Brandon Sanderson's Blog, page 94
November 4, 2010
Newsletter + Tweets October 28-November 4
Brandon's assistant Peter here while Brandon is out on tour. Um, TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT has been released! I sent out a newsletter about that and a few other things yesterday. I also talk about the deadline for ordering stuff from Brandon's store in time for Christmas delivery. You can read it here. If you want to be added to the mailing list, use this link. Also give your city & state if you want email reminders when Brandon is signing near you.
There's also a new Writing Excuses episode on character arcs and a bonus episode entitled "Voting in the Service of a Dark God." And there are Warbreaker annotations on Lightsong starting his investigation and Siri's growing relationship with Susebron. Now the Twitter updates for the past week.
Llauron Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson what is the release date for ToM?
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 28
@Llauron November 2nd. :)
skatter Wed Oct 27
@BrandonSandrson Can't wait for it! Just got a friend to read the trilogy, and you now have another fan! Any word on eBook of ToM?
@skatter Still working on it. No word yet.
shnar Wed Oct 27
@brandonsandrson so it's a Mistborn* scifi* novella? When do I get to proofread it :-D
@shnar More like Mistborn Edwardian than Mistborn sf.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 29
The BYU Bookstore reported that the first fan has arrived to wait in line for the release of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 29
Someone literally did a motorcycle jump over a large, sentient shark at role playing tonight. Did this game just Jump the Shark?
Corlan_Dashiva Sat Oct 30
@BrandonSandrson Doing #NaNo this year?
@Corlan_Dashiva Probably will, actually. Might do a writing excuses update next week about it.
liathiano Sat Oct 30
@audible_com @BrandonSandrson I would love to know the meaning behind #HeWhoSoars !
@liathiano Read Towers of Midnight and you'll see. :)
TodfromPa Sat Oct 30
@BrandonSandrson Loved way of Kings. Audible'd it and only took about 3 weeks which is real quick considering I do mostly in car. Awesome!
@TodfromPa Thank you very much!
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 30
Here's another cool Mistborn themed costume, this one from @damenleeturks: http://bit.ly/aFA0It (He's an obligator.)
jasonmanheim Fri Oct 29
@BrandonSandrson I need suggestions for something as epic as The Way of Kings, to hold me until the next (aside from WoT).
@jasonmanheim Hm . . . Do you like SF? A Fire Upon the Deep is pretty epic and pretty darn good.
TDRup Fri Oct 29
@BrandonSandrson Bought an autog WoK thru u for my bro. It's mis-binded . . . missing 30 pgs. Any suggest? Don't want to return a signed book
@TDRup Blarg. Drop us an email, and we'll email you the missing pages. Or you can return it, and we'll get you another signed one.
@TDRup In either case, give us an email through my website so my assistant can flag it and make sure you're taken care of.
Virtuhall Fri Oct 29
@BrandonSandrson So now after finishing ToM Knowing that Perrin was on of your fav char is that still the case after this book? spoiler free
@Virtuhall Yes.
damenleeturks Fri Oct 29
.@BrandonSandrson Any tips for making Steel Ministry tattoos? Does intricate = straight or curved? scratches or flames? #Halloween #Mistborn
@damenleeturks Sorry I didn't get back to you quickly. I left them vague on purpose, to allow imagination.
@damenleeturks The design we usually go with is more like a tribal tatoo, though, with lots of lines and pieces that fit together.
ReneeRBA Fri Oct 29
@audible_com Just got @BrandonSandrson's The Way of Kings, & am about to begin the loooong (45hrs 37 min) journey. d it! #Fridaylistens
@ReneeRBA Hope you enjoy the journey. It is, indeed, a long one . . . :)
doryface Fri Oct 29
@BrandonSandrson I've read all your books too many times; I'm afraid I'll need some new ones soon. :P
@doryface Writing as fast as I can. :) (But if you want some of my older, unpublished books to read, send an email through my website.)
JohnMichalak Fri Oct 29
@BrandonSandrson Just finished TGS & was deeply impressed. You upheld the RJ mantle & added the "what a fan would want" element. Superb! :)
@JohnMichalak Thank you kindly!
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 30
At the Provo Teen Book Fest. Open to the public. Provo library. I have a panel with Brandon Mull at 1:00. Signing from 2-4.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 30
It's free. Will do live writing excuses at 4:00 with Scott Westerfeld. At signing, I'll have a copy of Towers of Midnight for browsing. :)
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 30
A shot of the proud, possibly insane, folks camping out for Towers of Midnight. http://twitpic.com/32dcjb
BrandonSandrson Mon Nov 01
Doing an email interview in the wee hours here. Need to stay up pretty late tonight so I'll be ready for the midnight release.
BrandonSandrson Mon Nov 01
THE HERO OF AGES Kindle version has been unavailable in Canada due to an error that has now been fixed. It should go live fairly soon.
BrandonSandrson Mon Nov 01
Ebook readers, I have some news for you. I sent a letter to Harriet on your behalf, asking if we could move the ebook of TofM up.
BrandonSandrson Mon Nov 01
She said yes, though for various reasons, she still wants some delay. It will now come out in February. 3-month delay instead of 12.
BrandonSandrson Mon Nov 01
I realize that many of you will still find this late, but the choice is Harriet's, and I support her in it. At least it's coming sooner now.
BrandonSandrson Tue Nov 02
Yes, I'll be doing Nanowrimo. Going to be tough going, though, with the tour. I'll post updates. Gotta finish the Mistborn story first.
BrandonSandrson Tue Nov 02
On my way to pre-sign copies of Towers of Midnight for the release party in a few hours.
BrandonSandrson Tue Nov 02
Okay, we will do a reading at 10:30 along with a Q&A. Come on over if you want to hear them. I believe it is live cast at Dragonmount.
BrandonSandrson Tue Nov 02
Getting ready for the reading. But, as usual, @theoryland won't give up the stage. :) Dragonmount main page if you want to watch.
BrandonSandrson Tue Nov 02
And off to the airport. Sacramento, here I come!
