Lecture #8: Worldbuilding Q&A - Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

[@FardtilUshid]

His ability to make a living with words, while not being able to spell many of them, makes me think eye can dewit two.

[@Bluehearte07]

Lol...

[@unity151]

Nicewon lol

[@nathanbaca5131]

Spelling is irrelevant in the age of technology. If you spell something wrong it’s immediately corrected. I spelled at least 3 words wrong in this comment.

[@livingontheedje427]

Yup. I feal ya.

[@pIayingwithmahwii]

@@nathanbaca5131 I spelled your name wronge

[@Mjot101]

Someone explain to me why I can’t pay attention in my university lectures and now am using free time to watch university lecture

[@chickendragon8526]

Requirement vs. Interest. Also Brandon Sanderson is incredibly charismatic.

[@c.w.hughes2609]

This comment encapsulates my entire education journey/

[@johnx140]

Because your teachers are shit, and Brandon is super entertaining AND he makes you learn through the netertainment.

[@mayanpictures3000]

The things we truly value are only when it's completely our decision to.

[@nathanbaca5131]

Most people watching this I assume are fans of Sanderson’s books. Much more interesting when you’re learning from someone you respect and in some cases idolize.

[@alexanderfyock9042]

I really appreciate that Brandon doesn't have the attitude of "Lord of the Rings is outdated". I see it a lot and it really is frustrating. Thank you Brandon! I love your books!

[@mikepolo2887]

I am not a fan of LotR, but I am very saddened when anyone says any book is outdated. Books should not have an expiry date.

[@alexh4935]

We all owe so much to Grandpa Tolkien, whether we know it or not.

[@miscellaneousgoblin910]

@rutber2000 I think this summarizes it well.

[@Spaced92]

There does come a time with a book where you think, this wouldn't work if someone wrote it today and the author was less famous. Like people don't even realise a lot of Jane Austen stuff is satirising society and question what makes her interesting, if enough people these days can't recognise that without being told or reading a lot of her work, then the works have become outdated. That does NOT mean they are not good books you can still enjoy, Jane Austen is obviously timeless and her works are far more niche and older than Tolkien. But everything loses their importance as time goes on.

[@shuheihisagi6689]

@rutber2000 Tolkien created that world for himself mainly, if you want to make a book like Tolkien I don't think you should expect it to be a best seller anyway. It should be a passion project.

[@NamelessNotes]

I could listen to Brandon talk about writing fantasy all day.

[@elessar6950]

In fact, I did

[@dheeshnelapatla8793]

This is what I do at home all day. #WithMe 😂

[@Rye404]

1:38 - “What flaws do you (Sanderson) have, that make you a better writer?” 4:54 - “How do you create a magic that doesn’t seem like magic?” 6:11 - Internal vs. external consistency/logic 10:30 - Goes back to explain how internal vs. external logic plays into creating a magic system, that doesn’t seem like magic. 11:56 - “How do we give enough exposition to make the reader understand the world, but maintain mystery and twists?” 17:28 - “Do you change or modify rules based on the age of the intended reader?” + “Do you, while you’re writing, ever change your rules?” (Tbc. at 24:26, after the question below) 23:13 - “Do you ever have publishers or editors try to have you put more graphic content in?” 26:02 - Follow-up question from one of the students: “My central character is eight years old. What is the danger with that? Why don’t we see more adult books with child protagonists?” 29:05 - “This is back to the internal/external logic. What do you do if there’s a case where they may conflict? How do you choose which one is better?” 32:56 - “Is there a way to see hard magic disguised as soft magic in a book?” 35:37 - “How do you prevent world building from feeling like a chore?” 40:38 - “What’s my (Sanderson’s) opinion on fanfiction?” 41:34 - “How do you know if your magic system works?” 45:54 - “I’d love to screen write for animation. Any tips?” 48:02 - “Is editing fantasy/sci-fi a good backup plan?” 52:39 - “How can you make limits or weaknesses appear natural and not contrived?” 56:58 - “What does Brandon think of The Mandalorian?” 58:52 - “Are Sanderson’s Laws absolute?” 59:45 - “How do you decide that you need to add some new magic, and how do you add it smoothly without turning it into a deus ex machina/making it feel out of nowhere?” 1:04:47 - About revision

[@Raikeran]

this should be pinned

[@nickllanes8030]

Sanderson should put this on top of the comments section!

