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WoT Interview Database
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Interviews: WoR Signing Report - Kogiopsis
Summary:
Entries
21
Date
Mar 7th, 2014
Type
Verbatim
Location
Beaverton, OR
TourCon
Words of Radiance
Bookstore
Powell's City of Books
Reporter
Kogiopsis
Links
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1
Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
First question is about a joke—writing a book with [Patrick] Rothfuss with competing teams of characters, giving it to [George RR Martin] for the ending—sounds like it probably won't happen but both Sanderson and Rothfuss have apparently joked about it.Tags
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2
Question (Paraphrased)
Second—most difficult character interaction he's ever writtenBrandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Mat and someone else from [The Wheel of Time], didn't catch it because it's a bit noisy but apparently they're both liars.Tags
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3
Question (Paraphrased)
Third—When is the fifth Alcatraz book?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Whole series will be re-released next year, last book will probably come out with it. New versions will have artwork!Tags
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4
Question (Paraphrased)
Fourth—Outside of books, what influences his writing?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
1. People he knows (Sarene is based on a friend, etc; also includes character conflicts).
2. Cinema, especially when it does something poorly and he wants to do it better.
3. Video games may be an influence, unsure.
Tags
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5
Question (Paraphrased)
Fifth—Favorite fictional curse word.Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
The ones from Alcatraz,[especially] Grandpa Smedry's cursing by SF/F writers.Tags
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6
Question (Paraphrased)
Sixth—When he comes up with a new magic system, what's the first basic thing he works on?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
References Sanderson's First Law; magic limitations come first.Tags
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7
Question (Paraphrased)
Seventh—By the end of the Stormlight Archive will you look into the minds of everyone who will develop powers?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
No. Lists flashback characters; the next three are, in order: Szeth, Eshonai, and Dalinar.Tags
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8
Question (Paraphrased)
Eighth—Favorite character from Stormlight and why?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Obligatory 'like picking a favorite child'.Tags
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9
Question (Paraphrased)
Ninth—Target audience?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
"Honestly I want everyone to read my books"; [The Way of Kings/The Stormlight Archive] is targeted at epic fantasy lovers, Mistborn is more approachable for heist novels, Alcatraz books are written at himself at age 13 (kid too clever for their own good but convinced that books are boring).Tags
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10
Question (Paraphrased)
Tenth—Third son born during Words of Radiance, did that affect the writing process?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Yes, can now pick out when children are written poorly in books. Family keeps him grounded; writing is about our world, not the fantasy world, and family reminds him of that.Tags
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11
Question (Paraphrased)
Eleventh—Who's your favorite Firefly character?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Wash.Tags
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12
Question (Paraphrased)
Twelfth—Is it challenging to write from the POV of a female character and why/why not.Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Early on—yes it was, now less so. Problem was: treated characters other than the main character as roles only, centered around main character. "Writing characters without giving them their due". "You have to be able to write the other. Every character has to be a piece of you and a piece of not you." Discusses Jasnah in particular. Point of literature is "to see what it's like to be people who aren't us".Tags
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13
Question (Paraphrased)
Thirteenth—Do the Windrunners have any Surges that Szeth doesn't have?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
RAFO because it's explained in [Words of Radiance].Footnote
The answer is no, Szeth was using Jezrien's Honorblade, which granted him the abilities of a Windrunner.Tags
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14
Question (Paraphrased)
Fourteenth—Have you ever considered writing a horror novel or dark fantasy?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Yes, played with it, wrote a short story for a Charlene Harris anthology coming out this year and a book called Death by Pizza about a necromancer running a pizza shop. Is glad dark fantasy exists, but "fantasy is the language of imagination and the language of hope" (quoting Robert Jordan) and will write about mostly people he would like to be/admires.Footnote
The short story is called "Dreamer" and is included in the anthology Games Creatures Play.Tags
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15
Question (Paraphrased)
Fifteenth—Is there something that inspires the strength of his female characters?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
His mother graduated first in her class in accounting in a year when she was the only woman in the accounting department. First three fantasy writers he read were female (Melanie Rawn, Anne McCaffrey, and one other I missed) to the point where when someone tried to give him Eddings he said he didn’t think men could write the genre.Tags
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16
Question (Paraphrased)
Sixteenth—There's a rumor about a second Elantris book.Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Yes, that's coming someday, but Stormlight is the priority. Current schedule: Firefight is done, Rithmatist 2 is next, Stormlight 3 after that (working title might still be Stones Unhallowed if he can get it out before Rothfuss finishes Doors of Stone)Tags
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17
Question (Paraphrased)
Seventeenth—ow many series in the cosmere?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
36 novels, don't tell some people because they'll get scared. (Mistborn is 9, Stormlight is 10, Dragonsteel is the prequel and those are the core; everything else will be a trilogy or one-off and some might be novellas.)Tags
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18
Question (Paraphrased)
Eighteenth—Is his wife here?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
No; she's home with the kids because touring is kind of miserable. -
19
Question (Paraphrased)
Nineteenth—This was some kind of follow-up, got a good laugh but I didn't catch it.
OH [nevermind] question was who would finish the cosmere if he couldn/t.
Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Answer was "maybe Brent Weeks"/ -
20
Question (Paraphrased)
Twentieth—Are there any characters you dislike writing about and would like to kill off?Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)
Joking answer: Cadsuane from [The Wheel of Time], someone else from WoT—Masema.Tags
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21
Question (Paraphrased)
Twenty-first—Any future children's books?Yes, really enjoys it. Nothing until after Steelheart/Rithmatist/Alcatraz, but wants to write about a world where wireless energy happens naturally and everything is electrified. That'll be the next kids' book, but it'll take a bit to get the science right. Also discusses plot from POV of the "Dark One" who is fated to be killed by the Chosen Hero—this might be the plot for the electrified planet but maybe not, as it's definitely cosmere.Tags