I really like how this guy teaches. He always make the questions and suggestions feel justified, even if he has to refute them. Too many lecturers are quick to put a student down for asking a stupid question. Major respect for Brandon.
@@lokenontherange I feel that it's less the topic, and more the person. I'm sure there are some good politic professors out there who listen to students, and some bad writing professors who only think that their way is the right one
I literally reached the part where he said sorry if this is spoilers for Mistborn, then went and read The Final Empire in two sittings. Now I'm back to finish the video!
For anyone curious, I almost wouldn't call what he discusses a spoiler. It would probably be akin to saying "In LOTR one of the plot points will be to destroy the one ring." He goes into absolutely no details about why that is hard or how it's actually done.
The second you said he was 'the master of plot', I knew that you have read only about three books ever written, all three being Sanderson books. I can easily name five masters of plot better than Sanderson in every way. Hmm, maybe I can name twenty come to think of it. He may be 'a master of plot' but he's not 'the master'. I wonder if he's even a master. Maybe he's a great plotter. But master implies the highest level/ability. Pity you believe these things.
The second you said this I knew you had to be like 16 and haven't developed the concept of knowing what subjectivity is and that you're egocentric statements appear similar to how an undeveloped young person would feel in regards to someone else's opinion that challenges your own. Can you please cite a reputable source where research and absolute study has proven that Sanderson is in fact not a 'master of plotting' and that these twenty authors you can name are better than him? Or, is this just an overly inflated opinion in response to someone else's opinion? And really, splitting hairs between saying he's "a master" but not "the master" is petty and furthers weakens your argument. I'm not even a Sanderson's fan I just like his thoughts on the craft of writing so don't think this is some lame fanboy retaliation. I just find it sad when people so adamantly trumps everyone else's, their wrong and I'm right so you must be dumb and I'm smarter.
This class is flat-out fantastic. In one hour, Sanderson manages to summarize the three-act structure, the hero's journey, a great little freestyling tool called "Yes But No And" (YBNA?) and then his own very flexible method for tying disparate story elements together into a cohesive whole. It's definitely the most action-packed hour of plot instruction I've ever experienced. Highly recommended.
I had read that Brandon was teaching classes and thought, "Man, I would LOVE to be in those!" ...Lo and behold. I nearly had a heart attack when I discovered these videos!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, to all of those who made these available for unfortunate souls like me to watch. They are stupendous! They're just as fun as I thought they'd be, and already he's helped me fix some serious problems with a story I'm working on. 😊❤
25:40. Guy who adamantly raises his hand (with pen), even though instructor's back is turned and will be turned for several moments. Then puts it down the instant instructor turns around.
Brandon is probably the best instructor I have encountered in my journey to learn this process. He explains where others are vague, and he makes sense of the jumbled information I have accumulated over time. I read most everything he writes and follow Writing Excuses faithfully. If you are struggling with the process, this is where you need to be!
That's a problem, faithfully following Sanderson and shown by the fact you've read everything he's ever written. To give you a few other names (directly or indirectly): Aristotle, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Hemingway, J. R. R. Tolkien, H. G. Wells, Ian McEwan, Steven Pinker, Stephen Fry, George Orwell, William Strunk, and more.
What is it that makes it a problem? Just curious on your take. She didn't say she hasn't read anyone else, just that she's read the majority of his stuff. I'd argue there's the positive that cindy knows for certain there's a writer out there with a writing style that she loves and can refer to and build on; a concept in alot of people's creative process: take their favourite story/concept/thing then add what they felt has always been missing or remove other things until it's at a point where it's inspired by but unique to the original.
I just realized this is the same author my brother had just gotten super interested in reading. This is hilarious. I'm gonna have to send these all to him now.
I love how he spoils his own books. Kinda cracks me up honestly. Why take the fun out of other people's stories, when I can take the fun out of my own.
Interestingly, there have been experiments that show that people may enjoy a spoiled story more. (Enjoying the journey versus the destination). Kinda strange
@@matthewsawczyn6592 haha journey before destination---Life before death, perhaps? (when you get basically all the main characters in mistborn dying at the end of the series spoiled for you and yet you want to see how they die)
As someone who has gotten into writing a bit later in life (I'm 28 now), these videos have been a tremendous help in understanding the craft of writing more as well as being able to have more appreciation for books in general. Brandon is a fantastic writer and teacher and it's amazing that these lectures are completely free and available to all! Thank you so much!
They say that those who can't do, teach. Well this guy is quite capable at both! I'm brand new at writing yet feel like he's put me light years ahead already!
I am struck with a constant struggle of trying to hold myself back from procrastinating watching these videos, when I should be writing. Brandon is just too funny! His lectures are more entertaining than most actual entertainers, let alone teachers.
It feels pretty surreal to be watching a writing lecture and realize your last 10 years almost perfectly fit the 3 act format being described. . When you are able to pinpoint the specific events (and their rough dates) where each act starts/ends and what decision/realization triggered act2/act3. When you can even go into specifics such as characterization, character development, forshadowings and specific story beats. . And to top it off watching this video feels like it's part of the conclusion/epilogue and is probably setting up the next story arc. . Sometimes life gets really wierd and freaky with its lemons and lemonades. It's pretty cool.
in the lord of the rings they do a great job of crossing the threshold and accepting a crazy adventure when sam stops in the field and says if i take one more step forward its the furthest i've ever been from home and then he does it.
