Brandon is insane, not only does he write an insane amount and interact with fans a ton but he also is posting his university lectures for free for the second time and taking questions from RUclips!
It is an unbelievable amount of patience and motivation. He literally does more than, or at least comparable to, the protagonists in his fantasy books, and it's amazing.
Definitely not only the second time. The others may be on a different channel, I don't remember for sure. They're worth checking out too. His lectures vary every year.
I’m a meticulous outliner when it comes to writing. Before drafting, I map out every detail, ensuring each scene serves multiple purposes. I love the moment when everything clicks, the perfect puzzle piece that ties together arcs, world-building, and plot progress. But sometimes I worry I’m too analytical, treating writing like a math problem. Would a bit of discovery writing make my storytelling more fluid? When I try, I feel like I’m missing chances to craft those perfect connections; as if I’m wasting words. Can a story be planned too precisely? What are your thoughts about this? Greetings from Germany, and big ups for those free lectures. Can’t appreciate it enough!
Taddl, wir haben zu viele gleiche Interessen, lol. Früher vbt, Musik machen, und jetzt finde ich dich hier random in den Comments 🤣 kannst dich auch nicht für ein Hobby entscheiden oder? :D
I guess it depends on if its negatively effecting your story. If not then I don't think planning alot is bad. That's just my opinion though. It's best to wait for Brandon's advice lol. But yea, I'm also just replying here because I’m a Christian and wanted to share the gospel with everyone! Please consider the Gospel message. To anyone reading this, there is a loving God who wants to save you. And because He loves us, He (Jesus) died on the cross and resurrected 3 days later so we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved. Repent and believe the Gospel! Please consider the state of your soul and don't let this chance pass you by. Believe in Jesus and follow Him so you can have salvation. Life is short, please make the right choice today before its too late. Jesus loves you.
3 часа назад+3
The hello from Germany explains it all haha, I was like wow that person is really meticulous with their outline😂👌🏾
Thank you for those lectures being free for everyone. I don't know If I will ever be a published author or If I will be able to tell the big story I have in my mind, but I want to publish at least one book and those lectures helped me see obstacles that I didn't saw before in that story. Question: How do you balance and promise bitter sweet endings?
What do you mean by bittersweet ending? Do you mean like The Best of Me by Nicolas Sparks or like the Chinese drama Under the Hawthorne Tree? Or like Me Before You by Jojo Moyes? You know what all three of those are the same. I could go on and on but my best advice is to know your audience and make it satisfying. At risk of spoiling, The Best of Me was such a sweet second chance romance between high school sweethearts but the woman is a single mother when they meet again and the guy steps up that you can see that they are going to be a great family but her son is injured and needs something like a heart transplant or something along the lines that someone else has to die in order to donate the needed organ, you don’t find out until after that the guy died and was an organ donor and is a perfect match for the son. It’s satisfying, but now I refuse to read Sparks unless I’m in the mood.
@@theresakidd the bitter sweet ending I have in my mind borders on being a tragedy from a personal point of view of an important character and it would most likely be seen that way by readers, even though the goal of the plot is achieved and the overall world is in better place. It's kinda as if at the end of lord of the rings the Shire as a place was completely destroyed and couldn't be rebuilt. My problem is that most people will most likely expect a happy ending and could be completely put of by my conclusion and be unsatisfied. I don't see it as a twist, but more like a natural conclusion of the story and the entire point of the story. I don't really like the idea of making the begging and middle of the story sadder on purpose just to make it consistent through out. I also should mention that I have plans of a continuation with a way happier ending, but this book would be in my opinion a satisfying self contained story that would fulfill it's mission statement: "teaching moon how to cry".
🔥 Q&A on Plot 🔥 00:01 - Intro & audience Q&A. 01:18 - Types of story promises. 03:49 - Setting up "stand up and cheer" moments. 05:05 - Chekhov’s Gun & payoff expectations. 06:44 - Avoiding unoriginal plots. 08:24 - How to subvert tropes effectively. 09:42 - Revising Way of Kings to improve originality. 11:30 - Twists: When and how to use them. 13:14 - The risks of late-game deconstruction. 15:53 - Changing genres to make a story fresh. 16:34 - Mistborn was inspired by subverting fantasy tropes. 18:20 - How to handle unfulfilled promises in a series. 19:35 - Why first books should stand alone. 21:23 - Choosing a plotting method that fits your story. 24:05 - Weaving multiple story arcs together. 27:49 - Common mistakes in exposition. 30:55 - How to avoid info dumps. 35:19 - Managing steep learning curves in worldbuilding. 39:28 - Keeping track of story promises. 43:10 - Sanderson’s outlining method. 45:21 - Tools he uses for outlining. 48:37 - Foreshadowing for discovery writers. 51:00 - The difference between suspense and twists. 53:09 - Shock twists vs. meaningful twists. 55:07 - Why spoilers don’t always ruin a story. 57:31 - Effective foreshadowing techniques. 59:33 - Using other characters' perspectives for foreshadowing. 01:01:25 - Avoiding a quality drop after a climax. 01:05:01 - How to hook readers while setting up the world. 01:08:11 - Making failed goals feel satisfying. 01:11:04 - Writing memory loss plotlines effectively. 01:12:55 - Choosing between different plot ideas. 01:13:31 - What to ask beta readers about your plot.
@@bipolarminddroppingsActually these are my personal notes. You can check but these might be a bit different from the ones listed there (didn't compare them myself). Just sharing if anyone finds them useful.
Hey, Brandon. I really appreciate the fact that you put these lectures out for free. I'm loving them so far. My question is how do you effectively write a betrayal arc? For example, the main character's closest friend turns their back on the main character and ends up turning around and actively trying to stop them. How do I make that hit hard and really resonate with the audience? And more importantly, how do I make the falling out feel realistic without drawing too much attention to it? I'd like my main character to not really realize it's happening until it's too late.
Remember, sometimes one person's betrayal is the other person's greater loyalty to a higher Ideal. The very traits that make the person a best friend, are the traits that ignite the betrayal. Like Brutus and Julius Caesar. I know, I'm not Brandon, but from observation, make us and the betrayed one both love the betrayer up until the moment of betrayal. No love; no shock.
I'm not Brandon but my advice would be to make the readers think the main character is going to get betrayed by someone else! Still plant the foreshadowing that friend 1 will betray your character but hide it behind another friend's suspected betrayal so the reveal will hit harder. Also maybe have one of the characteristics of the main character be very caring especially towards close friends and very loyal to them. To add complexity: the main character fears betraying a friend... They struggle with selfishness or something but ultimately chooses their friends over the easy way out but then *table flip noises* the side character bestie betrays them. Basically what I'm saying is to hide it well and add a lot of meaning to that betrayal. ButBrandon will have a greater answer than this!
Brandon here (secret alt account). My professional advice is to write from life: think about a time _you_ betrayed someone and the dumb sucker didn't even see it coming. This will add verisimilitude. (If you still can't think of anything, betray a friend and see how long it takes them to figure it out and what gave it away-worst case scenario, they never do and you got in a free backstab!)
Can Brandon talk more about plot archetypes? He mentioned before how Mistborn is an interplay of four ideas: heist, master-apprentice, mystery, and romance. So how to use plot archetypes, and how to pick original combinations (especially for a story with a bigger scale than Mistborn)?
I've started at least 8 fantasy books in my life and never get past the climax, these videos are inspiring to keep pushing. I have the outlines, and know the outcome, but it always seemed so daunting to get there. But I'm getting there!
I'm definitely one of the people who isn't affected by spoilers. It doesn't bother me at all and in fact I sometimes read the plot summary on Wikipedia before reading a book. Usually if something is a known commodity like a good author I will try to avoid being spoiled but still I wouldn't be upset if it somehow got spoiled.
Spoilers for a book are vastly different for spoilers for a film/tv show. The visuals and experience of TV & movies really makes things much better than a group of words. For books it's really different as so many things signpost where things are going and you can make effective guesses
I'm also interested in this question and trying to learn this right now! My theory so far is that the plots all wrap up in ways that support each other. So if a character needs to grow in a certain way but also a subplot where someone else ends up in trouble, maybe the character's growth enables them to bail the other character out. Obviously if those things are told together, it's just all one plot. But if they're told separately and only join together in one moment, then it's a supportive subplot. I think you could also work out subplots that show counter examples that still support your main plot, like one character failing before your main character succeeds. Biggest thing to me is that subplots aren't just other ideas I had that I'm just throwing in the pot, the subplot is showing something intentional and intersects with the main plot somewhere, even if they don't start or end up the same. Of course, these were just guidelines that helped me get started. Sure there are more ideas to have and rules to break as you get better at plotting! Hope to hear Mr. Sanderson's input!
I don’t have any questions for now but you’re the goat Brandon, thanks for all the help! Just finished my first short story and am beating the sh*t out of this novel, first in a series 😁 hope all is well!
Appreciate the free lectures, Brandon! Question: How do you determine when something you've discovery written is good enough to warrant going back and revising your outline/structure to accommodate it? Is it ever worth it? Or is it always a matter of killing your darlings? For anyone who is in the middle of that spectrum between outliner and discovery writer, how should they navigate those conflicts?
Question: You mentioned Info, relationship, apprentice plots etc. What types of plot cycles are there? Also What percentage of book time would you give to your main plot vs subplots that directly contribute to the main plot vs subplots that do not directly contribute to the main plot. Specifically for high fantasy. Thank You so much for putting these out for free, it is wonderful seeing someone just want to teach people without making you pay money to learn.
Love the "promises" and reference to Chekov's Gun. Puts me in mind of a....not well-done foreshadowning moment in a revival show of Oklahoma! - in the 1998/99 London Revival (with Hugh Jackman as Curly) version of Oklahoma!, right before intermission, the act ends with Curly twirling and holstering his pistol. This is performed with an intense, meaningful expression after he watches Laurie walk away with another man instead of him. This immediately gave me the impression that Curly would be obliged to use that pistol in a confrontation at the Box Social the musical had been building towards up to that point. Nope! Instead, it's to make sure you know it's there for when Aunt Eller snatches it to fire into the air to break up a fight. Then later Curly sells it. Felt a little...anticlimactic after the camera makes such a big deal ensuring you *know* "this dude is armed." Technically, what does happen was foreshadowed! I just thought something different would be happening.
