firstRainbowRose

Issac didn't do the maps for Elantris or Warbreaker.

Um... Isaac isn't Ink. Ink is Ben. Isaac is Isasik. But they're both amazing.

I pretty much hate twitter, so when I actually say something it's usually to someone else, or else compleately random. Still, at least I won't clog up your pipeline. @1stRainbowRose. (Pretty much with anything you want to find me, do a search for that or firstRainbowRose. They're all me.)

I stole this from a friend on facebook. A great example of why you should pick your battles (carefully) (Warning: language)

I can actually tell you how it looked like it was done to me, which is that they were painted on, or vinyl stickers or something like that. I don't think they had planned on it being subject to daily wear and tear.

PGSM? I saw it a while ago dubbed, and couldn't stand the transformations at first. Went back to it and loved the story! So cute. But be warned, the transformations... well, youtube them.

Thank you both! They're way awesome.

I am only jumping on to say I approve of the Dogma joke. Except Peter's voice isn't quite up to the awesomeness of Snape. It's awesome, just not in the same way.

Here's what your project reminds me of. I don't know if it helps at all, but I thought I'd link to it anyways.

I am bored, and wanting to play in photoshop so I'm want to compile a list of great one or two line quotes that could be turned into icons easily. (such as these: http://smg.photobuck...inbowRose/euol/). I know they're not the greatest, but I figure I can't improve if I don't try. *shrug* Also, I mostly do it because I'm bored and it's a way to entertain myself. Anyways, any you can suggest are great!

Personally, I think the old reptile is more of a teasing thing. It's like calling your mother an old hag if she's being frustrating. At least, that's what I got out of it.

Agreed! Plus, funimation is the company that is currently doing Naruto and Bleach (I believe) so that means that if it has adult content, they won't remove it (read: Michiru and Haruka's relationship). At least, that's what I'm hoping for. Side note, but did you prefer the ep 1-11 Sarina better, or just hate them both equally?

It will. Right now I'm taking a break and focusing on feeling a little bit better (been feeling sick, and vomiting all day). I'll fix everything in a bit.

Also, if someone were to go through and organize these questions in the wiki/word doc type stuff (Cosmere, WoT, Writing, personal, ect), they'd get major props from me.

