Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

Robert Jordan, the world-famous author of The Wheel of Time series graced us with a visit on Thursday the 5th of April. More than a 100 people let us know in advance they wanted to meet and greet, but then the "trains" went on strike and it rained and rained... Still over 75 people showed up in The Treehouse gathering together to listen and ask questions and had their books signed.

Mr. Jordan started off the evening by posing and answering some FAQs (frequently asked questions) after which people could go on to more specific questions which were answered with: read and find out.

This is what he had to say:

The next book (#10) will be ready and in the stores...when I finish writing it.

There will be no more than five, but also no less than another three books to be expected to appear in The Wheel of Time series.

I know where I'm heading, but I need time to tie lots of loose ends together.

When he writes he prefers not to read any fantasy as it distracts him; he starts editing other people's work. When he reads fantasy he likes books by: J.V. Jones, Robert Holdstock, Terry Pratchett, etc.

Before he started writing The Wheel of Time series he has written Conan nooks, a Romance novel, a Western novel and even ballet reviews (and much, much more...). One of the questions asked by the public was why he often repeats a lot of stuff in a very detailed way. Jordan said, "I hate minimalism. It is cheap. I write very cinematically. I want to paint a picture and when characters are involved I want to be sure the reader knows who it is."

Another question involved the Wheel of Time computer game: yes, he was involved in the making of it and has played it—but not very often. He would have liked better and more extensive features like having the characters interact more with the player.

There were also questions about the language used in the book; he also wanted people to know about the card game etc. etc.

His wife, who is his editor, came along and is a very nice lady. You just had to be there! I hope I managed to jot down the most important questions and answers to keep you Wheel of Time readers happy, at least ... for a while.

Some people (customers) came to thank us... Well, thank you for showing up and making this such a nice event!

Karin