art by Jake Johnson
Theoryland Resources
WoT Interview Search
Search the most comprehensive database of interviews and book signings from Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson and the rest of Team Jordan.
Wheel of Time News
An Hour With Harriet
2012-04-30: I had the great pleasure of speaking with Harriet McDougal Rigney about her life. She's an amazing talent and person and it will take you less than an hour to agree.
The Bell Tolls
2012-04-24: Some thoughts I had during JordanCon4 and the upcoming conclusion of "The Wheel of Time."
Theoryland Community
Members: 7653
Logged In (0):
Newest Members:johnroserking, petermorris, johnadanbvv, AndrewHB, jofwu, Salemcat1, Dhakatimesnews, amazingz, Sasooner, Hasib123,
Theoryland Tweets
WoT Interview Database
Home | Interview Database
Interviews: SciFi.com Chat
-
1
Moderator
Robert! Can you type???? Hmmmmm...Lemme try that again.Robert Jordan
Hi there!Moderator
Okay! Showtime! Hi everyone and welcome to SCIFI.CON 3.0, the Sci-Fi Channel's third annual online science fiction convention, where we're bringing you our third consecutive day of chats, panels, games, streaming media, charity auctions, exhibits and a whole lot more.
Our guest this hour is ROBERT JORDAN whose recently released The Path of Daggers, Book Eight of his epic cycle, "The Wheel of Time." Robert Jordan may well be the most popular author on the Internet with dozens of fan-run web sites and his own official Usenet newsgroup—rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan.
-
2
Moderator
Welcome, Robert! We're thrilled to have you with us here. Why do you think "The Wheel of Time" series has struck such a chord with fantasy readers? Do you have any speculations about its amazing popularity?Robert Jordan
No, I don't really. I write stories...I try to write stories about real people. I'm really glad the books are popular. But, I don't really have any clue why they're so popular, except possibly the fantasy element. I think that we have a real need for fantasy as human beings. Actually Terry Pratchett says it quite clearly. He says that by believing in things that don't exist, we set ourselves up to believe in other things that don't exist such as justice and mercy.Tags
, , , , -
3
Erica
Is Tai'daishar the foal of Daishar? Could someone bond Bela?...pause....Why? Any chance that Bela will foal during the series? Exactly how old is Bela supposed to be?Robert Jordan
(laughs) No...nobody could bond Bela. And for the rest of it, read and find out.Tags
, -
4
Kayleigh
Who is your greatest inspiration?? Your greatest influence?Robert Jordan
I really have to list five authors I believe are the greatest influence on me. Louis L'Amour...Jane Austen...John D. MacDonald...Charles Dickens...and Mark Twain.Tags
, -
5
Ranny
I don't think this'll come up at all in the series, so hopefully it won't be a RAFO. ;) Just how 'organized' is the institution of blademastery, if we can call it that? I believe you hinted before that there's more to blademastery than beating a blademaster and taking his sword. And, how many blademasters do you imagine exist in Randland at the time of the books? Just how rare is it?Robert Jordan
First off...rarity. Fewer than 100 men in the nations that are spoken of in the books. It is a semi-formal thing that is normally one is chosen to become a blademaster by other blademasters. There's no real organization. IF you want to become a blademaster, you have to find other blademasters who are willing to acknowledge you as an equal.Tags
-
6
Gangorn
Why have you changed your writing style for the past two books?Robert Jordan
I haven't. The last two books are more concentrated in time than the previous books, but since the first book, there has been a narrowing of the time frame. So that by A Crown Of Swords, the book covered only about eleven days and we're now beginning to widen out again.Tags
, , -
7
DrewofWotism
I am curious to find out why there are no male Dreamwalkers mentioned since according to the Wise Ones it is not connected to the One Power.Robert Jordan
Simply because it's a talent that appears very rarely among men. The Wise Ones are doubtful that there actually can be a male Dreamwalker. One of the themes of the book is that no one knows everything there is to know. Another is that just because you believe something to be true, doesn't mean that it is true.Tags
, , , , -
8
Linda
We see a lot of characters making estimates about how strong such and such a channeler is or will be, but when we're talking about so far unfulfilled potential, how accurately can it be judged? Especially if the channeler making the judgement doesn't know how much training the channeler being judged previously has had?Robert Jordan
Someone can judge a current strength. This differs between men and women. A woman that can channel can [make a] very accurate judgement of another woman's strength whether she is channeling or not if she is standing close enough. Among Aes Sedai at least, knowledge of potential strength, especially if it is thought to be a great strength, becomes very widespread. Among men the circumstances are different. A man who can channel cannot judge the strength of another unless the other is channeling the One Power or holding the One Power, and even then all he can judge is how much of the One Power the other man is holding. He can't say how much he can hold. There are great differences between men and women in the One Power.Footnote
