Brandon Sanderson's Blog, page 48

Kansas City this weekend + Updates

Tomorrow I’m off to Kansas City for the ConQuesT convention that starts on Friday. My complete schedule (including a “Play Magic with Brandon” game) down below. Also, copies of the Perfect State/ con exclusive double hardcover will be available at the Basement Books booth in the dealers’ hall. But first some updates.

I’ve mentioned before that my middle grade humor series that starts with Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians will be republished next year by Tor, leading up to the release of the fifth and final book that Alcatraz will write. Well, there will also be a ton of new illustrations in the book, and Isaac Stewart has written up a post for Tor.com that introduces the illustrations to you. Enjoy!

Over the weekend, Words of Radiance was named the winner of a 2014 Whitney Award for the Speculative category. Thanks to all of the Whitney Awards academy members who found it deserving! And many congratulations to all of the winners and finalists.

There are a couple of Writing Excuses episodes I haven’t yet talked about in the blog. The 19th episode this season talks about Intrigue. What’s the difference between intrigue, suspense, and mystery? We answer this and then talk about what makes intrigue useful as a tool for any story, and how to use it without falling back on idiot character plots, or simply withholding information from the reader. Intrigue is also its own genre, with spy stories and political intrigue stories fitting into this space. We talk a bit about how those stories work and how they’re built. Next, the 20th episode is titled, How Do I Write a Story, Not an Encyclopedia? You’ve done piles of worldbuilding. How do you convey this world to reader without infodumping? We talk about the different skill levels involved, and then the techniques that you’ll be using as you get better and better at what is probably the most critical skill unique to genre fiction writers.

ConQuesT 46

Date: Fri, May 22, 2015 – Sun, May 24, 2015

Address: Kansas City Marriott Downtown

200 West 12th St

Kansas City, MO 64105

Phone: (816) 421-6800

Friday, May 22

4:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

MidAmericaCon II

MidAmeriCon II is coming to KC in 2016. Learn more about Worldcon and the local fans helping make this happen.

Diane Lacey, Ruth Lichtwardt, George R.R. Martin, Jeff Orth, Mark Oshiro, Brandon Sanderson

5:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

World Building – Religion and Magic

We’ll discuss creating believable worlds from religion to magic systems. We’ll also look at how you make everything work together and decide what everyone needs to see and what only you need to know.

Kathleen Collins, Gera L. Dean, Brandon Sanderson, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Thomas Trumpinski

7:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

Opening Ceremonies

Saturday, May 23

1:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

Brandon Sanderson Interview

3:00–5:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

Brandon Sanderson Book Signing

5:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

Research – How Much Do You Really Need?

Discussion of what to research, where to research, how much to research, when to quit researching. How to determine if the information is legitimate. How to use Google and other serach engines for research.

Holly Messinger, Penny Cockrell, Gera L. Dean, KD McEntire, Brandon Sanderson

7:00 p.m.–midnight, Mary Lou Williams room, 3rd floor

Magic Draft with Brandon Sanderson

This will be a Magic: The Gathering draft of the type that Brandon likes to do at conventions. The cost is $15. Limited to 16 participants. Sign up ahead of time using the signup sheet located in the main gaming area.

Sunday, May 24

12:00 p.m., Bennie Moten A/B

The Story Mind

Neurological research suggests that the human mind is hardwired for stories and that humans remember stories more easily than they remember facts. Panelists discuss this theory and what this means for sf & f tales.

M.C. Chambers, Zo Allen, Marshall Edwards, Lezli Robyn, Brandon Sanderson

5:00 p.m., Count Basie Ballroom A

Closing Ceremonies

New Writing Excuses + Updates

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Build an Entire World? Are You Crazy?, we address those of you who who start writing the story before you finish building your world. Letting the story drive the worldbuilding can often be more efficient.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, we saw science in action on the shattered plains. This week, in Chapter 36, Alice Arneson discusses the beginning of Shallan’s newest stage of her journey as she reaches the war camps and tries to get established there.

My assistant Adam had updated the Twitter post archives for April and May.

