Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Brandon Sanderson
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2010 Group Read Discussions
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01/10- Q & A with Brandon Sanderson!
Guess I will get things started. Thanks for visiting Brandon! You write such wonderful, believable female heroines, who are your role models and influences?
Hello Mr. Sanderson, thank you so much for visiting our group!You seem to purposefully invent a system of magic for each book/series you create. I think that Warbreaker was one of the most unique I've ever read. Do you have a reason or story behind this habit?
Hi, Brandon. Just want to say thank you for coming to this group and getting involved in the discussion. :)I really loved the character Lightsong, he was my favorite and probably one of the most interesting characters I've ever read about. Did you have anyone in particular in mind when you came up with him? How did go about developing him as a character?
Brandon,What made you decide to release Warbreaker on your website? Was Tor at all irked by this plan? What about your agent or those who purchased international rights?
I must say that I've purchased the Mistborn trilogy and Elantris, but that I read Warbreaker on your website.
An additional question: you obviously spend a lot of time on each of your magic systems. Warbreaker has bio-chroma, Mistborn has its three metallic magics, and Elantris had at least three I can think of off the top of my head (I've even heard rumors on the forum linked off of your website that the epic series commencing with The Way of Kings will have as many as 30 unique magic systems?). Do you spend the most time on your magic systems, or do you find yourself spending equal amounts of time on other aspects of worldbuilding/plot such as religion/culture/language/geography/etc?
Do you ever plan to use bio-chroma again? It'd be a shame to see such an interesting and original idea left with a single book.
At the end of the book you make it seem that there is going to be a sequel, or at least a chance of a sequel. Along the same lines as Ashley, do you plan to write more in the Warbreaker world? I'm sorry, but at the moment the name of the world escapes me though I believe that you have said in other posts on other sites what the name was.
Brandon,Thank you for visiting and for creating such amazing books. I really enjoyed Warbreaker, especially the history of the Scholars and their relationships. Have you considered writing a prequel novel that would take place when Vasher, et al were much younger? I would definitely be interested in this
Thanks once again for stopping by.
LoganKStewart
A common thread in both Warbreaker and the Mistborn Trilogy is religion. I really liked how you handled religion in both these books. Mistborn deals with religious searching and Warbreaker is more about religious tolerance. I've heard that you are a Mormon. How much does your faith influence your writing? Also, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for writing exciting fantasy that makes sense and doesn't drag on endlessly. Keep up the good work.
I have another question. Your female characters are very well written. Who were your influences for your female characters?
I have a question for you, Brandon. First off, I'd like to thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to check us out. I must say I've really enjoyed your books.I've seen in reviews of Mistborn that a criticsm that pops up from time to time is that you tend to repeat the basic principles of the magic system. I've seen that some feel hit over the head with it. Personally, I liked that fact since the magic system was new and it helped me to remember and understand.
I'm also seeing criticsm now with Warbreaker that the magic system isn't explained enough to thoroughly understand it. I've pointed out in discussions that not even Vasher understands it all.
But here's my question: Did criticsm of the magic system's explanations in Mistborn have anything to do with Warbreaker having considerably less explanation in its magic system?
Here's a question I don't think anybody has asked yet. The paintings (I think there were at least two, right?) that remind Lightsong of his dreams and the Manywar etc. Is the Artist someone we know? If not, will we eventually meet him/her in a later book? Does the artist hope to affect Lightsong this way, or is it just some guy giving abstract art to his God?Also, does Endowment have some physical presence in the book similar to Ruin=Atium, etc?
Is the artist that painted those paintings Hoid? I know we see him as the story teller. We have seen him in multiple locations in the same book before, If I do recall correctly.
If a returned gives away his/her breath they die right? So why doesn't Vasher die after he gives his to Denth?