Rand noted in Lord of Chaos that it is possible to tell if a man is straining (that is, holding as much as he can), and Logain reiterated the point in Knife of Dreams.Tags
, , , , , -
9
Nick
How long does it take you to write a full-length novel?Robert Jordan
The Eye of The World took four years. The next five took fourteen or fifteen months each. A Crown of Swords took 22 months. The Path of Daggers took a little less than that, but during that book I wrote "New Spring" for the Legends anthology. And I also did a lot of work on a title coming up: The Illustrated Guide.Tags
, , -
10
steves55
Mr. Jordan, do you outline your books before you begin writing them?Robert Jordan
Yes, and no. At the beginning of a book, I make a list of the major events that that book will cover. I've known from the beginning all the events I wanted to cover and the last scene of the last book in detail. I could have written that one fifteen years ago. I know exactly where I'm going, you see. The list that I make always has to be pared down though, because I always believe i can fit more into a novel than I can find room to fit.Tags
, , -
11
Moderator
I'm curious about your writing methods—do you write for a set number of hours every day? Morning or night? Do you prefer a computer or do you write long-hand on yellow legal pads? Inquiring minds want to know!Robert Jordan
I most definitely write on a computer. I upgrade it about every 18 months. At the moment I'm using a Pentium 266 MMX with 32 MB ram and a 10G hard drive. I'll upgrade that in another six months. My writing day goes as follows: After breakfast I answer the phone calls and letters that I have to answer from yesterday. Then I start writing. I seldom stop for lunch and I stop about six or seven at night. That's seven days a week. Occasionally I take a day off to go fishing.Tags
, -
12
Nick
What were some of the jobs that you did before you were a writer?Robert Jordan
Not really a lot... I was a nuclear engineer and I was in the US Army before that. Then I became a writer.Tags
, , -
13
TMFG
You once said that all the info needed for solving Asmodean was there by the end of The Fires of Heaven. Does this eliminate a gholam from being a suspect? It's generally believed that a gholam was responsible for the murder of Lord Barthanes in The Great Hunt and the two Black sisters in The Shadow Rising, but I don't think it mentions a name.Robert Jordan
Read and find out. Read And Find Out.Footnote
Joiya and Amico were killed by Slayer—he thinks of it in his POV in Winter's Heart Chapter 22, 'Out of Thin Air'. (This is one of those instances where RJ slipped in some info because people had come to an entirely incorrect conclusion.)Tags
, , , -
14
Drollick
I liked the Conan book you did. On your listed mention of authors who most influenced you, you did not list Robert E. Howard. Is there a reason?Robert Jordan
He didn't influence me, that's why. I enjoyed reading the stories when I was a boy and I enjoyed writing the Conan novels, but Howard was never an influence on my style.Tags
, , -
15
Rothaar
The general consensus seems to be that the Bowl of Winds caused the weirdness in the Power around Ebou Dar. Do we know enough at this time to determine the true cause or do we have to RAFO more info?Robert Jordan
I think you know enough by this point. It is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer. I always hated it when my math professors said that.Footnote
RJ explained further here.Tags
, , , -
16
Moderator (Call)
What's his favorite sci-fi movie?Robert Jordan
Actually...I think I have to go all the way back to Forbidden Planet. My favorite fantasy movie would have to be Excalibur. There are a lot of good science fiction movies out there, from Bladerunner to The Day The Earth Stood Still to The Terminator, but nothing can touch Excalibur.Footnote
RJ referenced Terminator 2: Judgment Day rather blatantly with the 'new breed' of Darkhounds first encountered by Rand in Rhuidean, to the point that the fans often refer to them as T2 Darkhounds. There are two Excalibur parallels in WoT: Callandor and Justice.Tags
, , -
17
ilrudy
Do you see a movie coming in the future? [Moderator: From your books, I bet ilrudy means.]Robert Jordan
Not unless someone wants to make an 18 hour film. That's how long any one of these books would take, I believe.Moderator
A miniseries? (Moderator smiles)Robert Jordan
And no one is doing miniseries any more. Of course, "New Spring" has just been released but no one has come sniffing around yet. Boorman would be the guy...Tags
, -
18
Strider71
What do you think of the parallels drawn between you and Tolkien?Robert Jordan
I assume the questioner means the parallels drawn by [Edward] Rothstein of The New York Times. I find them interesting...I was not aware there were quite so many.Tags
, -
19
Neptune
Has anyone asked how many books he expects the series to go to? If not, how many?Robert Jordan
I am only asked that question by about 300 people a day. The answer is that there will be at least three more books. At least. As I said earlier, I know everything that I want to happen and I have known the last scene of the last book for fifteen years. I also know that I cannot get everything that I want to happen into less than three more books. So that's where we stand at the moment.Tags
, -
20
Moderator