BrandonSandrson Tue Nov 02
The simply books in the Salt Lake airport has signed TofM and signed TGS paperbacks. Sticker hidden in one TofM. (No codes this tour. Sorry)
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
Now in the back room of the bookstore hanging with Jason D. If you live near Sacramento, come see Harriet and me.
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
Signing tonight was awesome. LOTS of people. And now I am very tired. Have to get up in five hours for my next flight. Um . . . yay? ;)
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
Off we go. Left 10 signed tWoK at the Sacramento B&N last night in case you want one. No TofM. We sold out.
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
Signings so far this year have been huge. If you come to one, feel free to listen to the Reading and Q&A, then go get dinner & come back. :)
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
I'll stay until all books are signed, even if we have to move to the parking lot. Harriet, however, may need to leave at 9:0p sometimes.
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
She's not as young as she once was, and these signings go long. (5.5 hours last night) If you want to be sure to get to harriet, come early.
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
Update for people who ordered from @SamWellers: They started shipping 9 days ago but it takes time to package 700 books. Finishing today.
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
International orders from @SamWellers were shipped first since those take the longest to arrive. Hang in there; your book will come.
BrandonSandrson Wed Nov 03
Signing in a half hour here in Cincinnati. Should have a reading and Q&A too.
BrandonSandrson Thu Nov 04
Now, back to Texas, where they claimed they would shoot me if I didn't come back on tour this year. :)
BrandonSandrson Thu Nov 04
If you are flying through Cincinnati, the Borders by the B gates is the place to go. Signed TofM, TGS and Twok hardcovers and all paperbacks
BrandonSandrson Thu Nov 04
Passing through Dallas? Hudson Booksellers by gate E13. Signed TofM hb; Tgs and warbrker pbs. No bookseller around, so I Brandalized.
BrandonSandrson Thu Nov 04
Signing tonight in Dallas is at the Borders at Preston and Royal Lane. 7:00. See you there!
BrandonSandrson Thu Nov 04
Want a signed copy of TofM or KINGS shipped to you? Call Joseph-Beth booksellers 513-396-8960 I think their copies are signed by Harriet too
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 28, 2010
Tweets October 22-27
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 22
Mistborn novella is at 22k words. This feels about like halfway. (Yes, this is my version of a 'short' piece of fiction.)
theLoveHouse Sat Oct 23
@BrandonSandrson Tor is waiting a year to release ToM on ebook. I have to Boycott http://t.co/P2AJL2A #WoT #Tor
@theLoveHouse It might be in their contract. I honestly don't have anything to do with it—that's between Harriet and Tor.
@theLoveHouse I'll pass on your dissatisfaction, though. I really wonder if this is Harriet, though. She has been hesitant about digital.
@theLoveHouse Remember, Tor released WAY OF KINGS in digital around the same time as the hardcover. They're behind digital.
jrd4212 Sat Oct 23
Spent 12 hours straight finishing Way of Kings by @BrandonSandrson . Wow! What a story. Well-constructed and gorgeously written. Want more!
@jrd4212 Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.
Southpaw2014 Sat Oct 23
@BrandonSandrson How many microsoft word pages is it for a WoT book? I'm sure it translates different from MW to the book we see right?
@Southpaw2014 I write in double spaced Courier. So my books are BIG in Word format. TofM was 1600 pages.
StarkQuark Sat Oct 23
@BrandonSandrson Amazon just emailed me that "ToM" Kindle edition is pushed back to 10/1/2011. Extremely upsetting :(
@StarkQuark Yeah. I'm going to try to figure out why. It might be Harriet, it might be Tor, but I think that's way too long.
squeakingbuddha Sat Oct 23
@BrandonSandrson Are you as disappointed as I am about the Kindle release of TofM? I don't think I can bring myself to buy a hardback copy.
@squeakingbuddha Wow, lots of people emailing about this. I don't know the story yet, but I'll try to find out why.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 23
Lots of people contacting me about Tor pushing back the TofM ebook until long after the hardcover. I'll see if I can find out why.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 23
It's not my call on this book. It could be Harriet's choice, could be Tor's. I'll see what I can unearth. Maybe I can get it out sooner.
helios1014 Fri Oct 22
@BrandonSandrson Also, does Roshar have an inflation problem or are the gemhearts that valuble?
@helios1014 Yes and no. You see, the ability of these gemhearts to turn directly into food has a strange effect on the economy.
@helios1014 That, mixed with a pretty good world-wide economy, should buffer inflation. But there will be some.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 23
Just wrote the coolest Allomancer gunfight ever. It's also the ONLY Allomancer gunfight ever written. But it's still cool.
SerhumXen Fri Oct 22
@BrandonSandrson Does it contain Hoid? Can Hoid be contained? #DeathByPizza
@SerhumXen The story might have a Hoid cameo, but it is not a primary Hoid story, so he'll not influence things much.
shawnp0wers Fri Oct 22
Really loving @BrandonSandrson's Mistborn series. Book 3 just jumped the shark a bit, but I think it will turn back around. :)
@shawnp0wers Dangit! I told the Fonz to stop with that water-skiing in my books.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 23
Guys, GUYS. Wheel of time Pumpkins. http://bit.ly/dyN3ER (Via @lynnirene)
DaveJustDave Fri Oct 22
@BrandonSandrson soooo. No Southern California dates for Towers of Midnight tour !?!?
@DaveJustDave Sorry. Tor was going to do no west coast at all, and I had to do some complaining to get Sacramento on.
@DaveJustDave They had in their mind "Way of Kings west coast, TofM east coast." I'll try to get to San Diego next year sometime, though.
Spencimus Fri Oct 22
Wonder is @BrandonSandrson will knock out a tome on writing fantasy, gleaned from #writingexcuses ? Great podcast, save occasional "uh . . . "
@Spencimus The "uh"s are an Easter egg. If you slow them down really far, you find hidden advice.
maro254 Mon Oct 25
Other than #6 and #48, any other questions people want to gripe about?
@maro254 Sure, I'll bite. #20. An equipment that kills your creature and lets you do direct damage to someone else with it is useless? :)
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 25
Only about a week until book tour comes for me again. I need to get this novella finished quickly, eh?
