It's Time to Come Clean — Brandon Sanderson

This is because something irregular has happened in my career lately, and I need to let you know about it.

[BrandSanderson]

Hey, all! I want to give you my thanks, and an apology. The apology is for being so silent about this. I’ve learned that you all are really, really good at guessing what I’m up to. So if I want to preserve a surprise, I have to be extra careful in what I say and how I act.

At the same time, I wanted to say thank you to all those who worried about me, expressed concern, or otherwise were nervous from yesterday’s video. (Or from the start of this one.) Your emotions aren’t misplaced; I really was starting to feel the burnout I imply here. Only, it started three years ago, and I managed to get through it.

It was strange to realize, at the start of the pandemic, just how much I was relieved by not being forced to travel--and how much I’d started to dread certain aspects of my job. By luck, I was able to have the time to take the steps I needed in order to prevent burnout. Yes, I’m a little strange in that the thing that most helps me most in such situations is writing something completely different, something unexpected. It probably seems incongruous that I avoid burnout by doing more work--but I truly love telling stories. So, here we are!

I realize that many of you would rather I have focused that time on writing the next book in your favorite series, rather than writing something off the wall. However, this is how I work--and it’s the fact that these were so unexpected that let them pull me back into a healthy (for me) relationship with my job.

Regardless, I really did need your positive vibes to help me through this. I got them, back when the real crisis was happening three years ago. I appreciate you all, and the way you treat me and my stories. Thank you. Not just for that, but for putting up with me doing the occasional overly-dramatic reveal like this. --Brandon

[ManCarryingThing]

brandon: "i have lied to you."
me: he's not a human being, but a lovecraftian creature meant to write at unimaginable speeds
brandon: i wrote 5 extra books
me: i knew it

[XeroShifter]

Brandon Sanderson: "I write as a coping mechanism for stress."
Me: *Stares at huge catalogue of books that are his career.* "You uh... Ok there buddy?"

[TheArbiter]

If you listen very closely to this video, you can hear a clicking sound when Brandon's seated at his desk talking to us. That's because he's got a keyboard under his desk, and he's typing up a sixth novel with his toes.

[tdann]

This is the most un-George RR Martin video ever made

[DanielGreeneReviews]

The man is trying to out write his fandoms memes about his writing.

[aneonfoxtribute]

"I accidentally wrote an entire novel in secret"
I was waiting for the punchline, I knew it was coming. That is the most Brandon Sanderson statement I have ever heard.

[philiphartshorn]

Brandon Sanderson has reached such a level of dimension bending self awareness that exaggerated jokes we have made about him writing nonstop have vastly underestimated how fast he writes and how many books he makes at the same time 😳 what an absolute Giga colossus of an author.

[aaronmarko]

Brandon Sanderson: I wrote 77 novels while in the pandemic

Me: ....and I overcame my fear of onions. Mostly.

[PeruseProject]

This is the only type of lying I will accept

[americancommunist]

Brandon: This *slams down stack of paper* is a new book
Us: Dear God
Brandon: There's more
Us: NO

[Joyce-qitq]

If he wasn't before, Brandon is officially a youtuber now: he has mastered the art of clickbait.

This is amazing!! I'm glad that you've found a healthy relationship with your work. It's just a bonus that we get some new books :)

[bellyjellybean]

Anyone else watching this again 6 months later just to try and relive the excitement? What an absolute madlad

[alexdessens]

Omg this guy. "Oopsie daisy, I tripped and accidentally wrote several novels, check 'em out." What a legend.

[AigioGamias]

Brandon Sanderson was bored with his book's plot twists, so he started real life plot twists.

[Patterrz]

Brandon Sanderson is without a doubt my favourite author just based on his personality

[ldr]

What I love about Brandon is that when he is burned out, he does not take a break from writing but instead he simply writes something different. If only my other favorite fantasy author could do the same, but alas! I have been waiting 10 years on that one.

[zemont]

It's official, Brandon is not human, he's the ultimate artificial Intelligence that keeps of giving new books and improving in quality and time to write each one. Mesmerizing

[ShatteredAce]

This man was getting up, showing us pie charts after he mentioned he wrote 2 books, and managed to hide his smile knowing he had 3 more by his chair. S-tier acting, Brandon!

[Mistborn_San]

Youknow, I would be shocked, but Brandon "oops I wrote an extra novel" Sanderson is quite on brand.