[@chrischoward9108]

Thank you 🐐

[@SydnieLuvsBeauty]

Not all hero’s wear capes.

[@larperdixon723]

Legend.

[@BruceWayne15325]

I totally agree with Sanderson when he says that if you violate a readers external logic then you will have to work a lot harder to get them to suspend their disbelief and accept it. When writing one of my books I found that my brother got very angry with me because I was writing a necromancer in a totally different light than one would typically expect. I tried explaining the logic behind my decision, and everything made sense that way, but he still could not accept it. I found however, that if I just didn't call the character a necromancer that my brother was perfectly fine with the character because it no longer came with that excess baggage.

[@tonoornottono]

tbh this is just a story about your pedantic brother

[@jaytopia2924]

tbh unless he was talking about how necromancy is a literal meaning for "talking to the dead" he was just being pedantic

[@karissahammond4587]

I had this problem, but with vampires

[@senkiken2628]

I've started seeing your class in the BYU since the quarantine begun. I'm from Spain and these weeks my writing motivation fell off pretty quickly. Even if this message gets lost on the comment section, I'm so thankful for your classes, the way you try to explain us your experience through the years. It gave me hope and the words you've said at the first video made me feel like I was in your class. Thank you PD: Sorry for my English, it's not my main language

[@carlosgagomaria4859]

your english is perfect, bro

[@senkiken2628]

@@carlosgagomaria4859 really? I think I could say it way better

[@carlosgagomaria4859]

@@senkiken2628 JAJAJAJA no me hagas mucho caso que hablo tu idioma y también soy estudiante de inglés

[@ChaseNoseworthy]

@@senkiken2628 No he's right, there were a few mistakes but you spoke better than a lot of native English speakers

[@senkiken2628]

@@ChaseNoseworthy Thank you then. I mean. For a foreign person, at the very beginning English seems easy. But when you go deeper into it it's way harder

[@aneonfoxtribute]

"Everything in a book is contrived" THANK YOU! I have been saying this for years

[@dragonstooth4223]

yeah when he said that I mouthed the same at the screen lol

[@alethearia]

to be fair though... everything is contrived? So we might as well enjoy our little contrivances.

[@Mark-in8ju]

But magic might not FEEL contrived. Allomacy and Feruchemy do NOT seem like absurd fantasy when we read about them. The abilities are very specific, limited, but still very powerful when used correctly.

[@jinks908]

46:18 One of the most selfless, mature pieces of advice I've gotten from him. For someone as highly accomplished and renowned in sci-fi/fantasy as him to state openly that he is not the one to be giving advice on how to break in in the current climate just shows how true and honest he is. It's completely the correct call too, I mean think about how exponentially fast our world changes now. We literally didn't have iPhones when he broke in, let that sink in ... let alone all the other software/hardware/devices we have now that's made eBook sales fly off the charts. Even KZbin was barely a year old, nothing like it is now. So not only is he completely right in this assessment, but it makes me trust all of his other advice 100%. Brandon Sanderson must be protected at all costs. At least until he's 72 ... iykyk 📚📚📚

[@palindont9238]

This man is brilliant, but I'm also struck by just what an amazing teacher he is. He's the best blend of humor, humility, and imagination.

[@NerdWytch]

His teaching prowess is so underrated honestly

[@jamiewalters6111]

1:06:38 It's time for Deep Thoughts with Heinlein. -You must write. -You must finish what you write. -You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order. -You must put the work on the market. -You must keep the work on the market until it is sold. That concludes our Deep Thoughts with Heinlein.

[@kryptonianguest1903]

OSP reference ftw!

[@RobertKAtkin]

The last 10 minutes about revision from 1:04:47 is gold. Thank you. So enjoy these lectures. This is the third series of them I’ve watched.

[@PulseTriangle]

These lectures are amazing. I have made more progress with my writing in the past couple weeks after starting these than the past couple years before finding these. A big thank you to B Sanderson and the KZbin algorithm

[@dilleddough382]

I can't believe this was just put out for free, I feel like I owe someone money after watching this whole series of lectures.

