Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson • Hacker News Board

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#51

Post by ryantgtg » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:21 AM UTC

wyager wrote: post #47

ryantgtg wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I enjoyed this blog post where he talks about his writing process. https://www.brandonsanderson.com/my-work-life-balance-as-a-w... He seems very disciplined. Hate to say but I'm glad I'm not one of his kids. He wakes up around noon and then writes for five hours, and _then_ he hangs out with his family. So basically his kids don't see him all day until shortly before they go to bed.

> He wakes up around noon and then writes for five hours, and _then_ he hangs out with his family. This sounds like an awesome schedule. Sleep in, work for a very reasonable number of hours, and then have plenty of energy left to hang out with your kids (somewhat earlier than most commuters get home).

Fair enough. I was assuming the kids’ perspective in my comment. And the context of his description is Covidtimes when everyone is at home. They miss him in the morning and all day, all the while he’s behind a closed door in the house.

I probably shouldn’t express my personal opinion here. To each their own!

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#52

Post by citrus1330 » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:23 AM UTC

TylerE wrote: post #31

edgyquant wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He’s the Stephen King of Tolkien-rip off fantasy. He churns them out, sure, but I don’t consider the quality all that high.

Except King can actually write dialog that isn't 100% cringe. Sanderson's refusal to have characters ever actually curse is just infuriating.

Swearing is cringe.

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#53

Post by legobmw99 » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:23 AM UTC

mrslave wrote: post #50

legobmw99 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone asked him during his Q&A livestream how they were able to get around the right of first refusal with his main publisher (Tor), and his answer was essential a polite version of “we can sort of do what we want as long as we keep giving them the big series”

How does right of first refusal work with respect to price? Could you fulfill this obligation by offering them the option at a very high price? I'm guessing price isn't a negotiable parameter.

I’m also curious, but I think this probably depends on the specific wording of his contract(s). There to my knowledge isn’t an exact standard of what right of first refusal means in practice

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#54

Post by kbutler » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:28 AM UTC

ryantgtg wrote: post #44

JaakkoP wrote: post #4

The headline here spills the beans but it's definitely worth watching his announcement video "It's time to come clean" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a-k6eaT-jQ I was certain he is announcing he's working with a team of ghost writers given his extraordinary writing speed.

I enjoyed this blog post where he talks about his writing process. https://www.brandonsanderson.com/my-work-life-balance-as-a-w... He seems very disciplined. Hate to say but I'm glad I'm not one of his kids. He wakes up around noon and then writes for five hours, and _then_ he hangs out with his family. So basically his kids don't see him all day until shortly before they go to bed.

Compared to what? "Dad goes to work at an office 9-5, then has a commute to come home, then focuses on his own hobbies"?

Frankly, this sounds like a lot of focused family time:

""" At 5:00 I stop, and 5:00 until 10:00 is family time for me. And that is walled off. I don’t work on books, even in the back of my brain. It’s got to be a really steep wall for me to make sure I am there for them. And I have to mentally say, “You are there for them.” When your kids ask you to do something, that’s the time you say, “Yes, I’m going to go do that.” """

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#55

Post by bradly » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:35 AM UTC

edgyquant wrote: post #36

lolinder wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tolkien-rip off fantasy You're free to dislike the books, but this is an extremely unfair characterization. Sanderson's books bear very little resemblance to Tolkien's beyond the genre and the elaborate nature of the worldbuilding.

It’s not unfair. The genre he writes is a genre of Tolkien ripoffs of which he is the most prolific.

I’ve only read the Mistborn series, but I didn’t find it all similar to Tolkien–not in style or themes.

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#56

Post by Aeolun » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:36 AM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #16

truxten wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Either start with Mistborn #1: The Final Empire or The Stormlight Archive #1: The Way of Kings. They are his main series, and generally regarded as his best stuff. Would probably recommend Mistborn as it's been finished, and the mainline story is only 3 books.

> They are his main series, and generally regarded as his best stuff. I think Elantris is his best. It's just that there's less of it (one book) than there is of the big series.

Elantris is great, but the end of the books is basically a gaping gap. Not entirely, but a bit like the story was cut off in the middle.

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#57

Post by eslaught » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:37 AM UTC

mrslave wrote: post #50

legobmw99 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone asked him during his Q&A livestream how they were able to get around the right of first refusal with his main publisher (Tor), and his answer was essential a polite version of “we can sort of do what we want as long as we keep giving them the big series”

How does right of first refusal work with respect to price? Could you fulfill this obligation by offering them the option at a very high price? I'm guessing price isn't a negotiable parameter.

A right of first refusal does not require you to sign a contract. (Otherwise you'd have to have negotiated all the terms in advance, which by my understanding isn't how it works.)

So yes, you can negotiate in bad faith. At which point it basically becomes a forced delay before you can show it to anyone else. But if you do that you'll probably earn a bad reputation in the industry...

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#58

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:40 AM UTC

wyager wrote: post #47

ryantgtg wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I enjoyed this blog post where he talks about his writing process. https://www.brandonsanderson.com/my-work-life-balance-as-a-w... He seems very disciplined. Hate to say but I'm glad I'm not one of his kids. He wakes up around noon and then writes for five hours, and _then_ he hangs out with his family. So basically his kids don't see him all day until shortly before they go to bed.

> He wakes up around noon and then writes for five hours, and _then_ he hangs out with his family. This sounds like an awesome schedule. Sleep in, work for a very reasonable number of hours, and then have plenty of energy left to hang out with your kids (somewhat earlier than most commuters get home).

[deleted]

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#59

Post by sjansen » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:44 AM UTC

buscoquadnary wrote: post #49

TylerE wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and it reads like something a prudish 60 year old would write for 5 year olds.

I actually have always appreciated it because I have taken it as a level of world building beyond what is obvious. Most all profanity in our language can in some way be traced back to a religious context. It would the make sense that on other worlds with totally different religious backgrounds they would use different cursing. In fact his usage of this concept is so subtle that you can detect what characters are from…

Goramit! You've reminded me Firefly was killed too ruttin quickly.

Re: Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

#60

Post by ars » Wed, Mar 02, 2022, 4:58 AM UTC

ryantgtg wrote: post #44

JaakkoP wrote: post #4

The headline here spills the beans but it's definitely worth watching his announcement video "It's time to come clean" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a-k6eaT-jQ I was certain he is announcing he's working with a team of ghost writers given his extraordinary writing speed.

I enjoyed this blog post where he talks about his writing process. https://www.brandonsanderson.com/my-work-life-balance-as-a-w... He seems very disciplined. Hate to say but I'm glad I'm not one of his kids. He wakes up around noon and then writes for five hours, and _then_ he hangs out with his family. So basically his kids don't see him all day until shortly before they go to bed.

How is that any different from someone with a regular job? Especially someone who has to leave before the kids are up?

And how is 5PM "shortly before bed"?