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Your search for the tag 'a memory of light' yielded 432 results

  • 1

    Interview: Oct 11th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    He reaffirmed that the next book would be the final installment of the main series, followed by the prequels, in that order. Reiterated that if it takes 2000 pages, then so be it, and he really will fight with Tor to not divide it like the Martin's A Feast for Crows.

    Tags

  • 2

    Interview: Oct 11th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    He announced very loudly to the entire floor that the last book would be out very soon after he had finished writing it.

    Tags

  • 3

    Interview: 2010

    Stephan van Velzen (14 July 2010)

    Most of A Memory of Light was written by Robert Jordan, right? So that book will go faster? Or is that wishful thinking on my part?

    Brandon Sanderson (15 July 2010)

    About the same as he did on The Gathering Storm, I'm afraid. Lots of notes, few finished chapters. (He did write the ending, though.)

    Tags

  • 4

    Interview: 2010

    Alaric (20 July 2010)

    Should we expect Towers of Midnight to be as predominantly dark in mood as The Gathering Storm was?

    Brandon Sanderson (21 July 2010)

    Well, the Last Battle is close, so things aren't getting brighter. There's a reason Mr. Jordan named the last volume A Memory of Light.

    DEAN WOODWARD

    But won't Rand be a bit more 'light' since the last chapter of The Gathering Storm?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    RAFO. (But chances seem good.)

    GIEL VAN SCHIJNDEL

    That being said, will Towers of Midnight still have its bright moments, like Rand recovering his sanity and will to live at the end of The Gathering Storm?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (22 JULY)

    There will be those, of course.

    Tags

  • 5

    Interview: 2010

    yoniy0 (21 July 2010)

    Did you end up finding space for those 50k words on Pevara in Towers of Midnight? If not, is there a chance we'll see it before November 2nd?

    Brandon Sanderson (22 July 2010)

    Got two chapters of it in. Decided I could juggle the timeline, maybe, to get the rest into A Memory of Light.

    Footnote

    See here for more info.

    Tags

  • 6

    Interview: 2010

    Andrea Millhouse (12 August 2010)

    On a scale of 1-10 how important will Bayle Domon be to Rand in the last two novels?

    Brandon Sanderson (12 August 2010)

    I would say on a similar level to what he has been before.

    Tags

  • 7

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Eiremauve (3 January 2011)

    Can Rand get the most POVs in A Memory of Light, please? (bambi eyes, clasped hands) We were severely deprived in Towers of Midnight. :'( (grovels)

    Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)

    There will be more Rand VPs in the last book, I promise.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Rand's lack of VPs in Towers of Midnight was intentional. Much like his lessened VP role in The Dragon Reborn, and for similar reasons.

    AUSTIN MOORE

    Was the lack of Rand VPs in Towers of Midnight intended to show his change from other characters' VPs?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    In part. There are other reasons. But that's part of it.

    Tags

  • 8

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Adam Doward (6 January 2011)

    Please tell me all the Black Tower stuff will finally be resolved in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (6 January 2011)

    The things I didn't get into Towers of Midnight with the Black Tower should be in A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 9

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Dylan Snider (6 January 2011)

    Tell me we're gonna have a whole lot more Mat/Tuon in A Memory of Light, I beg of you.

    Brandon Sanderson (6 January 2011)

    There will be.

    Tags

  • 10

    Interview: 2010

    Felix Pax (14 August 2010)

    Will Nynaeve shave her head, and lose the braid? A la, Empress Fortuona style?

    Brandon Sanderson (16 August 2010)

    Ha ha. One I can answer. No. She will not.

    Tags

  • 11

    Interview: 2010

    Jeff Edde (16 August 2010)

    What does the end look like? Does Shaidar Haran make an appearance? Moiraine alive? Any time travel to the Age of Legends?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 August 2010)

    You totally know I'm going to RAFO those. :)

    Tags

  • 12

    Interview: 2010

    Terez (16 August 2010)

    Are there many themes in WoT that will only become clear as we read the final two books? Things going back to early books?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 August 2010)

    I think so.

    Tags

  • 13

    Interview: 2010

    Shivam Bhatt (8 November 2010)

    Do you think you'll actually be able to wrap up the story in A Memory of Light? Seems like a lot of endgame threads still open.

    Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)

    I have no plans to split the book again. I am 2/3 through the outline. Anything can happen, but it looks like one.

    Tags

  • 14

    Interview: 2010

    pmisir (8 November 2010)

    Re: A Memory of Light, I hope there'll be tons more Tuon/Seanchan?

    Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)

    There will be more than there was in Towers of Midnight.

    Tags

  • 15

    Interview: 2010

    Paige Madison (8 November 2010)

    What was your first reaction after you find out how the story ended?

    Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)

    Satisfaction. It ends well. It didn't knock me off my seat, like some things in outline, but it was wonderful.

    Tags

  • 16

    Interview: 2010

    blindillusion (8 November 2010)

    Will A Memory of Light be centered on Mat? Rand had The Gathering Storm and Perrin had Towers of Midnight.

    Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)

    It will be pretty equal.

    Tags

  • 17

    Interview: 2010

    Luke Piper (8 November 2010)

    Which character kept you up at night worrying the most?

    Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)

    Rand. In both books.

    Tags

  • 18

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Thomas Grossnickle (10 January 2011)

    Aviendha's vision in Towers of Midnight made me wonder, how much will we get to see of what happens to the world after the Last Battle?

    Brandon Sanderson (10 January 2011)

    RAFO. :)

    Tags

  • 19

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Andrew Sullivan (10 January 2011)

    Will far off lands like Shara or the Land of Madmen play an important role in the last book?

    Brandon Sanderson (10 January 2011)

    RAFO. Though RJ said we'd never go to Shara, at least not in any major way. He was less firm on the Madmen.

    Tags

  • 20

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brian LePoidevin (17 January 2011)

    Pardon me if this has been asked a million times but what did you find heartbreaking to write in Towers of Midnight? Noal? Aiel future?

    Brandon Sanderson (17 January 2011)

    Aiel future, all the way. And the death of a certain character related to Perrin.

    JEFF EDDE

    Possibly a RAFO, but will you find A Memory of Light to be even more heartbreaking to write?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It WILL be heartbreaking, if only because it's the last. I can't say if it will be heartbreaking for similar reasons or not.

    Tags

  • 21

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Austin Moore (25 February 2011)

    Has it been tough to make outline so far for A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (25 February 2011)

    Yes, and no. The toughest part is making certain everything is in the right place.

    AUSTIN MOORE

    That's understandable. One more quick question for now. Will there be any big twists in A Memory of Light that will surprise people?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Surprising Wheel of Time Hard Core Fans is...well, it's hard to decide what will surprise them. But there WILL be twists.

    Tags

  • 22

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Jarrette Marley (28 February 2011)

    Is the situation with the Black Tower addressed/resolved in the final WoT book?

    Brandon Sanderson (28 February 2011)

    RAFO. :)

    Tags

  • 23

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (1 March 2011)

    Notice the resonance between the dreaming ter'angreal and the silver arches in The Dragon Reborn chapter 22. A hint of things to come in Towers of Midnight.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (2 MARCH)

    Reading Egwene's prophetic dreams in The Dragon Reborn and smiling at the ones about Mat that recently saw fulfillment. What a long wait. :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    To think, I read this book when it was first published. I was 15. I'm 35 now. I just got to have a hand in seeing the fulfillment.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It's so strange to read these early books, where Egwene is still thinking of Rand half-romantically. And Galad full-romantically.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Wow. The Dragon Reborn chapter 27 has a cool little foreshadowing for the end of A Memory of Light that I'd never noticed before.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Oh, Wondergirls. After severe punishment for leaving the Tower without permission, what's their first thought at hearing the Black Ajah is in Tear?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (3 MARCH)

    You know, I've always been amazed Mat didn't end up causing more trouble with that letter from Siuan he was given...

    Tags

  • 24

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Lira Leirner (18 March 2011)

    When Egwene dreams of Perrin, Faile and "a Tinker", why didn't she know it was Aram although she knows him personally?

    Brandon Sanderson (18 March 2011)

    The dreams aren't always that specific. She might not have seen a face, or recognized it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'd have to look at the specific passage to know which it is.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    [after looking at said passage] That is an oddity, I'll admit. But dreams are not always clear, as I've said. I lay my bet on his face simply wasn't clear.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    There are good reasons for that—for example, Aram's place in the Pattern may not have been as set as Perrin's.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    A fuzziness to accompany the uncertainty, so Egwene couldn't recognize him. After all, she doesn't describe the face.

    FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

    I think Brandon might have been trying to drop hints about the dream of Egwene being saved by a Seanchan woman (the sword is as solid as the stone, but the face wavers). Sometimes fuzziness in dreams doesn't mean any uncertainty; Bair and Melaine couldn't see Aviendha's, Elayne's, and Min's faces in the dream where they were on the boat with Rand, but Nicola's Foretelling confirms that they are the three. (Foretellings are absolute, while dreams show only possibilities that can often be prevented.) Perhaps a better question is, why didn't Egwene remember anything about Perrin being a Wolfbrother in The Dragon Reborn?

    Tags

  • 25

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Darth Andrea (8 April 2011)

    I seem to be one of the few who think that Taim is a transmigrated Asmodean; will we find out about Taim finally in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (8 April 2011)

    Some things, at least, you will discover.

    Footnote

    RJ confirmed in NYC that the Dark One wanted to transmigrate Asmodean, but could not because of how and where he died.

    Tags

  • 26

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    JD (9 July 2011)

    Without asking for spoilers, have people hit the mark on how the WoT will end? Or are the common theories way off?

    Brandon Sanderson (9 July 2011)

    Some have hit near it, others are way off. There are some major things I haven't seen guessed.

    Tags

  • 27

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (22 July 2011)

    Just updated the % bar on A Memory of Light from 24% to 27% to reflect this week's work so far. A lot of travel this week, with ComicCon, slowed me down.

    JORDAN BRADFORD

    Just got Elantris and Warbreaker at Waldenbooks' liquidation.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Sweet. Nice score. I once got all of King's Black Tower at a similar deal.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. Just looked at my last tweet, which was a direct reply to someone, and realized a mistake I made. Gives a clue what I'm working on...

    Footnote

    King's series is called "The Dark Tower".

    Tags

  • 28

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (28 July 2011)

    There is a LOT of warfare/action in this book. I know that should be expected, but I thought I'd warn you anyway...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Two more % added to the bar for today and yesterday's work. A Memory of Light is now 34% done, so we've passed the 1/3 mark.

    Tags

  • 29

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (1 August 2011)

    Moving A Memory of Light's progress bar up 2% to 36%. Expect it to move a tad more slowly this week than last. This patch has less work done on it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (2 AUGUST)

    I wonder if it would be too spoilery to post a running count of significant named WoT characters who have died so far in A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Granted, that count might be 0 so far, so no spoilers yet. I'm just saying... It could be fun to start a count.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    (Note, I'm not going to do it. Too spoilery. Just trying to think of things to tweet about the books, as there's so little I can say.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    How about a non-spoilery Easter egg instead? Each of the three prologues has had at least one complete scene written by RJ before he died.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    When I split the books, I split the prologue in a way that at least one of those scenes went into each book.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Prologues were important to RJ, particularly in the later books, and I wanted his stamp to be on each one of the three prologues.

    AUSTIN MOORE

    The scene with the Borderland towers in Towers of Midnight prologue was all RJ correct?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes. I've confirmed that before. Good eye, if you spotted it on your own.

    Tags

  • 30

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Shane Crenshaw (2 August 2011)

    When Rand saved Ituralde from the Trollocs, did he use the True Power or saidin?

    Brandon Sanderson (2 August 2011)

    Rand has resisted using the True Power except for that one dangerous moment. He can still sense it, though.

    Tags

  • 31

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (3 August 2011)

    I'm currently writing "Through Lines" on A Memory of Light, meaning I'm taking one character or group and going beginning to end.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'll end up writing the ending a number of times through different eyes, each separated by a short book's number of pages. Odd experience.

    CHRISTOPHER SKINNER

    How do you do that without diminishing the impact of the "big finish" (I mean there's denouement anyway, but the climax)?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Careful planning, followed by a lot of reads-through of the entire book to smooth and enhance.

    NEIL MCKINNON

    Did you do that with Rand/Egwene in The Gathering Storm and Mat/Perrin Towers of Midnight?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes, I did.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    At about 20 scenes and 50k words, the first "Through Line" of A Memory of Light is done. I can't tell you who it is, but I'm very pleased.

    ERIC PETERS

    Why wouldn't you be able to tell us who it is? Is it a real secret who all of the characters in the book are at this point?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Some people don't want any kind of spoiler. Knowing there are 50k words of someone means they don't die at the start.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    If you look back through my Twitter feed, you can figure out who it is. [It was Perrin.] I might do a blog post on it too, with a spoiler warning.

    SHARON VERNON

    Do you find it easier to write "through lines" and then tie it all up together later?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For a very big, complex book, it's basically the only way I can do it. Otherwise, I lose character voices.

    FRANK KWIATOWSKI

    Is this your style, or how RJ wanted it? Just curious.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (4 AUGUST)

    What specifically are you asking about? The writing of "Through Lines?"

    FRANK KWIATOWSKI

    You mentioned writing the same ending multiple times. I'm taking it as the same ending being reviewed from different POVs?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Different pieces of what, together, will be the ending sequences of the book.

    CONNOR EVERINGHAM

    I'm guessing that with one through line at 50k words, A Memory of Light will be a massive book?Will chunks be taken out during editing?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I always edit down, rather than up. I overwrite intentionally on first drafts. But the book will be big.

    PHIL

    I might just be ignorant here, but what's a "Through Line"?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Where you write one character's parts, all the way through the book.

    Tags

  • 32

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (16 August 2010)

    Working on a big climactic scene. Was going to tweet that, then realized, pretty much all of them in this book fit that description...

    TEREZ

    That's good to know. It makes more sense than something like The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight with long stretches of not-much-happening.

    TEREZ

    In other words, I think it will reassure the fans who doubt you can pull it off in just one more book. ;)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yeah, it's really going to be one. I'm 125k or so in, and it feels right. I'll get it all in.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'm moving the A Memory of Light progress bar up 2%, to 40%. Should easily hit 50% by the end of the month.

    RICK WATSON

    How's the chances of a release in the spring looking in your opinion?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    So so. I'll be straight with you; it would be a LOT of work to get it out then. Possible, we've done it that fast before.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    However, that was when we were trying to hit the holiday season, and it resulted in a book with typos and mistakes.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    My guess right now is that neither Tor nor Harriet will want to push for that.

    CHRIS EDWARDS

    Can't wait, been WoT fan for years. You have a different style, but I can deal. I'm going to start reading your other work.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Thank you. I understand the style is different, and I hope it's not too distracting.

    AUSTIN MOORE

    Shed any tears yet writing any particular scenes? ;)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    There have been a few tough ones.

    Tags

  • 33

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Terez (17 August 2011)

    Regarding my first question on Gawyn (near the top), would you still answer it the same way, knowing...

    TEREZ

    ...the dream predicted Gawyn's death rather than Egwene's? (You didn't let me finish telling you the dream. :p)

    Brandon Sanderson (17 August 2011)

    Hm... I'm going to have to look back at that dream again. Got a page number for me?

    TEREZ

    I have hardbacks (A Crown of Swords 10, pp 201-2), but @e_wot might be more helpful (CTRL-F 'marry') http://bit.ly/nCVVAB

    TEREZ

    I realized the wording wasn't very clear on @e_wot. Here's the full quote:

    In the way of dreams she floated above a long, straight road across a grassy plain, looking down upon a man riding a black stallion. Gawyn. Then she was standing in the road in front of him, and he reined in. Not because he saw her, this time, but the road that had been straight now forked right where she stood, running over tall hills so no one could see what lay beyond. She knew, though. Down one fork was his violent death, down the other, a long life and a death in bed. On one path, he would marry her, on the other, not. She knew what lay ahead, but not which way led to which. Suddenly he did see her, or seemed to, and smiled, and turned his horse along one of the forks... And she was in another dream.

    FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

    Brandon never responded (not that I expected him to), but it would not surprise me if he just didn't remember that dream correctly. And therefore, his original answer about the Egwene dream doesn't necessarily mean that the prophecy is fulfilled because he believed it referred to Egwene's possible death.

    Tags

  • 34

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (23 August 2011)

    Okay, back from WorldCon and (mostly) recovered. Back to work on A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Blarg. This chapter and viewpoint isn't working. Going to try Thom for a bit instead. Need to be inspired by a storyteller.

    AUSTIN MOORE

    So are you saying Thom is still alive? Good to know:)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Well, he starts the book alive. I'll say that. Who knows where in the book this scene will go?

    JOSIAH DAVID REPP

    How far through writing that book are you?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    40%

    Tags

  • 35

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (31 August 2011)

    Dang. I just pulled off something in A Memory of Light that is GRRM-esque. I'm not certain if I should apologize, feel awesome, or go take a shower.

    SARAH WALTERS

    Haven't read GRRM, should I? Also, I recommend feeling awesome and writing more of A Memory of Light, but I'm biased.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Depends on your threshold for content. His writing is genius, but he is very brutal. I could only stomach the first one.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    His short stories are awesome, by the way. I've liked every one of those I've read.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Also, the Minas Tirith theme is playing on Pandora. Perfect.

    TEREZ

    Gah, now you've got me thinking Boromir/Gawyn.

    FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

    I have no idea if Brandon saw that tweet, but his next one came after it, for what it's worth. Some more info was given on this in the reddit Q&A, and there might be another clue here.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Some good mythological underpinnings and references in this scene, as I believe RJ would have done.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    If I ever get to write the annotations for this book as I plan, this scene will be a nice one to talk about.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    One of the challenges in writing these books is to get mythology right. Not too overt, with careful references. RJ left help, fortunately.

    JOHANN THORSSON

    You mean like Rand having a wound in his side, a la Jesus on the cross?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That's one of very, very many. But yes. And, you know, Rand being a sheepherder...

    SIMEN ISAK DITLEFSEN

    RJ used a lot of mythological inspiration. But I haven't seen a lot of Greek myths used. Have you?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It's there. Look where Perrin gets wounded.

    SIMEN ISAK DITLEFSEN

    ahh... The Achilles arrow?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Look up blacksmith gods. Hephaestus, Wayland. And, you know, Perun...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    But I felt RJ thought Greek/Roman was overdone, so stayed away from using it as much as Norse/Celtic/Native American.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Okay, signing off for the night. I need to be up for my Q&A on reddit come noon my time. (I'll tweet a reminder.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Moved the A Memory of Light progress bar up to 48% complete to reflect work done so far this week. Been a good week.

    ELVAN

    I believe you are trying to kill us by triggering extreme amounts of anticipation and excitement. Some of us don't have the heart to take it you know. Seriously though, can't wait.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. Just trying to keep everyone involved, if only in a small way. ;)

    Tags

  • 36

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (7 September 2011)

    Sometimes, it feels like cheating to have Alan and Maria (Robert Jordan's assistants) to look things up for me on these books.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For example, Alan is a military history buff, and has been my personal "Great Captain" for A Memory of Light, giving valuable advice on tactics.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Finished a really awesome scene today, and started one that turned out meh. I'll have to rework that one come this evening.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Not counting that scene, but counting the awesome one, A Memory of Light is at 52% done now.

    JOHN UNDERWOOD

    52%? That's great! I'm wondering though how did you come up with that number?

    JOHN UNDERWOOD

    Do you have a specific number of pages in mind to finish the book?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've used 300k words as a rough estimate for each of these books for getting the % bar.

    Tags

  • 37

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (10 September 2011)

    Finished another "Through Line" of A Memory of Light. This one turned out really, really well. I'm kind of surprised, honestly.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    This is a character I think many readers are less excited about, but the story here is very powerful. I'm pleased.

    HARSH AGARWAL

    When can we expect the last book to be released?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Next year sometime. Spring at the earliest (I don't think it's likely) fall at the latest.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nice big jump in the progress bar today as I pull a few things I'd already been working on and place them in the book. 52% -> 56%.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For those curious, I've been timing lately and looking at my historical wordcounts (I often keep lists of daily progress.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Writing a given amount of words on the Wheel of Time takes about twice as long as it does when working on non-WoT books.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I think this is due to: 1) The complexity of working in such a long series. 2) Making sure character voices match those in RJ's writing.

    TERRY SIMPSON

    Which character voice have you found it hardest to duplicate? And has that difficulty stayed consistent for each book?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Mat. Yes, he has always been the toughest.

    CAITLIN GRANT

    Love knowing progress but just remembered Tor will likely delay e-release. #frustration

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Not Tor, actually. Harriet. I'm working on her, though.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The delay last time was because The New York Times didn't count ebook sales for bestseller lists.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    A lot of people are asking about the release date for A Memory of Light, so I'll talk about it again. I just couldn't get it out for this November.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    My new rough-draft goal is November, with a revised book sent to Harriet January 1st. Book could be out any time between March (unlikely) and November.

    OSKAR KOIVUJUURI

    This November? I thought it was always supposed to be released March of next year? Oh well.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I was hoping March. It's theoretically possible...but Harriet thinks not. She wants more time to edit than she had for Towers of Midnight.

    Tags

  • 38

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (12 September 2011)

    I have three more major 'Through Lines' for this book, then some spot fill-ins of smaller characters. After that, some work on the climax.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The ending will actually be the easiest part of this book for me, as RJ wrote large chunks of it himself.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    So while it may look like I'm not far enough along to be finished in November, the last 10% or so will jump forward very quickly.

    TEREZ

    But you said those were the most time-consuming parts for you. :s

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scenes he half finished are very tough. Scenes he totally finished are easy.

    GRAE WOLFFE

    This is the final edit before going to print then? Or one more go-through after this?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    This is just the first draft, I'm afraid.

    Tags

  • 39

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    BRANDON SANDERSON (7 NOVEMBER 2011)

    Wheel of time fans. Big news for you. We are going to do a great hunt this tour. Details to come on my website soon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I will give out the first Great Hunt Code at the midnight release tonight. I will tweet how you can get it soon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (8 NOVEMBER)

    Want the Great Hunt clue? I'm thinking of a WoT character who has a viewpoint for the 1st time in A Memory of Light. Make a guess in person here at BYU.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    First person to guess right IN PERSON to me tonight gets the clue. One guess each. Good luck!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nobody has guessed the name right yet for the code. If you have a guess, and you know someone here, call them and have them ask.

    TEREZ

    So @BrandSanderson is doing #wotgh again. Don't forget the tag. If you're at his signing guess Taim or Logain. One or the other guaranteed.

    GLEN GARETS

    Wrong. It was Tam al'Thor.

    TEREZ

    Do you know who got the clue?

    GLEN GARETS

    My friend Kyle and I.

    TEREZ

    But did @BrandSanderson give you a code to enter on his website? That's what he did last time, and it looks like it's entered.

    GLEN GARETS

    Well then I guess you know that gave him one then...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It has been guessed. The character with a viewpoint for the first time in A Memory of Light is Tam.

    17 SHARD

    I got a picture of him with Brandon and the code, but no name.—Kerry

    17TH SHARD

    Here's a pic of the clue itself: http://t.co/SWhnyD7r

    BRANDON SANDERSON (9 NOVEMBER)

    I put up a blog post about the new Wheel of Time Great Hunt that kicked off Tuesday morning. http://brandonsanderson.com/blog/1032/New-Wheel-of-Time-Great-Hunt

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I will have a couple #wotgh codes for the signing today. However, until then, know that several of these are very guessable...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I will give out the first Great Hunt Code at the midnight release tonight. I will tweet how you can get it soon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    San Diego airport bookstore (near Gate 35) has signed Alloy of Law and Towers. No #wotgh clues, as it is behind security.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    If I do hide one behind security, I'll pick a major hub. A former Stormleader did find me here and ask for a code. (I gave her one.)

    KATIE FREY

    Thanks for code #2 @BrandSanderson!! See you at the signing! =D

    KATIE

    Code Number 2: TREES BY COUNTRY

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    First person who guesses the name of the first viewpoint in the A Memory of Light prologue and tells me in person gets a code.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    This will be hard as they are a new character. So guess who they work for, and that will be enough.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For the clue: this person is in someone's army. Guess which army. I don't know if you will get it tonight.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    You have to ask in person for this clue, guys.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nobody guessed the right army. Here is a list of tonight's guesses. http://twitpic.com/7cmqdb

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Also, "The Dark One's" army or "Army of the Light" does not count. The army's specific name or direct commander is needed.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (10 NOVEMBER)

    I'll do some #wotgh clues for internet guessing soon. I want a few of the codes to be revealed first so you can get a feel for their theme.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nobody has guessed (in person to me) the army the first Viewpoint in A Memory of Light comes from. Come to my Huntington Beach signing tonight & guess.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (11 NOVEMBER)

    Nobody has guessed the army of the starting viewpoint of A Memory of Light yet to win a #wotgh code. I'll post the list of guessed armies soon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For now, I have a clue for you to try guessing a clue on-line. You might want to coordinate with Theoryland or Dragonmount on this.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Here's your clue for the internet code (different from the army one): Felix Pax. Try your guess on the Great Hunt page of my website.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    As always, @terez27 has an excellent summary page up for you all. Is there a list of failed guesses somewhere? http://bit.ly.wotgh

    ROB MOREAU

    I took a picture of the list last night, I was just about the last person through, so I think we are up to date :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Did you upload the picture anywhere for me to retweet?

    ROB

    List of armies: http://twitpic.com/7cyrd9 and there is a list of failed attempts on the same document: http://bit.ly/t4HgxV

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    List of wrong guesses last night for the #wotgh code. This one must be guessed in person. http://twitpic.com/7d5uu6

    BRANDON SANDERSON (12 NOVEMBER)

    The army clue for #wotgh has been guessed! I won't post it here; some don't like spoilers. It should be on Terez's page I posted yesterday.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Felix's clue has yet to be guessed, even by him. People have been close, though. A hint is this: (more)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The code, which comes from RJ's notes, uses a word that I believe was NEVER used in the series.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Many are thinking the word is "Magic." That is the right idea—but not the right word.

    COREY PODWINSKI

    Circus?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    You are a very smart person. Now you need some more words to go with your guess. Input them on my site.

    FELIX PAX

    Invalid #wotgh codes: Circus Folk; Circus Show Folk; Seanchan Circus of Blood; Southern Circus; Circus of Winds; Imperial Circus

    BRANDON SANDERSON (13 NOVEMBER)

    You are very close. It's more simple than that. Keep trying; I view this code as being 'yours.'

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Also, it has come to my attention that people might be poking fun at you because I singled you out. If it's the case, I'm sorry.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It wasn't my intention; I just thought you, in specific, would be interested in this code...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Back in the US! I hid a code in the Simply Books at MSP airport gate G15. This is behind security, so get it if you are flying through.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    MSP has signed books in both the G15 bookstore and the one on the middle of the C gates. (C12ish?) Code hidden in the G15 store.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (14 NOVEMBER)

    Could the person who got code #6 and entered it tell everyone what it was?

    RYAN D JOHNSON

    Was that the one at MSP? Flying through G terminal there today.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It was at G15, though someone may have grabbed it by now. There are signed books there too, though... :)

    NETHSPACE

    OK, so, give us a great hunt clue :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. Okay, The one about the Aes Sedai is fairly easy to guess, I think. It even has "Aes Sedai" in it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It also has some punctuation in it, though, of an organizational nature.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (15 NOVEMBER)

    Layover in Atlanta; signed the books in the Buckhead bookstore near the center of the B Gates. I hid a code in one. This is behind security.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just got recognized on the plane by a reader. He should have asked for a #wotgh code. Anyone grab that one in the atlanta airport yet?

    MIKAUS

    Book and code acquired. Glad I checked twitter before I got on the plane!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Looks like @TheMikaus got the Atlanta code. Nice work! #wotgh. I'm off to Houston, assuming this plane ever takes off...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha! So a guy who recognized me on the plane must have friends who follow my posts; he asked for a code after the flight to give to a pal.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For those asking, yes I gave the dude on the plane a code. How could I not?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (17 NOVEMBER)

    Off to the UK! Here's a #wotgh clue. I said a code had to do with something Aes Sedai could do. Hint: it'd be very useful in RJ's home town.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Those sending guesses at me need to put them into the great hunt page. Warning: the wording must be exact.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (19 NOVEMBER)

    In case you missed it earlier, I'm signing in London today. Forbidden Planet at 1:00. #Wotgh is still a go, also. I have codes for the UK.

    EBOOKWYRM

    On my way down to London now!! How do we get codes?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I will have clues about them, and maybe have one or two in the store somewhere.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Thanks to all who gave me Magic cards this tour! I just built a deck w/them, & have time after my London signing. Beat me for a #wotgh code.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (22 NOVEMBER)

    Okay, UK WoT fans. Time to prove yourselves. I hid a Great Hunt code in one of my books in the Waterstones Milton Keynes. Can you find it?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just realized that I THINK the clue I left in MK is one that has been guessed. If you find it & send me a photo, I'll email you a new code.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Has anyone found the code I hid in Milton Keynes?

    MATT FELLOWS

    Tempted to make the 200+ mile round trip to go find it if it's still not been claimed...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I THINK it has been claimed, but nobody has said so for certain. Where do you live?

    BRANDON SANDERSON (23 NOVEMBER)

    Great Hunt is still going. There are codes hidden in both the UK and the states that have not been found. I still have a few to give away.

    SLEEPINGHOUR (6 DECEMBER)

    Any chance of giving us another #wotgh clue? There are a few codes left that people seem to have gotten stuck on...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Go ahead and tweet at Peter, my assistant, and prod him. He can give you some hints.

    Tags

  • 40

    Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005

    Isabel

    Have you started writing the next book already?

    Robert Jordan

    In a sort of desultory way, working, the week after I handed in the final manuscript, and sent it off to New York, I started working half day here, three quarter day there, a half day again.

    Matt Hatch

    Well, I am hoping for that fifteen hundred page book.

    Robert Jordan

    It may be—I am not saying it will be that big—and I will fight them doing a George R.R Martin on me.

    Matt Hatch

    Yeah, please do.

    Tags

  • 41

    Interview: Oct 4th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    For Segovia, my intention is finish with twelve books, and that may mean that the last book will be VERY long, but I really can't say how long it will take me to write. My publisher is always trying to get me to commit to a time frame. I just do a little sand dance until he goes away. I carry a small bottle of sand with me in New York for exactly that purpose.

    Tags

  • 42

    Interview: Oct 13th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Book Twelve will end the main sequence if he has to personally go to New York and beat the publishers at Tor, even if it runs two thousand pages and they have to invent a new way to bind the books (shudder). There will be two more prequels a la New Spring, and there might—very big MIGHT—be another trilogy in the same universe. Have to chew on it a year or two, he says.

    Tags

  • 43

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (28 September 2011)

    An important moment in A Memory of Light centers on one character turning to another and asking, "How much do you trust Mat Cauthon?" How much indeed.

    Tags

  • 44

    Interview: Oct 17th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    He also said he would reveal Asmodean's killer in book 12 if he could do it naturally, otherwise he will announce it when book 12 hits paperback.

    Tags

  • 45

    Interview: Oct 19th, 2005

    Jeff Bumgardner

    Hey, I was at the RJ signing last night (10/19) at Olsson’s Books in Arlington, VA. I’ve been reading the series for nigh 13 years now, but this was my first time attending one of his signings. I would have to say it was a bit of a disappointment...

    Robert Jordan

    He showed up about ten minutes late and went through his normal pronunciation spiel looking slightly perturbed. He then reiterated the answers for what have seemed to become the most oft-asked questions this time around: Book twelve will be done when he’s finished with it, it will be last one no matter what, Infinity of Heaven is the next thing he’s doing, the two WoT prequels will be done at some point in the future, and that he’s come up with an idea for a trilogy of “outrigger” novels in the WoT world, but that he has to let it stew for a few years before he decides on doing it.

    Then, probably because he arrived late, he skipped the Q&A and went straight to signing. Somewhat disappointing, as the event was billed as a Q&A / Signing, and the Q&A was the main reason I went in the first place. I would have liked to just hear him talk for a little bit.

    Tags

  • 46

    Interview: Oct 20th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    In regards to Asmodean, if it seems logical to have a character come forward in the twelfth book and claim the murder, he'll write that. If not we have to wait until the release of the PAPERBACK of book twelve to find out.

    Tags

  • 47

    Interview: Oct 21st, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Since I snagged a seat fairly close to the desk he was signing at, I got to listen in on the snippets that seemed story-related rather than personal or involving his writing process, and gleaned in addition that there's a 50/50 chance that the next book will be based off the working title A Memory of Light, and that book twelve (which he declared in his opening spiel will absolutely positively be the last book if it ends up 3000 pages long and they have to sell it with a bookstand and luggage carrier—not an exact quote but close) will definitely "cover Tarmon Gai'don and a little beyond."

    Tags

  • 48

    Interview: Oct 21st, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    RJ came out onto the stage just after seven, and started by saying that he knew some of the crowd would probably be newcomers "that just picked up the first book..." and that he would start by clarifying some things. First, "the next book will be out very shortly after I'm done writing it." Next, "the next book will be the last book, even if it's 2000 pages, and you need a luggage cart to carry it out of the bookstore."

    Tags

  • 49

    Interview: Oct 24th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    RJ then went on to say that during the signing, he would be asked a few questions, as he always is. The second person in line, he said, would ask, "When is the next book coming out?" He gave us a guarantee that we could "take to the bank" that it would be on shelves shortly after he finished writing it.

    And the fourth person would invariably ask, "How many more books in the series?" which he explained the same way as other signings, about needing a 'dolly' to carry the thing out. But unlike other accounts, he said at this point, it is not possible for him to write two more coherent books. He said he might get one coherent book, and one incoherent, or two semi-coherent, so WoT would be finished by book 12.

    Tags

  • 50

    Interview: Oct 24th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Someone commented on him not mentioning the title of book 12 (A Memory of Light) and he said that was merely because "no one has asked about it." That was the last I heard clearly enough, up until I had my book signed.

    Tags

  • 51

    Interview: Oct 24th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    As per the other reviews he stated that there will only be one more main sequence book, and that there may be two or three outrigger novels in the Wheel of Time universe. He stated that he still needs to "poke around at it" for a couple of years.

    Tags

  • 52

    Interview: Oct 22nd, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    RJ also mentioned a question that he suspected would be asked and answered it before someone did ask. The question was when would book 12 be out, which he answered in a humorous manner would be shortly after he finished writing it.

    Tags

  • 53

    Interview: Oct 22nd, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    RJ also confirmed that he would reveal who killed Asmodean by the printing of the paperback of the twelfth book. He stated he would only reveal it in the book if there was a natural need for it. In other words, only if it was imperative to the story line; he would not add it on a whim.

    Tags

  • 54

    Interview: Oct 27th, 2005

    Caychris

    Then someone who came in late asked the question. [about who killed Asmodean]

    Robert Jordan

    RJ wound up with a fist like he was going to punch him, and the groan that had run through the store turned to laughter.

    He reiterated why he isn't telling, and that he has tried to place a few clues in the latter books. He said that if occasion permits in the last book, and it seems appropriate, the character doing the deed will probably think to themselves about killing Asmodean. However he gave no guarantee. But he did say he will reveal Asmodean's killer if he doesn't in the book before the paperback of book 12 comes out.

    He also went on to mention that there is one website that gets it right with a very complete listing of the suspects with motives and facts that gets it right. He wasn't going to tell us which one. He said they got the right 'why' as well, and they used only facts in prior to the murder. I later asked him if he could say when he found out about the website and he said he couldn't remember, but it was quite some time ago.

    Tags

  • 55

    Interview: Nov 22nd, 2005

    Question

    How big can we expect the final book to be and how long do you think it will take you to write it?

    Robert Jordan

    As large as it needs to be, and it will be finished as soon as I can finish it. I don't mean to be glib. This is just the simple truth.

    Tags

  • 56

    Interview: Nov 4th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    I heard that he has reversed his position on telling us who killed Asmodean (after the paperback of A Memory of Light comes out). This was NOT confirmed by RJ.

    Footnote

    It was confirmed in previous signings on the Knife of Dreams tour that RJ would look for a place to include the reveal in A Memory of Light, and if he was not able to find a suitable place, he would reveal the killer after the release of the paperback of A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 57

    Interview: Mar, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    Before I start a book I always sit down and try to think how much of the story I can put into it. The outline is in my head until I sit down and start doing what I call a ramble, which is figuring how to put in the bits and pieces. In the beginning, I thought The Wheel of Time was six books and I'd be finished in six years. I actually write quite fast. The first Conan novel I did took 24 days. (I wrote seven Conan books—for my sins—but they paid the bills for a number of years.) For my Western, I was under severe time constraints in the contract so it was 98,000 words in 21 days—a killer of a schedule, especially since I was not working on a computer then, just using an IBM Correcting Selectric!

    I started The Wheel of Time knowing how it began and how it all ended. I could have written the last scene of the last book 20 years ago—the wording would be different, but what happened would be the same. When I was asked to describe the series in six words, I said, 'Cultures clash, worlds change—cope. I know it's only five, but I hate to be wordy.' What I intended to do was a reverse-engineered mythology to change the characters in the first set of scenes into the characters in the last set of scenes, a bunch of innocent country folk changed into people who are not innocent at all. I wanted these boys to be Candides as much as possible, to be full of 'Golly, gee whiz!' at everything they saw once they got out of their home village. Later they could never go back as the same person to the same place they'd known.

    But I'd sit down and figure I could get so much into a story, then begin writing and realize halfway in that I wasn't even halfway through the ramble. I'd have to see how I could rework things and put off some of the story until later. It took me four years to write The Eye of the World, and I still couldn't get as much of the story into it as I wanted; same with The Great Hunt. I finally reached a point where I won't have to do that. For Knife of Dreams I thought, "I've got to get all of that into one book: it's the penultimate volume!" And I did. Well, with one exception, but that's OK. That one exception would probably have added 300 pages to the book but I see how to put it in the last volume in fewer.

    Tags

  • 58

    Interview: Mar 31st, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    A few people seem confused over what I mean by saying that I need thirty years to complete the books in my head. That entails a lot more than The Wheel of Time. There is A Memory of Light, of course, the last main sequence novel of WoT, plus two more short prequel novels. Then there are, possibly, three "outrigger" novels set in the WoT universe. There are the two trilogies of Infinity of Heaven, set in quite another universe. Plus there are several other novels and a handful of novellas that are set in neither universe. A few of them are actually set in our own universe, though not always without a twist. So there are a fair number, even to spread out over 30 years.

    Tags

  • 59

    Interview: Jul 6th, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    For Tony W, the last book of the main story arc, A Memory of Light, won't be the last Wheel of Time novel. True, I want to move on to the Infinity of Heaven books, not to mention some other books, but there are two more prequel novels to come, and maybe a set of three outrigger novels.

    Tags

  • 60

    Interview: Sep 5th, 2006

    Wilson Grooms

    I spent the weekend with a man walking a tight rope holding a small parasol in one hand for balance while tipping his hat to the crowd far below with the other. I'm stealing the metaphor from Harriet for that was her description of the circus act RJ is performing trying to keep the medications in balance, do some work and keep you (fans) and we (family) informed.

    Over the past two weeks the balance has been difficult to attain. Reining it in slowly, but surely however.

    RJ, Harriet, Janet and I spent time on Saturday afternoon thumbing through your posts. All touched us, some to tears. Thank you for sharing your stories. You provide more inspiration than you'll ever know. Were I to possess but an ounce of the strength of Ben N, Don Webb, Julia or Lynn I could move mountains. RJ singled out several individual posts for a personal answer.

    The four of us made it out on the town for dinner on Saturday night. Charleston is replete with fantastic places to dine. RJ knows that being land bound I prefer food from the sea on our visits. Picked a grand one he did, Coast. Highly recommended.

    The BBQ chicken we had planned for Sunday evening had to be postponed. Too bleeping hot outside to stand by an open grill, and other things to do anyway. We'll try your many home recipes for sauce and rubs at a later date.

    RJ and Harriet will be making their monthly trip to the Mayo next week.

    He's working. Good therapy it is. Also gives him and his editor-in-chief, love of his life, first and only wife, Harriet something to talk about rather than the 800 pound medical gorilla sitting in the middle of the room. You'll hear from him soon.

    Wilson
    Brother-Cousin, 4th of 3

    Tags

  • 61

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    Well, I've been offline for a while, but I thought you had the news pretty well from Wilson, plus I needed to rest up, frankly, having had a stretch of in the hospital, then out of the hospital, in and then out, in again, and this time out on a Saturday so I could get on a plane on Sunday, have my tests done at the Mayo on Monday, talk with the doctors on Tuesday, then drive to Minneapolis to speak at Mike Ford's Memorial service. Frankly, I got home in some ways stronger than when I left, but in others, well, I was ready to lie down and sleep as long as I could get by without having an ice cube slid down my back. I really needed some rest, in my own bed not a hospital or hotel bed. And every time I've thought about posting here the last week or so, I just couldn't find the energy to do more the most cursory sort of entry, likely dull-witted with weariness at that, and I thought you deserved more than that.

    You might find a small interest that I codified a list of things to be done once I have regained (1) over-all strength, (2) hand-eye coordination, and (3) some degree of balance. I am convinced that I will recover these things—the strength seems the easiest—and have even agreed, after some urging from Harriet, to submit my hands and feet to acupuncture! Go figure. Me, the Great Skeptic! Well, she's a cousin of sorts, through marriage—it can get complicated in Charleston—and she is fully qualified and all of that.

    Anyway, the list.

    1) Purchase Harley. I already have this picked out, as I think I've told you, and though Harriet SAYS she won't mind riding postillion, I'm figuring a sidecar is my future, too. That's okay. But not quite as soon as I hoped. It won't be under the Christmas tree this year. Maybe next.

    2) Sky diving qualification. I'm not talking buddy-jumping strapped to some guy's belly like a kangaroo trying to escape from it's mother's pouch. I mean to take the whole nine yards so that I can walk into any place where such a thing is possible, rent a chute, rent a plane to take me up, and go jump, no questions asked. Wilson says we are too old, and my knees are too bad, for this sort of thing, but the thing is that having achieved that qualification, I doubt that I will ever use it. I will have done it, however, and that will be enough. When I was young, before my first tour in the Nam, I volunteered to airborne. I got turned down on account of bad eyes, and that is something I have regretted ever since. That I've held on that regret so long indicated something to me, because I have always operated on Lan's rule, bury your dead and ride on. I don't hold onto regrets. This one remains, however. So I will try to lay it to rest once and for all. Besides, I WANT to jump out of the bloody plane!

    3) Take up ball-room dancing lessons with Harriet. Funny, after saying that I don't hold onto regrets, that I should come to this one straight away. You see, before I began having nerve problems with my feet and loss of balance, I was a pretty good dancer. Good enough to have 20-something guys complimenting me on my moves and women of various ages cutting in on Harriet to dance with me. It was also neat to be addressed on the street, sometimes by women I could swear I never met in my life, with cries of "Hello, dancer!" Well, I want that back. And, since I am completely untrained—I grew up poor; there was no childhood dance class in my background—I want to take the lessons because I want some dances, the tango, the rumba, the cha-cha, that you just can't fake. And not that Dancing with the Stars baloney, either. That is strangely entertaining, one might say weirdly entertaining, much like a train wreck involving Borat and Rush Limbaugh in clown makeup, but in most cases, the dances they do have no resemblance whatsoever to the dances they claim to be. Let them take their so-called tango to Argentina. And see if they can get out of the country alive. Anyhow, #3, dance lessons.