I figured this needed to be done eventually anyways, so while I wait for answers I figure I can compile them for everyone for now. Note: I'm posting these in the order that Brandon answers them, not the order that they were asked. Ha. I can't see into Mr. Jordan's mind, though I can say that he was fond of using the writer's device of character-identifying traits. You'll find that if you hang out with certain people, and listen to their linguistic patterns, often they will repeat individual words and phrases all the time. (I know one guy who uses the word "Brilliant!" every other sentence.) This may be the case where life is more annoying than fiction should be, however. I'll keep the comment in mind. You can pay me in heaps of Magic cards, preferably from the alpha/beta era. The Central Dominance is intentionally French sounding. I say Vin's name like an American would, but everyone in world would say it with a French accent. Same goes for Kelsier, (which they would say Kel-syay.) Again, I say it as an American would, but then I'm not from the Central Dominance. Yes, I consider the ideas around Seons to be cannon, though I don't always cannonize something that is not in the books. If it isn't on paper, I'm usually willing to change it as it needs to in order to fit. One issue, however, is that things like the Seons are part of the greater magic system of the Cosmere (which connects many of my works.) I can't change things too much, or I'll start contradicting myself. (Which I don't want to do.) 1) Hoid has a large part of the story in the Stormlight Archive. You will be seeing much more of him. However, he will not get a 'book' of his own, most likely. He will get his own novels, just not among the Stormlight sequence. 2) I feel this too, to an extent. Every writer does. A few things really helped me. The first, and most important, was to decide once and for all that I was writing for ME. Not for a market, not for my friends, and not even to get published. For ME. I decided that even if I never sold a single book, I'd keep doing this until I died. After that, I could focus only on the work. Now, that doesn't remove all of the feelings of depression, because it's still easy to feel that your writing quality is not what it should be. (Or that a story is broken, or that you just can't get past this certain point in a book.) The trick there was often to tell myself that I didn't have to put what I wrote on a certain day in the book. I just had to write. If it turned out terrible, that was okay. I could toss that scene and try another. Coming to the realization that it was okay to fail was a big help to my writing. 3) If you have finished several novels, then it's time to go ahead and start sending things out. Many artists never quite feel that we're ready--we feel that the next book will be better, and we should wait until that one is done. My suggestion: Take your most recent book, sit on it for six months while you work on something else. Then either workshop the book you set aside (if you like to workshop) or do one last draft. Then start sending it out. The worst that will happen is it will get rejected. Keep sending it out until you have gone to all of the major publishers, then decide if you want to go to the small presses.) (Note, this is advice to those who prefer to publish traditionally, which I still think is viable. However, self publishing is also quite viable these days. I'll probably talk about that in another reply.) Also, keep in mind doing research about publishers, not just sending blindly. (I'll probably talk about this elsewhere too.) 1) It is becoming...not a problem, but an issue I'm aware of. Basically, it means that instead of answering every person on Twitter/Facebook who contacts me, it means picking a little time each day and answering a handful of them. I feel bad about that, but I do want to maintain the interaction, so this seems the best way to do it. I don't ever see myself becoming reclusive. I feel that in the sf/f community, a writer is part of a larger group of readers and thinkers. Those of us being paid to write are being directly supported by the community. I owe pretty much everything I have, including my ability to do what I love for so much of each day, to the readers. 2) Yes, a few, but they haven't really been that bad. Most are just awkward--but, having grown up as a sf/f nerd myself, I'm familiar with awkwardness. I have had people recognize me on the street, but only a handful of times. Best story: I'm at the dentist, and I'm talking to the hygienist. One of the other hygienists--in the middle of working on some guy who has his mouth pried open by restraints--screams "Wait. You've got BRANDON SANDERSON over there?" She leaps up and leaves the poor fellow to come fangirl for a few minutes. Being a writer, though, those moments are rare. My "fame" is really very low-key, unless I'm at a signing or the like. 3) LOVE oatmeal with butterscotch, toffy, or chocolate chips. (Or, well, really anything.) No allergies. See you in November! I certainly hope so. I actually lobbied hard to get it for The Way of Kings. The problem was not desire, the problem was logistics. However, Baen has this down already. (I believe they sold a recent Honor Harrington hardcover with a CD inside that included ALL of the previous books in ebook for free.) In fact, if you like ebooks and want to support publishers doing more with them in an DRM free way, go support the Baen Free Library. (My publisher, Tom Doherty and founder of Tor, is a silent partner in Baen, so we might see something similar for Tor eventually.) I will work hard to get the ebook-hardcover combo working. I don't think it's too far off from happening for popular books. (Where the printing costs of adding a CD are lowered by huge print runs.) 1) I see this phantom cubical chasing me, over my shoulder. If I slow down, it catches me, and I have to go get a regular job and become an insurance salesman or something. 2) Well, sometimes I have to just close the browser (and the like fifty tabs worth of material I've found on reddit) and turn off the internet for a little while... Sometimes it's done by setting daily goals for myself (wordcount wise) and not letting myself go do fun things--video games, etc--until I've hit my wordcount. Motivation isn't a huge problem for me. I keep coming back to the idea that writing, and telling stories, is what I like to do most in the world. Yes, it can be tough at times. It is work. But unless I'm writing each day and creating something, I feel like I just haven't accomplished anything. As for writer's block, I did a couple of post on that already. Here and here. (links to previous questions) Yes. I use various Pandora stations for different moods. Right now, it's one based on Tangerine Dream. Movie: No movement, if you're up to date on things I've said over the summer. Those things are thus. The books have been bought (not optioned) by Universal. They are planning on doing feature films, one per book. Many of us have suggested that television would be a better venue. (Perhaps Game of Thrones will persuade them.) I have met the studio exec and writer, but have been told I cannot release names. A script is done, but needs a lot of work. Video Games: Red eagle is working with Obsidian on video games. I have suggested a KotOR style RPG. I don't know yet if they will listen, though there are talks of doing an Age of Legends MMO, and of exploring various time periods in the world. No specific games have been announced or begun, I believe. 