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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."
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Interviews: Twitter: Fan Names in the WoT Books
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Terez
Here is an alphabetical list of names chosen, with details if given. They will be linked to EWOT pages when those are updated after the A Memory of Light comes out. The main auction for the speaking part was won by Sandip Mehta.
Eric Allen (In the Tower Guard; gets sworn at by someone who swears a lot. Perhaps Uno?)
Jesamyn Angelica
Charlie Bachelder (Aiel fighting in Last Battle)
Johnnie Lee Barrington, Jr. (Deathwatch Guard)
Paul Benish (Malkieri)
Melissa Bergevin
Jonathan Brockelman (Whitecloak)
Joff Brown (a city)
Brandon Bryant (Band of the Red Hand)
Jonathan Burt (Whitecloak)
Helen Cousins
Jay Dauro (Deathwatch Guard)
Shaun Davis
Gavin Doyle
Natalie Doyle
Daniel Egonsson
Kevin Fanshier
Jacob Figler (Band of the Red Hand)
Craig Foster (Borderlander; does not live long.)
Filis [Emery?] (Green Ajah)
Shani Gamble
[?] Gilbert, son of Chris
Courtney Gliszczynski (First name used.)
Cindy Goodman
Michael Gonzalez
Mione Haak
Laura Hayden
Laura Hepburn
Hugh Hill
Andrew Holcombe
Steven Karam
Rion Kinosaki
Einar Laastad Kjosavik (Asha'man who is balefired by a Forsaken.)
Sean Little
Nils Loodin (Aiel scout)
Glen MacDonald (Deathwatch Guard)
Sandip Mehta
Mikayla Micomonaco (damane)
Robert Moreau
Bach Payson (Borderlander; does not live long.)
Eric Peters
Eleanor Pettener (Wise One, or perhaps an apprentice.)
Alex Prescott
Bryan Ragon (Borderlander; does not live long; dies well.)
Sally Rankin
Kimberly Readdy (Wise One, or perhaps an apprentice.)
Kris Ring (Seanchan Blood)
Anna Roberts
Nikhil Rode (Aiel scout)
Robert Rose
Angela Ryddingwood
Maureen Sampson (Aes Sedai)
San D'ma Shadar (Group referenced by Mat which fought in a historic battle; translates to "Slayers of the Shadow".)
Michael Sarcone (Darkfriend, on request.)
Nathan Sawyer
Eric Silva
Shane Spears (Aiel, of course.)
Leisha Springer
Margaret St. John (Maiden name [not tweeted] will be a Seanchan general.)
Caitlin Sullivan (White Ajah)
Roger Trask (Aiel fighting in Last Battle)
Lindsey Turnbow (wolf)
Neil Tweed (Some woods, named after the original owners.)
Pia Maria Vaajakallio (Aes Sedai)
Kurt Wagoner (Two Rivers man)
Eyal Weinstock
Jordan White (wolf)
Shiv Whorra
Harm Wieringa
Savannah Rose Young (Seanchan general)
Jason ZigmontBrandon Sanderson (5 October 2011)
Do you want your name to appear in A Memory of Light? Click here.SHAWN J
Not sure if you wish to defend yourself: http://www.reddit.com...BRANDON SANDERSON
Thanks for the heads up.PETER AZP
"The auction will be through eBay and 10% of the proceeds will go to the Mayo Clinic" Wait, 10%? What about to the other 90?BRANDON SANDERSON
To Jordancon, a non-profit. (It's all there in the blog post.)BRANDON SANDERSON
On the A Memory of Light name drive: this is PRIMARILY a fund raiser for Jordancon, which Harriet and I believe deserves support.BRANDON SANDERSON
For a while, I've been wanting to do this to help Jordancon make ends meet, as I think it is a great way to honor RJ's name and legacy.BRANDON SANDERSON
Please note that Jordancon HAS applied to be tax-exempt as a 501(c)3. This means you will probably be able to deduct your donations.BRANDON SANDERSON (10 OCTOBER)
Cindy Goodman, just drew your name to be in A Memory of Light.BRANDON SANDERSON
Jason Zigmont, I just used (a variation of) your name in A Memory of Light. Details, for those confused, here.BRANDON SANDERSON
Glen MacDonald, welcome to the Deathwatch Guard. (Explanation)BRANDON SANDERSON (13 OCTOBER)
Running on too little sleep; I'm having trouble getting A Memory of Light written on the plane. Instead, I'm going to start filling in name placeholders.BRANDON SANDERSON
Shane Spears, you are first. Yes, you will be Aiel. There's really no way I could pass that up. Steven Karam, you are in A Memory of Light too.AUSTIN MOORE
So everyone who donates gets their name in? Or are you just selecting a few?BRANDON SANDERSON
Selecting semi-randomly, I'm afraid. Everyone is in 'spiritually' but I won't have enough names for all.BRANDON SANDERSON
Eric Peters, you're in. Kimberly Readdy, you are wise, are you not?ALCHEMIST
Can you say approximately how many names you will be needing? just so i know just how small my chance is... :)BRANDON SANDERSON
Maybe a hundred.NATHAN SMITH
What do you have in as placeholders?BRANDON SANDERSON
I use "***" to placehold in books, sometimes with one letter at the end to keep different placeheld people straight.BRANDON SANDERSON
Eleanor Pettener, you are soon to be wise. Laura Hayden, you're in. Shani Gamble, are you a boy or a girl? Name websites can't decide.JAMES STARKE
Have you started drawing names for the JordanCon auction? Also, there's no clear date as to when the drawing really "ends" ...BRANDON SANDERSON
Yes, this is for the JordanCon deal. I'm pretty sure that the first cutoff is right. Anyone before then has a chance.SHIVAM BHATT
How do you decide which names you're going to pick? is it based on sound or?BRANDON SANDERSON
Sometimes, I draw. Others, I just scroll, then stop at a name and work on it a moment. See if it works.FANTASY AUTHOR
(waving hand wildly) How about dropping in a fellow author? Granted, an indie author, but an epic fantasy indie author.BRANDON SANDERSON
Nothing wrong with being indie. But, in this case, I'm only using people who donated.BRANDON SANDERSON
