Do you ever see yourself slowing down at some point? Or, alternatively, do you have many more ideas on the go/in the works going forward?

Sanderson: The great tragedy of art, I have found, is that there's never time – and never will be time – to do all the things you want to do. I have to be ready to make an expert triage of the stories I want to tell.

There's always a balance between supporting what I am already creating (like the Cytoverse) and new projects (like The Fires of December, my next release.) I don't see myself slowing down, but the creative process is unpredictable. As are publication schedules. Sometimes, a book that has been in the process for many many years (like Songs of the Dead) that I haven't touched much for four years suddenly gets a release, and it makes me seem a little more prolific than I am. People forget the years with one (or even zero) books released.

How was it working with Janci again?

Sanderson: An absolute delight. I've collaborated with her many times, and she really adds something to the stories. I go to Janci when there's a vibe or feel for a story I'm just not quite landing, and I think her voice will fix it. Like it did this time.

Why did you opt to go down the 'young adult' route with Blightfall?

Sanderson: Skyward straddles that line between young adult and adult. It was published as YA in the US, and adult in the UK. However, my intention was always to have it skew a tad younger than my other books – if only because the story is about teens who are forced, before their time, into leadership roles on a planet where war has claimed the lives of much of the older population. This is an inherently YA premise, I feel, and it really matches the themes.

We know you shouldn’t have favourites, but is there one series or book that you view as your favourite? And why?

Sanderson: Nope! I won't be caught by you on that one. All of my children are equally loved.

How has your writing process changed over the years?

Sanderson: It's become increasingly more deliberate. The more I write, the more I recognize why I do what I do, and how best to grow.

As a new writer, I'd often do something that felt really great, then have the next scene fall apart – and I had terrible difficulty telling why one writing session worked and why another one did not. With twenty years as a professional under my belt, I find that I can better gauge what will work, and if it doesn't, the autopsy of why is more illustrative.

And where do you get your inspiration from?

Sanderson: This is a truly difficult question for me to answer, because it's everywhere. I often find myself asking the "what if?" questions that are classics to science fiction and fantasy. For these books, one of those questions was, "What if humans got into space. . .and didn't become a peaceful member of the community, but tried to conquer the galaxy?" Or, "What if that were your legacy? How would you go about changing?" Oftentimes I'm looking for a take on a question I haven't seen before in other media.

You revealed earlier this year that Skyward is getting a TV series. How much are you thinking about TV adaptations as you expand the Cytoverse?

Sanderson: I never really think about adaptations when I'm writing the story. I figure, if the novel is good enough, we'll figure out a way to adapt it later – and indeed, film/TV are different enough mediums from books, I know there will need to be changes made.

I feel it would be madness to try to write a book to be "more adaptable." Again, they're different mediums, so I want to write the story in the best way to match the medium.

You've put out some great Cosmere tabletop collabs with Brotherwise Games over the past few years, do you plan on doing the same thing with the Cytoverse?

Sanderson: I would love to! We've talked about it. However, I also want to be aware of asking my fans for too much.

There are a lot of great books out there, and a lot of great games. I don't want or need it to be all Brandon Sanderson all the time. We try to be very deliberate and careful about these kinds of collaborations, to only be doing what will feel the most exciting to my fans.

Speaking of tabletop adaptations of your work, have you given any thought as to what a video game adaptation of any of your books could look like?

Sanderson: As a lifelong gamer, suffice it to say that yes, I've thought about this a lot. The key will be the right partner. Video games, even the smaller indie games, are huge investments these days. Mistborn would almost certainly be the first thing I would try, as the mechanics of the magic and world very naturally lend themselves to such an adaptation – but again, I'd need the right partner.

We're very excited for the first Mistborn movie, and you've recently said you finished the first draft of the screenplay for it. How many years away do you think it actually is until we get to see it?

Sanderson: Ha. That's an excellent question! I would imagine this is still many years off.

I have to finish revisions on it, then will begin the hunt for a director, which is probably the single most important decision that we'll make. Visual effects these days can take a good eighteen months on a big film, or more. So even once we've filmed (which I imagine is a few years away), it could be two years before the film is ready for release. So let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Right now, my primary focus in that sphere is making the screenplay the best possible version of itself.

I know you shared a brief comment when Wheel of Time was canceled, but how do you reflect on the show now that the dust has settled?