[@KipIngram]

32:00 - I think Jim Butcher's got a shining example of handing "not completely standard" vampires in *The Dresden Files*. He has three separate types of vampires (three vampire Courts), and they're brilliantly differentiated. One is the standard vampire (Black Court). Then the Red Court is quite similar, but with somewhat different rules. Finally the White Court doesn't feed on blood at all - they feed on emotional energy. Anyway, however it's done, Jim did it, and did it super-well.

[@kitjohnson2767]

Yep.

[@yooooo8600]

I DM dungeons and dragons for some of my friends, and one of them is playing a “lesser” vampire who feeds off dreams. Reminds me of that

[@lai6551]

Thank goodness, I love that Sanderson knows he's not an expert in breaking into the current publishing industry. So glad he doesn't give an equivalent of "Just go up to the publishing manager and give them a firm handshake and you'll get published that day!" It's so incredibly refreshing to get advice from someone who knows what he knows and knows what he doesn't know.

[@Burgalo2001]

It would be so great, if Brandon Sanderson wrote the book about writing! It would be the best present for people who admire him as the teacher of writing classes

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

I am watching this in 2024. amazed at this series. It answers so much about my writing. Hopefully I can learn. THank you very much. It's sad that so many more people started this course than finished it. It truly is their loss.

[@TheMusicscotty]

I'm constantly amazed he can come up with concrete examples at the drop of a hat. An amazing lecturer. Tireless and energetic. Also, my favorite author by a wide margin.

[@randomname2366]

One thing I get out of all of these lectures is it is usually better to flesh out your main character(s) than anything else. A simple plot with fantastic characters will not confuse the reader and give them a strong viewpoint from which to explore. As the character explores, the reader explores and the character, like most of us, rarely have long conversations with anyone about how the world works around us unless we have a mentor. That perspective seems very helpful to keep my writing closer to what would the character think and less about what I might want to put in their head.

[@tiagodagostini]

Your story about not talking about the sprens on the emotion scenes is amazing. They are the driving element of the advance of the characters and the world state and you managed to add their "common" presence only in a revision. That is a great revision work right there.

[@concettooniro-artsandtales3673]

Thank you Sanderson for these lectures. You have the gratitude of thousands of aspiring writers.

[@JeffViccora]

Brandon, I hope you read through your youtube comments sometimes. I've never seen a more overwhelmingly positive review of a youtube video than I do here (I'm a big youtube comment reader). Deservedly so, these are incredibly valuable videos that make this giant process in the modern age seem so doable, achievable and worth it. I wish we could see how many authors moved to publishing just because of these videos

[@roninthecollector3875]

So nobody else has wondered what Brandon wrote during this session? I neeeed to know. Also, thanks for providing this online. Here I am watching it 2 years later and learning so much. Really inspiring. I wrote my first piece of flash fiction, and my first writing in years… seriously, thanks.

[@jessejones7251]

The best advice I ever got about designing something for a young audience: You make it for the intelligence of an adult, but with no worldly experience. Kids understand emotional complexity, they just often don't have the vocabulary for it.

[@adrianestrada5736]

At 57:50, was one of the quickest censorings I've heard yet. Had me cracking up! Nice save! 😆👍👍

[@alfredofernandezalvarez8856]

Every year or so I come back to Brandon's videos, and I get a new, deeper understanding of how to implement his advice in my writing. I wish I had rewatched this a couple of months ago - it would have saved me a lot of headaches in revision.

[@clusterpuck76]

Realistic magic and fantastical science would be a good name for a book on that lesson

[@blugobln85]

It took me 8 of these lectures to realize my science fiction story absolutely has a magic system in it. I then immediately decided to expand on that magic system and add a second one. I just thought that was amusing. :D

[@Fujtajblus]

Hello Brandon, I live in Prague and I stumbled upon these lectures as I first tried to find out what writing is about and whether that would be for me. So, thank you for the recordings and please continue as the semester progresses if it is possible with current covid situation. Cheers.

[@OtherwiseAce]

I know it's minor but it's actually quite incredible that he says "let's talk for 10 minutes about revisions" EXACTLY 10 minutes before the video ends

[@neilsullivan7609]

Thank you SOOOO much for posting these videos! I love the humility you show and how you always point out that you can only teach what you know works for you and may work for some others, but that there are many other ways that may work better for some people. And frankly I love that you are the kind of person some people would consider a nerd like me, who is not afraid to show his flaws and admit his mistakes!