For all still wondering what's up with these names, and how to join in the fun, here is that link again.CHAD ROSENTHAL
Is there a spot where you post the names? Just in case we miss the tweets?BRANDON SANDERSON
I will try to post them all at the end.ZACAJ
What are the chances of a name getting used if you donate?BRANDON SANDERSON
Hard to say. It will depend on number of donators and number of names needed. Between 1% and 10% maybe?BRANDON SANDERSON (18 OCTOBER)
Eric Allen, you're in the Tower Guard. Someone just swore at you, but he swears at lots of people. (How to get in)BRANDON SANDERSON
Einar Laastad Kjosavik, the good news is you're an Asha'man. The bad news is that one of the Forsaken just balefired you.SELENE O'ROURKE
So if half my name is a Forsaken's alias, and the other half is an Aiel chief, should I even think about going on the list?BRANDON SANDERSON
Ha. Well, I do change most of the names, so anything can theoretically be used.JALIL JAMES
Hey man, so If we donate to the good cause we are guaranteed a spot in the book or names get pulled off the list at random?BRANDON SANDERSON
Mostly random, I'm afraid. There is one 'sure shot' auction coming up, but last time that went for A LOT of money.COEN ZUIDERVAART (20 OCTOBER)
How many names do you still need in the book? And how many new names are there actually? Was just curious to those numbers.BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll use around a hundred in the book, I think. Still need to choose most of those.BRANDON SANDERSON
Mikayla Micomonaco, congrats! You're in A Memory of Light. I hope you don't mind being a damane. Details.BRANDON SANDERSON
Margaret St. John, you are a Seanchan general. (Using your maiden name; thanks for providing that. It worked great.)BRANDON SANDERSON
Joff Brown, I drew your name next. I made you into a city, actually.JEFF WEISSBERG
A "city" in the Blight?BRANDON SANDERSON
A Memory of Light will reveal it for sure.BRANDON SANDERSON (21 OCTOBER)
People are asking how many more names I'll use, as the book is 80% done. I left placeholders in dozens of names earlier that will be filled.DAMIEN BAUMGART
Are you just dropping names in as is or will they be "Wheel of Time-ified"?BRANDON SANDERSON
WoT-ified.BRANDON SANDERSON (24 OCTOBER)
Alex Prescott, you are in A Memory of Light.BRANDON SANDERSON
Jonathan Burt and Jonathan Brockelman, you two are a pair of Whitecloaks.BRANDON SANDERSON (25 OCTOBER)
Need a name for a sister from the Green Ajah. And...the name chosen was David Emery, who entered the name of his late sister, Filis.BRANDON SANDERSON (1 NOVEMBER)
The A Memory of Light name auction has begun. One winner. Or enter the drawing, multiple winners.BRANDON SANDERSON (3 NOVEMBER)
I am still picking names to go in the book, as per this blog post. Should be more of those tonight.BRANDON SANDERSON (4 NOVEMBER)
The "Get your name in A Memory of Light" charity auction had to be restarted due to ebay issues. Here's the new link.BRANDON SANDERSON
Enough people have asked, so it bears repeating. The name auction and the name drawing are different. Explanation here.BRANDON SANDERSON (29 NOVEMBER)
Thursday is the final day to enter the drawing to get your name in A Memory of Light. Details here.
BRANDON SANDERSON (1 DECEMBER)
Today's the final day to enter the drawing (& support JordanCon) to get your name in A Memory of Light. Last chance.
BRANDON SANDERSON
The drawing to get your name in A Memory of Light closes to entries in 4 hours. I still have a lot of names to draw.
DAN GOLDMAN
How many more names are left to draw?
BRANDON SANDERSON (2 DECEMBER)
Still a good fifty, I'd say.
REBECCA LOVATT
Have you been using people's names for characters? Haven't seen any posts/updates with that in a long time.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I've been putting in placeholders, and will be drawing out names over the next few months to replace them.
BRANDON SANDERSON (28 DECEMBER)
Shaun Davis, I just used your name in A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Shiv Whorra, I needed another name, and you're in too.
KELLY
Is there a running list somewhere of the reader names you've used? And I hope you're feeling completely well soon. : )
BRANDON SANDERSON
We'll post them all once I'm done.
BRANDON SANDERSON
For those asking about names: this was done as a fund-raiser for JordanCon, so I'm no longer taking names. (Sorry.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Explanation follows. (I do this sort of thing for all of my books, though, so there will be chances for other books.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Robert Moreau and Robert Rose, you two are next. Welcome to A Memory of Light.
SIMON ST. ERIC
It is so exciting to see you pulling the names out of the hat... how many do you think you'll end up using? :)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Still many more.
BRANDON BALLENGER
Since you're not taking names anymore and have a full rough draft, could you make a guess at our odds of being drawn?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Really hard to guess. I have about 1,000 placeholders in the book, as told to me by Word, but...
BRANDON SANDERSON
Most of those are not "replace a name here" notes, but instead "Look this up" or "describe this better" or "continuity check."
BRANDON SANDERSON (29 DECEMBER)
Brandon Bryant, welcome to the Band of the Red Hand. (Unfortunately, we're not accepting new names. Details)
CHRISTOPHER SKINNER
I know no new names—for those of us who put ours in the hat before, how many spots approximately are left? What are our chances?!
