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Brandon Sanderson Lectures

February 2, 2012 2:53 pm / Leave a comment

Well, two posts on Brandon Sanderson in two days. This happened by circumstance. I was trolling through one of my favorite websites, Reddit, when I came across THIS post. Inside are links to lectures by Brandon Sanderson on writing. The first set is about Plotting, second on Description and Viewpoint, And third is the 2nd Law of Magic.

Specifically, these are geared toward those that are fantasy writers. But there are some great gems in here for anyone. I just finished the Plotting lecture and learned a great way to setup an outline. It is already very similar to what I’m doing now but adds a new layer that I really enjoy and will actually go back into my outline and add this in. Just to make sure I’ve hit some solid points.

There is something to be said about an author’s willingness to teach others. He is very transparent about his methods and doesn’t appear to be holding anything back. Often times in the art field you can run across people who hold of their “tricks” close to their chest. Afraid that if they teach you, you’ll become better than them.

Well, there is enough room for all of us. And I thank Brandon for giving us a glimpse into his methods.

And full transparency on my part. I have only read a sample of Brandon’s work and started on Warbreaker just last night. So I can only really speak on his willingness to offer guidance. When I first read the sample of Mistborn, I wasn’t too excited. Mostly because I think my brain can’t handle another fantasy world.

I believe I’ll need to give it another go. Just after I finish all the other books I have to read. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? Write.

The Brandon Sanderson Approach

February 1, 2012 8:08 pm / Leave a comment

How many of you are aware of the author Brandon Sanderson? If you’re not, here is a quick bio: Author of the Mistborn series who took over the A Wheel of Time series after the death of Robert Jordan (told you it would be quick). So why am I bringing him up? Not necessarily because of his quality or quantity of writing (the guy is a beast), but because of how he’s marketed himself. Brandon approached things in a very unique way. If you go to his website, you’ll see a section called “Library.” This is where things get interesting.

In the Library catalog (I wanted to write catalogue, but WordPress yells at me for that one) you’ll discover he has an entire book there. Warbreaker. Brandon released one chapter, per week, in html format for anyone to read. He revised it as he went along and let people in on the process.

In addition there are sample chapters of other books, short stories, and deleted scenes. The amount of free material there is fantastic and speaks to his thoughts on being a creative person.

But more importantly, it speaks on how to build an audience.

Brandon is completely open with his readers. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that working on a novel is a messy and haphazard process. We authors don’t write out a well formed book right away (at least most of us don’t). At times, it can be down right harrowing.

And I think the readers, his audience, enjoy having those ring side seats.

Now, I’m aware he’s not the only one that offers free samples or short stories on his site. Heck, Cory Doctorow put up his book “Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom” for free as well. But Brandon is a good beacon to point to. And I admire what he’s been able to accomplish.

I quite like the Brandon Sanderson Approach™, and something I’ll be trying myself. Maybe not with my novel. But I don’t see why I shouldn’t create a page for people to get a look at what I have to offer.

That’s a good thing, right? Write.