Will we ever see a short story that gives us more of Vasher's back story?
i don't know if i'm remembering this right but i thought i saw somewhere that you said that all your books (yours not WOT) are connected somehow. is that right or am i going insane already?
oh... Warbreaker only? :(ummmm
i loved your book!!!!!
Brandon wrote: "i don't know if i'm remembering this right but i thought i saw somewhere that you said that all your books (yours not WOT) are connected somehow. is that right or am i going insane already?"All of his books (i.e. Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker & Way of Kings) are set in the same "Universe" but different planets. They do have underlying connections besides the universe as well.
OT I know but figured I'd answer the question since I knew the answer! And because this is a Warbreaker only Q&A.
Jared wrote: "Brandon wrote: "i don't know if i'm remembering this right but i thought i saw somewhere that you said that all your books (yours not WOT) are connected somehow. is that right or am i going insane ..."oh thanks!! i knew i heard that somewhere!
Apologies for my late arrival, folks. I'll try to answer a couple questions per day, and I'll answer everything that gets asked up through the end of the month, though it may take me a while!Jeanne@2, Sandi@9, Justin@19: Your questions were similar, so I'll combine the answers.
Writing believable female heroines—I should probably back up and point out that I wasn't always good at this. In fact, in the first few books I wrote before ELANTRIS I was terrible at it. That disconcerted me because it was something I wanted to make a strength in my writing. This is partially due to the fact that so many of my favorite fantasy novels growing up, when I first discovered fantasy, were from female writers with really strong female protagonists. So there was a piece of my mind that said having strong female protagonists is a big part of fantasy. I don't know how common that viewpoint is, but because those were the people whose books I read—writers like Anne McCaffrey, Melanie Rawn, and Barbara Hambly—I wanted to be able to do that in my own fiction. Even beyond that you want every character you write to be believable, and it's been a habitual problem of men writing women and women writing men that we just can't quite get it right, so I knew it was going to be something I'd have to work hard at.
I took inspiration from women I know, starting with my mother, who graduated top of her class in accounting in an era where she was the only woman in her accounting program. She has always been a strong influence on me. I also have two younger sisters who were a lot of help, but there were several friends in particular who gave me direct assistance. Annie Gorringe (who was a good friend when I was an undergraduate—and still is) and Janci Patterson were people I sat down to interview and talk to in my quest to be able to write female characters who didn't suck. I would say specifically that Sarene from ELANTRIS has a lot of Annie in her, and Vin from MISTBORN has a lot of Janci in her. In WARBREAKER, Siri and Vivenna don't really have specific influences but are the result of so much time working at writing female characters that it's something I'm now comfortable with. (Their personalities arose out of what I wanted to do with their story, which was my take on the classic tale of sisters whose roles get reversed.) It's very gratifying to hear that readers like my female characters and that the time I spent learning to write them has paid off.
Laurel@3 wrote: "Hello Mr. Sanderson, thank you so much for visiting our group!You seem to purposefully invent a system of magic for each book/series you create. I think that Warbreaker was one of the most unique I've ever read. Do you have a reason or story behind this habit? "
Yes—both. Back when I was trying to break in, I spent many years writing books and not getting published. I was under the impression (it's just one of my beliefs) that it would be easier for me to break in doing a lot of different standalone novels, or first books in a series, as opposed to writing all in one series and putting all my eggs in one basket. For that reason, I got a lot of practice finishing one book and starting a new one that was in a new setting in a new world.
For me, a new setting/world means a new magic system. Magic is part of what draws me to fantasy, being able to play with the ideas behind it. It's what engages me; it's what excites me. And so part of the real fun of starting a news series is developing a new magic system. In a way that's kind of like the little twinkie or whatever that I'd hang in front of myself in order to get me excited about a new series. I'd be just coming down off a writing high at the end of a book, and I'd still be excited about the old series, its characters and world. Creating a new world is a lot of work, but there's an excitement to it as well. I'd focus on that and say, "Look, I get to create a new magic system, let's see what I can play around with for this book." So because I got used to doing that, that became my modus operandi, my method of working. That still excites me. Oftentimes it's the opportunity to create a new magic system that gets me excited about writing a new book.
