Brandon Sanderson's Blog, page 23
April 5, 2018
Legion: Lies of the Beholder limited edition + Updates
Adam here. I saw a ton of questions about Subterranean Press doing a limited edition hardcover printing of the final Stephen Leeds book, Legion: Lies of the Beholder, that would match the first two Legion books. In case you missed the announcement that went out earlier this week, Subterranean Press has started taking pre-orders on the 2,500 signed and numbered hardcover copies. This edition of Legion: Lies of the Beholder will feature a full-color dust jacket, and two full-page, full-color interior illustrations by Jon Foster–who also did the illustrations on the first two Subterranean Press Legion books.
In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Character Voice, Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard discuss how the flow, order, and feel of words that are unique to a particular character. This “character voice” is extremely useful in defining characters for the reader. In this episode they discuss their tools for shaping character voices, and the ways in which they make sure each one is unique.
Last week, we again join Kaladin on his search for Voidbringers, while Sylphrena makes awkward suggestions for his happiness, and Adolin visits his father’s Ryshadium. This week, in chapter eleven, we jump back in time again, thirty-three years, as Dalinar shows what a warrior armed with Shardplate can do to… well, pretty much anyone without Shardplate. It does have a few disadvantages, though.
The Twitter Archive for March is up to date.
This week’s featured cosplay is of Syl and Kaladin from Emerald City Comic Con.
March 28, 2018
Foil Maps + Updates
Dragonsteel art director Isaac here. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me post about the maps for the latest Osten Ard books by Tad Williams: The Heart of What Was Lost and The Witchwood Crown. The original trilogy was what hooked me on epic fantasy in the late 80s/early 90s, and the maps for the series were part of what got me into cartography. So to be able to create new maps of Osten Ard has been something of a dream project.
These books were also foundational in Brandon’s early reading in the genre. He gave the newest books this quote:
“Tad Williams is a master storyteller, and the Osten Ard books are his masterpiece. Williams’ return to Osten Ard is every bit as compelling, deep, and fully-rendered as the first trilogy, and he continues to write with the experience and polish of an author at the top of his game.”
I was thrilled when Brandon supported the Indiegogo campaign for merchandise based on Tad’s worlds by buying the map of Osten Ard. I’ve tried to make this the essential map for the series. Remember those foil Middle Earth maps from when the movies were big? Well, I was able to get a hold of the original supplier, and that’s who’s printing the Osten Ard map. It’s going to be gorgeous, and the only way to get it is through Tad’s Indiegogo campaign. We might have a few left over after that, but I wouldn’t risk it if you really want one. There’s only a little over a week left.
For those of you waiting for a foil version of the latest Roshar map found on the back of the dustjacket for Oathbringer, keep an eye on the store over the next month or two. I hope you’ll enjoy these, as I’m quite excited for them. Thank you for reading the books. Thank you for enjoying the maps in them. You make it possible for me to do something I absolutely love.
Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Q&A on Heroes, Villains, and Main Characters, Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard answer your questions about heroes, villains, and main characters. Here are the questions:
How do you make planned power increases not seem like an ass-pull¹?
What do you do when your villain is more interesting/engaging than your hero?
How do you know when a character is unnecessary and needs to be removed from the story, or killed off in the story?
What tricks do you use when you want the reader to mistakenly believe a character is a hero, rather than a villain?
Which is more fun for you: creating a villain, or creating a hero?
How many side characters can you reasonably juggle in a novel?
What are the drawbacks to making your villain a POV character?
If your villain doesn’t show up until late in the story, how do you make their eventual appearance seem justified?
How do you get readers to like a character who is a jerk?
Last week, we continued on with Kaladin’s heart-wrenching homecoming before he headed off to hunt Voidbringers. This week, in chapters eight and nine, we return to Urithiru for disturbing drawings, cooperative cartography, international intrigue, and mystifying murder.
The Twitter Archive for March is up to date.
This week’s featured cosplay is of Syl and Kaladin from Emerald City Comic Con.
March 12, 2018
Weekly Update
Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Handling a Large Cast, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice discuss their favorite techniques for managing large casts of characters, and how their processes differ from when writing small casts. What does “large” and “Small” mean?
Last week, we looked at foolish oaths, broken oaths, and the necessity of oaths to the fabric of society. This week, in chapters five and six, we’ll walk the last few miles with our favorite (only?) Windrunner and his lovely spren while they journey to Hearthstone to protect his family from the Everstorm.
