Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
writingcourseatBrighamYoungUniversity.Becauseofthegeneralniceness,hesmadeallthe
lecturesavailableonYoutube.Becauseoftheepiclevelskill,thelecturesare
freakinguseful.
Sinceyoumightnothavetimetolistentotheentirehourlongclass,Imtakingnotesforyou.
Theyrenotexhaustive,buttheygetthedonkeyworkoutoftheway.
Contents
Session1:IntroductoryNotes
OnAdvice
OnWordCount
OnSizes
IdeasAreCheap
(DescriptionofClass)WritingGroups
TheTwoTypesofWriters
Session2:Brainstorming
WritersNeedMultipleBrains
WhyFormMatters
Storytelling
NailingYourIdeas
ExampleBrainstorming(Broad)
ExampleBrainstorming(Narrowed)
Session3:ProseIStyle,Viewpoint,andInfodumps
ProseandStyle
LearningCurves
Viewpoints
Tense
Infodumps
Session4:PlotIPromisesandProgress
Q&A
Plot
ToolstoStreamlineaPlot
PlottingMethods
TheStrangeAttractor
ConcerningPlotEnvy
YouAreaStageMagician
HowtoMakeaBookGuide
Session5:CharacterILikable,Active,Competent
Q&A:Plot
Character
Likable
Active
Competent
CharacterasRole
CharacterConsiderations
Session6:SettingIYouCannotDoEverything
Q&A:Character
Setting
TheBasicsofSetting
PhysicalSetting
CulturalSetting
SandersonsLaws
Session7:ProseIITheGrandSkill
Q&A:Prose
Prose
WindowPaneProse
StainedGlassProse
Hybrids
ThePyramidofAbstraction
Infodumps
Q&AAgain
Session8:ProseIIIShopIt
Q&A:Assorted
ProseWorkshop
On Advice
Rule1:Thisadviceisgoodexceptwhenitsnot.
Writers
love
togivewritingadvice.Askanywriter,evenonewhodoesntwriteveryoften,and
s/hecangiveyouloadsandloadsofadviceonwhatsworkedforthem.Thisis
handyprovidedyourefilteringitthroughthefactthatyouarenotthatwriter.ConsiderStephen
King
andOrsonScottCard.Kinghatesoutlinespassionately,believingtheystiflecreativityand
suffocatethestory.Cardsaysoutlinesaregreatandyoushoulduseone.
Allwritingadvice
needs
tobefilteredthroughthatidea.Allwritingadviceisgoodexceptwhen
itsnot.
On Word Count
Yououghttobethinkinginwordcount.Pagesaremalleable.
On Sizes
Booksindifferentmarketsvaryinsizes.
Middlegradenovels:40k50k
YAs:65k85k
Adultnovels:75k/80kandup
*From15minutesinuntilabout22minutesin,itsjustsyllabusdiscussion
JimButcher,beforehewaspublished,wasonaforumdiscussingthisverythingandsaid
somethingtotheeffectof,Agreatwriterwilltaketheworstideaandmakeawonderfulstory
outofit,andabadwriterwilltakethe
best
ideaandscrewitup.Itsnottheidea,itstheskillset.
Hisopponentchallengedhimtocombine
Pokemon
andtheLostRomanLegionwhichthen
becametheCodexAlerabooks,abestsellingseries.
YoumaybeaMozartofwriting,butthats
veryveryveryr
are.Thevastmajorityofwriterstoilin
obscurityforawhile,honingtheircraft.Theconcepthereisthatyoure
trainingtobeawriter,
notjustwriting.Thefocusisonbecomingbetterandlearninghowtowritewell.
Description of Class
and
Writing Groups
Notrelevanttowritingnovels,but
very
usefulforbuildingawritinggroup.Goesuntilabout
56:20.Highlights:
Aswitheverythingintheclass,writinggroupsarenotnecessarilyforeveryone.
Membershaveaweeklywordcountgoal,submittedtoothermembersofthegroup
(groupsizes46peoplepreferrednumberis5).
Othermembersofthegroupreadthesesubmissionsbeforemeeting(shouldtakeabout
anhour).Thegroupmeetsforabout1hourtogivefeedbackoneachstory,whichworks
outtoaround10minutesperperson.
TotheWorkshoppers:
Thisisreaderresponse,notfellowwritersbrainstorming.Onceagain,with
feeling:
youareareader
.Informed,intelligent,awareofthecraftofwriting,but
stillareader.Youarenotturningthestoryintowhat
you
wantyouarehelping
yourpeerwritethestorytheywanttotell.
Focuson
descriptive
content,not
prescriptive
contentthatis,sayIwasbored
orIamconfusedorIhatethischaracterorIfyoukillthischaracterI,asan
investedreader,willSTRAIGHTUPKILLYOUBACKinsteadofOoh!You
shouldmakehimfindamagicsword!orYou
have
tokillthementor!
Thesehelpcurtailtheproblemofworkshopgroupshijackingstories(because
thatcan,andoftendoes,happen).
TotheWorkshopee:
Resisttheurgetodefendyourself.
Resisttheurgetodefendyourself.
Shutup.
Stop.
Resisttheurgetodefendyourself.
Thisisa
focusgroup
:youareusingyourworkshopgrouptofindouthow
audiencesrespondtoyourstory,nottoreassureyourselfyoureagoodwriter.
Imagineyourselfasaflyonthewallwhentheotherstalkaboutyourstorythis
willbemoreusefultoyouanyway.
Readersmightbeconfusedbysomethingthatwill
totally
beexplainedlaterdont
explainittothem.Youllwanttoprovetothemthatyoureagenius,but
resist
thatinstincttoo
.Ifyougiveitaway,yourobyourselfoftheirhonestfeedback
aboutthebigtwistattheend.
Youarepermittedtoaskquestions,providedyoucandoitwithoutpredisposing
youraudience.
Appointateamleader.FindthemostTypeAextrovertyouhaveinyour
groupsomeonewhowill(a)encourageotherstotalkand(b)encouragefolkstostick
onschedule.
TheAmyGreensandChandlerBirchesofthegroupthatis,thoseofyouwhotalka
lot
stop
.Ifyouretalkingthewholetime,youwillprobablysteamrollthequieteronesin
thegroup.
Dontdothat.
Quietonesinthegroup(youknowwhoyouare):
yourinsightisvaluable.
Shareit.
Whenyougivefeedback,
startwithgoodthings.
Ithelpsthewriterstoknowwhatis
alreadyworking.(Thiscanactuallybemorevaluablethancriticism.)Focusonwhats
working
foryou
inthestory.Likedajoke?Tellthem.Thinkthischaracteristhebestone
sinceJohnMcClane?Tellthem.Oneparticularphrasegaveyoutheshivers?
Tellthem
.
Moveonfromthereto
largescaleissues.