Two part- gorilla in the phone booth question: One- How many gorillas is too many gorillas in the phone booth- specifically gorillas that will significantly affect the plot later on? Is there a limit to breadcrumbing? Two- How long do you suggest leaving the gorilla in the phone booth? Can you bring up a purposefully ignored detail written in Book 1 in Book 3?
A gorilla in the phone booth, by definition, is something that distracts the reader in the moment and then never is seen again. If it’s plot relevant, then it’s not a distraction from the story. That said, if your story’s tone is “sometimes something really weird happens, just go with it”, you can get away with a lot of things being one-off bits and pick up the one that’s actually plot relevant when the time is right. If you’ve got a more serious story, the early weirdness will seem like an odd dangling plot thread that the reader will either speculate on its relevance or just chalk up to it being early installment weirdness. Until you pay it off, your reader will be left in limbo about whether they think you’re a clever writer or an indulgent one (and if they get left hanging long enough, they’ll assume the latter and give up on waiting).
With all the books Brandon has published, it would be fascinating--as part of discussions about plots, planning, and editing--to see a zero draft from one of his smaller books. I love watching cooking shows to see the process, as I learn more from that than seeing a finished product and guessing in a deconstruction into its initial components. He gifted us an outline so we could see under the hood. A book? So interesting. Grateful for his generosity to the little dreaming writers! QUESTION: I am around 150k into a larger novel after having outlined and written chapters of a few novels I was not yet skilled enough to write. When you say to generally expect throwing away your first few books as a new author, in your experience is that really more about a kind of holistic formula equating to X number of pages to find your voice, and less about sacrificing our full-figured darlings?
Question: In terms of promises of plot, I'm writing in three POVs and one of these Main Characters is going to die. I'm not doing this for shock value or as a "twist", and I also don't take this choice lightly. How in the world do I Promise a death; giving it the respect it deserves whilst also not coming across as either too obvious or too shocking? Thanks for all you do! I started watching your content a little before your secret projects. Then went > Tress, Yumi, Mistborn, Well, Hero, elantris, warbreaker, then dual read (mistborn era 2 on kindle when out and about and Stormlight Archive in physical form when at home) and Im just at the middle of Rhythm of War! Thank you for your thoughtful characters, fun worlds, and amazing character arcs!
Just out of curiosity, how did reading Yumi before Stormlight go for you? I loved the book, but a lot of the early descriptions felt reliant on understanding Roshar (e.g. when it described people as looking Veden) and because of that it isn't something I'd recommend to someone who is new to Sanderson.
Thank you so much for opening up the Q&A to us online, too. Really makes it feel like we’re all your students. The book I’m working on now (my fifth novel) I’ve got two distinct tones that I’m trying to meld together. How can I balance those two tones in the early pages to make sure I’m getting across what I’m doing? It’s a back and forth, chapter by chapter switch between a first person reflection on the character’s childhood and a third person account of the meat of the story, much inspired by the way you did stormlight. But I worry that going on too long in the first first-person chapter may alienate certain readers, but swapping the two throws the balance of the narrative off because of the way all of the reveals are layered in. This may be too specific for you yo get into, but here’s hoping.
Thank you for these incredible lectures. I have a question about the scale of the plot: Almost any story could be expanded or shrunk massively by removing or adding characters, plotlines, mini-arcs and so on. For example, without the existence of Saruman, it might possibly take a few hundred pages less time for the good guys to win; Saruman isn't essential, but he makes the story better by introducing new themes and challenges. This also (especially) extends to how many POVs you use to tell your story. So, how do I know how much I should expand my story, or (more importantly) how much I should shrink it? How do I know what scale my story should be for the best end result?
Mr. Sanderson, thanks for opening up to questions from the internet. You really didn't have to do this. That being said, if there's a chance I have your ear now, I will certainly take advantage. Something I quite like about writing fantasy is that it's a genre where having several POV characters is fairly common and accepted by the readers. I love juxtaposing POV characters from wildly different backgrounds and in-so doing, explore different parts of the world and story from their different places in it. My question is how one can effectively get readers to buy into the plots for all your POV characters even if their stories don't immediately seem relevant to each other? I get that to an extent, it's inevitable that a reader will have a favorite POV, but are there tools to help avoid readers becoming annoyed with their least favorite POV? One tool I've been trying out recently is having more structure to the order of chapter POVs (Similar to what you did in Elantris,) with like an A,B,C,A,B,C type of format. I figure that way a reader is never too far a way from a chapter from their favorite POV, though it does of course come at the cost of constraining me somewhat in writing the order of the events of the story itself. Am I on the right track with this thought process?
Hi Brandon! I have a long-burning question (It’s less about plot and more about Genre): I once saw George RR Martin doing a live Q&A that I have long since lost and cannot find again... In it, he talks about WHY do we choose one genre or another, adding something along the lines of “Fantasy concerns itself with truth” or revealing unexpected/hidden truths (or something along those lines), like how Aragorn is first seen as a dangerous figure in a shadowy corner but revealed to be anything but. This is something I have always wondered more about but find very little info about. I would LOVE to hear you discuss the purpose of some genres, at least specifically Fantasy please. Why choose one genre vs another beyond “Because I felt like it?” Thanks in advance! Edit: Also, thank you for posting these for free. You’re a godsend for doing so. I admit I’ve never read any of your books, but you writing advice is 🤌🏻
I am loving this series! Brandon is crazy good at answering and being realistic about things while still being hopeful for you! Seriously amazing stuff man! Question: If your story (big P plot) is about exploring the world and helping others along the way ala One Piece, how do you lay down the groundwork for bigger plot moments that kind of foreshadow where the plot is going now?
Question: When you can tell *something* isn’t working in your plot, what tests should you run to quickly diagnose the problem and what’s in need of changing/adding? Sometimes I can’t write further until I figure out the issue, and I wish I could more efficiently!
When handling stories with multiple POV characters, how do you outline the plot for each of them? Do you build out each plot individually and fit them together into the Capital A Plot? Do you use structures (like the Hero’s Journey or others) for each character?
Advice on writing a story in which there are a series of antagonists, as opposed to one Big Bad Villain? In Dresden Files, Harry is hyper-competent, but he often fails to achieve the “scene goal,” and instead makes matters worse. Whereas in Name of the Wind, Kvothe often crushes the “scene goal,” yet tension is still maintained. How do you maintain tension with hyper-competent characters that actually achieve their scene goal? Can you talk about “layering conflict” more? Which is to say, giving the PoV character both internal and external conflict in a scene, and blending those conflicts to create something even more dynamic and satisfying?
Firstly, thank you so much for releasing these for free. I've learned so much about writing from watching. My question is, how do you structure series? You explained some in plot lecture 2 about how the original Star Wars movies are three hero's journeys that collectively form a larger hero's journey, but how does that structure compare to a more wandering, larger series, such as the Wheel of Time, and to other series like Mistborn? How do you personally plan out a series?
Thank you so much for all you do for the writing community! Question: How to keep external and especially internal dialogue interesting and engaging to the reader?
Prologue: I’ve been classically trained in painting, so plotting translates naturally, but when I turn to dialogue I find I’m writing the novel. “Is there a method to plotting dialogue?” Epilogue: A moment; drawn out.
Hello Mr. Sanderson, First of all, I would like to thank you for the lecture you give, it provides great insights. Also my thanks for giving this opportunity to ask a question. As a novice author, how do you know when a subplot becomes an essential part of the larger plot, or when you decide that something no longer fits within the bigger picture, or perhaps does? How does the plot develop during the writing process? Does it need to be formed before you write the ending? Kind regards, Bart
Re: 01:08:11 - The Character who Failed: Luke Skywalker's failure in ESB is narratively linked to him refusing to finish his training with Yoda so he can save his friends. Who managed to free themselves but he might have kept Vader distracted long enough for that to happen.
Hey Brandon love the series and your books! My question is when writing your progress how do you decide what types of obstacles or hinderances is best suited for your characters to move the plot along and/or for character growth? Thanks!
Thank you for this amazing lecture! I do have a question: how do you recommend writers who are heavy pansters to tackle writing a series? How much of the future books in their series should a gardener know?
Hello Brandon! I have been watching these lecture series of yours for years, and I have definitely noticed the improvement in my writing by coming back to them, especially when outlining the overall plot archetypes of my novel e.g “heist.” Questions I have always wanted to ask you about your plotting process, especially after reading your novels, and running into the problem in my own writing of having some scenes that feel boring and drawn out, even though they achieve promise/progress/payoff points, is what is your process for plotting/outlining the scenes/chapters in your novels? And do you have any advice/tips for writing interesting and concise scenes/chapters, but still achieving their plot promise/progress/payoff point?
Thank you so much for these lectures, Brandon. When you know there's possibility for a series, but want to write a contained story with series potential to make it easier to get your first book published, how do you lay groundwork for the sequels without leaving too many unanswered questions and leaving some people unsatisfied at the end of your story?
When I'm about half done with a book I skip and read the last two chapters or the last chapter and epilog. I still enjoy the book and will usually finish it.
Hello Brandon Sanderson! A question I have been wondering is how do you make effective hints for upcoming plot twists in the story? One thing I love so much about Mistborn is from even the first book you effectively hint at twists that are revealed in the 3rd, and when people read the plot twist they are are like "that's crazy! How did I not catch onto that?" How do you make a plot twist with subtle, yet good hints that go over the readers head at the time, but when the reader learns of the twist they can think back and realize the truth was there all along?
Hey! He’s kindof answered this before! He is a pretty intensive plotter and a long term plotter! I’d never want to speak for him but basically he knows the major points of a series from early on so he’s able to hint at stuff!
