Brandon Sanderson - 318R - #12 (Q&A)

Brand new for 2016 are Brandon Sanderson's writing lectures at BYU. This lecture was delivered on April 7, 2016.
This is the last lecture in the series.
Filmed by Jon Deering and Earl Cahill, edited by Earl Cahill (@spackest - where I will announce when new videos go public).
Table of contents:
0:45 dealing with discouragement and writer's block
11:30 show versus tell (who will win?)
13:00 publishers
30:40 which conventions should I attend?
38:05 pitich sessions
43:30 how do you know if you're any good?
48:00 how do you handle mixed feedback?
49:12 how much time do you spend reading books?
49:30 are the LTUE publishers too small?
52:30 how would you do things differently?
59:45 what was the storm light archive inspiration?
1:03:20 how does one find a great writing group?
Authors
Tad Williams - amzn.to/2digKzt
Melanie Rawn - amzn.to/2cIbT8l
Brian McClellan - amzn.to/2diUvLj
Patrick Rothfuss - amzn.to/2c3RFKY
Daniel Abraham - amzn.to/2dihm8B
Brandon Mull - amzn.to/2cWQ8TN
James Dashner - amzn.to/2dw3t5n
John Grisham - amzn.to/2a1nPki
Bella Forrest - amzn.to/2cFv73j
Bob Salvatore - amzn.to/2dEepOP
Hugh Howie - amzn.to/2dvTpO6
Michael J Sullivan - amzn.to/2drizbt
Works
Emperor's Soul - amzn.to/2drkdd3
Wax and Wayne Mistborn books - amzn.to/2deqPP6
Stormlight Archive - amzn.to/2dvU7uW
Fwiw, those are affiliate links.
Logo by Isaac Stewart, intro music by David Doxey.
Cameras / lenses
Panasonic G7 (42.5mm, F1.7)
Sony A6000 (Rokinon Cine 85mm T1.5)
Panasonic G7 (14-42mm, F3.5-5.6)
Canon 70D (Canon 24-105mm, F4)
Audio
Sanken COS-11D
Sennheiser ME66/K6
Tascam DR-40 recorder
If you love, love, love the videos you are more than welcome to say thanks in one or more of the following ways
try one of Brandon's works - amzn.to/2a28JLt
go buy a camera or lens at CameraPanda.com, maybe a 4k camera - camerapanda.com...
buy anything at Amazon through one of our affiliate links, like amzn.to/29C4CFG. If you visit that link and then buy anything else (like even a snowblower), CameraPanda still gets credit
link your awesome site to camerapanda.com
say thanks in the comments
just enjoy
Presented by camerapanda.com
Produced by skepteonmedia.com
CameraPanda.com, LLC and Skepteon Media, LLC are owned and operated by Earl Cahill
© 2016 Skepteon Media

[@AKNeal81]

Years later the impact of these videos on fantasy/sci-fi, as well as the art of writing as a whole, will prove the significance many of us already feel today. Thank you, Mr. Sanderson, for your artistic and philanthropic contributions, and Camera Panda for proving that a profit driven company can intelligently combine heart and innovation!

[@camerapanda]

We are happy to support creative arts generally and Brandon Sanderson specifically. Thanks for watching!

[@jauxro]

I imagine editors will notice that impact first lol

[@TheSarahlikesmusic]

To the guy at the end who asked how people who are watching this at home should go about finding writing groups: god bless you and your soul🙏

[@davidf.farris6619]

Did anyone else want to cry when he said, "Alright, guys. This has been your class. You have been a great audience." I can't believe it's over. What a journey. :(

[@hunszaszist]

@Mr Heck While some people are choking on their emotions, you chose something else. Brave of you to admit to it!

[@mdptg1990]

No

[@EtzEchad]

I had an author tell me once that there is no writer's block. There is just not writing. The way to overcome writer's block is to write. This is essentially what Brandon said here.

[@danieldosso2455]

As a hobby writer in my mid 20's I've found this KZbin Series incredibly helpful. One thing I'd like to say on "Writer's Block" for me personally is I am a heavy outline writer and feel the need to know where my characters/plot goes next. When I encounter "Writer's Block" I often just leave the story as is for about 2-3 days and randomly as I'm doing something completely unrelated to writing or my fantasy world I'll get an epiphany and say something like "Oh, so that's why that character stopped there, because I'm going to introduce a new character/object into the story". Or... I'll have a "He wasn't supposed to go that way at all" type of moment.

[@pkhrezo-prodigalone49]

Brandon Sanderson is the real deal. Smart as a whip and knows his biz. If you're a writer do yourself a favor and watch all 12 videos. They're brilliant!

[@RhodesRyan]

Don't let it be over! Writing excuses is great for my commute, but I seriously can't get enough of these lectures.