1) I have both. There is a lot of flexibility, because often he implied things like: "I'll do this, or maybe this. The tone I'm looking for is this. Make it feel that way." Some are hardfast. He wrote the last scene of the series, for example. 2) I'm not just filling in holes. At the same time, I'm trying hard to keep anything RJ said in mind, and trying to make the book fit his vision. It's a tough balance. There is a lot of work to be done, depending on the character in question. For example, for TGS, he left a lot on Egwene, but less on Rand. In TofM, a lot on Matt, less on Perrin. He left a lot of notes on how everyone should end up after the Last Battle, but often did't say how they'd get there. One of the things I've been impressed by is this: Harriet and Tor could have hired a ghost writer and pretended that RJ finished the book before he died. People would have believed them. However, while a ghost writer could have imitated RJ's voice, Harriet felt she wanted a fantasy novelist to do it. First, to be honest to the fans. Second, because there was enough work to be done that the person couldn't just connect dots, but would actually have to build parts of the story. She gave me complete creative freedom to do what needed to be done, with the understanding that she would edit. (If you don't know, Harriet is one of the 'greats' in sf/f editing. She edited Ender's Game, for example, and may of the big fantasy and sf authors during the 70s and 80s. She discovered RJ, edited him, then married him.) So, when I go wrong, she is there to push me the right direction. It's hard to answer a question of how much is me, and how much is RJ. His fingers are on every scene, as I'm trying to match the character voices (but not his writing style exactly) and get them right. Most scenes come from at least a comment in the notes here or there, and for some, he left a paragraph or two explanation. For others, he wrote the entire thing. For some, I'm building it from the ground up, taking where the character was at the end of KoD and giving them a story that earns them the ending RJ mentioned for them. RAFO. (You knew that was coming, eh?) Though...it should be noted that prophesy says that Avi will have Rand's children...so, that's going to be kind of tough if they don't see one another again. 1) Most of what I've heard has been positive, in a hesitant way. If someone is going to have a complaint, it's going to be about the ending. However, they usually admit it was the right ending in the same email or post. The bittersweet nature of it bothers many people, however. 2) Most of the main POV characters have been introduced. Each book will take one major character (Kaladin, Dalinar, Adolin, Jasnah, Shallan, Navani, Szeth, Taln) and give them 'flashback' sequences in the same way Kaladin got flashbacks in the first book. There are some open spots for which I'm toying with other characters being used. Other characters will get viewpoints now and then, but I feel that one of the ways that big series get off track is by changing the focus to side characters. (Note that I will continue doing the Interludes to give some other voices and perspectives screen time. Few of these will be main characters.) 3) Oh, I had one follow me to the car asking me questions after a signing that went until eleven. It's not all that strange, but it was kind of tiring at the time. Suggestions (Not including my work, or Wheel of time, which are given.) 1) Tigana. Genius. Actually, most everything by Guy Kay. 2) Melanie Rawn's Sunrunner books. (Warning, they're a little romancy.) 3) Jim Butcher's Codex Alera. 4) Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly. (The book that got me into fantasy.) 5) Name of the Wind. 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.) 1) It's hard to separate these days. However, I got to huge boosts. When the announcement was made, all of my books jumped up to having 'first week' sales again. Most entertainment mediums follow the same slope. Huge first week sales, then a tapering off on a steady curve. (Sleeper hits and new books by first time authors don't follow this.) When The Gathering Storm came out, I got another big boost, which was again a kind of 'First week' sales thing--though in that case, the bigger boost came around Christmas. It seemed that people bought Gathering Storm, read it, thought about it, then asked for one of my books for Christmas. In the long run, it's going to be very hard--as I said--to separate how many readers tried me out because of the Wheel of Time. As books take on lives of their own (as Mistborn did) they gain a readership through word of mouth. However, how much of that 'taking on a life of its own' happened because of the initial WoT boosts? 1) I like reading very widely, however my first love of sf/f basically holds the majority of my reading time. It kind of rubs me wrong when I hear of an author who doesn't read in their own genre. It feels like a doctor, not caring to stay up to date on what other doctors are doing. My favorite living writer is Terry Pratchett. Most recently, I read a big chunk of the Hugo-nominated works this year so that I could vote intelligently on the awards. 2) I usually design my plot in some detail before I begin. (Though not in as much detail as the world, which I spend a LOT of time on.) I build it using the idea of focus scenes--powerful, game-changing scenes that I imagine cinematically and then try to 'earn' though building my plot. Once that is done, I start my book with the characters. Characters, I grow organically. In writing terms, we speak of what we call "outline" writers and what we call "discovery" writers. (GRRM calls them "Architects" and "Gardeners.") I outline write my settings and to a lesser extent my plots, but I discovery write my characters. In doing so, once I start the book, the character takes center stage. They have, at any point, the right to change the plot in any way to fit what they would actually do. I will often try a few different 'characters' in a lead role when starting a book. For example, there were three different Vins I tried out for Mistborn. The first one (which was a boy) did not work. The second one (a female) did not work either. It was the third time that I got her right. 3) Power Nine Magic Cards. I've always wanted them, and so I finally said, "You know, I had the #1 selling epic fantasy book in the world last year. I can probably afford these now..." I'm not much of a spender, though, so it actually was kind of tough to get myself to do it. I love having them, though. (And yes, I'm a nerd. That chick from Gizmodo would TOTALLY have written something snide about me.) That's a great observation, one that I don't think a lot of people see. Writing is very solitary. Having some interaction, even faceless, is good for me. Beyond that, when trying to break in, I got a lot of good advice from established writers. I feel that in writing--sf/f particularly--there's a feeling that we're all in it together. There's a great tradition of the pros helping the newer writers, and I want to continue it. A character from my books. (/trollface) I was actually in the Netherlands this summer. (Sorry if I missed you.) This goes for anyone else--if you want to know when I'll be visiting your area, drop me an email through my website and ask to be on the mailing list. (Also, tell me generally where you live.) I don't spam. I