Brandon, First of all, thanks SO MUCH for this. The 2020 lectures may be the biggest factor in me taking my writing seriously. It’s a joy to have more! Second, I have a question. How do you know if your character is wrong for the plot, or vice versa? (I currently have a MC who is somewhat of a fantasy “mobster/gangster,” but I want him to become a mythic hero of sorts. He might be wrong for the story, but I feel like I can’t tell)
Regarding exposition, I think a lot of novice writers in particular err on the side of thinking everything needs to be laid out explicitly for the reader like it's a Wikipedia entry. Many of my favorite sci-fi & fantasy novels leave a lot of the "what's going on in this world, and how do things work" to be pieced together by the reader from context clues, which both feels more natural and is more satisfying for the reader, provided they can in fact piece it together. The tedious infodump instead becomes a point of intrigue and mystery, as long as the reader has enough to go on that they are in fact intrigued and motivated to put the pieces together, rather than merely confused and frustrated. Which is, of course, the difficult needle to thread, since there's a high degree of variance among readers in how readily they'll connect those dots.
Question for Brandon: You talk at the beginning of this Q and A about promises that are fulfilled, and promises used to trick the audience. Do you find that there is a ratio that must be kept in balance between the bait and switches, versus the straightforward ones? Any specific advise for those who are editing, in identifying whether you are overdoing one kind of promise, or promise delivery?
Q. What is your view on community? I live in India and it's tough to find a community or similar kinds of nerds that I am and sometimes I feel maybe that's what holding me back. Can I make it alone? (I am trying my best from last 3 years at least to somehow gather enough funds to come study creative writing in USA, in hopes of finding that community, but it's not cheap.) And before someone points out I am in many online groups and community it's not the same as meeting and conversing in real time. Also thank you Brandon, for all the amazing work you've been doing. I'm a big fan of yours and it'd be really something if you find your way to my comments and reply but even if not still appreciate the lectures a ton.
I am by no means an expert on this topic, but often when the community you want doesn’t already exist yet near you, you might need to create it yourself. Getting a group up and running (and maintaining it over time) is no small task, but it can help attract others who are a lot like you but thought they were all alone too. That said, even in the US, it can be difficult to find in-person writing groups outside of classes or writing conferences (and the groups often break up shortly afterwards). Before you cross the world to study, make sure to research the specific place you’re going to and learn all you can about the groups that exist there. Good luck!
Hello there from Pakistan. I have the same problem. I use the online community for now, like 20BooksTo50K and Successful Indie Author (FB), but you are right. One thing that can help a lot is having a "Local" writers group who can meet physically and discuss things, even if it's just two or three people like Brandon mentioned.
Hey there, thank you for putting up these lectures! In terms of tone promises, one I find particularly interesting is dread and tension - for example, “winter is coming” in A Song of Ice and Fire. How would you approach maintaining and developing that dread and thread without it feeling exhausting or losing the effect for the reader?
Thanks for putting these out, Brandon. How do you effectively link a character who is improvising their overall plan with an interesting plot that doesn’t feel like just a bunch of randomness popping up everywhere?
When you talk about plotting for character arcs at 40:17, do you create an arc for every main character, just POV characters, or include all side characters? I know in Mistborn you have the character plots for Vin and Elend, but you also have Sazed, Marsh, and Spook (and to a lesser extent a lot of the side characters). Perhaps this is because it's a trilogy and you have more time to incorporate more character arcs. Thanks so much for these lectures!
How deep is too deep when it comes to nesting stories within stories? My character has a race to get to, but is currently struggling to get out of bed. He’s not even depressed. He just hasn’t earned it, yet.
Question: How do you write payoff where the payoff itself isn’t supposed to be satisfying? Example: A plan is set up at the beginning that the characters in the story will follow but it goes wrong by the end. Especially if the plan going wrong is at the end of the first book of a series.
Thanks so much for doing these Brandon! I appreciate them so much. My question: how to balance a romance plot with an action plot without losing momentum in either?
How do you not fall in the trap of using a character as a plot device just to move the plot or have the character solve a problem at the perfect time and not have it feel jarring ? For example a character goes away (fake death, doing something else off screen) then comes back at the perfect time with the perfect solution to the problem when its needed the most.
When working on a "standalone with series potential" how do you balance the Stand Up and Cheer moment with leaving room for follow up? So thankful these lectures are up, these are great!
What do you include in outlining a plot, what do you leave for the writing itself? And when you are are outlining locations and characters what do you take into consideration?
I think he was referring to Kaladin taking up the shardblade after killing a shardbearer-that meant he went straight into high society. In the revised version, he refused the shardblade and ended up being sold into slavery and forced to run on the Shattered Plains instead.
This is a great series! I had just finished your other lectures only a week before these were announced. Thanks so much for these! I do have a question that I haven’t heard an answer to, either this week or last. Maybe it’s just a me problem, lol. I often find myself wanting to write multiple books at once. Is this something other authors do? Would you suggest avoiding it, even if it seems that writing multiple stories at once makes me write more in a single book than if I focused only on it?
I would like more data on foreshadowing. How much of the plot should be hinted at? Do we keep spoilers ambiguous? What should we do and not do in foreshadowing?
I have two questions: 1. Would a traditional publisher be hesitant to accept a debut novel with multiple intertwining plot threads, even if they work effectively? 2. Would it be an issue if these threads extend across a trilogy? I’m not asking whether a new author can handle complex storytelling-I’m specifically wondering about industry reception. From what I understand, Tor prefers standalone novels from debut authors, as publishers are generally more risk-averse these days. However, I’m unsure how other publishers, like Orbit or DAW, approach trilogies from new writers. Would having only the first book completed, with books two and three outlined in detail, be considered acceptable? Or would publishers require the entire trilogy to be finished before considering it? Thanks for your time!
Hi Brandon! I have a question for you. How do we know when to cut out a subplot or change the main plot (What's the diagnosis process)? And when you do, what are some good ways to change them? (Keep it similar or should we completely change it?)
Have you ever read ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ or ‘World War Z’? I want to write some webfiction similar in writing to it; with the information being given in the form of newspaper articles or interviews or scientific journals or whatever. Do you think that’s just a one-in-one thing that Max Brooks pulled off, or is it a storytelling device that could be used and find its audience? PS- It was cool (and a bit unexpected) to see you mention Progression Fantasy earlier in the lecture series. Have you ever read ‘Mother of Learning’, at least in part? It’s basically the gold standard of the genre.
If you see this, I have a plot question. How do you handle fan theories about your story? Like, you already know where you want to take the story, but readers have come to their own conclusion on how you are going to continue/end the story, to the point where that is what they are expecting, but you are planning on doing something different. Do you change what you have planned to appease the readers, or just hope that they will like what you have planned more than their own theories? I know this is a fair specific question, but I am very curious how an author with such a large fanbase handles this kind of attention, and what you think is better.
In response to your question, I would point out that as the creator, what happens in the story is ultimately up to you. You can choose to listen or not to other people, same with editing really. There have been many examples with television shows where the audience have their own ideas (usually shipped characters) which were not the initial intent, but the creators of the shows took the idea on board and it worked for the story, but not always. The story always comes first and you don't want to add things that YOU don't believe work. Also if your ending is better than their expectations, then they will love it more.
I’m not Brandon, but I would like to chime in. I’d treat fan theories like brainstorming. If they have great ideas, I would take it. However, remember that you have the central dramatic statement for each novel you write. Make sure all ideas support the central dramatic statement. So even if your fans have the greatest idea but it doesn’t support the central dramatic statement, don’t take it. Now if their ideas support the central dramatic statement better than your own ideas, I would definitely take it.
Hey I’m not Brandon but I would like to share a story that I heard that seems to be related to this question. Back when Charles Dickens was publishing, his books were originally published in serial format, so when the ending of Great Expectations was published, so much of his audience hated it that the publisher told Dickens to change the ending and that is the version we have as the classic book today. I only mention this because I think people think fan theories are a new thing when it’s nothing new. Everyone who reads your book is going to have an opinion, you have to decide if and when their opinion matters.
Hi Sanderson. First off, thank for all your lectures. I have learned quite a bit from them already. I have a question with regards to the topic of promise and payoff, as you spoke about in your earlier lecture. Fantasy, unlike horror for example, is a genre that usually has stories with a happy ending. So, many readers get into a fantasy novel with that expectation. However, if you want your story to have a tragic ending, how do you foreshadow that? What are some promises you have to make early on so that the reader somewhat expects a tragic ending? So, the reader does not feel blindsided, and as such is not left unsatisfied? Thank you. -Adrian
Hey Brando I got some questions about a story’s conflict. How important is the hero’s journey when compared to the conflict going on in the story’s world? So the Star Wars example would be how does Luke’s internal conflict connect to the wider problem of saving the galaxy. Is there one that should take priority over the other or is the heroes journey reliant on the world conflict to get resolved or vice versa? A lot of the people on here also put these long paragraphs thanking you for your work but I never read any of your books outside of about 3 sentences of Rhythm of war when I was in a bookstore 2 months ago so uh, thank you for the lectures thus far.
Question: Sometimes it’s easy to come up with the beginning and the end of a book, but what advice do you have to fill the middle of the story with a great plot when you are not sure how to connect the beginning and end in a satisfying way?
Hi Brandon, could you please go into more detail on your revision process involving editors, alpha and beta readers. If you were trying to teach a bonus lecture about being a good reader/editor, what sort of lessons would you teach to those trying to read your drafts and give you critical feedback? And how would these lessons overlap/differ from the advice you would give to an author trying to read their own work with a critical eye?
When you have so many ideas for different books/films how do you schedule out your writing time while balancing having a family, running a business and teaching? What tips and tricks do you have for your “writing time” and how to get all your ideas out and the consistency to achieve your goals?
Hey Brandon I am aspiring to get into writing and I have so many ideas! I have been following along with the lectures and have thought out my main characters plot, what the big question is and how the story will progress! My main question is: How do you go from a story concept to words on a page? Where do you start to write actual story?