    And 4) Take up golf. This something I had just begun to get into when things when blooey in general. You need balance to make a good swing, and I found out I have a pretty good natural talent for the game. My drives are straight—in two rounds with Wilson and his son, Jonathon, both golf fiends—I lost fewer balls than either of them, and if the length of my drives has been somewhat erratic, I was beginning to get that straightened out. I figure if I can get the occasional but not uncommon 200 yard plus drive without golf shoes, which means no proper swing, I can match and top and that with the shoes and with practice. It only needs the balance back a little. And you know, it's fun reading the greens for puts. I got a few tips from a pro who was earning some extra money by caddying at a club where I'd won a round in charity auction, and he had some wonderful tips for that.

    So there you have it. Oh, finishing A Memory of Light, of course, and getting started on Mat and Tuon, and some others, five to ten years after the Last Battle. Those go without saying. Not a bad plan for the coming year, eh? And fishing. I'd like to call Billy Glenn and run up to Cape Romain, where the beaches are so pristine you can walk for miles without seeing a footprint not your own, where the truly big redfish, 40-pound, 50-pound, 60-pound, are cruising down the coast in the surf, too big to keep, of course, but great fun to catch and release, using circle hooks for survival of fish, and if a little time goes by without a redfish, then a 6 or 7-foot blacktip shark is sure to grab hold, leaping like a bloody tarpon. It's a great day's fun, with the wind cutting in directly off the Atlantic and nothing but water between you and Portugal. But Thanksgiving is almost here, and Christmas is acoming in, Lud sing God damn, with lots of house guests for each and also in between. No time for fishing. Unless I sink to trying an ultralight fly rod in the goldfish pond. I don't think that would play well with Harriet. Besides, there's no real way to get a decent backcast. I know. I've checked, and believe me, I can find a backcast in a china closet if one is to be found.

    Tags

  • 62

    Interview: Dec 1st, 2006

    Hannah Clark

    There are readers, and then there are fans. Readers offer condolences when a favorite author falls ill. Fans offer bone marrow.

    Robert Jordan, author of the best-selling Wheel of Time series, has fans. And if you want to understand them, take a look at his blog. Since last spring, when he announced he had a rare blood disease called amyloidosis, Jordan, 58, has been chronicling his life-and-death struggle online. Whenever he's well enough to write, he thanks the fans who sent care packages, and those who donated to the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., where he is being treated. Then there's this:

    Robert Jordan

    "For Jaime Platt and her sister, your offer touches me deeply. They were able to harvest enough of my own bone marrow stem cells that I don't need marrow donation from elsewhere, but thank you very much. That was a kind and generous offer."

    Hannah Clark

    And you thought Harry Potter fans were enthusiastic?

    Jordan's readers are offering help because they've developed a close connection with him through his books. They're also desperately hoping he lives to finish the series. Wheel of Time is like Lord of the Rings on steroids. Since Jordan launched the series in 1990, he's added another ten books, and more than 14 million copies have sold. Fans are patiently waiting for book No. 12, A Memory of Light, which Jordan promises will be the last, even if it reaches 2,000 pages.

    Hannah Clark

    "I've told people you might need a forklift to get it out the door," says Jordan, speaking by phone from his home in South Carolina.

    Tags

  • 63

    Interview: Dec 1st, 2006

    Hannah Clark

    But there is, of course, an elephant in the room. Amyloidosis has no cure. Untreated, the average patient lives only 12 months after diagnosis, says Dennis Krysmalski, founder and CEO of the Amyloidosis Support Network. With treatment, patients survive an average of four years.

    Jordan's fans are full of sympathy, but also fright of a more personal and perhaps selfish kind. His readers have been following the lives of Rand, Egwene, Elayne, Mat, Nynaeve and Perrin for more than 16 years. Fans have shared their concerns on Web sites like Dragonmount, Theoryland and WOTmania. "Of course you wouldn't ever wish a possibly terminal disease on anyone," wrote one poster, codman25. "But what happens if he doesn't finish the book?"

    It's a dangerous question. Most fans avoid posting such sentiments for fear of appearing tactless. Posters like codman25 are often chastised as insensitive by others who claim to care only for the well-being of Jordan and his family.

    Robert Jordan

    Jordan himself chuckles at these exchanges. He doesn't mind if fans worry about his ability to finish the series. "I hope I finish the books too," he says.

    Tags

  • 64

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (30 September 2011)

    FINALLY done with the through line I've been working on for weeks now. Progress bar moved to 70% done.

    SRINATH UPADHYAYULA

    When can we expect it??? What do you think?? #reallyreallycan'twait!!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Sometime next year. I suspect they'll set a date when I give them the first draft in November.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Now, to fire a gun that has been sitting on the mantle since the middle (chapters 30-40) of book 3.

    TEREZ

    Now THAT is a good clue. (The Mat one was not incredibly surprising, but this one will be fun.)

    TEREZ

    Want to discuss @BrandSanderson's latest A Memory of Light clue? It's a good one!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Theoryland thread on what I just posted: http://www.theoryland.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=6057 Thanks @Terez27.

    BEN KLUGE

    Has anyone got close yet:) ?

    TEREZ

    Pfft, we've barely started yet.

    BEN KLUGE

    I know—but once we have got started the odds of possibly getting an answer drop from very low to zero.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. I already flirt with giving away too much. I doubt you'll pull anything more from me for a while.

    4TH AGE

    I'm sure with how conscious you are of us examining your every word you checked, so are you SURE it's in those chapters?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    99% sure.

    TEREZ

    Would you at least confirm you're not talking about 13-13? You referenced that as a Chekhov's Gun before Towers of Midnight...

    TEREZ

    ...and so the association is hard to shake. But it was introduced in The Dragon Reborn 22 and of course already showed up in Towers of Midnight.

    TEREZ

    And technically, you could be referring to that since we didn't actually see the turning. And 99%. :( ... ;)

    BRANDON SANDERSON (5 OCTOBER)

    Mat is so much fun to write. The trick, which is hard, is to get the right mix of humor & awesome. One without the other just isn't Mat.

    TEREZ

    Ahh, confirmation. And good luck with Mat. ;)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Not sure what I'm confirming, but okay. On the thing I tweeted before, it's obviously NOT 13x13. It is cool, but smaller than that.

    TEREZ

    Cool. I was talking about the fact that you were working on Mat's 'through line'. I had assumed you were. Smaller? Hmm.

    FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

    In retrospect I'm not so sure he was working on Mat's through line because in the previous one, he specified he was writing Mat's thoughts.

    Tags

  • 65

    Interview: Jun 1st, 2007

    Robert Jordan

    Well guys, I'm back. I know you'd like to hear from me every week or even more frequently, but I'm afraid that once a month is going to be about it for a time. I am trying to put every spare moment into A Memory of Light. There aren't too many of those spare moments right now. My meds induce fatigue, so it is hard to keep going. I'll fight it through, though. Don't worry. The book will be finished as soon as I can manage it. NOT in time for this Christmas, I fear. I don't know where that rumor got started. Except that Tom Doherty, my publisher, wants to put out the Prologue if I can have it polished to my satisfaction by August. That isn't easy. I always hate letting go. I have rewritten prologues almost from scratch after I finished the rest of the novel. I always think I can do better with another go around. Oh, well, I'll give it a try.

    Tags

  • 66

    Interview: Jun 1st, 2007

    Robert Jordan

    Well, guys, I have to hang it up for now. I'll be back to you when I can, and I promise to keep you abreast of the medical news, whether from Mayo or elsewhere. But my main focus is going to be on A Memory of Light. I think that is how you would want it.

    Take care, everybody.

    RJ

    Tags

  • 67

    Interview: Aug 22nd, 2007

    Robert Jordan

    I'll get back to when I can. Until then, it's back to the grindstone for me.

    RJ

    Tags

  • 68

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2007

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone.

    These are words Jim said to me several books ago, in the weary but always thrilling hours of putting the manuscript to bed, ready to carry to New York in the morning—I remember grabbing a piece of discarded script and scrawling those words up the margin, because they were so beautiful. He was talking about Rand. I of course am not.

    I know he touched all of you. Thanks for being there.

    Tags

  • 69

    Interview: Dec 27th, 2007

    Question

    So is it going to be your book or Robert Jordan's book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is no question: It will be Robert Jordan's book. The notes he left behind are very detailed, particularly with regards to the most important scenes of the book. I will be following his outline with exactness, and including as much of his actual written prose as I can, changing as little as possible.

    Tags

  • 70

    Interview: Dec 27th, 2007

    Question

    Will it be one book or will you split it into two? I heard that this book would be really big, and that it might have to be cut into two chunks.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It will be one book. Mr. Jordan wanted it that way. I am certain from what I've seen that we will be able to complete the novel in a way that it will be published as one volume.

    Tags

  • 71

    Interview: Mar 21st, 2008

    Brandon Sanderson

    Whew. It's surprising how busy things are, considering that it's the slow season (my books generally come out in the falls) for me. Mixed with the fact that I'm not writing right now, just reading, one would think that I wouldn't feel so busy. The thing is, when writing, I can really only do a certain amount in a day. Like a lot of authors I know, I kind of have a cap (it's between 2k words and 4k words, depending on the day and the book.) Once I hit that, my writing reserve is low, and I have to stop for the day and let my subconscious work out how I'm going to write the next section. What that means is that I can generally get up, write for half of the day, and be done—and then have time to do email, blog posts, and other business items.

    When I'm reading, though, there's nothing to stop me from just reading straight through all hours of the day, as opposed to stopping and doing other work. That, mixed with the urgency I feel to get to work on actual pages of AMoL, has made me keep reading and pushing long after I would have stopped for the day if I were writing. Ah, well.

    Tags

  • 72

    Interview: Mar 25th, 2008

    Brandon Sanderson

    Anyway, I didn't intend this to be an extended defense of the book, but that's what it came out to be. It's now been over a week since I finished it, and while there is much more I could write, I think it's time to let the blog post end for now. The big news is that I'm done with my read through. In fact, I officially began writing on Book Twelve this afternoon.

    There was a powerful moment there for me when I got to write those words "The Wheel of Time turns. . . ." Mr. Jordan, despite his preparations for the book, didn't actually write those words that have started each book in the series. I guess he figured he didn't need to, since they've been the same since book one. He knew that his time might come soon, so he focused on more important scenes.

    That left me being able to write the opening paragraph to chapter one. (Though, of course, there will be a prologue. While those words won't start the book, I decided that they would be the way that I started work on it.)

    It has begun.

    Tags

  • 73

    Interview: May 12th, 2008

    Brandon Sanderson

    I posted that other email I got that was somewhat negative, but the overwhelming majority are very encouraging and thoughtful. I got one piece recently from a reader named Matt which got me thinking. It relates to A Memory of Light, and so I figured I'd answer it here.

    Brandon—My name is Matt, and I have been following your blog posts and website since you were announced as the writer for A Memory of Light. A question to ask occurred to me today that I don't think I ever saw in any of your interviews/posts about being selected to write the book. As a fan, is a part of you disappointed to read the ending of the story the way you did, that is through RJ's notes and not after reading an entire book?

    Excellent question! My answer follows:

    It was indeed a different experience to read through the outline and materials, with the holes and occasional vague sections, rather than reading a complete novel. A little bit of me is regretful. Of all the readers and fans out there, I'm one of the few who won't be able to experience this book for the first time in its complete form. Mr. Jordan's assistants and wife have probably been in that boat for years!

    And yet, I am a writer, and I don't look at an outline the same way that a regular reader might. The closest approximation I can make is to origami masters. If you go and look at their websites, they will often release 'patterns' that go with a new piece of origami they've developed. The pattern is just a sheet of paper with lines on it. I look at that, and all I see are lines. But to another origami master, that pattern reveals the exact method used to create the piece. They can look at the pattern and see the finished product.

    This outline was kind of like that for me, particularly since the ending was the most complete section. I could look at it, and my mind filled in the gaps, adding the foreshadowings and character climaxes that had come before, taking the hints and the outline chunks that Mr. Jordan wrote and putting them all together. It didn't feel like reading a complete book, but I felt like I could SEE that complete book as he would have written it, and that has become my guide in writing it myself.

    (I might also note at the end here that one thing I forgot to include in my email to him is that while I didn't get to read the final book like you all will, I DID get to find out what happened at the end of the series a good two years ahead of anyone else!)

    Tags

  • 74

    Interview: Dec 17th, 2008

    Question

    Robert Jordan has talked many times about how he knew the last chapter of the last book very well. Are you able to tell us whether or not he wrote that chapter before he died, or will that be something you'll be putting to paper? If so, does that chapter in particular hold any particular challenge or significance for you?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I talked about this above. He did write down the last part of the book. I have it. It will appear in the final novel.

    Tags

  • 75

    Interview: Jul 23rd, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    Though, oddly, I'm thinking I'm going to have to do another re-read of the entire WoT here pretty soon. It's been over a year since I finished the last read-through. (Whew. Hard to believe I've been at this a year and a half already.)

    In a small bit of WoT news (and in answer to a lot of emails I've been getting) I've been lobbying to Harriet for the chance to keep A Memory of Light for the final volume of the WoT. If you don't remember the backstory, we were planning all three of these final books to collectively be known as A Memory of Light. Each would have the title A Memory of Light with a subtitle. (Gathering clouds for the first one, which became The Gathering Storm.) Well, now that we can't use this idea (for various reasons) and the first third is coming out as simply The Gathering Storm I want to use A Memory of Light for the final of the three. I think it's a beautiful title, and it is something that Mr. Jordan left for us.

    Harriet seems agreeable, though nothing official has been set yet. Really, we need to get on the ball and choose a title for the second book. I'm working on that. (Though if you're passionate about the topic, you can feel free to email me.)

    Tags

  • 76

    Interview: 2010

    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 Zigmont

    Brandon 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.

    Tags

  • 77

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brian Mueller (6 October 2011)

    Hey Brandon—I always thought Logain had a cool character arc. How much of him do we see in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (6 October 2011)

    He will be seen. How much, or in what capacity, would be a spoiler, I'm afraid.

    Tags

  • 78

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (6 October 2011)

    Well, THAT was a scene people have been waiting to read for many books. You know, it's very hard to talk about A Memory of Light without spoilers.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Let's see...what can I say without spoilers? This involves two near-deaths in a scene where most wouldn't expect any. #AesSedaivagueness

    MICHAEL ZODDA

    The Return of Narg!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes, @wordsbyzodda. It's obviously the return of Narg that I'm talking about. The Dark One transmigrated him into a sheep.

    Tags

  • 79

    Interview: Oct 27th, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    He also said that the series' ending puts certain threads in perspective. For example, Morgase, my least favorite character, apparently turns out to be less annoying than she appears. Also, fans will better be able to understand the importance of some of the lesser-liked books, like Crossroads of Twilight.

    Tags

  • 80

    Interview: Nov 10th, 2009

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    A fan that asked Harriet if she considered any other author to finish the Wheel of Time received the answer he expected in that she had, but would not name the other candidates. She went on to say that Brandon was an easy choice.

    Tags

  • 81

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2010

    Matt Hatch

    Is the Horn an object of the Power?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO, but I will tell you something about the Horn. People always ask why the inscription on the Horn is in the Old Tongue, if it's so old. It was added in the Age of Legends.

    Terez

    It should also be noted that, when a panel moderator asked the audience if we wanted to see the Heroes of the Horn come back before the end, Maria raised her hand high.

    Tags

  • 82

    Interview: Sep 17th, 2010

    Peter Ahlstrom

    And if you look at that events page you'll notice that the book tour for Towers of Midnight has been arranged, and Harriet McDougal will be accompanying Brandon in every city this time around. It's going to be a shorter tour; Brandon has spent over half a month on tour already and needs a bit of a break. He does plan a much longer tour when A Memory of Light comes out; Brandon has some ideas about how to make that the best tour ever for the fans. But that's a long way off; Brandon still has to write the book! In any case, for those who will ask, yes, there will be a "Storm Leader"-type program for the Towers tour; keep your eyes peeled on Dragonmount for details on the Tower Guards program.

    Tags

  • 83

    Interview: Oct 26th, 2010

    Luckers

    You spoke during the signing tour of perhaps having some material of Pevara being awesome on your website—is that still on the table? If it is, would it be pre- or post-Towers of Midnight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That suggestion came about because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to fit it in. In the end I decided to get three or four chapters of it into Towers of Midnight. So it is there. I haven’t yet decided whether the rest of that story will happen on screen in A Memory of Light or whether it will have to happen off screen. The outline is all there, but I’m still not sure what I’ll have time for and what will work with the pacing.

    Posting something on my website is not something that I could just do offhandedly. If I were going to do it it would take a lot of talking to Harriet and Tor and getting permission. So that was really only a long-shot contingency plan. Will it happen? I don’t know. We’ll have to see what gets into A Memory of Light. I’m pleased with the parts I was able to fit into Towers of Midnight, which means there’s a good chance I’ll be able to fit the rest into A Memory of Light.

    Footnote

    Some fans were very vocal in opposing the idea when it was first raised, and Harriet would probably have been reluctant to do it anyway. However, Brandon said he managed to fit the rest into A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 84

    Interview: Nov 6th, 2010

    Brandon Sanderson

    Taim may not be a standard Third Ager. Brandon wouldn't say any further because he has about five chapters revolving around the Black Tower to write for the beginning of the next book and he didn't want to spoil, so it was half a RAFO.

    MATT HATCH

    Specific questions?

    ROBERT MEE

    I just asked if Taim was a "standard" Third Ager. He pondered it for a minute or so before explaining that he had a few more chapters to write about what was happening at the Black Tower, so he didn't want to give too much away.

    Tags

  • 85

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    Since his epiphany, does Rand recite his list any more?

    Brandon Sanderson

    R.A.F.O. because we don't really see much of what Rand is thinking in Towers of Midnight. We are saving that for the next book.

    Tags

  • 86

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    Can you give us a hint on who the second woman will be in Rand's circle? (with Callandor)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not really, but I can give you a tiny bit of information. She has already been introduced.

    Footnote

    Tags

  • 87

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    Will we see the Ogier again?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. There will be more of them in the last book. Not a lot but they will be there.

    Tags

  • 88

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    How long is the last book going to be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Probably about the size of Towers of Midnight. Not shorter, maybe longer, but about that size.

    Tags

  • 89

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    Are all the time lines caught up?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Black Tower is still behind.

    Tags

  • 90

    Interview: Dec, 2010

    Dawn

    Will we be learning any more about Shara in the last volume?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will simply defer to what Robert Jordan on this. This is the story primarily of what we call the Westlands, or Randland (though he didn't use those terms). This is not the story of Shara or Seanchan. There will be no major action that takes place in those other realms. Interpret that as you will.

    Tags

  • 91

    Interview: Dec, 2010

    Machavelli

    Hi Brandon. I was really looking forward to reading about Rand after the end of The Gathering Storm, where he changes. I want to know how much he has changed since he and Lews Therin became one. He is the main character but he is barely in this book. Why is that? and will we get to read from his point of view in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will get to read from his point of view in the last book. This was done intentionally, and it's something the Wheel of Time books have done all across the history of the series. Sometimes certain characters have to take a back seat while others' stories are being told. In this case, that happened to Rand. It was very important to me for narrative reasons that you see him externally before you see him internally.

    Tags

  • 92

    Interview: Jun 4th, 2011

    Brandon Sanderson

    Bela survives!

    Footnote

    Explanation here.

    Tags

  • 93

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    electrokinetic

    I'd been wondering why Demandred didn't just use the True Power to dispatch the various swordsmen that challenged him, and I got to ask it last night at the Huntington Beach signing. I thought I'd post it here in case anyone else was wondering the same thing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon's response was that Demandred was the most wary and cautious of the Forsaken and he wasn't going to "mess with that medallion", not knowing fully what it was or what it could do, especially since he suspected that the swordsman was Lews Therin in disguise.

    Tags

  • 94

    Interview: Apr 17th, 2011

    Terez

    Is the area of a dreamspike adjustable?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The area it covers? Yes, it is.

    Terez

    Yay!

    Brandon Sanderson

    That’s a good question.

    Terez

    Thank you.

    Tags

  • 95

    Interview: Apr 17th, 2011

    Terez

    Can Shayol Ghul be reached in Tel'aran'rhiod?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm actually going to RAFO that. And that's actually not one I'm RAFO'ing...I'm RAFO'ing that for very good reasons. Not just out-of-hand RAFO'ing.

    Terez

    Gotcha.

    Footnote

    RJ said that the Blight cannot be reached in Tel'aran'rhiod because it's not a part of the 'normal' universe, but he never commented specifically on Shayol Ghul.

    Tags

  • 96

    Interview: Nov 16th, 2010

    Jonathan B

    I also asked if there was anything in A Memory of Light like the big unnoticed thing in Towers of Midnight that we should look for.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He said there are lots of little things that come to fruition in interesting ways.

    JONATHAN B

    I said yeah, I can't wait to see how "his blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul" turns out. Do you know there are some people that think Elayne will have her babies on Shayol Ghul and that will fulfill the prophecy?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    He said well, Elayne is like four months pregnant at this point... Lots of things are possible with the One Power though.

    JONATHAN B

    In my mind, this debunks that theory somewhat.

    Tags

  • 97

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    rileysweeney ()

    Are Rand and Aviendha going to get some time on screen together in A Memory of Light? They had such an interesting dynamic and they have barely spoken for several books.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. (You knew that was coming, eh?)

    Though...it should be noted that prophecy says that Aviendha will have Rand's children...so, that's going to be kind of tough if they don't see one another again.

    Tags

  • 98

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    Axelkappa ()

    You previously mentioned on twitter a GRRM-esque moment in A Memory of Light. Any more on that? In the end are you going to apologize or feel awesome?

    Brandon Sanderson

    When the book is out, ask me about this. I'll tell you which one it was. It's something I was struggling with, trying different takes on. Finally, some things came together. I'll say more, but I'll put it in spoiler text. (It's not very spoilery, but some people don't want to know anything.) [highlight to read] It is a moment of awesomeness, but also is somewhat cruel. There is a death involved. It could be from the side of the Light, it could be from the side of the Shadow.

    Tags

  • 99

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    Shillster ()

    Why does Verin make Mat promise to obey her letter if he opened it in Towers of Midnight? In my mind of course if he would have obeyed the letter if he read it. All that Verin had to do was say "Mat, read this in a few days it's super important" then since he didn't have any reason not to read the letter he would read it and prevent the horrible battle with the Trollocs. What was Verin's reasoning?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A couple of things here.

    The primary one is that Verin had to work around her oaths, which required her to go through some strange mental gymnastics. She actually tried out different ways of getting this information across, and could never make it work. (In her pouch was actually a letter that said something similar to Mat, but which read "Ignore what I say and open this immediately.) She couldn't pick it up at the moment, however. The oaths were binding. She would either have had to take poison right then, or bet on Mat being too impatient to wait.

    Second thing is this, and it's a slight spoiler for the next book. She did build in redundancy.

    Shillster

    My question isn't regarding the loophole that she found, the question is as to why make Mat promise to obey the letter. She could have made him promise not to open the letter for three days and still maintained her loophole. It's the promise to obey the letter that makes Mat not read it and now they are in a whole lot of trouble because of it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's just say that Verin...didn't understand Mat as well as she thought that she did.

    Tags

  • 100

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    Terez ()

    Will we get more details on how/if Lanfear died in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Tags

  • 101

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    seminasak ()

    Will Birgitte Silverbow's eternal love Gaidal Cain show up in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 102

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    MattSteelblade ()

    Will A Memory of Light be released as an e-book at the same time as the hardcover next year, or will we have to wait?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's unlikely. Harriet has much worry about the ebook format, and the fact that we wouldn't have gotten #1 on the New York Times list if we'd done the ebook release at the same time has her extra jumpy. She released the ebook earlier than expected by my request last time, and I think we'll get it even earlier this time. But it probably won't be at the same time.

    (Though, it may depend on how the Times counts ebooks then. Harriet feels it's important for RJ's legacy that these last few books continue the string of being #1 hits.)

    Tags

  • 103

    Interview: Jul 11th, 2010

    Stefan

    So we know in The Eye of the World, there was somebody who talked in capital letters like how the Dark One did. Obviously you can't tell us who it was, but will we know by the end of A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I know what that was about. Will it be in the next book? Er...RAFO. Sorry.

    STEFAN

    Will we know by the end of the series though?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I really can't say yes or no. This is one of the things Harriet has asked me to be very quiet about.

    Tags

  • 104

    Interview: Jul 11th, 2010

    Milk Man

    Will Rand ever voice his known connection to his half brother?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. ;)

    Tags

  • 105

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2011

    Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)

    Dovienya ()

    Okay, so I have this idea for A Memory of Light. Hear me out.

    I think you/Harriet/whoever should allow some sort of money raising contest to write a dedication for the book. Any money raised could go toward amyloidosis research (or maybe something else, if Jordan had some cause he really believed in).

    You could run the contest one of two ways. First, an auction, which could potentially raise the most money. However, I've always hated these, since only people with tons of spending money ever have a chance.

    Or you could charge everyone a flat price—$1, $5, something like that—and then your or Harriet could draw the winner from a hat or whatever.

    Obviously you'd have to have some sort of disclaimer so that if the winner ended up being something like, "I hope we see Nynaeve smother Faile with her braid in this one," it could be ruled inappropriate.

    Anyway, I just think it'd be a nice way to encourage reader interaction, raise money for a good cause, and give a lucky reader the chance to immortalize him- or herself in one of the most awesome, epic series of all time.

    (I once gave this idea to Jason over at Dragonmount and he said I should suggest it to you or Harriet, but then I forgot about it. And now the opportunity to mention it has presented itself. Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a kinda cool idea. I'll think about it, but the thing is, I strongly feel that RJ would have dedicated the book to Harriet—and I kind of think that should be the case.

    I'll consider it, but I'm more likely to auction off naming rights to a character or two to let people have a stamp on the book like you suggest and do something good, but not use the dedication. We shall see. I'll consider.

    Tags

  • 106

    Interview: Nov 11th, 2011

    forkroot

    Min has said that Perrin would need to be there for Rand twice to save him from something very bad. Assuming Dumai's Wells was the first time (which BWS confirmed), was Perrin's presence in Tel'aran'rhiod at Dragonmount during Rand's time there the second time? Or, in another phrasing, has the second time happened yet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, that was not it. We have not yet seen the second time, but we will. (In other words, it's coming in A Memory of Light.)

    Tags

  • 107

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Austin Moore (16 October 2011)

    Are there any scenes in A Memory of Light that you think will bring fans to tears? Other than it being last book.

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2011)

    Yes.

    Tags

  • 108

    Interview: Nov 19th, 2011

    Question

    Has Brandon (and Team Jordan I think) done any research on the battles/armies etc.?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, a lot. Brandon didn't want to give me specific examples to avoid spoilers for those who can guess. They contacted one very well known author who helped them with this research. Anyone can guess? I'll give one easy clue: Boromir.

    Tags

  • 109

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Mary Buchner (14 November 2011)

    Is Mat's plot in A Memory of Light going to be satisfying? Is the Horn of Valere involved???

    Brandon Sanderson (14 November 2011)

    Mat will be in the book quite a bit. And the Horn must be blown (for one side or the other) in the Last Battle.

    Tags

  • 110

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    sleepinghour (14 November 2011)

    You already mentioned the Perun-Perrin connection. Any other myths we should read up on before A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (14 November 2011)

    Oh, let's see. Lots. The Valkyrie myth makes a brief cameo. Have a look at that one.

    Tags

  • 111

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Steve McKracken (14 November 2011)

    So Demandred will be awesome in A Memory of Light, right? :P

    Brandon Sanderson (14 November 2011)

    Yup.

    Tags

  • 112

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (2 December 2011)

    Moved A Memory of Light from 90% done to 92% done on my website progress bar. Getting very close now.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Writing a conversation between two of the Forsaken right now.

    DEL REY SPECTRA

    I read this too quickly and thought you said "writing a conversation between two of the Foreskin right now".

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That would be a VERY different book, eh?

    Tags

  • 113

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (6 December 2011)

    For those who do not know, Darrell Sweet—illustrator of all of the Wheel of Time covers—has passed away. My thoughts.

    ANDREA DIGNEY

    If the cover is scrapped, will the book be delayed?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    No. We have enough time for someone else to do one.

    Tags

  • 114

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (9 December 2011)

    Back at work on A Memory of Light. May be the day to reveal a side-character's long-hidden motivations .

    JAMES BIRTLES

    Do we get a clue as to whom this character is?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    If I told you that, you'd be expecting it. I'm afraid it is a RAFO. This character HAS been a little suspicious.

    LEBO GUME

    Mr. @BrandSanderson please stop teasing A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Sorry. Some people really want to watch the progress, and so I try to keep the posts as spoiler-free as possible.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    This afternoon's "Brandon opens Magic cards as he writes" comes sponsored by Sarah Bartram, who sent the cards off my wishlist. Thanks!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The rare was this card (which is sweet, since I like zombie cards): http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=230786

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just wrote a scene with Bela in it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    This scene is one that RJ left instruction for in his notes; it gave me shivers when reading.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Okay, that scene's done, and it is beyond awesome. Over 3k done; opening another pack sent by Sarah B. ...Mythic rare! http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=247236

    Tags

  • 115

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (12 December 2011)

    Okay, deep breath, back to work at the WoT. Can I be finished by Koloss Head-munching Day? (December 19th.) We shall see...

    BEN TACOMA

    Who would win—a massive Koloss or an Ogier warrior from Seanchan?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ogier are far smarter and better-trained. A koloss would have a hard time winning.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    (For those confused, Koloss Head-Munching Day happens on my birthday. It has a long backstory that won't fit into my post here.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The short is this: A fan asked if there were any holidays in the Mistborn world. I jokingly said Koloss Head-Munching Day. Fans ran with it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For today's A Memory of Light work, I'm jumping back in the book a little ways and catching up a character to the rest.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just finished re-reading some important bits of WoT Book Two in order to write this next section of A Memory of Light.

    CHRISTOPHER

    When is A Memory of Light out? I thought January, but I've heard it's been put back?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    My goal is to finish it by January. Sorry about the delay. It will be next year some time, but probably later in the year.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Current A Memory of Light length: 322,000 words. Moving us to 94% done, though I can't say exactly how much is left. 94% is just a guess at this point.

    Tags

  • 116

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (13 December 2011)

    Just finished a scene in A Memory of Light that ranks among the most visually powerful I've ever done. I REALLY want to see this one in film form.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A lot of questions about the WoT film rights. Universal has the rights. Maybe I should have phrased my last tweet as...

    Brandon Sanderson

    "Dear Universal, please do a good job on the first WoT movie, because you really, REALLY need to get to book 14 and do this scene."

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't know how far off the WoT film is. The screenwriters produced a new draft of the script a few weeks back. I have not read it.

    Selene O'Rourke

    I would love to see a Wheel of Time movie series or TV miniseries. Has anyone optioned that you can mention?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Universal has the rights. Not an option, but a full buy-out.

    Muaz Zekeria

    Just out of curiosity would you prefer WoT to be a film series or a TV series a la Game of Thrones? Also keep up the great work.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would prefer television.

    Killer Bob

    Do you know if the film is going to be super-long like the Lord of the Rings movies, split in parts like Harry Potter or something ...

    Killer Bob

    ...else? Also, thank you for finishing WoT! I really, really like the books you've written, they're excellent!

    Killer Bob

    By that I mean the WoT books. I like the other books too (especially Mistborn), but not as much as WoT.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Thanks for reading! The plan now is one film that covers Eye of the World, and will be somewhat long.

    Chase Emory

    I don't understand why you wouldn't be working integrally with the screenwriter, I hope they realize that this isn't a movie...

    Chase Emory

    ...that they can just pump out. They need to do an amazing job or not waste their time.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm hoping they will let me comment on the screenplay, but so far, I've been kind of busy with A Memory of Light...

    Nate Rios

    I haven't read WOT but these A Memory of Light Tweets are making me want to check it out! I've not read any of Jordan's work. Thoughts?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I love the WoT, and have for many years. It is a long journey, however, so be warned.

    Christopher

    When is A Memory of Light out; I thought January, but I've heard its been put back?

    Shaun Duquette

    Gah,this is unacceptable!! You've already delayed this once!!

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not much I can do, I'm afraid. I'm turning it in on time; the date is being set by the publisher.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, that scene is done. Now I have a few quick, one-shot viewpoints to do. People you may not expect.

    Josh Hlibichuk

    Do we get a Dark One PoV? Is that question an auto-RAFO?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, of course. :)

    Tags

  • 117

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2011

    Brandon Sanderson

    (As a side note, people are wondering about the last Wheel of Time cover. Mr. Sweet did finish a concept, which I have seen, but did not finish the entire illustration. No decision has been made yet whether another artist will take this concept and do a final piece according to it, or if the book cover will be scrapped and a new concept done. I will let you know.)

    Tags

  • 118

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (19 December 2011)

    Many thanks, all, for the birthday (and Koloss Head-munching Day) wishes! You are all awesome. To celebrate, I'm writing A Memory of Light. ;)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    To get ready for today's writing, I have put on my "Blood and Bloody ashes" shirt from Ta'veren Tees. (https://taverentees.com/threads/)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Note that my wife stole my Koloss Head-Munching Day shirt for the day, which is why I'm not wearing it. (http://store.inkwing.com/happy-koloss-head-munching-day-t-shirt)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Also, for A Memory of Light, I did finish the early-book material I'd left for later, and am back at the ending. My shirt is very appropriate today.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Hm... I haven't given any good A Memory of Light teases today, have I? Well, right now, one of the Forsaken is wearing the image of another Forsaken.

    POOKA

    And I was hoping you would say one of the Forsaken was wearing another's pants.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Well, that too, of course.

    Tags

  • 119

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (20 December 2011)

    Still hard at work on A Memory of Light. Today's scenes involve lots of loud noises.

    MARK HOWARD

    Just curious, have you read the end scenes that RJ wrote? Or are you waiting till you get there?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I read them as soon as I got them. I needed to use them as a target 'goal' for the book.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Now, on to a scene that finally, at long last, fulfills something Min saw long ago...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've finished all characters except Rand and Mat. (Note, I'm not writing in order; other characters have already-written scenes after this.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Now, I have to finish Mat's climax, write a few more Rand scenes, then add in RJ's ending material. Then we're done. Very close now.

    PATRICK

    What are your thoughts on ending the WoT series that Robert Jordan started so long ago? :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Solemnity.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    After a few hours with the family, am back at work on A Memory of Light. It's slightly possible that I'll finish it sometime during the night.

    JENNIFER LIANG

    Would that make tonight A Memory of Light Eve?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. Yes, I guess it would.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    You can follow along, if you wish. I have twenty small points on my outline left to hit. Maybe 10k words or so. I'll tweet as I pass them.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    First scene out of twenty finished. (Note that I'm using 'scene' here liberally to mean a point on the plot outline.)

    FRANK KWIATKOWSKI

    Can you tell us who has the last chapter?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Afraid that would spoil too much.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Note that as I approach an ending, my writing speed goes up, as I get momentum. 10k tonight is not impossible. (Though most days I do 2-3.)

    BRENT WEEKS

    Good luck!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Thanks!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Two out of twenty scenes done. Eighteen left, and A Memory of Light will be finished.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Three out of Twenty of the remaining scenes in A Memory of Light have been finished. (If you're just now seeing this, check back to my last few posts.)

    MARCUS ENGSTROM

    How long was it after the first two books were finished until they were published?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For the first one, about a year. For the next, about six months. This will probably be closer to the first than the second.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene four was slightly shorter than the others. 4 out of 20 finished so far tonight.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene #5 finished. 25% through the ending of A Memory of Light. Feeling good about these scenes. All is going very well.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Some of you have asked if I got the Magic cards you sent me off of my Amazon wishlist. I did! I'm waiting to open them until I'm done with A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    A few of these scenes are pretty emotional ones for me. It's been a long, long road. I started reading the WoT twenty-one years ago.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just finished scene #6 out of the 20 remaining in A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene seven is done. Thirteen more to go. This one...this one was tough to write.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've apparently inspired a drinking game with this on both Twitter and Facebook. I'd join in, but: 1) Mormon. 2) BUSY WRITING END OF WOT. :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene #8 is a tricky one. I know how it has to go, I just need to do it carefully. Getting close to having it right.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene #8 is finished. This is going well. I often build momentum like this during a powerful book ending, and this one is very powerful.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    We shall see. We've still got three or four hours before I'd normally turn in for bed. If I start to get sleepy, I'll call it for the night.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    No sense in pushing on if the quality starts to flag. Knowing myself, though, I'll be too excited to be tired for a while yet. Onward!

    LOCALPCGUY

    Glad to hear things are ending well! I can't wait to read it. Think I have time for a full re-read before A Memory of Light?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Depends on how quickly you read. :)

    DAVID MACKAY

    Cannot wait, but I agree. Is it really going to take a year to edit and publish?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've done a dozen drafts each of the previous two books. That kind of thing takes a little bit of time...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I just did something to Mat that I've been gleefully waiting to do for three years.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Don't stress the thing I did to Mat too much. It's a little (and fun) thing I've wanted to see him do for a long time.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I have finished scene #9 out of 20 I need to write before A Memory of Light is done.

    AVI DOBKIN

    Best of luck to @BrandSanderson as I turn in for the night. I'm giddy for A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Hopefully, you will wake to find the book finished.

    CHRISTINA BOULARD

    It's almost 3:30am here and I SHOULD be in bed, but I feel like I need 2 stay up and cheer you on and also to witness THE END!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. Well, there are still hours left to go, I suspect. I started at...what, 9:00 here? I'm to 1/2 and it's almost 2:00?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For those asking, it's almost 2:00 am here. The night is still young.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just finished Scene #10. Halfway there!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I don't expect it to go longer than those. After editing, I'm pretty sure we'll settle at 350-360k words. (About 10% longer than Towers of Midnight.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Brace yourselves. I just finished the last Mat Cauthon scene that, in all likelihood, will ever be written.

    FRANK KWIATKOWSKI

    General writing question: after The editor edits, is it typical for an author to add/rewrite, or only the editor?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Only the author rewrites or adds. Never the editor. (in most cases.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The fourteenth scene was Mat's, and now I've finished the fifteenth scene. Five more to go, and A Memory of Light is done.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Just finished scene #16. Four more to go. Guess I'm not stopping tonight, eh?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene #17 is finished. I was a tad on the longer side for the ones I'm doing here, as are the last three. 5:00 am here.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I keep flashing back to times I've read the WoT books through my life. Looking back, you could call Rand/Mat/Perrin my oldest friends.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene #18 is done. Two more to go.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Scene #19 is done. Deep breath. I'm beginning the last scene I will write in the Wheel of Time, then will add RJ's ending.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've been listening to Pandora as I do this, but am wondering if I should pick a specific song to listen to as I finish. Suggestions?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    My choice for a song to play as I write the last few paragraphs here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0G_FI61a8

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ladies and gentlemen, A Memory of Light—the final book in The Wheel of Time—has been finished.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Now I'll open a metric gigaton of Magic cards that have been sent to me by fans, sleep for a day, and rest until next week.Then: revisions!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    As for when the book will come out, Tor should do an announcement soon. Revisions will take a good six months. So fall, I expect.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Another common question: How many revisions will I do? The last two took about a dozen. (On non-WoT books, I do about seven or eight.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Also, it's going to be tough to give direct replies to questions right now, what with like 1000 people tweeting/facebooking at me. :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    But lots of people are asking about outriggers/prequels. The answer is still the same. We'd rather not risk exploiting RJ's legacy.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It is a step I don't think we want to take. Better to stop while we're ahead. I'm sorry, but they probably won't ever happen.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    And now, yes, I will go to sleep. 7am here. That's 10 hours of solid writing after a full day of solid writing, so I'm beat.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Thank you all for the good wishes. May you find water and shade.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (AFTER A NAP)

    Ah. Good morning, all. (Yes, it's five in the afternoon here.) Checking email, and...INBOX EXPLOSION. I guess I was expecting it. :)

    Tags

  • 120

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Austin Moore (20 December 2011)

    Will there be any "calm" moments in A Memory of Light or is it mostly all pure action?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 December 2011)

    There are a few. Not as many as other books. Still, there are a few.

    Tags

  • 121

    Interview: 2012

    Shaun Duquette (12 January 2012)

    Are you almost done whatever it is you're doing with A Memory of Light? Because drawing out the last book is getting crazy.

    Brandon Sanderson (12 January 2012)

    I'm trying to get it revised as quickly as I can. This book is going to need a lot of care to make sure I don't miss anything.

    EIREMAUVE (13 JANUARY)

    Who has the most POVs? Is it a tie between a couple people?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Boy, I haven't counted. Rand/Perrin/Egwene/Mat are all probably about neck and neck.

    L-Etrengere

    [Now-protected tweet that said something about Egwene getting so many POVs.]

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Well, she IS one of the main characters of the series. It would be kind of odd to leave her out of the Last Battle...

    WILL HAGEN

    Will there be an audiobook release along side the text (with Micheal perhaps)?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes, there should be.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Okay, I'm off until later tonight. Progress on the revision is going well; I expect to be done by mid-February, maybe by the end of January.

    NICK

    Is there an official release date for the final book yet? Last I heard was March.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    There isn't yet, though it will be fall. Harriet asked for more time to edit, and I needed time to do more research.

    JARED OLSEN

    You probably hear this often, but you have done an outstanding job on WOT books. Thank you for honoring Jordan and saving fans. #mistborn

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It has been an honor.

    Tags

  • 122

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Shaun Duquette (18 January 2012)

    Ok,when can we expect excerpts from A Memory of Light? And are you going to start another Way of Kings book after A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (18 January 2012)

    I expect summer to the first, and yes to the second.

    Tags

  • 123

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brian Condon (25 January 2012)

    Just wondering if there will be any sort of way RJ's ending will stand out, or if it just flows with your work.

    Brandon Sanderson (25 January 2012)

    I think those who know our different writing styles will be able to pick out the differences.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It depends on how closely one watches the prose.

    Tags

  • 124

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (25 January 2012)

    Saw an ad for a LAN party today, and (I kid you not) my first thought was: "What's Lan doing away from the battlefield?"

    Tags

  • 125

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (14 February 2012)

    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 (15 FEBRUARY)

    There's another of my Wheel of Time musings up at @tordotcom, this one about The Great Hunt. http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/02/wheel-of-time-musings-the-great-hunt

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    By the way, as many have noted, it appears that RJ, myself, and Wheel of Time were involved in a Jeopardy! clue yesterday.

    TOR.COM (16 FEBRUARY)

    The release date for A Memory of Light, the final volume of The Wheel of Time (@torbooks ), has been revealed: http://bit.ly/x2BVp5

    JASON DENZEL

    For people wondering, it takes a long time to go from a first draft to final draft. @BrandSanderson did 16 edits on The Gathering Storm.

    COWSLIP

    It must publish before 21.12.2012... what if the Mayan are right?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Lol.

    SLEEPINGHOUR

    So...January 2013? Is this because @BrandSanderson needs time to join the witness protection program before the fans learn who dies in A Memory of Light?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    No, but I might need to head into it now, once the more vocal fanbase hears their book is delayed a few more months.

    KVOTHE THE ARCANE

    My respect for Harriet has gone downhill. I think If I were to look in her eyes all I'd see are $$

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'm not sure why, since this choice might end up costing her money. It certainly isn't a market decision.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The release date for A Memory of Light has been set. Here are my thoughts. http://brandonsanderson.com/blog/1058/A-MEMORY-OF-LIGHT-Release-Date

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For anyone having trouble reaching my blog post on the release date of A Memory of Light, it's mirrored on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/notes/brandon-sanderson/a-memory-of-light-release-date/10150562895062219

    Tags

  • 126

    Interview: Dec 8th, 2007

    Jason Denzel

    Robert Jordan has talked many times about how he knew the last chapter of the last book very well. Are you able to tell us whether or not he wrote that chapter before he died, or will that be something you'll be putting to paper? If so, does that chapter in particular hold any particular challenge or significance for you?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I spoke of this above, actually. I don't know for absolute certain, and I'm not sure how much I could say if I did know. However, what I've heard indicates that of all the parts of the book, the ending is the one that is the nearest to completed, if not done itself.

