Date: 2016-02-20
Location: Philadelphia, PA
So for Calamity, like about these others that you mentioned, are we ever going to figure that out? Or–
Oh yeah, so the next series I’m doing deals with the greater– sort of interdimensional travel and who are these people.
Okay good, because I was like “You can’t leave me like this” at the very end. I really like how it was put together and stuff. My own theories were that David was, his powers were figuring out Epics’ weaknesses—
I considered that, I really did. At the end of the day, when I brainstormed the trilogy I said you know what would be most fun for me in this series is to do a trilogy that is basically an origin story for a character and then when I come back to The Reckoners, if I do, because the next one’s a parallel dimension, right?
From where Firefight is? Or another–
That– We will get into why certain ones are stable and certain ones aren’t and why Megan can pull from and we’ll do something there with a new character. And if I come back, then Mizzy will be the main character in the sequel series.
Awesome, […] looking forward to more Mizzy.
Does that make sense? That’s where the plan for this is, we’ll see how the new series goes, they’re announcing it next week. And the entirety of the magic system is based on interdimensional stuff.
Right, especially with Megan and her–
Yep.
–multiple hundred personalities coming together and stuff.
So it’s kind of like Megan has opened up this idea of a quantum multiverse, and now I’m going to do a quantum multiverse which is not something I can deal with in the cosmere so it’s exciting for me to be able to do it.
Yeah ‘cause the first one we see about the others I was like […] this is not the cosmere.
Not cosmere. Going straight-up quantum multiverse, in kind of a classical sense. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on string theory and things. It’s so hard, string theory breaks my brain. Quantum mechanics break my brain, but they’re fun.
Reckoners ,
future books
Question about ettmetal.
FTL question, RAFO answer.
A question about writing, how do you write a story set in a misogynistic setting, without writing a misogynistic story.
Admits looking back he could have had more female characters in Mistborn; Vin was awesome but the “one woman in the world”.
Legion series?
There will only be one more Legion book.
Is one of the guys looking for Hoid at the Purelake Galladon from Elantris?
Yes.
Squires?
Bridge 4 are Kaladin’s Squires.
Favorite book of all times?
Les Miserables.
Will people travel between worlds?
Yes, spaceships. (Star wars, but like, magic. FTL RAFO)
White Sand?
White Sand will be 3 graphic novels for the first book; if they go over well, maybe he’ll write more.
Graphic Audio?
Hoping for Stormlight next.
Relationship between Skai and Aona?
RAFO.
Have any other Shards been combined?
RAFO.
If the Shards were split because Adonalsium is too dangerous to be in one place, why do they clump?
Personalities, business associates.
Odium red Herring?
RAFO.
Have we seen Vathi anywhere else?
No.
Would Kokerlii disguise you from an Awakener’s Lifesense?
Yes.
Is Drehy Terris?
No, his descriptions are because Drehy is based on a friend, just an inside joke.
Where is Gretgyr, the first Wyrn’s sword?
Enshrined in the Capital (he believes).
Can Seons be harmed by swords?
No.
Can Seons communicate across planets?
Cognitive realm are bounded by distance, spiritual realm is not. If you learn how Seons communicate, you’ll know.
What are the names of Hrathen’s and Wyrn’s Seons?
No idea.
Did Theopolis turn into a shade?
RAFO (just in case)
Parshendi heartbeat?
Very similar to a human?
If a Cognitive Shadows travels to Threnody, does it automatically turn into a shade?
No.
Are there animal shades?
Yes.
How do you butcher venison?
Apparently, carefully.
shades
What are some common Aviar talents?
They’re in the notes, he’d have to look it up. Aviar will be very useful for navigation.
(Astronavigation mayhaps?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!) (That mad speculation was from me, the transcriber, not the author.)
I think someone asks if it’s Hoid coming out of the Horneater pool.
He’s never confirmed it but he’s strongly implied it. (I think he has confirmed it before, though). And then a lewd joke The Lopen would find hilarious.
Which Epic was most fun?
Larcener, or Regalia.
Favorite series?
Could sooner pick a favorite child.
Santhids and greatshells?
No direct relationship between Santhids and Chasmfiends.
Dalinar’s wife?
Dalinar’s wife is gonna be revealed in the flashbacks.
Did the Knights Radiant create the Shattered Plains?
RAFO.
Are there two groups of Skybreakers?
No, only one.
Is Cultivation Shattered?
RAFO.
Would Stormlight lanterns around a sick person heal them faster?
Not any faster than sunlight.
Did Thunderclasts exist outside of Desolations?
They typically didn’t, but could.
Will we see more godmetal alloys?
Yes.
In earlier drafts, were the metals mostly the same?