Weretalking
characterization,plot,and
setting
.Donotburnthistimewithgrammarissuesunlesstheworkshopeehasturnedin
somethingwritteninhonesttogoodnessPidginEnglishanditsgettingintheway.
Ifyou
have
toedittheotherfolkswork,printoutthepagesandmarktheminred
andgivethemtothewriterthiswillfulfillyourdutytotheuniversetostampout
typoswherevertheymayhide,
without
burningyourwritinggroupsprecious
time.
Thoughwritersarenotperfectlycategorizedbythesetwomodels,theywilltendtoleaninone
directionoranotherultimately,bothstyles
arejusttools
.Hypothetically,anywritercouldmake
useofeithertechnique,butifitdoesntworkforyou,whybother?Dontfeelpressuredtoshove
yourselfintojustoneofthese.Useeitherofthemastheyrenecessary.
Discovery Writing
StephenKing:putinterestingcharactersininterestingsituationsseewhathappens.
MaryRobinetteKowal:Yes,ButNo,Andmethod.
Startwithapersonwhohasaproblem.
Alright,whathappensnext?Doesitwork?
Yes,but
somethingelsegoes
wrong.
Doeswhattheytrytofixtheproblemwork?
No,AND...
itgetsworse.
Goesonandoninthatcycleuntiltheproblemisfixed
Noteforeveryone:thegoodstories,mostly,areabout
somethingthatgoeswrong
.It
allstartswithaproblem.Itcanbesomethingsmall(Mydeplorableauntandunclemake
meliveinthecupboard,Iwashavinganicedinnerandthenitwasruinedbytwelve
rowdydwarves)
Discoverywriters
tend
tohavebettercharacters(first,becausethecharactersproblems
arethewritersproblems,sothewriteridentifiesstronglywiththecharacters,andsotoo
doesthereadersecond,becausethecharactersarenotshoehornedintoactionsthey
wouldnotreasonablytakeandthird,becausethediscoverywritersmethoddepends
uponinterestingcharactersdoinginterestingthings)
Discoverywriters
tendt
ohavelessintricateplotsandawfulendings(sincethey
eventuallygettotheandtheysolvedit,whichisntsatisfying)
Discoverywriters
tendt
ostrugglewithgettingpastChapterThree/thebeginning.Theyll
writeafewchaptersandthensuddenlygo,Oh!
Thatsw
hatthisisabout!andfeela
needtoresetsotheycanlaytheforeshadowing.ThentheygettoChapterThreeand
say,Oh,
now
Iknowwhatitsabout.andstartalloveragain.
Tend
istheoperativewordhere,becausetherearealwaysexceptions,andagreat
writerwillcompensateforhis/hernaturalweaknesses.Discoverywriterscanhaveflat,
boringcharactersandintricateplotsandmindblowingendings.Thisismerelya
statementoftendency,notauniversallaw.
Outline Writing
Outlinerwriters
tend
tohaveweakercharactersbecausetheyarepronetoask,What
doestheplotrequirethecharacterstodohere?
Outlinerwriters
tend
tohavesolidendings(becausetheyveknowntheplotthewhole
time)
Outlinerwriters
tend
tohaterevisingbecause,fundamentally,theyvewrittenthestory
twicebythetimetheyreachtheend.
Points-on-the-Map Writing
Mappersstartwithadecentideaoftheirendingandtheirinternalconflict,andperhapsa
fewcoolscenesthattheywanttohitinbetween.Sotheystartwiththeiridea,
DiscoveryWritetotheirfirstcoolscene,DiscoveryWritetotheirnextcoolscene,andon
andonuntiltheyreachthefinale.
Session 2: Brainstorming
Thereallyindepthlookathowtomidwifeyourideaintoanhonesttogoodnessnofooling
book.
Asbefore,bluetextjumpstothementionedsection.
Youareacraftsperson
:youaretryingto
becomeapersonwhomakesgoodart(
notjustmake
goodart)andyouaretryingtodothatthroughpracticeovertime.
However,
youarealsoabusinessperson
,whosejobitistofindawaytofeedthat
craftspersonsotheycangoondancingthroughtulipsandwaxingeloquentaboutthehuman
condition.
TheCraftspersonsjobistoproducethebestavailableworktheBusinesspersonsjobisto
exploitthatineverywaypossible.
Whichmeansthatwhenthemanuscriptiscomplete,theBusinesspersonsmashesthe
Craftspersonovertheheadwithabluntobject,stuffstheirbodyinacloset,andrunsawaywith
themanuscriptwiththeexpressintentionofmakingmoneyfromit.
Jazzisamagnificentlyfreeandimprovisationalstyleofmusicbutitisbuiltonarigid
foundationofscales.
Storytelling
Sandersonbreakshisstoriesdownintothreeprimarycomponents:
plot,setting,and
character
.Theyareheldtogetherbyconflict.
Learningyourscalesissimplythis:learnwhatmakesanengagingplot,anintriguing
character,andaninterestingsetting.
Conflict
Whyisconflictimportant?Whydoesitholdthestorytogether?
Nobodylikesastorywherenothinghappens.Thekingdiedandthenthequeendiedis
notastorythekingdiedandthenthequeendiedofgriefisastory.
Astoryisaboutwhat
somebodywantsa
nd
whytheycanthaveit.
KurtVonnegut
advises,Haveyourcharacterstartoutdesperatelywantingsomething,evenifitsjusta
glassofwater.Ifyourcharacterstartsoutwantingsomethingtheycanthave,youhave
immediate
sympathyforthatcharacter,andanimmediatetelegraphingtothereaderof
whatsgoingtohappen.
Plot
Plotismakingaseriesofpromisestothereaderandfulfillingtheminunexpected,yet
satisfying,ways.Manyfledglingwritersmakethemistakeofgivingthewrong
promisesstartingoffaromancestorywithanactionadventureopeningscene,perhaps.
Character
Usually
whatwearelookingforisarelatablecharacter.Occasionallyyoucangetawaywithan
unsympathetic,unrelatablecharacterbutitsveryhardtodoandpeopleprobablywontlike
yourbook.
Yourmaincharacterdoesnthavetobeagoodguy.S/hejustneedstohaveafew
characteristics:
Sympathetic(availablewaystobesympathetic:benice,wounded,disadvantaged,
idealistic,principled,etc)
Active(driventoaccomplish
something
thistiesbacktothecharacterdesperately
wantingsomething.Protagonistsgonnaprotag.)
Competence(capableofaccomplishingatleastafewthings)
Twooutofthreecanmakeforaverystrongcharacter.
Sympathetic+Competent=BilboBaggins,surprisinglyenough
Sympathetic+Active=HarryPotter
Active+Competent=SherlockHolmes,theTwelfthDoctor
Whenyoushoveallthreeintoonecharacter,yougetbooksabouthowawesomethecharacter
is.JamesBondandDirkPittaregoodexamples:theystartoffbeingawesome,theysolve
problemsbybeingawesome,andattheendofthebookoh,look,theyreawesome.(Seasons
1and2of
LegendofKorra
wouldbeanothergoodexample.)Thesecharacterscanbejustas
boringascharacterswhohaveonlyoneofthethree.