    Tags

  • 127

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2011

    Addendum

    Wetlandernw from the Tor.com reread offered some insight into the cover DKS was working on, from her recollection of a conversation she had with Brandon at a signing.

    Wetlander

    In a conversation at a signing (14 September 2010) the subject of the cover art came up. My recording of the conversation got wiped out by a certain 9-year-old, so I can't give the exact wording, but he said something like this. Mr. Sweet needed something to work with, to get started on the Memory of Light cover art, so Harriet went to Brandon and asked if he had any suggestions. He immediately thought of a particular event or scene which hadn't yet been written, but of which he had a pretty good mental image. He wrote up a 3-4 page description of the scene for her; she liked it and passed it on to DKS. At the time of my conversation with him, he had seen (what I now realize was) the concept art, and he loved it. It was, in his opinion, the best in the series. With the awareness that Brandon has always liked the DKS art, it seemed like a pretty high recommendation. It also made me really want to see it—both the art itself, and the scene Brandon thought would be the perfect cover for the final book.

    Tags

  • 128

    Interview: Dec 17th, 2011

    Loialson

    Can the True Power can be used against the Dark One?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a big RAFO.

    Tags

  • 129

    Interview: Dec 17th, 2011

    Loialson

    Was the stone Aviendha slept near during Towers of Midnight a portal stone?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. Nice try! That's eliminating one theory, I'll give you that one.

    LOIALSON

    Was Aviendha in Tel'aran'rhiod or in a mirror/portal world when she met Nakomi?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    RAFO.

    LOIALSON

    Is Nakomi Jenn Aiel?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    [laughs and grins] I should RAFO that shouldn't I?

    LOIALSON

    I'd appreciate it if you didn't.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    [laughs] I want Nakomi....We're gonna RAFO that for now. Nakomi needs...there's gotta be a few things I don't answer. I'm so bad, I answer everything Robert Jordan put an answer [for, to?] [bunch of people laugh]. Track me down another time, after A Memory of Light is out.

    Tags

  • 130

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Matt Dawson (23 February 2012)

    Does Uno makes a return in A Memory of Light? Haven't seen him in a while. Or has his character finished his tasks related to the story?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 February 2012)

    Uno will appear.

    Tags

  • 131

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (10 March 2012)

    I've been thinking lately of ways to give away digital copies of my books when you buy a hardcover. There are some issues with this.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I don't know much about the logistics; it may be impossible. If there is a way to make this work, I'd propose it to Tor and Harriet for A Memory of Light.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Here's a reddit thread where I mention issues with the process. Weigh in here or in that thread to give me advice.

    SABERJ

    The only way I could think of would be to include one-time use codes with the books. But what's to stop people from selling?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yeah. The other problem with that is securing the code. Books aren't wrapped up, so the code could be scratched off/stolen easily.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    My preferred method would be to put a code in a book that, then, you can redeem for free or a small price. But how do we secure it?

    NIC JOHNSON

    You don't. Your stuff is already being pirated and publishers shouldn't consider those lost sales. Trust people a la Apple.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'm not worried about piracy. However, a digital code that can be used many times seems foolish. A one-use would be stolen.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    One use has to be secured, or the person buying the book is in danger of being ripped off.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Multi-use means that we're hosting the book, and paying the bandwidth, for those who want to pirate. Bad idea, I think.

    NIC JOHNSON

    I'll host it for you. :) No charge.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Lol. One other problem is that this needs to be reasonable enough to the publisher's ears to get them to go along.

    NIC JOHNSON

    My point exactly. Big Pub doesn't get the new model. They consider pirated copies as lost sales. See Seth Godin for new model.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The publishers aren't as ignorant as you think. The investors, however, are another story. (You're right about them.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Tor has done plenty of giving away free, DRM-free ebooks. They did it with Mistborn, for example.

    NIC JOHNSON

    Ah! To me as an outsider they are one and the same. :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Publishers and editors in sf/f tend to be techies. Notice that Cory Doctorow, with Tor's blessing, releases all of his books for free.

    SABERJ

    How is Marvel doing it? They don't tend to wrap Comics either.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I think you order directly from them, and they send you the comic and deliver through their own secure app.

    ANNE BURNER

    Baen used to put a CD copy of the book inside the hardcover versions of @davidweber1 Honor Harrington books.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I asked if we could do that, and the answer was that it was expensive enough it couldn't become the standard.

    WES QUINT

    Maybe like a gift card where it's only active after purchase?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yeah, this is probably the best idea. I don't know how hard that is to accomplish, though.

    SABERJ

    A lot of textbooks used to include a disc in the book for additional material. Discs are a bit harder to steal than codes.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Textbooks also have a much larger profit margin than novels. I asked about discs for my last book, and the publisher said no.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    They said it was just too expensive.

    BENJYMOUS

    Old school tech, I know, but how about a coupon you have to fill in with your email address then post back to the publisher?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ha. You know, I never thought about that. The problem is, how do we keep people from stealing them out of the books?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    People with a nice hardcover don't want to cut their book apart to get a coupon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Here are a couple of problems with what people are suggesting. 1) We don't want to shrink wrap books, but a code can be stolen very easily.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Anything involving the retailer verifying a code, or printing one out, requires large-scale involvement of retailers.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That's not something I can change. They may be working on this already. I want something I could take to Tor, that we could do in house.

    TEREZ

    Or if you're talking about securing the code in the book...it seems easy enough with textbooks. Peel-off? :)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    People would walk into the store, peel off the sticker, write down the code, then sell it or use it.

    BRAD LICKMAN

    How do you stop people from sharing a hardcover copy?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The physical product can be made to set off an alarm. A code can be copied and carried out.

    ANDREW YAGER

    Could codes be single use? That would largely get around the securing problem?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    People would walk into the store, write down the code, go home and download the book.

    KYLE

    What about one-time scratch codes like what's used on gift cards?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Those are usually activated by the retailer. I'd love for us to be able to do that, but it would involve more than I can do.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Another issue with this is that if I did it, I would need it to work for indy booksellers and not just Amazon/Barnes & Noble.

    BRAD LICKMAN

    Can you sell the digital copy at http://tor.com, which provides a coupon for the hardcover?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    This is actually what I proposed to Tor a few years back, and they said they didn't want to offend the retailers.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I still like the idea, though.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I won't have time to reply to everyone here, but keep sending thoughts. I'll read and see if I can come up with something to take to Tor.

    BEN FOXWORTHY

    How about this: Put the code in the book. Don't secure it. Each code works three times. Hope people don't abuse it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That risks punishing the person who buys the book (but their code has been stolen and used.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON (12 MARCH)

    More on the A Memory of Light ebook thing. What would you guys think if I tried to talk Tor into a 'special edition' release.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    A kind of 'boxed set' that came with hardcover, ebook, audiobook, a medallion or other keepsake, and maybe some interviews with me & Harriet.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Shrink wrapped & sold at bookstores for, say, $50 instead of $30? Does that get too far away from the 'free ebook w/the hardcover' concept?

    TEREZ

    It does seem to defeat the purpose, as far as most people would be concerned. Though many would buy it.

    DAVE PUTNAM (22 MARCH)

    A Memory of Light e-book release announced with three month gap. Can you explain the rationale behind this? Lot of vitriol on Tor site.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Harriet worries, among other things, at the impact on the bestseller lists by releasing at the same time.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ebooks make her uncomfortable.

    FYODOR

    Making us wait three three months for the A Memory of Light ebook is very obnoxious and shows contempt for the fan base. I have been reading...

    FYODOR

    ...WOT since 1992 and deeply resent this type of staggering.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've been working on it. The delay is not Tor, but Harriet, who worries at the implications of releasing an ebook immediately.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    She originally wanted a six month, or longer, delay. I was able to persuade her to move to three months.

    Tags

  • 132

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    PRK (7 APRIL 2012)

    Got RAFO'd on asking where the wind blows from in A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 133

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    PRK (7 APRIL 2012)

    Demandred will have some awesome stuff in A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 134

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    PRK (7 APRIL 2012)

    Brandon tried to get moments for every character in A Memory of Light. Egwene is ready to be bad ass in the Last Battle; her character development is done.

    PRK

    Perth Exclusive for #WoT counted scenes by viewpoint. Rand has the most viewpoints in A Memory of Light, not a huge margin. Others tied.

    PRK

    Caveat, still revising A Memory of Light, so that can change.

    LISA-MAREE BARBA

    It's not much but Brandon S just told me that Lan has the most POVs in A Memory of Light, only just ahead of Rand. But that could change with editing.

    PRK

    I thought he said Rand ahead of the other main characters?

    TEREZ

    That doesn't even make sense. :s Sure, Lan is vital, but it's hard to see how the story could focus on him that much.

    PRK (8 APRIL)

    Confirmed it was Rand with the highest number of POV scenes in A Memory of Light (at the moment).

    Footnote

    It might be that Brandon said Rand was first just ahead of Lan, and Lisa-Maree mixed them up, but it seems somewhat unlikely.

    Tags

  • 135

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    PRK (7 APRIL 2012)

    The Padan Fain / Mordeth hybrid will be in A Memory of Light.

    PRK

    Got a RAFO on how the Mordeth/Fain Hybrid influences the Black Wind.

    Tags

  • 136

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    PRK (7 APRIL 2012)

    Nakomi thing is a huge RAFO.

    Tags

  • 137

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Terez (7 April 2012)

    Ask him if there is a Waygate anywhere near Lugard. We suspect that Ogier-built Shaemal was somewhere in Murandy.

    PRK

    Why does it matter where Shaemal is?

    TEREZ

    It only matters because of the possibility of a Waygate in Murandy, which is why I phrased the question the way I did.

    TEREZ

    It has to do with the theory that Roedran is Demandred. ;)

    PRK

    Okay, I'll ask that one next time!

    Brandon Sanderson

    PRK (8 APRIL)

    Answer re Lugard Waygate: "*chuckles* That's clever! Anything I say will give away too much, so I'll have to RAFO that one."

    Tags

  • 138

    Interview: 2012

    elquesogrande (February 2012)

    /r/Fantasy is closing in on 10,000 readers and, to celebrate, one lucky r/Fantasy member will win a hardcover copy of The Name of the Wind or The Wise Man's Fear—signed by Patrick Rothfuss with a personalized message of the winner's choice.

    To enter, simply put your favorite fantasy-related quote below. Don't have a favorite quote? Hmm...google one up or just write down something clever.

    At an arbitrary point of my choosing on Friday, February 3rd I will tally up the total number of people who entered and use a random number generator to help pick the winner.

    Brandon Sanderson (February 2012)

    So tempted to post a quote from the unpublished last book of the Wheel of Time here.

    blowing_chunks

    Please do!

    If you win, your personalised inscription could be one for the ages.

    "I, Patrick Rothfuss, acknowledge that Brandon Sanderson's beard is superior to mine."

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ha. Now that might just be worth it...

    Of course, I already have Pat's books signed to me. I don't want to take the chance from anyone else. More importantly, though, I haven't gotten back edits on A Memory of Light from Harriet yet—so any line I post could be one that she decided to cut, or one she found a continuity error in. If I had a draft she'd seen, I might actually do it.

    Mat does say "Blood and Bloody Ashes!" a few times, though. Does that count?

    shepherdless

    If not, at least post a quote from another source. I find it interesting to see what one the best writers of the genre (not to blow smoke up your ass) favorite quote is.

    Brandon Sanderson

    From the Wheel of Time, it's Lan's "Portion of Wisdom" quote.

    "You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing this. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway."

    From any fantasy work? Wow, that would be a tough one. Maybe Vimes on the economics of buying new footwear?

    Tags

  • 139

    Interview: Apr 11th, 2012

    Satima Flavell

    When Robert Jordan, one of his favourite authors, died in 2007, Sanderson wrote a eulogy on his blog. (You can read it here.) It came to the notice of Harriet McDougal, Jordan's widow. She had promised her late husband that she would ensure the series was finished, and as an editor of note herself, she was in a good position to choose a worthy successor. After being moved by Sanderson's eulogy, she hunted for his work, discovered The Final Empire and knew she'd found a writer worthy of bearing her husband's sceptre.

    Brandon Sanderson

    "The call came out of the blue," says Sanderson. "I felt excited, humbled and honoured all once." It was decided that the projected final volume, A Memory of Light, would be split in three. The first, The Gathering Storm was published in 2009, followed in 2010 by Towers of Midnight. Fans eagerly await the release of A Memory of Light in January 2013.

    Tags

  • 140

    Interview: Feb 16th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tor and Harriet have set the release date for A Memory of Light. Again. While I've been working on the book, this has happened a half dozen times, with varying levels of publicity surrounding the date.

    This time we're saying January 8th. How likely is this one? Well, honestly, I don't know. Seems like it's the most firm of the lot. However, you've got to understand a couple of things.

    First off, I don't set release dates, particularly not on these books. I pick my deadlines, then work to meet them. Tor and Harriet decide when the book is going to come out, judging by editing requirements, market factors, and the workings of the publishing machine. I didn't find out this one had been set as this day until long after the fact. So please, complaining to me . . . well, it's just not going to do anything but distract me from working on the book.

    Secondly, Harriet is very, VERY worried about getting this book right. It's the last book in the series. There are no chances to change things after this, and revising a book like this takes time. Harriet would probably prefer even more space than this publication date gives us. She also isn't capable of pulling the long hours she might once have pulled. (And she shouldn't be expected to.)

    It's not all on Harriet, though, not by a mile. I turned in a 360,000-word book. That's 20% longer than what they wanted, and that means each step of editing and production will require 20% more time than they had set aside. In addition, while I've set my own deadlines, I've come right up against them and (in a few cases) tiptoed across. For example, instead of sending a revised book at the end of December, I only had a first draft. That's the length pushing me back and making me revise expectations.

    I realize that all you care about is getting your book, and this sounds like a lot of excuses. But here's the thing. You'll get the book when Harriet is ready to give it to you. Not before. If this were just me, I could work a big pile of 16-hour days and get it to you in the fall. But it's not just me, and beyond that, the last time I did that (on Towers of Midnight, which went through eleven drafts) we ended up with a pile of typos and wore Harriet out so much she said she didn't recover for well over six months.

    I sincerely thought that we'd be releasing the book this fall. January 8th was a surprise to me when they told me. However, Harriet picked the last possible week the book could reasonably come out, because she wants as much time as possible to edit it.

    I still think it's very possible that all will go smoothly and Harriet will push the book up. It happened with The Gathering Storm, I believe, though that was only pushed up by a week. However, for now, we just have to assume January 8th is when it's coming out.

    Best,

    Brandon

    Tags

  • 141

    Interview: Mar, 2012

    Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

    Something which just occurred to me was that, other than editors, advance reviewers, etc. the first people who will get their hands on the conclusion to The Wheel of Time will be the audiobook narrators—including Kramer, who has been a constant voice in the series. You've written that the final words in the series are Robert Jordan's—can you give away whether the final voice on the audiobook might be Kramer's?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ha! I can't give you something like that. I'm sorry. Nice try, though.

    Tags

  • 142

    Interview: Nov 3rd, 2009

    Louie Free

    Oh, tell me about that call. What do you remember about the call? You gotta tell...oh, wow. What a story...tell me...sorry.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, it was a really surreal experience. I actually got it as a voice mail. When I woke up in the morning, you know, you're groggy eyed. I'm two hours behind New York, the East Coast. Harriet, his wife, had called me. I was listening to my voice mails, you know, normal stuff, and there's just one there that says, "Hello, Brandon Sanderson. This is Harriet McDougal, the widow of Robert Jordan. I would like you to call me back. There's something I want to talk to you about."

    Louie Free

    And what are you thinking it is at the time, did you know?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I had no idea what to think. I mean, I had posted a eulogy to Robert Jordan on my web site, one of many who did that just because he meant so much to so many of us.

    Louie Free

    And...I'm sorry, brandonsanderson.com. We've got links up at Louie Free Show to brandonsanderson.com. Go ahead, I'm sorry.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, yeah. You can read that original eulogy. I'm going to post a new link to it because a lot of people are coming by looking for it. Anyway, I posted that, and she had read that. A friend had given it to her because it had touched them. Harriet, his wife, is also his editor. There's a wonderful story there. I mean, she discovered Robert Jordan as a writer first, and then while working on the books together they fell in love and got married. And so, she'd been involved in his books from the beginning. But anyway, she had called me up to find out if I was interested in completing the Wheel of Time. I just assumed she'd read my eulogy and she wanted to call me to talk to me about that...I don't know what I'm thinking. I tried to call her back, but she didn't answer because she was actually out. It had been several hours since her call.

    Louie Free

    Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute...Brandon, were you freaking out, not being able to reach her?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I was freaking out. My wife says...she says I was more nervous that day than on our wedding day.

    Louie Free

    (cackles loudly)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah...she's just a little bit bitter about that. But you know, I replied I had six months to get ready for the wedding. This just came out of nowhere, dropped on me like a ton of bricks. So I'm sitting there kind of running around in circles. I call my editor and he doesn't respond, he's not in. I call my agent and he's not in. And so I go up and talk to my wife and I'm just talking a mile a minute. You know, I'm a fast talker, anyway, so you can imagine me that excited. It was just crazy. I eventually got a hold of her by calling up the publisher and saying, "Uh...I just got a call from Robert Jordan's widow." So they're like, "Oh yeah. We've been trying to get a hold of you all day. Okay, we'll get her to call you back." She said she just wanted to see if I was interested. She thought I was a potential prospect. She wanted to read my books first, but before even doing that she wanted to make sure I was interested. And I wasn't sure how to respond, to be perfectly honest. I mean, I didn't think, and I still don't think, anyone could replace Robert Jordan. He was an author like we don't get very often.

    Louie Free

    Okay, but hold on, hold on. I'm sorry, hold on a sec...let me ask. Here you are, here you are. It's kind of like...you grew up on his nourishment for your brain—your brain food, if you don't mind. You grow up on this, you love this guy, I mean, you're freaked out he passes away, so there's not going to be more. You get a call from his wife slash life partner slash editor and she says, "Brandon, we want you to carry on the legacy of this guy that has been a 'small g' god to you." Correct? Is that a fair assessment?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, oh yeah. That's a very fair assessment. That's the situation I'm in. I was so tongue-tied, Louie, that I don't think I was able to even speak two words together. I wrote her an email the next day that said, "Dear Harriet. I promise I'm not an idiot, even though I sounded like one." I took that whole night thinking about it. And eventually what I came up with was that I didn't think anyone could replace him, I didn't think I could replace him. I did not think that I could write as good a book as Robert Jordan could have, and I still don't think anyone could have written as good a book, because he should be here to write this book.

    But I came to a decision that night. I realized if someone was going to write this book, I wanted it to be me. If it couldn't be Robert Jordan, I wanted it to be in the hands of somebody who loved and revered the series. I'd read some of the books eight times at that point. I'd reread most of the series all the way through often when a new book would come out. I knew that at least then it would be in the hands of someone who wouldn't take it and run off with it and make it their own, but would have tried to make it see his vision and be his story. And I'd made that decision, I realized, yes, I do want to do this. It's a tragedy that we lost him, but if I'm doing it, then I know it won't be screwed up. And so that's when I wrote her the email and said, "Harriet, I'm sorry I sounded like an idiot. I do want to do this, and these are the reasons."

    Louie Free

    She had to know that you were going to be...I mean, she had to know that whoever she called and obviously called the right person. Again, the results...the book, now available everywhere. If you camped out, you've already got yours. If you don't, you can have it. Please buy it at your local independent bookseller when you are able to. The Gathering Storm. It is The Gathering Storm. And it's Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan's name obviously prominent on the book. Gathering Storm...available everywhere. It is available at your independent bookseller. It is available in your neighborhood. Please, before you buy—I hope you don't mind this, Brandon—before you go to buy it online, buy it from a store where your neighbors and the people in your community are going to benefit.

    Tags

  • 143

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    So, there are two different types of Darkhounds. Ones that can be killed with a sword, and ones that take balefire, and I was wondering if the difference was that the ones who can be killed with a sword are the ones that are turned by a Darkhound bite, whilst the balefire ones are those changed using the original method to make Darkhounds.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is an awesome theory. No. But I am very glad you came up with it—it fits very neatly with how Sanderson would have done it. But still, no.

    LUCKERS

    Can you tell me the actual cause for the difference?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Haha, no. RAFO.

    LUCKERS

    Can you tell me what the Crossroads of Twilight superpack are hunting?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ummm. No, I still might... it still might be in the books. So RAFO. But if it’s not in the books then it’s open for you all to ask again after A Memory of Light. But for now, RAFO.

    Tags

  • 144

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    What happened to Liandrin after Suroth was arrested.

    Brandon Sanderson

    *immediate, no hesitation* RAFO. I’m going to RAFO everything about... *he cuts himself off* RAFO.

    Tags

  • 145

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    Are Toveine and Gabrelle and the rest of the forcibly bonded sisters still plotting to bring down the Black Tower?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. I will say this though, this does get touched on in A Memory of Light. There are a few scenes where we see this.

    Tags

  • 146

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    In The Great Hunt Ishamael has no knowledge that Mat sounded the Horn, and thinks Rand did. Later on though, a Fade refers to Mat as the Hornsounder. How did he know?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    LUCKERS

    *we talked about this for a while, and I didn’t take any notes on that part of the conversation (so it was nothing big) we dropped back into interesting stuff a bit later and I resumed note taking*

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I will say that, in the course of writing A Memory of Light, I learned some very interesting things that went against some strong preconceptions I had about the Horn. Some of the ideas I had, about how it worked, turned out to be incorrect.

    Tags

  • 147

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    Okay, so, there have been three incidences where characters have ignored the Choedan Kal in favour of Callandor—or well, not even that. Just ignored the Choedan Kal. Shaidar Haran in The Gathering Storm when Elza took the Domination Band, Solinda during Rand’s flashbacks was the one who gave the ter’angreal to the Aiel, but made no efforts to secure the Choedan Kal like Callandor, and the Aes Sedai who was looking to fight Ishamael during the breaking who took sa’angreal from the Aiel, but left the Choedan Kal. So I guess the question is...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why are they choosing Callandor over the Choedan Kal?

    LUCKERS

    Well, not even that, really, because two of those have nothing to do with the Callandor. I guess it’s more, was there something dodgy... did they know something about the Choedan Kal... why did they leave it?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    There is a reason. It has to do with Callandor being key to the ending, and the Choedan Kal not.

    Tags

  • 148

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    Faolain refers to something she is working on that is as good as anything the Wondergirls have made. Do you know what it is, and can you tell me?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes I know, and no I can’t.

    Tags

  • 149

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    How much time does A Memory of Light cover?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on which part of the world you are in. You will understand that when you read A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 150

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    Is Michael Whelan planning on using the same concept as… I can’t remember his name right now. Isn’t that horrible?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, no it’s fine. His name was Darrell Sweet, and no. Look it was a hard decision, but we talked about using the original sketching and—

    LUCKERS

    Oh, no, I meant like... the concept. Like will he be drawing the same scene?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Oh, right. No. No, I originally sent the suggestion of three different scenes, and Michael and Tor’s art coordinator, Irene...

    LUCKERS

    Irene Gallo?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yeah. Michael and Irene chose a different one between them than Darrell and Irene had.

    Tags

  • 151

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon again spoke of Aviendha and the Aiel, due to the way they think, mentioning how he went through several drafts and back and forths with Harriet, whilst doing multiple re-reads of Aviendha’s POVs.

    Then he spoke of Mat, saying that Mat is such a complicated character, though you might not think he is at first glance. He is an unreliable narrator, with vast differences between how he thinks and how he acts, and that Jim’s Mat POV’s are some of the best in the series. He then spoke of his own writing and that because of these elements it’s easy to miss things with Mat, and that that is why his early scenes in The Gathering Storm are not as good as his scenes in Towers of Midnight, where Brandon began to ‘get him’. Brandon finished by saying he’s best in A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 152

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    The prophecy of the land being one with the Dragon Reborn, and the Dragon being one with the land will play a big role in these last three books.

    Tags

  • 153

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    The black/dark aura around Rand is partially, but not entirely, an effect of True Power usage. There will be consequences from Rand's True Power use.

    Tags

  • 154

    Interview: Apr 18th, 2012

    Luckers

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hey went to the signing in Sydney tonight. Nothing really new, except that both times he spoke of the climax of the series (that Jordan had written) he spoke of it as one chapter (he spoke much the same in Melbourne too, but I didn't really note it then).

    The second thing is that someone asked whether he had freaked Harriet out with how well he channeled Jordan, and he replied that he had freaked Harriet out, though not so much for that as for some of his crazy ideas. He said he thought Jordan would have been innovating and creating as the process of writing unfolded, and that he did much the same, throwing thoughts at Harriet, some of which made it into the book. An example of one which didn't end up in the books, and which apparently Harriet 'freaked' out about was that he suggested Perrin might take up the Way of the Leaf.

    Tags

  • 155

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Amadine

    Brandon Sanderson

    Amadine just reported that the answer to Terez's question of 'Was Taim's palace made from Shayol Ghul stone' was 'yes'.

    LUCKERS (LATER)

    Here is the message I sent Ama: Tell Brandon I said hi. Oh, and ask if Taim's palace is made of Shayol Ghul rock. Tell him Terez was very cranky with me that I didn't ask. LOL. James.

    Ama's reply: The answer is yes!!!

    Footnote

    It's actually the walls and the podium that are made out of Shayol Ghul rock. See clarification.

    Tags

  • 156

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Terez

    Is there a Waygate near Lugard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    As far as I recall, yes. But I'm not a hundred per cent sure.

    ELEANOR

    No notable expression changes. Can someone check that map on Deviant Art?

    Tags

  • 157

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    What is the exact location of the Fields of Merrilor?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There will be a map in A Memory of Light. (Added something along the lines about not being aware of debate on the location.)

    ELEANOR

    I wish I'd had the full background on the debate on this one with me. As it was, I didn't have enough to describe with any clarity. I know the basics of the contradiction but not the full story.

    Tags

  • 158

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    Will all the questions Rand and Moiraine asked of the Aelfinn be revealed in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.(Will we know more?) They will be partially revealed.

    ELEANOR

    This one I can't remember too well from the notes taken, so the wording may be a little off. He looked certain and a little cheerful on this one.

    Tags

  • 159

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    What information can you give me on how the Seanchan/damane/channeling thing will pan out in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can tell you it will be addressed in the book. (A bit more was said, but not much save me acknowledging I had not expected much of an answer from this one.)

    ELEANOR

    Yes, you ask a terrible question...and you actually get a better, less pitying answer than it merits. I was not very hopeful with this question but could not think of a way to de-RAFO-worthy it.

    Tags

  • 160

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    Are there any Darkfriends—you'll be able to see where I am going with this—amongst the Wise Ones, the main Wise Ones with names, we have seen on screen and know?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (Laughs.) RAFO.

    ELEANOR

    Again, you ask a terrible question...BUT THERE IS MORE ON THIS.

    I think he felt a little sad about my Sorilea attempt and his inevitable RAFO, and thus offered the following tidbit:

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    "At least one of the named characters is an unrevealed Darkfriend."

    ELEANOR

    I know that this is pretty much a given anyway, but the way he said it—the way he presented it (with this gleam in his eyes and an invisible flourish) it suggests it is...not any old named character, but one with some importance. Of course, that is just my opinion and as such is...debatable.

    But have we a list of second- and third-tier named characters who could possibly be Darkfriends?

    Tags

  • 161

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    Will we see Suffa again, onscreen or in her POV?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, RAFO.

    ELEANOR

    Expression when answering gives possibility of another appearance some merit.

    Tags

  • 162

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    On the Shaido—will we see them again in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    ELEANOR

    Will there be fighting in the Waste? That is, Shadowspawn?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    RAFO.

    ELEANOR

    For Shaido = remnant of a remnant. I think he knew EXACTLY what I was not asking.

    Tags

  • 163

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Eleanor

    This one I basically composed on the spot, so it got the answer it merited.

    QUESTION

    The darkness surrounding Bashere—can you give us any info on that? Was it caused by his past actions or by his future actions, or is it a result of someone else's actions against him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What I can tell you is that being surrounded by darkness is rarely a good thing in the WoT world.

    ELEANOR

    Was trying to attack the Bashere = Darkfriend uncertainty, but, uh...This was in direct response to the tidbit he considered tasty mentioned earlier on.

    Tags

  • 164

    Interview: 2012

    Paul O'Malley (18 April 2012)

    This is seriously going to increase piracy and decrease sales. Fix it! Please! A Memory of Light EBook Release

    Brandon Sanderson (18 April 2012)

    I'm afraid you have to take that up with Harriet. I've done what I can.

    THOMAS WILLIS

    Will the kindle edition of A Memory of Light be released at the same time, as the hardcover?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'm afraid that Harriet has decided there should be a delayed ebook release.

    Tags

  • 165

    Interview: 2012

    Josh Doughty (21 April 2012)

    Are you able to do A Memory of Light reading during your panel at SupaNova today?

    Brandon Sanderson (21 April 2012)

    I'm afraid not. Harriet would rather it be special to JordanCon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (26 APRIL)

    Tor dot com has posted the single-scene excerpt from the prologue of A Memory of Light that Harriet read at JordanCon.

    Tags

  • 166

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    Harriet read the first scene of the prologue of A Memory of Light, which was from the point of view of Bayrd, a member of Jarid Sarand's army, whose family had remained loyal to House Sarand for years. The scene told of the army's suffering as a result of starvation (they had resorted to boiling bits of grass and leather to try to eat) and also due to a bubble of evil which had turned all the metal in the camp soft and pliable. Jarid Sarand, however, was convinced that the hardships the army had been struggling with were the work of Elayne and her Aes Sedai 'witches' (Jarid seemed just a little bit looney). Because all the metal weapons were no longer useful, Bayrd resorted to fashioning a spear point from slate to replace a metal one. The scene ended with Bayrd restraining Jarid by tying him to a tree and the remainder of Sarand's army leaving to head north to fight for Andor in the Last Battle.

    Footnote

    The excerpt from the Prologue of A Memory of Light was released a few days later by Tor.

    Tags

  • 167

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Question

    Harriet was asked about the change in the publication date for A Memory of Light from November 2012 to January 2013.

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    She noted that the publication date previously set by Tor was November 27, 2012, which falls after Thanksgiving. Upon seeing that release date, Harriet felt that it would be too late for substantial marketing and sales for the holiday season, and probably more importantly, she felt strongly that she didn't want to rush this final book in any way. Therefore, it was decided to move the release date to January 8, 2013, which will provide extra time for editing but still falls within the Year of the Dragon.

    Tags

  • 168

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Question

    There was a question about the process of writing A Memory of Light.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Peter first spoke in general terms about Brandon's writing routine. He said that Brandon typically gets up around noon, writes from about 1-4pm, spends time with family and stuff, then goes back to writing from about 8pm-4am, and finally sleeps from about 4am to noon. Rinse, cycle, repeat. Peter also said that Brandon has a treadmill desk, and he frequently works at that when he's home or by one of the fireplaces he has in his house. Harriet then noted that she loves fireplaces and wanted to know whether Brandon's were wood-burning or gas. Peter said they're gas fireplaces.

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    Then Harriet described the editing process for A Memory of Light. She said that Brandon has completed the first draft (as was previously reported). Team Jordan is currently working on reviewing the first draft and making suggestions for corrections and edits. They have divided the manuscript into 9 sections plus the epilogue for editing purposes; Team Jordan has sent the edits for parts 1-6 to Brandon and are currently working on edits for the later sections. [Brandon recently tweeted that he is about halfway done with the second draft, and it is going well so far.]

    With regard to the editing duties, Harriet primarily oversees the characterizations and prose, Maria deals with continuity issues, and Alan deals with military stuff, geography, and the timeline. Harriet also said that she and Brandon have had some "animated" conversations about whether or not to cut some specific scenes.

    After all the suggested edits for the first draft are sent to Brandon and he has made the revisions, then presumably Team Jordan will review the second draft and provide another round of suggestions for revisions. The beta reader phase has to be fit in there somewhere, too. Ultimately, Harriet said that the goal for getting a final draft to Tor is June 15, 2012. That should give Tor plenty of time to get the book out by January 2013.

    Tags

  • 169

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Question

    There was a question about when Michael Whelan's cover art for A Memory of Light would be completed and released.

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    Harriet indicated that the Whelan cover art is actually done and originally was going to be revealed at JordanCon. (Whelan was tapped to do the cover of the ebook of A Memory of Light before Darrell K. Sweet passed away.) However, because Darrell K. Sweet, Jr., was kind enough to bring to JordanCon several of his father's original paintings for the cover art of the previous books, as well as the preliminary version of Sweet's A Memory of Light cover, it was decided to celebrate the work of Darrell K. Sweet at JordanCon and to wait for a while before the Whelan cover art is revealed.

    It was also mentioned that Whelan initially sent a number of versions of the cover art to Team Jordan and Tor for review before he produced the final version for A Memory of Light. The scene depicted is a different one than that shown in Darrell K. Sweet's preliminary artwork. Also, at one point it was mentioned that Whelan sent out a query to someone asking, "What's a ter'angreal?"

    Footnote

    The preliminary version of Darrell K. Sweet's cover for A Memory of Light may be see here, along with some of his other Wheel of Time covers.

    Tags

  • 170

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    yks

    There's a good chance that the book cover will be shown this weekend, Nynaeve will be TINY in the back flap.

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    During the A Memory of Light reading/panel this was sadly not confirmed—the cover is ready but not for viewing at this time. (see Marie's write-up of the A Memory of Light reading for more details).

    Tags

  • 171

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    wotsummary

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon promised me in Melbourne that the Black Tower made up a decent chunk of the start of the book. And that all of Pevara's storyline did make the cut.

    Tags

  • 172

    Interview: May 2nd, 2012

    Mark Grayson

    I talked to Brandon last week at a quick signing he did for locals on his newsletter list after he was done with a writing seminar in Las Vegas.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He indicated that [Bayrd's POV] was not the part of this prologue that RJ wrote. Meaning that scene was his.

    MARK GRAYSON

    I thought he did a really good job with it. Very RJ-esque in my opinion.

    Tags

  • 173

    Interview: May, 2012

    Terez

    The tor.com post about the Whelan art is copied in full and parsed for tagging, but there are some plot-relevant bits from a friend of Whelan's in the comments that are recorded at the bottom, and I've clipped the relevant bit about the DKS art from Tor's tribute post.

    Irene Gallo

    The scene depicts Min, Aviendha, and Elayne gathered on a battlefield around what is presumably a funeral pyre for Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn. What we recognize as a yin/yang appears in the clouds, possibly signifying a unity that has evaded male and female channelers for over 3000 years.

    DARRELL K. SWEET

    Tags

  • 174

    Interview: May, 2012

    Irene Gallo

    We are very excited to reveal the cover to A Memory of Light, the final volume of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time. The artwork for this final edition is by, arguably, one of today’s most beloved illustrators, Michael Whelan.

    The task of jumping into a 14 volume series on its last installment must have been a daunting one but Michael rose to the occasion. Harriet McDougal, Jordan’s editor and widow remarked, "that is the Rand I have waited to see for twenty years” when she saw the image. And while the artwork clearly has all the earmarks of a Whelan painting, its theme and coloration make it a fitting heir to Darrell K. Sweet’s series of Wheel of Time covers.

    In keeping with the series’ covers, the scene gathers elements from a key scene in the book. Here, Rand stands with Callandor on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, heading down into its depths to confront the Dark One even as the sun itself vanishes from the world. Two Aes Sedai follow the Dragon Reborn into the mouth of darkness, two women who have been with Rand since the very beginning.

    MICHAEL WHELAN

    Tags

  • 175

    Interview: May, 2012

    MRJackson@218 (7 May 2012)

    Not sure why there's still confusion. It's Nynaeve and Moiraine on the back cover. The yellow and blue dresses should make that apparent. Nynaeve's hair is obviously shorter than it used to be.

    I spoke to Michael about the cover as he was finishing it. Since he didn't have the opportunity to read all fourteen books for the assignment, I was one of the people he leaned on to fact check his work.

    Michael mentioned there are details the readers (like me) wouldn't be privy to yet. For example, Nynaeve takes the bulk of her jewelry off before this scene.

    Callandor is a sword that isn't a sword, right? He's not holding it for defense. It's a source of power as well as his source of light (there's a clue about that in the lighting on his face). He's shielding his eyes as he stares in to the pit. Apparently, the deeper he goes into Shayol Ghul, the brighter it shines.

    A little background that some might not know... Michael has studied martial arts, including Filipino Kali and Arnis. The forearm slash position actually has some utility in fights with bladed weapons.

    Compositionally, the line of the sword is another element that draws you into the intensity of Rand's stare. Further, the opening of the cave is the shape of an eye; the eclipse suggests an iris. It's as if the gaze of the Dark One is falling on Rand. We see his strength and determination in response. How many illustrators can convey that kind of depth in a scene?

    Say what you will, but I think Michael brought a lot to the plate on what was a very difficult cover assignment. He put his stamp on Rand while producing a cover that fits well with the first thirteen that DKS painted.

    analiese@222 (8 May 2012)

    Thanks for confirming that. However, Nynaeve's hair is still the wrong color and, while it's shorter after the Aes Sedai testing in Towers of Midnight, it should still be in a shoulder-length braid. She never gave up her signature braid. That's why many people don't think it looks like Nynaeve—the braid is the main thing that would identify her as Nynaeve to the readers.

    The loose light hair makes the woman on the cover look more like Alivia, who many fans believe is the woman in yellow. So I'm still of the opinion that Whelan did not do a good job with Nynaeve if longtime fans don't even recognize her. I think it's a beautiful cover, but as a reader, the main thing I care about is seeing the characters—who we have been reading about for twenty years—done right, not so much whether the cave looks realistic or happens to symbolize the Dark One spying on Rand. So it's disappointing that Nynaeve ended up virtually unrecognizable. She doesn't even wear yellow dresses in the books, despite being Yellow Ajah (she makes a point of wearing green or blue since that's what Lan likes), so that's not something that makes the woman's identity apparent either.

    If you don't mind me asking (not trying to be rude here, it just strikes me as a bit strange), why did Whelan rely on fans to check his work instead of Team Jordan? I'm assuming you work for Tor, but you refer to yourself as a reader who hasn't read the book. To what extent were Brandon Sanderson and Team Jordan involved with the creative process behind this cover?

    MRJackson@223

    I was just one of the people helping with the details. Obviously Michael had Irene Gallo's art direction and was in contact with editors including Harriet.

    Michael's wife Audrey usually serves as his sounding board, but she hadn't read the books. (For the record, I'm not affiliated with TOR. I've worked with Michael since the mid 90s, primarily on his website.) I'm a WoT fan and that's the kind of feedback Michael was looking for... someone he knew who had read the previous thirteen books.

    Michael and I did discuss Nynaeve's dress color. I mentioned that she catered to Lan's color preference of green and blue. The yellow of her Ajah usually came in slashes of color, accents if I recall correctly.

    Like I said, I haven't read the manuscript for A Memory of Light and Michael couldn't talk about it. But I distinctly recall Nynaeve taking pride in being a true Aes Sedai finally. Going into the Last Battle, I don't think it's a stretch that she would choose yellow. I suppose we'll have to RAFO on that.

    In the background information I provided, I described Nynaeve's hair color as darker brown and referenced previous covers (among them the Melanie Delon's cover for A Crown of Swords that drew criticism for being too red).

    I'd have to ask him why he chose lighter highlights. Just my speculation here, but Callandor is a light source. There's also illumination from the eclipse filtering in from the mouth of the cave to consider.

    Michael got the length of Nynaeve's hair right, and this isn't simply opinion. Hopefully Brandon or Harriet will confirm at some point that her shoulder length hair was too short to braid.

    Interestingly, Michael and I spoke about the challenge of pulling character descriptions from the text. If you're familiar with his illustration, he's known as a stickler for details. But it isn't always easy to translate text literally, especially when Jordan and Sanderson contradict in their description.

    In correspondence, Michael wrote,

    Michael Whelan

    "Major characters are described as diminutive in size, yet 'commanding' in presence. Faces are youthful, yet ageless. Or young but having eyes full of wisdom of the ages. Rand is tall and manly, yet has an almost "feminine" beauty in his eyes or mouth. It's a bit confusing how one is supposed to render such conflicting elements."

    MRJackson

    Honestly, I don't mind the nitpicking. Criticism comes with the territory. My point in responding is to state that Michael was mindful of details here. There's evidence of it in the painting. I can tell you that he had Moiraine's kesiera and Nynaeve's ki'sain accounted for before I even spoke to him.

    On a personal note, I had the privilege of meeting Robert Jordan before a signing on the Knife of Dreams tour. One of the things we talked about was the cover art for the series. I think Mr. Jordan would be pleased with this one. Obviously Harriet was when she said, "that is the Rand I have waited to see for twenty years."

    analiese@224

    Firstly, thank you very much for the thorough answer. It answered many of my questions, and it was also interesting to hear more about the creative process behind the cover.

    [Nynaeve's hair] got singed off "a handspan below her shoulders" (Towers of Midnight ch 20), and she wore a shoulder-length braid in every scene she was in after the Aes Sedai testing. That's why it seemed odd for her signature braid to be missing on the cover. I don't really care about the dress or even much about the hair color, but Nynaeve isn't Nynaeve without her braid—it's part of who she is. It's like Mat showing up without his hat and ashandarei. And the ki'sain is too small to be visible, so it doesn't do anything to make the woman on the cover look more like Nynaeve.

    I also wish Nynaeve and Moiraine hadn't been delegated to the background/back cover—since they're going to be linked with him, they deserve to stand at his side. But that's not an error, just something I wish were different.

    However, while the cover isn't what I hoped for, I understand and deeply appreciate that you and Whelan both worked incredibly hard on it, and Whelan remains one of my favorite illustrators. I think he did a wonderful job with Rand.

    MRJackson@228

    I appreciate the sentiment but Michael did the actual work. He pushed his calendar aside this spring to make the cover happen. I was just support. But I will admit it took a lot of restraint on my part not to inundate him with questions that I knew he couldn't answer, so there is that.

    As readers, we all have so much invested in this series that I completely understand what you're saying. I love Brandon's work, but I felt Towers of Midnight was a bit of a letdown, especially the resolution with Moiraine.

    Moiraine has always been a favorite of mine. I would have liked to see her on the front cover as well. Thankfully Dan Dos Santos gave us that in his brilliant cover for The Fires of Heaven.

    Wetlandernw@227

    I think MRJackson & Mr. Whelan made a very good point, in that we have not yet read this book. By the time this scene happens, we may see several other events that make sense of the seeming discrepancies. Specifically, there are only two scenes after Nynaeve's testing which mention her braid, and in both cases it is specifically noted that it is too short and she finds it quite annoying. Quite possibly she'll meet up with Lan and find out that he likes it loose, or she'll simply decide that it's too irritating to fuss with a too-short braid, and we'll see her with loose hair in several scenes before this.

    Someone was bothered earlier by the missing jewelry—but now we know that she specifically and deliberately removed the jewelry before this scene, probably so that someone else could use them. (That's what happened during the Cleansing; why not here as well?) Seems to me that we should make the assumption that the same kind of thing might happen with The Braid, instead of insisting that she should look like she did in the previous book, and claiming any discrepancies as mistakes. Such claims are not only rude, they are unfounded. Once the book is out and we've read the whole thing, we might have grounds for nitpicking; until then, not so much.

    MRJackson—Thank you for your contributions, both to this thread and to Mr. Whelan.