0:08 character Motivation 2:40 Superman vs Scrooge 5:25 being an illusionist 10:04 sense of progress 14:18 promises 25:46 3 acts 28:19 hero of 1000 faces 50:10 pantsing 51:18 yes but no 56:00 Brendan's plotting method
Man, Brandons method in this video makes things so clear. To have different promises and stuff series of moments in these promises really makes a good structure for discovery writers or outliners.
Why does 99% of this class look like they're slowly dying inside...I'm watching this from my office thinking, "Man, what wouldn't I give to be able to raise my hand and ask Brandon Sanderson questions about writing?"
Absorbing what he's saying, I assume. They're also writing in between each lecture so they're likely relating things to what they're trying to work on.
It's probably more that they're college students and dealing with the soul-crushing nature of the work, the time spent on piles of homework, and the hormones. They're probably just tired. That was me in college, no energy left for even classes I was excited about. My learning and energy went up as soon as I was done.
Great video. The volume was spot on. I was able to hear every question the students asked. It was also cool being able to see some of the class. That's a massive lecture hall.
Did the exact same thing! I literally started reading Mistborn a day before I watched this haha I will have to come back for the last ten minutes or so later.
Isaiah Kazarovich A year later and I’m in the same position. Did you find that it would’ve spoiled Mistborn pretty terribly? Deciding if I want to finish reading before I watch the video.
Barış Atik I was looking around for hardcovers for the first trilogy and ended up finding Brandon’s website was the best deal; plus, he signs them! I was waiting on the personalization option to be available but turns out it takes 2-3 months to receive them. So I’m deciding today what I want to do.
For anyone curious, I almost wouldn't call what he discusses a spoiler. It would probably be akin to saying "In LOTR one of the plot points will be to destroy the one ring." He goes into absolutely no details about why that is hard or how it's actually done.
The Brandon method is exactly what i've been trying to use for months, but not quite figuring out. That alone makes the 3 hours ive already spent watching these lectures worth it, plus all the other stuff ive learned. can't wait to watch the rest of them and get writing again.
I love the part of flat characters who accomplish something vs. arc characters who have learned something. This goes back to the teachings I've had from KM. Weiland in where I've learned that flat characters don't change themselves but influence the characters around them, for good or for bad: Superman would have a positive influence where the Joker (another flat character - origin stories aside) would would have a negative influence. Both accomplish something but don't change themselves.
yeah haha his spelling is amazing. Kinda supports my "mad genius" hypothesis :D But it hardly matters, its just illustrative and as long as no mistakes make their way into his work who cares.
One of the things I loved about Mistborn's opening was that he seemed to nod to all the dumb/familiar fantasy tropes and then quickly dispell them in subtle ways. Kelsier is the mysterious stranger coming to save the day, but at the end of the chapter, the people he saved aren't super happy about it. Vin is an orphan who doesn't trust anyone, but the moment she's presented with a chance for a better life she takes it, not without reservation, but there's no manufactured conflict. Then later, when he starts doing the big stuff, the really different, really clever stuff it feels right. There's the promise of it, as he says, in really subtle clever ways at the beginning. It really made me trust that he knew what he was doing from the first few pages.
I find it really cool that I’ve been plotting my books in the same way Brandon has, years before I ever listened to this. I have a google doc called ‘stuff that should happen.’ I work backwards from what I know will happen then gradually flesh it out, adding connective scenes and whatnot. I would advise using this method- I think it works for both pantsers and plotters
the more he talks about that book that didn't take off because it changed from a classic fantasy to a post-modernistic take halfway through, the more I want to read it. I wish there was some way we could figure out that the book is. I'm genuinely interested.
I knew I'd love this lecture because I'm writing a book called Illusionist, so, I'm literally an Illusionist writer. I love these lectures, they're very informative and helpful. I'm alright with characterization, but I don't do as well with plot, so this will be incredibly helpful in particular.
Uh, I have been thinking that I am writing a three act story but it looks like classic monomyth. Until today I have never heard of a monoomyth. I feel kind of silly for trying to rewrite my story into a three act for the last 9ish years.. Thanks for video!
Oh my god I would rewatch all the movies that we used to have when i was rly smol, so much that i would memorize the whole thing and would talk at the same time with the characters. Now I know why Ps. unbelievable how much patience my parents had with me and my sister, who had later joined me. Double the trouble
Thank you so much for making those videos! I love them, both the content and the way they're made (the mics and cameras setup, the audio boost that makes questions actually audible, even the links to the books and methods mentioned in the course). If I actually shopped via Amazon, I'd buy all my stuff through your links to support you, guys.
What if there were a character that refused, and stuck to their refusal. Then the rest of the first act is a slice-of-life until the plot comes to them, rather than them going out to meet the plot
Not true. For a very simple example: Wolverine in the first X-Men movie "stucks to his refusal" for almost the entire film, and the movie doesn´t suffer because of this. In this case, they compensate with several other characters who "don´t refuse". But there are many good stories that do the same, and they fix it in very different ways.