Laurel, thank YOU for reading my books and giving me a reason to stop by!
Hi Brandon,All your novels are tied together by an overarching magic system, and we usualy see evidence of this in the form of the too still pools of water. however we did not see any such bodies of water directly in warbreaker. Is there such a pool in warbreaker? is that where the Tears of Egli (SP? im at work and dont have my book with me) grow?
While I loved Mistborn and am excited to see you optioned the film rights already, I think that Warbreaker would translate to film even more easily/successfully: The colourful settings, the incredibly elaborate costumes and settings of the Returned (not to mention the Returned themselves - I vote Megan Fox for Blushweaver), the visual appeal of awakening...
Escpecially the magic systems - think about it - how easy will it be for a film scene to communicate to an audience that Vasher has just brought a straw man to life with some kind of magic breath, as opposed to explaining that Vin is jumping like that because she is "burning" some metal in her stomach and pushing off some unseen windowframe?
Not that a dark ash-filled sky in an almost steampunkish, dirty city with assassins in stripped cloaks flying about wouldn't be striking on film - just not quite as striking (or accessible) as a well directed film of Warbreaker.
So I guess my question is, do you agree that Warbreaker will translate to film better? Did you discuss this with the Paloppa Guys? Which of your works do you think is most "marketable" as a medium-to-big-budget film?
Brandon,Can you explain the process that you go through to come up with your magic systems. So many fantasy books today have a "black box" type of magic system -- in that you don't know how things happen but the caster just suddenly shoots a fireball out of his arse. Yours are in-depth and set out a very distinct give and take that the reader can understand.
All of your systems are unique, so again, how do you get to the point where you have a complete magic system that you feel is ready to put into a book. Since this is a discussion about Warbreaker, how specifically did you come up with biochroma?
Elise@3 wrote: "I really loved the character Lightsong, he was my favorite and probably one of the most interesting characters I've ever read about. Did you have anyone in particular in mind when you came up with him? How did go about developing him as a character?"Rupert Everett was sitting in the back of my mind.
Actually, in order to develop Lightsong's character well, I didn't want to imitate any one voice. That's something we always stay away from. But I had been wanting to work on writing humor in a different way from what I'd previously used. I spent a lot of time watching and analyzing the movie THE THIN MAN, the old comedy/mystery/crime film with an emphasis on very witty characters making wisecracks as they investigate a murder. If you haven't seen it, it's delightful. Along with AN IDEAL HUSBAND and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, those were my three sources of inspiration. I was trying for a blend of those two styles—and then of course added my own sense of humor.
Ashley@5 wrote: "What made you decide to release Warbreaker on your website? Was Tor at all irked by this plan? What about your agent or those who purchased international rights?I must say that I've purchased the Mistborn trilogy and Elantris, but that I read Warbreaker on your website."
That's all right. I knew that people would do that. I would hope that those who really enjoyed the book will pick up copies, but you know, I don't mind if they just read it and don't pick up a copy—I mean, it's there for free!
I like the idea of a free sample, and for a writer I feel that a free sample needs to be an entire novel so that you can get a real feel for how that author writes and tells a story. When I listen to music, I would like to be able to listen to an entire album and say, "Okay, is this an artist that I like?" Before I pay money for it. I want people to be able to do that with my writing. And what that means is if WARBREAKER doesn't sell any copies, but it has tens of thousands of people read it who are then willing to buy and read my next books because they know they like my writing, then WARBREAKER is incredibly successful.
Was Tor irked? I wouldn't say that; I mean, I got approval from them first. I don't think it's what they would prefer for me to do, but they were certainly willing to let me do it. My agent didn't like the concept at all, and I listened to his counsel, but I'm very interested in the way the internet is acting as a medium for entertainment distribution, and I wanted to experiment with that.
