Author writes 14 novels: You know, I'm something of a writer myself. Brando Sando writes 14 novels: I'm still new to this

Masterclass: pay us a LOT and we'll tell you everything you need to know Brandon Sanderson:........here ya go youtube :)

Brandon's Mom: why not be a doctor? Brandon: my handwriting will be

*Okay, this class is filled with fans disguised as students.*

Responses to WHAT CAN GANDALF DO? -"Anything." -"Nobody knows." -"He can change the color of his clothes." -"It seems like he can break stone?"

It's fantastic that you makes these lectures available on youtube. Thank you very much :)

6:12 "I apologize for my handwriting" "Aren't you a writer?" "Yes, but not a handwriter, just a writer" God bless computers!

Brandon's such a badass that he can strut around under a 'No food or drinks' sign carrying a water bottle knowing nobody's gonna call him out on it.

Brandon Sanderson writing the Mistborn screenplay like: *"Fine, I'll do it myself."*

What can Gandalf do? "Change the color of his clothes!" That's hard magic right there.

Sanderson's Laws 1st Your ability to solve problems with magic in a satisfying way is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic 6:10 2nd Flaws or limitations are more interesting than powers 39:39 3rd Before adding something new to your magic (or setting in general), see if you can instead expand what you have 1:01:53 0th Always err on the side of what is awesome 1:11:21

The groan at 26 minutes when the guy say, "so the end of oathbringer..." LOL

The contrast between Brandon's ability to write and his ability to write is incredible 😯

Each time i listen to Brando Sando's lectures, i keep getting all these crazy ideas for my story. Keep trying everyone. We can write that gem.

Brandon Sanderson: "Inventing new magic abilities to save your characters will often feel unsatisfying." Shonen authors: *sweats profusely.

Years and years of watching Cinema Sins on UKposts, and this guy manages to explain Deus Ex Machina in one sentence.

I bet no one skips his class

I have never written a book, but i still love the idea of creating your own fictional world and story.

Damn... He's a really dedicated teacher.

Brandon isn’t just a fantasy author, he’s a fantasy engineer.

Lol at 20:07 I literally paused the video, went and picked up the copy of Name of the Wind I bought a month ago, read it cover to cover over a few days, and have now returned to continue the lecture. I did the exact same thing during the 2016 lecture when he went, "Now, this might be a bit of a spoiler for Mistborn..."

Not only is he a fantastic writer, he is also a very good teacher.

Speaking on originality, Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest writer the English language has ever known. As I understand it, he wrote not one single original play, but every story he told was a revision of an already popular tale, or an examination of history.

"Gandalf is not a tactical nuke." Hello, merchandising possibilities!

Talking about stories about overpowered individuals, no story does this better than 'One Punch Man'. It's incredible how the story manages to make Saitama and the world interesting.

i never thought a lecture on world-building by Brandon Sanderson would make me cry, but there is something over-arcing about how every bit of advice he relates to writing can be taken and applied in some way, shape or form to life in general. I have been struggling with some really heart-breaking stuff these past several years of my life, and tonight, at 2:30 am, as I listened to Brandon talk about how most flaws are borne from circumstance in a character's life, and not by their own doing ... meaning, one is not responsible for their flaws, they are only responsible for how they take the punches life throws at them. I really, really needed to hear this right now in my life. I've needed to hear this, put in such a general, yet understandable way, for so damn long, if I'm to be completely honest. And I'm crying writing this. Because, not only has Sanderson - an author who I've never felt I shared much in terms of my own writing style with - taught me valuable lessons on writing, he has also reminded me of a universal truth: I am not the sum of my parts. I am what i make of the parts I have been given. I am so grateful that Brandon has agreed to share his lectures not only with a private institution, but with the world, regardless of economic or racial background.

"Always err on the side of awesome" That really is a damn good rule

When Sanderson said he’s writing the screenplay for Mistborn at 32:00 👀

"I make scientificy things". Love it.

The funny thing is, what makes death note so good is that the rules are clearly laid out, but the sense of wonder still exists until the end. This is why the train scene with Ray is so cool. You know the limits going into it, but the sense of wonder still exists because the rules are pushed to its limits.

This rocks. I'm not even a writer, this randomly came into my feed, and I've enjoyed it immensely.

Sanderson's First Law: 6:20 Sanderson's Second Law: 39:41 Sanderson's Third Law: 1:02:00

damn, i would pay good money for this lecture. this man knows his stuff.