Yes.
Are the Ones Above, Southern Scadrians?
RAFO.
Price of Breath.
Sometimes, people don’t do what makes the most sense.
How do you decide which Shard goes to which Planet?
He talks about his outline.
How fast can a Steelrunner run?
There are hard limits.
Kandra names?
RAFO.
Mistings got weaker since lerasium; will it continue to get weaker?
They’re pretty much at the point where it’s as weak as it’s gonna get.
When did you decide to make a whole Cosmere?
By the time he was first published.
How do you build names?
Third of the time, makes up linguistics, third of the time steals a convention from something in Earth, a third of the time is like Reckoners where he just comes up with it.
Is White Sand gonna be canon?
Yes.
Who would play Prof in a Steelheart movie?
Hugh Jackman.
How did you come up with the powers of allomancy?
I made a crew and thought, what powers would make them better?
He asked for the name of an “observed but un-named spren”
There are none, they’ve all been named.
Lerasium question.
Explains how you make people mistings.
What would it mean to compound tin?
RAFO, because he wants to write it out and see how it looks on the page before committing.
In Bands of Mourning, was that Itaytil?
No, good question.” Further clarification: Alloy books are happening after stormlight archive.
The Ire?
The Ire have been around for a long time.
We’re told to worry about anyone pierced by metal, but we only see Ruin to affect people pierced by hemalurgic metal.
Answer: Yes, you can’t TRUST anyone pierced by metal, because you don’t know if it’s safe or not.
Is the unknown spike Raysium?
RAFO.
How do you channel Wayne?
I wear his hat.
Do you want your books to be video games?
Yes. (Looks like Birthright isn’t happening)
Elantris special edition?
Second running of Leatherbound should be available in the next month.
Asked if things have changed now that he’s trying to tie his worlds together.
No, they pretty much started connected.
Books?
He recommends Name of the Wind.
Vasher?
Yes, there will be more Vasher stuff.
Superpower?
Flight.
more Reckoners?
Yes.
Favorite book read?
Dragonsbane.
Is there a correlation between Awakening steel (Questioner later clarifies that by this he means making Nightblood), and summoning a sprenblade (Brandon tries to get him to clarify, live or dead sprenblade, but I don’t think they ended up on exactly the same page).
Someone should REALLY verbatim this one… the difference here is in one, you’re pouring Investiture into a physical object, in the other, something closer to pure Investiture is entering our realm and taking on a physical shape. Similar but different things. There is a correlation, but (trails off)
Can Nightblood receive a Boon and Curse from the Nightwatcher?
She can try. I have no idea how that would turn out. I think he could take them (huh? Maybe someone go over this audio for me, I may have misheard)
Would Mat’s fox medallion prevent allomancy?
It would prevent emotional allomancy, but not metals on his body.
How much of Newcago would a Coinshot have to eat to Push it?
A lot.
Any plans to return to the world of Elantris?
Someday.
Question about feruchemy and allomancy… what does it take to match allomantic pewter?
He imagines that baseline pewter doubles strength, flaring triples. He wouldn’t imagine someone burning pewter and lifting a car. Hasn’t thought about speed and healing. He’s admitting he hasn’t canonized these things.
Does atium still do the same thing since Sazed has Ascended?
Yes. If it didn’t, Marsh would be dead.
In real life, a man got an iron bar through his head and that changed his personality. Would that happen in the cosmere?
Yes, like it would have happened in the real world. Unless the bar were a hemalurgic spike.
Are the Bands of Mourning as Invested as Nightblood?
Not even close.
When a Shardholder dies, how is a new Vessel chosen?
You should read Secret History, it talks about that.
Conflicts?
Make conflict and setting important to the character. Making a religion that opposes something the character believes will make instant conflict.
Favorite food?
Mac and Cheese.
Do you worry that you get too repetitious with words?
Yes, he thinks all authors do. (I totally worry about this.)
How do you set a scene without describing for pages?
One or two really powerful sentences, let the reader fill in the rest.
If you were gonna build a Cosmere Avengers, who would you have?
He doesn’t wanna talk about this to pre-dispose people. He’d have answered if it weren’t being recorded. He’d want someone from every magic system. Would the name of the team be a spoiler? He says, “I haven’t thought about it.” Then he starts talking about the 17th Shard but stops because the guy thinks this is his answer to the question, it doesn’t seem like he really wanted to give that as the simple answer.
Would Secret Histories be on other planets?
The next one will probably be on (Cannot tell if he says Scadrial or Nalthis).
If you are viewing this on github.io, you can see that this site is open source. Please do not try to improve this page. It is auto-generated by a python script. If you have suggestions for improvements, please start a discussion on the github repo or the Discord.