Sanderson Update!

[Davian93]

Done! (With something that...well, I can't tell you much about.)
Posted on 06.15.08Categories: Warbreaker Wheel of TimeLast night I finished a major plot arc of A MEMORY OF LIGHT. This is important, since it's one of the big pieces that Mr. Jordan didn't write himself. (I figured that I would write this chunk early, rather than one of the ones that had a lot of work done on it already. That way, if I did a terrible job, there would be plenty of time for Harriet to set me straight regarding it.) I can't tell you who or what it details, but it turned out really well. I wish I could say more, but...well...I'm also happy that I can't. I'm very open with the projects I work on; that is my style. However, one of the things about the Wheel of Time has always been that Mr. Jordan releases very little information about upcoming books. That adds to the mystery and the tension, and is part of the Wheel of Time process. I will promise you, though, that just like Mr. Jordan said...there are dead mules in the prologue.

So why even mention this? Well, just to let you know that the book IS continuing. It's going to be awesome. (Also, you should note that I'm at a conference this next week, and will be focusing on revising this chunk of AMOL and doing a new draft of Warbreaker. So, the progress ticker may stall for a week or two. It doesn't factor in editing or revising, only rough drafting.)

Cool to say the least. A major plot arc done...now if only we had some hints as to what it was...:)

[Isabel]

The only viable option is that it is the Egwene subplot.
Beginning of the book, so it has to be something that has to happen early. The White Tower has to be solved before Tarmon Gaidon.
It's also not that vital that RJ would have written it already.
I think (or hope) the Moiraine scenes would be something he had written.

[Terez]

BS said that the beginning and end are the parts that were most complete.

[Brita]

Weee! Heeeeheheheheheeeeee!

~~Dances around with glee~~

Ahem- I also think it is the Egwene plot- although it could be Moiraine as well.

[Davian93]

Weee! Heeeeheheheheheeeeee!

~~Dances around with glee~~

Ahem- I also think it is the Egwene plot- although it could be Moiraine as well.


Possible last sentence to the recently completed plot arc:

"Egwene heard the whistle of the ax blade as it sliced through the air and then a sickening crunch as it shattered the vertebrae in her neck...Gawyn had not come in time, she thought as blackness swept over her for the last time."

[Marie Curie 7]

I wanna know what happened to the poor mules...

[Davian93]

I wanna know what happened to the poor mules...


"Gawyn stumbled into Traitor's Court, and abruptly tripped over a dead mule. As he looked up, the sunlight flashed off the ax blade hurtling towards his beloved's head..."

[Marie Curie 7]

"Gawyn stumbled into Traitor's Court, and abruptly tripped over a dead mule. As he looked up, the sunlight flashed off the ax blade hurtling towards his beloved's head..."

Lol, but that doesn't tell me what happened to the mules! How did they get dead? And yes, I mean the real ones; I'm not referring to Egwene. :p

[Yuri33]

I'm thinking that dead animals (including those unlucky mules) will be another sign of TG approaching. The only other way for mules to die that isn't completely random is some kind of catastrophic event (big explosion, etc.), and I don't see any of those that are imminent enough for the prologue.

[Terez]

Where did the mules come from? Why are they important? :confused:

[Brita]

Where did the mules come from? Why are they important?

The short documentary that was posted a while ago- he (RJ) talks about dead mules and Southern writing- and BS referenced it...

[Terez]

Oh. I didn't watch it cause I didn't want to cry again. :(

[Davian93]

Oh. I didn't watch it cause I didn't want to cry again. :(

Yeah...it was pretty sad. You could actually hear how sick he was from his voice.

[Brita]

Oh. I didn't watch it cause I didn't want to cry again. :(

~~hugs Terez~~

I understand.

[Gandelail]

Yeah, it made me cry a bit... the mules (as said previously) are in reference to comments made by RJ in that video... about how one of the hallmarks of Southern literature and one of the most common images in Southern literature (and perhaps in 'good' southern literature) is dead mules. And, he then noted, his series had no dead mules. Thus, he vowed, to be consistent with his views on good southern literature, his prologue would feature a dead mule.

[Crispin's Crispian]

I just can't help thinking of Erikson when I hear about mules.

I didn't see where BS said this plot arc was at the beginning. He just said RJ didn't write this one himself...

[Yuri33]

In the documentary, as they are showing the credits I believe, RJ specifically says he put the dead mules in the prologue. BS is obviously not writing the prologue (it was one of the most complete sections). But I would imagine that BS is writing in general from beginning to end, so when he says he finished an arc, I'm betting it's an arc that resolves near the beginning of the book (but not in the prologue).

[Nazbaque]

I believe the now completed arc is the Perrin-Galad-Whitecloak situation. Can't wait to read the words: "I thought you were dead!" which is what Galad will say when he sees Morgase.

[Marie Curie 7]

There aren't really that many actual mules in WoT...mostly it's just people referring to someone as stubborn as a mule, or as mule-headed. The Aiel use pack mules, as do the peddlers (Kadere and his ilk) in the Waste. Asmodean rides a mule when he's posing as Jasin Natael. Cadsuane flags down a farmer with mules pulling a cart to get Rand back to Cairhien after the Toram Riatin/bubble of evil incident. Gawyn meets a peddler riding a mule when he's on his way to Cairhien with the Tower embassy. I'm sure there are probably a few other examples, but not many...

So how does RJ get mules into the prologue, and dead ones to boot? Yeah, it could be just a bubble of evil thing, like the bugs exploding that guy in KoD. Well, maybe that peddler that Gawyn met was not just a simple peddler after all. :) (And yeah, I know that RJ said he was just a peddler.) It will be interesting to read, at any rate. :)

[Yuri33]

There does seem to be a strong peddler=mule theme. I can imagine a short section of the prologue from a peddler POV talking about how his mules are all dying of a wasting disease or something. Then maybe he can see something off in the distance to transition into the next part. Kind of like the peddler POV of the male CK when the Cleansing is taking place.