send out specific emails to people when I visit their country/city. I'll be back in Europe this November to do a tour in the UK. I should be in France again next year. (I was there this summer, as well as last fall.) Not currently. Anything I think of that is in another genre usually transforms into sf/f by the end. So, there will probably always be at least SLIGHT sf/f elements. I could see myself doing a Jurassic Park style thriller, though. I wouldn't mind seeing the Kelsier/Inquistior confrontation in Mistborn done in film. Those who are speaking about it below are leading you the right way. Sazed is not the Seventeeth Shard. Whether he's IN the Seventeenth Shard is another question. It is an organization. I never say no to cookies or the like. 1) Different but equal depending on the stage. I love planning worlds, but I prefer to discovery write characters. (See here for more info.) During the writing of a book, the character moments are the best. During the planning, the worldbuilding parts are the best. 2) I don't look to inject specific social agendas into my books. If anything, I try very hard to approach concepts like that from multiple angles, as I believe it is through discussion and thought that progress is made. So, I don't mind if people see the issues, but I hope that it's the characters (who feel differently about those issues) that take the stage. let the character passions decide what the themes of a book will be. In the end, I really want people to enjoy the ride and perhaps think about some questions as viewed by people who are different from themselves. My grand aspiration is not about changing the world, so much as learning to tell stories about characters who feel real. I felt, reading it, that Robert Jordan's ending was deeply satisfying. I liked it a lot. It is also weird to know that, to one extent, it's all over. (Thanks for reading.) Much more Shallan. It's probably going to be her 'flashback' book. Halo 6819 is right. I think GRRM is a genius, and I read Game of Thrones specifically to try to learn from his wonderful use of character. However, the brutality of it (Daenerys specifically) while beautiful on one hand, was just too much for me. Perhaps some day I'll read the rest. 1) Answer is forthcoming in one of the future books. 2) I considered others, but in the end this was one aspect of the magic system I hadn't explored yet but which is very important for the future of the series. I wanted to start establishing it. 3) You will see other Shards. Bavadin is on the planet Taldain, where White Sand takes place. 4) Employed by me. It is something I did on my own. 5) I'll bring mine, but I've got to be frank with you. In Seattle it's hard to find time to play, since I usually end up visiting Google or Microsoft, then going to dinner with friends. (Ken lives there, for example.) So...I'll try, but I can't make promises. 1) I plot a medium amount, focused on goals. I usually build my outline backward. I decide what I want to happen, I write that event down, then I write bullet points beneath it to lay the groundwork of what would have to happen for it to occur. This is a fluid thing, and often changes as I write the book. However, I keep the outline current. 2) I do very little self-editing as I go. I feel it's important for me to lay down a draft to work with before I start tweaking. The exception is if a character just isn't working. (See my other answer on discovery writing.) In that case, I will sometimes go back, tear the character out and replace them. 3) Write. I wrote thirteen books before I sold one. I'll bet you can do better than that. Just keep at it. The only way to improve is to practice. Treat your early writing like a pianist, learning to play scales. Don't think of it as work you have to sell, think of it as your practice jam sessions where you get your feet underneath you. Don't stress too much if it doesn't go as you want. You'll learn. Thanks! As for your question, you are on the right track. Ha. You know, the question I dread most is the "What should I be asking you?" question. I can never think of anything. I think, with both Ken and myself, the trick was just following our hearts and being lucky, both in large measure. Hi, Winespring. How are things? 1) Depends on your definition of rogue. 2) Yes, so far as I know. 3) His resistance was primarily through the people he sent. 4) Primarily telepathic, though the body does respond physiologically. After the Soother is gone, the emotion remains for a time, so long as it was a natural emotion. Strong soothing/riotings against a person's nature can wear off quickly, and the body react (sometimes) with a strong opposite emotion in response. A very good Soother/Rioter can inspire emotions that begin telepathic only, but then have a response in the body, so the emotion gets more cemented. As I understand, if you are 'spun out' you do not respond to the call of the Horn. So no Cain showing up if it is sounded again, as he's been spun out. RAFO for the the first. Once a year. Opposite it in the year is an extremely powerful highstorm. Both of my novellas linked above are SF. I do plan to do SF in the future. The final Mistborn trilogy will indeed be sf, with a deep understanding of Allomancy and Feruchemy having allowed them to figure out a method of FTL travel. I also have a space opera I've been wanting to write. So far, no time. Oh, boy. A lot. Many of the standards, but not politics or atheism. May of the writing related, fantasy and sf. Artisan and artisan videos. Depthhub (love it) and true reddit (also very good.) In depth stories, food for thought. First world problems always makes me laugh. F7U12 is a guilty pleasure. Parenting, specart, LDS. Most of the the ones dedicated to my work or the wot. Worldbuilding. And some others like unto the ones above. Yes, she is. Good thinking, though. After I wrote the first book, and Elend grew more important in my mind, I reworked the three-book-outline. Usually, when I build a series, I spend a lot of time on the first book and then have a few paragraphs on the rest. Then, after finishing the first book and seeing how it worked (and how the tone was) I go and do much more in-depth outlines for the rest of the series. When the first book is happening, things are much more 'anything goes' as I don't have any established cannon yet. I allow myself to toss the rest of the outlines out the window, and just try to make the first book the best it can be. From there, I have continuity, and I feel it is important to maintain that for the integrity of the series. It depends on the magic system. They are all related to a kind of "Spiritual DNA" that one gets from their heritage on a specific planet. However, there are ways around that. (Hemalurgy, for example, 'staples' a piece of someone else's soul to your own, and creates a work around to give you access to magic you shouldn't have.) Some of the magics are more regionally tied than others. (In Elantris, you have to access the Dor, which is very regionally influenced.) The end answer is this: With in-depth knowledge of how the magics work, and their connection, one could probably get them all to work on other planets. It may take effort for some of them. 1) It was awesome. It also helped me grow a lot as a writer. 