BRANDON SANDERSON
I have no idea, I'm afraid. There are about 2k people in the drawing. Maybe a hundred names? Rough guesses.
BRANDON SANDERSON (3 JANUARY 2012)
Daniel Egonsson, I drew your name for A Memory of Light. (Unfortunately, we're not accepting new names. Details: http://www.mistborn.com/blog/1021/)
HUNTER SESTREN
But for those of us in the drawing we still have a shot right?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yes.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Gavin Doyle, you're in too. (Yes, I will eventually post a list of all of these.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Jacob Figler, you're next. (Sorry, ladies. I'll draw some female names soon.)
JACOB FIGLER
Hey that's me!!! Are you saying my name is going to be in A Memory of Light???
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yup. You're in the Band of the Red Hand.
JACOB FIGLER
YES!!! Check out the shirt I got yesterday hahaha! Perfect! And THANKS!!! http://yfrog.com/ob7i2zpj
BRANDON SANDERSON
Useful picture. Now I can describe you. :)
JACOB FIGLER
haha, well if you need any details let me know!
BRANDON SANDERSON
Okay, here's a woman: Jesamyn Angelica, you're in A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON (4 JANUARY)
Kevin Fanshier, I only needed one name for A Memory of Light today, but yours is it.
BRANDON SANDERSON (12 JANUARY)
Kurt Wagoner, you're in A Memory of Light as a Two Rivers man.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Laura Hepburn, I have chosen your name for A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Leisha Springer, your name came up next.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Nathan Sawyer, you were drawn next.
ROBERT ROTH
Do you or your assistant keep a list of drawn names? Can you post them?
BRANDON SANDERSON
I do keep a list, and will post them eventually.
SEAN RYAN
When you write a book do you fill the less important names in later?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Often I do just that. It can break the flow of writing to develop the right name, particularly when I might cut that scene.
BRANDON SANDERSON (13 JANUARY)
Angela Ryddingwood, I have drawn your name.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Bach Payson, I put you in A Memory of Light, but immediately killed you. Sorry 'bout that.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Oh, and Bryan Ragon, same goes for you. You died well, though.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Craig Foster, you round out the trio of dead Borderlanders I needed for this scene.
GREG LINDSEY
Just curious Brandon, are the names coming out of the proverbial hat, or do you look for names that can be easily WOTified?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Most things are pretty easy to wot-ify. And, since I can use either first or last, I haven't yet found any that don't work.
SEAN CORSON
Are you changing the names of people you put in A Memory of Light to make them more "Randland" appropriate?
BRANDON SANDERSON
They are changed.
BRANDON SANDERSON (16 JANUARY)
Michael Gonzalez, your name came up next. (Yes, I am wot-izing all of these.)
BRANDON SANDERSON (20 JANUARY)
Mione Haak, I drew your name for A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Neil Tweed, you too.
NEIL TWEED
Who am I? Dark or light? Do I die well?
BRANDON SANDERSON
I try not to use fan names for the shadow very often. I actually named some woods after you.
BRANDON SANDERSON
You would have been one of the original owners of the land where the woods were, I should think.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Nikhil Rode and Nils Loodin, I needed two Aiel scouts.
BRANDON SANDERSON (23 JANUARY)
Kris Ring, you're a member of the Seanchan Blood.
BRANDON SANDERSON (24 JANUARY)
Johnnie Lee Barrington, Jr. and Jay Dauro, you are members of the Deathwatch Guard.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Paul Benish, hope you look good in the hadori.
DANIEL NELSON
I'm confused. You are still using names but won't take anymore? So my name may still come up assuming you aren't done us ...
BRANDON SANDERSON
It very well might. If you are on the list, there is a chance.
BRANDON SANDERSON (25 JANUARY)
Pia Maria Vaajakallio, you are Aes Sedai.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Maureen Sampson, you're in the White Tower too.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Natalie Doyle, your name came up for A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Melissa Bergevin, your name came up next.
BRANDON SANDERSON (26 JANUARY)
Harm Wieringa, your name came up next.
SHAUN DUQUETTE
Taking a long time to add the names hehe
BRANDON SANDERSON (27 JANUARY)
I'm doing the first revision, and running across places where I left placeholders instead of names.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Jordan White, you're a wolf.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Lindsey Turnbow, you too.
M. KLOMPENHOUWER
Is anyone keeping track of the names that are being drawn for A Memory of Light?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yes, they are. We'll post them eventually.
BRANDON SANDERSON (30 JANUARY)
Savannah Rose Young, you're a Seanchan general.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Sally Rankin, your name came up too.
ZACHARY NORTH
They all get changed. Some as little as Thom or Mat (if appropriate.) Some to things very different.
ADAM GOUCHER
How many names got submitted?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Three thousand, I think.
BRANDON SANDERSON (6 FEBRUARY)
Anna Roberts and Andrew Holcombe, I drew your names most recently for A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Caitlin Sullivan, you're in the White Ajah.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Courtney Gliszczynski, your name came up next. I think I'll adapt your first name, not your last, if that's all right...
BRANDON SANDERSON
Michael Sarcone, you asked to be a Darkfriend for some reason, and I obliged.
BRANDON SANDERSON (7 FEBRUARY)
Chris Gilbert, you entered your son's name into A Memory of Light and it has been used.
BRANDON SANDERSON (8 FEBRUARY)
Drew a bunch of names I didn't report. Eric Silva, Hugh Hill, Sean Little, Rion Kinosaki, Helen Cousins, Eyal Weinstock.
SEAN LITTLE
This is Sean Little, the guy that emailed you previously regarding putting in a group name. Did that entry have...