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 25
Note: I'll be bringing my decks and the rest of the prizes WotC sent me to give out on tour, though I don't know if I'll have time to play.
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 25
Signing Towers of Midnight Sam Weller's orders. Have written "Fire to Blind" twice so far on accident. Why do I do this?
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 25
Oops. That time I did it right. I meant I write Iron to blind. And now I am very confused.
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 25
Dang Germans. Making things hard for me. :) http://twitpic.com/30usq0
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 26
Okay, I guess this is becoming a thing . . . http://twitpic.com/30vu71
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 26
Whew. Well, that took about six hours. 700 books. http://twitpic.com/30wb8j
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 26
A shot from above. Most of those are TofM, despite Kings being on top. http://twitpic.com/30wbjb
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 26
Blog post: Updates, Interview, & Superstars Writing Seminar. http://3.ly/qKSM
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 27
Well, the Mistborn short-story-turned-novella just hit 40k words, which by SFWA definitions now makes it a short novel instead.
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 27
Here's a nice Mistborn costume from @SelmerMKVI http://yfrog.com/0793gtj. Anyone else going to be Mistborn for Halloween? Send me pics! :)
FelixPax Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson Would you say one of Mat Cauthon's symbols is a "Yew" tree? #WoT
@FelixPax By yew, you're talking about the black yew of his bow? I don't know if I'd call it a symbol of his. A lesser one, maybe.
ebynum Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson I assume there's a signing in Charleston, but not in Greenville, SC. Is the tour listed online somewhere?
@ebynum It's on the events tab of my website. Signing in Charleston is in the spring (because of the TarValon.net party.)
sg_luke Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson any word on if/when TofM will come to the Kindle?
@sg_luke I've emailed Tor. First, I have to find out if it's their call, or if it was Harriet's. I will post when I know more.
BlanchardAuthor Mon Oct 25
My big, nice, hardcover copy of @BrandonSandrson's Way of Kings fell into the rain. :( Just a few pages wet, it'll be okay, but still . . .
@BlanchardAuthor Ah, just makes it look more loved. I started one of my favorite books on fire once by accident . . .
greyrealm28 Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson I was wondering about the details of your dallas book signing. Will it be wristbanded? Do I have to buy my book there?
@greyrealm28 I don't know the details—you should call the store. But I have yet to do a signing where you HAVE to buy the book there.
@greyrealm28 I usually ask people to consider buying something from the store, but so far, no stores have required it.
fdnyubergeek Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson Just finished The Way of Kings, and I must say I was amazed. Awesome story. I cannot wait for more.
@fdnyubergeek Thank you so much!
Hey @BrandonSandrson I finished the way of kings last night, wow! So good, but whats up with you and the weather?
@uhavemyname Ha! Well, I guess those Nebraska thunderstorms I grew up with left an impression . . .
@uhavemyname (Actually, it has some things to do with the over-arcing nature of magic in the universe of my epic novels.)
theLoveHouse Mon Oct 25
@BrandonSandrson #ToM ebook. Tor said delay at request of author's estate. Could u ask Harriet sweetly to allow ebook, from the fans? #WoT
@theLoveHouse Ah. So it is Harriet. I'll see what I can do. Do be patient with her, though.
@theLoveHouse She's of the old guard, and a lot of them are very reserved about ebooks. (Like the Beatles rights holders were with itunes.)
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 27
No big updates on the TofM ebook. I did write an email to the Jordan estate to ask if maybe we can move it up. No promises.
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 27
Loving this blog: http://bit.ly/bKeWWO If you're an aspiring illustrator or just interested in fantasy/sf art, it's well worth reading.
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 26, 2010
Updates, Interview, & Superstars Writing Seminar
First some updates. In the most recent Writing Excuses episode we cover the excuses that keep you from writing. And recent WARBREAKER annotations talk about Vasher infiltrating the palace, Lightsong playing Terachin, and Clod's identity.
TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT comes out in slightly less than one week. Yesterday I went up to Sam Weller's and signed 700 books. Here's a picture toward the beginning of the process. There are a couple more pictures on my Twitter feed. There's also a new interview with me at Dragonmount.
Last year I was an instructor at the first Superstars Writing Seminar with David Farland, Kevin J. Anderson, Eric Flint, and Rebecca Moesta. Well, it's happening again this January in Salt Lake City, with additional special guest instructor Sherrilyn Kenyon. I mention it now because the tuition rates go up at the end of October. This conference focuses on the business of writing, and I had a blast at last year's event in Pasadena. Here's how I described it last year:
So many people ask me for writing advice and help with their work that I decided to say yes to this invitation because it will give people the chance they've been asking for. I realize the seminar is expensive—which means it's not for everyone—but as busy as I'm getting nowadays, something like this seems the only way.
The other writers participating could all still teach even me a thing or two. In fact, Dave specifically did teach me a lot about the writing business—it was while taking a writing class from him close to ten years ago that I finally began to understand what it takes to make it in publishing. And Kevin gave me invaluable advice that has made my life as a writer much easier over the past year. If you read the testimonials in the sidebar on the site you'll see names of pro writers whose work I've mentioned before or who we've had as guests on Writing Excuses, including Eric James Stone, Brandon Mull, John Brown, and Bob Defendi—all of them have benefited extremely from classes taught by Dave and/or Kevin & Rebecca. The instructor talent lineup for this seminar is daunting even to me, and I'm one of them!
This year's conference will cover topics such as:
Economics of Commercial Publishing
How Editors Look at Manuscripts, Novels, and Short Fiction
Dissecting a Book Contract
How to Read and Understand a Royalty Statement
Dirty Secrets: What You Need to Know About Being a Professional Author
How to Leverage Your Intellectual Property
Balancing Acts: Writing World and Real World
Agents
Networking and Self-Promotion for Authors
Understanding E-Books
Pitching the Big Proposal
Two Heads Are Better than One: Collaborations
How to Get an Edge with New Media
Movies, TV, and Authors
How to Increase Your Writing Productivity
and more, including open Q&A sessions, a special limited-seating VIP banquet to get to know the instructors, and plenty of networking opportunities among the teachers, other writers, and fellow students.