2) I would like, once this is all done, to publish a nonfiction book that includes a lot of the notes, along with explanations of what I did where and how I adapted specific notes. It will be Harriet's call. She doesn't want people's last memory of RJ to be the unfinished things he wrote, as he was very careful not to show unpolished work even to her. I can respect this. I'm afraid that the soonest would be a year from now, when I plan to visit the continent again and hope to get to Germany and a few other countries I haven't visited yet. My trips to Taiwan and Australia next spring are going to dominate all of my travel time. It does take a lot of time, but I feel it is worth it. My readers directly support me in this job. I feel I want to give them the most bang for their buck, so to speak, in return. 1) There will be a second book in the series (though that is the end) eventually. 2A) For the video game, RPG, I am quite involved. In these, the goal is to expand on the world and story, not just retell the original trilogy. The video game, for example, will happen in the past of the world, closer to the founding of the Final Empire. As for the film, I am as involved as I can be--but that's not always very much, where the writer is concerned. I think the risk is worth the potential payoff, but it IS a risk. The film could be a terrible adaptation. I like the producer/screenwriter, however, and so far I've been very involved. 2B) Oh, boy. Hard to say, since I've been playing many of them since childhood. Often, I find myself reacting against their magic systems, since I feel that books need to do things differently than games do. However, the rule-based nature of my magic systems may owe a nod to Palladium's systems. (Which I have always enjoyed very much.) 1) I wrote 13 before I got published. Warbreaker, The Way of Kings, and Mistborn all took pieces of already written works. (Though I started from scratch in all three cases, stealing out the 'best' of their respective unpublished versions.) I still have two of these (White Sand and Aether of Night) that have good enough magic systems or concepts that the will see publication (in one form or another) eventually. 2) I cannot keep the current pace, as proven by 2011 having only one book release and 2012 likely only having one as well. 3) I would like to get back to one long book (in a series, probably) and one short book (an experimental work) a year, as I did during the early years. 4) I want, when I die, them to find me sitting in my chair with my face having fallen on the keyboard and having just typed seven thousand pages worth of the letter 'Z.' In this way, I'll have written even after I die. 1) Thanks! 2) I don't believe there is any connection there. 3) Jezrien is one of the Heralds, but has never held the power of an entire Shard himself. (So no, not a Sliver.) I've answered this several places. Here is one of them. If you search for "outline" and "discovery" you'll find some other things I've said. However, on a scale of Outline to No Outline my worlds are on the far left, my plots in the middle, and my characters on the right. 1) I had eight characters I wanted to tell a story about, and wanted to give each one a book to include flashbacks and specific character development. Once I got to outlining, I realized that I had material for about ten books, and ten was a very special number in the world. So I settled on that. It will be paced and plotted much as the first, though I plan the future books to be a little shorter than the first establishing one. There will be two primary five-book arcs, so you could consider it two series of five, if you'd prefer. 2) Getting Sazed right was actually quite hard for the last book. (The annotations speak in depth about this.) My first major revision of the book was to work on Sazed's character and personality in that novel. He and I think similarly in many ways, though he is far more emotional than I am. I have never had as serious a bout of depression as he faced in that book, though he and I have some similar perspectives on religion. 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. Let's just say that Verin...didn't understand Mat as well as she thought that she did. Now: Whoever I'm writing. Before I started: Perrin, Aviendha, Tuon, Mat, Rand, Tam. 1) She did not intentionally release it. RJ has something about this in the notes, but I don't have the quote handy. It basically has to do with the severing of the link between worlds. 2)Yes. 1) I believe the people of whom you are speaking are mostly not native to Roshar. On another side, however, it is the first planet we've seen with three Shards, and it is the furthest along in the timeline. One final thing is that they had some very unique experiences early in the planet's history. It involves the Heralds, and various items I think would be spoilers right now. 2) Eh...I don't know. My original breakdown: Mistborn 9 Wabreaker 2 Elantris 3 White Sand 3 Stormlight 10 Silence Divine 1 Dragonsteel 7 (A two book and a five book.) That's the 32, with allowances for a few side stories to get us to 36. There are planets not included in that, however, that I may write stories about. So maybe. But the core cycle is this (in order) Dragonsteel Mistborn first trilogy Stormlight - Mistborn second trilogy (around the same time.) Mistborn third trilogy. Everything else is important in their own stories, but as we're talking about the connections between the worlds are considered, this is the prime cosmere cycle. 3) RAFO. 4) It is linked. I may not be able to completely link it, but I'm going to try. The first book's symbol (on the front) is the symbol of the Windrunners. Seoul West under President Swain. Which one? Pen and paper RPG or video game? Pen and paper is done. Coming out this fall, probably. I am hoping to go to Gencon next year to support it. Video Game deal has not been signed yet, but contract negotiations are done and we should sign soon. I can give more details then. Movie deal: An actor for Vin has been tentatively attached, though it's very preliminary. Screenplay is done, and I got the latest draft in July. It's quite good. 1) Hoid, so far, has only moved forward in time. He has not 'lived' all of those years, but has used some time dilation techniques. That said, he is far older (both in relative and real time) than a normal person can live. 2) One of the 'basics' of the magic in all of the worlds is that the energy of Shards can fuel all kinds of interactions, not just interactions based on their personality/role. I did this because otherwise, the Magics would all be extremely limited. The 'role' of the Shard has to do with the WAY the magic is obtained, not what it can do. So, in Preservation's case, the magic is a gift--allowing a person to preserve their own strength, and rely upon the strength granted by the magic. While Hemalurgy has a huge cost, ending in net entropy. 3) Yes, there is, but I can't talk about it now. 4) Preservation, as a Shard, is about preserving life, people, and the like. Not about self. No more than Ruin is about destroying self, or Cultivation is about growing herself. Being a person who is, myself, religious, I am fascinated by religion and all of its different effects and mindsets. This is why you see me exploring religious characters, and those who are not religious, in my books. The different ways people look at these things are fascinating to me. One of my core ideas when it comes to writing is that I feel I should express all sides of an issue, and try to do so well. I can't do every side in every book, but I try to be aware of my own biases. I think this actually has to do with my core religious nature--as one of my fundamental beliefs is that if something is right, it should be able to stand up to STRONG arguments opposing it, not just weak ones. Without strong opposition, there cannot be a discovery of truth. I have received all kinds of criticism, from all sides. I have gotten emails from people who will not read my books because I am LDS, and from others who feel I am far too liberal in my writing, and should be advocating a certain view. Usually, I don't pay much heed. The exception is with the Wheel of Time, where I try to be extra careful, as I don't want my own bias to take control of Mr. Jordan's series. 