Setting
Thisisjustasmuchaconcernforromanceandsuspensewritersasitisforscifi/fantasy
writers:whateverbookyourewriting,youaregoingtogivethereaderasenseofyourworld.
Youdecidetherulesofthisworldforinstance,inJaneAustenswork,theunderlyingruleof
theworldisTheromanticinterestsenduptogether.Settingwillprobablyhaveasignificant
roleinyourstorysthematicunderpinningsforinstance,
DjangoUnchainedh
asamajor
antislaverytheme,butthatcanonlyexistifthesettingpushestheprevalenceofslavery(so
thatthemaincharacterscanrebelagainsttheprevalence).
Insomestories(notablyfantasyandscifi),settingisamaincharacterthesenovelistsare
concernedwith
immersion
.Otherstoriesusealighterbrush,givingprideofplacetoplotand
character.Itsallaboutchoosingwhattoaccomplish.
Prose
Oneofthesignificantchoicesinhowyoutellyourstoryiswhatkindofproseandstyleyouwant
touse.Theseincludedecisionslike:
Viewpoint(whoseheadwearein,andhowdeeply)
Tense(past/present/future)
Floweriness(thisoneisascalegoingfrom
terse
to
purple
)
Trytohaveafewstoryhooksforyourself.Shootfor,perhaps,twocharacterhooks,oneplot
hook,andonesettinghook.
Your
plothook
isdecidingwhatkindofarchetypeyourstorywillalignwith.Really,youre
lookingforwhatsgoingtochange.Ifyouredoinganovella,youwantjustonemajorchangein
novels,youcanaffordtohavemore.Whatsyourbeginning,whatsyourend,andwhatsgoing
tochange?Thatlldecideyourplot.
(Forfurtherplotinformation,tryJosephBookersMagnificentSevenonforsize:
OvercomingtheMonster
theresasupernaturallybadbaddieoutthere,andithasa
preciousprize(likeaprincessorancestralsword)and
Ineedtokillitdead
.cf.theMario
videogames,JackandtheBeanstalk
RagstoRiches
acommonerembarksonaseriesofadventures,whichculminatein
theirascensiontooneofTheElite(andoftenanopportunitytoenactrevengeonthose
whoabusedthempreviously).cf.
Cinderella,
thebiblicalJosephstory
TheQuest
thereissomethingawesomeeightbajillionmilesaway,andIneedtoget
there(
onfoot!
).cf.
TreasureIsland
,
LordoftheRings
VoyageandReturn
afterfallingintoastrangeandfantasticalworld,theprotagonist
attemptstogethome,returningasanutterlydifferentperson.cf.Digimon,
Neverwhere,
AliceinWonderland
Comedy
amisunderstandingleadstoanothermisunderstanding,whichleadsto
another
misunderstanding,whichculminatesinan
enormousm
isunderstanding,allof
whichareclearedupinhilariousways.cf.Idontevenknow,thepagelistsabunchof
examplesthatareolderthananyonelikelytoreadthis.
Tragedy
acharacterlongsforsomethinghe
shouldnothave,
andacquiresitata
devastatingcost.cf.
Lolita,
AnnaKarenina
,
Faust
,
BreakingBad
Rebirth
acharacterfallsinto
somethinglikealivingdeath
andisbroughtoutbya
redeeming,oftensacrificialact.cf.
SleepingBeauty
,
SnowWhite
,Christianity
Theseplotscanbecombined,subverted,inverted,blatantlydefied,andotherwisemessedwith
inanywayyoucaretotry.)
Agoodstrategyforfindinga
settinghook
isjusttolookforsomethingfuntoplaywith.
Fantasistscangetawaywithalothere:coolreligions,coolmagicsystems,cooltechnologies,
coolbiomes,coolcultures.Lookforsomethingthatwillmakeyourreaderatleastmildly
intriguedbytheworldspossibilities.
Your
characterhook
willboildownlargelytowhatthecharacterwants.Lookforaninteresting
desire,orconflict,orpast,orsomethinglikethat.Beespeciallyinterestedinsettingthemat
oddswithwhateverisgoingtohappentothem:Bilboisinterestingbecausehesimultaneously
wantsand
doesnotwant
togoonanadventure.Really,whatyoureinterestedinismakingyour
characterripeforlotsandlotsand
lots
ofconflict.
Mostlyconcernedwithsomenutsandboltsthings,uptoandincluding:viewpoint,infodumping,
andlearningcurves.
Sogetreally,reallygoodatthat.
Learning Curves
Everystorywillhavealearningcurvehowmuchthereaderhastofigureoutbeforegaining
competenceinthebook.Consider:howhighdoesitgo,andhowfastdoesitgetthere?How
fastcansomeonebebroughtuptospeed?
Astorywithfamiliarcharacters,settings,andplotswillhaveashallow,easylearningcurve.The
moreoutlandishthestory,thesteeperthelearningcurve.What
you
needtodoisfigureout
whatyourlearningcurveisandhowtomakeiteasyonyouraudience.Whatyou
dont
wantis
readersslammingintoabrickwallofworldbuilding.Rememberthat50pageessayonhobbit
cultureatthebeginningof
Fellowship?
Yeah,neitherdoesanyoneelse,excepttomentionhow
dreadfulitis.
Introduceacharacterwhoisjustasconfusedasthereaders,andneedsthings
explainedtothem
Limityourviewpoints(givingthereaderananchoringviewpointthatstaysconsistent
despiteatotallycrazy,unpredictableworld)
Startwithaneventreaderswillrecognizeinnately
Twistafamiliardetail(clocksstrikingthirteenin
1984)
Themoreyourreadertrustsyou,themoreyoucangetawaywithasteeplearningcurve.Ifyou
selectasteepone,trytogroundthereaderinsomethingelseasquicklyasyoucanusually
characters.
Note:
querylettersshouldhavethe
shallowestlearningcurveever
.Ifyoureexplainingthe
intricaciesofyourmagicsysteminaqueryletter,thatlettersprognosisisNotGood.
Viewpoints
Masteryofviewpoints,asagenrefictionwriter,isoneofthethingsthatwillsellyourbookin
two
pages
.Itstheskillbarometerforwriters.Ifyouaskedapianisttodemonstratetheirskill,you
wouldquicklyknowwhethertheyrecrapornot,irrespectiveofyourownpianoexperience.
Readerscandothatwithyou,
andeditorsdoitevenbetter,anditdependsmostlyonviewpoint.
Hardertoforcereadertoidentifywithcharacter(theresa
very
goodreasonwhy
Lolita
iswritteninfirstperson)
Hardertodoinfodumps/easiertomaketheinfodumpssuck
Notes
Defaultforgrownupbooks
Getacrossthenameofthenotquiteviewpointcharacter
quickly.