[@Poisonedblade]

Do we all get 1 Unit for watching all of these?

[@coltonwatersmusic2319]

Lol YES! I want to request to put this on my transcript 🤣

[@QTRBlackGarrett]

I see you in the comments of a lot of the things I watch haha

[@chrisjones8829]

Poisonedblade Definitely.

[@thejoyfultutor]

These lectures have been both inspiring and practical and I'm so happy to have found them! Thank you for uploading them and thanks to Brandon for his amazing insights into the craft of writing.

[@camerapanda]

You bet Jacqueline!

[@Airhawk360]

"Cons, like I'm doing tomorrow." A day or two later, I met him the first time at a Con in my hometown :p Small one, most people there were fans of his.

[@gkj1992]

Airhawk360 I just got to meet him at Gen Con a couple days ago, I walked up to him, and shook hands with him and he asked me if i had any questions for him, since he and several authors were giving a q&a series on magic systems. I got so 'starstruck' and flustered that I couldn't form a sentence and I know I left a bad impression. I'm so disappointed for making a fool out of myself and annoying one of the nicest people out there. I really hope I can meet him again and actually talk to him as a person.

[@UdyKumra]

"They're rejecting me, they're saying this is too long, so I'm going to make it the longest book ever."

[@edwinleskin6063]

Thanks Camera Panda

[@camerapanda]

Even two years later you are welcome :)

[@jaydon4574]

Camera Panda How about three? Thanks! 🙂

[@billyalarie929]

How about 4?

[@emman.m.p.]

Five years for my thanks you panda

[@shayp3558]

A true legend

[@jacoblillo1077]

I don’t even really like writing that much but I’ve listened to all of these. Fun lectures.

[@josepher9071]

I'm imagining Shallan going to a bar now and all of a sudden a group of ninjas storm the place.

[@TheLeukarfw]

Just watched the entire video series, wonderful, incredible writing advice from one of my favorite authors.

[@camerapanda]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@martam7941]

Awesome, awesome course. I watched it all in 3 days. Very inspiring! Thank you for doing this!

[@camerapanda]

You're welcome and thanks for watching!

[@duartevgc2114]

Thank you very much, Camera Panda and Brandon! I can't express how pleased I am for having acess to these classes.

[@anastasiaaustinauthor3866]

This was great to watch! Thanks for recording them and posting them! Thank Brandon for allowing it :) So awesome of him to offer this as an option to all writers!

[@hunszaszist]

1:03:20 Thank you, mystery guy! God this was just the question I was pondering! Not that I got the answer I was looking for, being from a foreign language country, but man am I thankful for you asking it.

[@DrG00se9]

Thank you Camera Panda for this great sequence of videos! It was well filmed. Thank you, Brandon, for the great insights. It is amazing to take essentially a one-credit class for free. I just took notes as I watched over Christmas break when I had a ton of free time and it was amazing. I now need to go read Mistborn!

[@laurarayburn7138]

Thank you for making these available! I'm putting all of these and the 2012 (I think) lectures on my phone so that I can listen to them while driving or walking around. I used to write a lot, and I haven't really written for the last couple of years. I'm hoping that this, and the podcast Writing Excuses, will help me as a writer and help keep it in my mind to encourage me to get back into writing!

[@chrisjones8829]

Starting at 3:00 is pure gold

[@dakotadexter3948]

This has been a fantastic watch. I've learned so much and am very thankful for you uploading these lectures.

[@Jasonwolf1495]

Im actually very glad i decided to not try and get published. Writing has been a hobby of mine for well over a decade and a half and if i was trying to do it for a job i think id end up annoyed with it. Without a deadline or any stress on it besides me wanting to write it. I just write for fun. If i ever have a story I feel is good enough to publish when im done maybe ill look into it, but im not shooting for that.

[@reagame8700]

Jeffrey well just keep it up! Brandon Sanderson write like that from High School to college. He just wrote and wrote (12 books!) before he decided he wanted to be a published author. Only one of them published out of 13. Even if you never decide to publish, keep at it! Hobbies like this are great.

[@Peacemoon-ToH]

Thank you Brandon Sanderson and Camera Panda. Amazing lectures which have left me completely enthralled and inspired. I've been doing this a lot quietly by myself for years so felt so awesome to hear anecdotes of people going through the same things. I'm going to write the book thats in me. I hope it will be amazing. But I will also be happy to accomplished it just for myself. Thanks again.

[@carlosmggt]

A wonderful series, practical and inspiring. Thanks so much for putting this up, it has been so helpful, as a person that's just started writing, it really put me in the right frame of mind. I started reading Brandon's books because of this series too.