1) I will write that book again, I promise. However, I cannot embark on too many series at once. So perhaps I will do it after Stormlight, but before digging into the next main Mistborn sequence. 2) Imagine a the most awesome real life creature you can think of. (A shark, obviously.) Then think of the most awesome feature someone can have. (A manly beard, obviously.) This book is a great white shark with a epic manly beard that is circling [insert political figure you hate] getting ready for the kill. It's that awesome. It was written as a new place people can enter. It has only slight spoilers for the original trilogy, most of which a new reader won't realize are spoilers until they've read the original trilogy. 1) I am a goal-based revisionist. I come up with a list of things I want to fix, I rank them in order of import, then I go through the book and read it page one until the end, fixing as I go. Every revision also has the goal of cleaning up the language and fixing the line-by-line. 2) The writing group agreed to accept 15k chunks for KINGS so I could get it out on time. 3) Still have it. 1) It's unlikely. Harriet has much worry about the ebook format, and the fact that we wouldn't have gotten #1 on the time 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.) 2) Yes, it was originally. After how hard it was to get TofM out on time (and after using up all of my 'buffer' by having books written and in the publication process before I started on TGS) we revised that date. It was just too much to do. Next year sometime for sure, though. Things do change as I evolve as a writer. There is an end to this story. Dragonsteel-Kings-Mistborn are all fairly well planned out, but I must allow myself flexibility. That's not intentional, but it could certainly be unconscious influence. Thanks for reading! Easiest way in sf/f is to attend conventions--World Fantasy convention, which is professionally oriented, being the best. Worldcon is good too, as is the Nebula Weekend. Send me an email. I'd be happy to consider you. We record in batches, these days, because we need to fly Mary out to join us. Next batch is in November. I found the best promotion was to visit bookstores, meet with their science fiction or fantasy reader on staff, and give them a free book. Other than that, writing great books, trying to have an active website, and avoiding the 'pushy' self-promotion methods such as thread hijacking or the like. It is still under option by Universal. (Do a search on this page for Universal to get a few more details. There aren't many to be had, unfortunately.) I'm pushing for it. Harriet is hesitant. She wants a re-release with something like the UK covers, more symbolic and classy. I kind of prefer the ebook covers, myself, though I wouldn't mind the UK covers. I work long hours. Fortunately, I love to do it. Thanks! I'm deeply influenced by a lot of the fantasy authors from the late 80's and early 90's. (I put a list of suggestions in another post.) Basically, if it was out during that time, I've probably read it. I developed my style based on a few things. 1) Being annoyed at the same story being told again and again in fantasy. 2) Loving books that did rule-based magic systems with an almost scientific feel. (Melanie Rawn is a good example here.) 3) Wanting to have cinematic fight sequences. (Film influence there. See Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and its ilk.) 4) Loving the deep third person viewpoint as done by people like Robert Jordan, where everything you see is filtered though the eyes of a distinctive character. I was approached. I didn't know I was being considered until Harriet called me on the phone. The hardest part was putting aside all of the quirky little side projects I was working on. I decided I could still go forward with some of my main projects (The Way of Kings as an example) but would set aside the smaller things. It was tough. It was worth it, but tough. I'll still get to them someday. It is planned as two arcs of five, though I will shrink or increase if needed. I do have a science background (biochemstry, actually. Wish I'd picked physics.) I did move to English after a couple of semesters, as I decided I wanted to be a writer. But I've always been an armchair scientist. My inspirations are a mix of authors (mentioned in other posts if you look) and my love of the era in human history when science was a wonder. If you look back at the early discoveries in science, there's this feel that it's a boundless frontier with a magic all its own. That fascinates me, and I love writing about similar things happening in worlds with physics that deviate from our own. Many. I posted a list above. To add to the list: Brent Weeks, Robin Hobb, Pratchett (whom I love, but don't start with the first), Daniel Abraham (warning, some people find him very slow.) Read and really enjoyed the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms recently. The thing about suggesting books, however, is that it's hard to make suggestions unless I know what someone likes. Someone who loves GRRM will probably like Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch, but might find Babara Hambly to be too bland. On the other hand, someone who likes Robin Hobb may find Hambly right up their alley. It's tough to judge. But those are authors I've liked. (Oh, and Erikson is quite good too; I just haven't read enough of him yet to feel like I'm doing him justice.) I organize a chapter by having a goal in mind. Usually, I have couple of goals. "In this chapter, I want to accomplish X, Y, Z." Usually, they are small things. "Introduce this character" or "Show these two people not getting along" or "reveal this little tiny secret about what is happening." I get three or four of those together, think about which viewpoint is going to be most interesting (usually, but not always, the person who is doing the most and discovering the most,) and try to pick a setting that--if it's not set already--will be different from nearby scenes. Then I go, trying to build a rise to a climax (however small) within that scene. That's how it is for most middle chapters. End chapters are different, where the pace grows more frantic, and I split scenes into smaller bits, jumping about to keep the pace feeling exciting. 1) Biggest factor, luck. I'm not the best writer out there. Better writers have had less success. I got lucky. 2) I am a big fan of the genre, and feel that I understood (not intentionally, but just because of what I was) the frustrations of epic fantasy readers with things not happening in the genre. I naturally wrote books that went different ways, and these drew attention. 