An Important Lesson for Anyone Who Wants to Learn Writing | Brandon Sanderson

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[violinvsworld]

Brandon is the goat for teaching us for free

[gabisarcanum]

Brandon: write a book a year.
Also Brandon: publishes like 3 books a year.

Printer going

[voidsabre_]

Something very interesting I've learned about the arts over the years is that it's important to *know* the rules, but NOT important to follow them. You have to know why the rules exist to understand when and how best to break them

[channelknightfadran]

My writing style:
- Write a lot
- Don't write for about two months
- Write a lot
- Procrastinate for another two months
- Write a lot
- Well wouldja lookit, ya made something!

[Railstar]

So basically, make friends with a famous writer and you're in? Hey, Mr. Sanderson, want to be friends?

[andyz]

In other words, learn the rules so that you know when they’re useful, which will let you know when you can safely break them.

[rickv]

Brandon is a legend for helping people like me who can't afford school! I bought his books to support him, and boy, he has a reason for being able to talk about his work! The man is Beethoven of fiction!

[dallan]

When I was twelve to fifteen, I wanted to write.
My parents told me there was no future in it, so I instead focused on joining the military (with the plan of using the life experience and discipline to enhance my writing. It was always in the back of my mind. I hoped to start a business after being in the military to support myself, and then work on writing on the side).
My teacher in high school even wanted to submit a story to a contest (which I had written the morning before class), but I never pursued it.
I applied three times to the military, but I never got in. When I was finally accepted, my mom was terminally ill, so they wouldn't take me because I needed to be there for her. The year after she passed, I broke my back.
Now I'm 35, and all I want to do is write.
Talk about starting late though...
They say it's never too late, but it seems overwhelming, and practically impossible.
I'll always write because I have too, but is it to late to consider it a career?

[leonardoscandola]

Tell me who doesn't want to hug this dude, he's just to nice and helpful

[milospollonia]

Ok but honestly Brandon: Did you even *sleep* in college?

[xan]

This is one of those crucial bits of advice that *should* be obvious (as different writers are different people, and different people have different things that work for them, even outside of the arts), but too often this point gets lost under the idea of emulating the successful, even when it can be detrimental to one's personal process.

So, thank you for bringing this point up. I think it's far more valuable than a lot of people will give it credit for.

[BrandonCase]

1000:1 like/dislike ratio is legendary.
This man is ridiculously likable.

[milospollonia]

The steady improve in quality from the early streams to here is mind boggling! Huge kudos to Brandon's team, this is amazing to watch!

[robbieg]

Brandon talking about writing...
Me: Write that down, write that down.
Me when trying to write a book:

[richardkeenan]

SOO good thanks Brandon, Chris Fox and you have inspired me through your teachings to plan and write my first novel! Been learning so much from you two that totally demystified the writing and plotting process for me! Still learning! But as I do have indie publishing experience I will deff go Indie for me!

[devonmcintyre]

Thank you for having this content available for aspiring writers!

[garrettcarroll]

This. I've been looking for advice like this for YEARS. Thank you so much! I'm focusing on shorter works right now, but I've been thinking about how to go about finding my consistency/routine with my writing. Thanks for the examples :)

[antoinemonks]

As usual, when I see Brandon, I click and get stunned by the glorious simplicity:)

[steakismeat]

I’m doing that also. Sometimes you can’t but when the creative juices are flowing you gotta jot down some notes. Also depends on the specific night shift and position. Because the overnight shift can be brutal. Those guys are front desk, housekeeping, and room service all in one.

My shift ends as theirs begins and there’s a lot of stuff to do

[contactsergio]

I needed this. It was very inspiring :D Thank you (again) professor!