[@josepher9071]

57:50 "we're gonna make some star wars shi- uh.. star wars show" 1:13:45 He was absolutely going to say "I'm gonna try to kill every character who is meant to die."

[@billyalarie929]

absolutely loved catching that at 57:50, also how everyone ELSE seemingly caught it. 57:56 some girl literally says "that's not what you were gonna say"

[@rachelknapp7271]

I like how Brandon discusses the difference between MG & YA. But as with everything, there are exceptions... As a teacher, I wish there were more writers who wrote more complex works but for younger students content-wise. This is because there are plenty of middle grade students who can read at very high levels, but they can’t find a lot except for classics that are appropriate for their age. Likewise, there are plenty of high schoolers that read below their grade level (the majority in fact), so having YA books content-wise but are easier to read would also be welcome :)

[@9outof10]

So true. It's a trap for able young readers -- the best compliment to an 11 year old is to say they have a 16 yr old's reading age...but then you don't want them to read books that are aimed at 16 year olds. There's such a big gap in the market for appropriately challenging middle grade books.

[@nathanbaca5131]

The difference between reading levels in students through elementary all the way to high school was why I struggled so much in school. I come from a family of avid readers and found most of my assigned reading far beneath my reading level and didn’t even bother reading a lot of it. I was rebellious and immature to not do my assignments because they weren’t engaging for me, but children and adolescents are by definition immature. Giving children books below their reading level is a huge reason why many people find reading to be boring and end up hating reading. Many people haven’t read an engaging book by their teen years and give up because they don’t realize they’ve just been reading the wrong books.

[@wingracer1614]

@@nathanbaca5131 My solution to that problem was just reading adult books. Between about 9 and about 35 I read zero MG or YA books except maybe for a couple for school.

[@TomorrowWeLive]

What's wrong with classics?

[@rachelknapp7271]

@@nathanbaca5131 I see this happen to my students far more often than you’d think!

[@MdMonir-n3s7v]

The editing here is seamless. Love how it all comes together!

[@Algardraug]

I love the bit about the revision process. Brandon is almost approaching an agile methodology! Really cool!

[@thenullwalker]

I've been looking forward to watching more of these! Thanks for being willing to post them.

[@Nyyre]

1:38 What flaws does Brandon Sanderson have that makes him a better writer? His ability to write fast and work on new projects. Strength was pulled him through a lot of books, practice, he gained momentum, confidence. Drawback was learning revision. Taking good story and turning it into great story. Breaking bad habits in prose. Need to write stories to learn their beats, get a feel for them, how to pace them and make them better. 4:55 how do you create a magic that doesn’t feel like magic? Magic is like technology, the rules and aesthetic. 6:55 Internal vs external consistency. Internal consistency/logic - the logic of your story fits and is consistent with its own rules. Important for hard and soft magics. External consistency / logic: trying to explain why/how things happen to a person with the physics of this world (X-men have a special gene) more important for some genres like hard sci fi to help people jump to logic. Brando usually adds a lil bit of external logic alongside the internal logic. (Characters talk about thermodynamics, point out the hole that magic fills…)

[@Nyyre]

11:50 How do we give enough exposition to let the reader understand the world, but maintain mystery and twists? 13:00 hang a lantern on it Character says “these two things don’t seem to go together. Oh well!” Hint at reader that there’s a unifying thing. Some hole of understanding to fill. Or harry only learning three spells in first year. Or “there’s no time to explain. Come with me.” Learn as you go.

[@Nyyre]

17:25 Do you change or modify rules based on age of intended reader? Fine balance between writing down to an audience and writing toward an audience. Childrens books - 18 and under Middle grade - goes up to fuzzy line when preteens / teens go from getting books from gatekeepers to selecting their own books. (Middle grade is edited for content. No sex drugs violence) (occasionally edit for word choice to simplify / clarify. Streamline. One character. Shallow learning curve. Simple systems. But still write emotional complexity. That’s how you avoid writing down.) YA - 13+ (age of intended audience + 2 is age of protag. Ppl like reading about someone relatable but slightly older) YA is not edited for content (swearing, sexuality, violence) New adult tried to happen but it’s not really a thing. Brandon Sanderson hasn’t written below middle grade.

[@Nyyre]

27:20 genre is a marketing tool If your book doesn’t fit into a category, might be harder to market. Doesn’t mean don’t write them, but think about how to pitch/frame it for publisher and marketing.