The gasp after the “yes im writing a mistborn script” left me dead

I love that he talks about his own mistakes when writing his books. And that things are fixed AT THE END OF THE PROCESS… like I feel bad when I have to rewrite parts of a book I haven’t even finished. God bless this man for his honesty

He really makes me WANT to buy his books, both as a reward for these wonderful lectures and because he seems like a really cool guy.

The Science/Wonder spectrum applies to much more than magic systems, such as races in science fiction (example from Star Trek: Cardassians vs. Prophets). It's the difference between an action piece (Starship Troopers) and horror (Alien). Demystification is when things drift from the Wonder side to the Science side as the story progresses and characters gain more experience with it (The Ancients from Stargate)

I can’t believe he managed to make a lecture like this be so enjoyable

6:41 when he wrote 'satifying' but with a G that looks like a y so started adding another 'ing', I felt that in my soul.

The fact that this video has 30 thumbs down displays perfectly that you can not make everyone happy.

"NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED IN AUDITORIUM" as he lugs a flask about in brazen view. Such a legendary fantasy writer that the rules of this world simply fail to restrict him.

Good gravy, I've learned more about stories in just a few days than I ever knew in 20 years! Amazing series, Brandon

"am I original?" I remember when I came up with the idea of orcs and elves in a modern setting and told a couple friends and the next week we saw the trailer for Bright lol. My friends always tell me "Will Smith ripped you off so bad" lolol

Love the 5th Element t-shirt, too!

What I learned about magic from this lecture: Magic (or technology, etc) exists on a continuum from "Hard" to "Soft" "Soft" magic doesn't have well-defined rules--at least so far as the reader knows--and is used to give a sense of wonder, mystery and awe (i.e. Gandalf). "Hard" magic follows a more established set of rules (i.e. Bilbo's ring). Sanderson's Laws of "Hard" Magic Systems: 1st Law: The ability to solve problems with magic in a satisfying way is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic. 2nd Law: Flaws, limitations and costs are more interesting than powers. 3rd Law: Before adding something new, expand on what you already have. 0th Law: Always err on the side of awesome.

Brandon - I have no idea if you read the comments, but just had to tell you this. Maybe whoever monitors the feed will pass it on. While you were writing Sanderson's First Law on the board, my teenage daughter wandered through the room where I was watching. She heard you say that you actually wanted your students to be able to read it this time, so you were going to try to write legibly. She gave me a funny look and said, "Doesn't he USUALLY want his students to be able to read stuff?" I said, "Well, he's a little self-conscious about his handwriting. That's all." She was curious, so she came and lurked over my shoulder to watch you write. About halfway through, she said, "Hey! His handwriting looks like MY handwriting." "Yes," I said. "Yes, it does." And she heaved this huge sigh and straightened her shoulders. "Suddenly, I feel so much less alone," she said. "And so much less broken." So thank you for showing off your handwriting to the world, Brandon. Don't let anyone tell you it's "bad." It was VERY good for my daughter to see.

I was sent here after venting on facebook about anxieties related to details and worldbuilding. This clarified everything so well and it's a huge weight off my chest.

"Gandalf is not a tactical nuke that you are using in a specific place for a specific purpose." -Brandon Sanderson

I love how you don’t want to give spoilers for some stories, but then your just don’t even think about spoiling Lord of the Rings because it’s such a common thing for people to have seen or read

"Oh no, I need 10 PhD's to write this book!" 😅😅

I'm creating a game, not and book, but nothing more is better than a Brandon Sanderson class, my favorite writer, to get a general idea to how to build my universe to don't get lost in the middle of the thing and ending is a weird way where I couldn't continue the things as I originally desired(I would hate it). This class helped me a lot.

I love how my favourite writer has bad handwriting makes me and my younger brother feel so much better about our scrawl

I take notes for most of the lectures: If anyone want them I can share.

Two things about LOTR: I think it's absolutely amazing how we don't really know how the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog went on. In the book it says something like you could see lightning striking on the mountain from far away. This ends up creating so much fuel for the imagination of how much of an epic battle took place up there. There's something about things "you don't really know" that create a sense of "more". Same with the fact that there's a Barlog in Moria in the first place. Makes you think: What else is lingering in the secret places of Middle Earth? And a thing about The Return of the King. In the books the Rohirim are much more decisive for winning the Battle of Minas Tirith and the ghosts play a relatively minor role in defeating the corsairs. I think this is where the film made a big mistake, because the ghosts really feel like deus ex machina.

