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{{sidequote|I wrote thirteen novels before I sold one. I spent a lot of time practicing and learning, and I love big epic grand series. However, you know, you can't grow up reading the Wheel of Time without loving big series, but advice I heard early on was, selling a big series is actually pretty hard from a new author and if you, for instance, spend your life and you write like six books in the same series, and you send off the first book to someone and they don't buy it, you can't really send them the second book. ... I wanted to expand my chances, and so I wrote thirteen novels in different worlds, all with their own different magic systems and own characters. But secretly I loved the grand epic, and so I started connecting all these worlds during my unpublished era, and telling a hidden epic behind them all that I was setting up for.|Brandon{{qa ref|847|3|I've read a bit online about how you have an overall storyline covering all of your novels|date=Apr 14th, 2012}}|right|350px}}
When Brandon was beginning writing and trying to get published, he loved gigantic epic fantasy series. He knew, however, that starting with a big series might not be the best idea. If he wrote four books in a series, and the first one didn't get published, he couldn't submit his sequels.{{qa ref|847|3}} He decided instead to focus on standalones and trilogies. Not only would they be easier to market to publishers, but Brandon also wanted people to trust his writing before digging into something bigger.{{qa ref|622|49|Where did your idea for the Cosmere originate?|date=Aug 31st, 2011}}
He still loved the idea of a huge epic series, so he decided to create a "hidden" epic to link his novels together. His ideas for this connected universe--the cosmere--came about when he wrote Elantris, Dragonsteel, White Sand, and Mythwalker (which became Warbreaker).{{qa ref|847|3}} Brandon had seen other authors who made a single universe for all their books, like Isaac Asimov, but Brandon didn't like how Asimov had to retcon and shoehorn things together to connect their books. Brandon wanted to do the cosmere from the ground-up, so it would always be consistent.{{qa ref|622|49}}
Some ideas that came into the worldbuilding of the cosmere came from Plato's theory of forms, which contributed to the idea of [[Realmatic Theory]], and the idea of the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual Realms. In this, the distinction of what is perceived as "ideal" and what is the true ideal is important: true ideals have much to do with the Spiritual Realm, while people's perception of ideals deals with the Cognitive Realm. Another influences is Spinoza, with the idea that God is in everything.{{qa ref|979|11|[Do] you think it is necessary to use philosophy to make a good fantasy world?|date=Apr 15th, 2013}} Brandon also incorporated the idea of a "unifying theory of everything" from physics to the magic in the cosmere. All magics have underlying rules, and are derived from a single unified theory of magic.{{qa ref|622|142|Do you have all the rules for them written down somewhere?|date=Aug 31st, 2011}}
There is a distinct beginning, middle, and end to the cosmere sequence, and a clear sequence Brandon wants to tell.{{qa ref|1052|52|there's a beginning, middle, and end to the shattering of Adonalsium and the involvement there.|date=Mar 21st, 2014}} There's about 36 main cosmere books, and Brandon has three "core" cosmere series: Dragonsteel, Mistborn, and Stormlight Archive,{{qa ref|1077|17|How many series in the cosmere?|date=Mar 7th, 2014}} which are well-planned out.{{qa ref|622|120|How much of the Cosmere and its story would you say you already have a plan for?|date=Aug 21st. 2011}} Dragonsteel is the start of the cosmere sequence that will tell Hoid's backstory{{qa ref|689|5|When will we see a Hoid book?|date=Nov 8th, 2011}} and, presumably, the Shattering of Adonalsium. Mistborn will have three big trilogies, its last one being science fiction, deals heavily with the cosmere{{qa ref|977|206|When will be see the whole Cosmere-concept (Shards, the plans of Hoid) at the level of the books?|date=Sep 2012}} and has travel between the different planets of the cosmere.{{qa ref|1076|8|Will you ever have characters use the different systems of magic openly in front of each other?|date=Mar 6th, 2014}} Stormlight Archive is set in the middle of the cosmere sequence.{{qa ref|988|4|What time period do they all fit in, do they all fit in time- at the same time?|date=Dec 6th, 2012} Generally, the cosmere will not come into the forefront until Dragonsteel or the final Mistborn trilogy,{{qa ref|1076|7|Are you going to expand on the cosmere in its own book?|date=Mar 6th, 2014}} and the final Mistborn trilogy is one of the last cosmere series, if not the last. Brandon has said it will all fit together, and thinks we'll be impressed.{{qa ref|675|5|Do you ever feel stifled?|date=Nov 14th, 2011}}
{{sidequote|I hope that people will stick with me for all these books, because I'll do a lot of them. But they will fit together in some really cool ways once they are all done. I think you'll be very very impressed, but that's a while off.|Brandon on the cosmere{{qa ref|675|5}}|left|300px}}
At the start of Brandon's career, he wrote cosmere novels in chronological order, but there are books that are skipped, like Dragonsteel and White Sand,{{qa ref|988|4}} some of his earlier, unpublished novels. (Those unpublished novels would need to be rewritten from scratch, much like Brandon rewrote The Way if Kings.{{qa ref|810|24|Are you planning to revise these books that haven’t been published and to reinvent them, so to speak?|date=May 2012}}) He wanted these cosmere novels to not require knowledge of previous books in the hidden epic of the cosmere. Generally, clues to the cosmere are currently easter eggs, and will not be in the forefront. However, more hints to the greater universe are inevitable, and eventually the worlds will cross over and interact,{{qa ref|979|136|When do you expect to have more crossover between worlds|date=Apr 15th, 2013}} perhaps in the last Mistborn trilogy.