Editors
hate
whenyoudo3PLwithoutanamedprotagonist.DONTDOITunlessyouvegota
greatreason.
Trytostickinsidethatcharactersheadprettycloselythatis,dontshowwhat
thecharacterdoesntsee
Omniscient
Pros
Lotsofleewaywithforeshadowing
Canintegratethingsfromfirstandthird
Cons
Difficulttodorightitseasytoconfusereaders
Much
hardertoformrelationshipswiththecharacters(becausereadersoften
bondwiththeonetellingthestory)
Makesitfeeltoomuchlikeabook
Reallyitsjustfreakingdifficulttopullthisoffwithoutannoyingthereaders
Notes
Ineveryonesheadsatonceandseesthefutureyougetasensethat
someone
istellingthestorytoyou
Oftenhasapresentnarrator,thoughtherearesomethatdontuseit
Hasfallensignificantlyoutoffavor
JonathanStrangeandMr.Norrelli
sprobably
thebestknownrecentone
Variations
Hybrid
Mixingthirdandfirst.Checkoutthe
Bartimaeus
SequencefromJonathanStroudforan
example.
Epistolary
Astorytoldbywayofletters.
Dracula,
ThePrestige,
and
ScrewtapeLetters
arewritteninthis
form.
Journal/Memoir
Acharacterreflectsonpreviousexperiences(usuallyinfirstperson).TheKingkillerChronicle,
AssassinsApprentice,
and
PerksofBeingaWallflowera
reallwrittenthisway.
Committed Third
Staysin
justone
charactersheadforawholechapter,butmayswapthemoutnextchapter.A
SongofIceandFireisthemostpopularrecentexample.
Loose Third
Canhavemultiplecharacterviewpointsinachapter,thoughtheyreoftenseparatedbyline
breaks.
Tense
Commonwisdomisthatpresentisamoreimmediatetense,butyougetacclimatedtothat
immediacyprettyquick.Itsunlikelyreaderswillnoticetheseafterthefirstchapterunlessyou
switchbackandforth(whichisntadvisedunlessyouvegotarealgoodreason).
Note:ifyouredoingaJournal/Memoirsortofstory,tensecouldbeweirdforinstance,ifyou
bringinacharacterwhosestatusdoesntchangebytheendofthestory,doyousay,Johnwas
mygoodbuddyorJohnismygoodbuddy?Sticktothepasttenseitseasierforeveryone,
evenifitsnot
technically
correct.
Infodumps
Yourjobasawriteristoconveyinformationinaninterestingway,suchthattheworldbuildingis
anenhancementinsteadofahindrance.Thisisdifficult.Do
not
stopforaparagraphtodeliver
anessayonhobbitcultureitsnolongeracceptable.
Thetrickistocommunicateyourworldsmoothlyandnaturally.
Tricksforinfodumping:
Usedialogue.
Readers
love
dialoguebecausetheressomuchwhitespaceandits
easytoread.However,
avoidmaid&butler:
whentwocharactersstandaround
expositingfor
nogoodreason
excepttocommunicatethingstotheaudience.Ifyoure
usingasyouknow,itslikelytofeelveryawkward.
UseWatson
,asidelinecharacterwhoneedseducating,or
Alice
,aprotagonistwhos
brandnewtotheworldbothcanfeasiblysayWait,what?inthereadersplace.
Show,donttell.
Ifyouwanttotellthereaderthattheworldiscontrolledbyfinicky
politics,openwithagranddebateaboutthepriceofcheeseifyouwantthereaderto
knowthatthegodsareheavilyinvolvedwiththeworld,openwiththecharacterdodging
alightningboltandsaying,Ishould
not
havesaidhisnameinvain!Internalizethat.
Vonnegutadvised,Therearethreethingstodoinyourwriting:evokesetting,advance
action,orevokecharacter.Everylineoughttodotwoofthose,threeifitcan.(
The
audiencewantstoworkforitslunch.
)Sandersonadvisesgetting
reallyreallygood
at
this.Likelove,itcancoveramultitudeofwrongs.
Thisisagroundworksessionaboutplot,focusingprimarilyontheneedtobehonestwithyour
reader,thebenefitsofknowingwhereyourstoryisgoing,andwhyyoudontneedtobejealous
ofotherpeoplesplots.
Q&A
Questionsaskedbystudents,andmoreorlesstranscribedhere.
Howdoyoucomeupwithreallycrazybrilliantideas?
Mystrengthasawritercomesfromaloveofstories.WhenIseeanideaandthink
that
couldhavebeenawesome
mynextthoughtis
howcouldImakeitawesome?
HowdoIbalance
keepingthereaderinformed
with
maintainingnecessary
secrets
?MywritinggroupkeepssendingmequestionsthatIcantanswerwithout
givingthingsaway.
Whatthatmightmeanisyourenotadequatelyexplainingcharactermotivations.(Its
hardtodiagnosewithoutseeingthestoryinfrontofme.)Itsoundsliketheydont
understandwhythecharactersarebehavinginthewaytheyare.Its
veryimportant
to
makecharactermotivationsverycleartothereader.Beintentionalwhenyouvegota
characterwhosemotivationsareshifting(aswithBilbo,whoseprioritiesshiftfromIwant
tohavedinnertoIwanttohaveanadventure!).
Imstrugglingwithgettingnaturalsoundingdialogue.Myconversationsare
startingtomovetheplotinsteadofbeingnatural.
Maybethisisapointwhereyouwanttopracticedoingthingsintentionally.Analyze
dialogue,particularlyinmoviesandeverydayconversation.Ask,Whydoesthisfeel
natural?Howdoesthisadvancetheplotandexpresscharacterwhilesoundingnatural?
Maybetryfreewritingthecharacterstalkingsoyoucangettheirvoicesinyourhead,
andthentryrewritingthescenethatstrippingyouup.
Whataresomethingsyoudo,whenyourekindoflosingmomentum,togetyou
tofallbackinlovewiththestory?
Ohboy.Excellentquestion.WhenIgetinterruptedwhilewritingonebook,Iloseallmy
momentum.Thisisaseriousissue.Ivetriedanumberofstrategies.OnethingItryis
doingarevisiononwhatIvealreadygot.SometimesIllskipchapters(whichIvery
rarelydo)togettoaclimacticmomentinsteadofdoingthesetupmomentsbeforehand,
andthisworksveryverywellforme.Addinganewcharacterandwritingascenefrom
theireyescandoit.Writingashortpieceinthatworldcandoit.Tryafewofthoseand
seeiftheyhelp.
Isthereawaytouseclichesproperly?Howdoyoudothat?