Brandon recently had a signing for his newly released White Sand Vol. 2 graphic novel at Dragons Keep in Orem, Utah. He was able to sign and number some extra copies for them. If you’re wanting signed/numbered copies for your collection, that is the only place to get numbered copies–and they ship! Give them a call at 801.225.7623.
With just under three days to go on Nauvoo Games Kickstarter for the cooperative board game based on The Reckoners has reached well beyond their goal. If you haven’t had a chance to give it a look, you can check out their Kickstarter page, or give this post from a few months ago a look and check out the trailer and gameplay overview.
There are a few sales going on this week for some of Brandon’s books. If you’ve been wanting a hardcover edition of Oathbringer but haven’t purchased one yet, Barnes & Noble currently has them for 37% off list price. If audiobooks are more your style, you can get The Rithmatist and Firefight are being featured in Audible‘s “Listens you Love Sale” for only $6.95 each.
The Twitter Archives for February and March are up to date.
This week’s featured cosplay is Vin (actual size) from Emerald City Comic Con.
Tweets March 2018
BrandSanderson Thu Mar 01
My first panel, “Writing Magical Stories That Make Sense,” at @emeraldcitycon is today at 4:00 and will be followed… link
BrandSanderson Thu Mar 01
Pick up this year’s con exclusive and leatherbound editions of Elantris-fresh from the printer-at my table (KK3) in… link
PaasDonovan Thu Mar 01
@BrandSanderson @emeraldcitycon Will you still be around at the con on Sunday? I’m travelling down from a interior… link
@PaasDonovan @emeraldcitycon I don’t think they put me on anything Sunday. Pretty sure I fly out that day. (Sorry… link
BrandSanderson Thu Mar 01
For those at Emerald City Comic Con, I WILL be doing a Magic: the Gathering draft. It will be casual/fun, so don’t… link
BrandSanderson Thu Mar 01
Not right now, I’m afraid. 
March 9, 2018
White Sand Vol. 2 Signing Tomorrow
As most of you already know, my graphic novel White Sand Vol. 2 was released a few weeks ago. I will be doing a signing at the Dragons Keep in Orem, at 2 p.m. tomorrow. So if you’ve been wanting to get your hands on a signed copy of White Sand Vol. 2, feel free to stop by, or give the store a call for shipping options (801.225.7623).
I hope to see you there, but if you can’t make it that’s okay. The greatest compliment you can give me is to read my books.
Be sure to check out my events page for other upcoming events.
February 22, 2018
A quick update on my writing projects
Hey, all! Just a quick update here on how things are going. First and foremost, I’ve worked through the rough draft and the first polish of Skyward. I love the book, and it is off to my publisher; I’m hoping for feedback soon.
That done, I finally had time to polish up and revise Legion 3, which I’d written last fall. That also is now off with my (other) publisher, being edited.
Those two items were the most important, since they’re both coming out this year. The third Legion story is being published as part of a collection of all three novellas about the character, forming a complete narrative. It should be out August/September or somewhere around then. Skyward is being published by Random House this November sometimes. Expect an official announcement with the cover art to come from the publisher in the next few weeks.
I have the last quarter of this year earmarked to write the final Mistborn (Wax and Wayne) novel, which leaves me around six or seven months to play with, and I’m hoping to finish another book in the Skyward series. However, before I dive into that, there’s a certain novella I need to write. We’re listing that as “Secret Project” and it’s not anything you’re probably guessing. I’ll reveal it when the time is right, but for now, it’s not cosmere, and is not something I’ve talked about before.
Best,
Brandon
February 21, 2018
White Sand Volume 2 is out today!
Dragonsteel art director Isaac here. For the last year, we’ve been working close with Dynamite to bring you Volume 2 of the White Sand graphic novel, and today it finally releases. Let me introduce this next volume in the series with a bit of a history lesson.
White Sand has an interesting background. Many of you know that it was the sixth novel Brandon wrote–Elantris–that was picked up by Tor and published as his first novel, but by the time Tor released Elantris in 2005, Brandon had written more than thirteen novels. Mistborn, which came out a year later in 2006, was Brandon’s fourteenth.