It’s not unheard of... really, it’s present in every story to some extent. The motivation for undertaking the journey has to be strong enough to “force” the character to accept. That’s why in a lot of action films generally a loved one gets kidnapped... or in a romance story they can’t shake their attraction to the other person, no matter how hard they try... or in adventure stories the world may suffer without the character’s help. You want to almost make it so your character doesn’t have the choice, because the alternative to accepting the journey would be death (literal or emotional). And as in the case you mentioned, you would simply start the story at the point when the plot comes to them so as not to have unnecessary time (for example, a story like John Wick. We start almost immediately before the plot is forced upon him, giving as much information as necessary but not more)
Hey, Camera Panda. The vids are starting to look really good now and the sound is much bether too. But is it possible to put up a mic overhead by the board or something? It isn't difficult to hear Brandon anymore, but the vids would be even better if the sound was even. That said, you're doing great work here :)
Well, these lectures were 2016 winter semester, so they are already all filmed. If we ever do this again I would ponder using an overhead mic, but I am not sure how much it would help. Even the very nice lav that Brandon is wearing doesn't pick up everything when Brandon turns his head. There's also a quite nice shotgun mic in the front row and that helps, but less so when Brandon is facing the board. So yeah, it's tough to have totally solid audio on a moving subject. I also wouldn't want to have to mix several more audio sources in during post. Thanks!
Ah! I see. I thought this was a week-to-week thing :) Well, the vids are really quite good indeed, and the occasional sound fluxiations isn't too much of a problem. Brandon easily gets away with it on charm alone ;) Good work, Camera Panda! (I've been following these courses for years and it is about time they are redone in better quality like this. Thanks, man!)
I think it is just fine. These are lectures and for me, they don't have to be "perfect". The "flaws" lend themselves to the legitimacy of the classroom experience.
Star Wars Original Trilogy: Three Act: - A New Hope - Empire Strikes Back - Return of the Jedi Five Act: - A New Hope - Empire - Hoth - Dagobah - Bespin - Jedi ?
Mr Heck damn thats one take but if you’re obviously watching and taking this mans advice then you have to admit what he’s talking about and his work is not garbage , although you may think the 3 act system is inherently garbage even though he states he tends not to use that method
I'm watching to learn another way to organise and plan a book/characters/all that jazz. Plus I'm a big nerd for it anyway, but this is great stuff from a living legend.
7:28 _So, Strange Attractor... Is the overarching concept present in chaos theory. Brandon has a way of leaving important details like that out._ _you should study chaos theory because it deals with the Dynamics of all active systems between the known and the unknown. There's an actual pattern to the edge of chaos, and it's when we are on the edge of the unknown and turning away from the familiar that things not only reach climax or a frenzy, but we feel most alive. Chaos theory has been adopted not only by scientists but writers, psychologists, economists and the like. It's a fundamental understanding to grasp and can only improve your work. The important concept is that things are not linear. Things are always dynamic, there's an unknown element that draws a system towards a certain way, in psychology, you can think of an idea in the person's unconscious mind, or a feeling that drives behavior, as the strange attractor. Often a lot of work goes into discovering... What is this strange attractor which influences outcomes. In chaos theory, it is appreciated that a very tiny shift or item, seemingly insignificant, that begins at the beginning of an enterprise, can influence the whole structure, where the whole pile of sand collapses on itself, because of a single grain of sand. Again this is true not only in Psychology and writing but physics. While on the other hand what appears to be a major shift, can oddly enough, not have a structural change to the pile of sand. To wit, having your father die might seem to be a major turning point. But sometimes people just continue in their ways, without a parent, like I did. However something like a car accident, a fender bender even, can have a tremendous psychological and emotional impact on one's psyche --- or the plot of your story. Right? Some "strange attractor" gets into the mind of the reader, and influences their behavior. A single sentence._ _I hope you're starting to see the value of studying chaos theory! It's actually science, so that's pretty cool too._
I enjoyed the first 2, but I can't believe how he talks about the Monomyth (hero with a thousand faces). I feel like maybe 1 out of 100 people who talk about it, ever read it cover to cover.
Gentle reminder that Spoilers should NOT affect you as much as it does. Yes, spoilers are unpleasant, but if you've read or known Stormlight Archive, there is a saying that lies true. "Journey before destination." It doesn't matter if you know what will happen, it's about the HOW. That's why you enjoy movies/stories in the first place. You sort of in your head know that good will prevail, but you don't care that you already know the main character will win, you want to know HOW. Who cares if you know so and so dies? It's HOW THEY DIED and WHY THEY DIED that matters, not that they DID.
Just brought first book "mistborn - final empire" today and im about to read it because my friend suggested it, and this on my reccomendations??? What is this plot twist?
I wish there was a still of him in front of the entire monolithic journey to capture. It would make for a great desktop staring me in the face every single day. Or a poster for everyone with his face hovering over "mentor." I bet it would sell like toilet paper. ; )
It's not like a normal class - the expectation is a certain amount of writing. He said in another year of this class that at the end of the course he basically gave an A to anyone who got the required 50000 words down, an A minus if the writing wasn't particularly good.
Does anyone have any idea of the author or the book he talks about at 19:22? I've heard him tell this story several times, and he's never said who it is. I understand that he wants to keep it anonymous, since he's criticizing their work, but I would genuinely like to read that book.
@54:25 Dude asks if the "yes, but" "no, and" book can get exhausting. Brandon mentioned Battlefield Earth, and I was totally thinking the Mission Earth decology (same author, written a couple years later). Great minds think alike!?!?