SEAN LITTLE
...San D'ma Shadar as the name?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yes.
SEAN LITTLE
Thank you very much.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Trying to figure out the San in that phrase, though. Is the "San" a name, or a word in the Old Tongue I'm missing?
SEAN LITTLE
The translation used on the site (made by our Old Tongue experts) is Slayers of the Shadow. I could ask for the exact translation.
BRANDON SANDERSON
That works for me. I actually put the name in a place where it could refer to a group, so I'll tweak it to do so.
ANTHONY AZIZ
Your favorite Two Rivers man, Azi al'Thone, back to bug you again :D I had put in an entry for SDS as well... and since...
ANTHONY AZIZ
...I'm a member of SDS of TV.Net, I'm wondering what (if any) possibility there is of making Azi part of it?
ANTHONY AZIZ
Of course, I understand if that's complicated or doesn't fit with the story—had to ask anyways.
BRANDON SANDERSON
The group is referenced by Mat as being part of a historical battle.
ANTHONY AZIZ
Oh okay! Yes, that would be really hard to make work then :P Thanks for the response, Great Lord :)
BRANDON SANDERSON (14 FEBRUARY)
Working on one of the big, climactic sections at the end of A Memory of Light right now. Not many names left to draw, I'm afraid. A handful, maybe.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Remember, there is a special group of Dragonsworn in the Last Battle representing all who donated, so even if you aren't named, you're there.
BRANDON SANDERSON (15 FEBRUARY)
Roger Trask and Charlie Bachelder, turns out I needed two more Aiel to fight in the Last Battle.
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Towers of Midnight
This entry is a collection of tweets by Brandon announcing the names of the fans who won the charity contest to get their names in Towers of Midnight. Also named in the book were Matt Hatch, webmaster of Theoryland (innkeeper at The Dusty Wheel); Melissa Craib, webmaster of Tar Valon (innkeeper at The Seven-Striped Lass); and Jason Denzel, webmaster of Dragonmount (innkeeper at The Happy Throng). Also included were Kate Nepveu, an old rasfwrj fan and blogger for Tor.com, and Anthony Aziz of TarValon.net, who won the JordanCon 2010 auction. According to Linda's article on the subject, Padra was named after Tricia Erikson, a JordanCon publicist who passed away recently from cancer.
I missed these tweets by Brandon (date unknown), but Linda kindly shared them with me:
BRANDON SANDERSON
Oh, one more. Joel Derby, you're dead too.
Also, Nick Okamoto, I used your name in Towers of Midnight this morning. Congrats.
Need to name two men who die gruesome deaths in Towers of Midnight. Tim Riddell, William Reeves, RIP.
Also, John Sloan, you survive.
Brandon Sanderson (28 September 2009)
Most readers know that Robert Jordan looked to real world names and places as inspiration for names in the WoT.BRANDON SANDERSON
In order to help maintain this feel, I’m doing the same. For Towers of Midnight, I’m looking for inspiration in the list of names from a fund raiser.BRANDON SANDERSON
First name: Adam Hahn. Congrats. Now, know that I may adapt the name, and may use either the first or the last, depending on what strikes me.BRANDON SANDERSON
Second name: Alfred Granger.BRANDON SANDERSON
BRANDON SANDERSON
@howardtayler—lol. I actually used the Adrienne part. Beautiful name, with a very 'WoT' feel to it.BRANDON SANDERSON (29 SEPTEMBER)
Laura Negin, you ended up as a village near Tar Valon.BRANDON SANDERSON (30 SEPTEMBER)
Alec Breen, Alejandro Uso, your names just got picked to appear in Towers of Midnight. Also, Alisa Harris, I don't think I mentioned you yesterday.BRANDON SANDERSON (6 OCTOBER)
Recently adapted names: Fitzgerald Clark, Eric Mazsone, Han Zhang. You guys just joined the ranks of the Younglings.BRANDON SANDERSON (7 OCTOBER)
Maksim Zhukov, your name came up next.BRANDON SANDERSON
Nicole Nimry, I trust you won't mind joining the Green Ajah?BRANDON SANDERSON (8 OCTOBER)
Farah Sadaoui, into the book you go.BRANDON SANDERSON (9 OCTOBER)
Jennifer Kaiser, your name just got chosen.BRANDON SANDERSON (6 NOVEMBER)
Kine Lohne Finsas, I just used your name in Towers of Midnight. And I'm sorry for dropping a Trolloc on your head.BRANDON SANDERSON (10 NOVEMBER)
George Zell, I just used your name (or a version of it) in Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (3 DECEMBER)
Paul Postuma, I named a door after you in Towers of Midnight. [?]BRANDON SANDERSON
The door will make sense in the book’s context. Remember, I usually keep posts about unpublished WoT books intentionally obscure.BRANDON SANDERSON
Sarah Kainec, how good are you with a spear?BRANDON SANDERSON
@Galadriena You're Sarah, then?BRANDON SANDERSON
Well then, your earlier reply was perfect. Watch for the name Kainea in Towers of Midnight...FOOTNOTE—TEREZ
Her tweets are protected, so I couldn't include them.BRANDON SANDERSON (7 DECEMBER)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Christopher Helmke, you survive. (For now.) Duty is heavier than a mountain...BRANDON SANDERSON
BRANDON SANDERSON
Timothy Brown, you're an Asha'man.BRANDON SANDERSON
BRANDON SANDERSON
BRANDON SANDERSON
Last name for now is Sigrid Andersson. Hope you're a good horseman.BRANDON SANDERSON (8 DECEMBER)
Amir Yoeli and Stephen Antill, peace favor your swords. One of you saves an someone’s life; the other Heals his broken leg.BRANDON SANDERSON
Deep Bhandari, did your parents name you with the expectation that you'd end up in a fantasy novel? Hope you look good in black.BRANDON SANDERSON (15 DECEMBER)