But White Sand was Brandon’s first novel. His third novel–Lord Mastrell–was a sequel to it. When Brandon wrote his eighth novel, right after the infamous Dragonsteel, he went back to White Sand Prime and Lord Mastrell and rewrote them both from the beginning, combining them into the White Sand we now give away for those who sign up for the mailing list. I believe this was also the novel that got his agent Joshua’s attention, and while Joshua didn’t offer representation just yet, he did offer some suggestions for a revision. Brandon also had a list of things he wanted to accomplish were he ever to have the chance to return to White Sand and revise it. But when Elantris came out, turning around and revising an old novel was just not in the cards.
When Dynamite proposed a three-part graphic novel several years ago, Brandon met with Team Dragonsteel and laid out his vision for White Sand. We pulled out his revision notes along with Joshua’s commentary from so long ago. We re-read White Sand and made our own notes, and together as a team we fleshed out what Brandon would have liked to have done were he to revise White Sand today without the luxury of rewriting the book from the beginning. We clarified character motivations, we strengthened character arcs, we changed the gender of one of the main characters, and we brought in stronger elements from the Cosmere at large. Together, under Brandon’s direction, and with Dynamite’s help, we crafted this into the canonical version of White Sand.
Dynamite has worked hard under tight deadlines to bring us a high-quality adaptation from writer Rik Hoskin and high-quality illustrations from artist Julius Gopez. Peter, Karen, and I have poured over the text and illustrations and have done our best to keep the details true to the spirit of the original novel and keep it consistent within the canon of the Cosmere. We hope you enjoy this next foray into the world of White Sand.
February 14, 2018
The Reckoners board game, The Way of Kings VR Experience + Update
Adam here. If you’ve been following Brandon’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you will know that it’s been quite the exciting week for us here at Dragonsteel Headquarters. For those who haven’t, here’s a quick rundown.
In a previous post we showed you you a bit about the cooperative board game from Nauvoo Games based on The Reckoners series, including a video that shows gameplay mechanics. The Kickstarter launched yesterday and within 12 hours had already been funded and is now at 123%!
On Monday, we were given this sneak peak of Escape the Shattered Plains VR Experience from Arcturus XR and we’ve been told to expect something even bigger tomorrow, so tune in to Brandon’s social media channels around 12:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Brandon has several events coming up in the next few weeks. You can see full details for these events as well as his other future events at his Upcoming Events page but here is a quick look at the next few weeks.
Saturday, February 17th – Provo, UT
Life, the Universe, and Everything
Crafting Good Subplots
Time: 1:00–1:45 p.m.
Location: Zion
David Farland, Kathryn Purdie, Renee Collins (M), Charlie N. Holmberg
A discussion about using subplots to add nuance to your story without derailing your main plot entirely.
What It’s Like: Writing In Somebody Else’s Milieu
Time: 2:00–2:45 p.m.
Location: Canyon
Karen Evans, Sarah E. Seeley, Todd McCaffrey, Brad R. Torgersen (M)
This is NOT a “how to write in somebody else’s milieu”; this is “what is it like?” Did you still like the milieu afterwards? We want stories from those invited to write.
Prologues and Epilogues
Time: 3:00–3:45 p.m.
Location: Canyon
Lisa Mangum, Myke Cole, Todd McCaffrey, Jason King (M)
Find out what sets prologues and epilogues apart from ordinary chapters, and learn when and how to use them to enhance your story.
Kaffeeklatsch
Time: 5:00–5:45 p.m.
Location: Boardroom
Kaffeeklatsch: From the German for “coffee” and “gossip”, an informal social gathering at which coffee and other beverages are served while chatting. Join your favorite presenter for all their insights. Seats are very limited so sign up outside the Boardroom ASAP.
Friday, February 23rd – Provo, UT
English Reading Series at the Harold B. Lee Library
The Brigham Young University English Department Reading Series began in 1999. The program continues to expand, solidify, and gain a stronger audience. Each Friday at noon a writer, visiting or local to BYU, reads his or her work in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. Writers from Pulitzer Prize winners Marilynne Robinson, Maxine Kumin, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Charles Simic to editors such as Peter Davison and Helen Handley Houghton to faculty and students have shared their work in the last decade.
As a result of audience enthusiasm and the excellent writing, BYU created a course associated with the weekly event; students study the writer’s work during the week before he or she reads, then students respond to what they learned.
The readings are open to the public. Today many students, faculty, and residents come to enjoy listening to quality literature and participating in question and answer sessions.