If this is the sort of thing you're interested in, now's the best time to register.
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 21, 2010
Tweets October 16-21
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 16
Congrats Josh and Mi'chelle of @17thshard. (They met because of my books!) http://twitpic.com/2y8lvs
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
At bedtime tonight, we went from "Daddy, sing a song" to "Daddy, go away. Go get mommy to sing!" in record time.
DarkElms Sun Oct 17
@BrandonSandrson Read your long blog post about future project. How do you stay organized? Working notes? Title lists? All in your head?
@DarkElms Some of everything you mentioned. Lots of notes all over the place, mostly to remind me of things in my head.
CeruleanScar Sun Oct 17
@BrandonSandrson Looking to get ToM on ebook when it launches. Any word on a date for that?
@CeruleanScar Book is out November 2nd. Ebook . . . well, I have asked, but I don't know that I've gotten a straight answer.
@CeruleanScar The WoT ebooks are a new thing. They didn't start appearing until last year. I don't know when the ebook of TofM will come.
techandtherest Sun Oct 17
Wow. Now that I am reading The Wheel of Time on @audible_com I can really see why @BrandonSandrson was chosen to finish the series.
@techandtherest Thanks for the kind words. ;)
aviroberts Sun Oct 17
@BrandonSandrson having read the book, I'm guessing you were talking about the choice that gets Kaladin[spoiler removed]
@aviroberts Something was offered to Kaladin. He took it in Kings Prime. In this book, he rejects it.
docmagik Sun Oct 17
@BrandonSandrson @PeterAhlstrom Is the Alcatraz series going to be four books or five? In book 3, Alcatraz says 5, but Amazon thinks 4.
@docmagik Five, but we haven't sold the fifth book yet, only four. So it's four for now.
Southpaw2014 Sun Oct 17
@BrandonSandrson credit goes to Megan from facebook WoT page but is there any significance to Egwenes dream of Logain stepping over someone who looks exactly like Rand but the person had both hands and not just one? Mistake or is there a significance?
@Southpaw2014 It is rare that something like that is included without it being significant.
jewishspawn Sun Oct 17
Best part if working in a bookstore: introduced an avid fantasy reader to Robert Jordan, @BrandonSandrson @neilhimself and Terry Pratchett
@jewishspawn Thanks for that, by the way. You put me in some extremely good company.
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
@nymoflife I'm having trouble figuring out what your tweet meant. Was there supposed to be a second half to it?
r3v0lt Mon Oct 18
Finished The Way of Kings by @BrandonSandrson today. Ridiculously good. I savored all 1,000 pages of it. Can't wait for the next one!
@r3v0lt Thank you very much for the kind words.
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
Looks like a I accidentally signed a reviewer copy of TofM with "Iron to blind." I guess if you stab out someone's eyes, it could work. :)
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
(The real quote is "Iron to bind.") This is what happens when I don't have a proofreader . . . I'm sure people on tour got some odd typos too.
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
InkWing.com has put up desktop wallpapers of the Roshar map: http://tiny.cc/wbqwz and they've also added hoodies: http://tiny.cc/n6u6x
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
Why no Death By PIzza updates lately? 'Cause . . . I'm breaking to work on something else. That's right, secret project from the secret project!
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
Just one week left to order a signed & numbered copy of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT from Sam Weller's. http://4.ly/!h
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 18
Blog post: TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT Preorders, Tower Guard, Trailer. http://4.ly/fkg
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 19
There's a new interview with me up at Grasping for the Wind, mostly about TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. http://bit.ly/cBuk0h #TofM
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 19
Audio of chapter two of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT is up on Tor.com. Follows directly from two scenes in the prologue. http://dld.bz/2p7h #TofM
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 19
Sam Weller's is now SOLD OUT of signed & numbered copies of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. Wow. That was earlier than expected.
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 20
There's a new interview with me up at SciFiNow. http://bit.ly/bPhgIy
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 20
Diversion side project is something I think I mentioned on my blog a few days back. It will make some of you very excited.
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 20
Yes, the new secret project has Allomancers in it.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 21
Okay. Well, that's a *rather* strong reaction to the Mistborn short story news. Details will come. Yes, there's a bendalloy misting in it.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 21
So the Mistborn 'short' story is 18k words (about 50 pages single spaced) so far, with much left to go. I'll start calling it a novella . . .
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 21
Live near Ephraim Utah? I will be speaking at Snow in a half hour. Open to the public. Books for sale. At the Eccles. 12:30-1:30ish.
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 18, 2010
TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT Preorders, Tower Guard, Trailer
First some housekeeping. The most recent Writing Excuses podcast is on avoiding melodrama. And the most recent WARBREAKER annotations cover Clod and the God King's secret (a big spoiler if you haven't read the book!).
TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT will be released in fourteen days and seven hours. If you want to order a signed and numbered copy from Sam Weller's, you have just one week left. I'll be driving up there next Monday morning and personalizing all the books that they've received preorders for. As of a week ago more than half of their copies were already reserved, so if you've been thinking about ordering a copy, now's the time. Of course, if I'm going to be appearing close to where you live, then you should support your local bookseller and get the book signed when I get there.
The prologue ebook is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Sony, Kobo, Audible, etc. But with the book just two weeks away, if you haven't already read the prologue by this point you can hold off two more weeks, right? There are also free previews: chapter one on Tor.com and chapter eight here. I believe that Tor.com will also be releasing chapter two, possibly this week.
Dragonmount has announced the names of the lucky people selected to be Tower Guards for my upcoming tour. Congrats to the selectees! If you didn't get picked, don't lose heart. I'll still get a lot of chances to talk to people on the tour, and Tor will most likely make the next tour, for A MEMORY OF LIGHT, my largest ever.
Have you seen the book trailer that Tor had Jason put together for TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT? I realize it's been out for a while (it debuted at Dragon*Con), but it's a real treat. There's also a "making of" feature here.