I've never understood people's strong aversion to spoilers. Does knowing that Aeneas eventually finds his way to Rome and kills Turnus in the end make the Aeneid not worth reading? Am I wrong in thinking that there are much more fruitful aspects of literature other than the fleeting moment of surprise one feels learning something for the first time? It's like saying your steak is ruined because someone told you it was cooked medium rare, and you wanted to discover it's "medium-rare-ness" on your own. Just enjoy your damn steak!
funny and true but I still don't want spoilers of Throne of Glass or Cassandra Clarke books. Attack me if you want but just close your eyes and insert the books you think I should read
Does anyone know what book he was talking about that floundered and he won't tell the name of? It would be great for research and I'm a fan of both types of fantasy so it might be right up my alley.
¿quizás podrías poner subtítulos automáticos y traducidos automáticamente del ingles al español? Yo lo he hecho, vas escuchando para confirmar o corregir algunas partes y con nivel medio de ingles consigues escucharla.
Love this man and love his lectures but boy oh boy does he sure love bringing up That One Certain Unnamed Fantasy Author who wrote That One Certain Fantasy Novel That Didn’t Work. Lol hearing him tell the story so many times makes it feel now like one of those old family stories your great uncle has to mention every family get-together, and retell to every new friend of significant other any family member brings over for dinner. Lol.
I really like how this guy teaches. He always make the questions and suggestions feel justified, even if he has to refute them. Too many lecturers are quick to put a student down for asking a stupid question. Major respect for Brandon.
Dehell kind of collage do you go to? My lecturers are pretty much always nice and do this
Solokeh Krontos It helps when the lecturer is extremely passionate--as Brandon clearly is--about their subject
@@TheToneBender Try many colleges in pennsylvania
@@TheToneBender If you're in writing sure. If you ask a politics professor a question they don't like they'll get snappy really quickly
@@lokenontherange I feel that it's less the topic, and more the person. I'm sure there are some good politic professors out there who listen to students, and some bad writing professors who only think that their way is the right one
I literally reached the part where he said sorry if this is spoilers for Mistborn, then went and read The Final Empire in two sittings.
Now I'm back to finish the video!
I just finished Final empire. Are there any spoilers for the second and third book which I am reading now?
@Siena Kabay I just finished the whole trilogy yesterday :D. So I can watch it now.
For anyone curious, I almost wouldn't call what he discusses a spoiler. It would probably be akin to saying "In LOTR one of the plot points will be to destroy the one ring." He goes into absolutely no details about why that is hard or how it's actually done.
Hah!
Oh my goodness, you just spoiled Lord of the Rings for me.
Just kidding, I’ve read LotR.
this is so amazing... God bless the internet. Taking a course from the master of plot is such a privilege.
Bettie Turner so much this
Bettie Turner i agree
The second you said he was 'the master of plot', I knew that you have read only about three books ever written, all three being Sanderson books. I can easily name five masters of plot better than Sanderson in every way. Hmm, maybe I can name twenty come to think of it. He may be 'a master of plot' but he's not 'the master'. I wonder if he's even a master. Maybe he's a great plotter. But master implies the highest level/ability. Pity you believe these things.
Warhammer Workshop jeez live a little
The second you said this I knew you had to be like 16 and haven't developed the concept of knowing what subjectivity is and that you're egocentric statements appear similar to how an undeveloped young person would feel in regards to someone else's opinion that challenges your own. Can you please cite a reputable source where research and absolute study has proven that Sanderson is in fact not a 'master of plotting' and that these twenty authors you can name are better than him? Or, is this just an overly inflated opinion in response to someone else's opinion? And really, splitting hairs between saying he's "a master" but not "the master" is petty and furthers weakens your argument. I'm not even a Sanderson's fan I just like his thoughts on the craft of writing so don't think this is some lame fanboy retaliation. I just find it sad when people so adamantly trumps everyone else's, their wrong and I'm right so you must be dumb and I'm smarter.
This class is flat-out fantastic. In one hour, Sanderson manages to summarize the three-act structure, the hero's journey, a great little freestyling tool called "Yes But No And" (YBNA?) and then his own very flexible method for tying disparate story elements together into a cohesive whole. It's definitely the most action-packed hour of plot instruction I've ever experienced. Highly recommended.
I completely agree! His lectures are not only dynamic but extremely useful, I do not know why I didn't listen to these sooner!!
it's almost like he knows what he's talking about... lol
I have seen your comments on every video, have you written a book? Just curious :)
I had read that Brandon was teaching classes and thought, "Man, I would LOVE to be in those!" ...Lo and behold. I nearly had a heart attack when I discovered these videos!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, to all of those who made these available for unfortunate souls like me to watch. They are stupendous! They're just as fun as I thought they'd be, and already he's helped me fix some serious problems with a story I'm working on. 😊❤
one of the most unpretentious writers I've listened to speaking about the craft
hard to be pretentious about fantasy. Kind of the same as comedy. Hard to be pretentious about something that is made to bring joy.
25:40. Guy who adamantly raises his hand (with pen), even though instructor's back is turned and will be turned for several moments. Then puts it down the instant instructor turns around.
Im sad now
I think he put his hand down because Sandy moved to the next tool (to the next topic).
I had to pause the video because I was laughing when I saw this. I wanted to know what his question was.
Maybe he did it bc he was gonna say oh there the three act format and he said it himself
That’s me, throughout all of college
Brandon is probably the best instructor I have encountered in my journey to learn this process. He explains where others are vague, and he makes sense of the jumbled information I have accumulated over time. I read most everything he writes and follow Writing Excuses faithfully. If you are struggling with the process, this is where you need to be!