Hello Brandon! Great work you are doing for the community! Question: I struggle with creating scenes, I know what the general story is going to be and ending but difficult to come up with scenes, any tricks or brainstorming advice? Also outlining process, do you outline for a whole story or chapter by chapter? Character arc? To big of a question, maybe a lecture in it 😅 “how Brandon outline 2025” Geeetings from Sweden 🇸🇪
Just in case you answer in a different Q&A, I wanted to know how do you deal with some people disliking book 5 in Stormlight? For some reason... I haven't read that far yet. But, I'm seeing a lot of reviewers with thumbnails about it, and I think it's very significant to a series that still has another 5 books to go. Maybe the first five-book arc had a disappointing ending or some character does something reprehensible or something else that offended or pushed people away. Do you consider going back to "fix" the book? Or maybe play with the next arc so that it changes the view they have of it? I'm very out of the loop but I got interested because for a while youtube had you on the highest "you can do no wrong" pedestal. Which, as a note: I'm finishing Elantris right now, and it has been awesome so far. I understand how you gained your credibility. Every book I've read of yours is very unique and fun to explore. So it's very intriguing to have this flip in perception, even from a portion of your fan base. Also, if anyone wants to jump in and provide a spoiler-free answer I would also appreciate it, cause I doubt this will reach him haha
This is just my personal opinion, but I thought the thing that weakened WaT the most was the fact that the book _physically_ couldn’t be big enough to hold everything. Plot-wise, I could tell that most of what happened were things Brandon has been planning for a while, so I doubt he’d want to go back and change any of that (even if some people would have preferred him to have made different choices). But there were certainly some spots where, if the characters had more time to breathe, Brandon would have been able to give them more time to be 3-dimensional and grow naturally (not to mention adding more red herrings to some of the more obvious plot points), but the dictates of the page count demanded brevity, so many characters were a bit hollower than what we’re used to after a such a strict revision process.
How to maintain interest in the narrative and characters in a short story? I've been trying to write some, but I feel like I don't have the tools I would have for a bigger story. Hugs from Brazil, Sanderson :)
I see very little content about how to plot series, whether we are talking about trilogies or longer sagas of 5+ books with multiple POVs such as the Stormlight Archive or the Wheel of Time. How to plot a series like this, while also making the first book stand on its own? (Especially with a cast of main characters) What difference does it make for the author when there isn’t one main character and sidekicks but rather a whole cast of equally important characters?
I'm not Brandon obviously, but I think the important thing to keep in mind is what he said in an earlier lecture of little 'p' plot and big 'P' plot. Every book has a little 'p' plot that leans into the big 'P' plot overall.
@@pey_wey I posted my question 8 minutes after the video got uploaded in hope to have more visibility. I have watched hundreds of videos about writing, but this specific topic is something I crave content for. I read the chapters before asking the question and saw the 18 minutes chapter but since it’s a 3 minutes segment I was quite eager to get a chance for more insights on the topic Edit after listening to the segment: this is exactly what I was expecting. The given advice is to make the first book stand on its own. My question is how to do that? How do you know something will be satisfying enough, especially when you don’t have a single main character but a large cast?
@@InspiredSongwriterOfficialPerhaps consider how successful Way of Kings is, and how small the accomplishments the main characters make actually are, particularly in the context of the entire story. Small steps have a big impact when they’re difficult.
I’m about to begin my second draft, but I’m not sure how to improve the thematic elements of my plot so that they aren’t so overt or poorly built up. For example: A weary soldier who has been worn down by persistent conflict to the point he betrays his nation in hopes that the villain getting what he wants will end the conflict. Or a Prince is constantly annoyed by his younger brother’s philandering due to it’s immorality, and eventually learns to see things from his brother’s POV so that he can help his brother be more responsible and virtuous.
I am not a writer and have no interest in writing a novel. Yet I am still enjoying this series and learning new things. Most importantly, I learned that when Hoid and Design give Kaladin shelter in RoW, Brandon interposed himself into Hoid. Hoid was horrified that Design spoiled the ending of Hoid's story. I guess in a prior life, Design was desguised as a tester who reveals the endings to focus groups.
This question is probably too specific to be answered and isn't directly related to plot, but I'll ask it anyways. I'm currently writing my first book, which is a kitchen sink style superhero story about a kid in college who gets superpowers, and the opening paragraph is a presentation the character is giving in class which happens to explain the history of how super people came to be in this world. I originally felt that opening this way is too much of an info dump and felt like "cheating" in the butler saying "as you know", and marked as needing revision as soon as I wrote it, but everyone in my writing group really liked the opening and said I should keep it. I guess this is more two questions than one, but would that sort of class presentation be a good way to justify an explanation of something that is common knowledge in the world, and how do I reconcile where my writing feels weak to me but my readers think is good?
Hello! I asked this in the last video, but i want to add it here too. Thank you so much for posting these lectures. Quick question about the 3 act structure. I know every book is different, but on average, what percentage of the novel is for acts 1, 2, and 3? I would guess it's closer to 40%, 40%, 20% or even as far as 50%, 40%, 10%. What do you think it is?
Heyo! Here's my question: For people who outline their plots, what are some guidelines with knowing when the outline is "finished" enough to start writing prose? I want to avoid the pitfall of endlessly revising the outline.
I have a question!.....I've never written a book and I just write for fun. I'm currently worldbuilding for a story I'd like to tell, but am growing more concerned about the plot later down the road. You talk often about changing plot points in your stories even after the whole book is written, but I would be concerned about changing one plot point and then starting an domino effect with multiple plot points falling apart, since plots are often intertwined and connected. How do you change one plot point in an already developed story without the whole story shifting/changing/falling apart? Love the lecture series! Thanks!
I feel like I’ve read a lot about 3-act structure inciting incidents, plot points, climaxes and resolutions, but could you go into more detail about midpoint plot twists? What makes them different from the climax? And how do you effectively incorporate one without losing momentum for the climax?
Hey mr Sanderson, thank you and the team for this very valuable lessons. I like your "show don't tell" philosophy about tropes. But what about trying to pitch my novels to publishers? Should one reverse that logic? How much cynical should one be about letting it retroactively influence the writing process itself?
My question is that for Elantris when you were writing it did you already have the overall arching plot of the cosmere figured out or were you still working on that and you did not worry about that while outlining and writing Elantris?
My question: I am mostly a discovery writer. I do know major points and where I plan to go, but the rest is discovery. Revision is the most suggested fix and I know it makes sense. Yet, I have difficulty doing so. Once the story is on the page, I have difficulty seeing it another way. (By this, I don't mean grammar or minor details. I mean the actual story line.) What would you suggest to those who have difficulty with seeing the story another way? How can one add more foreshadowing if you can't mentally break the scenes to find places to put things? Thanks for the lectures.
Sorry, I have lots of questions! Can I post them here or should I email them? I'll post them here anyway!! 1. I write in a very description-light way, often leaving things up to the reader to fill in the blanks; kind of like in script writing. I have never come across another writer that writes fantasy with a style like mine, do I need to change my style? 2. Do you have any tips to make a grumpy character likeable? 3. I have a main character that has a stutter. Will w-writing like th-this every so o-often annoy my r-r-reader? 4. Is there an easy way to distance yourself from your writing so you can judge it with fresh eyes? I find it takes a long time before I can look back on my writing more objectively and realise what doesn't work. 5. I feel like blurbs have changed a lot through time. What makes for a good blurb nowadays? 6. When is it worth spending the time to rewrite a book vs just putting it out there and moving on to writing the next book? 7. How much do modern scenarios take readers out of a story? For example in my Medieval Fantasy world I have a character that visits a rehabilitation clinic for her alcohol use, but this wouldn't have existed in our Medieval era. Will this take a reader out of a story? 8. Likewise, is there an easy way to tell if technology may take a reader out? For example I have a boat the characters use to travel along a river that has a 'dwarven engine', is this a big deal? 9. Is there a good way to deal with writing characters that have become too strong/competent/powerful, without simply removing their skills? Magic users in my world sometimes have a spell for every scenario (especially with their healing magic)! 10. How do you keep fight scenes interesting? I feel like even in stories praised for the fights, like The First Law, they always bore me; I can skip to the end and find out who wins (almost always the hero), and miss nothing of value. Sex scenes have a similar problem. Is there a way to make them interesting? 11. I once heard of someone who loved a book, but when they were very far into it they stopped reading because there was a swear word in it. Is this kind of mentality common? Should writers use swearing in their books, or does it do too much harm in losing your potential readership? What about other sensitive topics? 12. Do you have any tips on writing long-lived characters, like elves? How do you write characters who have lived for hundreds/thousands of years?
Here’s my question for next week’s Q&A: I’ve heard Brandon tell that story about the author whose book broke its own promises at the 3/4 mark several times. I know that he doesn’t want to name the author, but can he provide any examples of books that do something similar, whether successfully or unsuccessfully, as a point of reference?
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Brandon is insane, not only does he write an insane amount and interact with fans a ton but he also is posting his university lectures for free for the second time and taking questions from RUclips!
Dude also is somehow able to keep up with most modern pop culture.
It is an unbelievable amount of patience and motivation. He literally does more than, or at least comparable to, the protagonists in his fantasy books, and it's amazing.
This is actually like maybe the 4th or 5th time, I think. It’s very helpful, for sure, and he’s definitely prolific.
Hes truly a gift to mankind
Definitely not only the second time. The others may be on a different channel, I don't remember for sure. They're worth checking out too. His lectures vary every year.
I’m a meticulous outliner when it comes to writing. Before drafting, I map out every detail, ensuring each scene serves multiple purposes. I love the moment when everything clicks, the perfect puzzle piece that ties together arcs, world-building, and plot progress.
But sometimes I worry I’m too analytical, treating writing like a math problem. Would a bit of discovery writing make my storytelling more fluid? When I try, I feel like I’m missing chances to craft those perfect connections; as if I’m wasting words.
Can a story be planned too precisely? What are your thoughts about this?
Greetings from Germany, and big ups for those free lectures. Can’t appreciate it enough!
Taddl, wir haben zu viele gleiche Interessen, lol. Früher vbt, Musik machen, und jetzt finde ich dich hier random in den Comments 🤣 kannst dich auch nicht für ein Hobby entscheiden oder? :D
I guess it depends on if its negatively effecting your story. If not then I don't think planning alot is bad. That's just my opinion though. It's best to wait for Brandon's advice lol.
But yea, I'm also just replying here because I’m a Christian and wanted to share the gospel with everyone! Please consider the Gospel message.