Ifeyinwa Eboh and Eva Snyder, I just handed you spears and put you into Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (1 MARCH 2010)
Paul Jarr, your name just came up for a scene in Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (2 MARCH)
Yes, that post yesterday does mean I'm writing new material for Towers of Midnight. Revision isn't ALL done, but enough done to be filling in scenes.BRANDON SANDERSON
Scott Reid, hope you've been practicing with your Two Rivers longbow.BRANDON SANDERSON (3 MARCH)
Susan Moore [?], you just made an appearance in the Wheel of Time. Congrats.BRANDON SANDERSON (4 MARCH)
Andrew Sparks, you are in Towers of Midnight. You are not human, however.BRANDON SANDERSON (10 MARCH)
Varkey Titus and Tina Wagner [?], welcome to Towers of Midnight. Your names got drawn.BRANDON SANDERSON (18 MAY)
I will be posting more names of people who got into Towers of Midnight. (These are people who participated in the WoT charity drive a few years back.)BRANDON SANDERSON
First name: Scott Bartlett. Congrats.BRANDON SANDERSON
Shawn Montgomery, how are you with a longbow?BRANDON SANDERSON
Kine Elandra Bjørnsdatter Haug. You're in the book too. (Note, I WILL be changing these names to fit...)BRANDON SANDERSON
Leslie Annis is next. Many of these names are going places I put placeholders in the text. In some, I use a name from Mr. Jordan's files.BRANDON SANDERSON
Judith Bélair-Kyle, you are in the book, as is Jonathan Sim.BRANDON SANDERSON
Lyford Chris (Or is it Chris Lyford?) Either way, you are in the book.BRANDON SANDERSON
Mark Comer, you're in too. Congrats.BRANDON SANDERSON
Gregory Frenette, I choose you! (Read in Pokemon voice.)BRANDON SANDERSON
Jaswant Singh Ranu and James Hirsch, your names came up next. Almost done naming for the day.BRANDON SANDERSON
Jeremy Naus, Kevin Orr, you two came up next.BRANDON SANDERSON
Okay, done with names for now. Next, spellcheck. (Wince.) After that, next section goes to Team Jordan.BRANDON SANDERSON (24 MAY)
David Redbord and Nicholas Votrobeck, if you look closely at Towers of Midnight, you may find that your names appear.BRANDON SANDERSON (26 MAY)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Miguel Barriga, Michael Lashia Yang, Pingtjin Thum, Rebecca Joseph. All in Towers of Midnight. Two of you have been eaten by Trollocs. Sorry about that.BRANDON SANDERSON
Rick Proska [Proska Flats in Saldaea], Robb Kremer [Kremer Road in Saldaea], Shannon Berndtson, Sharon Mettler, [?] I used your names. (Or a variation of them.)BRANDON SANDERSON
Andrej Gadzo: Tai'shar Malkier.BRANDON SANDERSON (27 MAY)
Rosalia O'Reilly, practice your weaves.BRANDON SANDERSON
Also, in case you're thinking I'm naming a lot of names, remember—each new WoT book has added (on average) around 200 named characters.BRANDON SANDERSON (31 MAY)
Oh, and Karen Clarke and Lisa Sommerfeld, you are spear sisters. Congrats.BRANDON SANDERSON (1 JUNE)
Michael Cuellar, you are in Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON
Michael Trostler, hope you look good in a black coat.BRANDON SANDERSON
Jonathan Hamm, get yourself a black coat too.BRANDON SANDERSON (3 JUNE)
Eric Boettger, you are in Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON
Heidi Soderquist, welcome to Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (7 JUNE)
Joshua Turner, you're in Towers of Midnight. Found a person I forgot to name.BRANDON SANDERSON (9 JUNE)
Robert Soelter, your name just went into Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (14 JUNE)
Martin Bergman, you are in Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (24 JUNE)
Bryce Koronko, I named a game of dice in Towers of Midnight after you.BRANDON SANDERSON
Christopher McClintock, you are in the Band of the Red Hand.BRANDON SANDERSON (10 JUNE)
Landon Williams, Bryan Kralle you both just got entered as last-minute substitutions in Towers of Midnight for terrible names I'd made up and didn't like.BRANDON SANDERSON (1 JULY)
Just realized that, amusingly, I gave a name to an extant, unnamed WoT character. Therefore, I retconned a WoT fan into an earlier book.BRANDON SANDERSON
Robert Jordan often picked names for the WoT based on names in our world. I didn't do this in The Gathering Storm, and it felt wrong.BRANDON SANDERSON
He did it because the WoT world is our world, in another time. Thom, Mat, Elayne, etc. My names were immersion-breaking.BRANDON SANDERSON
This is working much better, trust me. They will all be changed to fit the world.BRANDON SANDERSON (23 JULY)
What's this? Someone in the draft I forgot to name? (I often mark these with a *** mark, indicating I'll name them later.) Well, well.BRANDON SANDERSON
Myles Harvell, you are in Towers of Midnight.BRANDON SANDERSON (28 JULY)
Well, look at this. One last person in the epilogue I forgot to name. Glenn Bergevin. You're in. 7% cut from the scene you are in.BRANDON SANDERSON (29 JULY)
Norm Miller, a cook needed a name. You're in.BRANDON SANDERSON
William Klock, I needed another name.BRANDON SANDERSON (11 AUGUST)
Steven Lussenburg [?] and Edward Givens, found a couple of final unnamed people. Really thought I'd filled those in. They are now you.Tags
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Nicholas Freeburn (13 December 2011)
You are cheapening a former collection of masterpieces with your "get your name in a book" competitions. Lost all respect.Brandon Sanderson (13 December 2011)
I would feel worse about it if Robert Jordan hadn't done it too. And GRRM. And Stephen King. And Asimov. And Anne McCaffrey...