Sanderson: It's a tragedy. In part for the cast and crew, whom I knew worked extremely hard, only to have their story end up unfinished. I don't know if it would ever be possible to get a better Moiraine than Rosamund, for example. At the same time, I wish I'd been able to persuade them to stick to the books in a few key aspects.

I'm not one who thinks nothing can ever change in an adaptation, but there were alterations made here that led to an ever widening gulf between Robert Jordan's vision and the show. I feel there was a way to do what Amazon wanted and what the fans wanted, and maintain a little more clarity as to the themes of the books.

Would you still be up for being involved with any adaptations in the future?

Sanderson: If they want me! They might not, as I was kind of loud behind the scenes about my dislike of some of these changes…

And do you continue to have any sort of relationship with the rights holders?

Sanderson: I have an excellent relationship with Harriet and her team. I'm publishing Wheel of Time leatherbound editions right now, and worked extensively with Harriet and Maria on perfecting those. I have not spoken to the tv/film rights holders in many years.

As an author, do you have any sympathies with George R. R. Martin potentially not being able to finish Game of Thrones — especially since George has described his mental health issues recently?

Sanderson: Absolutely. I implore people, in this discussion, to remember the person.

George R. R. Martin is one of the greats of our genre, and in my every interaction with him, he's treated me with kindness – even when I was a nobody. He truly is the great patriarch of the fantasy genre, and has done a great deal of work fostering new talent, helping the community, and offering advice and support when needed.

At the same time, writing can be a lonely profession, and we all know the difficulty of a book that just WILL NOT work. I've been fortunate that books like that have always been side projects for me, ones I can abandon without it causing too many ripples in my career. The only thing that will lead to A Song of Ice and Fire being finished is our support, patience, and effort to remember what makes books special: the fact that they are one of the few mass media art forms that are still largely created by individual human beings.

Would you ever consider finishing it, as you did with Wheel of Time?

Sanderson: Respectfully, I'm the wrong person to do this – and I think most fans of both of our works would agree. My entire career is, in a way, a response to A Song of Ice and Fire. Much as that series is a response to popular fiction of the 1990s, like Wheel of Time.

If I were to say yes, I would do my best to write it exactly as fans want and expect, but I would not say yes – because there are much more natural fits out there, and if George decided to go that direction, he'd deserve someone who is as good a fit for his world as I was for Wheel of Time. That said, I don't think George wants to go that direction, so let's just support him in writing his books at the speed he's capable of going.

And do you think Martin owes anyone the final books?

Sanderson: This is an interesting question, but I think you're asking it in a slightly wrong way. (Though it is the way people often ask it.) George doesn't owe people books, as he cannot actually make that promise — none of us can.

I can't promise the end of the Stormlight Archive, because who knows if I'll come down with a sickness tomorrow. I am literally incapable of making promises about the future in that way, the same as any person is.That said, I do think we, as authors, are making a contract with readers when we start a book series – and that contract implies a certain responsibility on our part. The promise to work on the project, to give it due attention, to try our best to get the books done in a timely way. However, this is an art.

I am as guilty as anyone of, now and then, making light of the fact that we don't have a conclusion to Game of Thrones. However, I live in a glass house, as I have a book (The Rithmatist) that I've promised fans a sequel to for as long as people have been waiting for George's next volume. I feel terrible I haven't been able to deliver, but the artistic process can be a whimsical one.

Regardless, I don't know that George owes anyone books as much as he owes them real, dedicated effort in producing those books, which might seem like semantics, but I'm an author. That's the job. It's not, however, my job to determine if George has made that effort or not. My gut says that he has – and the fact that we're where we are indicates that this is one of those times when the rest of the world has to wrestle with a terrible fact we as authors face every day. That from the outside, this seems like a trade (like making cabinets) when in reality it's an art, much like making music… and sometimes, you lose that music. [Let's] just hope it's not forever.

And can you share any sneak peeks that we can look forward to, or something like an exclusive reveal for IGN readers?

Sanderson: The only book I have announced right now is The Fires of December, coming (appropriately) in December. This is a book in the same loose "series" as Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. So imagine a little more of a "storytellerish" feel to it, like those books.

I'm extremely proud of it, and did a reading of the entire first chapter at Nexus last year. That's on YouTube, if people care to read it.