One of the key easter eggs is Hoid, who appears in each cosmere novel. It is not random where he is; Brandon has said that if Hoid appears in a place, that place is about to be very dangerous.{{qa ref|1044|6|What basic concepts regarding shards, magic systems and world hopping do you think are most important?|date=Mar, 24th, 2014}} Hoid is doing things behind the scenes, and at some point, we might have Hoid short stories explaining what is doing and why.{{qa ref|680|29|Will Hoid have a short story, novel or will we have to try and piece it together?|date=Jan 18th, 2010}}{{qa ref|622|135|When will we see a book that basically revolves around the concept of the Cosmere and the shard-travelers?|date=Aug 31st, 2011}} There are also other people who cross between worlds that eventually Brandon thinks will be
Brandon does not feel that the cosmere is restrictive to his writing.{{qa ref|675|5}} Though cosmere novels are intensive, as they require more planning and specific rules{{qa ref|997|6|How do you address the different types of magic systems in your different books?|date=May 13th, 2013}} (Brandon has continuity editors, like [[Peter Ahlstrom|Peter]] and Karen Ahlstrom, on his internal wiki to keep it straight{{qa ref|1057|5|Lots of work in my internal wiki mixed with continuity editors.|date=Mar 18th, 2014}}), he feels that if he needs to take a break, he can just write a non-cosmere novel. Those "breather" novels are used to keep Brandon creatively engaged, and are almost always non-cosmere.{{qa ref|944|5|Is this book [Steelheart] part of the Cosmere?|date=Jan 2013}} If there is a concept he really wants to write but doesn't fit in the limitations of the cosmere, he moves it into a non-cosmere book.{{qa ref|979|10|Have you ever felt constrained by this commitment to consistency across the Cosmere?|date=Apr 15th, 2013}}
The Rithmatist used to be a cosmere novel, and its magics take many elements from cosmere magics,{{qa ref|1019|The Rithmatist is (mostly) consistent with the Cosmere rules|Jul 10th, 2013}} but Brandon decided that Earth is not in the cosmere, nor any alternate Earths.{{qa ref|1052|70|For some part of its existence, the Rithmatist was in the Cosmere|date=Mar 21st, 2014}}
Eventually, there will be an official timeline for cosmere events.{{qa ref|979|125|is there a cross-book timeline available?|date=Apr 15th, 2013}} There will probably be a cosmere encyclopedia at some point, but not for a long time.{qa ref|979|65|Are you planning on putting together a Cosmere bible at any point?|date=Apr 15th, 2013}} It is more likely there will be Stormlight and Mistborn worldbooks first.{{qa ref|704|16|Do you think you'll eventually publish a "The World of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere"?|date=Nov 14th, 2011}}
Brandon does generally plan out which cosmere hints to give to fans, but sometimes he gives hints on the fly. Usually, fans are able to pry much more than he initially intended to tell.{{qa ref|704|15|Do you decide what cosmere hints you'll let out before going to events?|date=Nov 14th, 2011}}
==Bibliography of the Cosmere==
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