    MRJackson@230 (9 May 2012)

    Glad to be of help. Maybe someday we'll find closure in the great braid debate...

    Seriously though, Michael painted Nynaeve's hair at that length (without a braid) for a reason. I wasn't trying to sidestep debate. I was expressing certainty. Michael was aware that the braid was an identifying feature of her character. The painting turned out the way it did through a long process that involved editorial input. I'll leave it at that.

    I look at it this way (and this is my opinion)... Nynaeve has grown enormously through the books. She was always uniquely powerful, but it took time for her to grow into that power. More so, it took a dozen books to accept herself and decide who she wanted to be.

    Nynaeve worked through enormous difficulty to channel reliably. Remember how she used to tug on that braid? It really was a symbol of who she used to be. Kind of fitting that the symbol is gone.

    Old habits die hard, of course, but she isn't that girl tugging on her braid any more. She's a woman who fought to gain acceptance as an Aes Sedai, and she's going to stand at Rand side to face the Dark One. It's impressive how far she's come as a character.

    analiese@

    The Fires of Heaven ebook cover was definitely one of the best, though there were a few things the artist got wrong (Moiraine does not have blue eyes). The New Spring cover was great too, especially Lan. It's mostly Nynaeve who has suffered bad luck with the ebook covers. There's A Crown of Swords where she got red hair and Lan looked like an underwater zombie, Winter's Heart where she didn't appear at all despite being linked with Rand for the Cleansing, The Path of Daggers where she got a Saldaean nose and Elayne looked suspiciously like Jean Grey...

    I think much of my disappointment with the A Memory of Light cover stems from the fact that there's already an earlier cover (Winter's Heart) where Rand claimed the stage and his female linking partner was left out. "Hero poses manfully brandishing some kind of phallic object" is a pretty tired concept, especially on WoT covers. Rand does the same on Sweet's The Dragon Reborn and The Path of Daggers, the ebook covers for The Dragon Reborn, Winter's Heart, Knife of Dreams... Winter's Heart is probably the worst offender, if you look at the placement of the Choedan Kal. ;)

    Sweet's A Memory of Light cover was a welcome break from that—I'm not usually a fan of Sweet's covers, but I liked that he gave Elayne, Min, and Aviendha a prominent role and added some emotion to the cover. So I really would have liked to see something different on the final cover, like Rand having the two women from the Callandor circle at his side. Here, Nynaeve and Moiraine are present, but only in the background, and not at all on the ebook cover.

    MRJackson@236

    The only female lead who held the cover spotlight on par with the men was Moiraine, and that is a shame.

    There was definitely opportunity to feature Nynaeve linked with Rand on Winter's Heart. Despite the hair, I liked Nynaeve on the cover of A Crown of Swords. Lan not so much. The Path of Daggers was another miss, mostly because the colors were a distraction. I thought I was looking at an X-Men cover. Even if that was intentional, it didn't work for me.

    I can only assume Rand was intended to stand at center stage alone on the last cover, but I think what you suggest would have been great too. Moiraine and Nynaeve definitely earned their place at Rand's side on the front.

    ViciousCircle@264

    That was a beautiful description of why Nynaeve is one of the most compelling characters in the series. She and Moiraine kept me invested during some dark years of almost giving up on WOT. I always hoped they would be the other Callandor channelers, as I could not imagine Rand putting himself in such a vulnerable position with anyone else. Aviendha, Min and Elayne included, though I do love Aviendha! So thank you for shedding light on why some things are portrayed as they are on this excellent new cover. Just don't think that it will put a dent in the debate. ;)

    MRJackson@266

    Thanks. I feel much the same way about those characters, and I'm sure the debate will keep going on well after the publication of A Memory of Light.

    Tags

  • 176

    Interview: May, 2012

    Terez@232 (9 May 2012)

    Mr. Jackson (your name isn't Michael is it? because that would be unfortunate),

    Thanks for the reassurances. Do you happen to know if specs were given for the eclipse? We're wondering if we can assume it's accurately portrayed from the perspective of an astronomer (we have one of those at Theoryland, and a hobbyist as well). That's not to say we can figure anything out about it right now, or even that we'll be able to figure it out when the book comes out judging on recent portrayal of chronology. Just curious. No worries if no particular care was taken to portray it accurately; I understand it's complicated, but it could have been made simple if RJ left notes about it. Also curious as to why it didn't show up until the final draft.

    MRJackson@235

    We didn't talk about it, but I can ask him. Michael has more than a passing interest in astronomy so it's possible.

    And M and R are my initials...

    MRJackson@238

    Michael's response:

    Michael Whelan

    The few pages of manuscript I was given to work from didn't have any mention of an eclipse. The subject didn't come up until I had done several conceptual renderings. After sending some of them to TOR I got an email from Irene telling me that if I showed the sky through the mouth of the cave I might want to work an eclipse into the scene.

    For reference I looked at a lot of photos of eclipses and liked the idea (for symbolic reasons) of indicating an imminent annular eclipse, the kind where the moon doesn't entirely cover the sun but leaves a thin ring of light in the sky.

    Tags

  • 177

    Interview: May, 2012

    MarioInOttawa@265 ()

    Anyone know why his left hand is hidden? I think it is because his hand grows back and they didn't want to give that part away (The Dragon Reborn is causing all sorts of broken things to go good again).

    MRJackson@266

    Nice thought but Michael was just hiding the stump.

    Tags

  • 178

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Andrew J. Parker (29 April 2012)

    Hi Brandon. Any chance you can tell me whether Rand is a Hero of the Horn? Thanks!

    Brandon Sanderson (29 April 2012)

    RAFO! :)

    Footnote

    RJ has confirmed that he is.

    Tags

  • 179

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (16 May 2012)

    I'm sorry I don't have more specific WoT posts for you—I know that Harriet prefers me to be more closed-mouthed. However...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Maria from Team Jordan has finished her revision notes for the entire book, as has Harriet herself. So we're only waiting on Alan's notes.

    Brandon Sanderson

    As he's playing "Great Captain" for me on A Memory of Light, his notes are vital—and he needs to be detailed. When I get them, I can finish revising.

    Roberto Sánze

    Sooooo...there might be a sooner release date than the current for January?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible, but I don't know how likely.

    Roberto Sánze

    Darn, I need to haste to be ready for A Memory of Light once it releases. Is there gonna be a ebook version along with the physical book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (Winces.) Harriet has a distrust of ebooks; she prefers to delay the release. It is her call. (Ebook is a few months later.)

    Terez

    Do we have chapter names yet? Or do you know how many chapters there will be? Or is that a secret?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No chapter names yet, as it won't be until this draft is finished that I settle on the number of chapters. Some are being combined.

    Mark Prybyla

    I'm truly hoping this book is 1/3 battles/fights.

    Brandon Sanderson

    More than 1/3, I'd say...

    Daniel Shepard

    Forgive me for not understanding, but what does this mean? Release date's not going to change, is it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Probably not. It's just a progress update, so people know things are still moving behind-the-scenes.

    Richard Collett

    How's The Stormlight Archive coming? I need more.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A Memory of Light comes first. I will get to the next Stormlight book soon, but not until A Memory of Light is done to my satisfaction.

    (Facebook)


    Yosun Erdemli

    So this means we will be reading the final volume sooner than first announced?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible, but I don't know how likely. I still need to do two drafts, I feel. Then there are beta reads, then proofreads, then we need at least two months to get the books printed and shipped.

    Adam Sloan

    What does it take to be one of the beta readers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Be one of the major members of fandom for years, and personally know Harriet. (Sorry.)

    Tags

  • 180

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (21 May 2012)

    WoT update: Today, I added a new Rand scene to the book. One of many I've been working on, but this one came together first.

    Jason Palmer

    ? Is it a complete NEW scene? If so is it because the editors thought it would fit into the book more, is this the second draft?

    Brandon Sanderson

    New scene. We often add new scenes in the second, third, or even last drafts of a book.

    Greg Lindsey

    Feel free to add as much as the binding will allow!! Thanks for everything! By the way do you have an updated word count estimate?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No updated count yet. We'll see how much more I add this time around—I'm cutting it too.

    Daniel Shepard

    Can/Will you tell us anything about it? Please? :)

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm afraid I can't say much. I try to be extra-careful with WoT scenes out of respect for Harriet.

    Simon Draper

    When is the last book being published? I can't believe it's the end of the series already.

    Brandon Sanderson

    January.

    Tags

  • 181

    Interview: Aug 8th, 2009

    WorldCon 2009 - Dom (Paraphrased)

    Dom

    Brandon Sanderson

    About Harriet, Brandon revealed that not only did she provide most of the chapter titles and decide on the icons and maps (which we already knew) but she is also the one who handled the titles for most of the books. So those multi-layered titles that fit the main themes of each book and the opening quotes so well, or bring back metaphors or details from earlier books are actually hers, not RJ. Exceptionally, he's the one who came up with A Memory of Light for the last book as he was working on it. Normally it's Harriet who came up with a title after reading the full manuscript.

    Tags

  • 182

    Interview: Aug 8th, 2009

    WorldCon 2009 - Dom (Paraphrased)

    Dom

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon drew a graph of A Memory of Light's structure and explained in some details how he ended up re structuring it as three books. Not much that isn't already known in there, book 12 will have two main story lines (we know it's Rand and Egwene, but as I said Brandon didn't say so explicitly at the Q&A) and teasers for three more (Mat—and seemingly Perrin and Elayne). By 'teasers', Brandon precised he means 3 or 4 chapters per story line, the rest of the chapters being divided between the two main story lines (by recent books, this could means Egwene/Rand have about 10-12 chapters each, or a few more). Some developments happen in the teasers but it's not huge stuff, more like set ups chapters for what happens in book 13.

    Book 13 will have the opposite, with 3-4 chapters each for Egwene and Rand, "toward the end". Brandon kept those for book 13 to avoid spoiling in The Gathering Storm the climax of book 13, which will mark the reunion of all the main story lines at some location, and launch Tarmon Gai'don. So in book 13 we will have the residual Rand/Egwene chapters that specifically build up to the reunion.

    Brandon explained the decision to split the books this way came about between Harriet and him, in part to avoid the "Crossroads of Twilight trap". Apparently, RJ went that way in Winter's Heart/Crossroads of Twilight mostly because he had been affected by all the grief he got for keeping Mat out of The Path of Daggers. He decided to try to put all the main characters in the next books, even if it meant all the story lines would advance more slowly if they were all told in parallel like this. He very much regretted this after Crossroads of Twilight, for which he got even more grief than for The Path of Daggers, and decided to return to his more organic/uneven approach for Knife of Dreams and A Memory of Light. The original plan for The Gathering Storm was to develop all the story lines in parallel again, but Brandon and Harriet had qualms about this and Brandon came up with an alternative to focus on two story lines in one and three in the other.

    There is one of the 'POV clusters' Brandon had written that it mostly unused for The Gathering Storm and will go in book 13.

    Brandon of course wouldn't tell who is the character not in The Gathering Storm at all, though he gave a few clues. Piecing all his bits of answers together, the character isn't Aviendha, Cadsuane or Nynaeve, nor Mat (the only character he confirmed is in the two first books, but we already knew this). He basically destroyed the speculation it could be Perrin by hesitating on the words 'major character' and then adding the bit that the vast majority of fans would actually place this character at the very bottom of the list of characters to be considered 'major'. The way he put Elayne over and over among the five really major ones during the Q&A suggests it's not her either after all. He also said while explaining his graph that there were chunks (his "teasers" for three story lines in The Gathering Storm and the core of the story for two—and his 'five' clusters he explicitly said were Rand, Egwene, Perrin, Mat and Elayne.

    So perhaps we've read too much in his 'major POV character' comment (Jason's review may also allude to this, when he commented that one major character is missing but it's pretty much up to each reader to decide who is major and not in WOT). At some point, he said a major POV character in A Memory of Light will be missing in The Gathering Storm, which is not exactly the same as saying a major POV character from the earlier books isn't in The Gathering Storm—which is the way his previous comment was interpreted by many.

    Dom

    Lan isn't a major POV character in the earlier books, but now he's on his own he may very well become one in A Memory of Light.

    In any case, I'm more and more thinking it's Lan (or possibly Moiraine), not Elayne or Perrin which I doubt many would place 'at the very bottom' of the list of characters to be considered major. Most people would place Elayne not near the bottom at all but among the top 7 or 8 most important characters. Above Moiraine and Lan, Thom, Loial and probably even Min and Aviendha.

    Footnote

    The POV character missing in The Gathering Storm was Elayne, and they didn't quite make it to the reunion of all plotlines at the end of Towers of Midnight as they had originally planned.

    Tags

  • 183

    Interview: Aug 8th, 2009

    WorldCon 2009 - Dom (Paraphrased)

    Dom

    Brandon Sanderson

    Another question was if there were shocking/very surprising twists coming (Brandon was asked to answer this one as a fan when he read the outline). Sanderson said himself was surprised by a few things (most of which will happen in book 13) and he initially had a few WTF! moments when Harriet or Maria explained to him what Jordan intended to happen during some of the outline's gaps, but after looking around the WOT sites more he realised these things seemed pretty much common place expectations among the real maniacs of the series. He also said if someone picked all the right bits from all the theories and threads and put them together and in the right order, that's pretty much the books. So, no, in his opinion, there aren't many big plot twists or shocking moments in store, not for the hardcore fans—he said Jordan rather found out interesting ways to tie up all the foreshadowing and it made for a very satisfying finale, especially the third part, the Last Battle, which he enjoyed the most. He then indirectly confirmed the Seanchan attack is the climax of Egwene's story line, using her as his example to explain there is no huge surprise or plot twist there, that she's long Dreamed about what is going to happen at the Tower at the end of her pre-Tarmon Gai'don story line.

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  • 184

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2011

    mnm

    Will we have any Logain scenes/POV?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 185

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2011

    PrncRny

    How far past Shayol Ghul and the Last Battle will we see written in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

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  • 186

    Interview: Nov 16th, 2010

    Ayyad Azryelle

    Why do Aviendha's children channel all the time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO (explained in the next book).

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  • 187

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2010

    Kristi Deming

    Brandon Sanderson

    When I met Brandon on the book signing tour, they gave us a sticky to write what we wanted him to write what we wanted. I am the proud owner of the only copy that says:

    "To Kristi, I promise Demandred will be in A Memory of Light!"

    I asked if I was right in thinking that RJ had saved the best for last, and Brandon simply said as far as the Shadow is concerned, the main player will be Demandred.

    [long spiel about how Demandred is awesome and sexy and the only Forsaken that has not been killed, captured, or punished]

    I said as much to Brandon, saying I expected a RAFO to that. He said that all he could say would be that point would be addressed at a further point in the books.

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  • 188

    Interview: Nov 4th, 2010

    aurik

    Are they using the trick with the thirteen Myrdraal and thirteen channelers to create new Dreadlords?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    aurik

    But I've already read Book 13; that's why I'm asking.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO after A Memory of Light.

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  • 189

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2011

    AtlantaRand

    Harriet McDougal

    Harriet mentioned in the Kaffeklatsch that it was possible A Memory of Light would end up being too big to fit in one volume, and so it might end up two books. But then Sanderson in the status update really didn't leave much opening that it would at all be possible. So.....

    That was the one shocker that I heard personally, but there could be others. Oh yeah and A Memory of Light released November 2012, but I'm sure that's been mentioned somewhere else.

    Isabel

    She hinted at that it would be a big book. I think that she said something that if A Memory of Light would be something like 500,000 words it would have to be split.

    She could be preparing me for a small chance that it would be that big.

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  • 190

    Interview: Apr 30th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Also, in case anyone missed it last week when I mentioned it on Twitter and Facebook, Tor.com has put up the excerpt of the prologue to A Memory of Light that Harriet read recently at JordanCon. As for the rest of the book, we are still hard at work on revisions.

    Tags

  • 191

    Interview: Jun 28th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Another question commonly asked is whether Michael Kramer and Kate Reading will return to voice the audiobook for A Memory of Light. The answer is yes, and the audiobook will definitely be released the same day as the hardcover.

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  • 192

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Daniel Shepherd (13 July 2012)

    @Terez27 Trying to figure out who the gay character was that @BrandSanderson put in Towers of Midnight. Was it Androl?

    Terez

    That is my best guess. I wonder if we scared him away from going through with that...'twas very controversial.

    Brandon Sanderson (13 July 2012)

    The place wasn't right in Towers of Midnight. Gay character is in A Memory of Light. It's really not a big deal; just a small mention.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will say, at this point, that it is a character RJ mentioned was gay in the notes, so I noted it in the text.

    Terez

    [Links to following tweet from this conversation.]

    Brandon Sanderson (20 March 2011)

    I won't say if it's a new character or one I made a decision on, since there weren't notes either way.

    Terez (13 July 2012)

    I'm guessing that's a product of Twitter being a bad place for trying to say things clearly. The older tweet was confusing anyway.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Wow, that was indeed confusing. I don't even know what I was trying to say.

    Brandon Sanderson

    What I remember typing was "I won't tell you if it's something RJ had in notes or not."

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  • 193

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Dave Ainaire

    The time warp that Tam al'Thor went through in Towers of Midnight was a bit disconcerting (time sync between chapters and different threads). Are you at liberty to say whether there will be any similar issues with plot lines in A Memory of Light?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    People are pretty much all caught up with each other at the end of Towers of Midnight, so it shouldn't be a problem. Mat is like three days behind. Black Tower may be further behind. But I doubt there will be any characters who seem to be in two places at the same time.

    Footnote

    Mat is probably not three days behind, since he left for Ghenjei on the same day that Perrin left for Merrilor, which was the day before the scheduled meeting.

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  • 194

    Interview: 2012

    Ashan_Darei (June 2012)

    I debated writing this because you seem like a genuinely nice guy who cares about his fans, and I don't want to hurt your feelings. If you find it difficult to read criticism, please don't read any further.

    To be honest, I am hoping that you won't write the outriggers/prequels because it seems to me like your heart's just not in it anymore. In 2011 you announced that you needed time off to reread the entire series before starting work on A Memory of Light since you'd forgotten too much and this had led to continuity issues in Towers of Midnight. But according to your own website, you only reread a third of the series, then went on to work on Alloy of Law, Legion, The Emperor's Soul, The Rithmatist... As someone who enjoyed Way of Kings a great deal, I'm glad that you've continued to work on your own books, but the fact that you abandoned the reread does make me worry about the quality of A Memory of Light. If you cannot give WoT as much time and attention as it needs, it's better to let it go.

    Another big issue for me is the characterization. You're great at writing Perrin and also did a good job with Rand and the girls for the most part. Others felt off, and that unfortunately includes the main characters the outriggers and prequels would focus on. I'll leave out Mat since that's been discussed to death already, but Lan and Moiraine's scenes in Towers of Midnight were a huge disappointment for me. Lan has always been a favorite of mine, but here he came off as a whiny combination of Gawyn and Perrin. He's a grown man in his late 40s, not a sulky teenager.

    Then there's Moiraine, now ready to give up all her power if only Thom tells her to. Yes, her captivity undoubtedly changed her, but at her core, she is someone who was ready to sacrifice everyone and everything to win the Last Battle, including herself. So it didn't seem right for Moiraine to offer to give up an important tool like the angreal.

    ""Egwene, I know what you feel for Rand, but you must realize by now that nothing can come of it. He belongs to the Pattern, and to history."—Moiraine, The Shadow Rising

    For an instant she regretted sending Thom away. She did not like having to waste her time with these petty affairs. But he had too much influence with Rand; the boy had to depend on her counsel. Hers, and hers alone.—Moiraine, The Shadow Rising

    That had been one of Moiraine's more succinct bits of advice. Never let them see you weaken.—Rand, Lord of Chaos

    I happen to like Moiraine a lot, but there's no denying she was partly responsible for Rand thinking he needed to be hard. Yet in Towers of Midnight you have Rand speak of how caring she was; even Mat and Nynaeve sing her praises. You seem to be trying to retcon Moiraine into a saintly figure she never was. All WoT characters have major flaws; Moiraine's was that she treated people as chess pieces that sometimes needed to be sacrificed for the greater good. In The Shadow Rising she intentionally tried to separate Rand from his friends so she could be the only person influencing him. It wasn't until Rhuidean that she discovered firsthand what it felt like to be the person forced to make the ultimate sacrifice, and she finally became the advisor Rand needed. But even then she was still manipulating him and encouraging him to be hard, so obviously she hadn't changed completely. To ignore her flaws and mistakes is to do the character a disservice and hides her growth in The Fires of Heaven.

    This is getting long, so I'll wrap it up here. I hope this made sense and that I didn't hurt your feelings. I still think you're a very talented writer and look forward to reading both A Memory of Light and the next Stormlight book.

    Brandon Sanderson (June 2012)

    Well, thanks for the thoughts. I will take the comments for what they are worth, and appreciate your sincerity.

    By way of correction, I do want to point out that Alloy of Law, Legion, and The Rithmatist were all written BEFORE I started work on A Memory of Light. The only thing I've written during A Memory of Light was The Emperor's Soul, which is a short work I wrote on the flight home from Taiwan earlier in the year. I have always stopped my main projects for side ones. It is part of what keeps me fresh. Alcatraz was in the middle of Mistborn, Rithmatist in the middle of Liar of Partinel (which I decided not to publish; it was the last book I wrote before the WoT came my way.) Legion was during Towers of Midnight. Emperor's Soul during A Memory of Light.

    My heart is completely in it—that I can assure you. I stopped the re-read because I was just too eager to be working on the book, and I'd already re-read (the last year) books 9-11 in working to get Perrin and Mat down for Towers of Midnight. But your complaint is valid. I did not re-read 6-8, except for spot reading. I kept telling myself I needed to get to them, but I was too deeply into the writing by that point.

    As for where I misfired on characterization, I apologize. In some cases, I don't see them the same way as you do. In other cases, I am doing a worse job than RJ would have, and the failings are mine. I don't want to diminish your opinion, as it is valid. I certainly have struggled with some characters more than others.

    Though, for the scene with Moiraine and Thom you quote above...I, uh, didn't write that scene, my friend. That one was RJ in its entirety, and was one of the most complete scenes he left behind.

    ashan_darei

    Brandon, thank you for the thoughtful response. I understand that it's very difficult for most authors to read criticism (let alone reply to it), so I appreciate that you took the time to read and reply.

    I'd like to stress that I wholeheartedly agree with Neil Gaiman's "GRRM is not your bitch" post and hope it didn't come across like I thought you shouldn't be working on anything besides WoT. Side projects are very much a good thing (happy and creative authors→better books), and I am personally excited about your upcoming books. It was mainly the fact that you seemed to have given up on the reread that felt like a reason for concern since you had previously said you needed to refresh your memory to avoid a repeat of Towers of Midnight's continuity errors. It also made me worry that you had gotten weary of working on A Memory of Light, which would have been understandable given that it's a very time-consuming and demanding project that you've already spent 4-5 years on. I'm glad to hear this is not the case.

    "In some cases, I don't see them the same way as you do."

    That's not something I object to since we all have different perceptions of the characters. In most cases I understand where you are coming from even if your interpretation differs somewhat from mine. Unlike me, you also have access to all sorts of character notes and spoilers about their futures.

    However, in some cases it felt like your personal love or dislike of certain characters also played a strong role. To put it bluntly, it's easy to tell that Perrin, Egwene and Moiraine are your favorites since they've received a disproportionate amount of PoVs or praise from other characters, Egwene in particular (how many scenes do we need where people talk about how brilliant, clever and talented Egwene is?). I don't know how much you follow other WoT boards, but there's been a lot of debate in fandom as to whether Egwene has become too much of a Mary Sue-type character who easily defeats supposedly shrewd political opponents and is constantly praised by other characters, often at the expense of people like Siuan. It's impossible for a writer to remain completely objective, and your background as a fan is on the whole one of your biggest strengths, but sometimes things like that can feel jarring. I would not want to see the same happen to a complex, flawed and interesting character like Moiraine.

    "Though, for the scene with Moiraine and Thom you quote above...I, uh, didn't write that scene, my friend. That one was RJ in its entirety, and was one of the most complete scenes he left behind."

    I have to admit, this comes as a surprise to me, partly because of Moiraine's seemingly uncharacteristic offer to surrender almost all her power for Thom's sake and partly because she used contractions in this scene (in the New Spring graphic novel, there's a note from Jordan informing the comic writers that Moiraine never uses contractions). She and Thom seemed to have a mutual respect and attraction in the early books, but spent very little time together, so I would not have expected any full-blown love or a marriage proposal at this point. It just seemed very strange for Moiraine to be willing to sacrifice her only chance at regaining her strength when she's barely even thought about Thom in her PoVs before. But since Jordan wrote that scene, there's nothing to do but accept that it's where he wanted to take the characters.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Re: Contractions Interesting story here. Harriet and Team Jordan worried about my use of contractions in places that RJ did not. It seemed very striking to them. Their first instinct was to go through and change it, after the fact, in order to match RJ's style.

    Harriet didn't like how that looked. She felt that my style needed to be blended with RJ's, rather than taking my style and forcing it to fit into something else. So it was decided that one of her tasks, as editor, would be to blend the writing after it was put together. She'd go through and make scenes feel right together, and would blend the two styles like a painter blending paint.

    So, she takes away contractions from me where she feels they need to go and she actually adds them to RJ's writing where she thinks it needs to be blended. I was curious if that was the case here, so I went back to the original notes.

    And it turns out RJ wrote the scene with contractions. Most likely, he was planning to trim them out with editing. Remember, even the most complete scenes we have from him are first drafts. In fact, in some of them, the tense is wrong. (Much of this Moiraine/Thom/Mat scene is in present tense. )

    An example from the notes is:

    He puts the angreal on her wrist, and says 'I'll marry you now.'

    In revision, this line turned into:

    He put the bracelet back on her wrist. "I'll marry you now, if you wish it."

    Anyway, I don't want to spend too much time defending myself, because that's not the point of your post. Really, the most important thing for me to say is that I understand. I'll do my best, and criticism like this is important to me. (Particularly on the Wheel of Time books, where I feel that listening to fan direction is important for gauging how well I'm doing on the characters.) It was fan criticism that brought me around to finally seeing what I was doing wrong with Mat, and (hopefully) making some strides toward writing him more accurate to himself.

    Tags

  • 195

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    JordanCon 2012 - Terez (Paraphrased)

    Austin Moore ()

    So I've been wondering, and I think many others have as well, will we know for 100% sure what Rand's fate is at the end of A Memory of Light?

    Wilson Grooms

    Oh yes. There will be NO doubt in anyone's mind what Rands fate will be at the end. It will sure to surprise and amaze people. When Jim (RJ) told me how the series ended I just shook my head and said, "Bubba, that is just beautiful. Just beautiful." So yes, you will all know.

    Austin Moore

    Ok, I was afraid that might get a read and find out type answer so thanks for assuring us that Rand's fate will not be open-ended for interpretation.

    Wilson Grooms

    Yep, there will be a definite confirmation by the end of what happens to him.

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  • 196

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    JordanCon 2012 - Terez (Paraphrased)

    Question

    Was the bubble of evil in the A Memory of Light prologue a localized effect?

    Maria Simons

    Yes.

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  • 197

    Interview: Jul 22nd, 2012

    emozilla

    Here's a video I took at LibertyCon of Brandon reading the A Memory of Light opening again. No new text (he actually stops a few paragraphs short) but he does talk about about why he structured the scene as he did. Sorry for the shakiness, it was taken on my iPhone (my arms were pretty sore near the end!).

    (Transcript)

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, the last wind scene. I spent a long time thinking about this one, and what I would do with this, because Jim had intended one book, so from the notes you can guess that there was only one wind scene indicated, and I had three to do, because of three books, and it felt very appropriate for me, as I was going over it, to have the wind come out of the Two Rivers. It felt appropriate to me; it felt thematic with the first book—if you go back and look at the wind scene from the first book—and I actually had it blow across the course of book one, basically. We don't get all the way up where book one is, but we head out to Caemlyn, and then they kind of veer off. The point of this scene is kind of...again, it set everything that's been happening—where we are, and what's going on—but I also felt that this is a book of contrasts. This is a book of stark, stark whites and deep, deep blacks. It's named A Memory of Light for that reason, and so I wanted to end the scene at Rand laughing, with warm light spilling out of his tent, and that's kind of what we've got going on there—the contrast that's going on in this land—and there is this pool of light right there, represented in him, and that's our metaphor for this whole book: death, destruction, and the Dragon Reborn.

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  • 198

    Interview: Aug 1st, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Robert Jordan was a great man, and was the single greatest influence on my development as a writer. What I have done these last five years has been an attempt—a sometimes flawed but always earnest attempt—to show my appreciation. This entire genre owes him an enormous debt. My debt to him, and to Harriet, is greatest of all.

    Mr. Jordan, may you rest in the Light. Everyone else, take a breath and get ready for the end. May you find his final words as satisfying to read as I did when I first picked them up five years ago. The very last scene is his, touched very little by me, as are significant chunks of the ending at large. I have achieved my goal in writing the books so that they pointed toward this ending he wrote, allowing us to include his words with as little alteration as possible.

    Once again, thank you. May you always find water and shade.

    Brandon Sanderson
    Written July 30th, 2012
    Posted August 1st, 2012

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  • 199

    Interview: Jul 21st, 2012

    Question

    So you were saying how you just added another scene recently, but do you think that'll be the actual last writing you do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It probably will end up being the last actual writing, will be that scene.

    Question

    Is it sort of like, you know, cathartic to you, or is it...you're so close to the end...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm so close to the end...ask me after the end. It's really weird, adding these new scenes. It's kinda like the shawarma scene from The Avengers...you know, they added that way after the fact, and that becomes their last touch—of course they'll probably do a sequel and things—but it's weird to add these scenes that are just right in the middle of the book, and that's actually the last writing you do, and that's the last writing you'll do on the Wheel of Time, if I don't add any more scenes, it will be this random little scene that's really just there to patch a hole, where I'm like "Oh, I haven't...you know, never mentioned this; I didn't foreshadow this correctly; I need an extra little scene here." It's by no means the most powerful scene in the book—it's a set-up scene, and it might end up being the last scene that I did—so if you ask me after the book's out, I'll tell you what it is.

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  • 200

    Interview: Jul 21st, 2012

    Jeffrey Daniel

    So what do you think the most challenging part of writing A Memory of Light was? Was it those logistics, or was it writing battle scenes, or...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, the battle scenes were the toughest part of A Memory of Light, definitely. At least the toughest for me, because it's not necessarily something I naturally excel at. I think I'm okay at it. I've read a lot of books...but I've read a lot of books. I haven't done it. Fortunately, Alan Romanczuk has done it. He was a soldier and Jim was a soldier, so I'm really relying a lot on him for getting it to feel right. You know, my book learning only gets me so far in the way that tactics are done and the way a battlefield plays out. So, that's been one of the big slow-downs for this. The other big slow-down for this has been just making sure we get everything in there. There are a lot of things that need to go in the book and there are some things that aren't going to make it. Jim said that certain things don't get resolved, and there are certain things we just didn't have time for and we said, "Okay, this just doesn't get resolved." And I'm sorry about that. He warned you, I will warn you: there are some non-resolutions.

    Joe O'Hara

    I don't know how other people would feel about that, but I kind of enjoy that. To me, that's where a fandom would go. We can continue to speculate and wonder and think about.

    Jennifer Liang

    Yeah, it gives us something to talk about. We can ride that or like ten years at least. (laughter)

    Jeffrey Daniel

    JordanCon will be good for a while. We'll have a lot of talking panels on that one.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will try to keep them quiet. There are two deleted scenes from the book that actually covered very interesting things. And after the books are out I will give you guys some hints and then you can spend the next ten years deciding what was in them.

    Jennifer Liang

    Yeah, we'll ask you some really weird questions over the next ten years. We used to do that to Robert Jordan. We'd ask him very oblique questions, hinting at the thing we really wanted to know, because we were like doing process of elimination, and logic trees and...yeah, he caught on.

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  • 201

    Interview: Jul 21st, 2012

    Question

    I was wondering if Cat Crosses the Courtyard or Boar Rushes Down the Mountain or that kind of sword form phrasing or whatever is in A Memory of Light...

    Brandon Sanderson

    They appear...in fact, Boar Rushes Down the Mountain is in there for sure, and others are [as well].

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  • 202

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Jeremy Vanneman

    I noticed you said (in the prologue excerpt) that 'he' is the one that caused this, and I never actively noticed that the Dark One had never really had a gender before now. Is this referencing the Dark One or someone else?

    Harriet McDougal

    That's Bayrd's idea.

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  • 203

    Interview: Apr 21st, 2012

    Question

    I was just wondering if we have a rough idea of how long the next book's gonna be, how many pages (hardcover).

    Harriet McDougal

    Not really. I could tell you, and the reason is that the number...I've worked out the number of pages because the computer tells me, and as Brandon sends us parts, and I've added them all together with a pencil. But this is in 12-point type, and it includes a lot of editorial back-and-forth, so it's looking fat. But it's skinnier than it looks. And there are some sections Brandon and I are having—well, even one I don't think he's seen yet—animated conversations about cutting. Well see, I really hesitate very deeply to say because 12-point type is a lot bigger than 10-point, and then you have to adjust from manuscript page to printed and on and on...I think probably at least eight hundred.

    Maria Simons

    It's gonna be fat.

    Harriet McDougal

    It will at least be pleasingly plump. (laughter).

    Melissa Craib

    Just big-boned.

    Alan Romanczuk

    And it'll look great on the bookshelf.

    Melissa Craib

    Absolutely, very impressive!

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  • 204

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (29 August 2012)

    I'll be reading a new section from A Memory of Light at Dragon*Con. My complete schedule is here.

    Brandon Sanderson (2 September)

    Tor dot com has posted the excerpt from A Memory of Light that I'm reading today.

    W.S.E. (3 September)

    A little disgusted that you included a throwaway line about Tylin raping Mat. Still buying the book though. Probably twice.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hard to ignore that it happened, returning to the city as he was.

    Luckers

    ... you re-awakened the Mat/Tylin sexual assault vs. super funny joke fury. Ahh the indignant fandom. *sighs*

    Brandon Sanderson

    *sighs in agreement*

    W.S.E.

    I feel the same way about all the characters saying "you go Tylin" in A Crown of Swords, too.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is one of the WoT's most controversial sequences, to be sure.

    Brandon Sanderson (4 September)

    The three excerpts of A Memory of Light that have been released so far: http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/04/a-memory-of-light-prologue-excerpt http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/07/read-an-excerpt-from-chapter-one-of-a-memory-of-light http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/09/a-memory-of-light-chapter-11-excerpt

    Footnote

    RJ apparently said that it was supposed to be seen as rape, and that it was also supposed to be funny. Some fans took the humorous treatment of the subject very badly (because rape is, after all, quite serious), but RJ was likely trying to draw attention to the double standard.

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  • 205

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (13 September 2012)

    The prologue ebook for A Memory of Light, "By Grace and Banners Fallen," is up for preorder on Dragonmount. Other vendors to follow.

    Austin Moore

    After prologue is released on October 2nd, will you be able to say which part of it was all RJ?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Sam Tills

    Will this be part of the whole book when it comes out, or will it only be sold separately?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tor and Harriet like to sell the prologue early as a separate ebook. It will be the same one in the final book.

    Brian LeP

    I know that this isn't your idea, but selling the prologue is a brutal cash grab. I'll save my $3 and wait for the book.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have made it clear both to fans and Tor that I do not like this process. But you are right, I do not get to choose.

    Jasmin

    No normal book??? Only an ebook??

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tor releases the prologue of each WoT early as a for-sale ebook. It is the same one that will be in the print edition in January.

    Footnote

    On September 17, the prologue showed up for sale on Google Books in Canada, including some revealing previews that tempted fans (aside from the Canadians who were able to buy it) to piece together the prologue from Google Book searches. Predictably, chaos ensued.

    Peter Ahlstrom (17 September)

    I blame Canada.

    sleepinghour

    Last time it was some guy in China with an early Towers of Midnight copy. But Canada was the dark horse nobody saw coming. #amolgate

    Terez

    I hope moving up release date is a possibility, elsewise a little black market will emerge very soon...

    Footnote

    I should disclose that I was essentially the ringleader of the put-the-prologue-together team, but I wasn't trying to make a threat here. It wasn't even my idea, and if I hadn't organized it, someone else would have; that's just how things go in the WoT world. But I was really referring to the possibility that some of the Canadians would share the whole prologue, or even sell it.

    Terez

    I'm going to pretend like Brandon did this on purpose. #wotgh

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Now I just blame Google. What a cluster****.

    sleepinghour (September 18)

    What's sad about the prologue leak is that Harriet and others in publishing will likely see this as proof ebook releases should be delayed.

    Mike Beckwith

    Wow. I know I'd be pretty pissed. Wonder how Sanderson feels about it. @BrandSanderson Spoiler thoughts?

    sleepinghour

    Google's stopped the sale now, but some people already have copies and shared spoilers. So Harriet & Co. probably aren't happy.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm not fond of spoilers, but I can't see the original comment, so I don't know the specifics of this discussion.

    Brandon Sanderson

    This sort of thing happens. I don't really mind, personally. Harriet is probably upset, however.

    Brandon Sanderson

    If you're the type who wants the $2.99 A Memory of Light prologue ebook, it will be available September 19th instead of October 2nd.

    Brandon Stetter

    Is that correct? The ebook will be available tomorrow instead of October 2nd? Pre-order or not?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I believe so.

    Austin Moore (September 19)

    Was the RJ part of the prologue the Bayrd scene?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, actually. It was the Isam part, though I filled in a hole in the middle of the scene.

    Tor Nordam

    Looking forward to it. But do you know when it'll be available in Europe?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't know, I'm afraid. That is up to the UK publisher, and I don't think ebooks are as big a concern to them as they are here.

    Étienne Bausson

    Where can European people get it from? Dragonmount won't sell it to me. Do I have to go for a torrent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The problem is that Tor doesn't have rights to sell it in Europe. It's a frustrating system, but Orion UK has the European rights.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The system made more sense back before ebooks; a European company needed assurance US publishers wouldn't flood their markets.

    Étienne Bausson

    I will check Orion UK once at work. Thanks for the tip!

    Brandon Sanderson

    Warning: they might have been planning to release it in October. This whole "Release it two weeks early" thing surprised us.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's because of leaked copies in Canada. (Also, it's Orbit in UK—not Orion. I get them mixed up.)

    Aulis Vaara (20 September)

    What is your opinion on the North American exclusivity of the A Memory Of Light prologue?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's because Tor doesn't have rights to sell anywhere else; Orbit UK has those rights. If you want the book, ask them.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I wish Orbit had it out too, and I'm seeing what I can do. But it is their call.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tor has a post indicating that the A Memory of Light prologue ebook is now for sale in select countries outside the U.S.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Note that this doesn't include countries where Orbit UK has rights to the books. To buy it there, you'll need to ask them to release it.

    Danny Hooper

    Who do we contact to ask them to release it? Is there an email address we can write to?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They have a form on their website. That might work.

    Michael

    Where can Australian fans get a copy of the WOT release?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Orbit UK owns the rights. They'd have to either release it or authorize Dragonmount. You can email them through their website.

    Lane Thompson

    Is the prologue going to come out in audio or do I need to pick it up the written down on magic pixel paper version?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No audio I'm aware of. (Until the full book is out, of course.)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, just saw that there was one. Never mind.

    Marc Taylor

    Any idea as to when will Weller @WellerBookWorks starts taking autograph orders for A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not sure.

    Daniel Shepard (21 September)

    By grace and banners fallen. Was that your line or RJ's? Exquisitely eloquent if I say so myself.

    Brandon Sanderson

    How bad is this? I honestly can't remember. It's one of my favorite lines, but I don't know if it was in the notes or not.

    Jonny Nilsson

    Will it be possible to order A Memory of Light signed, like the previous two books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it should be.

    Brandon Sanderson (24 September)

    Jason of Dragonmount writes the world's first review of A Memory of Light in the form of a touching letter to Robert Jordan.

    Tags

  • 206

    Interview: Oct 17th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Not much new, he did give a working title for the new book though, A Memory of Light...

    Tags

  • 207

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Question

    Any spoilers for A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's see here. Harriet killed a character in the book that I did not intend to kill. So I wrote the entire book with a character living and she killed this character.

    Question

    Did she tell you right before you finished, or what?

    Brandon Sanderson

    She sent back the draft and said "This person dies."

    Question

    So did you have to change a lot?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So they succumb to their wounds. I intended them to live, so there is a character who died unexpectedly. So that's a slight spoiler. There is like a chapter that's over a hundred pages. It's a Super Chapter.

    Question

    Did you have to invent any of it yourself, or did Jordan leave a lot of it for you?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He left some of it for me, and then I had to make the rest. As you're reading through the books, probably about half and half. Half will be stuff that he wrote notes on, half will be stuff that I wrote.

    Question

    Do you feel like it comes pretty easy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Some of it does. I mean I've been reading since I was a kid. So some of the characters like Perrin is very natural for me. And Rand's super natural for me. Others are a little less natural for me.

    Question

    Like Mat.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, like Mat. Mat's harder for me to write.

    Question

    Why is that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because Mat is very complex. Not to say that Perrin's not, but Perrin's straightforward. You know what I mean? Perrin says what he means, and does what he means. Mat says the opposite of what he means, and does the opposite of what he says. Making that tone correct for that is very hard. He's one part rapscallion, the other part Awesomeness. And balancing when he's playing the fool, and when he's just being awesome is very hard to get that balance down, because you don't want it to be silly, you know he can play the fool a bit but he shouldn't be silly. Otherwise it won't match from when he's being Awesome as well, if that makes sense.

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  • 208

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Loialson

    Question from Travyl, at the reread: Did Rand tell Darlin what Darlin responded to Egwene's letter, or was that all Darlin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Loialson

    Dangit.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't want to say anything about that because there's a potential confrontation coming up between all of these folks, and so there may be mention made of what various people knew and didn't know.

    Loialson

    Okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's not a big RAFO—it's not like there's some big secret there—but I don't want to say anything that's going to spoil a potential read of scenes that are coming.

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  • 209

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Loialson

    Does Demandred even have an alter ego?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, he does.

    Loialson

    Okay, cause we've been trying to figure out who the heck is it, and we can't figure it out. We're thinking Roedran, but it's like, too obvious.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Here's the thing: Robert Jordan said that Demandred did not appear until Knife of Dreams, and so I have been very hesitant about saying whether or not he'd appeared—I think I've said whether or not he'd appeared on screen in my books—but the reason is, if I give you a yes or no—if he's appeared, yes or no—then that narrows it down to like just a few characters, that are introduced in mine, so I've been very hesitant about answering that. Demandred does have an alter ego. He has been up to some very cool things. There are people online who have guessed correctly. And so, I will say that much.

    Loialson

    Is he in Randland?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I won't say whether or not he's in Randland.

    Fan

    He's not in Shara! He can't be in Shara!

    Footnote

    As to whether or not Demandred's alter ego has been seen on screen, Brandon himself extended RJ's comment through Knife of Dreams, and he later said that Demandred wasn't seen in Towers of Midnight at all. That, combined with this comment here where he lumps his books together makes it clear that Demandred's alter ego has never been seen on screen. (A list of characters introduced in The Gathering Storm, some of whom are disqualified by appearing in Towers of Midnight, helps to make that point.) Other comments by RJ make it clear that we should be able to figure out who it is by Winter's Heart at the latest, and Brandon has also said several times that it can be figured out from the books.

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  • 210

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Loialson

    In the prologue, Isam is hired by a female that is not known. Is that Lanfear/Cyndane?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, I'm TOTALLY gonna RAFO that. Come ON! Come on. You KNEW I was gonna RAFO that. That's very important to the book.

