How I stay Organized—Brandon Sanderson

Welcome to another edition of the SanderFAQ. Today I'll be talking about how I stay organized, including: how I organize my day, my writing time, my story ideas, and more.

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[Borderose]

I've been trying to write a book for 10 years.

May this year be the one I do it.

[spiffybumbleteeth]

Already I'm seeing better editing quality, stronger camera presence, and a more at-ease atmosphere! This is awesome! Thanks Brandon and team!

[smm]

I'm still thoroughly convinced that there's 3 of you and that you're just really clever about not letting anyone see all of you together.

[jadonbaldwin]

I just keep staring at the "STUPIDINATOR" on his shirt. I mean I paid attention, but there's that and I can't ignore it now 😂

[kiyasuihito]

Brandon: I write a little bit every day.
Everyone else: *a little bit?!*

[brisasmith]

"I make sure evening are spent with my family" 0:56 yes! So wonderful!!

[willhodge]

*Patrick Rothfuss FURIOUSLY takes notes***

[robertwalsh]

WOW!!! My question about what you use to write got answered. Thank you so much Brandon, your videos have been paving my path down a project of my own. Made my day!

[andyinthegarden]

I can’t wait for the next book, I’ve still got all mistborn to listen to and I’m pumped for those.

[BlackRose]

I’m really counting on this. Not a fiction author, but Brandon’s advice is always so useful for everyone

[robpriddy]

I was hoping to hear about file management. Edited files, unedited drafts, keeping track of where versions/revisions are, etc. file systems/servers in play...if any. however, great info as always!

[russellfranklinwrites]

Now this is the sort of advice I need.

[apstrike]

This is really good, but it misses a step. Can you explain how you went from being Brandon Sanderson to Brandon Sanderson LLC, a corporate entity with employees? My sense is that more writers are hiring staff and outsourcing parts of their creative process earlier then they did in decades past in order to make maximum use of their time, as you do. But I'm not sure if you agree that this is a general tendency.

[enterusernamehere]

I'm curious if this video was filmed on a Thursday

[kristyravens]

Wait! He keeps track of chapter and book length? Omg what would the books look like if he didn't?

[robertlewis]

I actually have started building something that sounds similar to the floating outline- I have an outline of what the next scene or scenes will be that just sits at the end of the docx with the entirety of the current draft.

[silaskeck]

When will this year's class lectures be on youtube?

[hhoi]

"A little bit every day..." 😅Sure, Brandon.

[Rocksteadya]

I'll have to try out wikidpad. I was _this_ close to purchasing a WorldAnvil subscription to keep track of all my notes, but having an open-source note organizer like that seems like the smarter solution

[kwanladasrijomkwan]

I’m wondering when do you maintain this system. Is it in the writing blocks? Is it in some other time?
For example, when do you outline? When do you update and maintain the floating outline for the next few chapters? How do you keep these “overheads”— when you spend time working on the system itself instead of the actual book— to a minimum? Especially before you could delegate some of these to your assistants.
Thank you!