[@kitfantasia]

Thank you Brandon and Camera Panda! This has inspired me and shown me how to get to where I need to be for my story.

[@Lowebotz]

Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination.

[@EHAmos]

The thumbnail is perfect for this video, hahaha. Also these lectures have been amazing, I almost wish there was more

[@BI0Z0MBIE]

so i watched the lectures from 2012, 2013 and now these. still havent started to write. #wordbuilding :x

[@JessiLRoberts]

Thanks for uploading this! I really enjoy listening to these. Now I need to go catch up on Writing Excuses.

[@camerapanda]

You bet, thanks for watching :)

[@ArabKatib]

Thank you mister Sanderson. :-)

[@FirezAper46]

If I'm being honest, since I was little I've been little, I've always found novels to be boring, but after watching this series and writing two books currenty, I found such a sense of wonder into why each word appears in the first book I genuinely felt like reading (The Name of the Wind) and writing is such an amazing craft and I am grateful that such lectures exist and for free, and since they are based on fantasy is really helps tackle every single genre out there and it does it in such a fun way, great work Camera Panda!

[@AdamPorterAtlasProWriter]

The comments about being in a funk that will pass is SO true. I've been writing professionally for a while now - mostly, news, commentary, and feature stories - and it happens that way for me too. You sit down, stare at that blank page and just start writing. Sometimes it's crap. In fact, in the beginning a lot of it is crap, but if you just keep writing, you start to feel a shift. Many times, the finished product is something sort of similar to how you started. Other times, it's completely different. They key is to keep writing. Of course, deadlines with paychecks on the other side of them definitely help.

[@sylviadailey1465]

WOW! This guy's GREAT. He really knows his stuff.

[@ofthebunnies]

Thank you for your work on this video series I have enjoyed them all immensely!

[@MemphiStig]

tell me i can look forward to the next school year's version of this. i really enjoy him and this class. he's much more grounded and covers more territory in his class than anything online, and he's a great teacher. thanks for posting.

[@roiberger]

Thanks Camera Panda and Brandon for this amazing series!

[@abergy56]

Thanks Brandon and Camera Panda for an awesome class and great audio/video quality!

[@sarahsavagebassett7134]

This was a fantastic resource. Thank you Brandon and Camera Panda!

[@diogo.barreiros]

Thank you very much, Camera Panda!!!!!

[@jwb4291]

I just don't understand how he does everything

[@Sluggernaut]

Hard work and perseverance. He said he had written 12 books over the course of 10 years without selling one.

[@elfstone8606]

He's a fantasy machine

[@devanshigupta7567]

These lectures have helped me sooo much. Thank you so much, Brandon Sanderson.

[@failedleopard3685]

1:03:30 That guy is MVP for all of us.

[@LordMichaelRahl]

This course really helped, thanks Brandon Sanderson.

[@tomking7039]

I just started way of kings. Liking it so far

[@sondrax]

Thanks for posting these Z!

[@pollypopcorn]

Thank you Brandon Sanderson and Camera Panda

[@Leto85]

Thank you for this series. :)

[@Toyspriceguide]

These lectures are much appreciated. Thank you!

[@austinwiebe3801]

Fantastic lectures, this will surely help me along my way to becoming a professional author

[@Sol-pc1jb]

These lectures were all incredibly helpful! I wish there were more, Sanderson has this way of expressing himself that makes every word count... does that make sense? Anyway, thank you for uploading these!!!!!!

[@BizJetTV]

I need to start or join a writing group, as I am starting to write my scifi novel. I am in the UK but moving to BC in canada soon. I am happy to be part of a virtual writing group too.

[@jauxro]

Same, did you have any luck?

[@woutervandekinderen3956]

I've watched the entire series twice now. still learning new things. I'm an absolute beginner writer, but i've put a lot of work in making my world book and creating cool characters (it's an epic fantasy adventure). I still have an important question though. What language gives me the most chance of getting my book to come published, Dutch or English? I'm from Flemmish Belguim, but I personally think my english is good enough to write in.

[@timberfedor5]

@Amber Winnubst Any professional experience? Being Dutch and living in The NL, I'm wondering if it's more difficult finding an English publisher with a foreign background.

[@morganlewis6605]

At 49:12 I thought he was going to say 10 hours or something ridiculous, thank God he said what he said, it relieved me some what.

[@theepurpletoaster]

43:30 48:02 59:50 :)

[@blutheelf2430]

Thank you kind person

[@theepurpletoaster]

@@blutheelf2430 You're most welcome.

[@Mordal1222]

Sounds like he's eating the plastic.

[@williamdowney6265]

how can one man be so cool and such a nerd at the same time?

[@MysteriesofWriting]

Thanks for this series it's a great help! :D

[@camerapanda]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@FelipeKana1]

Thank you all!