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 14, 2010
Recent Tweets
Brandon's assistant Peter here. We're trying something new today. You may have noticed that for the past few months, Brandon has been blogging less and posting short updates to Twitter and Facebook more often. There are a number of people who don't follow either feed (though did you know that you can get Twitter updates via RSS?), and Brandon worries that his fans are missing news from him that you would enjoy. So he asked me to start putting up weekly tweet collections. I've finally worked out a script to automate this process, so I don't have to copy and paste each one.
As you can see below, Brandon often answers people's questions on Twitter. The post below is set up to show you both Brandon's answer and the question he's responding to. Future updates will cover approximately one week, but since this is the first update of this kind I'm pulling from a bit more than two weeks. Enjoy.
PrincessPeach44 Wed Sep 29
@BrandonSandrson is your wife on twitter? I'd like to follow her.
BrandonSandrson Thu Sep 30
@PrincessPeach44 Well, she is . . . but she's never posted. She's one of those who signed up, made one tweet, and never continued.
EGHornbostel Wed Sep 29
@BrandonSandrson I thought you weren't supposed to be working? ;)
@EGHornbostel No, I never said I wouldn't work. I just said I wouldn't work anything I have a deadline on. :)
BrandonSandrson Thu Sep 30
Random comic for today: http://bit.ly/dxg02n
agdeeds Wed Sep 29
@BrandonSandrson Did anything help inspire Navani's character in tWoK, if you don't mind me asking?
@agdeeds Numerous things. Partially, the fact that there's a distinct lack of mothers in fantasy fiction. Everybody seems to be an orphan.
@agdeeds Partially, the need for a strong, well-rounded woman of an older, wiser nature to balance out Shallan's impulsive nature.
@agdeeds And, in part, she was designed because I wanted a Fabrial engineer among the cast, and extrapolated personality from there.
jaminben73 Wed Sep 29
@BrandonSandrson: Any idea when they'll put out chapters 1 and 2 of #ToM?
@jaminben73 I don't know, honestly. They told me that they were thinking of doing it, but didn't say when, or even if it was for sure.
johncwelchjr Wed Sep 29
@BrandonSandrson I can't view your website on my phone. :(
@johncwelchjr We keep thinking of doing a mobile version. A browser that doesn't do flash should get a list of links. Those don't show?
BrandonSandrson Thu Sep 30
@CMorgan Thanks! Hope you enjoy the rest. @Salkand The Outriggers were actually different from prequels. The other prequel was Lan/Moiraine
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 01
Blog post: Tower Guard program + Signed & Numbered TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. http://3.ly/5f5z
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 01
Super secret project is about 1/3 done. Am having a blast writing it. (Final will be around 100k, for those trying to guess what it is.)
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 01
Chapter one of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT has been posted. Tor: http://dld.bz/xNgn or Orbit: http://orbitbooks.net/towersofmidnight
Fungible Thu Sep 30
Page 558 of @BrandonSandrson's "The Way of Kings. GREAT book so far (still got half to go!). Only complaint - it's HEAVY! ;)
@Fungible The weight is for help in killing rats. The book does double duty! :)
TheMightyTweet Thu Sep 30
@BrandonSandrson Why didn't the Parshendi use fire arrows? The bridges are made of wood for Storm's sake!
@TheMightyTweet This is a pretty strong hardwoord we're talking about. Fire arrows worked against slow-moving siege equipment.
@TheMightyTweet But something carried at this speed, then crossed quickly, made of hardwood—the fires wouldn't have time to get a hold.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 01
Curses. Agent just asked about Super Secret project. Note to self: It's not really very secret if I post about it on Twitter . . . :)
Dynisis Thu Sep 30
@BrandonSandrson sorry, i know you live in utah, and seeing that article sickened me. I hope i do not offend and u could link it along
@Dynisis I wasn't offended, and I didn't know about the issue, so thanks for passing that along. I will read up on it.
FelixPax Thu Sep 30
I heard many readers rave about @BrandonSandrson 's #TWOK book, however are Rich Adin comments accurate about errors? http://bit.ly/czKseu
@FelixPax We've always been plagued with typos in my books. It's partially my fault, as I tend to create artifacts by the way I revise.
@FelixPax So I wouldn't be surprised. But Peter is pretty good at proofreading, and he had a crack at this book and TofM.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 01
Also, if you are really wondering, no I don't consider these secret projects to be truly 'secret.' I don't talk about them because . . .
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 01
. . . I am never sure if they'll be something I'll publish, or something I'll shelve. So far, of 5 or so I've done, only 1 ended up in print.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 02
First copies of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT arrived. http://twitpic.com/2trie5
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 02
Suddenly, Baby Meatloaf can crawl. I was not expecting this. "Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational baby!"
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 04
Super secret project at 40% done. Looking good, though kind of strange. Working title has "Pizza" in it. Feel free to speculate.
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 05
Went to take a shower today. My bar of soap had a large number of 3-year-old-finger-sized gouges in it. Ah, parenthood.
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 05
Blog post: Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship Winner + Updates. http://3.ly/DtDk
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 05
@annadala Lol. Hope it doesn't run on gemstones . . . @Pixelfish :) @goldeneyez07 I'll be your way in 2012, probably.
GrutzIII Thu Sep 30
@BrandonSandrson Will you still be doing the signed pre-orders for TOM? I ordered TGS last year and would like to get TOM as well.
@GrutzIII Yes, I will be doing TOM pre-orders. Watch the website. Should be up for order soon.
HonorGod Thu Sep 30
@BrandonSandrson Has the bumper sticker showed up yet?
@HonorGod Which bumper sticker? I'm drawing a blank at the moment, though I'll probably know once you explain.
johncwelchjr Thu Sep 30
@BrandonSandrson i'm on android, maybe my mobile flash is confusing it? I briefly see the navigation but then it disappears
@johncwelchjr Huh. I'll look into it. I'm on android too, and I get navigation. I'll have my webmaster run some tests.
Llauron Fri Oct 01
@BrandonSandrson any tour stops in Nashville ?