He's awesome, my favorite author
That's a problem, faithfully following Sanderson and shown by the fact you've read everything he's ever written. To give you a few other names (directly or indirectly): Aristotle, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Hemingway, J. R. R. Tolkien, H. G. Wells, Ian McEwan, Steven Pinker, Stephen Fry, George Orwell, William Strunk, and more.
What is it that makes it a problem? Just curious on your take.
She didn't say she hasn't read anyone else, just that she's read the majority of his stuff. I'd argue there's the positive that cindy knows for certain there's a writer out there with a writing style that she loves and can refer to and build on; a concept in alot of people's creative process: take their favourite story/concept/thing then add what they felt has always been missing or remove other things until it's at a point where it's inspired by but unique to the original.
Retro Workshop Do you have a problem with Sanderson or something? You seem to be really intent on putting people who praise him down.
Retro Workshop Any of them available for writing classes, though?
I just realized this is the same author my brother had just gotten super interested in reading. This is hilarious. I'm gonna have to send these all to him now.
Did you?
At 58:00, that is what Kelsier pretty much does in Mistborn. (He writes everything up on a board in the same fashion)
Lol, yeah.
YES! I totally thought the same thing
YUP. I thought the same thing. xDDDD (I just finished Mistborn last week and this lecture is suddenly feeling so meta right now.)
I love how he uses actual story examples of the terms and things he descibes.
I love how he spoils his own books. Kinda cracks me up honestly. Why take the fun out of other people's stories, when I can take the fun out of my own.
Interestingly, there have been experiments that show that people may enjoy a spoiled story more. (Enjoying the journey versus the destination). Kinda strange
@@matthewsawczyn6592 haha journey before destination---Life before death, perhaps? (when you get basically all the main characters in mistborn dying at the end of the series spoiled for you and yet you want to see how they die)
As someone who has gotten into writing a bit later in life (I'm 28 now), these videos have been a tremendous help in understanding the craft of writing more as well as being able to have more appreciation for books in general. Brandon is a fantastic writer and teacher and it's amazing that these lectures are completely free and available to all! Thank you so much!
Luckily writing is one of those practices with a long shelf life, eh? Best of luck in your endeavors..!
1:00:24 Those reflexes though
Didn't even smudge his jacket!
Brandon has the best t-shirts.
They say that those who can't do, teach. Well this guy is quite capable at both! I'm brand new at writing yet feel like he's put me light years ahead already!
Also, nobody who knows a teacher or has taught ever says that :D
Whoever says that is an absolute idiot
I am struck with a constant struggle of trying to hold myself back from procrastinating watching these videos, when I should be writing. Brandon is just too funny! His lectures are more entertaining than most actual entertainers, let alone teachers.
Thanks so much. Great how to advise. I feel like I'm back in college. This series is one of the best podcasts on writing on RUclips.
thank you very much for the care what went into recording, editing, making a detail description with time stamps, it will help many people
It feels pretty surreal to be watching a writing lecture and realize your last 10 years almost perfectly fit the 3 act format being described.
.
When you are able to pinpoint the specific events (and their rough dates) where each act starts/ends and what decision/realization triggered act2/act3. When you can even go into specifics such as characterization, character development, forshadowings and specific story beats.
.
And to top it off watching this video feels like it's part of the conclusion/epilogue and is probably setting up the next story arc.
.
Sometimes life gets really wierd and freaky with its lemons and lemonades. It's pretty cool.
I literally pause every 10 seconds to write something down. This is a treasure!
in the lord of the rings they do a great job of crossing the threshold and accepting a crazy adventure when sam stops in the field and says if i take one more step forward its the furthest i've ever been from home and then he does it.
0:08 character Motivation
2:40 Superman vs Scrooge
5:25 being an illusionist
10:04 sense of progress
14:18 promises
25:46 3 acts
28:19 hero of 1000 faces
50:10 pantsing
51:18 yes but no
56:00 Brendan's plotting method
Brandon Sanderson taking potshots at Peter Jackson while wearing a metallica shirt is one of the better things that the internet has to offer
Man, Brandons method in this video makes things so clear. To have different promises and stuff series of moments in these promises really makes a good structure for discovery writers or outliners.
Why does 99% of this class look like they're slowly dying inside...I'm watching this from my office thinking, "Man, what wouldn't I give to be able to raise my hand and ask Brandon Sanderson questions about writing?"
Absorbing what he's saying, I assume. They're also writing in between each lecture so they're likely relating things to what they're trying to work on.
@Shane Bateman I can tell you´ve never assisted to one of these courses in person.
It's probably more that they're college students and dealing with the soul-crushing nature of the work, the time spent on piles of homework, and the hormones. They're probably just tired. That was me in college, no energy left for even classes I was excited about. My learning and energy went up as soon as I was done.
What do you want them to do? Smile and giggle? They’re studying. I’m glad they’re not a bunch of star struck weirdos. They’re serious students.
Great video. The volume was spot on. I was able to hear every question the students asked. It was also cool being able to see some of the class. That's a massive lecture hall.
Me: *watchinh peacefully*
Brandon: I'll do this for Mistborn, sorry if any of this is spoiler
Me: *closes computer so hard my table shakes*
Did the exact same thing! I literally started reading Mistborn a day before I watched this haha I will have to come back for the last ten minutes or so later.