[@Nyyre]

32:55 can you disguise hard magic as soft magic? Yes. Treat your book like soft magic. Over time people find explanations for the illogical functions of the magic. Transforms into more understood hard magic system with rules and tools.

[@Nyyre]

35:15 Clarke’s Law - any sufficiently advanced science will seem like magic to people who don’t understand it.

[@DrasticSkuba]

I watch these classes to help improve my writing methods. I watch them so much that they now interfere with my actual writing. No regrets

[@EDDIELANE]

“That’s a great question!” -Brandon Sanderson

[@estranhokonsta]

At 34:18 when Sanderson referenced the plot in Fred Saberhagen's Book of Swords, i remembered Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light. Great book.

[@ja8ames]

Yeah, I missed the name and thought that he was talking about Lord of Light for a few moments.

[@giverdend1416]

@@ja8ames Me too!

[@moonchild2050]

Thank you for sharing your lectures. As someone who is trying to become better at what I love to do your insight has been very helpful to know where to start and that i didnt infact do everything backwards.

[@ezraminard2986]

BYU students in comments are saying this must have been recorded beforehand. Just saying before another person takes the time to ask

[@kaigreen5641]

The best example of writing that has no internal consistency but works brilliantly is Douglas Adams. He even changed the story on purpose so the radio plays wouldnt be exactly the same as the books but still ended up in the same place.

[@hariman7727]

Ironically, that lack of consistency is itself a form of consistency.

[@bencowles2105]

Hey Brandon thank you for helping to finish the wheel of time series.

[@luindefanel2091]

I really appreciate that last point about revision and edition. I use fictionary system, it's really great for a second revision and gave me so much information for edition, anyway, think I'm going to put more attention in that in the video, I really need it. Thanks for all this videos, Mr Sanderson.

[@chxrish72]

Ok, if i a 14 yr old can watch a college lecture cause it’s informative yet enjoyable means your doing something right

[@Pannenkoekenplantje]

Really enjoying these lectures :) going through it a second time, making notes now that I have a draft for my world. Comming from an angle of writing shorter stories for fun (fiction) and having done non-fiction/technical writing professionally, but my goal for 2024 is to write a longer fiction. The things I'm most unfamiliar with is a longer plot with subplots, and having tension. So I really hope the tips on outlines will give me a workable first attempt :)

[@tejpatel5320]

I knew everyone is probably worried about this, because I was, this is MOST LIKELY a pre recording. He states that he will two weeks on the business side, and the livestream was about the business side of writing (ie, publishing, agents, etc.). He usually does only 2 weeks on each "subject" on writing (given his previous lecture from 2016 posted by CameraPanda). It is logical to think that this was before the livestream. Also, he/Isaac states somewhere that they have finished six weeks left of a thirteen week semester, and this is numbered as EIGHT, and there are seven lectures published online *before* the livestream. So : Total weeks (13) - Weeks left, not counting the week this was recorded on (6) = 7 (weeks done), which lines up with the number of currently posted lectures (not counted livestream). Hope I quell your anxiety/concerns. :)

[@roceb5009]

but the very first line is "you get me back this week", i.e. after the live stream.

[@sea_ghan]

@@roceb5009 Lecture #7 was with a guest lecturer and not him..

[@andrewfleenor7459]

Also at 47:30 or so he refers to Mary's class as "last week".

[@rymdalkis]

Worst case scenario he'll livestream his lectures to the class

[@mightymouse5930]

PTL

[@henbane2247]

'Remember the bucket.' Great advice. I like the sculpture analogy. I also heard that on The Creative Penn podcast

[@ninor6377]

This is so much fun to watch. So many golden nuggets.

[@petawebb]

Am watching this from Australia 3 years later. Thanks for reminding me why I wanted to write😊

[@MrVette]

I've been bingeing this series, but I finally have to comment because FINALLY someone agrees with me about the Mandalorian. All the important story and character was in the beginning and the end. Feels like it could've just been a movie, but still so good.

[@pavelowjohn9167]

17:20 This is exactly how Roger Zelazny explained the Amber universe in the first book of his Chronicles of Amber - SPOILER ALERT - Corwin wakes up in a sanitarium with amnesia, he has no idea why he is tougher and stronger than normal human beings, he discovers that he has to walk the Pattern to get his memories back, which includes an explanation of how magic works in that universe. Even on second and third readings, this device works really well for explaining how things work and why Amberites (Amberlings?) are different than normal everyday people.

