Brandon Sanderson Interview 15/09/10

[GB]

Q&A with Brandon Sanderson

15/09/10

 

Q: The Wheel of Time is such an iconic fantasy series so how did you feel when you were

asked to complete it on behalf of Robert Jordan?

A: Nobody was more surprised by it than me. I didn't even know I was being considered. Like

most fans of the series, I was just shocked and saddened that Jim Rigney (Robert Jordan) wasn't

going to be there to finish it himself. I hadn't applied for this or anything like that. I considered

Jim in many ways to be a mentor. I had read a lot of his books when I was trying to decide how

to write myself, and he strongly influenced what I produced. I'd never met him, so I didn't know

him personally, and that's what dumbfounded me when I got the phone call. I was absolutely

stunned. I felt honored and overwhelmed at the same time. While I didn't ask for this, the truth

is that I'm extremely excited to be involved. I love this series, and I want to see the last book

written as much as any other fan. For a writer like me, the next best thing to having Jim write

the novel is being able to work on it myself.

 

Q: At what point in the writing process did you realise that the story couldn’t be completed in

one volume?

A: In early 2008 I started reading through the series again. I did this with the notes and

materials for the final book at hand, taking notes myself of what plotlines needed to be closed,

which viewpoints needed resolution. The read-through took me until March. As I progressed

through the series, I began to grasp the daunting nature of this book. How much there was to

do, how many plotlines needed to be brought back together, the weight of it all was enormous.

At that point I realized that finishing the series would take at least 400,000 words, which was a

bit above the maximum size the publishers would be happy with. So one choice I could make

was to cram the story into that length, ignoring a lot of the smaller characters and some aspects

of more major characters. But I wanted to do what I felt Mr. Jordan would have done. I felt, and

feel, a debt to him for what he did with this series. He had promised readers a big, big

book—not big for big's sake, but big because there was so much to do, so much to tie up. I

decided that I would do whatever the story demanded, no matter how many words it would

require, no matter how mad it made people. I would not artificially inflate the book—but I

would treat each character, even the minor characters, with care and consideration. So I talked

it over with Harriet and the publisher, and they decided to let me write it the length it needed to

be, with the possibility that it would be more than one volume. By the next January, I had

already hit 400,000 words, and it was clear that I wasn't even halfway done. That was when we

knew it had to be three books. I believe strongly in the places where we chose to divide the

story, and I love how the first two books have turned out.

 

Q: How did you tackle the writing process? Were there already notes and plot directions to

work with?

A: The further I got into the notes the more material I realized there was. Robert Jordan’s

manuscript pages for the final book would have filled perhaps 200 novel pages. That included

some nearly complete writing—the largest parts of this were at the end of the book and in the

prologue—as well as some scenes here and there and a lot of outline. However, there is a

wealth of material that was not in those manuscript pages. Harriet says that there are more

words of notes for the series than have been published in the series itself to date—and I’m sure

she’s right. And since what I’m doing is finishing up the series, not just a single book, you could

say that I had thousands of pages to work with. Robert Jordan kept files for each of the major

characters with details on where they had to be by the end of the series. His notes

accompanying the manuscripts for previous volumes often mentioned events that had to occur

later on. In the end, writing these books is only possible because of what Robert Jordan left

behind. He built the underlying infrastructure; I’m laying the asphalt. Most of the actual words

are my writing, but where I do have finished text from Robert Jordan I’ve left nothing out.

 

Q: When writing on behalf of someone else do you try to emulate their style?

A: From the beginning of the process, I felt that to attempt an exact copy of Robert Jordan's

style would be the wrong move. If I did it poorly, it would feel like an awkward parody. Yet at

the same time, there are some very important reasons people love these books. Depth of

setting, detailed descriptions, and complex and lengthy characterizations are all hallmarks of

Mr. Jordan's style. So I set out to strike a balance; to adapt my style to the Wheel of Time

without trying to write just like Robert Jordan. I needed to be more detailed in my descriptions

and linger a bit longer on side characters than I did in my own work. My goal was to stay true to

the themes, characters, concepts, and general stylistic choices that made these books so

successful without trying to mimic the smaller details of his style. And judging by the comments

I've received from readers, I believe I met my goal.

 

Q: Without revealing any secrets do you know how the series will end already or is it still

being formulated?

A: The ending has already been written by Robert Jordan, and as a reader I found it extremely

satisfying when I reached it. And so I feel very confident that the ending of the next book is

going to be what everyone has been hoping for and wanting--without being exactly what they

expect. I think the ending that Robert Jordan wrote is just wonderful. So at least I don’t have to

worry about that. But I do have to make this last book the best book that I can possibly write,

and it’s going to be a challenge.

 

Q: Which character do you like writing about the most?

A: It changes depending on which character I'm writing at the time. But it can also depend on

which character's plot is particularly satisfying lately. Egwene and Rand got the most screen

time in The Gathering Storm, and I enjoyed writing them both--for very different reasons.

Egwene had a triumphal moment that Robert Jordan had set up wonderfully in the previous

book, and it was great to be able to write that. Some of Rand's sections were very painful to

write, because of what he had to go through, but very satisfying to be able to write well. Mat

and Perrin have their own high points. When I set out to write sequence from a character's point

of view, I first go through and read all of that character's scenes in previous books, so my brain

is full just of that character, his or her motivations and voice. At that point I've basically dumped

all the other characters out of my head, and that character is then the most important character

and the most enjoyable to write. Then when I'm finished with that character's scenes, I clear out

my brain and fill it up with someone else's previous viewpoints. It's the only way I've found to

keep the character voices separate, and I feel it works very well, but it makes it difficult to

answer a question like this one.

 

Q: If you could be a character in The Wheel of Time which one would it be?

A: That's a strange question for me to answer because I kind of like being me. People always ask

things like this, but I don't want to be someone else. I like being who I am. If I could be myself in

the Wheel of Time, perhaps I would choose that. Yet at the same time, I don't really fancy going

insane, or dying in the Last Battle, or a number of other things that would happen in that world.

It would be pretty darn nifty to be an Asha'man after certain events later in the series that make

it less dangerous. So I guess that's what I would pick. But I really wouldn't choose to be any of

the named characters in the books, because they think very differently from me. They're their

own individuals.

 

Q: Knowing what you now know if asked today to complete the series would your answer be

the same?

A: Yes, my answer would be the same. It's been hard, and it has taken much longer and in some

ways has been more difficult than I anticipated. There have been surprises. But in some ways it's

been also less difficult, specifically in the area of the fan response. They've been very accepting

of me, and I haven't had nearly the number of death threats that I assumed I would get. So in

that respect, I've felt very welcomed in and accepted. Would I say yes if I knew this was going to

take five years of my life instead of a year and a half? I would still say yes, but I probably would

have thought about it a little while longer.

Brandon thank you for your time.

 

 

Hey guys just thought you might want to read, no spoilers, just one more interview from BWS.

 

p.s this is a Dymocks interview

[The Fisher King]

GREAT Interview!!!

 

Thanks for posting it!!!

 

 

 

Fish

[Shimmer]

I received this interview as part of my Booklovers membership. Anyone else live in Australia and have a Dymocks Booklover Membership (and received the email about the awesome Orbit prize pack??)

[GB]

yeah thats where i got it as well :p