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WoT Interview Database
Home | Interview Database
Interviews: Changing Hands, AZ
Summary:
Entries
43
Date
Jan 21st, 2015
Location
Arizona
TourCon
Firefight
Links
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1
Question
Favorite thing Hoid’s done?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO, sorta. A lot of his fave things have happened off screen that we’re not supposed to know about (yet). Wit is his fave role that we’ve seen!Tags
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2
Question
Are the non-cosmere books related?Brandon Sanderson
No, earth is just generally non-cosmere, but they’re not related.Tags
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3
Question
How do you balance writing and family?Brandon Sanderson
he said it’s like a quote he heard where being self employed is like working half days, and you get to pick which 12 hours you work. compartmentalize and budget time (3 hours of writing, then 3 hours of family time, etc.Tags
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4
Question
You say you put limits on magic to make it interesting, do you do the same to characters?Brandon Sanderson
Yes! A lot of characterization comes from conflict in what the characters can't do.Tags
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5
Question
He’s taken programming classes, and someone wanted to know if he’ll apply that knowledge into magic systems.Brandon Sanderson
Yes, see: Elantris.Tags
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6
Question
Rothfuss and Butcher call him the 'magic systems guy'.Brandon Sanderson
Sabriel was his inspiration for unique rule based magic systems. Magic and settings are only as good as the characters. If you don't have good characters, you’re writing a video game.Tags
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7
Question
Favourite version of superman? (Brandon was wearing a superman t-shirt at the signing)Brandon Sanderson
Kingdom Come, overall Lois and Clark as wellTags
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8
Question
Upcoming books!Brandon Sanderson
Perfect State - novella Mistborn novels (2) Calamity Stormlight 3Tags
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9
Question
Some background on Nightblood.Brandon Sanderson
Vasher + Nightblood were written into the Way of Kings Prime, then he wrote Warbreaker before returning to rewrite The Way of Kings.Tags
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10
the_archduke
If the Lord Ruler captured Shai and gave her 100 days to craft a soulstamp that could turn an iron hemalurgic spike into a steel hemalurgic spike, could she do it?Brandon Sanderson
Yes, but she would need a boost of power to do it. Affecting an invested object is hard.Tags
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11
Question
Who are the 3 travelers in The Way of Kings?Brandon Sanderson
We’ve seen 2 of them already. The third will be in the graphic novels that are coming soon.Tags
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12
Question
He was asked a question about creating Steelheart.It boiled down to being unique with names and powers is hard, he had a hard time finding things that Marvel and DC haven't done already.Tags
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13
Question
Movies! Can we expect cameos?Brandon Sanderson
Yes! He’s contractually required to appear in all movies that have currently been sold. Of those movies, he named off Legion, Mistborn, The Emperors Soul, and Steelheart.Tags
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14
Question
How does he keep what he’s read and what he’s written out of what he’s writing?Brandon Sanderson
Ehn, you need to be aware but also unique. you have to know what’s going on in your genre and other stories so you can stay unique, practice.Tags
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15
Question
Influences (*currently reading)(sorry if I butcher the spellings)Brandon Sanderson
McCaffrey Robert Jordan Melanie Rawn Les Miserables Asimov Guy Gabriel Kay Andy Weir Naomi Novak Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Terry PrachettTags
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16
Question
Wheel of Time - Are Mat's memories from the past his own or other people’s?Brandon Sanderson
Other peoples.Tags
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17
Question
InfluencesBrandon Sanderson
People sneaking into other classes in the Rithmatist was based off of him doing that.Tags
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18
Question
What was your inspiration for Grandpa Smedry?Brandon Sanderson
His mother, who was always late to things. He’s the inspiration for Alcatraz (he held up his broken phone to us).Tags
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19
Question
The way he got asked to talk about how he came to finishing the Wheel of Time.Brandon Sanderson
He got a voicemail “Hello, I am Robert Jordan’s widow. please give me a call" . RJ had asked her to find someone to finish his books, and after he passed away a friend read Brandon’s eulogy for RJ at the funeral, and the friend told her about his writing, and she read Mistborn then gave him a call. He said it was like winning the lottery but in order to do that your favorite author had to die.Tags
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20
Question
Have you accidentally written any other books?Brandon Sanderson
He tried writing AOL’s sequel but it was hard. It is easier to start new. Practice writing he does a lot to get used to different genres, but he doesn't really accidentally write things.Tags
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21
Question
Stormlight 3 POV character? Some say Szeth other say its up in the air?Brandon Sanderson
He said he’s not going to canonize it or anything, he’s also looking at Dalinar and Eshonai and going to see who’s backstory fits the flow of the book best.Tags
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22
Question
How do you come up with names?Brandon Sanderson
He takes a culture then breaks down the linguistics of it and its kind of complicated but he uses the rules from one language, then breaks them and makes his own? He said you can do it on a smaller scale, take a list of baby names from one country or language, and break them into their sounds and rearrange them and make a list where none of the new names are like the ones on the list.Tags