I think it's been a successful experiment. I think that a lot of people who were interested in me because of THE GATHERING STORM and the Wheel of Time announcement were able to try out my books and read one of them for free and therefore somewhat know who I am as a writer. For good or for ill. If they don't end up liking my writing, I'd rather they not have paid for it—I'd rather they not have to pay for something they don't enjoy. I think I'll end up better off—at the very least they'll think, "Well, I didn't really like his book, but he gave it to me for free," and still have a good impression of me. If they do end up liking my book, I would hope that they go and read other copies of my books. And that would increase demand on the libraries or the bookstores. Either way I think I come out ahead.
Ashley@5 wrote: "Do you spend the most time on your magic systems, or do you find yourself spending equal amounts of time on other aspects of worldbuilding/plot such as religion/culture/language/geography/etc?"It really depends on the novel. With some I spend a lot of time on areas that in others I don't spend much time on at all. With every book I spend a serious amount of time on the magic system. That's consistent—it's just something I like to do.
For a given book or series I may spend more time on a given aspect. I'd say the other big aspect that takes a lot of time is characterizing the characters the right way. That takes a lot of work, but I tend to do that during my actual writing period, whereas I spend the planning period focusing on worldbuilding and plot. It's when I actually sit down to write a chapter that I explore who a character is, and so it's really hard to pin down timewise which one I spend more time on. And that varies based on the book.
Ashley@5 wrote: "Do you ever plan to use bio-chroma again? It'd be a shame to see such an interesting and original idea left with a single book."Collin@6 wrote: "At the end of the book you make it seem that there is going to be a sequel, or at least a chance of a sequel. Along the same lines as Ashley, do you plan to write more in the Warbreaker world?"
It is unlikely that I will use this magic system in a different book because it is distinctly tied to that particular Shard. The sequel likelihood is good. There is more to tell in this world, so there is a decent chance I will return and do a second WARBREAKER book (I've been calling it NIGHTBLOOD when I've mentioned it before). That isn't to say that there will never be magic systems that will repeat across series—in fact there's a decent chance that will happen—but I'm not going to say any more on that right now.
Logan@7 wrote: "I really enjoyed Warbreaker, especially the history of the Scholars and their relationships. Have you considered writing a prequel novel that would take place when Vasher, et al were much younger?"Laurel@14 wrote: "Will we ever see a short story that gives us more of Vasher's back story?"
People ask me for prequels all the time. They've asked for MISTBORN prequels, ELANTRIS prequels, and now WARBREAKER prequels. My general answer to this is probably not—just because I as a reader don't like prequels. I'm one of those readers that if the ending is spoiled for me, in many ways that can ruin the book. Because of that it's hard for me to decide to write a prequel.
When I plan my books I design them to have a beginning, a middle, an end, and a past and a future. I know what happened in the past. I know what will happen in the future. I could always write that, and I won't rule it out 100% completely. But telling the story of the Five Scholars is not something I sat down to do with WARBREAKER. I had that all worked out; I knew what they did. The exciting story I wanted to tell is the one that happened in the book. There is a good chance of a sequel, but a prequel is unlikely. If I did do a prequel it would probably be in short story form posted for free on my website.
Sandi@8 wrote: "A common thread in both Warbreaker and the Mistborn Trilogy is religion. I really liked how you handled religion in both these books. Mistborn deals with religious searching and Warbreaker is more about religious tolerance. I've heard that you are a Mormon. How much does your faith influence your writing?"This is a surprisingly common question for people to ask me, and I'm always happy to answer it because my religion makes up a big part of who I am. Because I am religious myself, I am fascinated by religion. And so I think that the misuse of religion is a great evil, and the use of religion for good reasons is a great good. In fact, being a religious person, I think that the misuse of religion becomes a much more frightening thing than it might otherwise be, which is why you sometimes see religions as villains in my books. My religion shapes who I am, and it makes me interested in certain things; it makes me fascinated by certain things; it shapes my sense of right and wrong.