17:48 Kid who said gandolf can change the color of his clothes need more recognition for his humor

LOVE these lectures so much! A million thanks for sharing them for free. There is so much great information in here, but just as much I deeply appreciate Sanderson making clear that these are tools people can use or not use if they don’t work for the individual story one wishes to tell. This in itself shows such understanding of storytelling imo and so much grace. Thank so much! Will for sure be watching all of these multiple times.

"You can have, at the 90% mark, a long-lost uncle walk up and say 'Oh, by the way, she's royalty, you guys can totally get married,' and evaporate the conflict." Yes, but *then* you turn it right around and say "Turns out she's actually a member of the royal family in that nation-state that your nation-state has a sworn hatred of and is at constant war with." Now, not only have you made that patch a lot more intriguing, but you've also swerved the conflict into something a *lot* more difficult to overcome than merely being different social classes, while also implicitly giving a hint of a solution via political marriage. Basically, I'm describing Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia here.

I wish I could be in his class. At the same time I enjoy listening to them over lunch, so I wouldn't be allowed in.

I've been having a rough time identifying problems in my books and these lectures have helped immensely! Thank you kind sir for posting them publicly!

YO thank you for allowing us to view this! UKposts is the new classroom, we get to pick the subject, the teacher and the classroom. Thanks again Prof Sanderson.

Thank you so much for allowing broke af people to watch your lectures. In all seriousness though, it's amazing that you let people follow your lecture for free. I can't even count all the times I heard someone on the internet say "I can teach you all you need to know in my masterclass for the small price of 20000000$"

I've never read a more perfect magical system than Allomancy! I love chemistry, so add magic to that and I'm sold! The way the magic is described in Mistborn is next level. I have really tough time to visualize things in books but I could see that magic working right away! Clear as day! And I love magic having rules! Gives it an edge of relatability and the story has to obey the rules which makes it not infinite.

Fifth lecture, Fifth Element. I see what you did there, and I like it.

After listening these lectures I feel like I am a super writer. I get so many ideas for my stories and they sound really awesome and I know they are going to be awesome! Everyone is going to love my stories! Then I sit down in front of my laptop.... and I cry a little on the inside.

Wow. I am so happy that I can watch it online because I am from Poland and I haven’t thought that I will be aver able to take part in your lectures. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! It.s so outstanding to actually see my master 😍

at 1:05:21 does anyone else see the one kid that REALLY agrees with what he's saying 😂 aside from that, wow this was so helpful and I appreciate these being on UKposts! I watched the full video and will watch the other ones too.

I would like to add Foreman's Law: "If you hear the thunder of hooves, think of horses - not zebras." Basically the House, M. D. version of Ockham's Razor. 😊

12:49 One of my favorite example of this as a kid was the Mary Pope Osborn series "Magic Tree House" It was when the brother and sister had 10 spells they needed to use, and each spell had one use. And mission only allowed 1 use of each spell. I remember being hooked for those 3-4 books to see how they solved those magical problems.

I am not just excited about lecture.. I am also excited about what t-shirt will Brandon wear this weak. It shows subtly what other works might influenced his own creations

His students are so lucky, I’m forever jealous Thank you so much for posting these lectures here! I love your commitment to educating the next generation of story tellers, you’re truly a genius

I've been wanting to get into writing for a long time, and have especially been drawn to fantasy writing. I had an idea that completely brought me to life and I have had such a fun time exploring it, but I've had the worst time trying to organize myself enough to make the thoughts congruent and writeable, these lectures have really helped me and I feel like now I have everything I need to actually write a book. Thank you for making these free, it's made a world of difference for me!

dude the execution scene from the mistborn first book is a masterpiece of masterpieces

(I know I'm late, but I have to say it.) Vin was already doing things “outside normal Allomantic powers.” Piercing copperclouds and such, and the mists were always special and seemed tied to Allomancy. I don't know, the ending seemed totally satisfying to me.

I think we can't thank Brandon enough for such a good class -- and for free!