Isaiah Kazarovich A year later and I’m in the same position. Did you find that it would’ve spoiled Mistborn pretty terribly? Deciding if I want to finish reading before I watch the video.
@@kliqIMB Same here. Any updates? What did you do?
Barış Atik I was looking around for hardcovers for the first trilogy and ended up finding Brandon’s website was the best deal; plus, he signs them! I was waiting on the personalization option to be available but turns out it takes 2-3 months to receive them. So I’m deciding today what I want to do.
For anyone curious, I almost wouldn't call what he discusses a spoiler. It would probably be akin to saying "In LOTR one of the plot points will be to destroy the one ring." He goes into absolutely no details about why that is hard or how it's actually done.
The Brandon method is exactly what i've been trying to use for months, but not quite figuring out. That alone makes the 3 hours ive already spent watching these lectures worth it, plus all the other stuff ive learned. can't wait to watch the rest of them and get writing again.
I love the part of flat characters who accomplish something vs. arc characters who have learned something. This goes back to the teachings I've had from KM. Weiland in where I've learned that flat characters don't change themselves but influence the characters around them, for good or for bad: Superman would have a positive influence where the Joker (another flat character - origin stories aside) would would have a negative influence. Both accomplish something but don't change themselves.
Rogue One is a great example of where the heroes don't win outright, but there's a partial victory and more it's promised.
Other people: I really like how he teaches, he's such a great person, etc, etc
Me: OMG he's wearing a Metallica t-shirt
Peyton Blotsky right?
Right? I wasn't surprised by him being a good teacher, but the Metallica t-shirt broke my schemes. My admiration only grows.
I like him in spite of it - I don't like metal, the only decent metal I've ever heard is Iron Maiden number of the beast
what I learned: tell stories about dinosaurs and pretzels
Does it work? no!
Sounds like a time travel plot.
Yes dinosaurs and pretzels are great but.... the dinosaur will eat your pretzels. Now you have a thirsty dinosaur.
"Mystries". Dude, this is so bizarre. Sanderson is a great writer but his editor must be well paid.
Spell check is a wonderful thing. ;)
Whatever, his spelling is better
yeah haha his spelling is amazing. Kinda supports my "mad genius" hypothesis :D But it hardly matters, its just illustrative and as long as no mistakes make their way into his work who cares.
Brandon is a great teacher, I've learned A LOT by watching this man.
Imagine being in college and having a teacher this sensational 👍👍
One of the things I loved about Mistborn's opening was that he seemed to nod to all the dumb/familiar fantasy tropes and then quickly dispell them in subtle ways. Kelsier is the mysterious stranger coming to save the day, but at the end of the chapter, the people he saved aren't super happy about it. Vin is an orphan who doesn't trust anyone, but the moment she's presented with a chance for a better life she takes it, not without reservation, but there's no manufactured conflict. Then later, when he starts doing the big stuff, the really different, really clever stuff it feels right. There's the promise of it, as he says, in really subtle clever ways at the beginning. It really made me trust that he knew what he was doing from the first few pages.
I find it really cool that I’ve been plotting my books in the same way Brandon has, years before I ever listened to this. I have a google doc called ‘stuff that should happen.’ I work backwards from what I know will happen then gradually flesh it out, adding connective scenes and whatnot. I would advise using this method- I think it works for both pantsers and plotters
the more he talks about that book that didn't take off because it changed from a classic fantasy to a post-modernistic take halfway through, the more I want to read it. I wish there was some way we could figure out that the book is. I'm genuinely interested.
OMG that Peter Jackson joke had me rolling!
He knows that he's holding gold dust but just wants to give it out freely
I knew I'd love this lecture because I'm writing a book called Illusionist, so, I'm literally an Illusionist writer. I love these lectures, they're very informative and helpful. I'm alright with characterization, but I don't do as well with plot, so this will be incredibly helpful in particular.
@Lydia Steinberg Did you finish your book..??
I felt bad for the guy whose question got shut down
I don't have time to feel sorry for him right now, but I will do so later on.
could you guys put in subtitles for the students questions? it's often hard to understand their audio
I am so thankful to God for Brandon.
I like how as soon as he makes a sports metaphor the video ends. Very meta.
Uh, I have been thinking that I am writing a three act story but it looks like classic monomyth. Until today I have never heard of a monoomyth. I feel kind of silly for trying to rewrite my story into a three act for the last 9ish years.. Thanks for video!
Seeing the breakdown of mistborn was so helpful. Great lectures, I'm so thankful.
Only 11-ish minutes in, and it feels very relevant to Game of Thrones this last season.
To give the Greeks their due: "apotheosis" is a Greek word. The Anglicised Latin version would be "deification".
Oh my god
I would rewatch all the movies that we used to have when i was rly smol, so much that i would memorize the whole thing and would talk at the same time with the characters. Now I know why
Ps. unbelievable how much patience my parents had with me and my sister, who had later joined me. Double the trouble
Thank you so much for making those videos! I love them, both the content and the way they're made (the mics and cameras setup, the audio boost that makes questions actually audible, even the links to the books and methods mentioned in the course). If I actually shopped via Amazon, I'd buy all my stuff through your links to support you, guys.