For late comers, our guest is ROBERT JORDAN and you can ask him a question if you like! Just send it to me, Moderator, as a private message! I'm curious, Robert... I know you're on tour and deluged with fans asking LOTS of questions. What's a question you'd really like to answer that no one's asked? (Moderator smiles)Robert Jordan
I don't think there is a question that no one's asked. Including the most personal and intimate that you can imagine. Somebody will always ask anything.Moderator
That's a CHALLENGE to us at SCIFI.CON! As k Robert something utterly challenging and unique, 'kay? -
21
Rothaar
When Rand takes Verin and the others through a Portal Stone in The Great Hunt, at the end of each life he hears "I have won again Lews Therin". I thought that if the Dark One won even once the Wheel would be broken and therefore the Dragon would not be reborn again. How could the Dark One have won before to be able to say "again"?Robert Jordan
There are degrees of victory. The Dark One can achieve victory by breaking free, but can also achieve lesser victories. Such as by stopping the Dragon Reborn from doing other things he was born to do. It isn't as simple as him being born to fight The Dark One. It's never simple.Tags
, , , , , , -
22
TGofWotism
Will there be a Wheel of Time Role Playing Game?Robert Jordan
There is a computer game coming from Legend Entertainment to be released next spring. I am told it was the absolute hit of the #e show this past summer. (E3) And if I can believe the things that various computer gaming magazines said, it will be one of the best or perhaps even the best game to be released in years.Tags
-
23
Joni
You mention different accents, like the Taraboner and Murandian, as well as the slurred speech of the Seanchan. Are any of these accents and dialects at all comparable to those in this world, and if so, which ones sound like which?Robert Jordan
To some degree, some of them are like accents from this world. It would be a bit much to go into here to discuss which ones are like which. Let your mind go free.Tags
, -
24
dancer
I'm impressed by the scene details, especially the towns; what were your best research resources?Robert Jordan
Too many to go into...forty odd years of reading and studying and traveling... really, too many to go into.Tags
, -
25
Joni
Mr. Jordan, what advice would you give to a young and aspiring writer? And are these just rumors I hear that you might come to Portland, Oregon soon for a signing?Robert Jordan
I was in Portland Oregon several days ago for a signing. My advice to a writer is to write; write and send it to paying markets.Tags
, -
26
Psilink
Is it possible to pass a Warder or any bond to a non-channeler? Or even a latent channeler?Robert Jordan
Read And Find Out. I have grown so used to that answer, that when my wife asks me if I want to go out for dinner this evening, I sometimes say "Read and find out." That's usually when she hits me.Tags
, , -
27
Moderator
Here's a longish question from Linda that somehow fell in between the cracks... Part One from Linda: Since the ability to channel seems to be primarily linked to the soul, if a channeler is gentled/stilled, will this affect his/hers soul in a follow life as well, as in, will the ability to channel still be lost? Did THAT come through??Robert Jordan
No.Moderator
Hmmmmm.. Linda, I TRIED.Robert Jordan
(that was the answer...the answer is no)Moderator
Oh!! Duh!Neptune
I think Linda is asking if the soul is immortal in Jordan's world.Moderator
So...is it??Robert Jordan
Yes, the soul is immortal.Tags
, , , , , -
28
tag
Aside from pictures, what will be the differences between the Illustrated Guide and "The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time?"Robert Jordan
That is the same thing. The Illustrated Guide to the World of Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time is the full title.Tags
-
29
Drollick
Is there anyway we can contact you Mr. Jordan? Do you have an email address or website we can go to? Can we contact you through your publishing house?Robert Jordan
Write to me or email me at my publishing house. I don't reply by email though, so you'll have to give me a snail mail address and wait.Moderator
That's TOR Books 175 Fifth Ave NYC 10010. -
30
Silent
Do you tend to edit your writing often or is your preference to not even look at it again once it is written?Robert Jordan
I rewrite constantly while I am writing the book. For example, the prologue of The Path of Daggers had fifteen to eighteen rewrites...I don't remember, because I constantly change things as I go along. But towards the end there are fewer rewrites, so the last chapters may have only three or four or five each. When I have finished the book, I go through it one last time and then I cut off, because I realize that I could constantly improve each book.Tags
, , -
31
Moderator
Robert—I want to thank you SO MUCH for joining us here today. And to everyone in the audience—great questions! if your question was not answered while you were HERE, it may be because Robert answered it before you got here. So check out that transcript! And all of you with Robert Jordan sites—you WILL want to link to it!!Robert Jordan
So long guys...Moderator
Thanks Robert!Robert Jordan
Thanks for coming. It's been great talking to you.Moderator
The transcript WILL be posted shortly! Great talking to YOU. Thanks so much for joining us. And thanks to our great audience too! Wonderful questions!