'll take it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay...I'm having to reach into my memory. This is not canon. Younger and larger, I believe it is both. Younger and larger.

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  • 101

    Leiyan

    Do the moons relate to the highstorms at all?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The moons...at all? Sure! You'll love this. The star's age, at Roshar--Earth astronomers would say that is a star which could not have planets with life on them orbiting it.

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  • 102

    Leiyan

    There are three planets in the system, are they all in the habitable zone? At least two of them must be … Q2(I think this was NutiketAiel?). When you say three, is it actually three in the solar system, or is it three-?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are three planets with sentient beings on them.

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  • 103

    Leiyan

    There are more than three planets in the solar system?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are. With non-sentient beings. There are three planets of importance. So I didn't give you very much, you already knew … here's something. You may have heard a reading from one of those planets today.

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  • 104

    Leiyan

    Doesn't Shadows of Silence happen in there too?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Threnody? No. Threnody is not one of the three.

    Footnote

    in the Rosharan system

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  • 105

    Leiyan

    On the back of the Szeth card, it's a gamepiece?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, they just printed all of those random words there! Random collections of letters. It's really surprising that they would print all this on the back of the card and have it happen to turn out to spell out things like "Investiture," I can't believe that! I have no idea why that might've happened.

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  • 106

    NutiketAiel

    Were all the original sixteen Shardholders from Yolen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

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  • 107

    NutiketAiel

    You have a tendency to create books with theocracies that are legitimately ruled by the gods, and this seems to be missing. Is that a direction that the Knights Radiant might be heading, or is something else going to happen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm gonna RAFO that one. There was a theocracy on Roshar at one point. There was also a mage-ocracy. A lot of things have existed on Roshar.

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  • 108

    Rhandric

    How many magic systems are there on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on your definition. Is Windrunning its own magic system, or is it a division of a larger magic system? Are the ten different Surges each their own magic system, or are they all the same one?

    Rhandric

    If you assume the surges are all one.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well then you would have Surgebinding, and the Old Magic, those are two at least, and there are things that are not explained in those at all, and how do you count creating fabrials? Is that a science and not a magic? Is that its own magic system?

    Rhandric

    It's a science, because anyone can do it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So Awakening is not a magic, then? Awakening's a science? Because anyone can Awaken if they get the breath.

    Rhandric

    That's something that stood out to me, because in all your other magic systems that we've seen so far there has to be some sort of snapping to occur, and that's unique, because- [...] Is there an active magic system on Threnody?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Threnody has a non Shard-based...it depends on what you call a magic system. Do spirits coming back from the dead count as magic? It's science to them, but, it's goofy science.

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  • 109

    EHyde

    I was wondering about the in-world text, the Way of Kings. It's older than those 4500 years, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was written by Nohadon (sneaky look).

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  • 110

    EHyde

    Especially since Jasnah mentioned how all the texts have been corrupted or changed since then, especially the ones dealing with the Radiants, I was wondering if we would find out how the Way of Kings survived intact for so long, or if it actually did, or if it's--

    Brandon Sanderson

    They do say that--well let's just say that some books exist in translation over the centuries with the primary text having been lost, or things like this.

    EHyde

    But you're not going to say if the translation is guaranteed to be accurate.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I am not going to say that.

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  • 111

    EHyde

    Lift's spren refers to the Nightwatcher as Mother, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They definitely call somebody Mother. The implication in the text is that it's the Nightwatcher.

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  • 112

    EHyde

    So I'm just gonna run with that right now. Is Surgebinding in general a melding of Honor and Odium ala Feruchemy being in some senses being not directly of Ruin or Preservation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Honor and Cultivation is what you mean? Um, there are spren of all three shards. And those spren can work within the bounds of the magic that has already been set up on Roshar.

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  • 113

    EHyde

    What shard are Cryptics associated with?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO

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  • 114

    NutiketAiel

    If you could write something we don't already know about the Moon Sceptre?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I run into problems with some of these things, because there's not much to say, but what there is to say can be very spoilery. (writes "RAFO! But it is not Mraize's stick")

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  • 115

    NutiketAiel

    When a Radiant is in the Cognitive Realm, does their mind exist individually, like separately from their body?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

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  • 116

    NutiketAiel

    So you physically travel to the Cognitive Realm?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You can kind of step in between both but you do not separate from your body.

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  • 117

    NutiketAiel

    So when Shallan is only partly in--she's in both at the same time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. She's transitioning. It's not astral projection. But no that's a legit question.

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  • 118

    NutiketAiel

    So Shallan, and Lightweavers, are capable of physically stepping into Shadesmar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. But the implication is yes.

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  • 119

    NutiketAiel

    For Feruchemy, can you only inherit that? Or is there another way to get it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You could obviously get it through a Hemalurgic spike.

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  • 120

    NutiketAiel

    Yeah, but that’s kind of a different thing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is hereditary, but it came from somewhere. [...] Which is a RAFO, but it’s not a big RAFO. There’s not something you missed in the books, or anything like that. It originally came from Preservation long ago. And there are other ways to get it, but you have not missed any major plot points regarding that. Good question.

    Footnote

    different thing=using a hemalurgical spike to gain feruchemistry

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  • 121

    EHyde

    I had a couple other questions about the Recreance that you're probably not going to answer. I was wondering if the Radiants were deliberately trying to put Shardblades in the hands of non-Radiants, since they left them all outside a military base.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Since I've answered so many questions, the RAFOs are going to start flying freely. I'm like, "Now, what is there left to write books about?

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