This site archives the recorded English Department Reading Series.
Signing
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: BYU Bookstore
Thursday, March 4th – Seattle, WA
Writing Magical Stories That Make Sense
Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Location: WSCC 603
Magic can be one of the most memorable and fun components of a fantasy story, but it can also be destructive. In order for magic to “work,” what are the import…
Brandon’s booth will be in Artist Alley at table KK3. There will be swag and Dragonsteel published books (leatherbounds, con exclusive doubles, etc). All other titles will be sold at the UBookstore Booth.
We also have some exciting news coming out of Poland. Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians has been nominated by Lubimy Czytać (Polish Goodreads) for Best Children’s Book of 2017.
In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, External Conflicts for Characters, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice discuss how external conflict is a story driver that originates outside the protagonist. In this episode a large part of what we’ll focus on is person-vs-environment as opposed to person-vs-person. PvE rather than PvP, if you will.
Last week, we took our third look at the fateful night of the treaty-turned-assassination, from the perspective of the young Listener scout who started it all. This week, we return to Urithiru, where Dalinar is facing a host of problems ranging from personal to global importance—not least of which is how to get anyone to believe him.
The Twitter Archive for February is up to date.
This week’s featured cosplay of Vin by Abigail (jedi_bria42) is from DragonCon 2016.
Tweets February 2018
BrandSanderson Fri Feb 02
Brandon has offered explanations for the Safehand before (which you can read at the link below) but this answer–whi… link
BrandSanderson Fri Feb 02
In a few minutes I will begin my journey to Colorado Springs for the Superstars Writing Seminar. You can see full d… link
BrandSanderson Fri Feb 02
Salt Lake Airport Simply Books is restocked with signed Sanderson Books! A huge stack of Oathbringer. Gate C7. Say… link
BrandSanderson Sun Feb 04
Church in Colorado Springs was a little less exotic than some of my excursions, but everyone was super nice. Now, back home I go!
BrandSanderson Sun Feb 04
Denver airport has 2 Tattered Cover Bookstores with signed Sanderson books! The one by the B gates has 2 Oathbringe… link
BrandSanderson Mon Feb 05
It’s awards season again! Here’s my list of eligible works, including my suggestion for the Best Series category of… link
BrandSanderson Tue Feb 06
This is a very cool take on a shardbearer duel from #TheWayofKings by dixon-leavitt.
link pic
BrandSanderson Wed Feb 07
Adam here. This week’s new @WritingExcuses episode “Villain, Antagonist, Obstacle” is up. You should also check out… link
BrandSanderson Fri Feb 09
This is another question Brandon answered at the #Oathbringer release party. You can see the other #FAQFriday answe… link
BrandSanderson Sat Feb 10
I will be playing @wizards_magic tonight (7:30 p.m.) at Game Grid in Lehi, Utah. The actual event is sold out but y… link
BrandSanderson Mon Feb 12
Incredible #MistbornMonday art “Kelsier and Vin” by Giselle Almeida.
link pic
BrandSanderson Tue Feb 13
Another epic illustration of Vin by Ben McSweeney.
link pic
BrandSanderson Tue Feb 13
The wait is over! The Kickstarter for the cooperative board game based on The Reckoners is live. Check it out!
link
BrandSanderson Tue Feb 13
The Kickstarter that @NauvooGames started today for the Reckoners board game is already 73% funded. Wow.
link
February 7, 2018
New Writing Excuses Episode + Updates
Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Villain, Antagonist, Obstacle, Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard breakdown (you guessed it) villains, antagonists, and obstacles. What’s the difference between villains and antagonists? How is an obstacle character different from those other two? How are they alike? And most importantly, how can we use this information to write effective opposition to our heroes, protagonists, and main characters?
Last week, Alice Arneson and Lyndsey Luther introduced themselves and the Oathbringer reread. This week, in the prologue, Eshonai arrives for the signing of the peace treaty between the humans and the listeners. She goes wandering and finds King Gavilar in council with some other Alethi, whom he sends away in order to speak with Eshonai privately. He reveals to her that he intends to bring back the old gods, in order to create an enemy against which the nations of the world are forced to unite. Eshonai brings this information to the Five, and they collectively decide to assassinate Gavilar rather than allow his plan to come to fruition.
The Twitter Archive for January is up to date.
This week’s featured cosplay “Mistborn Without Mistcloak” by EHyde.