I like him even more because of the Metallica shirt
What if there were a character that refused, and stuck to their refusal. Then the rest of the first act is a slice-of-life until the plot comes to them, rather than them going out to meet the plot
Not true. For a very simple example: Wolverine in the first X-Men movie "stucks to his refusal" for almost the entire film, and the movie doesn´t suffer because of this. In this case, they compensate with several other characters who "don´t refuse". But there are many good stories that do the same, and they fix it in very different ways.
@@gabrielp9646 He's just suggesting something but I can see the ideas behind both your comments as Brandon says all rules can be broken.
Kinda evangelion
It’s not unheard of... really, it’s present in every story to some extent. The motivation for undertaking the journey has to be strong enough to “force” the character to accept. That’s why in a lot of action films generally a loved one gets kidnapped... or in a romance story they can’t shake their attraction to the other person, no matter how hard they try... or in adventure stories the world may suffer without the character’s help. You want to almost make it so your character doesn’t have the choice, because the alternative to accepting the journey would be death (literal or emotional).
And as in the case you mentioned, you would simply start the story at the point when the plot comes to them so as not to have unnecessary time (for example, a story like John Wick. We start almost immediately before the plot is forced upon him, giving as much information as necessary but not more)
That Metallica shirt though. Brandon is also a man of culture it seems.
Hey, Camera Panda. The vids are starting to look really good now and the sound is much bether too. But is it possible to put up a mic overhead by the board or something? It isn't difficult to hear Brandon anymore, but the vids would be even better if the sound was even. That said, you're doing great work here :)
Well, these lectures were 2016 winter semester, so they are already all filmed. If we ever do this again I would ponder using an overhead mic, but I am not sure how much it would help. Even the very nice lav that Brandon is wearing doesn't pick up everything when Brandon turns his head. There's also a quite nice shotgun mic in the front row and that helps, but less so when Brandon is facing the board. So yeah, it's tough to have totally solid audio on a moving subject. I also wouldn't want to have to mix several more audio sources in during post.
Thanks!
Ah! I see. I thought this was a week-to-week thing :) Well, the vids are really quite good indeed, and the occasional sound fluxiations isn't too much of a problem. Brandon easily gets away with it on charm alone ;) Good work, Camera Panda!
(I've been following these courses for years and it is about time they are redone in better quality like this. Thanks, man!)
Maybe a headset mic would be in order for future recordings for Brandon or others prone to turning their heads a lot.
I think it is just fine. These are lectures and for me, they don't have to be "perfect". The "flaws" lend themselves to the legitimacy of the classroom experience.
At 21:00 I want to read that book so bad now...
Star Wars Original Trilogy:
Three Act:
- A New Hope
- Empire Strikes Back
- Return of the Jedi
Five Act:
- A New Hope
- Empire
- Hoth
- Dagobah
- Bespin
- Jedi
?
Yeah... now I want to read that book tht he's talking about (20:00), but won't really mention :P
daddyleon Yeah, me too!
Same. If anyone in the future has suspicions on who the author is I'd love to know.
Mr Heck damn thats one take but if you’re obviously watching and taking this mans advice then you have to admit what he’s talking about and his work is not garbage , although you may think the 3 act system is inherently garbage even though he states he tends not to use that method
Read mistborn better
yeah i want to read it too. him not saying it feels like censorship :(
Great watch. I like the bullet-pointing idea at the end.
At 52:00 I begin to suspect Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians is the kind of story this could produce. Dinosaurs? I refer you to page 67.
this is very useful. definitely gonna use this. lots of advice about good and bad writing, and guiding hints which would
be very helpful to me.
Metallica shirt! Another reason added to the list of why you're awesome! :-)
Is anyone else just watching these for fun? I find the lecturer very interesting
I'm watching to learn another way to organise and plan a book/characters/all that jazz. Plus I'm a big nerd for it anyway, but this is great stuff from a living legend.
7:28
_So, Strange Attractor... Is the overarching concept present in chaos theory. Brandon has a way of leaving important details like that out._
_you should study chaos theory because it deals with the Dynamics of all active systems between the known and the unknown. There's an actual pattern to the edge of chaos, and it's when we are on the edge of the unknown and turning away from the familiar that things not only reach climax or a frenzy, but we feel most alive. Chaos theory has been adopted not only by scientists but writers, psychologists, economists and the like. It's a fundamental understanding to grasp and can only improve your work. The important concept is that things are not linear. Things are always dynamic, there's an unknown element that draws a system towards a certain way, in psychology, you can think of an idea in the person's unconscious mind, or a feeling that drives behavior, as the strange attractor. Often a lot of work goes into discovering... What is this strange attractor which influences outcomes. In chaos theory, it is appreciated that a very tiny shift or item, seemingly insignificant, that begins at the beginning of an enterprise, can influence the whole structure, where the whole pile of sand collapses on itself, because of a single grain of sand. Again this is true not only in Psychology and writing but physics. While on the other hand what appears to be a major shift, can oddly enough, not have a structural change to the pile of sand. To wit, having your father die might seem to be a major turning point. But sometimes people just continue in their ways, without a parent, like I did. However something like a car accident, a fender bender even, can have a tremendous psychological and emotional impact on one's psyche --- or the plot of your story. Right? Some "strange attractor" gets into the mind of the reader, and influences their behavior. A single sentence._
_I hope you're starting to see the value of studying chaos theory! It's actually science, so that's pretty cool too._
DUDE. Nice Metallica shirt, Brandon!!