[@meltyninjers]

1:03:30 this man is a hero

[@migmit]

"Complete and utter... falsehood". Yeah, that is exactly the word that sprung to my mind first.

[@Xenophon1]

Many thanks to Mr. Sanderson and Camera Panda

[@FirezAper46]

Is it possible to ask Sanderson to tackle new topics in his current classes? i really like his take on all these different topics and new ones would be great. I know you guys said that you don't upload the latest lectures as they are repetitive but could you post clips of interesting questions and market trends, things are progressing at such a rapid pace, it would be nice to know what Sanderson has to say about them, :)

[@toggo8611]

Thanks Camera Panda!

[@CPS222]

Wait, wasn't this already uploaded?

[@camerapanda]

I fixed the audio sync on a clip and swapped the new version into the playlist

[@fayfay961]

I can't believe it's over...nothing to do now but write a book!

[@hanzlakhan6711]

Was this course beneficial?

[@matth2868]

Haven't read Stormlight yet. King gets assassinated around 1:00:05 that a spoiler?

[@potatochul4337]

Not really. It's either the prologue or chapter 1...so I guess *technically* that one scene is spoiled but really at that point does it even count. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the first line of the cover blurb.

[@matth2868]

@@potatochul4337 thank you! Still reading Elantris. Figured I'd go in order.

[@b152349]

what a legend

[@AvatarAdam8596]

[@sylviadailey1465]

Brandon's suggestion for writer's block - write anyway and do a bad job. Sounds like one of my favorite writer's interviews. He said whenever he does a book, his first attempt is what he calls "SHI--Y FIRST DRAFT'. When he calls it that, he already knows it's going to be crap and he doesn't have to worry. Then like Brandon says, let your subconscious work on it.

[@RoyAnderson]

If anyone out there would like to start a writing group over Skype (using the writing group standards Brandon has previously mentioned), please reply. If we get at least 4, we can kick it off. :)

[@NeilFlinchbaugh]

Hi Roy, I'd be interested! Have you found any other writers for a group like this?

[@RoyAnderson]

+Neil Flinchbaugh Not yet! And awesome. We have two, at least. :)

[@uguntiitnugu628]

Is this just a group where writers can hang out and talk about book ideas? I might be interested as well.

[@RoyAnderson]

I'm afraid not +Ugunti This would be a group of people taking turns sharing/reviewing each others writing.

[@abergy56]

Hey I'm a pretty new writer, only have a couple chapters done in my first real project. But I'd absolutely love to join a group if you're still putting one together!

[@julianwarmington1267]

Can anyone understand what he says in his funny North Americaaan accent at 29:27? "... less inclination to take someone [ - ?! - ]..." - unedited/ uninitiated / on initiative / ...?

[@ammonnakai453]

unagented

[@JAMLENOMBACON]

Thank you

[@ThisIsSparta475]

59:50 Sick bong rip

[@georgeyeulett6046]

head to a new coffee shop to help with writer's block... works well for me!

[@tahamohiuddin7425]

Why is fast paced writing better fit for self-publishing? I'm a very slow writer FYI.

[@angiectoan4543]

Terrible Writing Advice brought me here.

[@leonardonakatanimoretti6516]

I guess if you transpose everything brandon says upside down you get TWA.

[@gastonmancini2133]

Claire would be proud!

[@abdoul5176]

35:02 That jacket is fire.

[@Sluggernaut]

Do you get an editor first? Then an agent?

[@Gurucha]

Nice shirt, Brandon!

[@Asandtrout]

is that Mal on his t-shirt?

[@dylanwatts1045]

Yeah, he’s wearing a Firefly shirt

[@SIQOalavi]

will there be a Season 2 ? :)

[@MikeHathawayMusic]

is there any way that you could review the first chapter of my book, not sure if this channel is still running but ill comment this anyway

[@oblivio99]

27:00

[@ajk1217]

I just can't with these slurps XD

[@rodrigo3732]

All of the publishing part is so scary for me,how can you just give your book (your baby) to people you don,t know?

[@bartandaelus359]

There is an odd moaning sound around the 34 minute mark that i can't place... it's very odd and distracting.

[@Makkovar]

I have that strange feeling of deja vu...

[@rahz5660]

sure, if you watched the 2013 classes it''s almost the same

[@billyalarie929]

19:31 >.> oof.....

[@kashifsiddiq3368]

Some actual utilisation of lock down thanks to camera panda

[@ThomasSchannel]

59:50 SLURP

[@Mona-kg6hy]

48:03 water drinking asmr

[@jmmip202]

idek what an agent is

[@jpkdike3031]

Still flying

[@xablep8849]

45:00