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23
Weiry
Whether the plague on the Purelake has anything to do with the fact that the magic fish form symbiotic bonds with spren?Brandon Sanderson
No. Worldhoppers brought a disease to Roshar that they didn't have before. It's the common cold. Rosharans' investiture makes it so they’re usually a healthy bunch so something like the cold is kind of frightening. "Its a plague of the sniffles”.Tags
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24
Question
Renarin's eye color?Brandon Sanderson
PAFO - Peter And Find Out. He gets to canonize it.Tags
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25
Leinton
Is Soulcasting blood a valid cure for blood diseases?Brandon Sanderson
Not really, it's super hard to soulcast people/bodies, you’d have to get it so exact - their blood, healthy blood. It's very hard - basically you’d probably kill them in the process.Tags
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26
the_archduke
Could a Knight Radiant pass their Nahel bond the way Seons can be passed in Elantris?Brandon Sanderson
Theoretically possible and in fact has happened (!) in previous eras.Tags
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27
the_archduke
Is the Ars Arcanum written by a person we have met yet?Brandon Sanderson
He said some people have met this person. I pushed and he said this person is from an unpublished work.Tags
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28
the_archduke
Do you mind if people ask you all these fiddly Cosmere questions?Brandon Sanderson
He doesn't mind but warned that sometimes he gets obscure things wrong.Tags
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29
the_archduke
Have we seen the 17th sharders from the Way of Kings interlude before?Brandon Sanderson
You have seen two of them, the third is from an unpublished work that will be coming out soon in graphic novel format.Tags
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30
the_archduke
Will book 3 be Szeth's book?Brandon Sanderson
He used to think so. Now it might be Dalinar's. He is going to do the flashbacks for both (and Eshonai) and then decide.Tags
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31
the_archduke
Is it possible for a Seon to abandon someone?Brandon Sanderson
Yes and we might see it in a later book. He avoided answering the follow up about how this could happen.Tags
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32
the_archduke
Could you become a double misting if you took two lerasium/metal alloy beads (I think the example was iron and steel) at the same time?Brandon Sanderson
Yes.Tags
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33
the_archduke
Is Hoid's sword when he is the King's Wit an invested object?Brandon Sanderson
No. It is a badge of office as the King's Wit. Hoid isn't even that good with a sword.Tags
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34
the_archduke
I missed the question but someone seemed to be berating Brandon in line about how poorly Glys treats Renarin, like it was abusive or something.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said that that relationship is different, even for a Nahel bond. And we will see a lot more of Renarin in the next book.Tags
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35
the_archduke
What is the relationship between Nightwatcher and Cultivation?Brandon Sanderson
I expected a hard RAFO, but he said Nightwatcher compared to Cultivation is similar to Stormfather compared to Honor.Tags
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36
the_archduke
How long of an in book time break between the two 5 book arcs in Stormlight Archive?Brandon Sanderson
10-15 years (thankfully not nearly that long in our world).Tags
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37
the_archduke
Will there be Kandra in the next Mistborn book?Brandon Sanderson
Yes. I think I heard him say that there was an appearance in Alloy of Law, but I am not certain as it was really loud at that point of the signing.Tags
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38
the_archduke
Why can only women read in Stormlight Archive?Brandon Sanderson
Immediately after the Recreance an old book was used to argue for the idea that only men should be picking up the blades and plate, fighting was a masculine art. Over a period of 20 or so years this became established and some women used the same argument to take back some power by taking literacy for themselves as a feminine art.Tags
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39
the_archduke
He said in the lecture that he took a programming course in college. He was asked if we will ever see a programming language as a magic system?Brandon Sanderson
We already have. Reread Elantris.Tags
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40
ZenBossanova
I said since Shallan has a unique ability of Memory from her blended surges, is fighting what Kaladin has?Brandon Sanderson
No. His unique ability is “Strength of Squires”.Tags
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41
ZenBossanova
And Jasnah? (unique surgebinding ability)Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.Tags
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42
ZenBossanova
Can Vasher use Stormlight to Awaken things?Brandon Sanderson
No, all it does is keep him alive. But he has tried and has not figured out how to awaken things.Tags
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43
ZenBossanova
This last one I got, was really interesting. I asked about predicting High Storms, because I was thinking of making a Stormwarden manual. I figured if Tolkien started with linguistics because he was a word nerd, then what is a math teacher supposed to do? I asked if knowing the positions/orbits of the moons would be enough to predict the storms.Brandon Sanderson
He said not enough. You need the historical records of storms as well because there is a pattern. You need that pattern and the tides, to correctly predict the timing of the storms. He said it was more than a simple beat. I then turned back and asked, “Are you saying the High Storms are music?” He replied, “I didn’t say they were music. (emphasis on ‘say’). You said that.”Footnote
Questioner's speculation: I figured that was better than a denial or RAFO, so I let it drop. I am strongly reminded of the Listeners and their rhythms.