Tweets May 2015

krunk4ever Sat May 02
@BrandSanderson Own pretty much every book of yours on my Kindle. Just curious why your Alcatraz series is not available on the Kindle.

BrandSanderson Sat May 02
@krunk4ever We are re-releasing them in January, and are waiting til the for ebook editions.

USFbull2281 Sun May 03
flying through Atlanta and Nashville today.. hoping to come across a stealth signed book!! @BrandSanderson

BrandSanderson Sun May 03
@USFbull2281 It has been a while since I hit Atlanta. If any are left, they will be at the NY Times store by the E gates.

BrandSanderson Mon May 04
Up early today, as my schedule is off following my return from the UAE. Been working on Calamity a couple hours already. Nearing the end.

movinmeat Mon May 04
@BrandSanderson so how does it end? #SpoilerAlert

BrandSanderson Mon May 04
@movinmeat Well.

TylerWalpole Mon May 04
@BrandSanderson I’m late to the party, and hungry for Stormlight Archive Book 3. Have you announced an approximate release date?

BrandSanderson Mon May 04
@TylerWalpole Fall 2016

New Writing Excuses episode + Updates

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Q&A on Beginnings, we answer some of your questions on the matter. Here are some of the questions:

What are there differences between the beginnings in different forms?
How do you begin in media res when you’re not writing action?
What’s the biggest mistake that can be made when plotting the beginning?
I see a lot of big-name author beginnings that aren’t all that strong. Why should I spend time making my beginning awesome?
How do you balance the need to have something happening right away against the need to have the reader know something about the characters?
In creating a character, where do you start in the development process, and what do you begin revealing first?

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, Last week, Alice Arneson watched madness blossom in two interlude chapters. This week, Carl Engle-Laird, watches science mixed with a little madness, flourish on the Shattered Plains.

The Rithmatist is on sale in the UK on Kindle (and may be price-matched at other vendors) until May 4th. I have country-specific links in the tabs here. And for everyone else (including those in the UK), my novella Perfect State came out a few weeks ago, if you missed the news.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter posts archive for April.

Signing tonight in Sharjah!

Tonight I will be doing a signing; details can be found below and on the events page. This will be my last public event for this trip to the UAE and I want to sign your books! As always, if you want email reminders of when I’ll be appearing in a city near you, simply sign up for my newsletter and tell me what city you want notifications for.

Sharjah, UAE – Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival

Date: Saturday, April 25, 2015

Time: 18:00–19:00

Place: Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, Hall 5

Address: Expo Centre

Al taawun Street, Al taawun, – إمارة الشارقةّ

Sharjah, UAE

Phone Number: +971 6 577 0000

Jashanmal Books will have a very limited number of my books on hand. They will sell out quickly, so if you have your own books, please bring them. I will also sign cases for electronic devices if you prefer, or anything else other than body parts.

Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival + Updates

This afternoon I am heading off to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival in the United Arab Emirates. For those of you who are in the vicinity, I look forward to seeing you there! So far I’ve listed a panel on Thursday the 23rd on my events calendar, and I’ll try to add more details when they’re forthcoming.

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, What Do I Do With All This Blank Space?, we talk about how to fill the space on the first few pages of your story. Those are the few pages where you have to convince the reader to keep going, as the first page is often the only opportunity you have to get the reader’s attention at all.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, Carl Engle-Laird viewed the storm with grumpy old men and cheeky whippersnappers. This week, Alice Arneson discusses the outcome of two incomprehensible experiences and their respective forms of madness.

The Rithmatist is on sale on Kindle (and may be price-matched at other vendors) until May 4th in the UK. I have country-specific links in the tabs here. And for everyone else (including those in the UK), my novella Perfect State came out a couple of weeks ago, if you missed the news.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter posts archive for April.

The Rithmatist ebook sale in the UK + Updates

Good news for everyone in the UK! The Rithmatist is on sale on Kindle (and may be price-matched at other vendors) until May 4th. I have country-specific links in the tabs here. And for everyone else (including those in the UK), my novella Perfect State came out a couple of weeks ago, if you missed the news.