    Loialson

    Okay, related: Moridin says 'the one who is punished the most'. Obviously that's gotta be Cyndane, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, yes. That is Cyndane.

    Loialson

    So, is it possible that what happened in the epilogue, she was really going through that torture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will have to see it. RAFO. Okay, like someone [?] related. I don't think, by the way...when you read the book, what Cyndane is up to should be of paramount importance to you, and DO NOT believe everything that you think happens in the book.

    Loialson

    From her point of view, or from our point of view?

    Brandon Sanderson

    From your point of view, regarding her.

    Loialson

    Oh, boy.

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  • 211

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Terez (24 September 2012)

    Did Hessalam come from RJ's notes? We're asking for a very specific reason. :) (But it's not a gotcha question, promise.)

    Brandon Sanderson (24 September 2012)

    It was not me.

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  • 212

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Question

    We have the Asha'man who can only do Traveling and only open very small holes. Are we gonna see him open those holes in front of cannons, and then open it in front of Trolloc armies, A, and B, are we going to see the [kites?] that were developed in Rand's college used by the Seanchan?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. But I do have a slightly longer answer. One of the things I was excited to do when I was given the project was, I didn't want to invent a whole lot of new weaves—I felt it wasn't [my] place to do so, and Robert Jordan already had a very long list; there are a few that I invented by necessity—but mostly I wanted to take weaves that he had already invented and extrapolate. This is kind of what I do with magic systems, if you can't tell, and gateways were ones of the ones where I was like, "I can do stuff with these." And then Portal came out, and I'm like, "Ah, you're stealing my ideas!" (laughter) But yes, gateways...I do gateways a little more extensively than I think Jim had planned, and sometimes Maria is like nudging me and like, "Let's back off on the gateway stuff, Brandon." I just get really excited about them because I think they can do so many cool things. So, I won't say yes or no, but you will see me playing with gateways for sure.

    Footnote

    Presumably the questioner is referring to Androl, but Androl can open big gateways despite being perhaps the weakest Asha'man; that's his Talent.

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  • 213

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Question

    My question is actually for a friend of mine who was planning to come and had some health problems, but he asked me to ask you, with regard to Mat, whether or not in the upcoming book or any that we've already seen that we're not aware of, any of Mat's memories are contemporary with each other in essentially opposing sides of a battlefield.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ah. Yes. You have before. [To Maria] You're wanting to nod. [To questioner.] Maria's here. [To Maria] Do you want to handle this one?

    Maria Simons

    I can't remember details, but there's a scene where Mat remembers being on both sides of a battle.

    Fans

    Because he rode for and against Hawkwing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. So in this last book, Mat's memories will certainly play a part. That's a very nice RAFO.

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  • 214

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Question

    Will we see cannons and gateways used in creative ways during the Last Battle?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will see me playing with gateways.

    Tags

  • 215

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Question

    Will we see a Green Man in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    Tags

  • 216

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Question

    Will we find out what all of Cadsuane’s ornaments do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

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  • 217

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Chris Lough

    The discussion of multiple viewpoints prompted one audience member to ask about the growing amount of secondary viewpoints in the series itself, most notably in the prologues.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon pointed that Jordan himself began that trend in the prologues; "Embers Falling on Dry Grass" being among Sanderson's favorite uses of that device, and revealed that readers should expect even more in the final volume.

    How many more?

    Upwards of 80. In a single chapter. That’s around 70,000 words and which takes place near the end of A Memory of Light. (We're very curious to see if that chapter is titled "Tarmon Gai'don.")

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  • 218

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012

    Chris Lough

    Brandon spoke further on the ending of the book and the series. For example, was the fanboy inside of him satisfied with the ending?

    Brandon Sanderson

    "I really like the ending. When you get to what Robert Jordan wrote at the end of the book there's a serenity that arrives. Everything clicks into place."

    Tags

  • 219

    Interview: Oct 10th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hi all, this is Brandon Sanderson, fresh off of finishing the last book of The Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, and I'm here to introduce the story collection Unfettered to you. Shawn Speakman is putting together—actually asked all of us to do something like this, to talk about how we got involved in the project—he first approached me when I was on tour—it was probably I guess for Alloy of Law—and he explained that he was having...he had a lot of medical bills—Shawn has had some health troubles lately—and he's a good friend of a lot of us in the community, and he was looking to put together an anthology to maybe help to defray some of these costs, at the suggestion of Terry Brooks. And he just asked if I'd be interested; he said, "Really, it could be anything." That's why he's calling it "Unfettered", is because he didn't want to put any restrictions; in fact, he said it could be deleted scenes, it could be any sort of material relating to anything we wanted to do. He sounded most interested in something relating to one of my worlds that I've already written in, but he really said it could be anything.

    Well, I wasn't sure I'd be able to be involved, because A Memory of Light has taken...it was taking quite a bit of my time. It's quite the big project, and finding any time at all to work on anything else was really difficult. At the same time, however, there's a sequence of viewpoints in A Memory of Light—and I'm not at liberty yet to say who it is, but it's a character that you will know—that I was working on that were somewhat more daring than some of the viewpoints I've done. I wanted to try and give some deeper backstory to someone, and at the end of the day, showing the scenes to Harriet, we all liked them, but they didn't fit in the book. Harriet felt that they were too distracting, because of the new, sort of...new things I was adding, the things I was fleshing out. This is something that sometimes you want to avoid in storytelling, where you're near the end of the climax, introducing new concepts to kind of distract and derail.

    She felt that these scenes were doing that, and so after some discussion, we decided that they should be cut. And I always kind of felt sad, because while I agree that they were distracting, I really felt that they were strong and that they added a lot to the character, and give a lot of extra motivation—a lot of extra poignancy to some of the things going on in A Memory of Light—and so I began to think maybe this would be the place for them. I approached Harriet, and she said she thought that was a good idea.

    So what we'll be doing, it's a story called "River of Souls" but it's actually a sequence of deleted scenes. They are a complete arc for a certain character; they are meant to be read companionly to A Memory of Light. It's not going to make a whole lot of sense if you haven't read at least the rest of the Wheel of Time, but I find them very exciting; I think you'll really like them, and I think this is a good place for them because they won't be distracting from the rest of the story.

    So, "River of Souls" is going to be part of the Unfettered anthology which has lots of wonderful other people in it—in fact I'm honored to have a story in there, to be alongside some of the names that are in this anthology—and I really wish Shawn the best. He's been a wonderful help to me in my career, and to a lot of the writers out there, so I hope you guys enjoy reading Unfettered, and look forward to reading "River of Souls", and once A Memory of Light is out, I'll be able to talk a little bit more about this character, why these scenes were important, and what's going on there.

    Footnote

    Peter added a clarification to this on Dragonmount.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    It was actually Harriet's suggestion that this go in the anthology. When we talked to her about Unfettered around the time of JordanCon, we asked her about including a completely different and much shorter deleted scene. She said no to that but suggested this sequence instead.

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  • 220

    Interview: 2012

    AreYouReadyToReddit (August 2012)

    A question I had, if you're still answering. I believe you said on your blog that the "very last scene" is Robert Jordan's, and touched very little by you.

    Could you please specify what you mean in this? (Last scene of the main story arc, last section of the epilogue, last section of the last chapter, etc)

    Thanks for all the work you have put into the series!

    Brandon Sanderson (August 2012)

    It's the last scene of the book. RJ had a large influence on the ending as a whole, but when I say "Last Scene" I'm referencing the final 1000 word section with the words "The End" following it.

    AreYouReadyToReddit

    Cool, thanks! : )

    Tags

  • 221

    Interview: 2012

    Brandon Sanderson (September 2012)

    If you bought Legion hardcover, send me a picture of you and the book/receipt and I'll give you the e-book FREE!

    I told people I was trying to figure out how to do this with A Memory of Light. I failed there—the publishing end of that book is too far out of my hands. I can at least do it with stories for which I own the electronic rights.

    The sad thing is, this shouldn't actually be news. It should be the standard. I feel that publishing should have figured out how to make this work already.

    The next step is to figure out how to make this happen for my Tor books.

    BigRedDSP

    As a personal opinion, how good do you feel A Memory of Light is? I feel like I've been waiting for this book since I was a child. As a side note, I just finished The Way of Kings and have been told it will be a 10 book series which makes me worry when it's done I'll feel like I do about A Memory of Light right now.

    Brandon Sanderson

    On The Way of Kings: If it helps, it's two five book arcs. The first five will draw to a natural conclusion. (Kind of how Mistborn one comes to its own conclusion, then two and three are in another arc.)

    A Memory of Light is good. How good? Hard to say. I don't know that any book can live up to two decades of anticipation—or, at least, I don't know that any book I write can manage that. I think it will hold its own with the other two I've done, and then will have Robert Jordan's own ending on it, which makes it feel RIGHT to me. I won't try to falsely inflate the book, however. I did my best with it; I hope it is a worthy capstone to the series. The ending sequences are majestic. Some of the lengthy war chapters may drag for some people, though.

    moose_man

    Is the ebook date set in stone by now, or is there a chance of it changing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    For Legion or A Memory of Light? I guess I don't need to ask, since they're both pretty set at this point. I wish I could get A Memory of Light earlier (or at the very least, get an ebook sold with the physical copy.) However, I am not in charge of these decisions, and this book doesn't seem the one to use for rocking of the proverbial boat.

    moose_man

    True, of course. Thanks for your interactions with the community!

    Tags

  • 222

    Interview: 2012

    RickyLidz (September 2012)

    Is there anything those of us not in the U.S. can do to buy/get the A Memory of Light prologue?

    Brandon Sanderson (September 2012)

    Okay, so it looks like Tor has managed to get hold of English language rights to the prologue in some other countries. It looks like the list does NOT include Australia/UK/Ireland/New Zealand. That would be because Orbit has the rights there.

    This isn't my doing—my emails only went out late last night, and this would already have to have been in the works—but many of you should now be able to buy it on Amazon.

    I'll keep working on the above mentioned countries. It feels like a strange thing to be fighting for, since I think the prologue should have been free in the first place, but it seems this is enough a point of annoyance for some readers that it's worth me pushing on.

    Announcement from Tor.

    AlphaTender

    I can't download it from anywhere, it seems. I wouldn't dream of torrenting this under normal circumstances, but there are spoilers all over the internet, and dammit, I have been waiting for well over a decade for the end of this story. I want as much information as I can get—to finish the story, to participate in online communities such as this, and to be able to highfive my bro because its all so awesome. Teasers and pre-released materials are awesome, but it really isn't cool that we have to wait because the publishers can't sort their shit out.

    Here is my suggestion—Mistborn, post the damn thing on reddit, please. I cannot imagine that you are content to let fans miss out because of legal wranglings about copyright, so throw caution to the wind and fix this for your European fans if you can!

    Brandon Sanderson

    If it were my own book, I'd do so. It's not mine, however. I don't own it—and it's not just about copyright. It's about my respect for Harriet, and my word of honor to her.

    I've said before that I am not, personally, a fan of selling the prologue in the first place. I don't like the idea of people paying twice for the same content. This choice, however, is not mine to make either.

    The only thing I can think to do is personally contact the UK publisher, who owns the rights to distribute the book in English everywhere outside of North America, and ask if something can be worked out. I'll try. If I get anywhere, I'll post an update in /r/WoT.

    If you really want something to happen, you could also contact Orbit UK and ask if they'd be willing to let it be sold on Dragonmount, with the proceeds going to them.

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  • 223

    Interview: 2012

    adribbleofink (December 2012)

    Brandon Sanderson (December 2012)

    Just opened the document, as I figured I could give some hard statistics on this. The chapter is just shy of 79,000 words. It contains (by my quick count) 72 scenes—but only 31 distinct viewpoints, as numerous ones repeat. (There are eight Rand scenes, for example, and six each for Mat and Egwene. Three or four each for another eight characters.)

    It is not the last chapter of the book, but is a very important one, as you might have guessed. From the get-go, I lobbied Harriet to let me do this sequence as a single, massive chapter as I felt it fit with what was going on in the book as well as fitting with the series as a whole. I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

    Sarkos

    This may be a silly question, but what exactly is it that defines a chapter? Why the reluctance to break it up?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is a tough question to answer because what defines a chapter is dependent upon context. I have done chapters a paragraph or two long, and I've done some (well one) at this length. In addition, if I were to go into depth about what makes this chapter a single chapter to me, I feel it would give too many spoilers. It has to do with the pacing, the sensation I wish to convey, and the attempt—through prose and the form of the storytelling—to evoke the same emotions in the reader that the characters are feeling.

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  • 224

    Interview: Feb 21st, 2013

    Trae Cooper

    Harriet killed Siuan.

    Brandon also killed someone significant but he won't say who.

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  • 225

    Interview: 2012

    philosophyguru (December 2012)

    Brandon Sanderson (December 2012)

    It was very interesting to read this while trying to figure out what scenes she was referring to...

    philosophyguru

    I know you're incredibly busy on Stormlight 2, but if you have a few minutes, I would love to hear how you approached the notes that RJ left behind. I've heard the story about the ending and who killed Asmodean when you first visited Harriet's house, but where did you go from there? I assume you didn't just read all of the notes straight through...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, okay, this is going to be kind of long.

    To understand my next step, you have to understand what we mean by "Notes." There are really three groups of these.

    1) Robert Jordan's Worldbuilding Notes. These were in a series of dozens, maybe hundreds of files embedded chaotically inside of files inside of files, using his own system of notation. The notes reach all the way back to early books he was working on, as he was working on them. They aren't intended to be read by anyone other than him, and are sometimes very difficult to figure out. This is the group that Harriet has said, in her estimation, include a total wordcount equal to or greater to that of the published series.

    2) The notes for the last book, gathered by his assistants Maria and Alan, with Harriet's help. These are far more focused on the last book, notes that RJ wrote specifically focusing on the last book. This is a much more manageable amount, maybe fifty or a hundred pages. It includes interviews that Alan and Maria did with RJ before he died, asking him what was to happen to certain characters.

    3) Scenes for the last book, either in written form or dictated during his last months. This includes some completed scenes. (The last sequence in the book, for example. Also a lot of prologue material, including the scene with the farmer in The Gathering Storm, the Borderlander Tower scene in Towers of Midnight, and the Isam prologue scene from A Memory of Light.) A lot of these are fragments of scenes, a paragraph here and there, or a page of material that he expected to be expanded to a full chapter. This is different from #2 to me in that these are direct scene constructions, rather than "notes" explaining what was to happen.

    Together, #2 and #3 are about 200 pages. That is what I read the night I visited Harriet, and that is what I used to construct my outline.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I took all of the items, but particularly the things in 2&3, and then I re-read the series start to finish, taking notes on character motivations, plots that had not been resolved, and foreshadowing. I used this to create a skeleton, using character touchstones from the notes (like Egwene's climactic moments in The Gathering Storm) to construct plot cycles.

    Where there were big holes, I used my instincts as a writer and my re-read to develop what the story needed. From there, I started writing in viewpoint clusters. I would take character who were in the same area, and write their story for a chunk of time straight through. Then I would go back and do the same for another group of characters.

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  • 226

    Interview: May 2nd, 2012

    Terez (8 May 2012)

    Can you supply date, town, and bookstore?

    Mark Grayson

    This past Wednesday May 2nd in Las Vegas in the lobby of the Golden Nugget hotel. He was in town as one of the guests/teachers of a writers convention. He squeezed in a quick signing for local fans. If you signed up for his newsletter and gave your location as in the Vegas area you got an email from Peter about the signing. There were 8 or 9 of us there so it was pretty cool.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He let us ask some questions but didn't give any new details that aren't already out there. The info on the prologue came up as he was talking about his progress revising the book and how the ending was pretty much all RJ and didn't even need to be polished. He then mentioned that parts of the prologues of all 3 books had been written or dictated by RJ but the scene that was released was not one of them.

    Tags

  • 227

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2012

    The China Post

    On every visit abroad, Sanderson said, he takes notes and tries to write down a story that inspired him, to be used as a "seed" for later stories.

    Brandon Sanderson

    For example, an exhibit of necklaces and armors made out of coins that he saw nine years ago in the Middle East inspired him to create "coin armors" for the characters in his new book A Memory of Light, which is scheduled to be launched in fall this year.

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  • 228

    Interview: Aug 29th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    My complete Dragon*Con schedule is below, but the event many people are looking forward to is the A Memory of Light preview on Sunday, where I will read a new section from the final book. And speaking of the book, Team Jordan sent the approved copyedit changes to Tor yesterday, so it continues to be on track for its January 8th release.

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  • 229

    Interview: Sep 4th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Also at Dragon*Con I read a new excerpt from A Memory of Light. There will probably be three excerpts released after this, before the book comes out. I'm guessing they'll arrive in October/November, but I don't know for sure. As with previous volumes, the prologue will be released as an ebook. Tor.com will likely put up the full text of chapter one, and chapter two will probably go up in the audio form. The three segments that have been released so far, you can read on Tor.com now: the first scene of the prologue, a short clip from chapter one, and a scene from chapter eleven. You don't have to worry about the chapter eleven scene spoiling anything that goes before it. The hardcover book will be released on January 8th.

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  • 230

    Interview: Sep 25th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Finally, a summary of some recent Wheel of Time news. The book comes out January 8th, but Dragonmount's Jason Denzel has read it and has written a response to the book in the form of a letter to Robert Jordan. (There are no spoilers.) Also, as has been done in years past, the prologue has been released as an ebook. It's available from Tor in this list of countries, and the UK publisher Orbit will release it in the other countries next week.

    I'm still not a fan of charging people multiple times for the same content, but a prologue ebook has been established practice for the Wheel of Time for over a decade, and many readers feel the length of the prologue makes it worth the money. Still, this is something that's really only for the hardcore fans who just can't wait any longer. Most people will wait and that's perfectly okay. There will be free previews too; the first scene of the prologue is available here, and there are excerpts from chapter one and chapter eleven. Tor.com will release the whole first chapter sometime in the next few months, followed probably by an audiobook preview of chapter two. The wait is almost over, folks!

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  • 231

    Interview: Oct 10th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Shawn Speakman has put together a great anthology coming out in early 2013 that features a bunch of big names in the fantasy field (including Terry Brooks, Pat Rothfuss, Tad Williams, and others). He asked the authors to record videos to promote it, so here's my video explaining my contribution.

    If you're interested, you can preorder Unfettered here. It will also be available for Kindle and Nook once the book is released.

    Footnote

    A transcription of the video is available here.

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  • 232

    Interview: Oct 23rd, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Macmillan Audio is running a little promotion for the A Memory of Light audiobook on CD (sorry, US residents only). This image pretty much says it all:

    Looks cool! For more details, see this link.

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  • 233

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    ITEM #1: THE TOUR

    Tor is almost ready to announce the book tour. When it gets announced, all of the signings will be listed on my events page, so check out that page to see if I'm signing near you. I can tell you now that the tour will contain only US and Canadian cities, and it will be split into two sections.

    I do plan to take a trip to Europe sometime in 2013, but it hasn't been arranged yet. If you want a signed copy of the book and won't be able to make it to one of my tour cities, there will be a couple additional ways to get signed copies. But if you want your book personalized, the best way to make that happen is to call one of the bookstores on my tour and ask if they can arrange it for you. As I'll mention below, the Weller Book Works signing by mail has already sold out.

    The focus on my tour stops will be on getting everyone's books signed. I'll probably read and answer questions at every stop, but I will also try to pre-sign some stock so if you just want a signed book and don't want to stand in line for me to personalize it for you, you can just grab the book and go.

    Harriet will be joining me on some tour stops; more details will be forthcoming when the tour is announced.

    Some of the events might be ticketed, which means that the bookstore requires you to buy the book FROM THEM in order to get it signed. I've asked for this to happen at as few booksellers as possible, but each store has the final call. Why would they do this? Well, a lot of stores have to bring in extra staff (or even rent extra space) in order to handle an enormous event like this. In the past, they've spent this money and then had everyone bring in books they bought from Amazon to get signed. It makes them very bitter, as they lose money after all the work they put into holding an event. (In one famous case I heard of, a small bookstore held a signing where they spent hundreds on staff, promotion, and cookies, only to have over a hundred people, out of the hundred and twenty who came, bring in books they bought from Amazon.)

    As I said, I've requested that the signings all be open to anyone. However, I can see the bookstores' point. Please be respectful and realize one of the reasons that places like Amazon can give you the books so cheaply is that they don't have to maintain or pay rent on expensive storefronts in retail areas. Support your local booksellers; it's because of them that we can have signing events. If possible, I'd ask that you go and buy the book from the store where you're planning to see me. You can buy it early and keep the receipt. If you bring the receipt with you to the signing, that's as good as buying the book at the signing. Generally, at ticketed events, as long as you buy any hardcover book, they will let you get your other books signed. So, for instance, you could buy A Memory of Light and then get it, The Gathering Storm, and Towers of Midnight (or any of my other books) signed. And even if you don't buy your copy of AMoL at the signing, it's nice to support the store hosting me by buying at least one book (by any author) while you're there.

    I don't know which events will be ticketed—or even if any will. I'm slowly gathering information on this. There probably won't be many that are, but I wanted to lay the groundwork just in case. I'll add more information to the events page as it trickles in.

    Finally, there may be a cap on the number of books I will personalize for you at a time. I'll sign all your books, but personalizations can take a while, so if there's a large crowd, to keep the line moving I may only personalize three books at a time. However, it's just fine if you want to go to the end of the line again and wait to get three more books personalized. I WILL sign paperbacks. I WILL NOT sign books I did not write—e.g. the Wheel of Time books before The Gathering Storm. Yes, people have asked; often about one per signing. However, for the signings on this tour where Harriet will be with me, she will be happy to sign them.

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  • 234

    Interview: Dec 3rd, 2012

    Brandon Sanderson

    Irene Gallo at Tor.com posted a picture of the first printed copy of A Memory of Light. This is called an F&G (folded and gathered pages). The book comes out next month!

    Most of my A Memory of Light book signing tour has been announced and posted on my events page. There are still a couple of Canadian dates to be added, but Tor should have those finalized soon. If you want email reminders when I'm near you, tell me your city at this link. I also have a handful of events in December, including this week in West Jordan.

    Tor.com also put up a video where Harriet McDougal, Tom Doherty, Jason Denzel, Pat Rothfuss, and I talk about A Memory of Light. Check it out.

    This is the last week for the A Memory of Light audiobook/iphone case promotion that I talked about a few weeks ago. If you buy the CD version of the audiobook, you can get a free iPhone 4/4S case. Details are here.

    Moses Siregar III has an interview with Jason Denzel on the Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing podcast. It talks a lot about A Memory of Light, as well as other things Jason is involved in.

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  • 235

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (5 October 2012)

    I've been getting questions about "Unfettered," an anthology next year with a Wheel of Time story in it. Blog post next week, but...

    Brandon Sanderson

    The "story" is actually a deleted sequence from A Memory of Light we cut for pacing reasons. We donated it to Shawn to help pay his medical bills.

    Brandon Sanderson

    As I said, I will blog this soon. It is from the viewpoint of someone you know, but not one of the main characters.

    Jonathan B.

    Could you let us know where the "story" would have gone in the book once its released so we can read it in order?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sure.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A deleted sequence from A Memory of Light called "River of Souls" will appear in the anthology Unfettered (early 2013). http://youtu.be/UtHQbOMiD-k

    Footnote

    Transcript of video here.

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  • 236

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    ali alhamadani (19 October 2012)

    I was thinking, will Bela make an appearance in A Memory of Light? (Serious question) :P :D

    Brandon Sanderson (19 October 2012)

    Yes.

    ali alhamadani

    Any more details? Or is it RAFO?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Just be watching. :)

    Tags

  • 237

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Jan Carrick (30 October 2012)

    Will we see more of the serious, dark Mat that we left in Knife of Dreams? That is, the one Tuon refers to as...

    Jan Carrick

    ... "a lion on the high plains" and who leaves wounded enemy combatants to suffer and die (Knife of Dreams ch. 27)? Thanks for your time.

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    I've tried. I do worry that sometimes I'm too lighthearted with Mat, and need to remember his dangerous side too.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have attempted to walk this balance in A Memory of Light.

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  • 238

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (30 November 2012)

    Tor put up a video where Harriet, Jason, Tom, and I talk about A Memory of Light.

    Brandon Sanderson (3 December)

    Jason Denzel was interviewed on the Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing podcast. It talks a lot about A Memory of Light.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Irene Gallo at Tor dot com posted a picture of the first (unbound) printed copy of A Memory of Light.

    Brandon Sanderson (7 December)

    Tor put up a new video, The Robert Jordan Story. Check it out.

    Brandon Sanderson (13 December)

    Irene Gallo at Tor dot com has a picture-filled post on the printing & binding of A Memory of Light. Very cool.

    Brandon Sanderson (19 December)

    Tor dot com has put up another video, talking about the last chapter of the Wheel of Time.

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  • 239

    Interview: Dec 19th, 2012

    Narrator

    With Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight complete, Brandon Sanderson had to face his greatest challenge yet—writing the final battle in A Memory of Light.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A Memory of Light was a challenge for a number of reasons. There is a lot of warfare in this book—more so than all of the others—which needed to be realistic, and the tactics needed to be sound. And these were the sorts of things that Robert Jordan was extremely good at doing—he was a military historian. I don't have his background, so I had to rely a lot on the notes, and on Team Jordan. You want the story to be focused on the characters—it has to be a personal story. How to balance that, how to tell the story of these wars in a series which is primarily concerned with the characters was a real push back and forth with the text, trying to massage it and edit and work it to the point that it would convey their stories but still be true to the tactics that would make this all come together.

    Tom Doherty

    There's been huge enthusiasm. People have been waiting for this for a long time. If they once dipped into it, they wouldn't be able to put it down.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And in January, they will finally get the full story—the final volume of the Wheel of Time. The end of an Age has arrived. The Dark One is almost free. The Wheel of Time hangs in the balance, and prophecy must be fulfilled. The Last Battle begins January 8th.

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  • 240

    Interview: Jan 3rd, 2013

    Goodreads

    Many plot points are in motion at the end of the next-to-last book in the series, Towers of Midnight. Can you set the stage? What can readers expect in the final book, A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A little bit of spoilers here: One of the big things we got going on is Rand and Egwene on opposite sides of the big decision regarding what needs to happen with the last battle. It's a power struggle that has been brewing for a long time behind the scenes. Some may not have noticed it until I brought it to the forefront in the last book. We've just had a main character who has been gone for a long, long time show up again in the end of Towers of Midnight, and there are ramifications for that. Can we work together? How do we work together?—that's going to be one of the themes.

    And, of course, this is the last battle, which means there's a lot of war in this book. And that's actually very different for a Wheel of Time book. There have been big battles before, but not ones that span half of the book or more.

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  • 241

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    kcf

    How much have ideas that you or other members of Team Jordan first saw in fans discussion influenced the book? Spoiler follow-up: Such as the tactical use of gateways?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Tactical use of gateways is honestly all me. I hadn't even played Portal before I wrote these books. I have since went back and played it, and they're doing some of the same fun stuff. That was me from years and years ago as a guy who likes magic systems reading the Wheel of Time books and saying, "If I had gateways, this is what I would do." In fact, I had built up some magic systems using things like gateways that I will never be able to use now, because I got handed the master magic system with gateways.

    Team Jordan was somewhat uncomfortable with my use of gateways, in a lot of ways. They felt I was pushing them. But my response back was that I didn't want to push the magic system in other ways; I didn't want to be inventing a lot of new weaves. I didn't want to be doing a lot of things like that, because I felt it would be taking the system too much in the directions I take the Brandon Sanderson systems. I really do like Robert Jordan's magic system, but I wanted to take some of the specifics that had already been done, such as gateways, and say, "Here's where you can extrapolate with them."

    As for other things that have been discussed in the fandom—I certainly wasn't as big a part of the fandom as I am now, not anywhere near it. For instance, I didn't care about Asmodean until I started talking to other Wheel of Time fans, and it was a big deal to them, and so it became a big deal to me. There are certain things that through fandom and talking to other fans you tend to rally around, that I kind of wanted. One was a reunion between Tam and Rand. There are other things like that, that for a long time we'd been waiting for and we'd talked to each other about, and we'd imagined what they'd be like. Those sorts of things did influence me; I had to be really careful not to be too influenced though. Being too influenced would lead me to put in lots of inside jokes, things like Narg—that would have been letting the fan in me run too wild. So I did have to rein that in.

    It’s hard for me to separate the years of talking about the Wheel of Time with friends and reading about the Wheel of Time from what I eventually ended up doing in the books. Once I did start working on the books, I didn't go plumbing through fan forums looking for things that should be included. I specifically stayed away from things like that, though I did suggest to Maria at times that she should watch and see what people were expecting, so that we would know what things we were not going to end up fulfilling, and could be prepared for them.

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  • 242

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    tiffranosaurusrex

    Why the decision to leave out the glossary at the end?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Harriet suggested this. She liked the idea of RJ's words being the last ones in the series, and felt that it was right.

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  • 243

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    tiffranosaurusrex

    Why didn't Rand immediately find Mat and put him in charge of the armies?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Rand knew where Mat was (the visions.) Therefore, he knew that Mat was with the Seanchan—so in going to find them, and bring them into the battle, he was doing just that. (To an extent.) Also, he understands that with Mat—unlike Perrin—swooping in and ordering him about is a good way to get Mat going the opposite direction. However, Mat also finds his way to where he needs to be. So, Rand decided to let the Pattern work on Mat, and instead focused on preparing Perrin .

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  • 244

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Harriet McDougal

    He began all his books with the wind blowing. Breath, to instill life into his characters. In the Bible, Job 33:4 says, "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." When other writers would talk of their characters taking on life of their own, and controlling the story, he said, "I am an Old Testament creator: My fist is in the middle of my characters' lives."

    Oh, dear, dear man. And what a creator he was! And, as Scott Card said of The Eye of the World, what a powerful vision of good and evil.

    On January 8 you will see the final turning of his powerful vision. It comes to you with his love. And mine.

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  • 245

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, I spent the next hours late into the night sitting in a chair beside Robert Jordan's computer (it had been moved, by coincidence, out of his office and into the sitting room) reading his ending to The Wheel of Time, then poring over the rest of the notes. I remember Harriet passing by once and asking—with a satisfied smile—"It's good, isn't it?"

    And it is. As a Wheel of Time fan for nearly 20 years at that point, I found myself supremely satisfied. The ending is the right one. Somewhat unexpected, somewhat daring, but also very well done. I knew that whatever else happened—whatever mistakes I made—at least this ending would be there, as Robert Jordan intended. We've put it in almost untouched, with just a few edits here and there at Harriet's direction.

    You're going to love it.

    Brandon

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  • 246

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    Bravehamster

    At the signing tonight in Lexington, I asked Brandon about [the Song]. This is pretty much exactly what he said:

    Brandon Sanderson

    Robert Jordan's notes on this are very clear: the Tinkers will never find their song. They've lost it for too long, that even if someone stood in front of them singing The Song, they would just nod their head, say 'that's a nice song' and go on their way.

    Bravehamster

    He also confirmed that Rand was singing The Song in Tuon's garden.

    Footnote

    To be clear, RJ clarified that 'the song' itself was a mystification of the growing songs, and so technically 'the song' never existed.

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  • 247

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    Bravehamster

    Brandon Sanderson

    Also: Siuan going into to a burning building to save Mat was a deliberate reference to her first conversation with him.

    Footnote

    That was not actually her first conversation with him; she met all the boys in Fal Dara, but only Rand's meeting was on screen. The conversation referenced is in The Dragon Reborn Chapter 20, "Visitations".

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  • 248

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm sitting here on a plane, flying to Minneapolis after signing 1280(!) books last night at the midnight release of A Memory of Light. That marks it as my largest signing ever, though a whole lot of readers (understandably) grabbed their pre-signed books and ran off to read them, rather than waiting for a personalization.

    Harriet did a reading, which my good friend Earl filmed (along with the Q&A). I'm sure he plans to post that as soon as the editing is done, and we'll get you a link. I'll be doing many more signings and readings in the coming weeks. (Of special note is the signing in Lexington, where the bookseller wanted me to let you know that he has been able to get Michael Whelan to send prints of the cover of A Memory of Light. See below this post for details.)

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  • 249

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    A lot of people are asking what it feels like to be done. That's an odd question to consider for a couple of reasons. In some ways, the Wheel of Time was "done" for me when I read Robert Jordan's last scene back in 2007. The work wasn't done, of course, and I had a very long road ahead of me. And yet, I'd read the ending. We managed to get it into the final book virtually unchanged, with only a few minor tweaks here and there. The sequence (it is more than one scene) that I am referring to most of the time when I talk about this encompasses the entire epilogue of A Memory of Light. Once you get there, you can know you're reading Robert Jordan's words, though of course there are other scenes scattered through the book that he worked on too.

    So that was one ending, for me. Another came in January of last year, when I finished the rough draft of this book. Still, there was a great deal of work to do, but I was "done" after a fashion. From there, I transitioned from writing a new Wheel of Time book to doing revisions—and for the last time ever.

    Another ending came for me when I handed the book over to Maria from Team Jordan to handle all of the final tweaks from the proofreads and copyedits. That happened late last summer, and with some regret, I stepped away from the Wheel of Time. Like a parent (though a step-parent in this case) waving farewell to a child as they leave the home, I no longer had responsibility for this book in the same way. I was done.

    And yet, I wasn't. This month and next I'll be touring for the Wheel of Time. That will probably be the final ending, seeing all of you and sharing in your mixed joy and regret at the finale of this series. Over twenty-three years ago now, I picked up The Eye of the World for the first time, and my life changed. A lot of you have similar stories.

    I know how you feel. I've been feeling it for five years now, ever since I read that last scene. There is no glossary in this last Wheel of Time book. We wanted to leave you with the memory of that scene, as Robert Jordan wrote it, for your final impression of the Wheel of Time.

    I'm happy I can finally share that scene with you. After five years of waiting, I can talk about it with others and reminisce without having to worry about what I'm spoiling. I hope to chat with as many of you as possible in the upcoming months. For those who can't make it, I'll post some responses to frequently asked questions below.

    May you always find water and shade.

    Brandon Sanderson
    January 8th, 2013

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  • 250

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    You said something about cover art prints of A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes! Brian from Joseph-Beth is one of those booksellers mentioned above. From the start of my career, he's been in my corner, rooting for my books to do well. (And he has probably hand-sold more copies of my books than any person other than myself.) He tends to do awesome things for booksignings. This time, he called up Michael Whelan and asked if he could somehow get prints of the cover to sell.

    The result is that we're going to be selling them at that signing, and ONLY that signing. In fact, so far as I know, this is the only place to get prints of the cover painting right now. Mr. Whelan has already signed each one, and I'll be signing them when in Lexington. [Assistant Peter's note: Michael Whelan will also sell them on his own website—we'll put up a link later—at the same price ($95), but getting it from Joseph-Beth will be faster. If you're not going to the signing you can order it here. There may also be a few prints of the The Way of Kings cover painting available at the signing itself.]

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  • 251

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    Why a delayed ebook release for A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is not my decision or Tor's decision, but Harriet's. She is uncomfortable with ebooks. Specifically, she worries about ebooks cutting into the hardcover sales. It isn't about money for her, as the monetary difference between the two is negligible here. It is about a worry that her husband's legacy will be undermined if sales are split between ebooks and hardcovers, preventing the last book of the Wheel of Time from hitting number one on either list. (Many of the bestseller lists are still handling ebooks in somewhat awkward ways.)

    As the last books have all hit number one, she doesn't want to risk one of these not hitting number one, and therefore ending the series on a down note. (Even though each Wheel of Time book has sold more than its predecessor, including the ones I have worked on.) I personally feel her worries are unfounded, and have explained that to her, but it is not my choice and I respect her reasoning for the decision. She is just trying to safeguard Robert Jordan's legacy, and feels this is a very important way she needs to do so. After talking about the issue, we were able to move the ebook up from the originally planned one-year delay to instead come out this spring.

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  • 252

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Daniel (7 January 2013)

    At 11:52 PM on 11/6/13, I finished reading The Wheel of Time. To Robert Jordan, you, and all of team Jordan...Thank you.

    Brandon Sanderson (7 January 2013)

    It has been an honor. The epilogue as it stands now is the sequence I read 5 years ago—the last part that RJ left for us.

    Footnote

    This was clarified elsewhere. RJ didn't write the entire epilogue, but it's implied he wrote most of it, and certainly the Rand POVs at the end (this was RJ's 'last scene').

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  • 253

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Ed Huyck

    What were you thinking when you wrapped up the final chapter of the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I felt like a person who had just run a mental marathon. I was tired, I was satisfied, I was excited, and I was saddened. That was five years of my life writing, and twenty-something years of my life reading and working on it. It was really bittersweet. But you have to remember that that was tempered for me, because the ending that Robert Jordan had written—I had read that years ago. So in a lot of ways the series was already finished to me, and had been finished since 2007 when I read the ending.

    That last chapter was his chapter. There were only minor tweaks that I put in; there's one scene that I added from a certain character's viewpoint. But basically, that whole ending sequence, the last chapter, and the epilogue, are Robert Jordan's. So it was more a matter of finally putting it in with the rest of the book. Now, it's finally done. The capstone that was finished five, six years ago can finally be slipped into place and the book can be complete. So all of those emotions were mixed together.

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  • 254

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Ed Huyck

    Are we going to be happy with the end of A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The ending was written by Robert Jordan, and as a reader I found it extremely satisfying when I reached it. And so I feel very confident that the ending of the book is going to be what everyone has been hoping for and wanting—without being exactly what they expect. I think the ending that Robert Jordan wrote is just wonderful.

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  • 255

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

    Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time, launched in 1990, quickly became one of the most popular series in the history of fantasy, though as the story continued year after year, swelling into many mammoth volumes, some fans wondered if the tale would ever be finished, especially after Jordan's death in 2007. But this month sees the release of A Memory of Light, the 14th and final volume, completed by author Brandon Sanderson, working off Jordan's notes.

    Brandon Sanderson

    "The last thing that Robert Jordan wrote is the last chapter of this book," says Brandon Sanderson in this week's episode of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "I felt when I first read it that it was a satisfying ending. I felt it was the right ending. It's been my guidepost for all the work I've done on this."

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  • 256

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

    Fantasy and science fiction fans have every reason to be skeptical about the endings of long-running sagas, many of which never materialize or prove resoundingly disappointing, but Sanderson hopes A Memory of Light will be the exception. Certainly fans have high expectations, with some lining up at Sanderson’s first signing as much as two weeks in advance.

    Brandon Sanderson

    "It's not particularly pleasant outside in Utah in December and January," says Sanderson. "These are real troopers."

    Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

    Listen to our complete interview with Brandon Sanderson in Episode 77 of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, in which he reflects on his 50,000 unread e-mails, explains why so many Mormons write science fiction, and talks about whether this is really the end of The Wheel of Time. Then stick around after the interview as guest geek Douglas Cohen joins hosts John Joseph Adams and David Barr Kirtley to discuss movies based on the works of Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian.

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  • 257

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Terez

    There was some discussion about Brandon's suggestion that RJ wrote the entire epilogue, since we knew from his tweets while he was working on it that he had to modify the epilogue material, and we knew from Peter that Brandon wrote the Cadsuane scene (and possibly others; this has never been clarified). In the comments on this post on Facebook, Isabel asked some questions and got some answers from Peter. The last quote is from Dragonmount, in response to some fan assumptions about how much had been written by RJ.

    Isabel (9 January 2013)

    One question: regarding the Cadsuane scene. It is said that this was added by you. Is that correct? Was Cadsuane's fate in RJ's notes?

    Peter Ahlstrom (9 January 2013)

    Team Jordan said I could say that Brandon himself wrote the words of that little scene. Brandon is still being closedmouthed about what specifically came from the notes, but in general, Robert Jordan left quite a few notes on where people ended up at the end of the book.

    Isabel

    Am I right to assume that her implied fate wouldn't have been put in, if the notes say something different? (assuming there were notes on it)

    Peter Ahlstrom

    The notes about fates at the end were not contradicted.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    What Brandon was given from RJ specifically on the last three books was 200 manuscript pages containing some finished scenes (including the final scene) and some summaries of other scenes, some lines of dialogue here and there, some "I might do this, or I might do this," etc. It's definitely not the last 120 pages of the book.

    Footnote

    Brandon gave more information in the torchat.

    Tags

  • 258

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Kristi Deming (12 January 2013)

    Any chance of finding out what "Bao" or "The Wyld" mean since we have no glossary?

    Brandon Sanderson (12 January 2013)

    Both are a reference to Beowulf, and I meant the Wyld to mean "predator" or, in more common tongue, he who will kill the dragon.

    Footnote

    The name "Bao" also came from Bao Pham, a fan who has worked (along with Jimmy Liang, blademaster "Jaim" of The Yearly Brawl) teaching sword forms for JordanCon and the WoT track at DragonCon.

    Tags

  • 259

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Can (13 January 2013)

    @Terez27 Do we know which character is dead by Harriet's choice?

    Terez

    Bela. @BrandSanderson told us twice that she would survive. :( But apparently Harriet later insisted she should die.

    Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)

    Yeah. Harriet felt that we had painted that character into a corner, and the story demanded that conclusion.

    Daniel Shepard

    Is that the GRRM moment? Or the character that was gonna recover from their injuries?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Character was going to recover.

    Brandon Sanderson

    She was right to make that call, but it does turn me into a liar. That's what I get for speaking too soon...

    Werthead

    That does seem slightly ludicrous. I think the fanbase turned Bela into a bit of a meme.

    Brandon Sanderson

    True, but I will note that Harriet personally has a special fondness for her.

    Brandon Sanderson

    She has said that she would joke with RJ that Bela was the character based on Harriet in the books.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Harriet even has "Bela" in her email address. She took her fate quite seriously.

    Werthead

    The average reader wouldn't even remember who she was. Weird this much effort was spent on her.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    You think? Back when I was an average reader and hadn't talked about the books online, I loved Bela.

    Tags

  • 260

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Daniel Shepard (13 January 2013)

    Who was GRRM moment? Siuan?

    Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)

    Trying to avoid spoilers, but it was a sequence of characters including that one.

    Tags

  • 261

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    The Sandwich Man (13 January 2013)

    Just read A Memory of Light, one of my all-time favorites. But for clarification, what, exactly, did Rand do to seal the Bore?

    Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)

    I want to avoid spoilers on my feed, if possible. But it involved access to something Lews Therin did not have.

    Tags

  • 262

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Can (13 January 2013)

    Which scene was the most visualized one that you wanted to see in the movie? Demandred-Taim?

    Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)

    Lan with arrows falling and a ring of fire.

    Tags

  • 263

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Terez (13 January 2013)

    I once wrote a poem about writer's block. I was reminded of it when I the last scene of chapter 44... @BrandSanderson https://twitter.com/BrandSanderson/status/106123521532493824

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would love to see the poem. And it sure was nice to have Thom around to help with inspiration.

    Patrick

    Thom's chapter viewpoint in Memory of Light, hands down for me, was my favorite. Beautifully written.

    Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)

    Thanks!

    Tags

  • 264

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    MPry (13 January 2013)

    Really really we wish we had more of what happened "after". I personally believe. I'm thinking it wasnt your decision though.

    Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)

    It was not, but I agree with how it is. Those sorts of endings—like in Harry Potter—don't work for me as well.

    Brandon Sanderson

    However, Harriet has promised to release what we know of RJ's planned sequel trilogy to give you more info.

    Tags

  • 265

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    khaosbringer

    So, I was lucky enough to get to go to the Memory of Light signing in Lexington at Joseph-Beth on January 11th.

    When I was getting some books personalized, I told him how much I really liked the characterization of Androl and Perava.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He told me that Androl was a fun character for him to write, because it was his "own" Asha'man.