Depends.Therearemultiplewaystouseclichesproperly.Avoidthecliche
turnsofphraseasmuchasyouavoidusingsynonymsforsaid(whichisdarnnearthe
lastthingyouwanttodo).Clichedproseisthesecondtolastthingyouwant,right
beforewritingthatissohopelessly,franticallycreativethatreadersvomit.
Ifyouretalkingaboutclichesinamoreofarchetypesense,well...letslookatthis.When
Rowlingwrote
HarryPotter
,boygoestowizardschoolwas
verymuch
acliche,butshe
madeitherownandgotawaywithit.ClichesinSFF(likethefarmboywhosavesthe
world,thegrizzledveteranwithaheartofgold,theelementalmagicsystem)are
occasionallyunavoidablethequestionis,howdoyoumakeityourown?Whatyouwant
isan
understandablearchetype
ratherthana
weariedandoverusedstereotype.
Anotherwaytodothisissubvertedtropes,whereyouuseaclicheandturnitonits
head.Be
verycarefulw
iththis.Ifyoudallytoolongwiththisclicheletmeshareastory
withyou.Myfirstbook,
Elantris
,cameoutaroundthesametimeanotherguysbook
cameout.Minedidwell,hisdidntsomuch,andweweretalkingaboutitlaterandhe
wondered,Ijustdontunderstandwhyminedidsopoorly.IdreadabitofitandIsaid,
Well,tobehonest,andnottryingtooffendyou,butyourbookfeltreallycliched.To
whichhesaid,Oh!Youjustdidntgetfarenough.Andheexplainedabouthowhe
subvertseverysingleoneofthosetropes.Anditsreallyawesome!Buttheproblemis
thatallthepeoplewhoarelookingforastandardclassicfantasywithallthetropeswill
bedisappointedbytheending.Andthepeoplewhoarelookingfornotfamiliarfantasies
willputitdownbeforetheygettothecoolparts!Sobecarefulwithsubvertedtropes.
Theyretricky.
Plot
Plotseemstocomedowntotwoprimaryconceptstome.Thefirstistheideaof
promises
the
secondistheideaofa
senseofprogress
.
Promises
Agoodbookisreallyaseriesofpromisesandtheir(usually)unexpectedand(mandatorily)
satisfyingfulfillments.Thebalancebetweenhowexpectedandunexpectedthestoryisdepends
onthegenreandyourowngoalsasastoryteller.
Forinstance,theregencyromances(whicharestillbeingwritten)arenotconcernedwith
unexpectedfulfillments.Inthefirstfewpages,aJaneAustenbookpromisesthatitwillinvolvea
strongromanticplot
withresolution
,thatitwill(probably)haveasignificantfemaleviewpoint,
thatitwillberatherwitty,andthatyouwillknowwithin50pageswhollbegettinghitchedatthe
end.Thereaders
desire
anunsurprisingresolution.
Forotherreadersinothergenres,thoseunsurprisingresolutionsarelessimportant.The
readersof
ASongofIceandFire(
GameofThrones
totheTVwatchershere)areaddictedto
thenoholdsbarredanybodycandieIdontremembermakingnopromisesstyleofstorytelling
thatseriesgivesthem.Itsacontinuumbetweenexpectedandunexpected,and,solongas
yourehonestaboutwhatkindofbookyourewriting,
neitherofthoseisbad.
Youwanttostartmakingthesepromises
onpageone
ifpossible.
Sense of Progress
Butisntitrealprogress?Well,no.Whenyourewritingthebook,youhave
absolutecontrol
overthebook.Youcanmakeonesecondofstorytimelast500pages.(Itsnotrecommended,
butitspossible.)Oryoucanpassamillionyearsinlikethreewords.Soyoucansqueezeor
expandbasicallyanything.Whatreaderswantisa
sense
ofmovementtowardthefulfillmentof
thepromisesyouvemade.Youreassuringthem,Motionishappening.We
are
moving
forward.
If,forinstance,youintroduceaplotwithatremendousthingswillexplodepromiseandthen
spend50pagesonareallyinterestingromance,
nomatterhowcooltheromanceist
hereaders
willfeellikethingsaremeandering.Youreallyjustdontwanttoletyourpromisesgetoutof
sighttooeasily.
Student Beware!
Thesearenotchecklists.
Thedangerislookingatthemandfeelinglikeyoure
requiredt
o
followthepatternsdescribed.Scholarscameupwiththesebasedon
hundredso
fstories,but
everystorydoesnot
necessarily
followthem.Fundamentally,
theyaredescriptive,not
prescriptive.
Followthesetooreligiouslyandyouwillripthesoulrightoutofthestory.
Youarepermittedtousethese
ifyouwant.
Butyouarenotrequiredtoputtheminthere.
Three-Act Format
Thishelpsyouknow,moreorless,whentointroducebigchangesinyourstory.
ActOne:setsupwhothecharactersareandwhattheproblemsare.Usually25%ofthe
book.
ActTwo:dealswiththeproblems,andprobablyendswiththeheroindesperatestraits.
Often50%+.
ActThree:resolvestheproblems.Often25%orless.
Simplystated,inActOnethecharacterclimbsatreeinActTwoyouthrowrocksattheminAct
Threetheygetoutofthetree.
Theideahereistobreakthestoryupintothreepieces,soyoucanworkonthemindividually.
NotethatthisisaveryWesternformat.
Idontuse3Act,saysSanderson.Ilikewhatitdoes,itsagreattool.Itjustdoesntcome
naturallytome.Itworksverywellforfilmitworksnotaswellforepicfantasy.
Thisishandyforseveralreasons.One,itgivesyouaroadmap(WhatdoIdonow?Oh,Iguess
itsUnderworldDescenttime)andtwo,itgivesahandycheatsheetforwhatreadersexpect
fromtheirstories.
Scene/Sequel
Asimple,directplottingmethodbasedaroundYes,But,No,And.
Yes,
lifeisgood,
but
mycatissuddenlymissing.
Solution:
Igotothepound.
No,
thecatsnot
there,
and
Iaccidentallysetfreealltheotheranimals.
Solution:
Iseekoutananimalcatcher.
Yes,
thecatchercaughtthecat,
but
itsactuallyanevilcatbountyhunterandtheyalreadysold
thecatforglue!
Youreforcingyourselftoescalateyourstory.Itforcesyoutocreatemoreconflict
and
togivea
senseofprogression.Basically,itsamoredevelopedversionofFortunately/Unfortunately.
(Thismightactuallybeagreatdevelopmentofthatgame,bytheway:introduceaproblem,next
personintroducesasolution,nextpersongivesa
Yes,But
andsoon.)