And some more awesome news: Rhode Island teens voted, and Steelheart has tied for the 2015 Rhode Island Teen Book Award. Thanks to all of my readers there! Firefight is out now, and I’m hard at work on the final book in the trilogy, Calamity. I’ve passed the 50% mark and should finish around the first week of May. You can keep track by looking at the progress bars in the upper right corner of my website.

There is a new Writing Excuses episode this week: Worldbuilding Wilderness with Wes Chu. Wes recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and has some things to say about all the wilderness trekking that our characters do in the books we write, and how we often forget to say anything about sleeping on inclines, altitude sickness, or packing toilet paper. More importantly, we need to remember that our characters are experiencing these wilderness treks, and have opinions about them.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, Alice Arneson attempted to unravel the mysteries of the Listener songs. This week, Carl Engle-Laird deals with Interludes 5 and 6 which generally involve grumpy old men talking down to young whippersnappers.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter posts archive for April.

New Writing Excuses episode + Updates

There is a new Writing Excuses episode this week: How Much of the Beginning Needs to Come First? We all have cool things we want to put in our stories, which means we need what sets it up earlier. In this episode we talk about how to determine which of these elements needs to come first.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, Carl Engle-Laird finished off the last chapter in Part 2 and waved a sad farewell to a sinking ship. This week, Alice Arneson wraps up Part 2 briefly, then moves on to an examination of the Listener songs in the Part 2 Epigraphs.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter posts archive for March and April.

Tweets April 2015

ErPanfi Wed Apr 01
Ok,resistance it’s futile: after Mistborn, The Way of Kings and SteelHeart, I now must obtain the entire bibliography by @BrandSanderson.

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@ErPanfi Warbreaker is free on my website, if you like ebooks.

Kennyhuge08 Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson Mr. Sanderson this is long overdue but the Mistborn trilogy was by far the best books I have ever read in my life, Thank you

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@Kennyhuge08 Thanks!

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
On my way to Minneapolis! Signed books with prizes inside can be found in the Salt Lake Airport Simply Books, Gate C7ish.

GamersPlane Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson I’m waiting till you do this at Newark Airport in Jersey. I’ll be taking an early leave from work to rush over.

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@GamersPlane I’ve only flown through there once, unfortunately, and it was long ago.

Ayn_Skyfighter Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson In sharjah childrens reading festival, which of your books will be available?Only those targeted at a yoinger audience?

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@Ayn_Skyfighter Not sure. I will try to find out and post on my website.

yeliretan Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson what are you doing in MN?? Ill be there today!

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@yeliretan At a convention over the weekend with a signing on Saturday.

LostCadence Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson Hey Brandon! Apologies if you have answered this, but will the edits to Words of Radiance work their way into a hardcover?

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@LostCadence Should be in all future printings.

AStirlingMacD Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson Here in Allentown you have now officially achieved the Grocery Store level of success. pic

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@AStirlingMacD Wow.

MollyCluff Wed Apr 01
My crowning April Fool’s prank was telling my husband I finished Mistborn by @BrandSanderson without him, which we’ve been reading together

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@MollyCluff Evil.

Darth_Hound Wed Apr 01
@BrandSanderson Is there some sort of inherent nasal problem in The Cosmere universe? Everyone keeps “snorting” every few pages. #cosmere

BrandSanderson Wed Apr 01
@Darth_Hound I picked that up from Robert Jordan, I’m afraid.

BrandSanderson Thu Apr 02
Minnesota! I’m in Minneapolis for Minicon starting today. Here’s my complete schedule.

link

interneth3ro Thu Apr 02
@BrandSanderson I was at the table next to you for dinner last night. I also shamelessly tweeted about it.

BrandSanderson Thu Apr 02
@interneth3ro Come say hi next time. I don’t mind.

interneth3ro Thu Apr 02
@BrandSanderson I’ve always thought people bugging “celebrities” while at a dinner setting to be kinda uncool. But I will next time

BrandSanderson Thu Apr 02
@interneth3ro I would say that is the case for some, but not for me. It is always a bit of an honor for me.