To anyone reading this, there is a loving God who wants to save you. And because He loves us, He (Jesus) died on the cross and resurrected 3 days later so we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved. Repent and believe the Gospel! Please consider the state of your soul and don't let this chance pass you by. Believe in Jesus and follow Him so you can have salvation. Life is short, please make the right choice today before its too late. Jesus loves you.
The hello from Germany explains it all haha, I was like wow that person is really meticulous with their outline😂👌🏾
Thank you for those lectures being free for everyone.
I don't know If I will ever be a published author or If I will be able to tell the big story I have in my mind, but I want to publish at least one book and those lectures helped me see obstacles that I didn't saw before in that story.
Question: How do you balance and promise bitter sweet endings?
Just like the actual ghost bloods I’n always surprised always surprised when I see you in Sanderson related media
What do you mean by bittersweet ending? Do you mean like The Best of Me by Nicolas Sparks or like the Chinese drama Under the Hawthorne Tree? Or like Me Before You by Jojo Moyes? You know what all three of those are the same. I could go on and on but my best advice is to know your audience and make it satisfying. At risk of spoiling, The Best of Me was such a sweet second chance romance between high school sweethearts but the woman is a single mother when they meet again and the guy steps up that you can see that they are going to be a great family but her son is injured and needs something like a heart transplant or something along the lines that someone else has to die in order to donate the needed organ, you don’t find out until after that the guy died and was an organ donor and is a perfect match for the son. It’s satisfying, but now I refuse to read Sparks unless I’m in the mood.
@@theresakidd the bitter sweet ending I have in my mind borders on being a tragedy from a personal point of view of an important character and it would most likely be seen that way by readers, even though the goal of the plot is achieved and the overall world is in better place.
It's kinda as if at the end of lord of the rings the Shire as a place was completely destroyed and couldn't be rebuilt.
My problem is that most people will most likely expect a happy ending and could be completely put of by my conclusion and be unsatisfied.
I don't see it as a twist, but more like a natural conclusion of the story and the entire point of the story.
I don't really like the idea of making the begging and middle of the story sadder on purpose just to make it consistent through out.
I also should mention that I have plans of a continuation with a way happier ending, but this book would be in my opinion a satisfying self contained story that would fulfill it's mission statement: "teaching moon how to cry".
🔥 Q&A on Plot 🔥
00:01 - Intro & audience Q&A.
01:18 - Types of story promises.
03:49 - Setting up "stand up and cheer" moments.
05:05 - Chekhov’s Gun & payoff expectations.
06:44 - Avoiding unoriginal plots.
08:24 - How to subvert tropes effectively.
09:42 - Revising Way of Kings to improve originality.
11:30 - Twists: When and how to use them.
13:14 - The risks of late-game deconstruction.
15:53 - Changing genres to make a story fresh.
16:34 - Mistborn was inspired by subverting fantasy tropes.
18:20 - How to handle unfulfilled promises in a series.
19:35 - Why first books should stand alone.
21:23 - Choosing a plotting method that fits your story.
24:05 - Weaving multiple story arcs together.
27:49 - Common mistakes in exposition.
30:55 - How to avoid info dumps.
35:19 - Managing steep learning curves in worldbuilding.
39:28 - Keeping track of story promises.
43:10 - Sanderson’s outlining method.
45:21 - Tools he uses for outlining.
48:37 - Foreshadowing for discovery writers.
51:00 - The difference between suspense and twists.
53:09 - Shock twists vs. meaningful twists.
55:07 - Why spoilers don’t always ruin a story.
57:31 - Effective foreshadowing techniques.
59:33 - Using other characters' perspectives for foreshadowing.
01:01:25 - Avoiding a quality drop after a climax.
01:05:01 - How to hook readers while setting up the world.
01:08:11 - Making failed goals feel satisfying.
01:11:04 - Writing memory loss plotlines effectively.
01:12:55 - Choosing between different plot ideas.
01:13:31 - What to ask beta readers about your plot.
what a good human you are!
You did all that when they already listed in the description...
@@bipolarminddroppingsActually these are my personal notes. You can check but these might be a bit different from the ones listed there (didn't compare them myself). Just sharing if anyone finds them useful.
@@gwynnathawinna appreciate the kind words.
Hey, Brandon. I really appreciate the fact that you put these lectures out for free. I'm loving them so far.
My question is how do you effectively write a betrayal arc? For example, the main character's closest friend turns their back on the main character and ends up turning around and actively trying to stop them. How do I make that hit hard and really resonate with the audience? And more importantly, how do I make the falling out feel realistic without drawing too much attention to it? I'd like my main character to not really realize it's happening until it's too late.
Remember, sometimes one person's betrayal is the other person's greater loyalty to a higher Ideal. The very traits that make the person a best friend, are the traits that ignite the betrayal. Like Brutus and Julius Caesar. I know, I'm not Brandon, but from observation, make us and the betrayed one both love the betrayer up until the moment of betrayal. No love; no shock.
Give the antagonist a very compelling reason, regarding motivations, to betray the protagonist in some way. Just go look at The Lion King with Scar
I'm not Brandon but my advice would be to make the readers think the main character is going to get betrayed by someone else! Still plant the foreshadowing that friend 1 will betray your character but hide it behind another friend's suspected betrayal so the reveal will hit harder. Also maybe have one of the characteristics of the main character be very caring especially towards close friends and very loyal to them. To add complexity: the main character fears betraying a friend... They struggle with selfishness or something but ultimately chooses their friends over the easy way out but then *table flip noises* the side character bestie betrays them. Basically what I'm saying is to hide it well and add a lot of meaning to that betrayal. ButBrandon will have a greater answer than this!
Brandon here (secret alt account). My professional advice is to write from life: think about a time _you_ betrayed someone and the dumb sucker didn't even see it coming. This will add verisimilitude.
(If you still can't think of anything, betray a friend and see how long it takes them to figure it out and what gave it away-worst case scenario, they never do and you got in a free backstab!)
Can Brandon talk more about plot archetypes?
He mentioned before how Mistborn is an interplay of four ideas: heist, master-apprentice, mystery, and romance.
So how to use plot archetypes, and how to pick original combinations (especially for a story with a bigger scale than Mistborn)?
I've started at least 8 fantasy books in my life and never get past the climax, these videos are inspiring to keep pushing. I have the outlines, and know the outcome, but it always seemed so daunting to get there. But I'm getting there!
I'm definitely one of the people who isn't affected by spoilers. It doesn't bother me at all and in fact I sometimes read the plot summary on Wikipedia before reading a book. Usually if something is a known commodity like a good author I will try to avoid being spoiled but still I wouldn't be upset if it somehow got spoiled.
Spoilers can sometimes be the reason u pick a book up sooner. Knowing some spoilers won't ruin the whole book for me
Spoilers for a book are vastly different for spoilers for a film/tv show. The visuals and experience of TV & movies really makes things much better than a group of words. For books it's really different as so many things signpost where things are going and you can make effective guesses
The ovation makes it feel like he's the keynote speaker at his own lectures! Loved it.
How can writers effectively incorporate subplots that enhance the main plot rather than distract from it?
I'm also interested in this question and trying to learn this right now! My theory so far is that the plots all wrap up in ways that support each other. So if a character needs to grow in a certain way but also a subplot where someone else ends up in trouble, maybe the character's growth enables them to bail the other character out.
Obviously if those things are told together, it's just all one plot. But if they're told separately and only join together in one moment, then it's a supportive subplot.
I think you could also work out subplots that show counter examples that still support your main plot, like one character failing before your main character succeeds.
Biggest thing to me is that subplots aren't just other ideas I had that I'm just throwing in the pot, the subplot is showing something intentional and intersects with the main plot somewhere, even if they don't start or end up the same.
Of course, these were just guidelines that helped me get started. Sure there are more ideas to have and rules to break as you get better at plotting!
Hope to hear Mr. Sanderson's input!
Hey! Random here but something I've heard before is along the lines of "sub plots are the main plot the readers just don't know it yet"
I don’t have any questions for now but you’re the goat Brandon, thanks for all the help! Just finished my first short story and am beating the sh*t out of this novel, first in a series 😁 hope all is well!
Appreciate the free lectures, Brandon! Question:
How do you determine when something you've discovery written is good enough to warrant going back and revising your outline/structure to accommodate it? Is it ever worth it? Or is it always a matter of killing your darlings? For anyone who is in the middle of that spectrum between outliner and discovery writer, how should they navigate those conflicts?
Question: You mentioned Info, relationship, apprentice plots etc. What types of plot cycles are there?
Also
What percentage of book time would you give to your main plot vs subplots that directly contribute to the main plot vs subplots that do not directly contribute to the main plot. Specifically for high fantasy.
Thank You so much for putting these out for free, it is wonderful seeing someone just want to teach people without making you pay money to learn.
This is a great question Brandon please answer this!
Love the "promises" and reference to Chekov's Gun. Puts me in mind of a....not well-done foreshadowning moment in a revival show of Oklahoma! - in the 1998/99 London Revival (with Hugh Jackman as Curly) version of Oklahoma!, right before intermission, the act ends with Curly twirling and holstering his pistol. This is performed with an intense, meaningful expression after he watches Laurie walk away with another man instead of him. This immediately gave me the impression that Curly would be obliged to use that pistol in a confrontation at the Box Social the musical had been building towards up to that point.
Nope! Instead, it's to make sure you know it's there for when Aunt Eller snatches it to fire into the air to break up a fight. Then later Curly sells it. Felt a little...anticlimactic after the camera makes such a big deal ensuring you *know* "this dude is armed." Technically, what does happen was foreshadowed! I just thought something different would be happening.
Thanks for posting these for those of us who would never be able to make it to your classes!
Two part- gorilla in the phone booth question:
One- How many gorillas is too many gorillas in the phone booth- specifically gorillas that will significantly affect the plot later on? Is there a limit to breadcrumbing?
Two- How long do you suggest leaving the gorilla in the phone booth? Can you bring up a purposefully ignored detail written in Book 1 in Book 3?
lol. I love how far you've taken this analogy
Real gorillas in a phone booth stretch out their arms and smash the walls outward. Freed from constraints, they do whatever they want.