@Llauron I'm sorry, no Nashville tour stops as of yet. I probably should visit sometime, though. Maybe next year.
dputanm Fri Oct 01
@BrandonSandrson Will Towers of Midnight be available as an ebook immediately or will ebook fans have to wait?
@dputanm I don't know when the TofM ebook will be out, I'm afraid. It might be right when the hardcover comes out, but no promises.
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 06
Super secret project involves a necromancer hero. It is not the piece I read this year at . . . some con. (I can't remember.) But it is related
jimmy0056 Fri Oct 01
@BrandonSandrson I was just wondering are kelek and kalak the same person?
@jimmy0056 Sorry for the late reply. Yes, indeed they are. A vowel shift happened in the language between the two time periods.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 07
Secret project almost at 50%. For those guessing, yes it is urban fantasy. No vampires, with or without sparkles.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 07
Just sent my wife to an oldie but goodie that she'd never read. Ted's Caving story. http://bit.ly/bjsxqM She'll be at it for a while . . . :)
lilzenbca Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson I personally hope that it's another story in the Mistborn world.
@lilzenbca I did write a few pages of a mistborn world short story. Probably will get finished before my break is done.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 07
@Dreadlord617 Lol. I love hashtags that take up half a tweet. @MagickalMan It's more on the funny side than Dresden, but hopefully not silly
annadala Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson BFF wanted me to ask you if you're saving the sparkly monsters for Tarmon Gai'don.
@annadala Lol. Yes, a portal stone world that leads to a land of sparkly vampires. Big factor in the Last Battle.
grumpymartian Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson Crap. Now I'm going to have nightmares.
@grumpymartian This might help: http://bit.ly/9c2YN7
slide_o_mix Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson how can you crank these stories out so fast and so well? Awesome talent.
@slide_o_mix I write first drafts quickly, but I spend a LONG time on revision. So it's not as fast as it seems. But thanks!
Flame_Soul Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson Is it Mistborn 2.1?! PLEASE let it be Mistborn!
@Flame_Soul Yes, more Mistborn will take much longer. This is a more free-form, fun and fast paced story. Less worldbuilding.
Volkai Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson How does it compare to, say, Dresden Files?
@Volkai More humor in mine, a little more oddity. Doubt it will be as good as Dresden, but it's very fun to write.
aazizorg Thu Oct 07
@PeterAhlstrom @BrandonSandrson are there going to be any special events, like readings and/or MTG, at the signings? Cinci, specifically?
@aazizorg Most all of my signings include a reading and Q&A. Magic depends on how busy I am the next day and how I'm feeling.
@aazizorg Closer to the signing, I'll tweet to let people know whether to bring cards or not.
greywanderer Thu Oct 07
@BrandonSandrson Which play did you end up seeing in NYC?
@greywanderer Wife wanted to see Marry Poppins, so I let her choose that one. Then I picked Blue Man group.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 07
@saanjun You're actually kind of close there. @Dr_Mari Thanks for the kind words.
jemron_mcb Wed Oct 06
@BrandonSandrson Was it a mistake that a certain female Forsaken used "Dark One" instead of "Great Lord of the Dark" in her thoughts?
@jemron_mcb Yes. I tried very hard to catch those all, but if one slipped through, it was likely a mistake.
BrandonSandrson Thu Oct 07
My New York Comic Con schedule tomorrow and Saturday. A great lineup on the fantasy writers panel. http://3.ly/SPyF
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 08
Over 50% on the secret project, which I'm going to give the unofficial title "Death by Pizza!" No, that won't be the final title.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 08
"Such a well rounded title, a deep dish of excellence, saucy but not cheesy, a well-topped slice of creativity"—from @awfulagent (my agent)
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 08
On my way to the airport with Pemberly for #NYCC. Will be seeing Mary Poppins (her pick) and Blue Man Group (mine) while there.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 08
Also, first class seats. Yay for skymiles upgrades.
BrandonSandrson Fri Oct 08
Newark airport. Hudson News outside security. 8 signed TGS paperbacks. (No codes or anything. Sorry.)
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 09
My editor and agent at our bestseller list celebration dinner. (At Peter Luger) http://twitpic.com/2vv864
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 09
On my way to my signing at #nycc. I hear that there will be free paperbacks of tgs for those who come. Booth 2328. 3:00.
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 09
Nycc highlight: Met C. Hastings (Dr. Mcninja). Bought his books. Only had a check, but I convinced him I'd be easy to find if it bounced . . .
BrandonSandrson Sat Oct 09
Now at Mary Poppins, waiting for show to start. Interesting. I didn't know there were four Poppins books written.
BrandonSandrson Sun Oct 10
Poppins was fun. Not amazing, but fun. Now, the grand adventure: finding an LDS meetingplace on Manhattan.
BrandonSandrson Sun Oct 10
Okay, that wasn't much of an adventure. Google maps, you take all of the "getting lost" out of cities I don't know.
BrandonSandrson Sun Oct 10
Ladies & gentlemen, sunset over Manhattan from Long Island. W/Pemberly. (No flash) http://twitpic.com/2wigb8
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 11
Two weeks left to order signed & numbered TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT from Sam Weller's. Half of their copies are already reserved. http://4.ly/!h
BrandonSandrson Mon Oct 11
Blog post: Updates + Video of Fantasy Authors Panel. http://2.ly/dgt7
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 12
Hot pastrami sandwich and a pretzel in Central Park. Almost makes me wish I lived here.
BrandonSandrson Tue Oct 12
Another Long and Rambling Post™ on Future Books. http://3.ly/kfMa
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 13
Home. Kind of. Now for the drive from the airport to Utah valley. Fortunately, Tor sent a driver for us. :)
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 13
Finished Chapter 20 of "Death by Pizza!" this afternoon. Now at 58k of a (very rough) draft. Some people have been asking . . . (more)
BrandonSandrson Wed Oct 13
why I won't use this title on the final book. I think it promises too silly a story. The book is fun & (hopefully) funny, but also serious.
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October 12, 2010
Another Long and Rambling Post on Future Books
All,
Let's do a quick (okay, it's me, so it won't be quick) update to let everyone know what's going on here at Dragonsteel Entertainment HQ. (Also known as me sitting on a chair in my bedroom while my eight-month-old son throws half-eaten graham crackers at me.)