BrandSanderson Thu Apr 02
By the way, if you are flying through Minneapolis MSP airport, look in the Simply Books main mall (near the E and F gates) for signed books.

BrandSanderson Thu Apr 02
If you are at Minicon this weekend in Minneapolis, I’m doing a writing lecture (on Magic Systems) in 15 min before other programming starts.

julianalbrandt Thu Apr 02
@BrandSanderson Will it be posted anywhere online?

BrandSanderson Thu Apr 02
@julianalbrandt All my lectures from last year are on youtube. This should be very similar.

BrandSanderson Fri Apr 03
Feels good to get a chapter of Calamity written, despite being at the convention this weekend. Not sure I’ll have time for writing Fri/Sat.

BrandSanderson Sat Apr 04
Minneapolis! At Minicon I’m reading & signing today. St. Paul! I’m at Red Balloon tonight (ticketed signing). link

BrandSanderson Sat Apr 04
Saint Paul! I’m signing at Red Balloon in less than an hour. This is a ticketed signing. Details on what that means: link

BrandSanderson Sat Apr 04
In 15 min, I will be doing a signing in St. Paul at the Red Balloon bookstore on Grand. Should last two or three hours. See you there!

Minicon 50 starts today!

Minnesota! I’m in Minneapolis for Minicon starting today, and I’m also signing in St. Paul on Saturday. Here’s my complete schedule.

Thursday

6:00 PM – Edina

Brandon Sanderson Creative Writing Lecture Live Broadcast Taping

Watch Brandon Distance Teach his Brigham Young University course entitled “How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy” over the internet. The course is focused on the nuts and bolts of having a writing career. Characterization, worldbuilding, plotting and publication will be presented to you and to his class simultaneously via telepresence technology. (6:00–7:20 PM)

8:00 PM – Edina

Opening Ceremonies

Friday

2:30 PM – Ver 5/6

…and Magrathea Ground to a Halt

Worldbuilding can be hard – what is the biggest thing that cause you to stop? What was that major obastacle, and how did you overcome it?

Blake Hausladen, Brandon Sanderson, Donna Munro, Larry Niven

5:30 PM – Edina

Guest of Honor Interview: Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson, Joel Phillips

7:00 PM – Ver 5/6

The Business of Brandon

What is it like working with/for Brandon Sanderson?

Brandon Sanderson, Michael Whelan, Peter Ahlstrom, Tom Doherty

9:00 PM – Gaming

Magic Draft with Brandon

Cost: $9.00

15-16 slots available (There will be a sign up sheet put up in the gaming area on Saturday)

Decks: Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged and Dragon’s of Tarkir

Saturday

2:30 PM – Ver 1/2

Brandon Sanderson Reading

3:30 PM – Outside Bloomington/Edina

Mass autograph session

(Brandon will be here only until 4:30.)

6:00 PM – Red Balloon Bookstore

See details here.

10:00 PM – Edina

The Brandon Sanderson Social Hour!

Brandon talks about things! And stuff! And you get to ask him questions…about things! And stuff!

Brandon Sanderson, Peter Ahlstrom

Sunday

11:30 AM – Ver 5/6

Who’da Thunk

Our Guest of Honors sit together and interview each other – who knows what stories they have about each other?

Brandon Sanderson, Larry Niven, Michael Whelan, Tom Doherty,

2:30 PM – Krushenko’s

Middle Grade Optimism vs YA Dystopia

Magical wonder abounds in middle grade lit but seems to disappear once stories make the jump to the next age bracket. Does pessimism go hand in hand with the advent of hormones? Is middle grade more than it appears? (from both read and writer perspective)

Adam Stemple, Alec Austin, Brandon Sanderson, Donna Munroe, Jane Yolen, Marissa Lingen

4:00 PM – Edina

Closing Ceremonies

Adam Stemple, Brandon Sanderson, Dave Romm, Jane Yolen, Joel Phillips, Larry Niven, Matt Strait, Michael Whelan, Tom Doherty