In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Narrative Bumper Pool, with Bill Fawcett and Carrie Patel, Brandon, Mary, Mary Anne, and Wesley talk revision. Revision: it’s when you make a too-short piece longer, or a too-long piece shorter. (It’s also a great many other things, suggesting that this description is a too-short piece in need of revision.)

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Warbreaker, those in positions of theoretical authority moved toward taking actual responsibility. This week, in chapters 34 and 35, Vivenna and Vasher rescue an innocent victim and spike one of Denth’s plans.

The Twitter post archive for June is up to date.

Today’s poll, to be answered Friday, June 14th, has a few of the more random questions I could put together. As always, if you have a question you’d like to get answered by Brandon, please leave a comment in whichever location (Facebook, Twitter, Google +, or Instagram) and I will add it to the list of potential questions.

Full questions:

• Why do you think there are so many Mormons in sci-fi/fantasy?
• Do you prefer Bread & Butter or Meat & Potatoes?
• Have you considered developing a full language for one of your worlds (like Tolkien did)?
• If you could World-hop one character from another universe into the Cosmere, Who would it be and where would you have them Visit?
• What Allomantic ability would you want to have and why?

If you could bring one character from another universe into the Cosmere, Who would it be?

What an interesting question. I’ll play along in a moment, but I’ll point out that it’s generally not tempting for me to write other creator’s characters. The ones I were most interested in writing were those in the Wheel of Time–and somehow, that ended up happening already.

Generally, when I consider a character that I love, my mind starts breaking down the “Why.” I look at what effect they had on me, and what about them I really love–what is it this character does to the story that is so intriguing. Often, if I boil that down, I can start creating new characters who draw upon this, and other traditions–and that is what excites me.

That said, who would I bring to the cosmere, if I had the chance? I’ll take a different tactic on this than, perhaps, you’d assume. I’d grab some of my favorite villains from other media, because it would be interesting to see how the characters would react. If Magneto were to deal with a world of people with magic, how would he react–and how would the characters react to him? What about Moriarty? Javert? (Okay, Nale’s already got some Javert in him.)

Cthulhu? Nah. That’s going to far.