    When he agreed to finish WoT, as he was looking over his notes, he asked if he could create an Asha'man to do with what he wanted. Thus, Androl.

    He also talked about how Perava was his idea of how the Red Ajah would make their way in the world after the taint was gone from saidin.

    khaosbringer

    Granted, they were relatively minor characters, but they had the best side story in the final three books, IMHO.

    Tags

  • 266

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Austin Moore

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon stated that, as we knew before, RJ had the fates of the major characters worked out in the notes but that some had to be done by Brandon based on the current emotional moment of the story and what worked best.

    Tags

  • 267

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Austin Moore

    Brandon Sanderson

    A fan asked who Nakomi was from book 13. Of course, Brandon said RAFO but that there was a clue in A Memory of Light. When I heard this I thought of when Aviendha asked Bair about Nakomi and Bair said it was an old name so I asked Brandon if that was the clue when I was at the signing table and got a RAFO as well. However, he did say that she was in the book for a reason. She was not, and he emphasized it well, not in the series just to be theorized about.

    Tags

  • 268

    Interview: Jan 10th, 2013

    Jonrox

    Where was Roedran after the Field of Merrilor?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (Consternation on his face) He was goofing off somewhere.

    Jonrox

    And his army? They didn't do anything of note, eh?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right.

    Tags

  • 269

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    Did Brandon insert a character in the story based on himself?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. He did however mention two items, one for Robert Jordan, one for him. In the ter'angreal cache found in Ebou Dar, there is a man with a beard statue. The power of the item is to be like an easily movable library. [MY NOTE: We see this in A Memory of Light.] This was Robert Jordan. Brandon then told the story of how he got his sword, with the dragon scabbard, while in Mr. Jordan's home in South Carolina, and meeting with Wilson. That sword appears in the book, and is the one which Rand gives to Tam in A Memory of Light. So Brandon's sword is in the book, but not Brandon himself.

    Footnote

    RJ referred to his appearance in the form of the bearded man ter'angreal as his "Alfred Hitchcock moment". Aviendha first discovered the use of the bearded man ter'angreal in Knife of Dreams 15. Brandon's sword appears in A Memory of Light 15.

    Tags

  • 270

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    [Side note: One person almost got himself lynched by asking a somewhat spoilery question, regardless of what people had been instructed...] Some characters die in A Memory of Light. How do you choose which characters to kill and which to keep alive?

    Brandon Sanderson

    [My note: Brandon tried to keep this out of spoilers and make it more general about writing and dealing with killing characters off in general.] In this book, Robert Jordan had left very specific instructions regarding the fates of some characters. He left a lot of notes, and some of those determined their fate. In general, characters have to be allowed to take risks in order to create a compelling story. There has to be a real danger for them, or the characters fall flat. Sometimes, that means characters are going to die. (Brandon added a nice bit that made the crowd laugh: "Which character can I kill off that will really piss everyone off and which no one expects?")

    Tags

  • 271

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    Who was the Aiel woman that Aviendha met on her trip to Rhuidean?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nakomi. Also, RAFO, there's a hint in A Memory of Light.

    (Later in the evening, he said that hint can be found between the chapter "The Last Battle" and the end of the book. He also said she came from deep in Jordan's notes, and he did not feel like he could give more information than that. Also, she might be explained in the encyclopedia, but no promises regarding that.)

    Footnote

    This Q&A was later clarified by a Twitter conversation in which Brandon said that something he found deep in RJ's notes made him include Nakomi. He refused to confirm that Nakomi actually was in the notes.

    Tags

  • 272

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    How much was already completed when you took over the series?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon referred to what Tom Doherty had previously said on the issue. He said there were about 200 pages when he took over. Also, the Epilogue in A Memory of Light was almost entirely written by Jordan with Brandon trying to bring everything else to that point.

    Tags

  • 273

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    In a charity drive, a lot of people were chosen to have their names inserted into A Memory of Light; specifically, we were told a large group would consist of these people. Who are they in the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Dragonsworn. Aes Sedai have joined this group, and many others. That's where they were added.

    Tags

  • 274

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    Question

    There was a new weave used by someone in book 14; did anyone else see it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    "Yes"—and that's all that was spoken about it, since it contained spoilers.

    Footnote

    Presumably this is in reference to the "Flame of Tar Valon" weave, which Egwene used in A Memory of Light 37.

    Tags

  • 275

    Interview: Jan 11th, 2013

    Question

    What was Brandon given to start his work?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He received one scene from each prologue—the first scene from The Gathering Storm that was dictated, the Kandori tower scene from Towers of Midnight, and one scene from A Memory of Light that I will not state since it contains a spoiler. There were large chunks of the ending, including the entire epilogue. He received fragments of Egwene's visit from her "special visitor" inThe Gathering Storm, and a proposal at the end of Towers of Midnight. There were also discussions of scenes, and answers from Team Jordan.

    Tags

  • 276

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2013

    Question

    How does it feel now that you are done with the series?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Bittersweet. Has been reading the series longer than he has had some friends!

    Harriet McDougal

    It was truly done well.

    Maria Simons

    Bittersweet. And wow!

    Alan Romanczuk

    Brain Dead.

    Tags

  • 277

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2013

    Question

    Why is the Last Battle chapter so long?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is two hundred pages, and takes place for almost 24 hours, but the goal was for the reader to feel as exhausted after as the characters themselves did.

    Fan

    It worked!

    Tags

  • 278

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2013

    Question

    Any of the characters you got caught into?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, so lots of trimming and pruning, and had to write some others back in.

    Tags

  • 279

    Interview: Jan 16th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    For those who missed the news and are wondering about the A Memory of Light ebook, I talked about it at the bottom of my blog post last week.

    Tags

  • 280

    Interview: Jan 16th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    My assistant has also uploaded two more Twitter archive posts. [Assistant Peter's note: The first one is spoiler free, but there are plenty of spoilers for A Memory of Light in the second one. Brandon tries to keep spoilers out of his Twitter feed, but there are major spoilers in several of the questions that Brandon answered.]

    We'll find out how A Memory of Light did on the New York Times bestseller list later today or tomorrow, but we already know it hit #1 on the Ingram and National Indie lists. (The USA Today listing above was for the week before the book came out.) We also made Shelf Awareness's Image of the Day for January 16th, which you can see here (taken at Joseph-Beth in Lexington):

    Thanks for all of your support, and I hope you're enjoying the book! It has been an honor.

    Tags

  • 281

    Interview: Jan 8th, 2013

    Question ()

    Will the audio of RJ's dictation of the final scene be released?

    Harriet McDougal

    That's a good question. I'll think about it.

    Tags

  • 282

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    Alright, I finished the book...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, no spoilers about the book itself, please.

    Question

    There are characters we've been with for twenty years or so who don't survive this book. How do you choose when characters meet perhaps an untimely end in a book? [laughter]

    Brandon Sanderson

    For this book in specific, there are characters that Robert Jordan left notes on requiring what would happen to certain characters; he was actually fairly detailed. There are a couple of cases where we made decisions on our own, and in any case, when a character dies in a book, I am trying to do what is best for that character and for the emotional beats of the storytelling. I don't look at it as killing off characters; I look at it as letting characters take risks, the risks that they would demand of me that they be allowed to take, and if those risks don't occasionally come with consequences, then there is no story to me, because there is no tension, and there is no possibility for things to go wrong, and without that possibility, I wouldn't be able to write the books. I would be unable to write novels if the characters were unable to have actual danger from the actions that they're taking.

    And so, I make these decisions based on what the character demands and what the story demands. It's never easy. I don't sit there gleefully, as I do imagine certain writers doing [laughter], who will remain unnamed [laughter], saying, "What two don't they expect me to kill, and how can I do it in a really, really brutal way?" [laughter] And that's a certain skill that certain authors have; that's not how I approach it. It's what the story demands of me, is how I approach it, and in some cases what Robert Jordan demanded of me. I agree with everyone that he killed, though. [laughter] I felt that it was right for the story.

    Tags

  • 283

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    That charity drive that you draw names from? Originally it was mentioned that they would be represented by a group, or army at the Last Battle. What group?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will find them in there. They call them Dragonsworn. They are a group of unaligned Dragonsworn which include people who have just left their oaths behind and joined this group. There are Aes Sedai in there; there are Aiel in there; there are people from all around, and that group represents the fandom. They just call themselves the Dragonsworn.

    Tags

  • 284

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Question

    What is the identity of the woman who came to Aviendha in the Waste?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why, her name is Nakomi. [laughter] Obviously.

    Question

    That's an Aes Sedai answer.

    Harriet McDougal

    Heh heh heh. [laughter, applause]

    Brandon Sanderson

    If you read online, there are many fan theories which may engage you. How about this, I’ll give you an official RAFO. There is at least one clue in this book.

    Tags

  • 285

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Harriet McDougal

    (to Melissa) Cool t-shirt! [laughter]

    Melissa Snedeker

    Hi; my name's Melissa Snedeker; I'm from Colorado Springs. I have been reading the series for about ten years now. Love it. My question is to Brandon. There is a notable difference between you and Robert Jordan's writing. I was wondering what the biggest influence that you had on the books [was], and what were your main thoughts that you added on top of Robert Jordan's?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I usually shy away from saying too much about this because we prefer that when you read the books you not spend a lot of time trying to figure out what was me and what was Robert Jordan. It's safe to say that, at any given point in the book, you will find my influence and his influence.

    That said, I've said before the epilogue of this book—and significant chunks of the last little part as well, but specifically the epilogue—was written by him before he passed away, so you do know that. Things I've said before—and I'm probably not going to say much more than this, at least until the books have been out for a while—in Gathering Storm, if it was Egwene, Egwene's plotline was more Robert Jordan, and Rand's plotline was a little more me—we both were involved in both, but there is that—and if it was in Towers of Midnight, Mat's plotline was more Robert Jordan, and Perrin's plotline was more me.

    But it's really hard to get down into specifics, because I don't want you focusing on that, and beyond that, I've even started to forget. [laughter] Because I've been working on this... No really! You guys laugh about that, but I've been working on it so long, I will do things, and it's things that came out of the notes, and then I'll go back and look and I have forgotten that those things came from the notes, because at this point in the creative process, you're building a book, and you're looking for the inspirations from the stories or from the notes, and they're kind of sometimes the same to me, whether it's the notes or the stories. And so, anyway, I'm sorry to give you kind of a roundabout non-answer to your question, but maybe in another year or so I can say a little bit more. But really, we would rather it just remain....we don't want it to be at the forefront of people's minds when they're reading.

    Melissa Snedeker

    Yeah. Alright, thank you so much.

    Footnote

    More info on who wrote what in the epilogue.

    Tags

  • 286

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Brian Hill

    Hello. I'm Brian Hill, from near Seattle, Washington, and I first want to thank Harriet for your courage and generosity in bringing this to us after the loss that you had. Thank you. [applause]

    Harriet McDougal

    Thank you. [applause] Thank you for wanting it. [laughter]

    Brian Hill

    Two things. If circumstances had been different, would Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson get along, and would they be friends? [laughter] And second, with this...now that it's all written, as he looks down, is he proud? What would his thoughts be tonight?

    Harriet McDougal

    Oh, I think he'd be proud. I think he'd be proud, and I do think he and Brandon would have gotten along. [laughter]

    Maria Simons

    One thing that was really strange...the first time Brandon came to Harriet and Jim's house, we were...when Jim was still alive, on Fridays we would order out from a restaurant and sit down and talk and everything, and so Brandon came. We ordered from one of the same restaurants. He ordered what Jim ordered, without any hints or anything. He sat in Jim's seat. It was kinda like, "Wow, this is kinda cool!" [laughter] It felt like it was meant to be.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Harriet tells a story—at least on the Gathering Storm tour, someone asked a question like that—and she said...(to Harriet) back then you said...she thought he was probably up there and looking down and saying, "Who is that kid?" And then kind of nodding and saying, "Yeah, it turned out alright." [laughter]

    Harriet McDougal

    I think he's definitely saying that now.

    Tags

  • 287

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Brian Lickey

    Hi. I'm Brian Lickey from Orem, Utah. Two questions, and I hope I'm not encroaching on Waygate with this one, but in regards to the Encyclopedia: are we going to have a full Karaethon Cycle, Prophecies of the Shadow and all that? And second, are you going to have exhaustive troop movement matters? [laughter] Because I know that back in March, Brandon was mentioning consulting with a strategist over writing a particular chapter of this book, which would lead one to believe that it's fairly confusing. [laughter]

    Maria Simons

    The complete Karaethon Cycle will not be in there, because Jim didn't write the complete one out. Same for the Prophecies. I'm not sure about the maps...(looks at Harriet)

    Harriet McDougal

    I do think you'll find that, as published, the strategic movements are really very clear.

    Brian Lickey

    Thank you.

    Tags

  • 288

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Michael Chantry

    Hi, I'm Michael Chantry from Podunk [?] Idaho—[claps] someone knows the area. Thank you for the books; they're amazing. Thanks Robert Jordan for the books. I like them so much I actually named my second child Perrin. [applause]

    My question is to both Brandon and Harriet. I know you love this new book, A Memory of Light, that you've created for us, and out of it, is there anything that we... What is your favorite part? What did you enjoy most about it? If you can give us a chapter, a section...anything. I know you're going to say "the whole thing." [laughter]

    Brandon Sanderson

    (flips through book) [laughter] There's a 200-page chapter in this book. [hoots, buzz of talking] I felt it very thematically important, and my favorite part is right at the end of that chapter and the beginning of the next chapter, and the next chapter is actually very short, and so really, it's probably Chapter 39, but with the lead-in at the end of chapter 38.

    Michael Chantry

    And Harriet, do you have a favorite part?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (talks to Peter) 37 and 38? Okay, 37 and 38. Peter knows these things better than I do. [laughter]

    Harriet McDougal

    Well, I love the end of Chapter 23—the final sequence—and as you're aware from Brandon's other books, I mean a lot of the chapters will have a piece here, and then there's a two-line space and you jump five hundred miles away, and so on, but the last segment of 23 I think is just super. But there are an awful lot of things that I do love in this book; the scene I read for you is one of my favorites; there's more of it, but I thought, "Oh, I don't know; I think I'm getting on too long," because we hadn't quite timed it out. I think it's a wonderful book. [laughter, applause]

    Jason Denzel

    I know that the question wasn't directed up here to me, but I think I definitely need to say that—without being cliché—the ending, the epilogue, was far and away everything I could have hoped it was, and it was my favorite part of the book. It was just...I can't wait for all of you to eventually read it, and hopefully have the same kind of reaction that I did. It's pretty awesome.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can talk a little bit more about that, because...I told you the Asmodean story, but next under that sheet was this, was the...were the scenes that Robert Jordan had written for the book. And so, that included sections from the prologue, which got split into various pieces of the various prologues of the three novels; sections out of the book; and then this ending, the epilogue, and it's one of the most...one of the scenes where you're able to preserve, a sequence that's the most close to the way Robert Jordan left it. Because a lot of scenes he'd leave, he'd leave like a paragraph, and then it's like I have to expand that into, or I have to work a whole thing and then have that paragraph in.

    There's a famous scene, for instance, with Verin in Gathering Storm where he left, you know, the kinda...what you would imagine is the important parts, but it's only the important parts, and then it doesn't have a lead-in or an exit to the scene, and so I had to write up and then lead in to what he'd written, and then lead out of it, and that sort of stuff. And this, it's actually...we've got complete sequences that he wrote before he passed away. And so, when you get to that epilogue, you can know...there's some very non-touched-by-the-rest-of-us stuff that he had in a very good shape to be published before he passed away.

    Harriet McDougal

    And I should have thought of that, but as he read it in 2007—and so did I, and I had known some bits of it for years before that—but it really is splendid.

    Michael Chantry

    Thank you very much. [applause]

    Footnote

    More info on who wrote what in the epilogue.

    Tags

  • 289

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Jeremy Griffin

    My name's Jeremy Griffin; I'm from Orem, Utah as well. I bought Eye of the World in 1991, so I've been reading them for a very, very long time. So thank you so much. By the way, Brandon—Alcatraz, fantastic—if you guys haven't read any of them...rarely does a book make me laugh out loud. So thank you. Thank you very much.

    Harriet, did Mr. Jordan have enough clout to be able to push his last book through to make it one novel like he wanted to? He said two thousand pages, I don't care if that's what it is...could he have done that because of his history?

    Harriet McDougal

    Well, the problem is, it wasn't clout; it was pushing up against the laws of physics. [laughter] There are limits to the size a bound book can be without sort of falling apart the minute you open it. And then you're up against the shelf space in bookstores.

    Jeremy Griffin

    Okay, great. Real quick too, please don't sell the rights to a computer game for it if it's going to be as bad as [?] was...[laughter] Please, please don't do it.

    Harriet McDougal

    Ah, the rights are sold. [laughter]

    Tags

  • 290

    Interview: Jan 10th, 2013

    Question

    What’s your favorite part of the creative process?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm gonna say...[audio cut]...is the ending, writing the last sequences that I've been planning so long—because I always know what my ending is, and I tend to point everything at the ending—writing that last sequence is my favorite. For instance, my favorite scene to write in A Memory of Light comes right near the end. There's a very long chapter that you'll read; it's the last part of that very long chapter, into the next chapter which is very short. (something from audience) Yeah, it's 200-something pages.

    Harriet McDougal

    For good reason.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, for good reasons.

    Tags

  • 291

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    James Starke (23 January 2013)

    How much time passed for the respective groups during The Last Battle?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    I don't have the timeline handy. For Rand, you could measure it in hours. Outside, weeks stretching to months.

    Tags

  • 292

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Jeffrey Bernard (23 January 2013)

    With all the deaths that occurred in A Memory of Light, were there any that hit you harder than any others?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Egwene. After that, Bela. I'd promised she would live, but Harriet decided that I was cheating to keep her alive.

    Raj Ayer

    How long did it take you to write Egwene's death? What were your emotions then? How much had RJ written of it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was a hard one, to be sure. Hardest in the books. Had a long conversation with Team Jordan about how to manage it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RJ had not written much of that sequence.

    Andy Lee

    Why did Egwene have to die? Very sad.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I agree. But if you look at the arc of her character, you might begin to see why it was important.

    Travis Hall

    Without spoilers, were there any characters you want to kill/save that you couldn't do to Jordan's wishes?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There was one. But it was Harriet's call, not RJ's, that ended them.

    Bellygod

    Who did you find hardest to kill?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Egwene by a mile. Followed by Bela.

    Bellygod

    Why did you kill Bela?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I tried to keep her alive! Harriet told me I'd put her in too bad a situation, and she needed to die.

    Brandon Sanderson

    She was right, of course, but it still hurts.

    Tags

  • 293

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Radbeard (23 January 2013)

    Don't you feel some of the character endings were too rushed (Fain, everyone Demandred killed)?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Finishing everything that RJ left to be finished in the amount of space required results in some dynamic pacing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't feel rushed is the right term. But I can see how people might feel that way. I could have gone three more books.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was not right to do so. This was what he wanted, and I did my best to fit everything in. I'm pleased with the result.

    Brandon Sanderson

    In regards to your specific questions, the Demandred kills were supposed to be abrupt to convey emotion of sudden loss.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's how things are in war. As for Fain, a piece of me does wish there had been time for more with him.

    Brett

    Do you plan on expanding on the Wheel of Time series more or is it done? Why did you have so many abrupt deaths?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, no more. RJ wouldn't want it. Abrupt deaths happen in war; it is the way this sort of thing plays out, I'm afraid.

    Daniel Egonsson

    Was there anything in A Memory of Light you wished you could have changed?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I might have done more with Fain if I'd had the time and the pages.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The biggest challenge for the book was fitting everyone in, and making sure they had relevant things to do.

    Tags

  • 294

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Indigo Kae (23 January 2013)

    Is the woman who told Rand at the end that he was right to bring Moridin, Nakomi?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    I have been advised to RAFO questions regarding most everything from there on.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's funny to say RAFO when there is no more to read, but what that term means is "This is supposed to be ambiguous."

    David Catherine

    With all of the homages to global myths/legends, is Nakomi the Wandering Jew/Jenn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a very clever question that nobody has yet asked me. I'm not going to say more, however.

    Ryan Lee

    I gotta ask, is Nakomi / the Woman at the End a Shard of Adonalsium? Perhaps Balance?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. There is not crossover between my shared world and the Wheel of Time. (Sorry.)

    kcf

    Who helped Rand out of the Shayol Ghul after the fight with the Dark One and told him he knew what he needed to do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hi, Neth. This is one I'm not answering, but if you track me down in person, you might be able to beat it out of me.

    Terez

    Is Nakomi the avatar of the Creator?

    Werthead

    SIFADFOE (Scream In Frustration And Don't Find Out, Ever) :-)

    Terez

    Yay, that means I can officially not give a shit about Nakomi. :)

    Brandon Sanderson

    You are allowed that right officially. She's becoming the Asmodean kill of this sequence of books.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I, of course, should have realized she'd become so big a thing as she did—but that wasn't the intention.

    Melissa Houghton

    I want to know what the heck was with Nakomi—who/what she is. Also was that her at the end of A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Just answered this. Have a look below. (Sorry. It's a RAFO, I'm afraid.)

    Peter Wikberg

    Who/What is Nakomi?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a good question, but not one I'm planning to answer any time soon. (sorry.)

    Arran Cook

    Who was Nakomi? How did the body swap happen? How did Rand light the pipe?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You've asked all three of the big questions I'm not allowed or unable to answer, I'm afraid.

    Lachie Stoller

    Who was the old Aiel lady at the end of Rand's battle?

    James Starke

    Is Nakomi the person that Rand encountered at the mouth of Shayol Ghul? And is she the embodiment of The Creator?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is one that I'm not answering, I'm afraid. RJ wanted some things about the ending to remain ambiguous.

    Tags

  • 295

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Kirsten Gesenberg (23 January 2013)

    Which scene is the "last scene" that RJ said he wrote first?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Pipe scene.

    Footnote

    RJ always said he could have written the scene in 1984, but he didn't actually write it until he was working on A Memory of Light.

    James Starke

    Robert Jordan wrote the entire epilogue.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Almost all. There were a few small inserts by me. Perrin was mine in the epilogue.

    Mike Cox

    I would like to know, how much of the last chapter was written by RJ and how much did you do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I did Perrin and some of the in-between writing with Loial. RJ did Mat, Rand, scene exiting the mountain, and others.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are places where I tweaked bits, per editing, and places where I slipped in things he'd written to my sequences.

    Terez

    Was the last scene written or dictated?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Written down. As was the scene with Isam [in] the prologue.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Borderlander tower scene was dictated, I believe.

    Footnote

    More info on who wrote what in the epilogue here.

    Tags

  • 296

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Jourdan Vian (23 January 2013)

    What would've happened had Elayne not bonded Birgitte, given how Birgitte's death went in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    I believe she'd still have come when the Horn was blown.

    Tags

  • 297

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Jim Short (23 January 2013)

    A Memory of Light moved at a very fast pace. Did you have enough material for maybe one or two more books?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Yes, I did. But I can ALWAYS see more room to expand. Part of being an epic fantasy writer, I suppose...

    Tags

  • 298

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Frank McCormick (23 January 2013)

    Why no mention of Dobraine? What's his fate?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Dobraine makes it. RJ's only note on him for the last book was that he was at Merrilor when Rand/Egwene clashed. Dobraine...

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...was one I kept meaning to find a place to mention, but never quite got around to working it in.

    Tags

  • 299

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Dennis (23 January 2013)

    When did Rand tell Moiraine and Nynaeve the "Plan" re: Callandor? They didn't know when they got to Shayol Ghul, right?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    They knew some things.

    Tags

  • 300

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    sleepinghour (23 January 2013)

    Who was the Broken Wolf?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Perrin's spirit guide. Note that the "he" in the next sentence does not refer to the same creature.

    Darrell Wyatt

    Did the Shadow Prophecy at the end of Towers of Midnight come to pass? If so can you explain as I did not recognize it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Everything in it happened, but not exactly as many would have interpreted.

    Tags

  • 301

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Rich E (23 January 2013)

    Did Rand's third question to the Aelfinn involve whether/how the Dark One could be killed?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    I think Maria and Harriet are planning to put these in the encyclopedia, but you are right on the third question.

    Peter Wikberg

    What did Moiraine ask Aelfinn/Eelfinn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ooh, good question. And one I don't have the answer to that handy, but we can MAFO that and ask Maria.

    Maria Simons

    Everything I know about Aelfinn/Eelfinn questions/wishes will be in the encyclopedia.

    Tags

  • 302

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Peter Wikberg (23 January 2013)

    What was Moiraine's purpose during the Last Battle?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    To stop Rand and Egwene from going to the Last Battle separately, instead of together.

    Tags

  • 303

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Matthew Miller (23 January 2013)

    Bloody ashes man, how does Mat go from "together they died" to walking away?!

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    The "together" does not include Mat.

    Footnote

    The passage in question spoke of Fain and Mordeth as separate entities.

    Tags

  • 304

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    David Forbes (23 January 2013)

    Can you shed any light on the raven picture Min saw around Carlinya? Or the axe and hand she saw around Elayne?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    One thing that was made clear in the notes is that not everything seen by Min is to have significance for the books.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And others, such as Alivia, were to be things that people in world placed much import upon—but were actually minor.

    Footnote

    Maria answered this question here.

    Tags

  • 305

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Werthead (23 January 2013)

    Did Demandred take over just a single faction of Sharans, or all of them?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    Multiple factions, but not all by a long shot.

    Matt Walsh

    Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't RJ say in a interview that Shara wouldn't be involved in any of the WoT books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The quotes I've seen say that nothing significant would happen there on screen.

    Footnote

    Brandon is correct; RJ never said that Shara would play no role at all, just that the story would travel to Shara itself for more than a brief visit comparable to Rand's and Aviendha's trip to Seanchan.

    Tags

  • 306

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Ted Herman (23 January 2013)

    Was the "Twice dawns the day" prophecy fulfilled by the sun rising over Shayol Ghul or by something else? Thanks!

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    It was in relation to the eclipse, I believe. :)

    Tags

  • 307

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Jason Wesbrooks (23 January 2013)

    Loved A Memory of Light—Did RJ specifically prohibit a three ta'veren reunion? One of my only minor disappointments.

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    No, he didn't, but I just couldn't fit it in logistically.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mat/Perrin Rand/Perrin and Rand/Mat from these two books was my nod toward that.

    Tags

  • 308

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Cherry Raven (23 January 2013)

    Was wondering why the ending there was no conversation between Hawking and Tuon.

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    You're assuming because it wasn't shown on screen, it didn't happen...

    Brent Holmes

    What happened in the conversation between Tuon and Arthur Hawkwing?!?!

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was interesting, I'll tell you that much.

    Melissa Houghton

    Did Hawkwing talk with Tuon?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Nick

    How do you think Fortuona reacted to speaking with Hawking?

    Brandon Sanderson

    With great consternation.

    Tags

  • 309

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Anthony Radisich (23 January 2013)

    What's so evil about going to the wolf dream in the flesh? Seems like a gun on the mantle that never got fired??

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    In this case, "Evil" depends on ones perspective. I don't think it's evil, personally.

    Tags

  • 310

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Terry Benton (23 January 2013)

    Did all of the balefire cracks disappear after the Last Battle? If not, was Egwene's weave discovered again?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    The world will heal itself, with time, even without the weave. But the weave was witnessed.

    Tags

  • 311

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Aaron Coventry (23 January 2013)

    When Faile, Olver, etc escaped through the gateway to Merrilor, where did Setalle go? If you told us, I missed it.

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    She makes it through the chaos alive.

    Tags

  • 312

    Interview: Nov 4th, 2012

    Rebecca Lovatt

    Okay, so can Darkfriends or maybe even Forsaken be bound to the Horn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's see if I can answer this one... They're not going to be, I don't think there's a law against... But only the greatest heroes are bound to the Horn. They are not the greatest heroes. So, why are you asking this?

    Rebecca Lovatt

    I’m pretty much asking about Verin, and the likelihood of her being bound.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, I don't know that there would be anything forbidding Verin from being bound to the Horn.

    Rebecca Lovatt

    Is there any mention of that in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a RAFO.

    Rebecca Lovatt

    Alright, thank you though...

    Tags

  • 313

    Interview: Nov 4th, 2012

    Rebecca Lovatt

    And with A Memory of Light being finished, is it odd not having it to work on?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is... It's very strange experience since it's been such a part of my life for so long, to not have it to work on... But I do intend to be a part of the fandom for the rest of my life. So, there is that.

    Rebecca Lovatt

    I know a lot of people are looking for it, and there will always be more theories. I do remember last year when I spoke with you, you did say there will be loose ends, so people will be theorizing on those for a while.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, there will be loose ends, and I can talk to that when the book comes out.

    Rebecca Lovatt

    Alrighty then! You'll just have to come back to Toronto then.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, well that's a deal then.

    Rebecca Lovatt

    Alright, I think that’s it... Thank you!

    Tags

  • 314

    Interview: Jan 4th, 2013

    Petra Mayer

    What does it feel like for you? I mean, this undertaking has been more than twenty years in the making, I guess. I mean the first one came out when? 1990?

    Harriet McDougal

    Uh-huh.

    Petra Mayer

    What's next for you? How does it feel to sort of bring this—at least the initial creation phase of it—to a close?

    Harriet McDougal

    Well, it's a tremendous mix of emotions. It's very satisfying to have been able to complete his great work for him, when he couldn’t do it himself. That's joyful, but it's also very sad. I love these characters. I mean, they've been my friends for, as you say, over twenty years. And now they're kind of set free. It is a retirement for me, except for the Encyclopedia of The Wheel of Time, which I am still working on with my colleagues. And that will be published when it gets done!

    Petra Mayer

    (laughs) I think Wheel of Time fans are patient.

    Harriet McDougal

    Since there are more than 2000 named characters in the series, it's quite an undertaking. But that is less emotionally involving for me than the work on the series has been.

    Tags

  • 315

    Interview: Aug 31st, 2012

    Daily Dragon

    The Wheel turns, and the Wheel of Time series has come to an end with your completed final draft of A Memory of Light, due out from Tor Books on January 8, 2013. It must have been exciting yet daunting to be chosen to finish such an acclaimed series. How has the experience affected you as an author and as a fan?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's been a very interesting experience, both as a writer and as a fan. Picking up something that you've loved for many, many years as a fan and then becoming the writer on it really changes your perspective on the entire process. Suddenly I had to dig into it in a way I didn't as a fan. I'm not one of those fans who always have all their favorite lines memorized or anything like that. I never had to keep track of all the subplots and minor characters, and suddenly I not only have to keep track of them, I have to know them intrinsically, which is quite the challenge.

    It's been five years that I've been working on these books, and it has forced me to do a lot of heavy lifting as a writer. Things that I wasn't as good at doing, I needed to become better at doing. It's kind of like suddenly being thrown into a swimming pool and told, "All right, now start swimming. You know how to tread water, but now we need you to swim ten miles." It's forced me to grow a lot as a writer. It's really given me a deeper respect for Robert Jordan and his works, seeing the process and how much goes on in creating these novels.

    Tags

  • 316

    Interview: Jun 3rd, 2011

    Helen O'Hara

    Speaking of adaptations, of course, you've taken over Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and sped up the pace of the story considerably, so as a long-time reader there, thank you for that!

    Brandon Sanderson

    Credit needs to be given to Robert Jordan; he started to speed up in Book 11 [Knife of Dreams]. In fact, I've read interviews where he admits that the focus was a little bit wrong in Book 10 [Crossroads of Twilight], which is the one that the fans complain about being the most slow, and he himself changed that for Book 11 and picked up the pacing. And I like spectacular endings. When I build my books, I start from the end and work forward with my outline. I write from beginning to end, but I outline end to beginning, because I always want to know that I have a powerful, explosive ending that I'm working toward. Endings are my deal: if a book or a film doesn't have a great ending, I find it wanting. It's like the last bite, the last morsel on the plate, so I get very annoyed with the standard Hollywood third act, because they seem to play it most safe in Act Three, and that's where I most want to be surprised and awed. That's where it's got to be spectacular. You've got to give the reader something they're not expecting, something they want but don't know it, in that last section.

    Helen O'Hara

    Does that go for something like your Mistborn Trilogy; did you start with the end of the trilogy or go book-by-book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I plotted all three backwards and then wrote them all forwards. I had a great advantage writing those books, because I sold my first book, Elantris, in 2003. The nature of how books are 'slotted' into release dates is that a new author doesn't get the best slot. They want to give each author a good launch, but they can't give them in the really prime slots. So we had a two-and-a-half year wait, and usually you have a year between books. That meant I had three-and-a-half years before Mistborn would be out, so I pitched the entire trilogy together and wrote all three before the first one came out.

    Helen O'Hara

    Is that something you have in common with Robert Jordan, because re-reading the prologue to the first book you think, 'This guy knows how it's going to end'.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He actually wrote the ending that I worked towards. The last pages were written by him before he passed away. He always spoke of knowing the ending, so I think we do share that. He was a bit more of an explorer in his writing than I am. He knew where he was going, but getting there he wove around a lot. You can see that in the notes I've been given; he jumps from scene to scene. So there's a difference there, but he really loved endings. And that ending is really great; I think fans are going to love it.

    Tags

  • 317

    Interview: Nov 5th, 2009

    Matthew Peterson

    Yeah. Well, I caught Tom Doherty at a convention a couple years ago. He was alone, which doesn't happen very often. So, I chatted to him a little bit about this. At that time it was one book, and he said, "Well, he's actually written like close to 1,000 pages so far, and he's only gotten like 1/3 into Jordan's notes. So, we might have to split the book into two." And then lo and behold, there's going to be three books.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's an enormous amount of work and we feel that fans will enjoy it better, if we give it to them 1/3 at a time, for three years. As opposed to making them wait an extra three years and then get the whole thing.

    Yeah. What happened was. . . and I want to make this perfectly clear as I try to explain this. I've not expanded the size of the book at all. Robert Jordan, before he passed away, kept saying, "This book is going to be enormous. This book is going to be huge. They're going to have to sell a wagon with the bookstores, so you can get it out of the bookstore." And I took that to heart and was writing it as I felt he would have written it. He wanted this book to be enormous.

    And Tom Doherty and Harriet made the call, I left it up to them, that they were going to decide how it was going to be divided or if it was going to be divided or if they were going to be printing it as one. And what really happened is about January of this year, Tom and Harriet got together and they looked at what we had and they made the call for two reasons. One reason being, they felt that it was too large to publish as one book. Harriet had said to me, kind of in private, she said, "I don't think Jim could have done this in one book." I don't think he was planning to do this in one book. He maybe would have tried to get them to publish it as one book, but the realities of the publishing business . . . the larger reason I think that they did it because it was going to take me another two years to finish that one book if we were going to be publishing it as one. And they didn't feel that it was right to make the fans wait that long. It's already been four years since the last Wheel of Time book.

    And so the decision was made that they would take the first third, which I had finished already, and then have me work with it and edit it so that it was a single volume and it doesn't read like the first third of a story. The way I approached writing this made for some very natural break points. And they were going to publish that and then we would publish the second third and the third third. And it's really more about the fact that this just takes time. These things are enormously difficult to write, in a good way, but very, very hard, because of how much work it requires to get it right and how many pages there are. I mean the first third is going to be as long as an average Wheel of Time book.

    Matthew Peterson

    Oh, yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And so you can imagine stacking three copies of Eye of the World on top of each other; that's how long Jim planned this book to be.

    Tags

  • 318

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    Question

    Is the Flame of Tar Valon weave going to be learned by others?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was witnessed. That's it.

    Chris W.

    There was a little more to the question above, but I left it out of this log for two reasons: One, I had a really hard time keeping up with the person asking the question, not to mention Brandon trying to answer, plus the guy who asked the question broke the "no spoilers in the Q&A" rule.

    Tags

  • 319

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    Question

    What kind of research did you have to do to make the battle tactics so believable?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Memory of Light tactics were the things I was most worried about getting right. RJ was more a military historian than me and he was a soldier, so we went looking for help. Harriet knows a man named Bernard Cornwell who writes a lot of military fiction, so he helped us, and Alan Romanczuk is a war historian, who was able to help us a lot. He built the battle plan for the entire war, as far as troop movements and the tactical portion of the Last Battle. Connecting them and making it meld into the story with the characters was my job. We went rounds about "this is tactically sound" or "no it's not", so Alan was a big help making it believable. I did research, but my feeling is that I can get to 70–80% of knowledge on a subject pretty quickly through a month or two of research, but getting that last 20% is something that takes 10 years of work. My goal is to get to 70–80, and then give it to someone who knows their stuff and have them help me from there.

    Chris W

    The names of the people Brandon referenced here were probably butchered. I was just trying to keep up with him so I could record the main parts of his response instead of focusing on the names of his references. [Fixed—Terez]

    Tags

  • 320

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    Question

    So what were some of the holes that you filled in with that creative freedom?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I tried to avoid talking about this much before because I don't want you to focus on what's Brandon and what's RJ, but now that it's all out, I do have a little more freedom. One thing is that early when I went to Charleston, I felt RJ was always adding characters, so I didn't want to add too many. I wanted to show something happening at the Black Tower, so Androl became my character that I took and expanded on from minor to main character. Androl himself and his relationship with Pevara was me. I felt the series needed it, and I’ve always wanted an Asha'man to play with, so to speak.

    More generally, for The Gathering Storm I have said RJ worked a lot on Egwene's viewpoints. Not as much on Rand. Rand was more me, Egwene was more RJ. In Towers of Midnight, RJ worked a lot on Mat and not much on Perrin. So if it's Mat, it's more likely to be RJ. If it's Perrin, it's more likely to be me. In A Memory of Light he worked mostly on beginning and end, not much on the middle. Merrilor and the last few chapters are a lot of RJ. In between, it's a lot more me.

    Tags

  • 321

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    Question

    When you read the books, did you have an affinity for a character and as you wrote did you change?

    Brandon Sanderson

    When I read it was mostly Perrin. I'll admit I had a fondness for Mat later on, but it never became my supportive Perrin, even when he was down in the dumps. I didn't stop being a Perrin fan because he moped a little. He was my favorite all along. When it came time to write the books, Perrin remained my favorite. He was among my favorite viewpoints to write as well. I was very excited by the prospect of being able to do a lot of Perrin in Towers of Midnight, and having a lot of freedom with his sequences was a real pleasure. When I finished the rough draft of A Memory of Light, there was a lot of, like 20% more Perrin than Rand, so that didn't turn out right. It's really Rand's series, it needs more Rand, so when I sent it to Team Jordan, they said there was a lot of Perrin, so we upped the Rand count. There was a Perrin sequence that didn't really feel right for the book that was about 20,000 words, so we cut that out and added a Rand sequence that was about the same length which I had already been working on, and that helped restore the balance. When I started A Memory of Light I was fresh off Towers of Midnight and in a Perrin mindset, so I was like PERRIN IS AWESOME, did his stuff, then moved on to the other characters' arcs in succession.

    Tags

  • 322

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    Robert Moreau

    Terez wanted me to ask if Perrin's soul and Hopper's are bound.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sanderson replied that she is on the right track and handed me a RAFO card.

    Tags

  • 323

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    Robert Moreau

    The person before me asked why Demandred did not use the True Power during the Last Battle.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sanderson said he was wary of the True Power and everything that came with it. "He may have been the smartest of all the Forsaken for not wanting to use the True Power."

    Tags

  • 324

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    Robert Moreau

    Also after everyone was done, I hung out with the Memory Keepers (as i had won a shirt in SLC and blended in) and there were some questions asked about Moridin wanting to die forever.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sanderson said that no he did not get his wish.

    Robert Moreau

    I asked if Moridin had been on Dragonmount and had the opportunity that Rand had to end it all, would he.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sanderson said yes he would have.

    Tags

  • 325

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Question

    Which character's contribution to A Memory of Light did you enjoy most?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This book was supposed to be about Rand, and so Rand's contribution is the most important to me. So much so, that in the revising process we felt several times we needed to bring out more. One of the big elements of revision was, we needed to make sure that Rand remains the focus of this book, and even though things are going where there are lots of different sections and regions where Rand is not involved, we needed Rand to be at least the heart of the book.

    Tags

  • 326

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Question

    There was some little inconsistencies in the lengths of chapters, especially kind of in the last book...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, you're talking about the several hundred page chapter, and then the five page chapter?

    Question

    ...was that sort of picked to try to break up things specifically, or was that more in how it fell out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The chapter lengths, in this book in particular, were very consciously chosen. Under Harriet's direction, through the first two books Harriet came to me a lot and said "No, this chapter needs to be these viewpoints, and this chapter needs to be those viewpoints", and she actually taught me, I don't know if she realized that she was doing it, and then in the last book, she didn't have to do any of that. There was no changing of viewpoints between chapters. (Meaning via revision) Harriet had trained me better in chapter breaks and things like that, so I broke up the chapters. (To Harriet) I don't know if you even noticed that, in the previous two you did a lot of that, and this one you didn't.

    The very long chapter, a very, very long chapter, you can see it in the Table of Contents, the purpose of that is, I wanted you to feel like the characters do in that chapter. They can't put down their weapons and go to sleep. I don't want you to be able to put down the book and go to sleep. I want you to hit that chapter at 1AM, and be like "I gotta to be at work at seven, and I'll read just one more chapter". One of the things Harriet unconsciously showed me that I picked up on, was the use of chapters for that kind of narrative structure in a better way, so that was done very intentionally.

    Tags

  • 327

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Simka

    I asked Brandon why Alanna hung onto Rand's bond right up until the moment of her death, especially when it caused her so much grief. I haven't seen any discussion on this issue, and I don't know whether anyone else besides me was curious about it, but there it is.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon paused for a long time, and I actually thought he was going to RAFO me, but I guess he was just considering his answer. Unless I write things down as they happen, I have no short term memory for people's exact words, so I can only paraphrase him. He said that Aes Sedai have trouble letting go of anything [as we are all well aware]; they feel that you never know when something will come in handy. So until Alanna became aware that her death while holding Rand's bond would adversely affect the outcome of his battle with the Dark One, she wouldn't release it. Almost as an afterthought he added that just having a way to locate Rand had had some value [for the Lightside, I gathered].

    Tags

  • 328

    Interview: Jan 21st, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    A Memory of Light did indeed hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction. It also hit #1 on the USA Today list, which is much harder, since the USA Today list covers all print books, whatever the format, whether fiction or nonfiction. That's the sendoff we had hoped to be able to deliver for Robert Jordan's legacy. I'm honored to have been involved. Thank you to all the readers who made this a reality, and I hope you're enjoying the book.

    Tags

  • 329

    Interview: Jan 29th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    Michael Whelan has put up an awesome post on his process for painting the cover of A Memory of Light. Very, very cool. If you're at all interested in art or illustration you should check it out. You can also buy signed prints in his store.

    Tags

  • 330

    Interview: Jan 29th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    As many of you know, I adapted a large number of readers' names for use in Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light. Linda over at the 13th Depository has an article that lists all of the names that were chosen for characters and how they were adapted into the books, including some character names adapted by Robert Jordan in previous books. Note that I also adapted some people's names as place names and other non-character names, and the list doesn't include those. There will probably be another list later.

    Last Wednesday I did a Tor chat on Twitter. All of the questions I answered (the questions and my answers include a lot of spoilers, especially for A Memory of Light, so be warned!) are now up in these two Twitter post archives: one, two.

    Tags

  • 331

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    crovax33

    I asked Sanderson if we'll ever find out how Rand lit the pipe in the epilogue.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He said that nowhere in Jordan's notes did it say how the pipe was lit, but that Harriet had a couple of theories, the main one being: with it being a new Age, there's a new way of doing things, and even some new magic.

