2013 Brandon Sanderson - Lecture 3: What Makes a Great Character (1/7)

[@ThomasGiles]

Forgot to say before, but it's pretty awesome to have the lecture signed to a deaf person over to the right, and for them to be able to answer and contribute is also very cool.

[@TheRAfreak]

I took two years of ASL in high school, and I always get a "yay!" moment when I see people signing, haha

[@starrynightfall00]

Thank you so much for uploading these videos. I truly appreciate them!

[@improvementTime10.3.17]

3:15 think of char who are they first Before the role they’re meant to play And then let tile adjust to the char personality Best of both worlds still roughly follow role but also room for char to breathe and own the role 5:20 sometimes can run into problem of Villain being more interesting than hero It’s because villain has great plans and has a passions and are doing things same irl 7:00 not knowing how to show feelings in a char properly = can’t sympathize/ relate w the char This comes down to practice of writing emotion properly 9:00 flaws AND limitations of a char They’re different 9:30 varied passions) people aren’t ever just one thing = Bounty hunter who also loves collecting stamps

[@piderman871]

And twenty lecturers after him will be saying "Oh, this pen is dying". Please just throw it away instead of putting it back down :)

[@zeine442]

I took your word for a metaphor for a second.

[@zeine442]

I took your word for a metaphor for a second.

[@HeadshotProductio100]

This guy reminds me of Rich Evans.

[@HeadshotProductio100]

+Nathan Diehl What makes a great character? Well, Jar Jar's the key to all this...

[@djbanizza]

lol, I was wondering why he feels so familiar but didn't make the connection

[@Proffer427]

oberoth111 Sanderson is teaching at Brigham Young University, an establishment founded by the LDS (Mormons). I don't think it's a commandment for them to avoid R-rated movies, but they are generally counseled against watching them. I'm not a member of the LDS church, so maybe someone could correct me if I'm wrong.

[@benhinrichs1297]

Nope, you're right :)

[@AJShiningThreads]

How to get a reader to empathize with a character: have them step on a lego.

[@freddyj.morgan744]

Hate to ask using the comment box here, but is anyone struggling to log to the writeaboutdragons web page. Just seems to have disappeared?

[@nikolaigriggs4060]

character live beyond the page proactive capable sympathetic

[@SW-wf3gy]

Is it just me? Brandon reminds me of Chandler Bing.

[@sofiyak]

Maybe it's the voice?

[@improvementTime10.3.17]

U2 6:14

[@davejacob5208]

i´ve got the feeling that often character are simply relatable because they are the only or one of the view not-dumb or not-freaky or not-asshole-characters around, they are simply good by contrast to all others. (in that sense, of course they are also automatically very individually). but often you have a more or less flat character who simply acts like a decent person, but because he shows this in his reaction to another absolute moron in the story, he is the more relateable one. the one who has to deal with assholes or morons all around him. very relateable.

[@RedNZBlue]

That's how it works with my D&D games. The players are usually heroic because they're the only ones to make intelligent decisions, and they're not Lawful Stupid arrogant.

[@nruva]

Any chances to get these lectures in HD? The quality is fine, but I've been watching these on my TV, and this is the only lecture that isn't showing up in HD. :)

[@SweetlyDarkArt]

Playlist is out of order. Otherwise thank you for the lectures.

[@oberoth111]

Are you not allowed to watch films for grown ups at this university? when giving examples of things they mention cartoons like the Lion King and Tangled. seems strange for a class full of late teens early twenties. In another video, Brandon started talking about Die Hard but then stopped because he said the students wouldn't have seen an R rated movie. they could only see a censored version. Have I misunderstood something?

[@_Conzo_]

I know your comment in nine years old, but Brigham Young University is an overtly religious institution, hence Sanderson's references to more "innocent" media.

[@Legendary_Detective-Wobbuffet]

I've never related to a single character I have ever seen. The idea of it just makes me laugh. "oh yeah, I really connect with Spider-Man and his ability to shoot webs from his hands and throw cars", or "I just really feel connected to Son Goku and his ability to turn into a giant laser shooting monkey."

[@Legendary_Detective-Wobbuffet]

+DADchs13 Is the part of him ending up with dozens of beautiful women or having a great real world job given to him with no effort on his part (probably the most casual event in all of fiction is him becoming a professional photographer) relatable? The reason I like Spider-Man (and I do) has nothing to do with relatability. in fact the things you mentioned rather annoy me and if I find an everyman character I just throw the book away or stop watching the show; they ruin fiction. I like him because of the way after all these years he has become a study of rule, and role is everything to me. The only character I think I related to was the main character in the movie How I Live Now, because she had mental problems and her relationships don't work. I felt zero connection to her though, I only wanted to see how the role she was given would help her deal with those problems she had (though having sex with my cousin is something I refuse to try).

[@Legendary_Detective-Wobbuffet]

So relatablity is the same as morality? And you're wrong anyway, because there are many times (many many many times) that the villains are our favorite characters in a story, or that we like heroes who are jackasses. Joker murdered children, killed who cities and does abuse his girlfriend constantly. Are you telling me you CAN't like the Joker just because "he does bad stuff"?

[@Legendary_Detective-Wobbuffet]

The only thing that turns me off (and turns me off very fast) to a character are the everyman characters. If a story has them in it I usually stop reading it all together. I consider usually the author horrible also. I don't think it is the character's background and motivations that I care anything about in fact. I can't even tell you most of the backgrounds of books even that I loved (as a test I'm trying to remember Kelsier's background in Mistborn and I can't...but I didn't like his character). What I like about characters is how they represent the different standings of metaphorical truths and their own importance to the story; as well as how they react to situations given them. Every story is simply a philosophy book, and every character an expression of how those philosophies work out in a context. I like Spider-Man because he stands for a man attempting to USE morality, the boarder between morality and the world around him. I like Son Goku because he represents the philosophy of the love of challenge and how it intersects with those trying hard to learn from him. I like Vin because I'm attracted to small, angry women.

[@Legendary_Detective-Wobbuffet]

A list I don't agree with. I like many many characters and regular people I've never "related" to. I like you, and I don't think we agree on anything. I like Spider-Man, though again I'm nothing on any level at all like him. I don't enjoy fiction because I'm a narcissist who just likes seeing himself on screen or on paper. I like it for different reasons in each story. I don't even think the main characters protag anymore in American fiction. The main characters have just become reactionaries to situations thrown at them. We tell stories of victims more than protagonists. The villains are more the protagonist because they cause the situations that the main characters react to.

[@GrinMonister]

+Legendary Detective Wobbaffet relating to a character doesn't make someone a narcissist. Also, from your comments the reason you probably don't relate to characters is because you're kind of a douch and slightly narcissistic yourself. People are trying to tell you facts that relate to a majority of readers and yet you brush them off and call them narcissistic and try to act superior by saying you read for psychology. A majority of readers (especially sci-fi/fantasy readers) read for characters (which is why relatable characters are a big deal). You read for different reasons which is why characters aren't as important to you. People read for different reasons so stop acting like your reasons are better and more superior and is the only way to read.