Plotting Methods
First,letsdigfurtherintoPromises/Progress.EverytypeofstorywillhavedifferentPromises
and,significantly,differentwaystogivetheimpressionofProgress.Forinstance:
Mystery
Aplot
about
information
Senseofprogressderivesfromclues/releasedinformation
Relationship
Aplot
about
peoplelearningtolikeeachother(fallinginloveorfallinginfriendship)
Senseofprogressderivesfrommomentstogether/changesintherelationship
Travelogue
Aplot
about
ajourneytowardaparticulardestination
Senseofprogressderivesfromaliteralprogressiontowardadestination
InternalConflict
Aplot
about
acharactersnecessarychange(becomingbraver,becomingkinder,
becomingworthyofanotherperson)
Senseofprogressderivesfromcharactersdifferentactions/reactions
NB:Youcanfitthistypeofstoryintodarnnearanyotherstorysomephilosophiesof
storytellingwilltellyouyou
have
toputitineverything
Plotting by Brackets
Youcanthinkofyourstoryasaseriesofnestedbrackets,alittlelikethis:
[
[
[
]
]
]
[] [ ]
Eachbracketrepresentsaconflictofvaryingsize.Thebiggest,asyoucansee,isintroducedat
thebeginningofthestoryandresolvedbytheendinfact,thatshowreadersdecidethatthe
storyisover:whetherthathugebrackethasbeenclosed.Themiddleofthestorymayinvolve
somesmallerconflictstokeepthingsmoving,butreallythereadersaretheretofindouthowthe
majorbracketsgetclosed.
Anyofthosebracketpairingscanbeanyofthepreviouslymentionedplottypes.Sothemajor
bracketscanbea
Mystery
plot,andthesecondarybracketsa
Relationship
plot.Thiscanwork
wellprovidedyoudontgetyourwirescrossed.
Furthernotesonthisidealocated
here
.
Ifyouaremakingpromisesand
keepingthem,
yourbookcanstillbeadelighttoread.Theres
nothingatallwrongwithmakingasimple,honest,thesepeoplearegoingtomeetandfallin
lovepromiseandkeepingit.Theresasense,sometimes,thatwehavetodosomething
unexpected
justtobeunexpected,
but
thisisntthecase
.
Ifyouremakinghugepromisesabout,say,amysteryandthenproduceananswerthatsnot
satisfyingeitherbecauseitsunexpected,orbecauseits
too
unexpectedthenyouraudience
willbe
severelyannoyedwithyou
.(Lookingatyou,LOST.)
Oneofthethingsweretryingtodoisholdupanideaandsay,Lookatthemonkey!Lookatthe
monkey!whilewerepalmingsomethinginourotherhand.Itsallaboutredirectingsomeone
elsesfocus.(Formoreontheideaofredirectingfocus,checkout
thisgreatTEDtalk
.)
Howwillmyresolutionfulfill
all
thepromisesthatneedtobefulfilled
inthisstory
?
Abookguidestartsbyidentifyingwhatkindsofplotswillbehappeninginsidethebook.What
areyourbigbrackets?Whatarethesecondarybrackets,thetertiarybrackets,etc.?(Notethat
therewillbesmallbracketschapterbychapterthisfocusesonthebigthings.)Hisoutlinesare
reallyjustlistsofgoalsandwrenchesthatwillbethrownintothosegoals.Eachchapter,he
simplycombinesseveralofthebulletpoints,suchthateachchapteradvancesafewofthemain
goals.
(NB:thisisa
very
similarmethodto
Rowlingsstyleofoutlining
,whichhappensonagrid:the
x
axisiseachofthemainplots,andthe
y
axisischapterbychapter.Thetwomainplotconcerns,
incolumns4and5,areadvancedalmosteverychapter,whiletheplotstotherightofcolumn5
occasionallyhaveblankspotsinthegraph.)
Q&A: Plot
SomeQ&AwithBrandonSanderson.
Howdoyoupaceachapterproperly?
Writingabookis,for
most
ofus,isabouttakingsomethinglargeandbreakingitinto
smallerandsmallerpieces.Oneofthosepiecesisachapter.Agoodchapterwillhave
someofthesamefeelasagreatbookhas,inthatyouhaveabeginning,middle,and
end.Yourefamiliarwiththesortofrisingactionidea:sometimes,youllwanttoend
yourchapterrightattheheightoftheaction.Othertimesyoullenditwithasmall
resolution.
Ifyouchopthingsinthemiddle,thingswillbesortofjerky,veryexciting.Ifyouendon
theresolution,thingswillbemuchsmoother.Thrillerswillbestructuredsotheyalways
breakinthemiddle,thenclosethat,thenimmediatelyopenanotherproblemandbreak
inthemiddle.Itdragsreadersalongbythenose,whichcanbeveryveryfatiguing.
Readersnevergettorelax.Chaptersthatsortofwrapupattheendwillfeelmore
elegant,almost.
(Thisworksforparagraphs,too.Short,choppy,twosentenceparagraphswillhavea
yankingkindoffeeling,whereaslongparagraphshaveaslowersortofmovement.)
Thosearereallytwoextremes.Youcanfallinthemiddleifyouwant.Buteverychapter,
usually,shouldbeintroducingproblemsandthendealingwiththem.Thisrelatestothe
TryFailcycle,whereyouintroduceaproblemandtheherotriessomething
intelligent
and
reasonable
.Thisfails(usuallytwice)andthenfinallysucceeds.
Really,justdecidewhatyourchapteristryingtoachieve.Probablyitshouldhaveitsown
problems,butitshouldalsokeepthelargerendinginsight.
Whatsaneasywaytodo,like,aproofofconceptofanovelbeforeyouputtime
andenergyintosomethingthatmightactuallysuck?
Ifyouareanewwriter,itmostlikely
is
goingtosuck.Theonlywaytomakeitnotsuckis
toletitsuckfirst,untilyougetgoodenoughtowritethingsthatdontsuck.Inthatcase,it
doesnt
matter
whatyourewriting,aslongasyoureexcitedaboutit.
WhatIthinkyourealsoaskingis,Okay,Brandon,youvesaidthatideasarecheapand
whatIreallyneedispractice,but
someideasaredefinitelybetterthanothers
.The
problemhereisthatitssoindividualtoyouthatIcantactuallytellyouwhatmightend
upnotworkingforyou.Youvegottolearnyourownprocesswellenoughthatyoucan
tellwhatwillorwillnotworkforyou.Adiscoverywriterwillhavetowriteintothestoryto
findoutiftheycareaboutit.Anoutlinewriterneedssomethingexcitingtowritetoward.
Anythingyouwrite,youregoingtosay,Wow,thisisnotverygoodyet.Butwhatyou
reallyneedhereistohoneyourskills,getyourfundamentalsdown,learnyourscales,
andyoullbeabletomakethethingsyouwanttomake.(
Extremelyrelevantvideo.
)
Idowanttonotethatsometimesitisgoingtobeaslognomatterwhatyouwrite,and
youhavetopushthroughanyway.Itsnotallsunshineanddancingwithunicorns.
MywifeandIneedtovocalizethingsinordertofigureoutwhatourbooksare
reallyabout.Doyoudothat?Doyouevertrydifferentmethodslikethat?
