questions about brandon

[Peter Ahlstrom]

The night job I was referring to was his hotel job. And he also used to teach Freshman English...you can bet he doesn't do that anymore.

The writing class is a 300-level class, theoretically junior-level, but it fills up before juniors can register because seniors get priority. Before Brandon did his raffle for 6 slots in the class, of the 14 people who were registered, 13 were seniors and 1 was a graduate student. So that's 20 actual students. But with people auditing or sitting in, the room that seats 70 is full and there were people sitting on the floor the first day...

[Mellington the loony Gold Misting]

Wow...just wow...

1. Knew about the hotel job (incidentally, I do something along the same lines - it makes you either go crazy or become a font of creativity and gives you a lot of time to study unusual "characters" in detail).

2. The 20 seats and a massive number of sit-ins - wow.  I've only seen this kind of thing once (it takes a massive reputation within your chosen field to get that kind of response).  I had an amazing professor once (also taught only 300 level courses) who had 400 seat lecture halls booked and half a dozen TAs (more a question of crowd control than anything) because of this kind of thing. 
If he gets a bigger classroom, they will come!

Incidentally, I wonder how much of a madhouse it becomes at signings and convention panels he takes part in now.

[Shadmere]

That's pretty awesome about the sit-ins.   At UNCC, they'd chase you out if you weren't enrolled.  (Well, they were supposed to.  If you had an in with the professor, you'd probably be able to slide.)

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Um... Don't tell anyone I said that.

[Daenya]

Your secret's safe with us 

Um, what do TAs actually do?  We don't have them in Australia - lectures are just the lecturer standing at the front of the room talking to us for a couple of hours.  I'm guessing they're like tutors - generally, as well as a lecture each week, you also have a tutorial, which is more like a classroom scenario - about 30 students, questions, answers, case studies etc.

[Shadmere]

Um... Don't tell anyone I said that.

Heh.  I was assuming that keeping 70 extra people hanging around the classroom would be impossible. 

Well, guess now it's only the right thing to do to email the administration.    (Obviously j/k. :p)

[Patriotic Kaz]

TA's are Teacher Assistants and more or less do all the jobs the Prof doesn't want to do.... like grading papers

[guessingo]

TAs are graduate students. they typically get free tuition and a small stipend ($8000-15000) to grade papers and such for the professors. Larger lecture classes always have them. lower level undergraduate classes typically meet 3 times/week. once for a large lecture with the professor and twice/week in smaller sections with TAs. it is how large public universities manage their costs by cramming 300 kids into a classroom. but then again you don't need special attention for a generic history 101 class.

Being a teaching assistant or a research assistant (doing research for professors) is how most graduate students pay for PhDs since its so expensive. Unlike TAs , research assistants are often funded by grants. so if a physics professor winds a grant to create a black hole machine, it will include money to cover research assistant pay. The university I think kicks in free tuition, but the grant covers the pay (it is basically below minimum wage).

anyway back to Brandon questions. I was reading the earlier posts here. Wasn't it about 1.5 years between the time brandon got a book contract and his book was published? He didn't get alot of money up front. so did he live on ramen noodles and in his parents basement until his books started selling? That sounds like a huge risk. Most authors don't make enough money to become full time writers and need other jobs. Especaially until they get several books published and get an income stream going.

btw, I am mos about 450 pages into the firs  mistborn book. I like it. it is a fun read. he seems to have alot of potential as a writer. I am not burning through books. I don't have the time to sit there and read right now.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I'm guessing they're like tutors - generally, as well as a lecture each week, you also have a tutorial, which is more like a classroom scenario - about 30 students, questions, answers, case studies etc.

Yes, TAs sometimes do that. I had a Calculus class that had lectures MWF and review/quiz sessions TTh. The lecture was like 300 people with the professor, and the TTh sessions were around 30 students with a TA. (His name was Nephi Noble. I am not kidding.) After the first week or so I never went to the lectures and just went to the review/quiz sessions. (I knew almost all the material already; I got a 5 on the AP Calculus AB test. If I'd taken the AP Calculus BC test instead and gotten only a 3 I wouldn't have had to take that class.) (Actually now I can't remember how many times a week the class met. I must be overestimating. 2 lectures/1 review-quiz session? Whatever.)

Brandon knew how to live on little money, and advance payment for a book is generally something like 1/3 on contract, 1/3 on acceptance, and 1/3 on publication. He signed a 2-book deal to start with. The second book was WAY OF KINGS, but he soon replaced that half of the contract with a 3-book deal for the Mistborn trilogy. So Brandon had plenty of book money to live on before Elantris even came out. Maybe not enough for some people, but Brandon wasn't in the habit of spending money on anything other than magic cards.

[Dount Cooku]

and the TTh sessions were around 30 students with a TA. (His name was Nephi Noble. I am not kidding.)

*does a double take*

Nephi Noble was a friend of mine when I was in college back in the dark ages.  He was an eternal student (ended up getting a PHD in Mathematics, if I remember right).  I think he left the area, haven't heard from him in ages.  This discussion forum is pretty much the last place I would have thought to see his name. 

[firstRainbowRose]

What has been said about TA's is true, but what Rob and Cavin actually do in Brandon's class isn't exactly the same thing.  He has them run errands for him, or go to get something he needs, or set up the computer for him.  The other thing they do is go around to writing groups that Brandon doesn't go to and give critiques on what needs to be improved in our writing.

Well, they also make random side comments in class and make all of us laugh, but I don't think that's part of the job description.

[zarepath]

Can I just say, OT, that Dount Cooku is the best handle I've ever come across?

We can now return to our regularly scheduled thread.

[Plasman]

i'm proud to say i am one of those 50 or so sit-ins. great class. i'm really enjoying it

[Pygmalion]

^ Lucky. 

[Red, White, and Joker]

i'm proud to say i am one of those 50 or so sit-ins. great class. i'm really enjoying it

It's true. It's been great so far. Can't wait for the next class, actually.