Isn't the intention that if a plot point is brought in properly, it shouldn't feel like a gorilla in a phone booth?
A gorilla in the phone booth, by definition, is something that distracts the reader in the moment and then never is seen again. If it’s plot relevant, then it’s not a distraction from the story.
That said, if your story’s tone is “sometimes something really weird happens, just go with it”, you can get away with a lot of things being one-off bits and pick up the one that’s actually plot relevant when the time is right. If you’ve got a more serious story, the early weirdness will seem like an odd dangling plot thread that the reader will either speculate on its relevance or just chalk up to it being early installment weirdness. Until you pay it off, your reader will be left in limbo about whether they think you’re a clever writer or an indulgent one (and if they get left hanging long enough, they’ll assume the latter and give up on waiting).
Depends on your story I'd say.
With all the books Brandon has published, it would be fascinating--as part of discussions about plots, planning, and editing--to see a zero draft from one of his smaller books. I love watching cooking shows to see the process, as I learn more from that than seeing a finished product and guessing in a deconstruction into its initial components. He gifted us an outline so we could see under the hood. A book? So interesting.
Grateful for his generosity to the little dreaming writers!
QUESTION: I am around 150k into a larger novel after having outlined and written chapters of a few novels I was not yet skilled enough to write. When you say to generally expect throwing away your first few books as a new author, in your experience is that really more about a kind of holistic formula equating to X number of pages to find your voice, and less about sacrificing our full-figured darlings?
I see "Romance" in the thumbnail... I'm excited!
Question: In terms of promises of plot, I'm writing in three POVs and one of these Main Characters is going to die. I'm not doing this for shock value or as a "twist", and I also don't take this choice lightly. How in the world do I Promise a death; giving it the respect it deserves whilst also not coming across as either too obvious or too shocking?
Thanks for all you do! I started watching your content a little before your secret projects. Then went > Tress, Yumi, Mistborn, Well, Hero, elantris, warbreaker, then dual read (mistborn era 2 on kindle when out and about and Stormlight Archive in physical form when at home) and Im just at the middle of Rhythm of War! Thank you for your thoughtful characters, fun worlds, and amazing character arcs!
Just out of curiosity, how did reading Yumi before Stormlight go for you? I loved the book, but a lot of the early descriptions felt reliant on understanding Roshar (e.g. when it described people as looking Veden) and because of that it isn't something I'd recommend to someone who is new to Sanderson.
perfect timing! i was just wondering what i was going to watch for my lunch break!!!
Thank you so much for opening up the Q&A to us online, too. Really makes it feel like we’re all your students.
The book I’m working on now (my fifth novel) I’ve got two distinct tones that I’m trying to meld together. How can I balance those two tones in the early pages to make sure I’m getting across what I’m doing? It’s a back and forth, chapter by chapter switch between a first person reflection on the character’s childhood and a third person account of the meat of the story, much inspired by the way you did stormlight. But I worry that going on too long in the first first-person chapter may alienate certain readers, but swapping the two throws the balance of the narrative off because of the way all of the reveals are layered in.
This may be too specific for you yo get into, but here’s hoping.
Thank you for these incredible lectures.
I have a question about the scale of the plot: Almost any story could be expanded or shrunk massively by removing or adding characters, plotlines, mini-arcs and so on. For example, without the existence of Saruman, it might possibly take a few hundred pages less time for the good guys to win; Saruman isn't essential, but he makes the story better by introducing new themes and challenges. This also (especially) extends to how many POVs you use to tell your story.
So, how do I know how much I should expand my story, or (more importantly) how much I should shrink it? How do I know what scale my story should be for the best end result?
Thank you Mr Sanderson , yet another awesome lecture.
Mr. Sanderson, thanks for opening up to questions from the internet. You really didn't have to do this. That being said, if there's a chance I have your ear now, I will certainly take advantage.
Something I quite like about writing fantasy is that it's a genre where having several POV characters is fairly common and accepted by the readers. I love juxtaposing POV characters from wildly different backgrounds and in-so doing, explore different parts of the world and story from their different places in it.
My question is how one can effectively get readers to buy into the plots for all your POV characters even if their stories don't immediately seem relevant to each other? I get that to an extent, it's inevitable that a reader will have a favorite POV, but are there tools to help avoid readers becoming annoyed with their least favorite POV?
One tool I've been trying out recently is having more structure to the order of chapter POVs (Similar to what you did in Elantris,) with like an A,B,C,A,B,C type of format. I figure that way a reader is never too far a way from a chapter from their favorite POV, though it does of course come at the cost of constraining me somewhat in writing the order of the events of the story itself. Am I on the right track with this thought process?
Thank you professor ❤
Joy. Pure euphoria is gifted to me through these haha
Hi Brandon! I have a long-burning question (It’s less about plot and more about Genre): I once saw George RR Martin doing a live Q&A that I have long since lost and cannot find again... In it, he talks about WHY do we choose one genre or another, adding something along the lines of “Fantasy concerns itself with truth” or revealing unexpected/hidden truths (or something along those lines), like how Aragorn is first seen as a dangerous figure in a shadowy corner but revealed to be anything but. This is something I have always wondered more about but find very little info about. I would LOVE to hear you discuss the purpose of some genres, at least specifically Fantasy please. Why choose one genre vs another beyond “Because I felt like it?” Thanks in advance!
Edit: Also, thank you for posting these for free. You’re a godsend for doing so. I admit I’ve never read any of your books, but you writing advice is 🤌🏻
I am loving this series! Brandon is crazy good at answering and being realistic about things while still being hopeful for you! Seriously amazing stuff man!
Question: If your story (big P plot) is about exploring the world and helping others along the way ala One Piece, how do you lay down the groundwork for bigger plot moments that kind of foreshadow where the plot is going now?
Question: When you can tell *something* isn’t working in your plot, what tests should you run to quickly diagnose the problem and what’s in need of changing/adding? Sometimes I can’t write further until I figure out the issue, and I wish I could more efficiently!
This was AMAZING thank you!
When handling stories with multiple POV characters, how do you outline the plot for each of them? Do you build out each plot individually and fit them together into the Capital A Plot? Do you use structures (like the Hero’s Journey or others) for each character?
Thanks Brandon for your posts. I have learnt so much from you about writing and how to create a great story.
Cheers, from Australia : D
Advice on writing a story in which there are a series of antagonists, as opposed to one Big Bad Villain?
In Dresden Files, Harry is hyper-competent, but he often fails to achieve the “scene goal,” and instead makes matters worse. Whereas in Name of the Wind, Kvothe often crushes the “scene goal,” yet tension is still maintained. How do you maintain tension with hyper-competent characters that actually achieve their scene goal?
Can you talk about “layering conflict” more? Which is to say, giving the PoV character both internal and external conflict in a scene, and blending those conflicts to create something even more dynamic and satisfying?
No question, just a ton of respect.
Firstly, thank you so much for releasing these for free. I've learned so much about writing from watching.
My question is, how do you structure series? You explained some in plot lecture 2 about how the original Star Wars movies are three hero's journeys that collectively form a larger hero's journey, but how does that structure compare to a more wandering, larger series, such as the Wheel of Time, and to other series like Mistborn? How do you personally plan out a series?
How do you do the Sanderlanche endings?
Thank you so much for all you do for the writing community!
Question: How to keep external and especially internal dialogue interesting and engaging to the reader?
Prologue: I’ve been classically trained in painting, so plotting translates naturally, but when I turn to dialogue I find I’m writing the novel.
“Is there a method to plotting dialogue?”
Epilogue: A moment; drawn out.
Hello Mr. Sanderson,
First of all, I would like to thank you for the lecture you give, it provides great insights. Also my thanks for giving this opportunity to ask a question.
As a novice author, how do you know when a subplot becomes an essential part of the larger plot, or when you decide that something no longer fits within the bigger picture, or perhaps does? How does the plot develop during the writing process? Does it need to be formed before you write the ending?
Kind regards,
Bart
Re: 01:08:11 - The Character who Failed: Luke Skywalker's failure in ESB is narratively linked to him refusing to finish his training with Yoda so he can save his friends. Who managed to free themselves but he might have kept Vader distracted long enough for that to happen.
Hey Brandon love the series and your books!
My question is when writing your progress how do you decide what types of obstacles or hinderances is best suited for your characters to move the plot along and/or for character growth? Thanks!
Thank you for this amazing lecture! I do have a question: how do you recommend writers who are heavy pansters to tackle writing a series? How much of the future books in their series should a gardener know?
Hello Brandon! I have been watching these lecture series of yours for years, and I have definitely noticed the improvement in my writing by coming back to them, especially when outlining the overall plot archetypes of my novel e.g “heist.”
Questions I have always wanted to ask you about your plotting process, especially after reading your novels, and running into the problem in my own writing of having some scenes that feel boring and drawn out, even though they achieve promise/progress/payoff points, is what is your process for plotting/outlining the scenes/chapters in your novels? And do you have any advice/tips for writing interesting and concise scenes/chapters, but still achieving their plot promise/progress/payoff point?
This is a great question!!
I hope it gets answered
Thank you so much for these lectures, Brandon.
When you know there's possibility for a series, but want to write a contained story with series potential to make it easier to get your first book published, how do you lay groundwork for the sequels without leaving too many unanswered questions and leaving some people unsatisfied at the end of your story?
sir love from India and thanx for these amazing lecture .
When I'm about half done with a book I skip and read the last two chapters or the last chapter and epilog. I still enjoy the book and will usually finish it.
Hello Brandon Sanderson! A question I have been wondering is how do you make effective hints for upcoming plot twists in the story? One thing I love so much about Mistborn is from even the first book you effectively hint at twists that are revealed in the 3rd, and when people read the plot twist they are are like "that's crazy! How did I not catch onto that?"
How do you make a plot twist with subtle, yet good hints that go over the readers head at the time, but when the reader learns of the twist they can think back and realize the truth was there all along?
Hey! He’s kindof answered this before! He is a pretty intensive plotter and a long term plotter! I’d never want to speak for him but basically he knows the major points of a series from early on so he’s able to hint at stuff!
