On the origins of the Mistborn series and his writing process:
“I’m always searching for ideas that I can connect into a larger story. I feel that a book is more than just one idea. A good book is a collection of ideas, a good idea for each character, something that forms the core of their conflict. Some ideas come from the setting, or something that’s going to drive the economy, something that’s going to, for me, drive the magic [system].”
Brandon continued to explain his process by demonstrating how the Mistborn series came together. “I was watching the Harry Potter movies and I was thinking about The Lord of the Rings and while I like the idea of the hero’s journey, I began thinking about how the dark lord in these stories gets the raw end of the deal. So I wanted to write a book where the dark lord wins. Although that’s kind of a downer.”
Brandon explained that he shelved that idea until he could figure out how to make a story where the villain wins not be so bleak. “It took me a little while to figure out what to with that idea. Then I was watching one of my favorite movies, Sneakers , and started thinking about how I hadn’t seen an amazing heist story in fantasy ever. Little did I know Scott Lynch was going to release a great one only a year later!”
The two ideas combined, Brandon continued, “like atoms that combine to create a molecule that’s something different.” The magic system in Mistborn was the same way, according to the author. Allomancy and Feruchemy were magic that had been designed for different worlds but worked really well together with the story of Mistborn.
So Brandon set to work, filling out the gaps in the story by brainstorming along the way.
One audience member noted that Brandon has a pattern of having his characters working towards a goal only to have that goal turn out to be the incorrect one, which prompted the author to discuss how he thinks of plot twists. “To figure out a good plot twist you want the reader or viewer to be surprised that it happened and then, as it’s happening, realize they should have seen it coming. You can’t always pull that off but when you can they’re really great and that’s what I’m shooting for.”
“I don’t twist my plot just to twist it. My hope is that the more that is revealed, the more that you experience a hidden depth to the characters and their journeys. It’s like life. Everyone you meet you make a snap judgment but then the more you get to know them the more depth they reveal. I want readers to experience that with my books. Part of why I like writing epic fantasies is because the story gives you the room to develop and explore that depth. Everything is about more than one thing.”
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