DENNIS HIGBEE
Did those authors auction off naming rights, though? They've all Tuckerized friends/family, but that's not the same thing.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Many of them did them as charity auctions at various conventions, I believe. It has a long tradition at sf cons.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I tried to list only people who had specifically put in fans, not just people they know.
TEREZ
RJ did it in a pretty limited way, though. That's why I defended it at first, but IMO it was a little gratuitous in Towers of Midnight.
PETER AHLSTROM
What do you mean, limited? Pretty much every name Jordan used was adapted or straight lifted from our modern world or mythology.
TEREZ
I was specifically talking about fan names. Even fan names don't bother me so long as they're smooth as the parallels all are...
TEREZ
...but in Towers of Midnight, there were names dropped in when it seemed there was no practical purpose to name the characters in question.
TEREZ
Like, the characters showed up, got named, went away, and never came back. For example...
TEREZ
"Two Maidens—Surial and Lerian—guarded the open doorway to the hallway..." and another example (cont)...
TEREZ
"They stepped through the gateway into a small alley, guarded by two Maidens—Lerian and Heidia..." In cases like that...
TEREZ
...it seems like name-dropping for the sake of it. Though I'm sure the effect is exacerbated for those in the know.
PETER AHLSTROM
RJ named a ton of characters with no practical purpose who never showed up again. Brandon's intent was to follow that practice.
TEREZ
Sure, but RJ also had a ton of unnamed characters, and IMO didn't name them awkwardly like those two examples I gave.
TEREZ
I'm not sure if you noticed, but there was a lot of discussion about this after Towers of Midnight came out. Many people noticed it.
PETER AHLSTROM
I didn't notice the discussion, and those examples don't look at all awkward. But it wouldn't surprise me If RJ did a better job.
PETER AHLSTROM
Brandon also has plenty of unnamed characters. I'm just saying RJ's use of random named characters wasn't particularly limited. [And of course, no one ever said that it was. His use of fan names was limited.]
TEREZ
The reason why they're awkward is became the naming of the characters is a sideline to what's actually going on, rather than...
TEREZ
...serving a purpose in the narrative. It's a subtle difference, that could be easily solved with a tiny bit of effort. (IMO)
PETER AHLSTROM
Seems to me RJ had a lot of named characters with no particular narrative purpose. Others may have a different impression.
TEREZ
You misunderstand me. Characters can have all ranges of purpose. That's not a problem. But how is the name worked in?
PETER AHLSTROM
No, I understand you just fine.
TEREZ
But in any case, there's no point being defensive about it. Either the criticism is important to Brandon or it isn't. *shrug*
PETER AHLSTROM
I suggest that the names stuck out more when Brandon did it than when RJ did it largely because readers knew what Brandon was doing...
PETER AHLSTROM
...whereas the writing process was much more of a black box for RJ.
TEREZ
Didn't I already suggest that? But again, it could easily be smoother with a little effort.
PETER AHLSTROM
And that's a difference Brandon is fine with. Other things he tries to do more like RJ but doesn't quite because he's not RJ.
TEREZ
Yes, we're aware that Brandon is fine with this difference. Sometimes it's best to err on the side of caution, when possible.
PETER AHLSTROM
And as I said, the examples you gave look smooth enough to me.
TEREZ
Yes, but you defend nearly everything Brandon does. We're talking about something that bothered several fans, not just me.
TEREZ
Again, either the criticism matters, or it doesn't.
PETER AHLSTROM
"could easily be smoother with a little effort" is very easy for a non-writer to say.
TEREZ
Something very easy to demonstrate, even for someone who doesn't write much. (I do write some, by the way.)
TEREZ
If it's too difficult to make smoother, then just don't name the characters it's not necessary. If the best you can do is...
TEREZ
...throw the names in a parenthetical, then perhaps the characters simply don't need to be named.
PETER AHLSTROM
So you're saying RJ never threw names in a parenthetical. That may be.
PETER AHLSTROM
I don't mean to defend for the sake of defending, but when someone complains about something Brandon does that RJ did, it's irksome.
TEREZ
I understand. I wasn't even trying to compare to RJ, except the quantity of fan names used. I felt like it was quantity...
TEREZ
...that led to situations like the two examples I gave. A desire to fit in more fan names.
TOMAS BERGSTRöM
The word "irksome" is that often used in daily English or a more history/fantasy word used in such lit? (work related inj)
TEREZ
It's a fairly common word.
PETER AHLSTROM
For the most part I'd say Brandon is only naming characters he thinks RJ would have named. Not to fit in fan names just to fit in.
PETER AHLSTROM
He goes to the list only when he needs a name. He doesn't pick out names first and then try to fit them in somewhere.
PETER AHLSTROM
Except for the top auction winners of course.
TEREZ
I find it hard to see how names were needed in those two places.
PETER AHLSTROM
If he thinks RJ would have named them, then that counts as "needed."
PETER AHLSTROM
Even in later drafts sometimes Maria or Harriet would say "give this character a name" when Brandon hadn't already.
PETER AHLSTROM
Some people complained about names Brandon made up in The Gathering Storm. You can't please everyone. :)
TEREZ
You can't please everyone, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do the best you can. Especially when you constantly...
TEREZ
...go out of your way to reassure fans that it is important to you to uphold this legacy. Small details do matter.
TEREZ
That line is often used when you're doing something that will please some and upset others. This isn't such a case.
PETER AHLSTROM
Yup. Giving random characters names is a small detail that matters to Brandon because it mattered to RJ.