    Tags

  • 332

    Interview: Feb 8th, 2013

    DJ Stipe

    WOT Questions (paraphrased from notes while also taking fan pictures):

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    When asked how hard the pacing was to get right on A Memory of Light he said that was the most difficult part of the book and that's where most of the revision came in. Follow-up question was asked if he'd written each perspective individually like he had other books and he said that he started out doing that, but as the perspectives began to switch more frequently he stopped.

    Tags

  • 333

    Interview: Feb 8th, 2013

    DJ Stipe

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Bela's death was the runaway winner for most brought up subject, to which Brandon usually arched his arm across the head of Memory Keeper Aviendha, pointed at Harriet and said, "Blame her." At one point he said he wrote a scene where she fought back to life, but Harriet cut it. She overheard this, said it wasn't true and Brandon responded that he'd wanted to. He then said that he likes to think that when the Horn is called next one of the Heroes will be riding a shaggy, gray mare.

    Tags

  • 334

    Interview: Feb 8th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Rand's pipe-lighting came up a few times, to which Brandon stated in no uncertain terms that it's just not explained in the notes, that it's something the readers get to answer themselves.

    Tags

  • 335

    Interview: Feb 8th, 2013

    Question

    Was the Last Battle chapter in A Memory of Light 190 pages long because that was how Jordan wanted it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, Brandon made this decision himself because he felt like none of the characters could put their weapons down during this stretch, so he wanted the reader to be in the same predicament and not be able to put the book down.

    Tags

  • 336

    Interview: Feb 8th, 2013

    Brandon and Harriet (paraphrased)

    When asked about the ending he said he thought Robert Jordan left it open so the reader could fill in what happened for themselves. Then he said that he thought Rand probably did go talk to Tam before he left but maybe not Lan.

    Tags

  • 337

    Interview: Feb 11th, 2013

    Aegon

    *vague spoiler warning*

    An audience member had, years ago, asked RJ what would happen if an Aes Sedai balefired herself through a gateway, and was told by RJ that she should find a man, a woman, or a dog to love and she should get a life. (heavily paraphrased). The same audience member was present at the signing and asked if the scenario played out in A Memory of Light was done in response to her question.

    Brandon Sanderson

    BS said that he has avoided gateways and balefire in his series because that type of magic belonged to The Wheel of Time, but he himself has had many thoughts on the use of balefire and gateways. So no, the scenes from A Memory of Light were not a response to her, but BS's own story. The audience member also added that she did find a guy to love, had a daughter, named her Aviendha, and the crowd clapped.

    Tags

  • 338

    Interview: Feb 12th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    During the personalization signings, someone asked what the deal was with Alanna's move north and Brandon said unequivocally that she was kidnapped. He didn't say by whom, but I figure since the report to Cadsuane said there were not any residues of channeling to read, it must have been Moridin himself using the True Power.

    JeffS

    So that's one more down of the 7 left unasked.

    Tags

  • 339

    Interview: Feb 11th, 2013

    Aegon

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    I feel like somebody asked who summoned Slayer to the Blight. I could be mixing memories with Freelancer's great post @7, but I have a strange feeling that someone asked, and presented a case that it was Lanfear for similar reasons as provided above, and was told by BS that they make a good case and can defend their reasoning with confidence. I honestly don't know if I'm conflating memories, so please take this with a grain of salt.

    Aegon

    Furthermore, the above question doesn't make sense given that the audience was instructed not to spoil A Memory of Light, and to save questions related to A Memory of Light for the personal signings, which I wasn't able to attend or eavesdrop.

    Tags

  • 340

    Interview: Feb 11th, 2013

    Question

    How did you end up with a 190-page-long chapter?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is a 190-page chapter in the book, in this book. And it was done very intentionally. I actually planned it that way from the beginning in my outline, the goal being that that's a point in the book where the characters can't just put down their weapons and stop, and I did not want the readers to be able to put down the book at that point. And a lot of people say, "Well, I'll just read one more chapter." (laughter) I wanted you to feel like they did at the end of that chapter, where they have been, and involved in something that is just draining emotionally, mentally, and physically, and the closest...the best way I can think of to make you have empathy for them was to push you through the same thing.

    Question

    It worked! (applause)

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's authors getting tricksy, is what it is.

    Tags

  • 341

    Interview: Feb 11th, 2013

    Question

    Is any more stuff planned from the Wheel of Time universe?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, excellent question. I should have put this during the frequently asked ones at the beginning. Are there any more plans to do anything else with the Wheel of Time universe?

    Harriet McDougal

    No, there are not. The encyclopedia was put under contract in my husband's lifetime. He did enter into a contract for a trilogy of novels that are not part of the series but set in the world. He left either one or two sentences about that trilogy, which is not enough for anyone to work with so that it would very much still be his. He also said that—in the trade, it's called sharecropping in somebody's universe—and he said if anybody tries to sharecrop in my universe, I'll take out the hard disk, and I'll rent a semi—or a big rig, you might say, since his name was Rigney—and I will drive it backwards and forwards over the hard drive three or four times to be sure that no one will be able to do it. He really didn't want it done. And since he made it clear in his last months and weeks that he really did want the series finished, you have the end of the series, but there won't be any more done in the Wheel of Time world. [applause]

    Brandon Sanderson

    Along those lines, though, I will mention—people ask a lot—the film rights are held by Universal Pictures, and they're working toward feature films, one film per book. We don't know how far along they are. They have a second draft of a screenplay, which I have not seen. They're on a second draft.

    Harriet McDougal

    And I haven't either.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, and Harriet hasn't either. There is one other little tidbit—there's an anthology coming out called Unfettered. It's a charity anthology for a member of our community, in the science fiction and fantasy community, who had huge medical bills. And in order to help pay those off, we donated a deleted sequence from A Memory of Light. It's something that was written, but we decided for pacing reasons did not fit in the book. And so we donated that to Unfettered and so you can read that to see something behind the scenes. I will admit it's much more me than Robert Jordan, but it is something that we cut from A Memory of Light, just it didn't fit, pacing-wise, in the book.

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  • 342

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    Question

    Loial is my favorite character in the series. Are his scenes in A Memory of Light written more by Brandon Sanderson or by Robert Jordan?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon replies by saying he will need to keep this vague due to not wanting to reveal spoilers to those who have not finished reading. He will answer this individually when the person comes up to him in line. He is against readers "looking" for him or for Robert Jordan in the books. The epilogue was entirely written by Robert Jordan, except for one portion that Brandon wrote.

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  • 343

    Interview: Feb 7th, 2013

    Question

    Is there anyone Brandon wanted to include in A Memory of Light but didn't get to?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, he was able to get to everyone. There were two major sequences cut from the book. One of these will appear in the charity anthology Unfettered. The other character POV just didn't work.

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  • 344

    Interview: Feb 11th, 2013

    Anna Hornbostel

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    I asked him if Fain's ending was in the notes and he said that it was.

    Tags

  • 345

    Interview: Feb 15th, 2013

    Rebecca Lovatt

    Also of interest to WoT fans and aspiring writers, both: one fan asked, given the lack of majorly epic-scale battles in Brandon's other work, how he approached the near endless warfare that makes up the bulk of A Memory of Light.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    The answer: research, research, research, and lots of help from experts. Brandon asserts (and I can believe) that he can get himself to about 80% expert on just about any topic in the course of writing prep, but his lack of personal experience with warfare (reminding us of Mr. Jordan's service in Vietnam) put him at a disadvantage in accurately conveying what needed to be conveyed in the last battle. Military buffs and armchair historians came to the rescue (including Team Jordan member Alan Romanczuk), outlining a series of strategies and tactics based on real-world battles that Brandon used as a guide. However, Tarmon Gai'don being on a somewhat different scale than we're used to in our Age, both metrically and dramatically, there was a lot of back-and-forth between Brandon and the battle guys about amping up the drama without sacrificing realism—inserting twists and character moments to make us cheer or weep.

    Tags

  • 346

    Interview: Feb 19th, 2013

    AndrewB

    How do Egwene, Nynaeve and Moiraine know Moridin's name? (Egwene mentions Moridin by name when talking to Rand at the meeting of the Field of Merrilor; Nynaeve and Moiraine each mention Moridin by name in respective POV while in Shayol Ghul.)

    Brandon Sanderson

    BWS paused for at least 10 seconds before answering. He said that he thought he remembered answering this question before and did not want to give me a misleading answer. BWS said Rand told each of the 3 women Moridin's name in an off-screen conversation.

    Tags

  • 347

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Freelancer

    When Rand is exiting the tunnel into the Pit, if he had gotten a good look at the woman who spoke to him there, would he have recognized her?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He didn't get a good look at her.

    Freelancer

    Understood, but if he had, would he have known her face?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I should RAFO that, but no. She wasn't Verin.

    Freelancer

    Oh, I never believed it could be Verin.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Then who do you think he would recognize?

    Freelancer

    A face from his visions in Rhuidean.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Aha, very subtle, I didn't see that coming. Still no.

    Freelancer

    So Nakomi (and we're sure it was Nakomi based on previous answers from Brandon who said Nakomi could be found near the end of A Memory of Light) is not one of the Jenn seen by Rand at the founding of Rhuidean. She could still be another of the Jenn. For others attending an upcoming signing, consider how to follow up on this question and try to get something useful.

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  • 348

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Freelancer

    Who summoned Slayer to the Town and met him there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ok, I'm not sure I should give an answer to this one. Who do you think it is, what are you basing it on?

    Freelancer

    I'm pretty sure it's Lanfear. Several things. She's wearing red and black, and she doesn't have a Cour'souvra around her neck. Her appearance is unknown to Slayer, and she's pretty, though she isn't comfortable with her own reflection. She expresses disgust at having to use him. This eliminates Moghedien and Graendal.

    Brandon Sanderson

    But she's ordering Slayer to kill Rand.

    Freelancer

    This will lead into the next question, but I don't think she believes that Slayer can succeed, she's using him as a distraction, and to give her options, because she's playing a deep game.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ok, here's your answer. Your case is very, very, very solid, and you can stand by it.

    Tags

  • 349

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Freelancer

    Also about Lanfear. When she pops up next to Perrin several times in Tel'aran'rhiod at the Black Tower, she would speak to him briefly, then glance at the sky and vanish. Was that part of her act, trying to convince Perrin that she was no longer serving the Shadow, or was she genuinely afraid of being caught by "him"?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Here's the thing about Lanfear. Just about everything she does has an element, a veneer of truth to it, and that greatly exaggerated, but no more than that. And as you said, she's playing a different game than everyone else, and I mean everyone else. They're all playing chess, and she's playing backgammon. You cannot take her actions at face value.

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  • 350

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Freelancer

    The gateway which sent Faile's party into the Blight; Malice, or mistake?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Here's your card! (below) Some of the things in the encyclopedia Harriet is doing will be glossary-style descriptions of many characters, and tying up of some curious loose ends. Not sure if this will be among them, so you get to wait awhile longer.

    Tags

  • 351

    Interview: Feb 6th, 2013

    Freelancer

    Was Lan's Sheathing the Sword scene planned from early on, was its inclusion dictated by the flow of the action up to that point?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, that's too much like asking whether it was Robert Jordan's scene or mine.

    Tags

  • 352

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    I'm guessing you're aware that RJ told a couple of fans that the Heroes had to follow the Horn no matter who blew it (and that, if the Shadow blew the Horn, there would be some kind of 'rift' in the Pattern). What's the story there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is an interesting one for a multitude of reasons. I actually worked under the assumption that whoever blew the Horn would control the Heroes, going so far as to write several sequences in the last book referencing that to heighten tension that if the Horn were indeed captured things would go VERY poorly for the Light.

    I was quite surprised, then, when Harriet wrote back to me on the manuscript quite energetically crossing out these lines and explaining that the Heroes could not ever follow the Shadow. I called and asked for confirmation and clarification, pointing out that it seemed otherwise from the text and from fandom interpretation. She explained that this was one of Jim's ruses, that the characters in book were wrong and repeating bad information, and that Jim had been very clear with her that it was not the case. I can only guess that these reports in fandom were cases where people asked Jim a question he could Aes Sedai his way out of, and something got muddled in the communication or the reporting somehow.

    (Feel free to follow up with Harriet and Maria on this one, if you want more. Honestly, I was surprised, and it was something we had quite a dialogue on as I worked on the final book. I fought longer than I probably should for the "Shadow can use the Horn" theory.)

    Maria Simons

    I really can't add anything here. I thought I was led to believe (as opposed to coming up with it myself) that the Heroes really wouldn't follow the Horn if it were blown by Team Dark, but I cannot swear to that. I was unaware of the rift answer. Of course, it's possible that the Heroes themselves don't know the correct answer; they're Heroes, after all, and unless there's some Hero orientation meeting where they are filled in on all the details, they may just assume that they're always going to be Heroes, as in champions of goodness and Light.

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  • 353

    Interview: 2013

    bennmann (January 2013)

    Thank you so much for AMOL. I cried, I laughed many times, I feel a sense of loss at it being over, which is all to say I will reread it many times in the years to come.

    Have you addressed anywhere any of the criticisms for plot points that have popped up in reviews and on fan sites? Would you be willing to address any? For example Padan Fain's being something new that had never been in the Pattern before and yet dying before having a final confrontation with Rand or the Dark One? The TOR reviewer agreed with this point and a few others.

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    I will try to get to some of these questions in a spoiler-filled AMA in a few weeks, once more have read the book.

    Thanks for the kind words.

    Brandon

    leverofsound

    Sort of in line with this. On page 357 of AMoL when Cadsuane says "you have cracks in you..." Was that a reference to how you felt about the final copies of the series?

    I think you did a wonderful job, but obviously it was different than it had been originally intended.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sorry for the late reply.

    I didn't write it that way intentionally, but you can never tell what the subconscious is working into a story.

    Brandon

    leverofsound

    No worries. I was a week after you, so it's NBD. Thanks for the answer, and thanks, so very much, for the books.

    bennmann (February 2013)

    Thanks for signing this and addressing my question in Atlanta!

    For the readers following along, I printed out my comment and Sanderson's reddit post above and he was awesome and humble enough to sign the print out AND TO ANSWER MY SPOILERED OBJECTION! I will put the few points from your answer paraphrased for our and the communities future reference spoiled below:

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    1. RJ left notes for many characters that were open for Sanderson expansion, but the expansion on many was not necessary. Padan Fain is one of those characters, however everything RJ left for Fain specifically for AMoL was used. 2. 'Padan Fain is a weasel' and many, many other characters deserve more words than him. 3. Fans built up several plot points that did not come to fruition and RJ even recognized this explicitly. Padan Fain is one of those characters.

    bennmann

    Harriet also signed the comment which I feel is very fitting and thank you Harriet so much for being unified with Brandon on his work and your husband's.

    I am very much more satisfied now than before you answered me verbally Brandon, thank you again so much. Keep being awesome.

    Tags

  • 354

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    The second time through I made sure I was last in line. There was one guy who tried to be last until I convinced him I had more questions than he did. He was asking stuff on behalf of his friend David who was ill and couldn't be there. He video-recorded it and asked Brandon to address David personally because it would 'make his world'.

    Question

    Robert Jordan...did he lay out all the war tactics for you, because he is a war historian, or was...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Actually, David, no he didn't; he didn't have an opportunity to do that. He indicated that it was supposed to be a big, long battle for the last book—basically all battle—but he didn't give us much of the tactics. There are a few things that he put in there, that he told us to do. But what we did is, we went to several experts that Harriet knows, and asked them for suggestions, and then we relied on Alan Romanczuk, who is part of Team Jordan, and we had him outline the battle tactics, which I then used to tell the story.

    Question

    Okay, good. Thank you. And another question:

    When you got his notes, were they digitized or was it a big stack of papers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was both. I got them in digital form—the bulk of it was in digital form—but they had printed off about 200 pages of them for me, which were ones that were relevant specifically to the last book, which turned into three.

    Question

    Okay, and the final question is:

    Are there any—and I'm sure you get this question a lot—are there any plans for any aspect of the Wheel of Time universe to keep going, maybe in another story?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, we are not doing any more books. Robert Jordan specifically didn't want more books being written, so we feel it's best to both respect his wishes and stop while we're ahead. That doesn't preclude video games from being made, and so we perhaps may see films or video games or sort of things like that that will tell some of these other stories, but as for fiction, it is done. So, thank you for the questions, David, and thank you for reading.

    Fan

    A movie would be irritating, because it would just ruin it. They could never capture it.

    Tags

  • 355

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Now, are Graendal's actions in Shara mentioned at all in "River of Souls"?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't think we talk about them.

    Terez

    I was just curious as to how that interacted... (crosstalk)

    Brandon Sanderson

    I mean, I considered...Yeah, it certainly helped with what he was doing.

    Terez

    Right, right.

    Brandon Sanderson

    But I mean...yeah. It's...

    Terez

    Because she totally didn't know he was there, so....

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. It certainly helped, and if I had been able to go back, and do—which I wouldn't have done—but if, you can imagine, there's a very cool interaction there, where he's there, and she's doing stuff, and he's taking advantage of it, but she's not seeing him and things like that. Like, the whole Demandred In Shara thing is awesome, because there's like twelve books worth of coolness of him being the hero...

    Terez

    Because all this stuff is in the notes, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What's that? Oh, some of it is, not all of it.

    Terez

    Oh, well yeah, because I know you said you had to kind of....you know, extrapolate a little bit...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I had to extrapolate a lot of the Sharan culture and things, which is where "River of Souls" came from. At the end of the day, because I was extrapolating these things, that's what made them distracting from the main plotline, if that makes sense.

    Terez

    Mmm, yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And so, a lot of what I was doing was like, it you know...all of Demandred's flunkies. Jim didn't name those; they're not in the notes...but I put them in because, you know, we have to evoke this entire two years of awesomeness....

    Terez

    Yeah, it can't just come out of nowhere, and be nothing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, so there's that. But yeah, it was too much me, also.

    Terez

    Yeah...gotcha.

    Tags

  • 356

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Um...did you notice...(in a louder voice)...has everybody standing around me read the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, spoiler! Just warning you.

    Terez

    Spoilers! Okay, did you notice any good foreshadowings for Egwene's death aside from Guinevere and the Year of the Four Amyrlins?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um...(laughs, looks at Jenn)....those are very good. I mean, it's mostly, you know, the Guinevere myth and things like that, but there's...(to Jenn)...there's others, aren't there?

    Terez

    The Year of the Four Amyrlins is the only, like, really nice one that I've latched on to, you know? Because it's like, she's talking about, "It's almost like now..." and it's like, "Everybody came to grief in the end...." And it's like...yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mmmhmm.

    Terez

    (laughs)

    Tags

  • 357

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Was Alanna captured in Tear?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. She managed to get away from Tear.

    Terez

    Okay. Good answer. (crosstalk)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question.

    Terez

    What happened to her Warder, Ihvon?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Her Warder Ihvon um, met...

    Terez

    ...(laughs)

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is not happy.

    Terez

    Unpleasant fate, okay.

    Tags

  • 358

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    The next one is something that somebody asked for me—on my behalf—before, but did Perrin bind his soul to the hammer? Or...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Did Perrin bind his soul to the hammer? That's an interesting question. Why are they asking this?

    Terez

    Because I asked before, was it Hopper? It's because of what Slayer said about his ability to step in and out....

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right, was based on having two souls in one body...

    Terez

    Yeah, and he said, "It's just like you," right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mmmhmm.

    Terez

    You know, so it has to be something.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, it's a good question. (with an air of finality) That's a very good question.

    Terez

    (sighs loudly) (people around laugh)

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say...how about this: I would say the relationship between Perrin and Hopper is...part of the reason that...Hopper may not...have suffered as dire a fate...(crosstalk)

    Terez

    That's what I was hoping for...

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...as wolves would normally suffer when killed where Hopper was killed. How about that?

    Terez

    Yeah, that's what I was hoping for, but your answer to the last one kind of drew me on the path of the hammer, which was somebody else's idea, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mmmhmm.

    Terez

    But yeah. Good!

    Brandon Sanderson

    So there you go.

    Terez

    That makes me happy.

    Footnote

    See A Memory of Light, Chapter 45, "Tendrils of Mist".

    Tags

  • 359

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Why didn't the bond protect Bryne's dreams?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why didn't the bond protect Bryne's dreams!

    Terez

    The Warder Bond...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes! Um....(pauses to think)

    Terez

    Is it an active thing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What's that?

    Terez

    Is it an active thing, like...she has to....Moiraine kind of phrased it like it wasn't...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. No, no no.

    Terez

    ...like, because of the bond, he's protected.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. (long pause) Why don't I MAFO this one so I don't say it wrong, because I had to go to Maria on this one.

    Terez

    Right. Yeah, okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...if that makes sense. And so, I will tell you wrong. I will MAFO it, because it's one I had to talk to her about. So we'll go back to the source of me being...or me working these things out in the first place.

    Terez

    Okay.

    Tags

  • 360

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Do you know about how many Aes Sedai are left after the Last Battle?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, Harriet said "many".

    Terez

    Many? (laughs) Yeah...

    Brandon Sanderson

    (laughs, coughs) Boy they lost a lot.

    Tags

  • 361

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    The name...how do you pronounce it? Is it no-tay, or no-tie?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, it's...you pronounce the K.

    Terez

    Oh, you pronounce the K!

    Brandon Sanderson

    ....according to Alan, who is the Old Tongue expert, who corrected me on it even though I named him.

    Terez

    So say it!

    Brandon Sanderson

    k'no-tie. But Alan can correct me, because Alan is the expert.

    Terez

    Does it have any mythological basis that you know of?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, it does not that I know of, because that one, as most of the names—not all of them, but most of them that I named, because I named him—came from me writing something in English, and saying, "Alan, give me the Old Tongue."

    Terez

    Okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And so, there are times where he'll find something, and I'll be like, "Oh, that sounds like this! Let's use it. Oh, this sounds like this; let's use it." Most of the time, it's...he comes up with the direct translation.

    Terez

    Like, Shaisam, actually...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Terez

    Yeah, I mean that's easy to figure out for us, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. And there are some where I say, "Let's find something that feels like this..." and then, you know, of course, Perrin's hammer, right?

    Terez

    Yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's one where you're like, you know, let's find an Old Tongue translation that works for what the mythological symbolism is.

    Terez

    And that works well. It's hard to pronounce though.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, it is a little hard to pronounce though.

    Terez

    Can you pronounce it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    MAH-HAHL-in-ear? Eh...ask Alan.

    Terez

    (laughs) Okay.

    Tags

  • 362

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Alright, is Cadsuane's lesson to the Asha'man yet to come?

    Brandon Sanderson

    To the Asha'man? It is the same lesson that Rand learned, but they....they started to learn it.....

    Terez

    Yeah...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say that they have not completely learned it yet. Not until they have spent years...um...growing...

    Terez

    Well the distinction in Min's viewing is that none of them would like learning it from Cadsuane.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Mmmhmm.

    Terez

    Yeah, so that's where everybody gets a little bit confused.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Terez

    But yeah, I got you.

    Tags

  • 363

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Was the "innocent" foreshadowing in early The Great Hunt—that you mentioned on Twitter when you were doing your reread—do you remember that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I do remember it, and people have asked me this, and I can't remember what it was! (crosstalk)

    Terez

    And you don't remember what it was. And then there's the one in The Dragon Reborn Chapter 27.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. Oh, I can probably remember that one.

    Terez

    Can I email you about those two?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, you can email me about that one, because I can find that one. Because I know which one that one was, but I can't remember the other one. I feel so bad! It's like...

    Terez

    Well, was it Leane and Perrin, with the crown and the High Chant?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mayyy-beee.....

    Terez

    Like, she said something about, "Next the blacksmith is gonna be wearing a crown and speaking in High Chant..."

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ohhhhh, yeah! I bet it's that one, because...yeah.....

    Terez

    It's kind of an innocent foreshadowing....

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...No, you're right.

    Terez

    I think you kind of avoided my question, and then you later kind of...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I think it's that one, because it's Perrin becoming king.

    Terez

    Right. Okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Which finally happened in this book.

    Tags

  • 364

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Can you tell us one scene that RJ worked on outside of the prologue and epilogue?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. He wrote Moiraine's dialogue at the, um....

    Terez

    ...at the Merrilor meeting?

    Brandon Sanderson

    At the Merrilor meeting.

    Terez

    Okay.

    Tags

  • 365

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Was it actually Egwene talking to Rand, after...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, I've left this one intentionally ambiguous.

    Terez

    I figured that's what you did.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That, and whether Lan actually died or not, are both ones that I'm not going to answer.

    Terez

    Yeah, and whether Perrin actually died or not, because he's in the dark prophecy too.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, but do remember that the dark prophecy people are misinterpreting that one a little bit, by intention.

    Terez

    Yeah... [Amusingly, Brandon is talking about the dark prophecy in Towers of Midnight, and I'm talking about the one in The Great Hunt.]

    Brandon Sanderson

    You know, they're supposed to misinterpret it, but one of the lines doesn't refer to Perrin; it refers to Hopper, and then the next line...

    Terez

    Well, not her new lover!

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, yeah...

    Terez

    That's not Hopper, is it? (laughter behind)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh, no...

    Terez

    She's not into...okay. Good. (laughs)

    Tags

  • 366

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Was Min's "three ships sailing" inspired by the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't believe so. Wow, but I don't know, so I can't say on that one...

    Terez

    Oh, it wasn't yours?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh, no....ah...

    Terez

    It was in the last book: three ships sailing, insect in the darkness, red lights....

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. It's not the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María....

    Terez

    Yeah, well I thought it might have been inspired by that...

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll have to dig into the notes on that one.

    Terez

    Allllll-right.

    Tags

  • 367

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2013

    Question

    Was it up to you to decide what the Dark One actually was? The revelation that the Dark One was a concept or idea rather than a person reminded me very much of Ruin from the The Hero of Ages. How did you make that decision?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I was left a lot of freedom on how to do that specific thing, and earlier in the first draft he wasn't so much like that. We felt the conflict wasn't working—it felt more like the Last Conversation than the Last Battle. Harriet sent back direction for something stronger. The revision included the dueling of possibilities. That is where the Dark One became more involved and so it evolved into that, but we weren't following anything specific Jim had said.

    Tags

  • 368

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Mat asked Hawkwing to go talk to Tuon, but it's never actually said whether he did or not.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He did.

    Tags

  • 369

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    When rand lights the pipe at the end, is he directly influencing the Pattern?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RJ didn't tell us. He wrote that scene himself, and he didn't say what it meant. I think that's what it is, but I can't say for sure, because RJ didn't tell me.

    Tags

  • 370

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Did you ever conceive of breaking the "Last Battle" chapter into sections?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I felt like I wanted you to feel like the characters felt. And that you couldn't just put your sword down and go. That was my goal.

    Tags

  • 371

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Can the anti-balefire weave restore threads to the Pattern?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it repairs threads to the Pattern. The threads may not be exactly the same, but it does repair them.

    Question

    So does that mean Hopper could the next time in this cycle?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can't speak for Hopper, other than, I have hope.

    Tags

  • 372

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Brandon Sanderson

    You were the person with the Moiraine question. RJ wrote in his notes that main purpose of Moiraine is to prevent a war between Rand and Egwene. And then she was to go with him into the Pit of Doom, but in the Pit of Doom there was nothing for her to do. And I felt bad about that, but that's what he instructed. It was hard to come up with stuff for everyone to have a part and a role. But I did what he instructed. It was a good question, people wondered. She did have an important role to play.

    Tags

  • 373

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    The character Daruo, Deathwatch Guard in the scene where Mat and Tuon re-unite. Please tell me that could he be an Ogier?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, if you want him to be.

    Tags

  • 374

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Egwene, was that your idea or Robert Jordan's?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I haven't been telling people about that one specifically. Almost all the deaths in the book were RJ's instructions, but I did choose a few of them. So, it could been either one of us.

    Tags

  • 375

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    The last book had a lot of military action in it. Did you have to do a lot of research for that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes we did. And I relied a lot on some experts that we know to give me a lot of help on that.

    Tags

  • 376

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Demandred, when he does the coming out scene with the big reveal. Was that you or Robert Jordan?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That was me.

    Tags

  • 377

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Did you have any Air Force consultation with the to'raken scenes at all?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That was in mind. We had a lot of military experts help us out with these books. I relied on them a lot.

    Tags

  • 378

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Was Robert Jordan's original draft of that as bloody as the way it came out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A lot of the deaths, he didn't write any of the actual death scenes, he just indicated who lived and died. I just upped the ante somewhat. I wasn't going to have the Last Battle come without substantial losses, and so, where he didn't instruct me, this person lives, I had some measure of, yeah. And so, I did up the body count. I know he was planning to kill off a number of characters, but he also, killing people, and letting them stay dead was not one of Jim's strong suits. He was very fond of his characters, and I know there were lots that he was planning to kill. I don't think that he would have killed as many as I, maybe. I don't know. It's what we felt the story needed, in talking to Harriet and Team Jordan. Maybe he would have. I did what I thought made the best story.

    Tags

  • 379

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    What about Cadsuane being summoned to become Amyrlin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Cadsuane was going to give up the three Oaths, and go live forever. Cadsuane's fate was not my idea.

    Tags

  • 380

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Question

    Sam Mickel seems to think that Demandred becomes so obsessed with Rand during the book, and that this appears to have increased from previous books. Would you say that, and if so, why?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say no, though the immediacy of what is happening makes it manifest, makes it look that way. He has always been ... I mean, the single defining attribute of Demandred is his obsession with Rand, and it is his tragic flaw also.

    Tags

  • 381

    Interview: Mar 18th, 2013

    Tom Doherty

    Let's talk about windowing. [Note: Windowing is the term used for spacing out the release dates of different formats of a book. Hardcover followed by trade or ebook, etc.] Harriet windowed this book, and there's a lot of misunderstanding about this. People think that we did it for some selfish reason.

    Harriet McDougal

    No, it wasn't a selfish reason. The brick‑and‑mortar bookstores were very good to Robert Jordan throughout his career. They are having a hard time now. This was a chance for Robert Jordan to give back to people who had been very good to him for 20 years. That was really the main reason for the windowing.

    When I began in this business, which was when dinosaurs roamed the earth, a hardcover would come out and you had to wait a year or more for a cheaper edition to come out. Even now it’s generally more than six months for a paperback to come out after the hardcover. In that context, a window of three months doesn't seem very onerous. It's a way of holding out a hand to the bookstores, where you can have book signings and meet other people who like books and, above all, where you can browse. It's very difficult to browse on the Internet. It's fine when you know exactly what book you want, but how can you have your eye caught by something in the next aisle that you'd never considered, like maybe a book called Knit for Dummies. "What's that? I want to go look at that."

    Tom Doherty

    It's so true. We grew up selling books this way. Sure, there's a new, wonderful way to reach more people, but we shouldn't ignore all the things that booksellers have done for us all these years. I understand Harriet's feelings, and I think it's wonderful that she cares and wants to support the people who supported us over fourteen books.

    Harriet McDougal

    And all the people who found it because they thought: "Gee, that cover looks interesting." Well, when you're online that opportunity doesn't quite exist in the same way.

    Tom Doherty

    No, you've got to look at too many things. You can't see it by accident, out of the corner of your eye as you walk around.

    Harriet McDougal

    Exactly.

    Tags

  • 382

    Interview: Mar 18th, 2013

    Tom Doherty

    A Memory of Light was the biggest first day we've ever had.

    Harriet McDougal

    Which is something.

    Tom Doherty

    Yep. Harriet's agent, Nat Sobel, just sent us an e‑mail saying it's number one in England, too, right now. They said it outsold the one behind it four‑to‑one.

    Harriet McDougal

    It's so nice that missing Christmas didn't hurt. I really worried about that, but we just needed the time to comb its hair.

    Tom Doherty

    It had to be done right. It's just too important not to do it right. Rushing wouldn't work for this.

    Tags

  • 383

    Interview: Mar 18th, 2013

    Harriet McDougal

    I get a lot of questions about Dannil, the character who was cut out of The Eye of the World. Dannil sort of figures in that cover painting. [Referring to a painting of an Eye of the World poster in Tom Doherty's office.] There's an extra character in there. He has a ghostly life.

    Tom Doherty

    Darrell Sweet was doing many of the biggest fantasies in the 1990's.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes, using his work was a big expense for a little company. It was one of the ways in which you did such a superb job of publishing. Also, what's so nice about the gorgeous Michael Whelan cover for the last book is that it's obviously a Michael Whelan, but he very tactfully made it so that when you rack them all out, they look like family. That was a lovely thing he did.

    Irene Gallo

    It is. He did a good job. The palette and compostion really works with the other covers. I didn't envy him the job and he turned it into a nice tribute as well as a conclusion.

    Harriet McDougal

    And Sam Weber is so nice. I keep trying to call him Sam Weller because of Dickens. He said Whelan called him once and asked: "What's a ter'angreal?"

    Looking at The Way of Kings, I had an extraordinary coincidence. A friend of mine's former wife is a curator at the Phillips Collection in Washington. She's a descendent of John Martin, an English painter also known as Mad Martin. He was the highest paid artist in Great Britain in the 1840's, and then he sank into total obscurity until a couple of war refugees rediscovered and resurrected his works after World War II. One of his paintings is the cover of The Way of Kings, except that there's a big pantheon where the guy is in the distance.

    Irene Gallo

    I'm going to look that up.

    Harriet McDougal

    His skies are very much like Michael Whelan's. He was doing all that stuff way back then. I don't know if Whelan's ever looked at him, but it looks as if he has. Those fabulous skies of Whelan's.

    Tags

  • 384

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    stagfury ()

    I just finished A Memory of Light about a week ago, I've been wondering...whatever happened to Morgase? She was never mentioned in the prologue when Talmanes was fighting through Caemlyn, nor was she around when Elayne found out what happened to Caemlyn. Did she just die during the initial strike by the Darkfriends/Black Ajah?

    Brandon Sanderson

    She lives. She spend some time helping the refugees; I may have mentioned it, or I may have forgotten. One challenge with this last book was finding a place for so many characters. Some, like Morgase, I decided to deal with in previous volumes and leave only brief mentions in the final book.

    Tags

  • 385

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    stagfury ()

    I'm also wondering about the several duel with Demandred. Isn't Gawyn a bit too weak in this book? From the previous books, Gawyn was said to be able to easily take down other Warders and even win in a practice against two Warders together. Then with a single Bloodknife ring, the wearer is supposed to have superhuman strength/speed that can't really be matched, and he was using not one but three rings. While Galad has been established throughout the series to be better than Gawyn, I find it strange that Galad was able to hurt Demandred with nothing but a imperfect foxhead medallion copy, while Gawyn with three Bloodknives rings and Warder bond didn't remotely stand a chance against Demandred?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Gawyn is good, but not really, really good. In addition, he has an inflated sense of HOW good he is. He doesn't have the inner control and understanding to be a fully capable swordsman. Beyond that, he mistakes power for ability, and lets himself grow too reckless. Finally, having enhanced abilities, such as the rings grant him, doesn't immediately give you the skill to make full use of those abilities. Gawyn tried, and deserves credit for that, but in the end he had not spent years preparing himself properly to win that particular contest.

    Tags

  • 386

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Shillster ()

    What did Artur Hawkwing say to Fortuona when Mat sent him over there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There were a lot of things discussed here, considering the short time given them. A chastisement for letting his empire fall so far was part of it. Damane were discussed.

    Tags

  • 387

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Shillster ()

    Why did Mat's death break the bond with the Horn when his death was reversed with balefire? Wouldn't it also reverse the breaking of the bond?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is one where I just let Team Jordan lead. They told me why the bond had been broken, and that the other death didn't count. It was straight from RJ's mouth, but was not included in the notes, so we just had to work with what we had.

    Tags

  • 388

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Shillster ()

    Why did the Heroes say they could be stopped by the One Power (wrapped up in air) when in The Great Hunt they clearly weren't affected by the damane's attacks? That seems inconsistent.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I thought we had this wiggle room through observation of the text and what RJ had written, but it's entirely possible that I'm wrong. I'd have to go look and dig out the appropriate quotes. That entire scene, I'll admit, came from my insistence that the Heroes not be able to simply fight the Last Battle on behalf of mankind. Since RJ wasn't explicit either way, I wanted it specifically mentioned that the Heroes are there to help, not to do all the work on their own. It's a narrative point of importance to me. Perhaps I went too far. I'll ask Maria about this at JordanCon this week and see if we made an error.

    Tags

  • 389

    Interview: Apr, 2013

    Question

    Was the Oath Rod, one of the Nine Rods of Dominion? What were the Nine Rods of Dominion? Who were the 17 Generals of Dawn's Gate?

    Maria Simons

    The Oath Rod was not one of the Nine Rods of Dominion. The Nine Rods of Dominion that Lews Therin summoned were the regional governors of the earth; a rod—but not an Oath Rod—was the symbol of their office. The Seventeen Generals of Dawn’s Gate were a group of military commanders of high rank who led the fight against the Shadow in the War of Power; their names are unknown.

    Tags

  • 390

    Interview: Apr 20th, 2013

    Terez

    So it's not clear whether Tuon accepted Egwene's condition to release damane who wished it. Did she, or was the agreement just Tremalking in exchange for allowing Seanchan ambassadors?

    Maria Simons

    The latter I believe. I would really have to look at is closely.

    Tags

  • 391

    Interview: Apr 20th, 2013

    Terez

    Which Forsaken was it that visited Isam at the beginning of A Memory of Light?

    Maria Simons

    I'm not going to answer that one.

    Tags

  • 392

    Interview: Apr 20th, 2013

    Terez

    Why was Demandred's face familiar to Gawyn?

    Maria Simons

    It seems like there was a reason, but I can't remember.

    Tags

  • 393

    Interview: Apr 20th, 2013

    Terez

    Was a glossary every written for A Memory of Light?

    Maria Simons

    No. We decided pretty much right off the bat that we wanted to end with the end. How do you follow that ending anyway? And we're doing the whole Encyclopedia; that would just be like a separate glossary.

    Tags

  • 394

    Interview: Apr 11th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    A few random pieces of catch-up news for today. The ebook for A Memory of Light came out this week, if you didn't notice. You can find it at the usual vendors.

    Tags

  • 395

    Interview: May 1st, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    Michael Whelan has signed prints of the A Memory of Light cover painting, that Harriet and I also signed at JordanCon. They look great!

    Tags

  • 396

    Interview: Jun 25th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    If you haven't heard about Unfettered before, here's a bit of an introduction. When I was on tour probably for The Alloy of Law, Shawn Speakman (webmaster for Terry Brooks and Naomi Novik, and who also runs the booksigning service The Signed Page), approached me about an anthology he was putting together (at the suggestion of Terry Brooks) to help defray Shawn's medical bills stemming from his 2011 diagnosis with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Shawn has been a friend and supporter to the careers of a lot of writers, so I was interested in helping out. The question was what to contribute to the anthology. The title Shawn gave it was Unfettered, because he didn't want to put any restrictions on whatever the authors wanted to contribute.

    When I was writing A Memory of Light, there was a sequence of viewpoints I was working on that were somewhat more daring than some other viewpoints I had done. The character I'm talking about is known as Bao in the book, and if you've read it you'll know who that is. I wanted to try to give some deeper backstory to Bao, but after I showed the scenes to Harriet, though we all liked them, we decided they they didn't fit in the book. Harriet felt that these scenes were distracting and derailing the narrative too close to what was to be the climax of the entire series, because of the new elements I was adding and fleshing out. So after some discussion, we decided that they should be cut.

    Though I saw the need for this, the fact that this was necessary left me feeling kind of sad. I felt the scenes were strong and added a lot to the character, giving a lot of extra motivation and poignancy to some of the things going on in A Memory of Light. So when the opportunity for Shawn's anthology came along, I began to think this would be the place for them. I approached Harriet, and she said that was a good idea.

    The result is "River of Souls", labeled as a Wheel of Time tale by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Since it's actually a sequence of deleted scenes, it's meant to be read as a companion to your read of A Memory of Light. It's not going to make a whole lot of sense if you haven't read at least the rest of the Wheel of Time, but it's a complete arc and I find it very exciting. I think you'll really like it, and I think this anthology is a good place for these scenes because they won't be distracting from the rest of the story.

    Tags

  • 397

    Interview: May 24th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He stated straight out that Lanfear had additional plans in motion that can be figured out based on A Memory of Light that none of the fandom has found yet (or at least not posted). He was asked for specifics and gave a RAFO, then specified he meant that in terms of re-reading A Memory of Light.

    He confirmed that Lanfear's compulsion of Perrin was only in A Memory of Light and that she didn't like using it and so had not done so in their previous meeting back in the early books.

    Tags

  • 398

    Interview: May 24th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Re: Deaths of major characters. His statement was that Jordan had left ending situations for nearly every character and that, with only two exceptions, if Jordan didn't specify, they had the character live. He confirmed one of those exceptions was Harriet's decision re: Siuan. He did not reveal the other.

    Tags

  • 399

    Interview: May 24th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    The idea of Compelling the Great Captains was one he and Harriet worked up. The notes apparently just stated that several of the Great Captains died and then everything was given to Mat. Since it was so vague, they had to come up with a reason for WHY the world would trust Mat like that.

    Tags

  • 400

    Interview: May 24th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Re: Tuon and Arthur Hawkwing's meeting. Brandon said #1: That while Hawkwing might have issues with certain aspects of Seanchan society, as a whole he would have found Tuon and her people to be awesome. He further said the reason he didn't show the conversation is because that and the fall out was supposed to be part of the outriggers that we won't see, and so Brandon wanted to leave that open the way Jordan would have.

    Tags

  • 401

    Interview: May 24th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Jordan made the decision of the True Nature of the Dark One. He said that straight out. He and Harriet rewrote and developed the battle the way it turned out, with the possible futures, etc. But the true key of the Dark ONe being needed for the world and Rand having to discover that and just restore the prison were Jordan's directive.

    Tags

  • 402

    Interview: Feb 13th, 2013

    Question

    So, at the end of The Eye of the World, the all caps voice? Will we ever find out who it was, or what they were looking for?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The all caps voice at the end of Eye of the World makes an appearance in A Memory of Light.

    Question

    What about what wasn't there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What's that?

    Question

    What about what wasn't there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    What do you mean, what wasn't there?

    Harriet McDougal

    [laughter]

    Brandon Sanderson

    Maybe it'll be in the encyclopedia. I can still RAFO things, Harriet is working on an encyclopedia of The Wheel of Time, which is coming out maybe in two years or so.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yeah.

    Tags

  • 403

    Interview: Feb 13th, 2013

    Question

    I actually do have a spoiler question, and I don't know . . .

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, why don't you save that till afterward and come ask us.

    Question

    Okay. But I do want to say that your answer to his question there makes a whole lot more sense now—that you didn't know that . . .

    Brandon Sanderson

    I do not know either.

    Question

    Okay.

    [laughter]

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nope, sorry. When I say he wrote the epilogue, he wrote the epilogue. And he left notes on a lot of things, but he didn't leave notes on the things he'd already finished, because we didn't need to know how to write those.

    Tags

  • 404

    Interview: Feb 13th, 2013

    Question

    Hi. Brandon, I know that you're a pretty big cheerleader of e-books.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Question

    And you two have had some discussions over the years about e-books. Could you just take a minute to talk about how specifically the e-books for these three novels kind of . . . evolved.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. Harriet has been in publishing a very long time, and understands publishing for a very long time. And e-books have kind of blindsided all of us. As she said earlier and has talked about, I swim in the net.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And Harriet does not.

    Harriet McDougal

    He has gills.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh-huh.

    Harriet McDougal

    He's very much at home in the e-world.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Harriet, early on with the books, was under the impression that e-books were like the paperback: that you release the hardcover and then a year later, you release the e-book and the paperback. And she was under the impression that was how it would work, and it's come as a surprise to many in the publishing industry that it doesn't work that way.