[@pacotaco1246]

Jojolion also does this really really well too!

[@Speed202]

The bit at the end regarding revision was pure gold.

[@pater2671]

Love these Brandon they help a Lot thank you very much

[@MarcusVance]

In regards to the mention of editing, there's a huge indie writing market, and many if them hire editors. Usually freelance editors. And anyone can call themselves a freelance editor and meet any degree of success.

[@mattbarninger]

That’s the best description of revision I’ve ever heard.

[@thedmdidit9842]

"As an artist, when you are creating a piece of art and a piece of writing, your focus should be on, what do i want this piece of art to achieve? What is my goal with it? I'm going to measure your success in creating that art based on how well you were able to do the thing you were trying to." Love this cause I always hated when people pushed the idea that -you can't judge somebodies art, its subjective-. If that is true how come some things get wildly popular and others are hated or ignored? This standard of judging art is spot on. Sanderson for the win again.

[@alexarviso6836]

Three stuff u before is more famous than others can be confirmation bias. As in your opinion is that those particular pieces are better because their popular.

[@O5wa1d]

Great class - especially the bits on your revision process. Thanks, Brandon.

[@yerabbit]

best advice ever. (also that t-shirt is amazing)

[@kristallschimmer-autorin]

Interesting to see this viedeo 3 years later. I personally feel that New Adult has definetly become a thing in the book industry nowadays.

[@TrueGritProductions]

Your writing process is really interesting. Great video

[@EliasMheart]

First I thought, I should recommend Worm by wildbow to everyone. Then I realized the (slim) chance of Brandon reading it because of this comment and got worried for his beautiful characters, in case he got influenced. But I love both writers equally. Both very high on my favorites list

[@winterwillow8440]

I learned the word deus ex machina from this video & it’s probably the coolest word I’ve ever heard

[@xLestath]

I love your books and really appreciate you sharing your knowledge ^^

[@gloweye]

The genre conventions can do a lot for fanfiction as well. You get genre conventions, canon references, and fanon conventions which let you evoke a lot of information in very few words. It's not an infodump if it's literally a single 12-word sentence.

[@americanardvark]

Really helped me on so many levels with my creative writing thanks so much.

[@batmankaler]

This man is the Goat.

[@subghrajputraghav]

i am 13 and struggle in school and here I am listening to university lectures and understanding everything

[@toddboothbee1361]

I'd love to watch Brandon teach a Chekhov story or two, break down the methods and effects.

[@ginjabr3ad330]

To his credit, Michael Sullivan did not do any of that with his elves in "Riyria Chronicles". He still added a twist that was very interesting in regards to the way they interacted with the world. It was fun, but it touched on nostalgia in a very interesting way. How should a writer approach nostalgia towards similar circumstances?

[@LeeJCander]

I find it hard to get into revision but once I'm in... Oh boy I can tweak and change stuff so much.

[@hanarielgodlike9283]

41:35 - ' How do you know your magic system works?" A: If you spell the magic words and stuff happens - it works

[@clag1109]

At 2:30 does anyone know what he means by being pulled through the “terrible words” younger writers experience? What words? Like words that people use to describe inexperienced or amateur writing? I think I get the gist of what he means but the specifics are going over my head ig

[@ssspaceman86]

I love you mr Sanderson.

[@elcidbob]

Everything in life is coincidence? No sir. First time is a mistake. Second time is coincidence. Third time is enemy action.

[@_mwk]

Ah. So that's why the third entry in a trilogy ends up being awful.

[@juniorthelichch.]

I had an interesting interaction like that at a convention with an author doing a creative writing panel where she adamantly said her books were SF, I hadn't heard of her before so that night after the con, I loaded up my kindle and bought the first 3 books i think. It was summer, it was hot, the room I had rented from the local university dorm to attend the con was garbage and hot, so I got very little sleep that night and just, read through the first two books and boy was it urban fantasy to a T. We ended up talking about that at length later, i found it all quite nice to see my experience with this isn't a unique thing.