Warning, this is another of my trademarked long and rambling blog posts. So, I've put in some arbitrary headings to help break things up and keep it focused. At the bottom, there's a quick timeline of books I'm working on or plan to work on soon.
PART ONE: WHEEL OF TIME BOOKS PUBLICATION TIMELINE
I posted earlier that Towers of Midnight is done, turned in, and ready for a November second release. I'm feeling pretty good (though a little frazzled) at managing to get it in on deadline, by the promised date I gave you all in the blog post I made regarding splitting the novels. I stand by what I said there. I'm not expanding the outline left to me; I'm telling the same story I would have, even if the book hadn't been split. The order of chapters will be different in some cases, but nothing will be deleted or added.
Current projections are for the final book, A Memory of Light, to be about the length of the other two. (Around three hundred thousand words, or eight hundred pages in hardcover.) There are some who are hoping for it to be huge, the biggest in the series, but I will write it at the length it needs to be. I've finished two books, and have done two-thirds of the outline. So that gives a good indication that the final chunk will be the same length as the other two.
However, I do have to acknowledge that this is going to be the hardest chunk, for several reasons. The number of plots to be dealt with, the number of characters that need to be balanced, the sheer tactics and logistics of the Last Battle . . . there is a lot going on in this book, and it will be orders of magnitude more difficult than the previous two novels.
PART TWO: BUFFERS AND MY WRITING SPEED
Because of this, and because of my writing style, I need a little bit of a break before I tackle it. I pushed myself very hard to get both Towers of Midnight and The Way of Kings ready for publication this year. Even then, it was only possible because I had written a sizable chunk of Towers of Midnight while working on The Gathering Storm AND because I'd already finished an early version of The Way of Kings.
People have mentioned before that I am somewhat prolific. Some of this is an illusion. For a while now, I've been warning people that we've been chewing through my buffer at a frightening rate. Once upon a time, I would turn in a book three years before it was scheduled to come out. This gave me a lot of wiggle room. If a book wasn't working, I could shelve it and think about it, then get back to it. Working that far ahead prevents most big crunches.
However, the books I've been working on lately were a little more high profile than previous ones—and high-profile books get released when they get turned in, not three years later. So, though I took eighteen months finishing The Gathering Storm, it looked like I finished it very quickly. (I turned it in during the summer of 2009, and it came out in the fall of 2009. Warbreaker came out that same year, though I'd turned it in back in 2006.) The very long write of that book was invisible to a lot of readers because books I'd written years before continued to come out while I was working on it.
The buffer is gone now. I'll talk more about that later. However, I want to mention something else that helps me be productive—and that's allowing myself deviations to keep myself interested. I've told people before that I wrote the Alcatraz books to give me a break between Mistborn novels. If I'm able to refresh myself on other projects, I don't get burned out on the big epics. (Which are my true love, but can be very demanding on me mentally.)
PART THREE: WARNINGS
And so, we're entering the "refresh and work on side projects" stage of the writing process. I did this after The Gathering Storm, and I really need it now. I am therefore taking time off between now and January first. I get to write anything I want. It will probably be bizarre and unexpected; things that keep me fresh, things I haven't tried before.
I ask your forbearance. I do believe that as a writer who has begun series, it is my responsibility to see that the other pieces of the story are written in a timely manner. However—and it may seem odd—I need to work on these other things to keep my next Wheel of Time and Stormlight installments good. It's how my process works.
So, that's the first warning. I'm taking a break for three months. The second warning is that I can't promise I'll hit the final deadline on the Wheel of Time series. (The last one was supposed to be out in November 2011.) The problem is this: starting January, it will have been three years since I read the Wheel of Time series start to finish. That's too long. I'm starting to forget things. I won't feel comfortable starting the final book until I've done another re-read, and this is going to slow me down by three or four months. It's an unexpected delay I didn't fit into my original projections of how long it would take me to write the books.
If I miss the deadline (which is more likely than not) it won't be by much. A few months, likely the same amount of time it takes me to do the re-read. But it is what must be done. So, I'd suggest that we set MARCH 2012 as the expected date of A Memory of Light. I suspect there will be some grumbling about this, but I feel I should let you know now, rather than later. It won't be an enormous delay, however. If my previous track record earns me anything, I hope it is the benefit of the doubt when it comes to me promising the release dates of books. I won't leave you hanging too long.
PART FOUR: STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
Now on to Stormlight Two. (The title was originally Highprince of War, but I'm feeling in my outlining that this book needs to be weighted more toward Shallan, so a different title is likely). I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here on this one. Writing a Stormlight book, like writing a Wheel of Time book, is a huge undertaking. Getting one of each out in the same year required fourteen-hour days, six days a week, for a good year and a half. I can't ask my family to go through that again. Beyond that, the buffer is gone. (I still had a little bit of it when working on Towers of Midnight—not to mention the first version of The Way of Kings that I'd written in 2002. I threw it away and started over, but having written it once before sped the process a great deal.)
So . . . what do I do? I'm feeling right now that I will go straight into Stormlight Two after A Memory of Light. But that means (at very best) it won't be out until the fall of 2012. I don't really have a choice, however. The Wheel of Time fans have waited too long for their ending already. I need to do AMoL, and I need to do it right, no matter how long it takes. So I can't make any promises about Stormlight Two except that I won't take a break after AMoL, but will go right into it and try to have it done in time for the fall 2012 season.
That means, by a quirk of the publishing business, that I have two epics this year, none next year, and two the following year. (If I meet my Stormlight deadline, which may or may not happen.) Still, this is what I'm planning to do. Barring something unexpected, this is what you should anticipate. I don't think there will be a book at all from me next year, which punches me in the gut. But that's what we get for pushing to have two books out last year and two books this year.
So, here's my official future status, as I sometimes post.
BOOKS YOU WILL SEE SOON
Towers of Midnight (November 2.)
Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (December 2010.)