But I don't actually sit down and write books wanting to advocate any particular concept. I feel that when I write books I need to advocate whatever the character believes at the time. Now, what I feel is heroic may shape the characters I create as protagonists, but I don't think that the purpose of the fiction that I write is to preach directly to the reader. I think that the purpose of the fiction I write is to explore different concepts and different types of characters and see how they react to the world around them. And that's a very different thing than sitting down and saying I'm going to preach to people. So I don't think my religion causes me to do that, but I do think it causes me to be interested in these kinds of concepts.
I'm not even sure how to define myself. In some circles I come across as very conservative; in other circles I come across as very liberal. One of my core beliefs religiously is that I honestly don't mind you believing whatever you want to believe. What I mind is how you treat people who don't believe as you believe. That's what will get me going. So I don't judge someone based on their belief; I do judge them based on how they treat people who believe differently than they do. (That's a concept, by the way, that you may see pop up in a book later on, because I'm actually quoting one of my characters in this case.)
Sandi wrote: "Also, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for writing exciting fantasy that makes sense and doesn't drag on endlessly. Keep up the good work."
Thank you very much.
Chris wrote: "I've seen in reviews of Mistborn that a criticsm that pops up from time to time is that you tend to repeat the basic principles of the magic system. I've seen that some feel hit over the head with it. Personally, I liked that fact since the magic system was new and it helped me to remember and understand. I'm also seeing criticsm now with Warbreaker that the magic system isn't explained enough to thoroughly understand it. I've pointed out in discussions that not even Vasher understands it all.
But here's my question: Did criticsm of the magic system's explanations in Mistborn have anything to do with Warbreaker having considerably less explanation in its magic system?"
Wow, that's a very detailed and interesting question. The answer is no.
...Okay, there's more to that answer. I accepted the criticisms of the Mistborn books with the knowledge that there was really no other way around it—the way I was writing those books and the complexity of the magic system made me feel like I needed to give those hints. It's not like I'm trying to write down to the lowest denominator, but at the same time I want to make sure that the complicated magic system is a force driving the book—and is something interesting rather than something confusing. Across a three-book epic like that I wanted to make sure that I was not leaving people behind. That's always a balance in a book series. And I don't know where to set that balance. In fact, I think the balance is going to be different for every person. Any given book that you read, some people are going to find it overexplained and some people are going to find it underexplained. I'm always trying to strike the right balance, particularly for the tone of a given book, to make that work for the novel.With WARBREAKER, as you've pointed out, the magic system is much less understood by the poeple taking part in it. In the Mistborn books the magic system is very well understood. Even though there are little pieces of it that people don't know yet, those peices are easy to grasp and understand and use once people figure out what they are. In the Mistborn books the world is in a state where people have spend 1000 years using this magic system and perfecting it and understanding it. In WARBREAKER, they haven't. They still don't know much about what's going on. It's very mysticized. People haven't sat down and spent enough time pursuing scholarly research about it, figuring it out. Beyond that there's no immortal Lord Ruler figure explaining it all to them—or if there is, it's Vasher and he's not telling anyone. And so the magic in WARBREAKER has a very different feel to it. I wanted it to be a little confusing, because it is confusing for the main characters.
I wouldn't say that the criticism of the Mistborn books is what drove me; the needs of the various plots is what drove me.
Gordon@11 wrote: "The paintings (I think there were at least two, right?) that remind Lightsong of his dreams and the Manywar etc. Is the Artist someone we know? If not, will we eventually meet him/her in a later book? Does the artist hope to affect Lightsong this way, or is it just some guy giving abstract art to his God?"Jared @12 wrote: "Is the artist that painted those paintings Hoid?"