Listening to this and literally having an idea. I'm like. "Oh, shi---t I know what I can make my character work on!"
47:57 Apotheosis is Greek, actually, although some Greek words come to us through Latin, so this might be one of them.
Anyone else love connecting his points to his books haha makes me feel clever
I enjoyed the first 2, but I can't believe how he talks about the Monomyth (hero with a thousand faces). I feel like maybe 1 out of 100 people who talk about it, ever read it cover to cover.
Gentle reminder that Spoilers should NOT affect you as much as it does. Yes, spoilers are unpleasant, but if you've read or known Stormlight Archive, there is a saying that lies true. "Journey before destination." It doesn't matter if you know what will happen, it's about the HOW. That's why you enjoy movies/stories in the first place. You sort of in your head know that good will prevail, but you don't care that you already know the main character will win, you want to know HOW. Who cares if you know so and so dies? It's HOW THEY DIED and WHY THEY DIED that matters, not that they DID.
Thanks again for the post.
Just brought first book "mistborn - final empire" today and im about to read it because my friend suggested it, and this on my reccomendations??? What is this plot twist?
26:32
Tell that to protists and fungi. Also, that man is the very measure of a modern major general.
Jesus Christ, these lectures are valuable.
56:00 Brandon Sanderson's Plotting Method
I wish there was a still of him in front of the entire monolithic journey to capture. It would make for a great desktop staring me in the face every single day. Or a poster for everyone with his face hovering over "mentor." I bet it would sell like toilet paper. ; )
5:36 Reminds me of a certain story teller in the Stormlight Archive. I'm on to you Sanderson.
i really love these, can I download them as podcasts? really inspiring me to start writing again after 25 years!
Love this class! Thanks for posting this!!!
thank you so much for uploading the videos! great work... cant wait for the next one. Btw great idea about the bulletpoints on the description section
Bro, Brandon, I'm only 3 chapters into Mistborn.... you spoiled the plot for me dude!
56:00 56:22
Brandon's plotting method.
how does brandon grade this class? anybody taken it? If you had a syllabus i would love you
It's not like a normal class - the expectation is a certain amount of writing. He said in another year of this class that at the end of the course he basically gave an A to anyone who got the required 50000 words down, an A minus if the writing wasn't particularly good.
Does anyone have any idea of the author or the book he talks about at 19:22? I've heard him tell this story several times, and he's never said who it is. I understand that he wants to keep it anonymous, since he's criticizing their work, but I would genuinely like to read that book.
I'm curious as well. we could probably figure it out by sorting through fantasy books that year by new writers.
No clue, but there are so many books it would be hard to sort by year.
Its definitely possible that book doesn't exist and he made it up in order to prove a point
Patrick Singer
yeah it's possible. that's what i thought initially too
I disagree with Damico881.
It's a remote possiblity, but doesn't fit that well.
@54:25 Dude asks if the "yes, but" "no, and" book can get exhausting. Brandon mentioned Battlefield Earth, and I was totally thinking the Mission Earth decology (same author, written a couple years later). Great minds think alike!?!?
Or maybe the author just didn't reach any progress. :-)
I am curious who was that guy who, s career nose dived. I want to read his book.
I've never understood people's strong aversion to spoilers. Does knowing that Aeneas eventually finds his way to Rome and kills Turnus in the end make the Aeneid not worth reading? Am I wrong in thinking that there are much more fruitful aspects of literature other than the fleeting moment of surprise one feels learning something for the first time? It's like saying your steak is ruined because someone told you it was cooked medium rare, and you wanted to discover it's "medium-rare-ness" on your own. Just enjoy your damn steak!
Does repeating it in the comments help anyone?
funny and true but I still don't want spoilers of Throne of Glass or Cassandra Clarke books. Attack me if you want but just close your eyes and insert the books you think I should read
Does anyone know what book he was talking about that floundered and he won't tell the name of? It would be great for research and I'm a fan of both types of fantasy so it might be right up my alley.
Cuando no entiendes el inglés y sufres porque este vídeo no contiene subtítulos... Desgraciada de mí😭
Lo siento Keren ;-;
When you don't understand English and suffer because this video doesn't have subtitles. What a wretch I am 😭 Yo tambien lo siento.
¿quizás podrías poner subtítulos automáticos y traducidos automáticamente del ingles al español? Yo lo he hecho, vas escuchando para confirmar o corregir algunas partes y con nivel medio de ingles consigues escucharla.
sadly, youtube deleted the community subtitles option
38:14 Monomyth - Tool, not guidebook.
this makes me want to re-rewatch star wars for the 1000th time
Love this man and love his lectures but boy oh boy does he sure love bringing up That One Certain Unnamed Fantasy Author who wrote That One Certain Fantasy Novel That Didn’t Work. Lol hearing him tell the story so many times makes it feel now like one of those old family stories your great uncle has to mention every family get-together, and retell to every new friend of significant other any family member brings over for dinner. Lol.
Hell Yeah. My mans repping my band circa 1985 version
Mistborn plot outline 56:26
37:54 poor fella struggling to keep his eyes open. I know that feel too well. Though, it wouldn't happen to me in this class!
Whenever they show the students I like to search for who's asleep
Who is the guy with the book failure?
Metallica shirt. Love it.
My duppelganger was there! I am jealous.