Brandon,
First of all, thanks SO MUCH for this. The 2020 lectures may be the biggest factor in me taking my writing seriously. It’s a joy to have more!
Second, I have a question. How do you know if your character is wrong for the plot, or vice versa? (I currently have a MC who is somewhat of a fantasy “mobster/gangster,” but I want him to become a mythic hero of sorts. He might be wrong for the story, but I feel like I can’t tell)
Regarding exposition, I think a lot of novice writers in particular err on the side of thinking everything needs to be laid out explicitly for the reader like it's a Wikipedia entry. Many of my favorite sci-fi & fantasy novels leave a lot of the "what's going on in this world, and how do things work" to be pieced together by the reader from context clues, which both feels more natural and is more satisfying for the reader, provided they can in fact piece it together. The tedious infodump instead becomes a point of intrigue and mystery, as long as the reader has enough to go on that they are in fact intrigued and motivated to put the pieces together, rather than merely confused and frustrated. Which is, of course, the difficult needle to thread, since there's a high degree of variance among readers in how readily they'll connect those dots.
54:42 “this hurts me,” said the journey before destination guy. 🤣
Question for Brandon: You talk at the beginning of this Q and A about promises that are fulfilled, and promises used to trick the audience. Do you find that there is a ratio that must be kept in balance between the bait and switches, versus the straightforward ones?
Any specific advise for those who are editing, in identifying whether you are overdoing one kind of promise, or promise delivery?
Q. What is your view on community? I live in India and it's tough to find a community or similar kinds of nerds that I am and sometimes I feel maybe that's what holding me back. Can I make it alone?
(I am trying my best from last 3 years at least to somehow gather enough funds to come study creative writing in USA, in hopes of finding that community, but it's not cheap.)
And before someone points out I am in many online groups and community it's not the same as meeting and conversing in real time.
Also thank you Brandon, for all the amazing work you've been doing. I'm a big fan of yours and it'd be really something if you find your way to my comments and reply but even if not still appreciate the lectures a ton.
I am by no means an expert on this topic, but often when the community you want doesn’t already exist yet near you, you might need to create it yourself. Getting a group up and running (and maintaining it over time) is no small task, but it can help attract others who are a lot like you but thought they were all alone too.
That said, even in the US, it can be difficult to find in-person writing groups outside of classes or writing conferences (and the groups often break up shortly afterwards). Before you cross the world to study, make sure to research the specific place you’re going to and learn all you can about the groups that exist there.
Good luck!
Hello there from Pakistan. I have the same problem. I use the online community for now, like 20BooksTo50K and Successful Indie Author (FB), but you are right. One thing that can help a lot is having a "Local" writers group who can meet physically and discuss things, even if it's just two or three people like Brandon mentioned.
@@zephbaxterauthor exactly!
@@pisoprano thanks I'll be sure to do my research before I take any major step.
I think his example story for the unoriginal plot book that twists 3/4 of the way through might be The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Hey there, thank you for putting up these lectures!
In terms of tone promises, one I find particularly interesting is dread and tension - for example, “winter is coming” in A Song of Ice and Fire. How would you approach maintaining and developing that dread and thread without it feeling exhausting or losing the effect for the reader?
Thanks for putting these out, Brandon. How do you effectively link a character who is improvising their overall plan with an interesting plot that doesn’t feel like just a bunch of randomness popping up everywhere?
Starting the video, so not sure if I’ll have questions. Just want to tell you thank you for giving us the chance to ask, too!
Look forward to these every week! what makes a really really good prologue?
When you talk about plotting for character arcs at 40:17, do you create an arc for every main character, just POV characters, or include all side characters? I know in Mistborn you have the character plots for Vin and Elend, but you also have Sazed, Marsh, and Spook (and to a lesser extent a lot of the side characters). Perhaps this is because it's a trilogy and you have more time to incorporate more character arcs. Thanks so much for these lectures!
How deep is too deep when it comes to nesting stories within stories? My character has a race to get to, but is currently struggling to get out of bed. He’s not even depressed. He just hasn’t earned it, yet.
Question: How do you write payoff where the payoff itself isn’t supposed to be satisfying? Example: A plan is set up at the beginning that the characters in the story will follow but it goes wrong by the end. Especially if the plan going wrong is at the end of the first book of a series.
Thanks so much for doing these Brandon! I appreciate them so much. My question: how to balance a romance plot with an action plot without losing momentum in either?
How do you not fall in the trap of using a character as a plot device just to move the plot or have the character solve a problem at the perfect time and not have it feel jarring ?
For example a character goes away (fake death, doing something else off screen) then comes back at the perfect time with the perfect solution to the problem when its needed the most.
When working on a "standalone with series potential" how do you balance the Stand Up and Cheer moment with leaving room for follow up? So thankful these lectures are up, these are great!
Thanks again
ty very much for those lectures :)
What do you include in outlining a plot, what do you leave for the writing itself? And when you are are outlining locations and characters what do you take into consideration?
Can you explain the "derivative" decision you changed in The Way of Kings with spoilers? The example is too abstract to get anything out of it.
I think he was referring to Kaladin taking up the shardblade after killing a shardbearer-that meant he went straight into high society. In the revised version, he refused the shardblade and ended up being sold into slavery and forced to run on the Shattered Plains instead.
This is a great series! I had just finished your other lectures only a week before these were announced. Thanks so much for these!
I do have a question that I haven’t heard an answer to, either this week or last. Maybe it’s just a me problem, lol.
I often find myself wanting to write multiple books at once.
Is this something other authors do? Would you suggest avoiding it, even if it seems that writing multiple stories at once makes me write more in a single book than if I focused only on it?
I would like more data on foreshadowing. How much of the plot should be hinted at? Do we keep spoilers ambiguous? What should we do and not do in foreshadowing?
I have two questions:
1. Would a traditional publisher be hesitant to accept a debut novel with multiple intertwining plot threads, even if they work effectively?
2. Would it be an issue if these threads extend across a trilogy?
I’m not asking whether a new author can handle complex storytelling-I’m specifically wondering about industry reception. From what I understand, Tor prefers standalone novels from debut authors, as publishers are generally more risk-averse these days. However, I’m unsure how other publishers, like Orbit or DAW, approach trilogies from new writers.
Would having only the first book completed, with books two and three outlined in detail, be considered acceptable? Or would publishers require the entire trilogy to be finished before considering it?
Thanks for your time!
Hi Brandon! I have a question for you.
How do we know when to cut out a subplot or change the main plot (What's the diagnosis process)? And when you do, what are some good ways to change them? (Keep it similar or should we completely change it?)
Have you ever read ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ or ‘World War Z’? I want to write some webfiction similar in writing to it; with the information being given in the form of newspaper articles or interviews or scientific journals or whatever. Do you think that’s just a one-in-one thing that Max Brooks pulled off, or is it a storytelling device that could be used and find its audience?
PS- It was cool (and a bit unexpected) to see you mention Progression Fantasy earlier in the lecture series. Have you ever read ‘Mother of Learning’, at least in part? It’s basically the gold standard of the genre.
Hadn't heard "Dances with Smufs" before. My one for Avatar is "Fern Gully with Aliens"
If you see this, I have a plot question. How do you handle fan theories about your story? Like, you already know where you want to take the story, but readers have come to their own conclusion on how you are going to continue/end the story, to the point where that is what they are expecting, but you are planning on doing something different. Do you change what you have planned to appease the readers, or just hope that they will like what you have planned more than their own theories? I know this is a fair specific question, but I am very curious how an author with such a large fanbase handles this kind of attention, and what you think is better.
This one! Answer this question please!
In response to your question, I would point out that as the creator, what happens in the story is ultimately up to you. You can choose to listen or not to other people, same with editing really.
There have been many examples with television shows where the audience have their own ideas (usually shipped characters) which were not the initial intent, but the creators of the shows took the idea on board and it worked for the story, but not always.
The story always comes first and you don't want to add things that YOU don't believe work.
Also if your ending is better than their expectations, then they will love it more.
I’m not Brandon, but I would like to chime in. I’d treat fan theories like brainstorming. If they have great ideas, I would take it. However, remember that you have the central dramatic statement for each novel you write. Make sure all ideas support the central dramatic statement. So even if your fans have the greatest idea but it doesn’t support the central dramatic statement, don’t take it. Now if their ideas support the central dramatic statement better than your own ideas, I would definitely take it.
Hey I’m not Brandon but I would like to share a story that I heard that seems to be related to this question. Back when Charles Dickens was publishing, his books were originally published in serial format, so when the ending of Great Expectations was published, so much of his audience hated it that the publisher told Dickens to change the ending and that is the version we have as the classic book today. I only mention this because I think people think fan theories are a new thing when it’s nothing new. Everyone who reads your book is going to have an opinion, you have to decide if and when their opinion matters.
Hi Sanderson. First off, thank for all your lectures. I have learned quite a bit from them already.
I have a question with regards to the topic of promise and payoff, as you spoke about in your earlier lecture.
Fantasy, unlike horror for example, is a genre that usually has stories with a happy ending. So, many readers get into a fantasy novel with that expectation. However, if you want your story to have a tragic ending, how do you foreshadow that? What are some promises you have to make early on so that the reader somewhat expects a tragic ending? So, the reader does not feel blindsided, and as such is not left unsatisfied? Thank you.
-Adrian
Hey Brando I got some questions about a story’s conflict.
How important is the hero’s journey when compared to the conflict going on in the story’s world? So the Star Wars example would be how does Luke’s internal conflict connect to the wider problem of saving the galaxy.
Is there one that should take priority over the other or is the heroes journey reliant on the world conflict to get resolved or vice versa?
A lot of the people on here also put these long paragraphs thanking you for your work but I never read any of your books outside of about 3 sentences of Rhythm of war when I was in a bookstore 2 months ago so uh, thank you for the lectures thus far.
Question: Sometimes it’s easy to come up with the beginning and the end of a book, but what advice do you have to fill the middle of the story with a great plot when you are not sure how to connect the beginning and end in a satisfying way?
Hi Brandon, could you please go into more detail on your revision process involving editors, alpha and beta readers.