3) Enough of a personal stamp to stand out. I've answered this question in part above. In a deeper answer, in regards to the way MB3 ended, some of what I personally believe made an appearance because of my similarity to Sazed as a person. Covered here I think. Let me know if that answers it. (And yes, it's a big feat. But, in part, I'd never seen it done before except in an after-the-fact retcon, as King and Asimov both did. Those were cool, but I wanted to try it from the get-go.) I appreciate Neil standing up for authors like GRRM, as I feel an author has a right to do as they wish and have the perspective they wish on this. I, however, feel differently. I feel indebted, and feel that I should finish what I start. However, I've also never done something to the length GRRM has. (Not yet.) So we'll see if I can keep it up. For me, it's a mix of all three things you mention. Being beholden, loving writing, and having a good work ethic. I'm also fortunate in that I've got a very solid way of dealing with writer's block that works almost every time for me. (Answered elsewhere in this AMA.) March/April 2013 would probably be the latest. Follow the % bar on my website, which I'll start on later this year. 1) Much harder than my own novels. I have to be very careful to keep the character voices done his way, and keeping track of all of the side characters...wow. I write about about half speed on the wot as on my own books. Part of this is the great amount of reading/research I must do before writing a scene. 2) I don't think I'd do it for anyone else. I said yes to RJ because I'd been reading the books since childhood, and was up to date on the series. I was also a good match. For example, I love Pratchett, but I'm a horrible match for his style. GRRM is a genius, but I'd be a bad match there too. Hopefully, neither author needs anyone to finish for them. I once would have said yes to a Star Wars book. Now, I've been too displeased by (and critical of) Lucas's treatment of the prequels to ever do that. I think about this one a lot. Actually, if you'll look, you'll see one of the characters voicing my feelings on this burden as it's often best to write from experience. Oh, wow. You're going to make me dig into the notes, aren't you? Why don't I MAFO those? Send me an email and I'll dig through to get your answers, or will have Maria do it. I can only give one 'really' on either one. They are in the works, but anything coming out of Hollywood gets hesitance from me until we get a greenlight. (And there hasn't been one on the film, despite the projected release date. 2013 is possible.) Video Games are more likely, but I haven't had any updates on those for a few months. I have had a personal witness from God that this is his church. I don't have answers to everything, and believe all things--even within religion--require rational examination. However, the feelings I have felt are repeatable, confirmable, and real. They are not produced by anything else I have experienced. I try to keep my eyes open and my brain thinking, but the fact that I can confirm with real proof to myself the things I have read causes me to have faith and believe. I would not expect anyone else to believe without similar, first-hand proof. My biggest crisis came when I felt that none of my books were ever going to sell because of several things. 1) Editors were telling me I was too long. 2) Editors were telling me epic fantasy by new authors no longer sold well. (Early 2000's, after Newcomb failed.) 3) Editors were telling me to be more gritty and low magic, like GRRM. I tried a few books in an attempt to 'conform to the market' whatever that means. (For me, it was shorter books, without an epic feel, with dark, gritty, 'realistic' characters that were anti-heroes.) I failed big time. The books were very bad. That's when I almost gave up. Nobody wanted what I wrote, and I couldn't write what I wanted. That was when I decided, one night, that I was going to just stop caring. I decided to disobey everything editors were telling me and write the biggest, most epic, most awesome book after my own 'style' that I could. That turned out to be the Way of Kings. (Twice as long as the books editors were telling me were 'too long.') Right after finishing it, before sending it anywhere, I got a call from an editor wanting to buy Elantris (one of the books I'd written before trying to conform.) I do remember! That was fun. I have them all written down. Currently, I use a wiki--find it [here](http://wikidpad.sourceforge.net/--to keep track of all of it. The magic systems in cosmere books all conform to a few underlying rules. This came from my interest in physics, and its search for a 'unifying' theory. (Fascinating reading, if you haven't studied this.) In my books, there is a unifying theory of magic, so to speak. 1) It's a tough call. You kind of get into a character's head, and enjoy them all. I had a blast with Mat in TofM, where I feel I finally started to get him 'right.' But each book has characters that are just plain fun to write. (Kelsier in the first Mistborn, Sazed in the last.) I can't really chose. 2) RAFO. (You'll will find out eventually.) 3) Yes. Harriet is doing a detailed encyclopedia. She was always intended to do this, not RJ himself, and they signed a deal for it before he passed away. 4) I will do a stormlight book eventually. There is a Mistborn pen and paper RPG coming out later this year which will cover a lot of that for Mistborn. Many thanks. 1) Write, write, write. Keep practicing. There's advice like that sprinkled all thorough this AMA. Like here. Really, just keep at it. Practice, practice, practice. Second, learn the business. If you intend to self publish, learn the real ins and outs of it. Don't just do it. If you intend to traditionally publish, learn not just the publishers, but the names of the editors at the publishing houses and what they personally worked on. (Even better, authors they discovered.) 2) Don't take it too seriously. Mostly, my aversion to Goodkind stems from two places. First, WoT fandom and SoT fandom on-line have had kind of a 'rival teams' type of thing going on. Much of it comes from this. It's like picking the Yankees or the Mets. (And there's nothing wrong with liking both. My editor goes to both teams, and Tor publishes both WoT and SoT.) So, it's kind of a root for the home team (for me, the WoT) and not the rival. On the other side, Terry has been notoriously bad to work with in the publishing industry and has said some very divisive things to both other writers, and to fans. He kind of comes off as a jerk. (Then again, Orson Scott Card has had the same complaints leveled against him, and I enjoy his work.) So, again, don't read too much into it. Wizard's First Rule was actually a very solid book, and though I didn't get into the second, I can see why people enjoy reading him. Oh, don't worry about the downvoters. It's all cool. I met my wife AFTER I published, and she did read Elantris (my only book out at the time) before agreeing to a second date with me. So...not my fame, but my writing ability, can be said to have been an influence. Wow. I don't know what to say. I never thought, being who I am, I'd get RR34'd. (That's not a challenge, mind you.) Glad you like the books. I hope you don't mind that I've basically never clicked on one of your links... I'm pretty sure the one you're linking to here is one of Seamus's works, though, so let me point everyone to his print gallery. He has done some of my favorite all-time character portraits for the series. His Perrin, Faile, and Tuon--for example--are exactly as I imagine the characters.