Hoid did not make the paintings. The goal of those paintings—and this is spoilery, by the way—the paintings are actually what the text implies that they are. They are abstract paintings which Lightsong, having a touch of the divine, is able to see and read into things that aren't necessarily there.
Beyond that, art is a magical thing in the world of WARBREAKER. When an artist creates a work of art, part of the artist's soul ends up in the artwork. Someone who has many breaths and who's Returned like Lightsong has the inherent ability to see into the art and perceive that. So Lightsong can interpret correctly an abstract piece, based on what the artist is trying to convey, in a way that a normal person couldn't.
I was not trying to make the artists anyone specifically important. In the case of those paintings, they are wonderful artists—I think they are two separate artists, if I'm thinking of the two paintings that you're indicating. As Lightsong has a splinter of divine nature inside him, he is able to interpret the paintings—to foresee, using them, and to see into the soul of the person who made them.
Gordon@11 wrote: "Also, does Endowment have some physical presence in the book similar to Ruin=Atium, etc?"Endowment does have such a thing, but it does not appear onscreen in the novel WARBREAKER.
Robert@23 wrote: "All your novels are tied together by an overarching magic system, and we usualy see evidence of this in the form of the too still pools of water. however we did not see any such bodies of water directly in warbreaker. Is there such a pool in warbreaker? is that where the Tears of Edgli grow?"
Wow. I've got some very perceptive readers.
This is speculation that I will neither confirm nor deny.
Skyler@13 wrote: "If a returned gives away his/her breath they die right? So why doesn't Vasher die after he gives his to Denth?"They will die the moment they run out of breath to harvest. Once a week their body needs a breath in order to survive. Each Returned has one single superpowered breath. Imagine it as one breath that propels them up through the Heightenings, but it is only a single breath. It's what we speak of in Shard world terminology as a Splinter. And when the seventh day comes, if a Returned does not have another breath for his body to consume to keep him alive, his body will actually eat his divine breath and kill him. So they don't die immediately after they get rid of the breath, they're sort of put into a state of limbo where if they don't find more breath by the time that their feast day comes, then they will die. (Vasher did not give his Returned breath to Denth, just a number of normal breaths.)
Other Brandon@15 wrote: "i don't know if i'm remembering this right but i thought i saw somewhere that you said that all your books (yours not WOT) are connected somehow. is that right or am i going insane already?"All of my books share a single creation myth, a single cosmology. The connection of them—the greater world, the greater universe—they call the Cosmere. There is a character who has shown up in each of my epic fantasies, and it is the same person, not just a repeated name. Currently WARBREAKER, ELANTRIS, and the Mistborn trilogy do all share a common cosmology. My children's books are not part of the Cosmere.
Hello Mr. Sanderson!I was wondering if you had any certain inspiration for Adonalsium, Hoid, and the Cosmere other than the concept of a Creation story itself. To clarify, I guess I'm asking if you had any other author you read as an aspiring author that did anything similar.
In response to Justin's question. I believe this is addressed quite well in "The Hero of Ages" (Book 3 of the Mistborn Trilogy).
Do you plan to annotate Warbreaker? I have read Elantris, the Mistborn Trilogy and Warbreaker and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. But I have to say, The portion of Chapter 33 with Hoid (or Dust) the storyteller was a painful experience and I was glad you never brought him back. What was the idea or point of him pulling things from his pocket and dropping it on the ground? I feel like I missed some theme or clues here.
First of all, all of your books make up my top favorite novels and you continuously inspire me to become an author (though my passion for writing is my number 1 inspiration)My question: What exactly does the Mistborn sequel series entail?