[@nathanielc6008]

I love this channel

[@iridescentdemon]

25:49 maybe i need a more specific example of what this means, but it feels like a big mistake to assume that all adult readers dont need or desire a lot of emotion in their stories. the adult fantasy i've tried almost always feels sterile and cold compared to YA and if this is why then it sucks as an industry practice 1:14:07 i get stuck in the editing phase every time i find it SOOOO tedious, hope this helps

[@Bladeluce]

Hearing Brandon say "Sazed" broke my brain. Two syllables?! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

[@RedtsunamiTed]

This is interesting regarding writing kids/teens in the adult genres, in literary fiction and memoirs there are TONS of examples of this. TS Spivet is a recent one. Or Oscar Wao. There some great examples in literary fiction but you're right, there aren't any in adult genre fiction. Perhaps the market just doesn't want it??

[@Jonathan-ee4rn]

Fun example of a magicless magic system that suffered from not following rule 1 was the tattoos in prison break. The ability of the tattoos to have a solution to every possible problem was constantly extended in a way that broke the show’s internal logic

[@abdullahabid218]

I'm an engineer and have 0 plans or aspirations to become an author, and yet I find these lectures interesting.

[@pacotaco1246]

Engineer a killer book

[@AlexReyn888]

"Brandon absorbed stormlight from a nearby fluorescent lamp and the coronavirus sprens flew out of class"

[@starmorpheus]

Lmaooo

[@astralwildlife5575]

Thanks so much for posting this lecture series Brandon. It is helping me so much. Are you going to post your lecture on Character, number 9/10? I could do with some help on how to make my characters more charcterful. Thank you

[@dantemcgill2126]

Something I would love to know...do you right your novels in one document or do you segment your chapters in different ones then combine them? Do you that for the Interludes in TSA?

[@stevelikestowrite885]

I don't know the programs he uses, but check out Scrivener. It is fantastic for writers :)

[@sherlockholmes6171]

I just write on paper or on MS Word. One long document contains everything. I've written 8 unpublished novels till now.

[@StarBoundFables]

Awesome lecture, that bit @ the end about Revision was astounding 😃 "On to the next one" - Jay Z 🙏🏽

[@ABFrank.]

Loving this lecture series. I would have definitely done this if my university offered it. We had some play writing nonsense instead

[@Z5Z5Z5]

Lol playwrights

[@aro1284]

Spelling consistency inconsistently. An alternate answer to the first question.

[@rsrocha1984]

Time turners use (or used, since Cursed Child) close loop time travel. Meaning they cannot really change the past. For example, the first time Harry was attacked by the dementors he saw his future self saving him. Therefore when eventually he travel to the past, he didnt change anything. What he did, had already happen.

[@calebsmith5963]

I'm curious if you meant William Gibson instead of Neal Stephenson when talking about the father of the cyberpunk genre? I've always heard that he was the father of cyberpunk. Other than Stephenson's Snow Crash I'm unsure if he wrote any cyberpunkish novels. Idk, just a listener's curiosity if you read the video's comments.

[@henbane2247]

I haven't read Neal Stephenson but I have read Neuromancer. I checked and google told me William Gibson was the father of the cyberpunk genre

[@chantellestreete2767]

I'm really curious if new adult is now an "accepted" genre/market as this was 4 years ago. Does anyone know?

[@logansievers5544]

I micro-revise as I go usually

[@toddboothbee1361]

Is The Catcher in the Rye YA fiction?

[@WitchlingFairyelle]

Yes technically it is, I learned while getting my library science degree that age ranges for books are actually based on the age of the main character for the most part, if you’re MC is 16 yrs old (like Holden Canfield is) then it’s going to be in the YA category. Unfortunately, people believe these categories are based on how old the audience should be, and while part of it is considered it’s not ONLY for people who are within that age range Some of the darkest themes I’ve ever read in fantasy were within YA

[@uptown3636]

If ever my scribblings find their way onto the printed page, I will be sure to include Mr Sanderson in my acknowledgments. Not because I love his books (while they're quite good, IMO, and consistently so, they are not my favorites), but because this series of videos puts my university-level creative writing education to shame.

[@reelscreenwriting8940]

Thanks for this :) Always valuable content, I love it.

[@tsimmons12]

How ironic is it that he was inconsistent in his spelling of the word consistency?

[@howardkoor2796]

Another master class

[@bonome]

Do you reread your work after the 1.0 draft to make the revision guide?