TEREZ
I'm not complaining about giving random characters names. You keep trying to paint it that way, though. Why?
PETER AHLSTROM
You keep trying to paint this as something RJ didn't do. Why? Maybe you can prove he didn't name characters in parentheticals.
PETER AHLSTROM
I think the way Brandon is doing it is fine and basically the same as the way RJ did it. You disagree.
TEREZ
Did you just ask me to prove a negative? Really? LOL. Maybe you can find an example where he did the same thing.
PETER AHLSTROM
It's not worth it to me to try that.
TEREZ
If you're wondering why some fans are getting increasingly frustrated with this process, then this is why.
TEREZ
We have bent over backward to be supportive of Brandon in cases where our support was dubious. But the minute we have...
TEREZ
...a criticism of any sort, we get defensiveness. Not 'filed, taken into consideration'. But 'you're imagining things'.
TEREZ
And yes, this [re: Peter's last tweet] is becoming increasingly clear as well.
PETER AHLSTROM
You see this as a much bigger deal than me, clearly.
TEREZ
WoT? Clearly. This issue? Worth a tweet to Brandon in the hopes that he will take it into consideration.
PETER AHLSTROM
This issue. And maybe he will.
MICHAEL D
I think we can just concede that the author has the freedom to do what he pleases with the naming of characters?
TEREZ
I think everyone is aware that Brandon has that freedom. That's not the point.
ERIC PETERS
Terez27's avatar does say "Serious Business"—are you surprised she'd see it as a bigger deal? lol
PETER AHLSTROM
Good point.
PETER AHLSTROM
In my mind it's still something where Brandon is doing pretty much what RJ did.
PETER AHLSTROM
It's not my job to go through every paragraph in the series to try to prove that.
TEREZ
No one ever said it was. Apparently it's your job to get defensive, though. Or is it? Next time, just make a note of it.
PETER AHLSTROM
It sounds like you only want a non-response to anything brought up. "filed, taken into consideration" is a non-response.
TEREZ
It can be. If the issue isn't important to you/Brandon, I'd rather a non-response than a pointless argument.
PETER AHLSTROM
I don't think that saying "This is basically what RJ did" is defensiveness. My first tweet to you just asked for clarification.
TEREZ
Yes, and I clarified, and you dismissed my clarification as irrelevant. Instantly.
PETER AHLSTROM
Once I got the clarification I gave the "this is basically what RJ did" answer.
PETER AHLSTROM
It takes two to make a pointless argument. I guess you're saying if I think something isn't important, I should say nothing.
TEREZ
I apologize to the folks who follow both me and @PeterAhlstrom. Done spamming your feed now. ;)
PETER AHLSTROM
I'm sure it would have been a much different conversation in person. Twitter strikes again.
FRUUU27
That's fine. Made my walk with the dog a lot more interesting!
PETER AHLSTROM
Don't you need to watch your step when you do that, instead of watching your phone?
TOMAS BERGSTRöM
I posed the "irksome-question" to let you know (in a subtle way, I hope) that people were "listening" out here.
TEREZ
heh, I was well aware from the beginning, and I'm sure Peter was as well.
PETER AHLSTROM
Next time you can just say "Get a room, you two!" ;)
LIRONAH
I thought some of RJ's were fairly obvious. Paitr Conl, Jac, Bili, Joslyn, Jaim, Dannil, and 5 spellings of Alice.
PETER AHLSTROM
Ya, though in this case the adapted forms weren't what the discussion was about. Some people have complained about those though.
MICHAEL D
[re: this tweet] I don't think he's saying that... Think he just doesn't see it the way other readers evidently do.
PETER AHLSTROM
I do think Reader Response is the most relevant type of literary criticism.
MICHAEL D
Definitely. But felt that whole argument was a big misunderstanding. Felt bad.
PETER AHLSTROM
More like a difference of opinion on a very minor issue.
FOOTNOTE—TEREZ
This isn't a minor issue because a very large number of fans have a serious problem with the auction just on principle—Brandon responds to some of them every now and then on Twitter (such as the guy who started this conversation; I didn't @ him in my response to Brandon for a reason), and Brandon's responses are included here—because it favors fans who have more money (the more you donate, the greater your chance of being chosen, though the minimum is a small amount). When you have an issue that is already touchy like that, you have to be careful in how you handle it. Luckers and I were among Brandon's biggest defenders when he announced the name contest for Towers of Midnight. We pointed out Guybon before Brandon did. The complaints were even louder after the book came out, and at that point, the choice was much more difficult to defend. This type of usage is also a big disappointment to those whose names were chosen; they thought they'd won something exciting, but they're written in such a way that makes their names seem an afterthought. I doubt anyone expected to be a major character, but a little smoothing would have gone a long way.PETER AHLSTROM
I do apologize for coming off that way. It's really not my intent. Criticism is important to feel free to share.
PETER AHLSTROM
Specifically I personally give your comments a lot of weight because I know you know your stuff.
TEREZ
Thanks. We know that Brandon has a tough job, and an awkward situation at best. But it's awkward for us too, in many ways.
TEREZ
It's a little difficult to be someone who knows more about WoT than the guy who is writing it, aside from the secret stuff...
TEREZ
...and to have to watch it all unfold from a rather passive position. I'm sure you understand. ;)
PETER AHLSTROM
Point taken.
FELIX
Chuckles, you can say that knowing about Terez's "Gawyn will kill Rand with Callandor theory"? Poke-poke.... ;o) [Not sure where Felix got the Callandor bit from.]
PETER AHLSTROM
Theories and a thorough working knowledge of what's actually in the books are separate things.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Note that in many of these cases, Harriet said to me "What are their names?" when I just wrote "Two Maidens."
BRANDON SANDERSON
Harriet always pushes me to be more specific. You'll find it in The Gathering Storm too, where I wasn't using fan names.
TEREZ
Yeah, I understand that much—and sometimes, it works. I imagine that not all examples of Harriet asking...
TEREZ
...for such ended up with examples like I gave, where the names are thrown in parenthetically.
TEREZ
In the fan criticism I mentioned earlier, these cases were always the ones fans noticed. Even at DM...
TEREZ
...where the subject comes up every two weeks in a new thread, mentioned by different new users. [I should have said 'came up', because I was thinking about the period of a few months after the book came out, not recently. Also, crosstalk after this because Peter types faster than me so I was unprepared for the more stately tweeter, Brandon.]
BRANDON SANDERSON
The examples you gave—though I only looked briefly—could have certainly been done better.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Probably, they should have just been "*** and *** went and did such and such" rather than the parenthetical.
TEREZ
Right, something along those lines. And again, those of us 'in the know' were probably bothered more by it.
BRANDON SANDERSON
That's more of a prose issue than anything else, though—an area where RJ was very strong and I'm relatively weak.
TEREZ
Yes, I've noticed you have mentioned that before. Which is why I thought it worth a tweet. :)
BRANDON SANDERSON
We'll try to keep an eye on the issue. We should have more time on A Memory of Light than we did on Towers of Midnight for polishing.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I don't *Think* we'll have a 'shoehorn in fan names' issue, since I have just left placeholders for names I need.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Every one of them is a name I'd have had to make up, but instead, I'll adapt a fan name.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Still, it's worth a look-over specifically for this issue.
PETER AHLSTROM
Oh great. Now that Brandon responded, how much do I need to put in the Twitter archive post?! >_<
TEREZ
LOL. See, we share this burden. It should create a bond between us! And if you want to skip it I'll cover it. You can link ;)
PETER AHLSTROM
Nah. I think there's a good splitting point I can use to keep it relevant to Brandon's reply. You can include whatever though. :)
TOMAS BERGSTRöM
Before you can link you both have to reach/open yourself for saidin/saidar. And who will control the weaves? ;)
TEREZ
I said 'bond', not 'link'. And I wasn't talking about the Warder bond either. ;)
TOMAS BERGSTRöM
Really look at the earlier tweet here then. You typed bond in a previous tweet also.
TEREZ
I meant link to the website. *sigh*
TOMAS BERGSTRöM
I know, but the best work was when men and women worked together with the power of the WoT ;)
LUCKERS
The fan names never hugely bothered me, but I do agree with Terez that they are noticeable.
LUCKERS
I think because they feel more like blank spaces in the narrative than colouring in the scene by...
LUCKERS
... Naming those present.
LUCKERS
I'm somewhat more troubled by the treatment of fan criticism. This is about the fifth time I've...
LUCKERS
...seen you do this Peter, with the same line: 'It's a problem in reader appreciation, not the writing.'
LUCKERS
And not everyone has Terez's tenacity or confidence, and thus allow themselves to be silenced.
LUCKERS
And given I've seen you both cite the value of the lack of fan criticism in judging Brandon's efforts...
LUCKERS
...yeah...It's a little disconcerting.
PETER AHLSTROM
Maybe I should back off.
TEREZ
I think Brandon has recognized it, by responding. And we have played the silencers before, haven't we?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Peter is in a tough spot. I can easily say, "Yeah, I did a poor job on that one. I'll watch for it."
BRANDON SANDERSON
Peter, however, doesn't want to put words in my mouth, or apologize for me.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Instead, he seeks to defend me, since he knows I won't see most people's posts or be able to respond.
TEREZ
It may surprise you, but we felt the same way after the release of The Gathering Storm, despite not being fans.
LUCKERS
I empathise, I just don't sympathise. Not after the way you've both held up a lack of fan [criticism]...
LUCKERS
...as validation for your work on the Wheel. It's a circle, the lack of criticism held up as proof...
LUCKERS
...whilst the act of criticism is met with sweeping dismissal that most would never argue.
PETER AHLSTROM
Point taken as well.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Makes me curious which criticisms you're referring to. I wouldn't mind if you emailed them to me.
BRANDON SANDERSON
So I can be aware of which ones the fans feel we aren't listening to.
LUCKERS
Will do. :)
TEREZ
I think both Luckers and I have really tried to strike a balance over these last few years between...
TEREZ
...defense for the sake of support and criticism for the sake of criticism. I will email you.
TEREZ
(In other words, most fan response seems to fall under one of the two categories.)
TEREZ
I will admit most things I care about aren't things most fans would care about. Maybe scholars.
TEREZ
But that's assuming scholars ever take an interest in the WoT. ;)
JOENITA SCANNELL
Terez seems a little full of herself and I resent the fact that she seems to think she speaks for all fans.
JOENITA SCANNELL
Most fans love the books for what they are & don't pick them apart to show off.
TEREZ
[hours later, after a nap] Who ever said anything about me speaking for all fans? Now you sound like the guy who said he 'lost all respect'...
TEREZ
We're aware that most fans don't give a shit about the fine details. I never claimed to be most fans.
JASON ROSTAR
These kind of criticisms I find ridiculous and over the top—Guess I'm just too casual.
TEREZ
It's only ridiculous and over the top when it turns into a stupid argument.
TEREZ
I woke up on the wrong side of Twitter today. Sorry about that.
(Months Later)
TEREZ (30 May 2012)
"Even he—Jori, bonded to Morvrin—managed it." #wotrr (Lord of Chaos Chapter 29, p2) For @PeterAhlstrom. ;)
PETER AHLSTROM
Remind me what brought it up.
Footnote—Terez
I favorited his tweet, and moved on.
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