Hi Brandon, thanks for having this Q&A. I loved Warbreaker. I enjoyed it in many ways, but what was most novel to me is the treatment of religion, because it's much better than other fantasy I've read. You designed the religion so that members still need faith. A lot of fantasy makes religion so obviously true that faith is unnecessary, and religion becomes little more than a form of party affiliation.I'd like to ask what led to this decadence in the Iridescent Tones, what were the social causes? It started out as the Cult of the Returned, and a simple faith in caring for the Returned so they'd live long enough to fulfill their purpose. And I assume the Voice even sends them back without memories exactly to foster this faith and hope in people, so that mortals can be part of their salvation instead of just getting divine hand-outs. That sounds really nice. But by the time we reach the events in Warbreaker, a lot of corruption and cynicism has found its way in, no?
This has probably been asked before, I was wondering since Mistborn, WARbreaker and Elantris share the same Cosmere, is it possible we will see people with certain abilities cross over into other worlds from other series?
Thank you so much for stopping by!I very much enjoyed Warbreaker, as I have with Elantris and Mistborn.
I was talking with a couple of others in another chat room about Vivenna and Siri's personal journeys in the book, especially at the end when Vivenna decides that she isn't going to write to her father in Idris. There was much debate over whether Vivenna was being childish and running away from responsibility, or if she realized that she was so drastically different from who she was before that she knew she was going to disappoint her father and family. As the author, what is your take on this scene regarding Vivenna's growth as a person?
P.S. Thanks for the response to my email recently. Yes, Brandon really does answer all of his emails personally, although it does take some time. It's just one more reason to really like Brandon as a person. :)
Morsker got me thinking, and here is a question that always had me curious. What do the Pahn Kahl believe in? All we seem to know is that they are similar to the Iridescent Tones. Any more info? Also, would the Elantrians and the Lerasium-mistings be considered Slivers? Or is just the Lord Ruler and Vin Slivers(Via the Well)? Or do you need more power to be considered a Sliver?
Thank you!
Kris, that answer is actually addressed above. They are in the same Universe, though at different times and different planets.
Thanks for doing this, I really like how you try to keep close to your readers through the blog and whatnot.I was wondering how the animation of the lifeless statues worked, in regard to the use of susebron's Breath. If they were lifeless, then vasher wouldn't have been able to take his Breath back out of them, nor would susebron have needed such a great deal of breath to revive them - he just would have needed a password. But if they were simply Awakened, no password would have been necessary to animate the statues, just Breath and Command.
It seems like the statues could be neither lifeless nor awakened. Are they unique, because of the use of bone, or am I missing something? The only other explanation I could think of was that they were lifeless, but Susebron's breath wasn't used to activate the statues, he simply had it passed down from vasher, in addition to the statues. If that's the case(and then I've simply been confusing myself with unnecessary, convoluted logic), why was it necessary to keep the breath safe for all these years?
(Vasher did not give his Returned breath to Denth, just a number of normal breaths.) It was said throughout the book that you cannot just give some of your breath, but must give all of it. Perhaps I'm simply forgetting part of the book where this changes, but wouldn't Vasher have to give his Returned breath along with his others?
And, I'd just like to say thank you. Writing Excuses, your blog posts, and your books themselves have been integral to my realization that I want to be a professional fantasy novelist. Thank you for writing great books and being so open to your fans with helpful "behind the scenes"-like material on your site.
Note from your moderator: From Brandon's Twitter on Jan 25th - "I'll do a blog post soon. But, as a preview, being "busy" this last week involved a new addition to the family. (Boy. 9lbs 2oz.)"
CONGRATULATIONS BRANDON & FAMILY!!!
Hi Brandon I want to say thank you for taking the time to do this. Things like this are why you are one of my favorite authors (besides the awesome books).The question I have for you is will we ever get to know what Hoids purpose is? He shows up in each of the books, presumably looking for something or on some kind of mission. (Lerasium bead?)
Will Hoid have a short story, novel or will we have to try and piece it together?
Thank you so much Brandon for answering our questions!Folks, January has ended and so has your opportunity to ask Brandon any questions. He did let me know today that he knows he owes us a few more answers so he will get those posted this week.
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Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker