Christopher Paolini - Eragon author talks worldbuilding, fantasy/sci-fi, how to plot, and themes

[@HelloFutureMe]

0:59 His New Sci-fi Book 6:25 Writing in the fantasy/sci-fi genres 8:59 How do you know a good title? 12:18 How do you know a good book idea? 17:35 Incorporating themes 22:45 Doctor Who references? 23:15 Christopher Paolini calls me out #drama 27:15 Maintaining the writing headspace 28:50 Pressure following Eragon? 33:05 Magnificent beards and why I don't have one 34:00 Worldbuilding vs story: how do you plot? 37:40 FTL travel, worldbuilding, and exposition 46:10 How many drafts should you go through? 50:10 Harshest criticism as a writer? 52:33 Future of sci-fi/fantasy? Stay nerdy! ~ Tim

[@ashuranero5721]

I know it is not related to this video, but could make a video on themes?

[@war6139]

hey could you add the timestamps on the description so it lines up in the video?

[@alecyaw8103]

First book I read without the school forcing it down my throat was Eragon

[@pisscvre69]

my fav part "the movie that never happened" glad he agrees x,D it had potential sure but all in all oof and changed some things that made a continuation true to the books impossible, I also am excited to see where hes gone cuz tho Eragon the book was better than the movie ima say it, a new hope with dragons, which is better than I was doing at his age by a lot but as he mentioned when your a new writer you often unintentionally replicate things more than create your own thing, my first book ideas was basically a cross between LOTR and the elder scrolls 4 Oblvion with a portal to a bad place of bad bad guys.. who were bad, and a big dark tower of dark darkness.. darkly, and I did actually have some of my own ideas to that were cool but had no idea what to keep in what to leave out and so I got this cluster *duck?* of ideas with no substance or meaning behind them. and ill leave you with this image, gotta love my character who uses lots of daggers and has pants with daggers all up the sides of his legs and who tragically dies when killing a monster in the end cuz his dagger pants stick in the monster and it falls over after he kills it and crushes him, moral of the story? no capes (edit) and only now thinking about it again for the first time since i was 12 do I realize the daggers are on the outer sides of his pant legs so even if they were for some reason without sheathes they still wouldn't have got him stuck at worst theyd cut up his legs x,D

[@NamelessP-wv6lf]

Aye I’m soooooo happy for you man being able to interview someone like that!!! And the praise he gave you is well deserved!! Amazing channel, amazing work, and amazing interview!!

[@gokbay3057]

Paolini: "Once the film that was never made was made" ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

[@thebravegallade731]

Rick Riodian: Finally, a worthy opponent

[@arrowsaurus7561]

Lol welcome to the cult Christopher

[@taylorrathbone5638]

When does he say it? I must've missed it

[@SakuraRonja]

@@taylorrathbone5638 29:35

[@hydra-vn4fh]

Dont gwt the reference

[@FilipeAguiarCarvalho]

It's funny seeing Paolini now because I always pictured him as the teenager prodigy. But when I knew his works I was a teenager too.

[@bibliophilecb]

Same here. I was like “wait he’s a grown-up now? Oh right so am I...”

[@SelfierX3]

hahaha I had the same reaction as you

[@magiv4205]

I'f that ain't me hahaha

[@Isaiah_McIntosh]

Even weirder I'm 19 now and I think of him as being a teenager (cause his age when writing got brought up so often). Seeing this interview was in some way crushing to my fantasies although I've always known he's an older bloke at this point.

[@liamr6761]

I wouldn't call him a prodigy. I started writing my current project (which a lot of friends and family have praised me about) at about 17 (I'm 19 right now), and I am a long shot away from an artistic person. I am going for engineering and have never taken a writing or poetry class ever. I could not see what a book was trying to say between the lines, but after years of writing terrible stuff before (and watching HFM :-) ) when I was 13-16 you eventually get to a level of understanding things. But I respect his success, something I doubt I can achieve. As Andy Weir (another hero) said : "Give a man a book, you busy him for a night. Teach a man to write, give him crippling self doubt for life."

[@finncorley7847]

I love how Christopher Paolini has Zar'roc on his wall. One of my favourite fantasy swords of all time!

[@cherusiderea1330]

Thanks for pointing that out. It's been a while since I read the books and I gave them away afterwards.

[@shadowfire6117]

I was wondering if that was Zar’roc

[@lordphinix3]

I knew it was one of the Eragon swords but I wasn't sure precisely which one.

[@sukers1000]

Me 2, I also love the sword 🗡️

[@sharpshooterjoe1753]

I like brisinger

[@groofay]

It's really cool that Paolini's doing his "press tour" via long form KZbin interviews. I think it pays off in spades for the audience, who get more than some 5-minute Colbert segment (or a bootlegged bookstore reading), but rather a deeper look into his mind and who he is. I know this video made me far more interested in reading the book than I expected.

[@Scrofar]

Christopher Paolini: cites and praises Tim's videos, good-humored, open to discussion and feedback, shockingly not full of himself, very jolly, has a refreshing aura that is much needed after the JKR thing Tim: *sweats loudly and nervously*

[@gracehiggins2666]

"shockingly not full of himself" Yes, that is quite shocking considering his earlier interviews. The dude literally once said unironically that he is a better author than Tolkien in an interview once.

[@groofay]

@@gracehiggins2666 That's what happens when you're a literary superstar as a teenager, I suppose. He did some growing up.

[@jbizzlemcnizzle]

@@gracehiggins2666 When did he say he was better than Tolkien?

[@eldrago19]

@@jbizzlemcnizzle I believe that the quote being referred to is "I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf.” Now, of course, striving implies that it is an objective, not an achievement but some people seem to either not know that or not care. Which I personally feel is a shame because I quite like the quote.

[@Sikosm]

@@eldrago19 People know the flowery quote was stated as an objective not a claim of achievement... But it still came across as pretentious wankery that a precocious teen with rich parents and moderate writing ability would place himself in the ballpark of the greats. Still, it's not surprising it got to his head with everyone claiming he was a prodigy and I'm glad he appears to have levelled out.

[@PinkKips]

Christopher: I want to get a copy of your book, I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it. Tim: *oh no, it literally starts out with criticism of Eragon*

[@devan6935]

*oof*

[@beskamir5977]

lol I had to open my copy of his book (which I've had for over a year now and still haven't read) cause I wanted to check what he was criticizing.

[@SnailHatan]

I mean, didn’t Chris write Eragon when he was still in high school? I’m sure he’s criticized it more than anyone else.

[@longshot9757]

Oh noooo haha

[@joldomort5515]

Mr Paolini is clearly so passionate and working to stay connected with his audience and community and that alone is all one can hope for, doing these videos with KZbinrs, thank you for that I will pick this up

[@mrudulasrivatsa]

39:20 Christopher: I spent an entire year working on the faster than light mechanics of my world Tim: So is that an important part of the story? Christopher (enthusiastically): No! :D Why am I laughing so hard at this interaction? Probably because I too just spent a year doing research of which more than 80% won't end up in the book lol

[@devan6935]

*laughs in 40 thousand years of history that will only be their own books if my original books do well*

[@NapaCat]

@@devan6935 I'm writing the first book in a chronology, so my world will have so much history it'll be crazy. It already has about 20k-15k years of history so... (The year the book starts in is 9181 A.A.)

[@AvatarWindy]

Dude, thats LITTERALLY EVERY SINGLE WORLD BUILDER AND WRITER AHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA

[@ruthrouse]

Yep I know so many random details about my world and characters that will never see the light of day.

[@julonkrutor4649]

Could be worse. I worte a book ... ok, it where 3 books, i admit it ... and then, while reading them for the last time, i thougth: This is good, but it couldt be better if i just chance these four things in the beginning. now i have to do it all over again - and it will be awsome. I mean, i just spend 3 years on them as a hobby, wath is a year or tow more? Ohh, and i translate them while doing it form german to english ... that is not really funny, but a few of my friends how are english want to read it since my other friends how can read german love it allready ^^

[@FantasyBuchSchreibende]

First time i have seen an author having a better camera than the youtuber

[@artrain11]

Not to mention a better mic. The youtuber's got a fancy setup, but Paolini's got-em-with-the-cellphone earplugs with a build in mic are doing a much better job for this vid.

[@cjkalandek996]

I actually read the _Eragon_ book for the first time earlier this year. And while I did find it a bit derivative, a tad repetitive, and felt it dragged in places, I still enjoyed it. And for a book that was written by someone who was barely either 15 or 18 when he wrote it, I knew this was written by someone who truly was passionate about fantasy and had legitimate talent in telling a story.

[@natanoj16]

Yea. It is a fun book and it is interesting, but it isn't really the best written book. But that is how it is for new writers. Even Brandon sandersons first book aren't too well written (Elentris I am looking at you)

[@princessthyemis]

Passion for what one does is VITAL!

[@Eagledude131]

Honestly my favorite thing to come put of Eragon is the magic: its an interesting look at how fundamentally *powerful* magic is and what that means in the world

[@Piggg440]

eragon was a good book i wish there was more i have the read the entire series like 6 times ;-;

[@corruptangel6793]

@@Eagledude131 When I was a teen (when I first read Eragon) I was in love with magic. I wanted to have those powers that the characters I love had or at least be in that universe/world. But Eragon was different. That was the first time the concept of having magic actually scared me. The true terror of being in a world where someone is able to kill a person or army withn a single word was something I never really understood until Eragon.

[@jayecoates]

I have definitely been critical of the Inheritance Series in the past - I thought they were fascinating on the first read through, but I have since come to recognise some of the flaws. I thought that Christopher Paolini was clearly a talented writer but with some rough edges. I'm really eager to see this new book and learn how much he has improved as a writer. After all, Eragon was what originally inspired me to write my own books. If he could do it, then why not me?

[@Mojjs92]

Jacob Coates I feel very much the same way.

[@bumblingbeezy]

How did you reply a week ago!?!

[@piratewhoisquiet]

Succinct analysis.

[@transArsonist]

honestly, just watching the growth in authorial skill throughout the inheritance cycle was a delight, i cant wait to see how his style has changed and grown

[@X3._.n3]

@@bumblingbeezy the videos are released early for patrons I think

[@voltsiano116]

They both lowkey fanboy over each other, and it's great.

[@Disgruntled_Dave]

'Mutual and lowkey' is the best kind of fanboying.

[@jasonschuler2256]

It's nice to see that Paolini has grown to be more humble over the years. After the success of Eragon, he was one of THE MOST egocentric authors out there, to the point where watching interviews with him was almost bile-inducing. But it seems he has matured to be a pretty stand-up guy!

[@Zveebo]

I guess it's not surprising that when you have a big hit, you get a little bit full of yourself. Credit to him for reining it in, I suppose - plenty of people never manage that.

[@jasonschuler2256]

@@Zveebo Of course! It's the same with child actors or instrument prodigies.

[@popcornenthusiast]

I really appreciate that while he’s definitely humble about his work, he also knows that it’s ok to be proud of something when you’ve worked on it so hard for so long like he has with To Sleep

[@steveng6721]

I mean he was a teen then

[@jasonschuler2256]

@Pigbenpus Wow Barely. He was 19 when Eragon was published, which means he was in his 20’s for the large majority of his press junket interviews.

[@TheMusicscotty]

I'm secretly very happy for Tim that Paulini was so praising of his material. I know Tim's amazing, but great to hear it from a professional.

[@AngelDestler08]

HOW DID YOU SCORE AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM! OH MY GOD THATS AWSOME!

[@priceofiron6900]

Chris has literally been on everyone channel lately. A great marketing strategy I gotta say

[@B-MC]

Yeah he's been on Daniel Greene and Murphy's channel as well. Im wondering if Daniel Greene (who usually does interviews) recommended he do the other channels or whether Paolini directly reached out to every channel?

[@GabrielRodrigues-ro1ep]

well, his channel does have over 600 thousand subscribers...

[@cherusiderea1330]

I think you know you're doing sth DAMN RIGHT when the one you're interviewing praises YOU

[@discreetscrivener7885]

I haven’t really heard all that much from Paolini since the last Inheritance book came out. I know that that series certainly inspired my own writing in a lot of ways. Seems like a nice guy! Great video, lots of interesting thoughts to think upon:)

[@siragon756]

I recommend following him on twitter, it's a lot of fun and interesting tidbits of information about his writing

[@markgarrett7428]

I wrote Christopher Paolini a letter when I was younger. He wrote back with a handwritten lesser of his own. You could see the indentation of the pen on the paper and he sketched Saphira flying over the mountains in the upper corner. I can't remember all of what he said but it was one of the coolest moments ever.

[@SMAnthonyW]

wow, that's amazing. you dont hear authors doing that everyday.

[@FearTheImpaler]

wow, the pacing of this interview is immaculate. almost skipped because interviews always meander pointlessly, but this was really something special

[@togira18ikonoka48]

OMG THIS IS SOOO AMAZING

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES WHEN I READ THE TITLE ARGHHHH TWO OF MY IDOLS IN ONE VIDEOOOOOO I AM DYING thank you Tim for this and all the knowledge you bestow on us, and thank you Paolini for starting my journey both as a reader and as a writer, you are both such an inspiration to me, and you both occupy a special place in my heart

[@dylanevartt3219]

Im glad im not the only one who freaked out when i saw the title

[@Eagle_Owl2]

Paolini seems like such a nice guy. I first read Eragon when I was 11 years old and I really hold it dearly, despite the flaws. And honestly, for such a young author and such a massive series the flaws are minor. I'm excited to read Paolinis new book and this time I'll stick to the English version. Those split up German versions really become annoying and expensive (I look at you, ASoIaF!).

[@sicilianmammalian]

It's kinda funny his McDonald's analogy is exactly why they have a hard time translating ancient Egyptian, it's interesting how the future and past are so similar

[@laartje24]

I have seen this same problem in historical reenactment. Eg thee cookbook will not tell you the spices in this mix that everyone has, it will just give you the name of the mix or the sewing book will just say use this basic stitch that everyone knows about without explaining how the stitch is done. They asume you have basic knowledge but this basic knowledge is lost in time.

[@Tevilah]

I love how Paolini himself says "the movie, that was never made" So satisfying. I have to watch it again completely drunk and yell at it.

[@sootheseeker]

I hate how paolini ended his “trilogy “ but given how genuine he was in this interview..I’ll make to buy his new one..what an amazing guy..great interview/discussion

[@corruptangel6793]

If you don't mind my asking, what did you hate about it? I didn't love it myself, but I thought it made a lot of sense in context and it worked really well in grandeur, emotion, and settling the plotlines. It felt like a natural conclusion to the story for me.

[@dwood2010]

So crazy seeing Chris now. I really hope he explores more of the Inheritance world eventually because those books helped me through some dark times. They are my second favorite set after LOTR. I think Chris will write as well as Tolkien when he is older. His comment about military humor is spot on, suffering causes your humor to become jaded. I hope he is able to get a competent director like Peter Jackson to make movies based on Inheritance.

[@slightlyembittered]

He grew that viking beard.

[@krisrakow6663]

It’s just a beard.

[@GunGun-cf3ss]

Shitty trim as well

[@artrain11]

I'm pausing the video 80% of the way to just stop and say what a fantastic speaker Paolini is. This is literally the first interview-ish video of him that I've seen, and I'm just feeling great that the author of the books I loved so much is just as smart, while being really normal, as I ever thought. Not just that, but he seems incredibly humble, but passionate and has a very logical sense of intelligence about him. Don't know if I'm making any sense here, but I just love it. Can't wait to read more that comes out of him. I personally really wished he'd continue the story in Algaesia because while one chapter of Eragon felt like it was over, it didn't feel like that was the end of his story. Anyway it might happen many years in the future, or it might not, but I'm quite happy that such a talented writer is back in business. I think a lot of famous YA authors like Paolini and even Rowling get put in an inferior bucket by some people because they wrote YA and not "adults" novels. To that I can just say that the first job of any author is to drag the reader into the world of their creation. And though Harry Potter had huge plot holes, and Eragon was quite cheesy, tell me an "adult" fiction that just sucks you in body and soul like the works of these two authors. And then following that these guys introduce you to some of the most beautifully fleshed out and iconic characters, and a riveting story. Whatever's left after that is just nitpicking.

[@inshayana]

This was great! I am one of the only people I know that says "Well, eragon is the hero's journey. But's a good one!" this whole conversation was amazing. thank you for this!

[@BudderChezMC]

OHMIGOSH WHAT HOW DID U MANAGE TO INTERVIEW MY FAVORITE AUTHOR OF ALL TIME 😭 Christopher Paolini if u ever come across this comment I LOVE UR BOOKS SO MUCH.

[@CarinaZacharias]

This is now the third interview I have seen with Christopher Paolini (after Merphy's and Daniel's) and it was still so interesting. Thanks very much!

[@hcstubbs3290]

I love how he savages inheritance all the time (out of love obviously) and Paolini still loves the channel. This is so awesome! I'm really glad I found this channel.

[@firey171]

A few thoughts. I really love Christopher Paolini giving your channel honest and glowing compliments. As someone who has been struggling to write/rewrite a story that I'm not sure I will fight to publish, the point about "knowing what the story is ABOUT not just what happens" is EXACTLY where my writer's block came from a few years ago. I've been struggling ever since ... and hearing that really clicked for me about why. Thank you, From a struggling writer for hobby

[@ShuffleReplay]

Oh my god. Eragon has been my favorite book since I was a teenager. My jaw literally dropped when I saw his face on the thumbnail. This guy is part of the reason I started writing over a decade ago.

[@talharanderee6022]

I see Paolini I, I click. Eragon was officially my very first own novel. Sure I had books before that, but most were from my siblings collections, or gifts from parents etc. Eragon however, was the first book I bought on my own, I was traveling and in an airport lounge when I found it, like and hour before my flight. Somehow the world I read about was better than at that moment than some of the places I traveled to. The best thing was that on the return trip I found Eldest in another lounge in Thailand, and couldn't put the book down for the 16 hours of flights in between. Paolini was one of the authors, who inspired me to pursue a career in writing over medicine.

[@GabyGibson]

The man, the myth, the legend! The fact that he wrote and was published at 19 is amazing.

[@chanachon56]

Is it bad that I have more notes from this interview than an actual college lecture? Regardless, thank you soooo much for this video. This will massively help me in my own writing process as I am drafting my own story. Will certainly give "Seas of stars" a pick up when it gets released. Cheers.

[@thomasboyd1402]

Around minute 44, when he's talking about watching Battlestar Galactica and missing bits of information which makes it more interesting reminded me of how I came across one of my fave fantasy books, Chronicles and Legends of the Raven by James Barclay.. A friend of mine bought book 4 overall, but at the same time, it was book 1 of the Legends cycle.. He dropped it because it was difficult to follow, but I was entranced by the information which was called back from the pervious books. To me, it was nothing but a legend, a mystery.. So I pieced the bits of the story of the first cycle just from the information given by the author in the first book of the second cycle.. It was amazing when I learned that there was an entire trilogy of books detailing things I was only glimpsing..

[@KTChamberlain]

I'm currently in the editing stages of the sci-fi series I'm writing and Christopher Paolini is one of my top 6 literary influences. The other 5 are J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, Homer, Brian Jacques, and C.S. Lewis. Yes, I know they're famous for fantasy, but Tad Williams (one of Paolini's literary influences) said it's good to read outside of the genre you're writing often.

[@VanDerMeuller]

Now when you're both in this video I just have to comment. I'm a Swedish author, writing in the genres of fantasy och sc-fi, with five published books and the sixth on its way. When I was younger Christopher Paolini really helped me gaining confidence about my Writing and a future career as and author, due to his Young age when he published his first book. His worldbuilding has also inspired me and the books are great. (I am also one of those people that really liked the Eragon-movie and hope that like Netflix or someone else will pick it up and remake and continue the story) Also, I really love this channel. A lot of the things that you talk about are things that I have learned by myself during the years or read in books, but you really hit the spot and manage to sort Everything out in a great and understandable way. This channel is a real treasure that I have recomended to friends that wants to write and to some of my students that show interest in Writing (I'm also a teacher, teaching Swedish) So, to sum this comment up: Thank you both for your great and inspiring work!

[@kaelanirevyruun1676]

Sorry to disagree with you but in my opinion the dragon movie utterly DESTROYED the image that the books created; in the books for example Eragon is given a “shining palm”, which means that it would be like a quick squirt of a spray paint can on his palm... The movie had an E shape instead.

[@kaelanirevyruun1676]

Though... I would like to see something like Shadowhunters; the movie threw out EXPLICIT things that are CORE to certain characters (Like Clary and her *FIRE ENGINE RED* hair), yet the show is made to be closer to the books 😂

[@mercury2110]

WHAAAAAT!!!??? Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this! One my favourite youtubers collabing with my favourite author!❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥 The Inheritance Cycle is my favourite book series of all time and also started my hectic reading phase. This is so awesome⭐

[@barbarascales1871]

"The Inheritance Cycle is my favourite book series of all time" If that's true then you have *_REALLY_* poor taste in books, my dude.

[@eldrago19]

@@barbarascales1871 slightly amused by all the Eragon bashers who are angry with people's personal opinions but being unable to specify what is bad about it resort to Ad Hominem attacks.

[@barbarascales1871]

@@eldrago19 Slightly amused by the people who think criticizing someone's taste in literature is an ad hominem attack. Why would I bother wasting my time constructing arguments if that's how little you understand about argumentative techniques? Also, if you think I'm angry just because someone likes a terrible book, then you must be pretty new to the Internet. I couldn't give a shit if someone I've never met likes a terrible book. But looking at how earnestly you've been defending the book throughout this comment section, I think it's *YOU* who cannot get over someone having a different opinion than yourself.

[@eldrago19]

@@barbarascales1871 A person's taste in literature is a personal trait about them. Therefore arguing that someone's taste in literature is bad (as opposed to Eragon being bad) is an attack against the person. Also, if you didn't "give a shit" then why did you post the comment in the first place?

[@barbarascales1871]

@@eldrago19 I see literally no difference between saying "the series you say is your favorite is bad" and "you have poor taste in books." They're virtually the same statement and the same level of "personalness" at the end of the day, but I'll be happy to edit it for you if it makes you feel better. "Also, if you didn't 'give a shit' then why did you post the comment in the first place?" Ah yes, this tired old argument. Because me taking 3 seconds out of my day to write a 2 sentence response must mean I care about their opinion _SoOoOoO_ much.

[@Nodim1er]

What an amazing interview, Tim. It's great to see CP and have a long talk with him. Also, could'nt take my eyes off Zar'roc in the back.

[@wolfishpotato6978]

Lol same, when I first saw it as the interview started I flipped out

[@moonmilkgalaxy]

Eragon really was what got me reading and not just reading but falling in love to a whole new world! It really resonated with me and was there for me in a really difficult time in my life. Crazy throwback here and I'm glad to hear from him after all these years, I'll definitely check out his new book. Thanks for sharing this interview!

[@stargazer1946]

Oh man this was a pleasant surprise, Paolini is one of my favorite authors hands down, I loved the Inheritance Cycle so much.

[@vice166]

Tentacles eh, Christopher Paolini is a man of culture I see

[@anthonywritesfantasy]

Shakespeare's Metrical Art is SUCH a grail! An excellent resource, which is fundamentally about crafting a line of two phrases, and how to craft those two phrases.

[@tiana5395]

I read this book because of this interview--absolutely incredible experience!

[@ТочкаДоступа-ч2р]

Thank you so much for doing this!! I grew up reading so many fantasy books and Paolini was my favorite author. Btw, I love brisingr and especially it’s title!!

[@tkn9931]

@Christopher Paolini: I love how You say "the film that was never made", but I have to say that I'd never have started reading if it weren't for the movie ad. Right now I have a bachelors and a masters thesis about LOTR and am writing a story of my own. So thank You very much for this door into fantasy! @Tim: You're the reason I got Campfire and a heck of worldbuilding background for my story. It might work out to be readable (someday), because of your advice. Thanks and keep it up!

[@corruptangel6793]

I also learned about it thanks to the movie. I hated reading with a vengeance as a kid, but when the initial trailer for Eragon was released I was amazed. So much so that (when my sister told me there was a book of the movie) I went to my local library and picked it up because I couldn't wait for the movie. It took me over a month to get through, but reading Eragon made me fall in love with reading and helped a lot with my struggling mental health. By the time Inheritance dropped, (i was 13 or 14 I think) I got it the week it released and finished all 1,100 pages in 8 days. A record I have yet to beat.

[@westcrosby]

Found your channel yesterday, wWOW!!!! loving it so far, thank man

[@ethansnyder1]

This was an absolutely wonder conversation and I’m happy to see two of my favorite content creators work together completely out of the blue.

[@shervellebergholz]

This was an amazing interview!!! I can honestly say I havent read any of his other books besides Eragon. This interview makes me want to read more. As well, as an aspiring author, you asked all the questions I wanted to ask!! The whole time, I was shaking my head, like, 'yes, yes! That's a great question!'

[@anthonyschlott916]

Even so many years after having devoured the whole Inheritance trilogy and being able to reflect on it, I'm still a big fan. This makes me happy!

[@anthonyschlott916]

@Sean Fisher XD no I read inheritance. Slip of the tongue. I'm so used to calling it that.

[@FlyToTheRain]

Paolini is hitting up all the booktubers and I'm here for it

[@henmaydostuff8338]

this is so awesome! the inheritance cycle was one of the major influences that shaped the way I understand storytelling, worldbuilding, & fantasy. now I'm working on a sci-fi project. this is so invigorating for me

[@AlexanderQ689]

Two huge inspirations for my reading, writing, and world building aspirations together and talking like this is more than I would have dared hope for. You're both so personable and intelligent it's great to listen to you talk. I've been writing almost exclusively fantasy until now. Even though I'm involved in real world science and technology which I have commentary and predictions about, it wasn't until listening to this interview that things clicked in my head and I realized maybe I would prefer to write sci-fi. You two continue to inspire me and I'm so grateful 🙏

[@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794]

At first I was quite intimidated by how big the book is, but after watching this video and a few others I'm beginning to actually becoming more interested for every second this man talks about it.

[@hayleelegg4359]

Aaaaah!! One of my favorite authors! This is awesome! Also, as someone interested in writing, these are things I love to hear about, so this is awesome getting to hear you BOTH discussing the topic.

[@PinkKips]

My favorite writing KZbinr and my favorite childhood author, I love this so much.

[@OrigamiGuyII]

10/10 interview, will definitely be getting both of your books. an hour of my life well spent.

[@jackpowell9276]

I'm a bit late to the game on this one (thanks youtube...) but what an absolutely fantastic interview. Not only is Christopher incredibly interesting, but hes a genuine fan of your incredible work and contribution. Perhaps its the fanboy in me, but i got little moments of pure pride and happiness when he was complimentary of what you do and produce and it felt very genuine. One of the best YT interviews i've listened to. Thanks very much to you both. And now its september 22nd and i've got yet another book on the list to order ASAP. Thank you both!

[@RosemaryWilliams49fruits]

The one year spent on researching and developing the faster than light travel is what got me. It's amazing.

[@orangexlightning]

I'm surprised it took me so long to get back to this video. But when I first saw the tile I immediately thought back to on writing and worldbuilding dragons and had a nervous chuckle. Then when I was watching this and heard, "Let's talk about Dragons" I was immediately like "OH NO XD" and broke into a chuckling fit. I'm glad to see how modestly he brought up the subject and was open instead of defensive.

[@vanshika123456789]

the genres of fantasy, horror and scifi are so intertwined that they can only be differentiated when it comes to only veeeeeery specific stories, which is what's so fascinating about them. Specfic is truly a marvel

[@AtrumNoxProductions]

How did I miss this!? I am so jealous that you got to chat with Christopher Paolini!

[@Piqipeg]

I don't remember who said it, but I heard it on a writing podcast where the hosts was talking abou how fantasy and sci-fi isn't genres really, but settings, because of how versatile they are.

[@gauchesymbiote1039]

Christopher really is one of us. That really is one of the things that I absolutely love about him.

[@johntaylor9776]

I low key kind of needed to hear this stuff. You hear a billion things on writing all the time, but process is always a fingerprint. Its so different for every writer. And its so easy to say, i do this and i do that, but this is a very explained how and why to the process of storytelling. Love it. Ive seen a few of your vids, and yeah im subbing after this. Fs.

[@4sephjoe]

Your videos always seem to pull me out of a reading slump. Thank you!

[@Akbar_and_Shaa]

I have never seen a video title or notification and actually done a double take before. Christopher paolini Brandon sanderson and Bill watterson are the three writers that built my childhood kudos on the stellar interview hellofutureme its great to hear his thoughts on writing.

[@sarosp9330]

You're the reason I'm writing fantasy, Christopher Paolini. Thanks for inspiring me

[@singletona082]

that's amazing. Now write better than he does.

[@sarosp9330]

@@singletona082 I mean, thank you?

[@princessthyemis]

This interview was AWESOME!!! so many excellent, in-depth questions as well as answers. I'm super super curious about the aliens with a scent-based language!!! That sounds awesome!!!!!!

[@phoenixstudios9078]

The fact that he got Christopher Paolini on the channel is just fucking epic! Huge fan of Inheritance Cycle!

[@jamiejamie9549]

I havent read his books in years but the second I saw that sword behind him... The memories flood back

[@Sabortooftigar]

This was my second time watching this, and it was still good. I mostly write for DMing tabletop. I was also a young person when Eragon came out and living in Montana growing up and reading lots of fantasy, it really sparked the imagination to feel a connection and familiarity with many of the landscapes he would describe.

[@lucimmv]

Omg so lovely to see him compliment your videos! Paolini is a truly special author, he seems to value the fact that he gets to write for a living.

[@TheDyscontinuum]

What a blast from the past, I used to write letters to this dude as a kid, he's a huge inspiration for me

[@DudeBeard]

What a great video! It was an extreme pleasure to listen to the conversation the two of you had!

[@RyanKapsar]

Well, after this interview, I pre-ordered this book. Excited to see how the technology works and what this story is. I never read any of the Inheritance books, so this will be my first foray into Paolini's writing.

[@billyneville8579]

The intro rings very true for me. Eragon was the first book I can really remember reading

[@nathaniel2007]

I love the explanation of researching and developing his faster than light travel tech. I do the same with building world concepts that make sense or fit in my narratives. Most of it is just for me, so I understand how things work and the limitations of those things, whereas the reader will just get the piece that is important to the narrative.

[@ZaylidinOfficial]

This is such a wholesome video, I'm in awe that you got to get Christiopher to talk to you for a whole hour. It's really helpful and interesting stuff, you are both awesome

[@ActualOphelia]

Oh my this was so interesting! Really cool to hear from Paolini, and awesome that he's a fan of this channel too!

[@HansHammertime]

His “Inheritence Cycle” and “The Ranger’s Apprentice” were my childhood

[@Nerd1090]

He's not Ranger's Apprentice, that's John Flanagan.

[@AndreastheRed]

HOLY SHIT THE RANGERS APPRENTICE. I've been trying to remember the title of that book for years, thank you so much.

[@HansHammertime]

Notmeime ye, I know. Could’ve formulated that better, I admit

[@breendart134]

Finally got around to watching this. Makes me feel emotions. I've been an "aspiring author" for as long as I can remember, and the Inheritance Cycle--even if it wouldn't be my cup of tea today--was a huge inspiration to me. It was one of my favorite things I read as a preteen, and the thought that the first book was written by someone not much older than me really made me realize that my dreams of being an author weren't stupid or silly. This was the wholesome content I needed today.

[@aaronmarkham4424]

The movie’s potential was great, what we got was not his fault, I blame the director, the producers and the ones in charge

[@madiz4228]

That was really cool to see these writing concepts from the perspective of a guy who made it as an author from a young age. I never read Eragon, but I remember my friends in school always were talking about the series. Thank you both for doing this!

[@weylinwebber4180]

my jaw dropped in those last 30 secs, glad you were able to make this i loved it.

[@demonicbunny3po]

On the topic of leaving gaps, that is a great video topic. I was planning on doing it in a fanfic I’m writing. The main character at the beginning of the chapter is angry and leaves the scene. Later in the chapter she is found meditating. No description of how she calmed down, but the reader will figure it out by a bloody dent in the wall and the bandage around her hand. A don’t show, don’t tell method of story telling. Like a miniature mystery the reader is meant to solve and leaving the specific details to their mind.

[@kcarter0265]

I still adore that series! Read it back in 2007 when I first got into junior high. During our first tour of the library we got to choose our first book to checkout and that’s the one I chose! I’m not gifting my personal set of the series to my niece who is getting into the fantasy genre. Her favorite is Harry Potter, she adores JKR. I hope she loves this series as much as me!

[@jef_3006]

The scientific explanations in The Martian are an excellent example of how to do well what would be in an info-dump in a Fantasy or Classical Sci-Fi story.

[@Maestercbr]

You sold me the book when you said Christopher Paolini. You didn't need to add an awesome hour long interview on top of it, but thank you a lot for that ^^

[@Mr.Technically]

Woah! This dude is a large part of the reason I’ve wanted to be a writer for so long in my life, now appearing on one of my favorite youtuber’s channels. How’d you do that?

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

Bro saaaame, I remember always being frightened by how big a project writing a book actually is, and when I learned that the author of _the_ book series that got me into fantasy in the first place was, what, 15 when he started it? He inspired me and gave me hope. Then, Tim helped so incredibly much with figuring out the execution of said type of project... I admire them both infinitely and seeing this made my entire week, if not my month... I’m not even kidding.

[@HectorT52]

OMG I CANT BELIVE THIS! Paolini's books make me start to love reading

[@o.sunsfamily]

Honestly, I would not usually consider reading this. But after this amazing interview, I definitely will. It better have decent world-building and fresh ideas as promised. Excited to see how well this turns out.

[@GerSanRiv]

My birthday was on the third. This (along with Blue's contemporary history video) was like a present I wasn't expecting.

[@Dk8250]

i’m glad to see this because i just finished eragon i knew you did how to train your dragon videos in the past and that’s why i’m subbed just cool to see this now

[@lugialover09]

Holy crap, this is awesome! I still have my full set of the Inheritance Cycle on my bookshelf, and I've been meaning to reread them for awhile now. They were excellent books for a formative time in my reading career. Obviously, there's some things one can critique about them, but they're still so fun to read.

[@kamisama1369]

Man, I loved Eragon when I first read it. People say it's this and that, but all things said, it's a very enjoyable read.