I didn't think the patch on Vin was unsatisfying. I knew from second one this girl was special. Not just her abilities, but the way she portrayed, touched and viewed the world. So I thought: There must be something special. There must be something hidden in the mist. There must be a reason the emperor can live that long and can be that monstrous strong. What you gave me, was what I longed for. It was just a bread crumb, but the one I longed for. "I knew it. There IS somethin in the mist. Vin HAS the same abilities like the emperor. There WILL be a solution at the end." Not ending conflict without explanation or hints is just stretching things that accumulate tension into nothingness, I think. I NEED those bread crumbs. No explanation at the start, but I NEED hints and little dots of "AHA! I felt it!" :) Mr. Sanderson, you don't need to criticise yourself for satisfying needs of your readers.

The idea of making a story with a deep lore in vision only actually is even more interesting for each reader. The abstraction allows for the viewer to imagine that their version of the story's world is REAL. The idea that『THE ICEBERG』exists in the minds of the reader makes the story intimate to them. That's why Star Wars was so successful.

Every time he mentions name of the wind, my heart sinks. I am convinced it will never be finished.

I'm not even a writer, but i love hearing the thought process behind how Sanderson has done his books.

There is no sentence more exciting than "Alright, story time. This has nothing to do with anything."

I would like to see what Kvothe would say to you when you compared his magic to poetry

My Hero Academia is a brilliant version of law #2. It really is perfect because of the weaknesses of each quirk/power.

I've been really depressed (even by artistic standards) and watching these has been an amazing reprieve. I'm learn a lot ya but I feel like I'm with my own kind when watching these lectures. I wish I could thank you more, but you're not in my genre, so.... but seriously, thanks. I think each point you make is applicable to every genre of fiction or 21st century journalism haha

How to not be derivative... "But don't stress this as much as perhaps you might."... Well Mr Sanderson, I would very much love an ENTIRE talk about how to not be derivative! Now that you've brought this up, I'm probably at Mt. Stupid thinking I know everything!Genuinely amazing talk. Taking notes as I go, and going to browse through more of your work and teachings! Bless your soul for putting this information out to the public and into budding writers such as my self.- Sincerely, a new fan :)

honestly i have adhd and i have problem with even 15 min videos, but i literally watched it entirely. it was so aweosome

No spoilers or anything, but at the end of Oathbringer...

26:35 I love that there are like 8 characters that this applies to at the end of Oathbringer but he's saying it as if it's only one of them.

About the LotR comparisons around 25:00: I think a key difference v/between the two scenes is, that while Gandalf at Helms deep is an outside force, thatbcould have been a deus ex machina if not set up so damm good, Aragorn with the ghosts is in some way the main plot. The quest in Helms deep is "you have to survive until Gandal arrives" the main quest in Minas Thirith is "you have to arrive at Minas Thirith with reenforcements, before everyone is dead." This quest is the again split into the Rohirrim reenforcements and Aragorns quest to bring even more troops. This is, why you need the extended cut with all the adventures of Aragorn with the ghosts to get it. The problem in my point of view is, that everything with Gondor and the Rohirrinlm is so much cooler than Aragorn and his quest for ghosts.

For the first time i even thought about how me making my magic systems follow laws literally "takes the magic from it"... holy shit... Fucking enlightenment moment for me. God bless you for uploading these bangers, goddamn...

From the future: the Robinette lecture is very well done.

Thank you SO much for these. You’re amazing for putting these up.

Mistborn 1 ended great, I think. ;) Vin using the mist was pretty cool. You smoothed it out a lot by having her agonize over it so it worked really well. I read all the books and liked them so much I read them all to my kids (who loved them all just as much as the Percy Jackson, New Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo & Eragon series'. This was the one step up from children's fiction to adult fiction they needed.

I'm just so happy when Robert Jordan's wife came to you! you read his notes and finished the series. He was trying to compile it into one book, you realized all that content would need 3!

25:45 That boy nearly got a dozen textbooks flying at his head at once

"If only you'd been a better person, you'd have one arm instead of two" Brandon just described the plot of Soul Surfer

You are brilliant and I love you and your work. You have to drop the weight mate. You are cutting your life short. I need your books for the next 50 years.

Yes, I was excited for this list! I'm for sure going to try and read all these excellent recommendations. This is my favorite fantasy channel.

you're an amazing lecturer, thank you so much for your work and for your openly sourced videos. Truly the first writing class I've gained from

I really appreciate you uploading these as someone whose trying to become a writer

Thank You so much Brandon for sharing these amazing lectures with us ❤️🙏🏼

Thank you so much for these lectures! I've finished one book (at least up to 2.5 drafts) and have been working on several others. And this video in particular helped me past a point I've been stuck on in my magic system for one of my favorite story ideas. Thank you so much!