If you were trying to teach a bonus lecture about being a good reader/editor, what sort of lessons would you teach to those trying to read your drafts and give you critical feedback? And how would these lessons overlap/differ from the advice you would give to an author trying to read their own work with a critical eye?
When you have so many ideas for different books/films how do you schedule out your writing time while balancing having a family, running a business and teaching? What tips and tricks do you have for your “writing time” and how to get all your ideas out and the consistency to achieve your goals?
Hey Brandon I am aspiring to get into writing and I have so many ideas! I have been following along with the lectures and have thought out my main characters plot, what the big question is and how the story will progress! My main question is: How do you go from a story concept to words on a page? Where do you start to write actual story?
Hello Brandon! Great work you are doing for the community!
Question: I struggle with creating scenes, I know what the general story is going to be and ending but difficult to come up with scenes, any tricks or brainstorming advice?
Also outlining process, do you outline for a whole story or chapter by chapter? Character arc? To big of a question, maybe a lecture in it 😅 “how Brandon outline 2025”
Geeetings from Sweden 🇸🇪
Just in case you answer in a different Q&A, I wanted to know how do you deal with some people disliking book 5 in Stormlight? For some reason... I haven't read that far yet. But, I'm seeing a lot of reviewers with thumbnails about it, and I think it's very significant to a series that still has another 5 books to go. Maybe the first five-book arc had a disappointing ending or some character does something reprehensible or something else that offended or pushed people away. Do you consider going back to "fix" the book? Or maybe play with the next arc so that it changes the view they have of it? I'm very out of the loop but I got interested because for a while youtube had you on the highest "you can do no wrong" pedestal. Which, as a note: I'm finishing Elantris right now, and it has been awesome so far. I understand how you gained your credibility. Every book I've read of yours is very unique and fun to explore. So it's very intriguing to have this flip in perception, even from a portion of your fan base.
Also, if anyone wants to jump in and provide a spoiler-free answer I would also appreciate it, cause I doubt this will reach him haha
This is just my personal opinion, but I thought the thing that weakened WaT the most was the fact that the book _physically_ couldn’t be big enough to hold everything. Plot-wise, I could tell that most of what happened were things Brandon has been planning for a while, so I doubt he’d want to go back and change any of that (even if some people would have preferred him to have made different choices). But there were certainly some spots where, if the characters had more time to breathe, Brandon would have been able to give them more time to be 3-dimensional and grow naturally (not to mention adding more red herrings to some of the more obvious plot points), but the dictates of the page count demanded brevity, so many characters were a bit hollower than what we’re used to after a such a strict revision process.
Brandon !!!!
Question:
Can you give us a few specific examples of how to promise the reader in the beginning on specific twists in the beginning?
How to maintain interest in the narrative and characters in a short story? I've been trying to write some, but I feel like I don't have the tools I would have for a bigger story. Hugs from Brazil, Sanderson :)
I see very little content about how to plot series, whether we are talking about trilogies or longer sagas of 5+ books with multiple POVs such as the Stormlight Archive or the Wheel of Time. How to plot a series like this, while also making the first book stand on its own? (Especially with a cast of main characters) What difference does it make for the author when there isn’t one main character and sidekicks but rather a whole cast of equally important characters?
I'm not Brandon obviously, but I think the important thing to keep in mind is what he said in an earlier lecture of little 'p' plot and big 'P' plot. Every book has a little 'p' plot that leans into the big 'P' plot overall.
Crucial to have a good outline or at least a roadmap. Figure out the checkpoints for your characters’ progression and arrange them across the map.
Did you skip past the 18 minute mark where he talks about this?
@@pey_wey I posted my question 8 minutes after the video got uploaded in hope to have more visibility. I have watched hundreds of videos about writing, but this specific topic is something I crave content for. I read the chapters before asking the question and saw the 18 minutes chapter but since it’s a 3 minutes segment I was quite eager to get a chance for more insights on the topic
Edit after listening to the segment: this is exactly what I was expecting. The given advice is to make the first book stand on its own. My question is how to do that? How do you know something will be satisfying enough, especially when you don’t have a single main character but a large cast?
@@InspiredSongwriterOfficialPerhaps consider how successful Way of Kings is, and how small the accomplishments the main characters make actually are, particularly in the context of the entire story. Small steps have a big impact when they’re difficult.
I’m about to begin my second draft, but I’m not sure how to improve the thematic elements of my plot so that they aren’t so overt or poorly built up.
For example:
A weary soldier who has been worn down by persistent conflict to the point he betrays his nation in hopes that the villain getting what he wants will end the conflict.
Or a Prince is constantly annoyed by his younger brother’s philandering due to it’s immorality, and eventually learns to see things from his brother’s POV so that he can help his brother be more responsible and virtuous.
I am not a writer and have no interest in writing a novel. Yet I am still enjoying this series and learning new things. Most importantly, I learned that when Hoid and Design give Kaladin shelter in RoW, Brandon interposed himself into Hoid. Hoid was horrified that Design spoiled the ending of Hoid's story. I guess in a prior life, Design was desguised as a tester who reveals the endings to focus groups.
This question is probably too specific to be answered and isn't directly related to plot, but I'll ask it anyways. I'm currently writing my first book, which is a kitchen sink style superhero story about a kid in college who gets superpowers, and the opening paragraph is a presentation the character is giving in class which happens to explain the history of how super people came to be in this world.
I originally felt that opening this way is too much of an info dump and felt like "cheating" in the butler saying "as you know", and marked as needing revision as soon as I wrote it, but everyone in my writing group really liked the opening and said I should keep it. I guess this is more two questions than one, but would that sort of class presentation be a good way to justify an explanation of something that is common knowledge in the world, and how do I reconcile where my writing feels weak to me but my readers think is good?
Hello! I asked this in the last video, but i want to add it here too. Thank you so much for posting these lectures. Quick question about the 3 act structure. I know every book is different, but on average, what percentage of the novel is for acts 1, 2, and 3? I would guess it's closer to 40%, 40%, 20% or even as far as 50%, 40%, 10%. What do you think it is?
The house of the Wolflings is probably the first fantasy novel. It is directly referenced in LOTR mutliple times
Heyo! Here's my question: For people who outline their plots, what are some guidelines with knowing when the outline is "finished" enough to start writing prose? I want to avoid the pitfall of endlessly revising the outline.
I have a question!.....I've never written a book and I just write for fun. I'm currently worldbuilding for a story I'd like to tell, but am growing more concerned about the plot later down the road. You talk often about changing plot points in your stories even after the whole book is written, but I would be concerned about changing one plot point and then starting an domino effect with multiple plot points falling apart, since plots are often intertwined and connected. How do you change one plot point in an already developed story without the whole story shifting/changing/falling apart? Love the lecture series! Thanks!
I feel like I’ve read a lot about 3-act structure inciting incidents, plot points, climaxes and resolutions, but could you go into more detail about midpoint plot twists? What makes them different from the climax? And how do you effectively incorporate one without losing momentum for the climax?
Hey mr Sanderson, thank you and the team for this very valuable lessons. I like your "show don't tell" philosophy about tropes. But what about trying to pitch my novels to publishers? Should one reverse that logic? How much cynical should one be about letting it retroactively influence the writing process itself?
My question is that for Elantris when you were writing it did you already have the overall arching plot of the cosmere figured out or were you still working on that and you did not worry about that while outlining and writing Elantris?
Question: Any tips/how to handle breaking a promise after it appears to be fulfilled. More on the nose, a betrayal.
My question:
I am mostly a discovery writer. I do know major points and where I plan to go, but the rest is discovery.
Revision is the most suggested fix and I know it makes sense. Yet, I have difficulty doing so. Once the story is on the page, I have difficulty seeing it another way. (By this, I don't mean grammar or minor details. I mean the actual story line.) What would you suggest to those who have difficulty with seeing the story another way? How can one add more foreshadowing if you can't mentally break the scenes to find places to put things?
Thanks for the lectures.
Sorry, I have lots of questions! Can I post them here or should I email them?
I'll post them here anyway!!
1. I write in a very description-light way, often leaving things up to the reader to fill in the blanks; kind of like in script writing. I have never come across another writer that writes fantasy with a style like mine, do I need to change my style?
2. Do you have any tips to make a grumpy character likeable?
3. I have a main character that has a stutter. Will w-writing like th-this every so o-often annoy my r-r-reader?
4. Is there an easy way to distance yourself from your writing so you can judge it with fresh eyes? I find it takes a long time before I can look back on my writing more objectively and realise what doesn't work.
5. I feel like blurbs have changed a lot through time. What makes for a good blurb nowadays?
6. When is it worth spending the time to rewrite a book vs just putting it out there and moving on to writing the next book?
7. How much do modern scenarios take readers out of a story? For example in my Medieval Fantasy world I have a character that visits a rehabilitation clinic for her alcohol use, but this wouldn't have existed in our Medieval era. Will this take a reader out of a story?
8. Likewise, is there an easy way to tell if technology may take a reader out? For example I have a boat the characters use to travel along a river that has a 'dwarven engine', is this a big deal?
9. Is there a good way to deal with writing characters that have become too strong/competent/powerful, without simply removing their skills? Magic users in my world sometimes have a spell for every scenario (especially with their healing magic)!
10. How do you keep fight scenes interesting? I feel like even in stories praised for the fights, like The First Law, they always bore me; I can skip to the end and find out who wins (almost always the hero), and miss nothing of value. Sex scenes have a similar problem. Is there a way to make them interesting?
11. I once heard of someone who loved a book, but when they were very far into it they stopped reading because there was a swear word in it. Is this kind of mentality common? Should writers use swearing in their books, or does it do too much harm in losing your potential readership? What about other sensitive topics?
12. Do you have any tips on writing long-lived characters, like elves? How do you write characters who have lived for hundreds/thousands of years?
Here’s my question for next week’s Q&A: I’ve heard Brandon tell that story about the author whose book broke its own promises at the 3/4 mark several times. I know that he doesn’t want to name the author, but can he provide any examples of books that do something similar, whether successfully or unsuccessfully, as a point of reference?