Umerm,no.Imverysolitaryinmywriting.Thecollaborativewritingthingisnot
somethingIdoalotof.Alotofwritersdoitandloveitalot.Differentprocessesworkfor
differentpeople.Usewhatworksforyou.Ifitmakesyouwritegoodstuffyouenjoy
writing,thenitsworking.
Inthisclasswerewritingsortofchapterbychapterandthenhavingpeopleread
it.Doyourecommendthatfornormalbookwriting?
Mostly,Idsuggestfinishingabookbeforeyouworkshopit.Itsnotahardandfastrule.
Foralotofwriters,gettingsomethingcritiquedwhileyourewritingitwilldiscourageyou
waytoomuch.TheresalsothedangerthatyourwritinggroupwillsayWouldntitbe
awesomeif?andthensuddenlyitsacompletelydifferentbook.
Imtryingtomakeabelievable,historicallyviablemagicsystem,and[goeson
forsometimewithoutactuallyaskingaquestion].
Welltalkaboutmagicsystemsnextweek,butforrightnow,letsgobacktowhatIsaid
earlier:writingisbasicallybeingastagemagician.Withworldbuilding,youcandowhat
Tolkiendidandspend20years.Thatsperfectlylegit.Butifthebookdoesntdemand
that,thatsfinetoo.Eitherwayyouwantyourworldbuildingtohaveasortoficeberg
feeltoit.Youwanttoindicatetoyourreaderthatyouknowallofthisotherstuffbutyou
dontwanttothrowtheentireicebergatthem.Inepicfantasy,youwanttoimplyyouve
gota
wholelotoficeberg
eveniftheresnotalotunderneaththesurface.Inthingslikea
MichaelCrichtonbook,readersarentlookingforabigiceberg.Theyreactuallylooking
foraverysmalliceberg,thatsjustwhattheywant.
Idowanttobringupthatthesmall,concretedetailmatters
way
morethanapageof
descriptioninalotofplaces.Thinkaboutsomeonewhoknowsalotabouthorsesandis
talkingabouthorsesandboilthatdowntooneline.Comparethattowhatsomeonewho
doesnt
knowalotabouthorseswouldsay.Ifyourcharactertalksandthinkslikean
expert,youwillgiveasensethatthingsareveryreal.Alsothinkabouthowpeople
legitimatelytalk.Forinstance,noscientistevery
really
saysLetsgodosomephysics!
Inthesameway,nofalseworldmagewouldsay,Letsgodosomemagic.
Character
Arguablythemostimportantpartofthestoryinmostgenres.There
areg
enreswherethe
characterisalittlebitsecondarytotheplot,anditsalsoarguablethatfantasy/scifiis
distinguishedbyitsworldbuilding.However,greatworldbuildingwillnotmakeupforutterly
blandcharacters.Its
veryimportant
tomakethecharacterscompelling.
Recallfromanearlierlecturethethreequalitiesthatreadersoftenenjoyincharacters:
Active
Competent
Likable
Asalreadystated,twooutofthreewillsufficetomakeacompellingcharacterinthefirst
chapter,youcanevengetawaywithonlygivingthecharacter
one
ofthosethings.TheHeros
Journey,forinstance,willoftenstartoffwithsomeonewhois
just
likable
theygettobe
competentand/oractivelateron(Bilboisagreatexample).Anotherpopularoptionistostartoff
withnothingbut
active
(IndianaJones,forinstance,doesntimmediatelycommunicatehis
likablenessorcompetence,butdangifheisntactive).JamesBondmoviesroundoutthetrioby
introducingaridiculously
competent
character.
Likable
Likeabilityisincreasedtremendouslybyrelatability.Acharacterwithgoals,struggles,passions,
fears,andfailuresthatreadersrecognizeandresonatewithbecomesalmostinstantlylikable.
Anotherswiftwayofestablishinglikability:displayavaluedtraitinthecharacter.Everyday
humankindnessendearscharactersveryquickly(cf.
PettheDog
).Onthatcaninenote,readers
love
theunderdog.Acharacterwhogetspickedonbecomeslovable.
Perhapsthemostinterestingthing:readerswillquicklydevelopaffectionforcharacterswho
alreadyhave
friends
.
Active
ConsidertheVillainProblem,arecurringissueinstoriesbasedofftheHerosJourney:
IftheVillainhadntcomealong,thisHerowouldneverhavedone
anything.
Readerssympathizewithcharacterswho
dothings.
Ifthevillainofyourbookisthemostactive
persononstage,readerswillstartlikingthevillainwaymorethantheylikethehero.(Thisisonly
badifyouredoingitwithoutmeaningto.)
TheotherbigissueisthatifyouuseplotstructuresliketheHerosJourney,atthebeginningthe
hero
doesnotwant
toprotag.Welikereluctantheroes(because,ofcourse,itsrelatable).Andif
theherostartsoffbeingreluctant,itsthatmuchmoredramaticwhenhischaracterdevelopment
makeshim
superexcited
todoheroicthings.
So...whyisanactivecharactersoappealing,ifwefindreluctancerelatable?Firstofall,because
crapgetsdone
.Activecharacterskeepthingsfromgettingboringtheyadvancetheprogressof
thestory.Activityalsomakesthecharacteradmirablewelikereadingaboutdrivenpeople.
Ultimately,itsbasedinthis:
ineverycharacterwelike,weseeamixtureofwhoweareand
whowewanttobe.
(Thisbringsupsomethingvaluableaboutvillains:welldrawnvillainsoften
havealittlebitofusinsidethem.)
Often,newbieauthors
suck
atactivecharacters.Itcanbesomethingassimpleasstudyingfora
testorasweirdascollectingthelastfigurineinhisexpansiveandeclecticcollection.Bearin
mindthatacharacterdoesnothavetobe
gooda
ttheirpassionforthemtocomeacrossas
active.Startthestorywithyourcharacter
doingsomething.
Competent
Sandersondoesntgointothismuchatallinthislecture,butinpreviousyearsspendsalotof
timetalkingabouthowreadersloveitwhencharactersare
goodatstuff
.FlynnRiderisgoodat
twothings:(1)stealingthingsand(2)crackingwise.Thisendearshimtousdespitethefactthat
hesarrogant,callous,untrustworthy,manipulative,andtraitorous.Youwouldntwanttobe
friendswithFlynnRider,butyou
lovew
atchinghimdocoolstuff.
Manyofthecharacterswelovearepreternaturallygoodatoneortwoparticularthings.
HermioneisPreternaturallyIntelligentSamwiseGamgeeisPreternaturallyLoyalKatniss
EverdeenisPreternaturallyGritty.
Probablyyouwillnotfindyourselfbeingtoostingywithcharactersuperpowersthetrendis
moreoftentogiveyourcharacter
all
thepowers.Trytofocusthemintoonearea.