    Harriet McDougal

    And let us talk about the elephant in the middle of the room, which is the window for A Memory of Light. The e-book won't be out until the beginning of April, a three month window. And that was my doing.

    And I did it for the bookstores. I love bookstores. Bookstores are a vanishing breed. They're just going. Even, I understand, Barnes and Noble is talking about closing half their stores. This, to a freak like me, who just really has a thing for paper and bindings, is very ominous and sad. And I wanted to give the bookstores a break. Bookstores have been very good to Robert Jordan, all his career. And that's why there's a window.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have been trying very hard to find ways that we can blend this. Because I really like books, too. In fact, I'm a big fan of a lot of the independent booksellers. You'll notice I went to them on tour. Dwayne's bookstore—U books—is one of my favorites.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Borderlands in San Francisco, and Mysterious Galaxy down in San Diego. These bookstores—these are places that supported me when I was brand new—these bookstores that have a focus on genre. You know, you would call some big bookstores and they'd be like, who are you? We're not interested. These bookstores are like, hey, a new author, we want to meet you. Come, and we will bring in our readers, and we will let you talk to them, and things like this. And it's a completely different experience.

    And for a small genre like science fiction and fantasy, these stores mean a lot to us. Because, you know, the person at Costco is not going to read our books and sell our books. But Dwayne does. And you can go to Dwayne and you can say, hey what have you read lately? Or, what are people excited about? And he'll say, I read this, it's good. Or, this guy came and he was really nice, and here's what his book is about, and things like that.

    And that is something in the small genres that I feel—we're going to be clobbered by the vanishing of bookstores, when people like John Grisham are not going to have to worry about it as much. And so one of the things I've been trying to do is work out a 'you buy the hard copy–either the paperback or hardcover, the print copy—and you get the e book for free'. That's one of the things that I'm trying to do. And so my latest two . . . [applause] Oh, thank you. My latest two smaller releases last year, Legion and Emperor's Soul, I actually will mail you the e book of those two. If you buy the hard copy, and you send me an email, we will respond with a DRM free version in multiple formats that you can just read on any e-reader that you want.

    And so that's just something I'm trying, and I'm trying to use this as data points to convince Tor to let me do this for my larger books, for which they own the e-book rights. The small books I was able to retain them on, but that's not something viable for a big release like a Stormlight Archive book or something like that. And so it's something I'm hoping we can convince them to let me start doing with my other books.

    Tags

  • 405

    Interview: 2013

    poesian (March 2013)

    I'll bite:

    We had some discussion about whether or not the scene in AMOL in which Rand thinks Roedran is Demandred was intended as a bit of a dig at all the fan theories assuming that to be true. Or was Rand really just supposed to be convinced of that same theory? (And how did Shara never occur to anyone in the books?)

    Balefire question: If balefire isn't tearing someone's soul out of the pattern, why is it so destructive? Why, in AMOL is it literally tearing the world apart when Darkfriends are using it?

    Thanks! I will try and remember to ask more questions on 15 April!

    Brandon Sanderson

    1. The item you discuss was not intended as a dig against fans. You could read it, potentially, as an acknowledgement of fans—though really, all it comes from is the fact that you have a fan writing these books. I'm aware of many of the theories, and even spent years thinking about them and talking of them. In constructing this scene, it was my impression that if we'd spent all of this time working on these theories, how much more effort would those in world have expended?

    And so, my impression was that this would be genuinely what the character thought. I thought it would be very strange if he HADN'T considered it. Therefore, I put a note of it in the text—to indicate that the characters had been working through these same issues, and come to some of the same conclusions. It wasn't meant to break the fourth wall, though I can see how it stands out to some readers.

    2. I was under the impression that to be killed by balefire meant dying forever. However, Maria and the notes showed me I was wrong about this fact. Balefire does weaken the Pattern, but it can't destroy souls, which are (you might say) the substance of the Pattern. Just like you can take a hammer to a cup and shatter it, but the pieces of glass will still be there. The Pattern can (theoretically) be unraveled, the world end, but the souls still exist.

    It should be note that Moridin believed strongly that the soul CAN be ended by other means, and the implication of wolves (at least) being killed with no rebirth means it can happen.

    So, in final answer to your question, it is so destructive because it leaves the Pattern in a mess, strained, and more easily subjected to the Dark One's will. His goal is to shatter the cup, so to speak, and then rebuilt it into a cup more to his liking.

    poesian

    Oh man, I am so happy (a) that you answered my questions and (b) that you answered them well. Thank you for all you've done with the series, Brandon!

    (I pointed out the Demandred scene because it is fun on all of those levels. I've thought about the "fourth wall" comment and it doesn't make sense; there's no moment where Rand looks at us. Just at Roedran, in a way that actually is entirely sensical.)

    TheBB

    And so, my impression was that this would be genuinely what the character thought.

    This was a bit jarring for me, because most of the reasons for the Demandred=Roedran theory came from hints given by Robert Jordan, that Rand wouldn't have access to.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ah, but Rand would have a whole LOT of information in-world that we don't have. Spy reports, rumors, his knowledge of how the Forsaken like to work. If you remove the places where one of the Forsaken had already set up shop, remove the monarchs that Rand has already met and interacted with, and look for a place that has been suspiciously quiet, you end up with very few options.

    poesian

    One of which just happens to be as we now know Shara.

    NruJaC

    It's funny, it was an RJ quote that pushed people away from that particular theory. It turned out to be an extremely Aes Sedai answer.

    poesian

    I would love to read that quote.

    And of course RJ would give Aes Sedai answers. That makes a lot of sense.

    NruJaC

    I'll try to find it, but he basically said that we'd never see Shara "on-screen".

    poesian

    Oh right! Yeah. That's a very Aes Sedai answer. Heh. 'You'll never see their country, but they'll see ours!'

    Tags

  • 406

    Interview: 2013

    Shillster (March 2013)

    Brandon, I'm excited for your AMA. Maybe if you see it you could answer this for me?

    First off, thanks for A Memory of Light. Probably my favorite fantasy book to-date! (Way of Kings is competing though) My question is why did RJ have you spend SO much time to build up Egwene as a character (Amyrlin, Dreamwalker, inventor of weaves, super awesome character, etc) just to kill her off in the end? Was this RJ's decision or someone else's? She's the only character I am so angry about dying. It's been a few months and I'm still distraught over her death. Please tell me why?!

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is never my intention to just "kill off" a character for shock value, and I can assume that RJ felt the same way, from what I've read and studied. That said, the answer to your question comes down to believing that almost every character sees themselves as the hero of their own story. Even if you know they are eventually going to die, you usually don't want to write it that way. (The exception is for tragic characters, where the foreshadowing of their impending demise is a natural consequence of their bad choices.)

    In the case of a protagonist being lost, the proper course (in my eyes) is to build them up in exactly the same way that you would build up everyone else. Maybe even more. You must make them LIVE before they can die.

    Getting back to what I said at the start, I never "kill off" characters. I allow characters to take the risks they demand, and even sacrifice themselves if they demand, for the good of the goals they want to achieve. Again, I can only assume RJ had a similar philosophy from what I've read.

    I haven't answered yet who decided that the particularly character you mention should die—because, in the end, it was the character's choice, and not ours. My job is not to coddle them, but to make certain their death is a good one. (And if I failed in that regard, I apologize.)

    Shillster

    Sigh. Well, while that wasn't quite the answer I was searching for, I think it's the answer I needed. Thank you for starting my heart on the road to recovery.

    Yes, this death was a good one. Thank you for doing your job in this regard the right way. You'll always get an upvote from me.

    Tags

  • 407

    Interview: 2013

    RazGriz3 (May 2013)

    Was anyone else a little disappointed with the way to Ogier showed up for the Last Battle? Kinda just like "Oh yeah, we are here too." Then that was it. The scenes in which we see Ogier fighting are awesome, but I felt their introduction to the Last Battle was a little lacking. Anyone else?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The way they show up is actually the result of a sequence being cut. Originally, Perrin led an expedition into the Ways to try and close the Waygate in Caemlyn from behind. During this, the Ogier arrived, full of song, to drive off the Black Wind. Unfortunately, this sequence had logistical problems with the rest of the book, and had to be deleted entirely. The biggest casualty of this cut was the Ogier introduction, which didn't work nearly as well in the new sequence as it once had.

    kaybeesee

    Thanks so much for adding your insight.

    Ever thought about publishing a deleted scenes book? If movies can do it, why not books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Afraid it isn't my call. You'd have to convince Harriet. That said, we are releasing some deleted scenes in the Unfettered Anthology to help with a friend's medical bills. (They aren't the Perrin ones, though.)

    Andre_Gigante

    Thank you for being a redditor as well as an awesome author.

    Pilkunussija

    Did the same thing happen with Mashadar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, no deleted scenes here. I did Mashadar the way I did because of the small amount of information in the notes about it or Fain, and I felt that going with what little I did have was better than exploring widely without knowing where RJ wanted to go. In some other cases, I did extrapolate when we didn't have much from RJ, but here it felt better to go with the "less is more" idea.

    There was a big danger in these books in me taking over too much and driving the books far from RJ's original vision. I had to pick and choose carefully which parts I extrapolated, and I did it based more on my own instincts and talents than anything else. For example, I felt very comfortable with Perrin as a character—he'd always been my favorite, and I felt like I knew him very well and could write him strongly. So, in Towers of Midnight where we had very little direction on what to do with Perrin, I felt that the right move was to expand his part and develop a sequence on my own.

    However, for Mat in the Tower of Ghenjei, RJ had been planning this sequence for years and years. He wrote or outlined a good portion of it before he died. It was a small sequence, however, only a couple of chapters worth. I realized fans would be expecting more from this sequence, but my instincts said that it would be wrong to develop it into something much larger. That would not only go against RJ's wishes, but would risk messing things up royally. RJ had laid careful foreshadowing and groundwork for the scenes, and had a specific vision for this sequence. Perhaps if he'd lived, he would have expanded it in additional directions, but it would have been the wrong place for me to add.

    Fain through my three books feels very similar to me. It wasn't as strict here as it was with the Mat/Ghenjei sequence—I COULD have expanded, and perhaps I would have, given more time. However, at the same time, there is an argument to be had that RJ wanted Fain to have a lesser-than-expected place in the Last Battle, and expanding him would undermine this.

    devoidz

    I wish the Ways had been touched on. They were very interesting, as well as the portal stones. Was there any more info, or back story, on the Black Wind that hasn't been shared? Thanks for responding to us, by the way. I loved the last three books, you did an awesome job on them. I am getting ready to start going through some of your own stories.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is some, but not as much as I think fans hope. In regards to something else mentioned on this thread—I believe that RJ was planning to do the Ogier/Seanchan Ogier relationship exploration in the Outriggers.

    1anthony90

    What logistical problems were there?

    simps984

    IIRC in some of Brandon's other posts on Reddit, he indicated that the deleted scenes were casualties of keeping the book reasonable in length. Additionally, Harriet or the publisher preferred that the storyline in A Memory of Light should be directly approaching the Last Battle, and this sequence got a little too far away from that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There were a number. The biggest one was that the sequence wasn't needed. As you can judge from the final book, the Waygate didn't NEED to be closed. The structure of the battle worked just fine without it, as the plan was always to draw the Shadow's armies upward and through the woods. By the time the big fights here played out, it didn't matter terribly much if the Trollocs were being resupplied from behind.

    Beyond that, the weight of this heavy Perrin sequence in the early middle of the book was distracting, keeping attention away from Rand and from the push toward the rest of the Last Battle. (this is what simps984 mentioned in his reply, which is correct.) The sequence was awesome on its own, but distracting in conjunction with the rest of the novel.

    I would still have liked to have found a way to make it work, but I feel that way about every scene I end up deleting from the book. The truth is that aside from the Ogier arrival, nothing big was lost by cutting this ten thousand words—and a whole lot was gained.

    Tags

  • 408

    Interview: 2013

    DaBoffinIsMyUsername (June 2013)

    Just finished the chapter "Older, More Weathered". Funniest chapter so far IMO, what are your most humorous scenes?

    woodchuck_vomit

    New Spring—Moiraine gets thrown into a pond.

    Eye of the World—Min takes Rand aside when he re-enters the inn to tell him about Nynaeve, Thom immediately assumes they're gonna make out, Min says "Go juggle something."

    The Great Hunt—Egwene smuggling Rand into the women's quarters to hide from the Amyrlin.

    The Dragon Reborn—Moiraine catches some fish.

    The Shadow Rising—Elayne gets drunk; Aviendha describes Elayne to Rand in detail.

    The Fires of Heaven—The Aes Sedai in Salidar make Siuan and Leane go over every prank they played in the White Tower as novices and Accepted to prove they're really them; "It happened on the other side of the world and the Maidens still knew!"

    Lord of Chaos—Aiel humor; Mat before he realizes Egwene really is the Amyrlin.

    A Crown of Swords—Mat and Birgitte get drunk, Elayne gets bond-drunk; Min likes it rough.

    The Path of Daggers—Aviendha describes some of her night with Rand to Elayne; Elayne and that mysterious red rod ter'angreal; the Maidens collect some toh from Rand.

    Winter's Heart—Aviendha, Min, and Birgitte all feeling it in their heads.

    Crossroads of Twilight—"She would bond him as her Warder one day, somehow, and she would marry him, and make love to him until he cried for mercy!" Whoa there Egwene.

    Knife of Dreams—Tuon allows Mat to kiss her. "Do I remind you of your sister? Or perhaps your mother?"

    The Gathering Storm—"Women are like goats..."

    Towers of Midnight—"Your royal bloody pain in my back..."

    A Memory of Light—Aviendha suggests that the most honorable way to win would be to take the Dark One gai'shain.

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    A note for those curious, but a spoiler for the ending. Regarding the AMOL one, have you noticed yet that Rand, to an extent, did this very thing?

    Mithre

    Is it just how he imprisoned the Dark One without killing him? Or did I miss something?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The usual way to take a person gai'shain is to touch them while they are holding a weapon. Rand seized and held the Dark One in his hand, then chose not to kill him, instead taking him prisoner.

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  • 409

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    sleepinghour

    Was anything new revealed during the Q&A?

    TsorovanSaidin

    Not really.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He said Androl was strictly him, no sorta fan shout out. But as fans, we all sorta have those things we see as "should be" possible. And for Brandon, Androl was like playing Portal. That's why Androl came across as such a real character. Androl Is Brandon thrown into the world.

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  • 410

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    TsorovanSaidin

    The only other thing we asked him was about a certain lighting of a pipe.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He said that he has no idea what the ending with Rand lightning the pipe truly meant. That was completely RJ. I asked him, based on my own theory, that what Rand did was a by product of him being almost a convergence of the Pattern. Since he wove with all three powers and wove the whole of the Age lace that he was now able to bend the Pattern and essentially "weave reality." Which would be more far helpful than the One Power. It may also explain why he's burnt out and not going crazy because of, he has a far better substation.

    TsorovanSaidin

    Pops! Forgot to add! Brandon said he doesn't know for sure but, that is close to his own theory. And they ARE releasing the complete encyclopedia on the series. He estimates by sometime next year.

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  • 411

    Interview: Feb 1st, 2013

    craiye

    While Brandon was signing my book(s) I asked him about Alivia and if she had a role in the body swap. I assumed it was Nakomi but the others I was reading the book with all decided it HAD to be Alivia and that's how she fulfilled Min's viewing.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Brandon confirmed that Alivia had NOTHING to do with the body swap but wouldn't go into it further.

    TsorovanSaidin

    Nothing is popping up man, but what did you ask? We had someone actually ask who killed Asmodean, literally THE ENTIRE CROWD booed this guy. Alivia helped him die by disappearing. It was quite anticlimactic.

    craiye

    Huh, not sure why the spoiler isn't working right. Anyways, I was having a debate with the 5 other people I'd been reading with and felt like I was taking crazy pills—all the others thought Alivia is the one who found Rand outside Shayol Ghul after the battle and did the swap. I asked Brandon to confirm that it wasn't Alivia and was in fact Nakomi and he said he wouldn't answer anything about Nakomi, but vehemently denied Alivia had anything to do with the swap.

    TsorovanSaidin

    The body swap was a result of the crossed balefire stream.

    craiye

    Sure, it's clear that was what triggered the whole event but the end of A Memory of Light heavily implies that the woman outside Shayol Ghul finalized the deal. I'd assume that was Nakomi.

    Anyways, BS has made it clear he can't/won't answer any questions about Nakomi so I was just hoping for a solid confirmation that Alivia wasn't involved in anything at Shayol Ghul, and he confirmed that. That was good enough for me.

    TsorovanSaidin

    Ohhhh you're talking the old woman in the tent with Alivia? I'm almost positive it was Caddy and Alivia was referring to her as an old woman. You're talking about "The wise ones and the old woman with them" line correct? It's not Verin, we know that much. Nakomi, I'm convinced is no one, and everyone is just assuming there's something special about her. Though I found that old woman line suspicious.

    craiye

    Nah, I'm talking about the first page of the epilogue—892. The figure outside Shayol Ghul that says "Yes, that's good. That is what you need to do" as he brings Moridin's body out. For some reason a fair amount of people I've talked too (including the group I read with) thought that was Alivia, since it's suggested this person starts the body swap at that point (or finishes it I suppose). BS confirmed it was NOT Alivia though. I assume it's Nakomi. Who Nakomi actually is is an entirely different story.

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  • 412

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    laenare ()

    At what point did Rand begin planning his fake death? At least in Towers of Midnight or in A Memory of Light timeline?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He never planned to. It was a matter of opportunity.

    Tags

  • 413

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    smb89 ()

    The Flame of Tar Valon—what does it do other than shore up the Pattern? Does it have effects also opposite to balefire? Was the weave related to the weave that Rand used to seek out Shadowspawn in The Dragon Reborn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is left for your consideration and discussion for now.

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  • 414

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    smb89 ()

    What was your favorite bit of A Memory of Light to write?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Lan/Demandred

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  • 415

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    SakisRakis ()

    I wondered particularly about, in the epilogue, Alivia leaving the supplies for the body-swapped Rand. I honestly had to go look up Alivia as a refresher upon seeing her name; was she included from Robert Jordan's draft, and if so, do you think he envisioned more involvement from her throughout A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That scene was indeed one of the ones that Robert Jordan wrote before he passed away, and was include as is. He MIGHT have included her a tad more in other scenes, but the notes were blank on her save for this last scene, so I don't know. I know for certain that her helping Rand to die meant only leaving the items for him. It was a very small thing that fandom (perhaps by RJ's design) blew up into something much larger. The characters did too, to an extent.

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  • 416

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    Giovanni13 ()

    Hey Brandon once upon a time you posted Final Fantasy X song "To Zarkanad" on your Facebook page and said it was perfect for the scene you were writing in A Memory of Light, so tell me if you remember which scene was that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It was the last few scenes I was working on, Perrin after the Last Battle and a few of the Loial sequences in the epilogue, which were parts I had a hand in writing as opposed to putting in what RJ had written.

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  • 417

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    EverAccelerating ()

    When you were working on A Memory of Light, I know Mr. Jordan had the fates of most, if not all of the characters written down. Were there any characters where you got to decide the fate of, either in A Memory of Light or the previous two books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, there were some. For example, Pevara's fate isn't mentioned in the notes, which is why I felt all right co-opting her for the Black Tower storyline, which was mostly mine. Siuan's fate wasn't mentioned in the notes, save for the rescue of Egwene from the White Tower. Harriet made the decision on how her story was to play out.

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  • 418

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    EverAccelerating ()

    What was your favorite scene in any of your published books that you had to eventually cut from the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Perrin traveling the Ways in A Memory of Light.

    iwasazombie

    What?! Can you tell us about that scene? This is the first I've heard of it. That sounds awesome.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Perrin gathered a team and traveled the Ways in order to try to close the Waygate in Camelyn from behind. It was determined that this section, among having other issues, was not needed for the final book and was distracting from the momentum toward the Last Battle.

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  • 419

    Interview: Apr 15th, 2013

    Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)

    ethnicallyambiguous ()

    Knowing what you know about Shai'tan, would it have been possible or at all interesting to have had a part from his POV?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Anything is possible, but I don't think it would be right for the book. Even in 'What if' land. Putting in a recreation of him was even a stretch—anything you read in the books is how mankind's minds choose to visualize him. He doesn't really have a personality. He, like the Pattern, simply IS.

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  • 420

    Interview: Mar, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    After Knife of Dreams, there's going to be one more main-sequence Wheel of Time novel, working title A Memory of Light. It may be a 2,000-page hardcover that you'll need a luggage cart and a back brace to get out of the store. (I think I could get Tor to issue them with a shoulder strap embossed with the Tor logo, since I've already forced them to expand the edges of paperback technology to nearly a thousand pages!) Well, it probably won't be that long, but if I'm going to make it a coherent novel it's all got to be in one volume. The major storylines will all be tied up, along with some of the secondary, and even some of the tertiary, but others will be left hanging. I'm doing that deliberately, because I believe it will give the feel of a world that's still out there alive and kicking, with things still going on. I've always hated reaching the end of a trilogy and finding all of the characters', all the country's, all the world's, problems are solved. It's this neat resolution of everything, and that never happens in real life.

    I originally thought I was signing up for a 10 or 15K run, and somewhere along the line I found out it was a marathon. So yes, I would like to cross the finish line on this thing and get on to what's next. I'm not that old, and I've got a lot of writing left. There are two more short prequel novels to be done at some point, but aside from that, I have said I would never write again in this universe unless I get a really great idea—which would have to be an idea that would support two or three of what I call "outrigger" novels, not part of the main storyline. Well, I may have had one! But I'll have to set it aside for a year or two because I've already signed contracts for an unrelated trilogy called Infinity of Heaven, which I'm very excited about. I've been poking that idea around in my head for 10 or 12 years.

    I've also thought about doing a book set during the Vietnam War, but Jim Rigney will probably never write the Vietnam book. If I did, it would be history now, and I decided a long time ago that Rigney was going to be or contemporary fiction, and my name for historical novels is Reagan O'Neill. Maybe Jim Rigney will never become a writer!

    There have been some computer games and comics, and a movie based on The Eye of the World is still in the works (with contracts that allow me a lot of involvement), but nobody else is ever going to write Wheel of Time books. For after I die, I've purchased an insurance policy with a couple of guys who have a kneecap concession in the southeastern United States, and they have rights to expand this concession should it be desired. For a very small fee, they have guaranteed that they will crack the kneecaps of anybody who writes in my universe, and nail them to the floor!

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  • 421

    Interview: Dec 6th, 2012

    Question

    Will we find out what happened to Taren Ferry in A Memory of Light?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Umm, I’ll tell people if they can’t infer it, eventually what happened.

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  • 422

    Interview: Oct 9th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    So there I was, sitting beside Robert Jordan's computer, looking at printouts of his notes, and feeling supremely overwhelmed. You might wonder what was in those notes. Well, in preparing to write this piece, I went to Harriet and (as I'd often promised fans) asked if it would be possible to release the notes, or to at least speak specifically about their contents. (I still someday want to do a series of blog posts where I take scenes from the notes, then compare them to scenes in the finished books, with a commentary on why I made the decisions to change them that I did.)

    In response to my question, Harriet pointed out that work on the encyclopedia of the Wheel of Time is still in progress. She and Team Jordan haven't yet finished deciding what tidbits from the notes they want to include in the encyclopedia, and she thinks now is not the time to release them. (Or even for me to talk about specifics.)

    Therefore, I can't talk about many specific scenes. Instead, then, I want to talk about the general process—which might be of more interest to many of you. You see, as I've explained before, the "notes" aren't what people assume. I was handed two hundred pages of material by Harriet, and this is what I read that first night. Those pages included:

    Written sections by Robert Jordan: Robert Jordan was a "discovery"-type writer, meaning he tended to explore where he wanted his story to go by doing the actual writing. He didn't work from an outline. Harriet has explained that he had a few goalposts he was aiming for, big events he knew would happen somewhere in the story. He didn't know exactly how those would play out until he wrote them, but he knew what they were. Otherwise, he would write and explore, working his way toward his goalposts and discovering many parts of his story as he worked.

    Robert Jordan was also not a linear writer. From what I can judge by the notes, he was one of the relatively more rare breed of writers who work on a scene as it interests them, no matter where it may be in the story. It seems like he'd often dig out a file and write a short time on it, then stick that file back into the notes. The next day, he'd work on a different place in the story. It's possible that as he started work on a book in earnest, however, he progressed in a more linear fashion. The largest chunk of actual writing he left behind was for the prologue of A Memory of Light, after all.

    However, from what Harriet has told me, he did not show his notes to people, nor did he show them early drafts. Even Harriet often wouldn't get to see early drafts—she says what he gave her was often draft twelve or thirteen.

    In the stack of notes I was given were all of the scenes he'd actually written for A Memory of Light. Together, these were about a hundred pages. I can't tell you everything that was in there, not yet. I can speak about the things I've said before, however. One thing in these notes was the ending. (This became the epilogue of A Memory of Light, though I did add a couple of scenes to it.) Another was his unfinished prologue. (I split this into three chunks to become the prologues for the three books, though I did add quite a few scenes to these prologues as well. Scenes he'd finished, mostly finished, or had a loose first draft of include: the farmer watching the clouds approach in The Gathering Storm, the scene with Rand seen through the eyes of a sul'dam from the prologue of The Gathering Storm, the scene with the Borderlanders on the top of the tower in Towers of Midnight, and the scene with Isam in the Blight at the start of A Memory of Light.)

    Also included in this stack of scenes were a smattering of fragments, including the scene where Egwene gets a special visitor in The Gathering Storm. (Dress colors are discussed.) The scene in Towers of Midnight where two people get engaged. (The one that ends with a character finding a pot in the river—which is a piece I added.) And the scene at the Field of Merrilor inside the tent where someone unexpected arrives. (Much of that sequence was outlined in rough form.) I've tried to be vague as to not give spoilers.

    Q&A sessions with Robert Jordan's assistants: Near the end, Mr. Jordan was too weak to work on the book directly—but he would do sessions with Maria, Alan, Harriet, or Wilson where he'd tell them about the book. They recorded some of these, and then transcribed them for me. Most of these focus on someone asking him, "What happens to so-and-so." He'd then talk about their place in the ending, and what happened to them after the last book. A lot of these focus on major plot structures. ("So tell me again what happens when Siuan sneaks into the White Tower to try to find Egwene.") Or, they focus on the climax of the final book. The bulk of this information gave me a general feeling for the ending itself, and a read on where people ended up after the books. A lot of the "How do they get from the end of Knife of Dreams to the climax of A Memory of Light?" wasn't discussed.

    Selections from Robert Jordan's notes: As I've mentioned before, Robert Jordan's larger notes files are huge and have a haphazard organization. These are different from the notes I was given—the two hundred-page stack. My stack included the pages that Team Jordan thought most important to the writing of the book. They did also give me a CD, however, with everything on it—thousands and thousands of pages of materials.

    Though you might be salivating over these, the bulk are not things many of you would find interesting. Each version of the glossaries is included, for example, so Mr. Jordan knew what they'd said about given characters in given books. (These are identical to the ones printed in the backs of the books.) There are notes for many of the books, things Mr. Jordan used while writing a given novel in the series, but much of this ended up in the books and would not offer any revelations to you. There is, however, a great deal of interesting worldbuilding, some of which ended up in the books—but there's also quite a bit here that will probably end up in the encyclopedia. There were also notes files on given characters, with the viewings/prophesies/etc. about them that needed to be fulfilled, along with notes on their attitude, things they needed to accomplish yet in the series, and sometimes background tidbits about their lives.

    Maria and Alan had spent months meticulously combing through the notes and pulling out anything they thought I might need. This was the last chunk of my two hundred pages of notes, though I was free to spend time combing through the larger grouping of files—and I did this quite a bit.

    To be continued.

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  • 423

    Interview: Oct 30th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    Now we come to the big one. The Last Battle, the final book of the Wheel of Time.

    There was so much to pack into this book that at times I wondered if I'd be able to create a cohesive narrative from it. The danger was that instead, it would feel like a sequence of "Oh, hey, I forgot to tie this up" loose ends being completed one after another. Many of these things did need to be tied up, but it needed to happen in a way that came together into a story.

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  • 424

    Interview: Nov 1st, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    Androl and Pevara

    In working on the Black Tower plot, one thing I realized early on was that I wanted a new viewpoint character to be involved. One reason was that we didn't have anyone to really show the lives of the everyday members of the Black Tower. It felt like a hole in the viewpoint mosaic for the series. In addition, each Wheel of Time book—almost without exception—has either introduced a new viewpoint character or added a great deal of depth to a character who had only seen minimal use before. As we were drawing near to the end of the series, I didn't want to expand this very far. However, I did want to add at least one character across the three books I was doing.

    I went to Team Jordan with the suggestion that I could fulfill both of these purposes by using one of the rank-and-file members of the Black Tower, preferably someone who wasn't a full Asha'man and was something of a blank slate. They suggested Androl. The notes were silent regarding him, and while he had been around, he so far hadn't had the spotlight on him. He seemed the perfect character to dig into.

    A few more things got spun into this sequence. One was my desire to expand the usage of gateways in the series. For years, as an aspiring writer, I imagined how I would use gateways if writing a book that included them. I went so far as to include in the Stormlight Archive a magic system built around a similar teleportation mechanic. Being able to work on the Wheel of Time was a thrill for many reasons, but one big one was that it let me play with one of my favorite magic systems and nudge it in a few new directions. I've said that I didn't want to make a large number of new weaves, but instead find ways to use established weaves in new ways. I also liked the idea of expanding on the system for people who have a specific talent in certain areas of the One Power.

    Androl became my gateway expert. Another vital key in building him came from Harriet, who mailed me a long article about a leatherworker she found in Mr. Jordan's notes. She said, "He was planning to use this somewhere, but we don't know where."

    One final piece for his storyline came during my rereads of the series, where I felt that at times the fandom had been too down on the Red Ajah. True, they had some serious problems with their leadership in the books, but their purpose was noble. I feel that many readers wanted to treat them as the Wheel of Time equivalent of Slytherin—the house of no-goods, with every member a various form of nasty. Robert Jordan himself worked to counteract this, adding a great deal of depth to the Ajah by introducing Pevara. She had long been one of my favorite side characters, and I wanted her to have a strong plot in the last books. Building a relationship between her and Androl felt very natural to me, as it not only allowed me to explore the bonding process, but also let me work a small romance into the last three books—another thing that was present in most Wheel of Time books. The ways I pushed the Androl/Pevara bond was also something of an exploration and experiment. Though this was suggested by the things Robert Jordan wrote, I did have some freedom in how to adapt it. I felt that paralleling the wolf bond made sense, with (of course) its own distinctions.

    Finding a place to put the Pevara/Androl sequence into the books, however, proved difficult. Towers of Midnight was the book where we suffered the biggest time crunch. That was the novel where I'd plotted to put most of the Black Tower sequence, but in the end it didn't fit—partially because we just didn't have time for me to write it. So, while I did finish some chapters to put there, the soul of the sequence got pushed off to A Memory of Light, if I managed to find time for it.

    I did find time—in part because of cutting the Perrin sequence. Losing those 17,000 words left an imbalance to the pacing of the final book. It needed a plot sequence with more specific tension to balance out the more sweeping sequences early in the book where characters plan, plot, and argue. I was able to expand Androl/Pevara to fit this hole, and to show a lot of things I really wanted to show in the books.

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  • 425

    Interview: Apr 10th, 2014

    Question

    In the final confrontation, the reality healing crystally stuff—was that something demanded by the notes, or just a spectacular way for that girl to deal with that guy?

    Without delving too much into specifics, because I'm not sure exactly what's going to end up in the encyclopedia and what's going to end up in the notes, and things like this. Without going too much into specifics, for the Last Battle itself a lot of what Robert Jordan left me are concepts: concepts on this is how I want this to feel, the big crux of the Last Battle comes down to this question, this is where someone's crowning moment is—these sorts of emotions. It was like he was laying down the emotional beats, and the actual how to put it together—a lot of that was left in my hands. He did have some brainstorms on that, but some of those brainstorms were from years ago, before he wrote... For instance, I've mentioned before that there is a brainstorm we have on "here's how Rand is going to do it"—here's a brainstorm that Robert Jordan had left. But he'd written this brainstorm around book 7 or 6 or something, and it involved the Choedan Kal—both of them. And we're like, well he obviously threw that out the window and decided not to go with that. But some of these brainstorms that he'd had, we can say, oh this is the emotional resonance he's going for. Looking at the idea between we want to have the different powers work together, to work in this way from his brainstorm, even though we can't do it in the way that he was thinking of doing it ten years ago, we can still see the sort of thing that he was going for.

    And the scene that Terez mentioned at the end mentions Rand's big revelation that needed to happen so that the last moments could occur—he's reflecting on that when he comes out. And so we knew this emotional resonance that Robert Jordan wanted. And we had all these sort of other things where he talks about just the feel he wants and things like this. And so a lot of the specifics—how to put these things together—were things that I pitched to Team Jordan to fit the framework of the notes, and then we tried out and saw if they worked. Which is kinda how you do writing, at least if you're an outliner like me. I pitch ideas at myself, I build an outline out of it, and I try it out and see if it works. And what ended up in the book are the things that did work. What didn't end up in the book are the things that didn't work. For instance, "River of Souls", which was in the (Unfettered) anthology, is one of the things I mentioned—that's the sort of thing that we tried that doesn't work. And the reason a lot of times that these things are being cut is because we are striving for that balance between "let's push the story in new and innovative ways" between "let's make sure we're not straying too far from Robert Jordan's vision". And something like "River of Souls" strayed too far, and also kind of was distracting from the main point of the book—there were two big reasons to cut that sequence. But you see us doing things like that, and so the ones we end up with... A lot of these things about the actual Last Battle are me looking to put together what I feel creates the emotional resonance and the plot structure that Robert Jordan wanted for this ending.

    I've said before that the main bulk of the writing we had for this last book involved three main areas: the Epilogue, the scene at the Field of Merrilor where Moiraine shows up and things like this, and the scene at the beginning in the Town, the village in the Waste—what does he call it? Does he call it the Town? The Town is what he calls it. Yeah. And those are three places where we have kind of unchanged Robert Jordan writing. Granted, all through the books, each of the books, you'll find sprinklings where I'm able to use a paragraph or two, or a page, or something from his notes that spawns a chapter, but that's where we have untouched Robert Jordan writing in this last book—I think those are the three main places.

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  • 426

    Interview: Apr 10th, 2014

    Molly Weiss

    All right, so there’s this lady, she rules the people who came from over the sea, married a gambler—kind of a big deal. There’s this dude who appeared when a musical instrument was blown, perhaps the leader of them, perhaps the ancestor of this lady. And they had a conversation at the end. What might have happened in that conversation? What did they discuss?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, a lot of people are very curious about this conversation, rightfully so. They had many interesting things to say to one another. And I didn’t put that on-screen on purpose because I think that there are . . . Number one, I feel like it was the wrong place, narrative-wise, to have a break for something like that. And it’s also one of these things that I feel is going to work better in your mind than it might have worked on the page because there are so many places that conversation could have gone, that locking it down into to one of them would not have . . . I don’t think would have fully accomplished what we needed to accomplish there.

    Beyond that, the conversation that they have would be directly tied to the sequel series, which is not going to be written. And, you know, I feel that if Robert Jordan were still with us and were going to write that sequel series, that scene would have appeared. He would have had them talk, because that would be important then for character motivation, or at least would have been referenced in the sequel trilogy. But since we’re not doing the sequel trilogy, doing that makes promises, also, that you’re not going to get fulfilled as a reader. And so, leaving that off-screen, I felt, was very much the right move.

    That said, a lot of people make the assumption that Artur Hawkwing would be—and I’m not sure why they make this assumption, but I do get this from people—that he would be upset, that he would quote/unquote set her straight, or things like that. I think the conversation would have gone in a very different direction. In a, “You're doing a good job. There are certain things that I would suggest to you, but you need to conquer the work. That’s what your job would be. And here’s some advice on going about it.” Rather than a setting her straight, I think personally he would be proud of her. Granted, you know, now that he has all of his memories back, and he’s no longer under the dark influence that he was under during certain parts of his recent mortal existence, he will not be the exact same person he was back then. But he still is a conqueror, and that’s part of who his make-up is. And so, just keep that in mind as you imagine that scene however you want it to go. And I am still adamant about the fact that I think he would not like Aes Sedai even without the influence upon him. They are not his . . . yeah, he would not want to be involved with them.

    Amanda McTaggart

    This is a follow-up to that. We have a certain tall red-headed lady who goes through a magical object that shows what the future is. Does that future take into account the conversation that would have been had between the leader and her ancestor? Or is that something outside of the overall scheme of the world, and therefore would not have been taken into account in the future that was presented in that magical object?

    Brandon

    So the future that was presented is—I think people are clear about the idea that this is a possible future. And that is not . . . You know, some of the things that we get as glimpses of the future in the Wheel of Time are set in stone, and some of them are not. And this is one that is not. And so that conversation could have been part of that, but could also not have been part of that.

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  • 427

    Interview: Sep 4th, 2014

    Question

    I do have one question, A Memory of Light couldn't be better, except for the Padan Fain thing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, the Padan Fain thing is that I have a little bit of regret on that one. That's the one thing-- You see he didn't leave anything about Fain at all. Just completely blank. That was worrisome to me. The only thing he said was "Padan Fain cannot be Gollum" actually, he wrote that in the notes. So I was left with trying to figure out what to do and in the end I feel it just ended up feeling tacked on because there were so many other things I was interested in doing and Padan Fain I had never really enjoyed as a character that much. You are seeing my biases come through on that. Looking back at it I'm like "I really should have done something more with him". That's the big one that I feel I would change, if I could change something.

    Question

    Cause it's kind of a threat that goes away...

    Brandon Sanderson

    The other one is I would've liked for the viewpoint chapters from Demandred to be in the book instead of separated out and put in that charity anthology, but I didn't have any say in that one.

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  • 428

    Interview: Mar 12th, 2015

    NoFortress (Reddit)

    Wheel of Time question here. My understanding is that the title A Memory of Light refers specifically to a particular scene that actually happens at the end of The Gathering Storm. This has always bothered me that the title does not match up to the scene it references. Could you comment on this and how you decided to title the books?

    Brandon Sanderson (Reddit)

    The answer from the other poster is, in part, the correct answer. (I wrote most of TGS hoping I'd be able to publish the entire thing as one book.) However, philosophically, I always envisioned "A Memory of Light" to not mean any specific moment, but instead, the idea that the shadow was so strong upon the land that light had become but a memory--yet a very important one, driving people to seek it again and fight in the Last Battle.

    Because of this, it felt as if the final book of the three was the right place to use the title. Beyond that, I'm pretty sure RJ would have wanted that title on the final volume of the three.

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  • 429

    Interview: Sep 30th, 2014

    ShakaUVM (30 September 2014)

    For me, I really really want to see Artur Hawkwing's conversation with Tuon.

    Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

    It is not written, so I can't give it to you. However, let's just say that you would rarely see Tuon as she was in that scene, and she received words about how Seanchan as a kingdom was being handled.

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  • 430

    Interview: Sep 30th, 2014

    archaeonaga (1 October 2014)

    Did the body swap take place before Rand stumbled out of the cave, or during the period of time in which Rand and Moridin were in the tent? That first paragraph of the epilogue is quite ambiguous.

    Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

    This is one of those that I don't actually know. My instincts say that it happened after, as I believe the idea from RJ was "the soul that wants to live finds the body that lives, and the soul that wants to die finds the body that dies." But I can't honestly remember if that's his explanation for why (he wrote most of the epilogue, so this event was done and written before he died) or if it's Team Jordan's explanation after the fact. But it's the one I embraced.

    Footnote—Terez

    I'm fairly certain that this did not come directly from RJ based on conversations I have had with Maria about this at the "Unanswered Questions" panels at JordanCon 2017 and 2018. Just to be certain, I will ask her at the same panel at JordanCon 2019; she loves this panel and we're going to do it every year.

    MatrimRivers (16 October 2014)

    Sorry, very late to this party as I just finished AMOL today. So many feels. Just on this topic, as Min, Elayne, Aviendha and Alivia are the only ones who know that Rand still lives, wouldn't Nynaeve etc return to the tent after Rands funeral, see Moridin is gone and be like "oh fuck, the Nae'blis is on the loose. We better hunt him down". Or should we just sort of assume that the important characters are brought in on the secret by those who know?

    Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2014)

    I am amused imagining Nynaeve's reaction, both to what you just described and to her discovery that Rand is alive. But I DO think she's got an inkling of what's happening, and will bully it out of someone before too long.

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  • 431

    Interview: Sep 30th, 2014

    cornballin (30 September 2014)

    Well, I think the obvious is: Which parts of the final book were your, and which were Jordan's?

    Mine, personally, is why did Egwene not have to experience a fall?

    All of the other characters have to confront and learn hard lessons about their own character faults. Except for Egwene.

    Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

    Let's see.... Isam in the Waste (prologue scene) RJ. Field of Merrilor: Mostly RJ. Epilogue: RJ except for one character.

    I believe those are the three scenes actually written, or heavily outlined, by RJ. Many other scenes are mentioned in the notes, but were not outlined. (And many character fates are detailed, but the methodology is not given.)

    Personally, I believe that Egwene learned her hard lessons earlier in the series. Her faults and flaws were made very manifest during her time with the Aiel, and I feel she learned the last bits during her captivity. She was the first of the characters to arrive at the place she needed to be.

    Now, you may be annoyed that she was very Aes Sedai in where she arrived—but if, indeed, this is a flaw, it is endemic to the society of the White Tower and not Egwene as an individual. In the end, if she had one final issue, it had to do with the person she loved. That came to a resolution in this book.

    cornballin (1 October 2014)

    Rand, Elayne, and Egwene have parallel character arcs. They are all thrust into leadership position long before they're ready. And initially they all make the same mistake: they try to be the leader that other people expect.

    Light, he tried so hard to be iron, to be what he thought the Dragon Reborn must

    But then something happens for Elayne and Rand: they realize that they've been put in these positions for a reason, and that's to be themselves.

    How had becoming Queen made Elayne less high-and-mighty? Had he missed something? She actually seemed agreeable now!

    Lord Rand had come to him, making apologies. To him! Well, Hurin would do him proud. The Dragon Reborn did not need the forgiveness of a little thief-taker, but Hurin still felt as if the world had righted itself. Lord Rand was Lord Rand again.

    Egwene ... doesn't ever learn that lesson that I can see.

    Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

    I see Egwene having something different. She pretends to be Aes Sedai before she is ready, the Wise Ones find out, and then she is beaten down before it gets too far. Rand and Elayne were, by that point, both in positions of power where nobody could really 'teach' them lessons, and so they had to learn later on—when the lesson had to be more dramatic.

    Egwene had to learn during her apprentice days. Then, in a reversal from the other two, she is MADE a leader by the other Aes Sedai before she really wants to be. This is different from Rand's taking power or Elayne's being raised to power.

    I see Egwene growing into the role she was given more easily because of early lessons mixed with being handed her throne and being left to rise to the occasion. She didn't become the person she THOUGHT she needed to be—she became the person the Aes Sedai as a whole thought she needed to be, even if some of them didn't want it of her.

    This is my personal read on it as a fan, with only a little of the author mixed in. Not trying to argue, just explain why I think RJ felt her story arc was complete, at least in regards to this issue. (Egwene was the one that Robert Jordan finished the most work on of all the characters, and his notes indicated to me the sense that she was the farthest along.) Note that she DID still have a lesson to learn at the Field of Merrilor during her confrontation there with Rand and the arrival of the surprise guest.

    Feel free to consider her to have not learned the lesson, and instead take another view on it. I think there is a rational argument that she never had to learn a lesson that she SHOULD have learned because of the way the Aes Sedai enabled her through their culture of leadership.

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