—A note on Alcatraz. This is the fourth and final of the Alcatraz books in my contract. I do plan there to be more in this series, but I don't have time for them right now. And so, for now, this is going to stand as the ending of the series. I'll do Alcatraz Five eventually, I promise.
Scribbler (Early 2012)
—A note on Scribbler. This is a shorter steampunk book I wrote in 2007, just before I got the call about The Wheel of Time. It's quite good, and Tor has decided to purchase it. It involves chalk-based magic and a boy who is the son of the cleaning lady at a school for people who learn the chalk magic. I haven't had time to give it a revision, but will likely use some of the time in my free months between now and January to do a draft of it. If I turn it in January or February, you won't see it until a year after that, due to scheduling.
BOOKS YOU WILL SEE SOMEWHAT SOON
A Memory of Light (March 2012.)
Stormlight Archive Book Two (Late 2012 or early 2013.)
Stormlight Archive Book Three (One year after Book Two.)
ANTICIPATED SEQUELS
Alcatraz Five (Indefinite hiatus.)
Elantris Two (Planned to be written after Stormlight Three.)
Second Mistborn trilogy (It's coming someday, I promise.)
Nightblood: Book two of Warbreaker (Coming someday.)
—Some notes here. Elantris has three books in the series, but they are loose sequels of each other. This means that side characters in one become main characters in the next. So while you'll see Raoden and Sarene in the second book, they won't be main characters. (Kiin's children will be.) Warbreaker is two books. Mistborn is a trilogy of trilogies, with the second trilogy in an urban (20th-century-level technology) setting. For Stormlight, I'm planning a pattern of two every three years, with a different epic—a standalone, or one of the sequels mentioned above—in between. Thus the Elantris sequel is next in line after Stormlight Three, which would be followed by Stormlight Four and Five.
MAYBE COMING SOMEDAY BUT ONLY PARTIALLY WRITTEN
Dark One (YA dark fantasy.)
Steelheart (Superhero apocalypse.)
The King's Necromancer
The Silence Divine (Shardworld novel, standalone.)
White Sand (Shardworld trilogy.)
The Liar of Partinel (Shardworld novel, one of two.)
Dragonsteel (Major Shardworld epic. Won't be written until Stormlight is done.)
POSSIBLE PROJECTS FOR MY TIME OFF
Mistborn short story (Looking likely.)
Unnamed urban fantasy (This is what I'm working on right now. Watch Twitter/Facebook for updates on this story. It involves a necromancer pizza deliveryman as a protagonist.)
Scribbler revisions (Will almost certainly be done.)
Finishing one of the unfinished novels mentioned above (Not likely, but you never know.)
Who knows when/if anything written during my side-project time will get published. Sometimes, these stories are too unformed (as I like to be very free and loose when I write them) to make it. On other occasions, there isn't time to do revisions on them. (I write initial books very quickly, but spend many months in revision.) For instance, Alcatraz books were my deviations for 2005 and 2006, and the first of those came out very quickly. Scribbler was the one for 2007, and it won't be published for a year or so yet. I didn't have time for much in the way of deviations in 2008 or 2009, just the unfinished projects I mentioned above.
We shall see. As always, thank you for reading and supporting me in this compulsive writing addiction of mine.
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 11, 2010
Updates + Video of Fantasy Authors Panel
I have a long update coming probably tomorrow on the final Wheel of Time book A MEMORY OF LIGHT, the next Stormlight Archive book, sequels to other books I've written, and other projects. But for now just a quick post.
The most recent WARBREAKER annotations cover Vivenna reading her father's letters to Lemex and Siri's first show for the eavesdroppers, among other things.
The Writing Excuses podcast I do with Dan Wells and Howard Tayler has the tagline "Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry and we're not that smart." Well, in the most recent episode we make it even snappier, limiting our responses to three minutes per topic. We answer the following questions:
What's the right way to kill a character?
Who are the authors who have influenced you the most, and why?
When do you quit your day job?
Brandon, would killing you and partaking of your flesh grant the killer your powers?
What do you do when you discover you hate a character you're writing?
How do you respond to accusations of having written Mary Sue characters?
What are some basic tools for ensuring that all characters in a story have different voices?
It gives a good taste of the kinds of things we cover on the podcast's ordinary episodes, so check it out.
Finally, if you weren't able to see the Fantasy Authors panel I did at New York Comic Con this past weekend with Jim Butcher, Joe Abercrombie, Peter Brett, Naomi Novik, and Deborah Harkness, Suvudu has posted video of the whole thing here.
More Blog Posts at Brandonsanderson.com
October 7, 2010
New York Comic Con Schedule
I'm heading to the New York Comic Con at the Javits Center this weekend. I'll only be at two events: a panel and a booth signing. My schedule follows. Hope to see you there!
FRIDAY
Fantasy Writers Panel
7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m., Room 1A15
Join authors Joe Abercrombie (Best Served Cold), Peter V. Brett (The Warded Man), Jim Butcher (Changes), Naomi Novik (His Majesty's Dragon), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings), and Deborah Harkness (A Discovery of Witches) as they discuss writing in the fantasy genre. Moderator: Betsy Mitchell.
SATURDAY
In-booth signing: Brandon Sanderson
3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m., Tor Books (Booth #2328)
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October 4, 2010
Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship Winner + Updates
Back in June I mentioned the Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship given out by TarValon.net and awarded based on applicants' essays on the topic "How I plan to use my studies to become a Servant of All." Well, the winner of this year's scholarship has been announced, and it's Christopher Lipnickas at Wichita State University, whose goal is to be a substance abuse counselor. Head over to TarValon.net to read his winning essay and more of his story. You can also read about the other philanthropic endeavors that TarValon.net is engaged in here.
Common advice to writers is to write what you know. But in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, things happen that no writer has experienced or ever could experience. So in this week's episode of the Writing Excuses podcast Dan, Howard, and I talk about writing what you don't know.
In the most recent WARBREAKER annotation, I cover Siri's requirement to produce an heir, and viewpoint characters interacting for the first time. I also discuss whether WARBREAKER is an antiwar novel. Check it out.
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