Um... I can clarify on Silence Divine. What happens is when you get sick you gain powers. So for example, you get the common cold, and while you have it you can fly; or if you have a tickle in your throat, you might just breath fire. I believe (though, this is just my guess, and if someone demands I can give explanation) that the main character is going to go deaf, and from it gain some sort of power.

For breaking into the world of writing, I would actually say the comicons aren't your best bet. World Fantasy, Worldcon, d*con, and the like are a lot better. (I would post the list Brandon gave in class once, but the audio is on my other computer. Once I can, I'll put up that list.)

So, through random pics on devart that make me wonder about the last name of characters I stumbled across a really interesting thing about Sailor Moon My thought, HOLY COW FREAKING YES! And I know it probably won't happen, but I wanted to share the awesome news. 'cause I'm a geek like that.

I would actually say avoid HDM or The Hobbit, or anything like that if she's slow to read. I would agree with the Seventh Tower, and really most of the books suggested, as well as throwing in Animorphs by K.A. Applegate. Another thing I would suggest is audiobooks. When I first really got into reading it wasn't by the books themselves, but audiobooks as I worked on my chores. From there I developed a love of good plots, and a love of reading for itself. I also agree with finding out what she already likes (if it turns out teen romance, I've got a huge list for you). Figure out what movies interest her, or what type of games, and go from there. (On a side note: I find this thread interesting because there was a panel at Worldcon about how to get young readers interested, and it was similar to this.)

I get it! I feel smart. Also, I kind of want to kill the gorilla. Or at least see the resolution. *curses silently* I don't know if I should say Welcome back or just welcome?

Western. If you want to look for something steampunk like, you'd be looking for Scribbler (thought, it's more gearpunk, but meh).

I won't spoil the fun of guessing who it is, but I will say it's not obvious. So not obvious in fact that you could read her as a straight character if you are not open to such orientations. (Such as I'm sure some of my family would be.) Also, it's Mi'chelle, not Mic'helle. Think beatles songs. *nods*

I'm betting that was me misunderstanding. I was getting distracted by other ideas at that point, and was also feeling kind of sick.

I can explain a bit about Reoden, and the flat out answering. In the past he has refused to answer (driving me crazy). So, while we were getting our books signed I asked for a final definite answer, with the logic everyone uses, and he started to evade the question but then decided to just say yes. I of course asked about Reoden, and he said that it wasn't him. Then when we had the audio recorder on I re-asked the question, and due to time I didn't ask the second half.