Character-as-Role
Woodencharactershappen.Itsathing.Often,thishappensbecauseyourewritingacharacter
intoa
role
.Charactersneedtohavea
realness
tothem,andtheycantdothatwhentheyre
createdaccordingtoachecklist.Itsratheresoteric,butrealnessoftenderives(inSandersons
opinion)fromcharacterswhohave
lifeoutsidetheplot.
Whatwouldthischaracterbedoingwith
his/herlifeiftheplothadneverbargedintotheirlife?Ifyoutookyourcharacteroutforcoffee,
whatwouldtheytalkabout?Canyouimagineyourcharacterinanycontextbuttheplottheyve
gottentangledin?
Considertheevolutionofsuperherocomics.Batman,inhisoriginalincarnation,was
just
a
vigilante.Supermanwas
alwaysheroing.
Asthegenreevolved(andasStanLeebecome
involved)superheroesstartedhavingreallives.SpidermanhasclassestopasstheFantastic
Fourhavetheirinternalconflictstoworkout.Theyexistasmorethanjustsuperheroes.
Yourgoalisto
keepyourcharacterfrombeingdefinedbyasinglething,
particularlytheirrole.
Charactersdefinedbytheirrolesquicklybecomestereotypes.
Character Considerations
Roundcharactersarealltheragethesedays,andforgoodreason:aroundcharacter
communicatesrealness.Fourfactorscontributetoroundness:
FlawsSandersonsplitstheseintoHandicapsandFlaws.
Handicaps
arethingsthe
charactersmustovercomethatarenttheirfault(andprobablywontbesolvedbythe
end)
Flaws
areoftenthecharactersownfault,oratleastsomethingthecharacter
must
solveiftheyregoingtobewhole.
Passionscharacterswhoareonlypassionateabouttheplotget
veryirritatingveryfast
.
Morespecifically,acharacterwith
onlyonepassiong
etsirritatingbecausetheyreso
boring
.
Quirksabsurdlypopularmethodand
sotremendouslyeasy
tooverdo.Feelfreetogive
characterssomethingtotallyperpendiculartotheirexpectedrole,butbecarefulabout
makingthemannoying.Dontletaquirkdefinethecharacter.Inaddition,itsadvisedthat
thequirknothaveanybearingontheplot.Itsnotaplotthingitsacharacterthing.Its
wherethecharacter
deviates
fromtheirestablishedrole.
Expertisecf.
Competence
.
Exercise:
trytakingallthecharactersinyourstoryandslottingthemintodifferentroles.The
loveinterestbecomesthewiseoldmentor,thepluckysidekickbecomesthemaincharacter,
etc.Itmightnotbeawisecourseforwritingawholebook,butitsahandytrickforfiguringout
whyanycharacterisinhis/hergivenrole.
Exercise:
puttwocharactersintothebookwhofitintothesamerole.Youllforceyourselfto
distinguishbetweenthem.
Mostofall,rememberthat
everyonesaherointheirown
way
head.
Everybodysnarrating
theirlifestorywiththemselvesasthegoodguy.Eventhemookwhosguardingthecastlegate.
Treatthemappropriately.
Q&A: Character
SomeQ&AwithBrandonSanderson,hypotheticallyfocusingonthepreviouslecture.
Howdoyouplansomethinglargescale?
AlotofusreadSFFbecausewe
love
readinghugeprojects.Backintheday,backwhen
SFFlivedmostlyinmagazines,writerswhowantedtoworkinthegenrestartedwith
shortstories,whichwerepublishedinthosemagazines.Mygenerationstartedreading
rightaroundthetimethatmagazinesstarteddying,andalsowhenSFFmigratedintoa
novelcentricenvironment.Sowhenmygenerationstartedpublishing,veryfewofushad
readshortstoriesandsoveryfewofushadmastereditorwantedtowriteit.Sothatsort
ofapprenticeinSFFbywritingshortstoriesandthenmoveintoalongerformhasdied
out.
Mygenerationgrewupreadingepicfantasy,soweallwantedtostartoutbywritingthat.
Learningtowriteepicfantasyis
hard
.Shortstoriesarehardtoo,butyoucanmakeone
ofthosealotquickerthanyoucanmakeawholelongnovel.
AlotofaspiringwriterswillstartthinkingabouttheirBigProjectintheirteens,andthen
theyllspendfifteenyearsthinkingabout
justthat
.Itsanidealstoryintheirheads,andit
transformsmultipletimes,andeventuallyyouvegotthis
perfectstory
thatsactuallykind
ofjustahugehodgepodgeofideasthatyouvebeenhavingforthelastfifteenyears.
Thenumberonething
Iwouldsuggestyoudois
throw
allofthat
awayandstart
fresh
withsomethingelse.Imnotsayingyoullneverwritethatone,butifyoudont
havetheexperiencewriting,youcantpossiblyhandlethathugething.Learninghowto
writeanovelisthenumberonethingthatsgoingtohelpyouwritelargescale.
Onceyouhaveagraspofhowtodoasinglebook,youllhaveabetterchanceof
understandinghowtoputtogetheraseries.TheThreeActformat,forinstance,works
wellinsideasinglebookitalsoworksforatrilogy.Reallyitsjustamatteroflearning
whatworksforyouonaonebookscaleandthenexplodingthatalittle.
Ifyouredoingmultiplefirstpersonperspectives,howdoyouhandlethat?
ThethingIveseenmostoftenistitlingthechapterafterthecharacterwhosehead
yourein.Thatsthesimplestmethod.Anotherwayofdoingitistryingtomakeyour
narratorshaveverydistinctvoices.
Setting
Simultaneouslythemostandleastimportantofthethreemajorcomponentsofwriting(inSFF).
Mostimportantbecauseits
why
yourewritingSFFasopposedtoYAromance.Leastimportant
becauseitcannotholdanoveluponitsownuselesscharactersorablandplotwillkillyour
booknomatterhowgreatyoursettingis.(Note:settingworkswellinshortstoriesbecause
shortsareveryideadriven,andsettingisallaboutthoseideas.)
Settingis
great
.SettingiswhatpullsfolksintoSFFmoreoftenthannot.Settingiscultureand
socioeconomicsandpoliticsandmagicsystemsandcustomsandreligionandmood.Its
especiallyimportantforSFFbecause,really,whenyouthinkaboutit,itcando
anythingt
hatthe
othergenrescando,
but
itcanhavedragons.
Theotherawesomethingaboutsetting?Itsfreeform.Whereplotandcharacterareconcerned,
youraudienceisaheadofyou:mostofthepiecesforthosethingsexistalreadyandyour
readershaveseenthembefore.Plotstructuresandcharacterarchetypesarenotreallyupfor
inventionanddebate.
Yoursetting,though?Theglovesare
off
.Youcandowhateveryouwant.
Youwantyoursovereignnationtomakepolicybasedonwhereandwhenthehedgehogspop
outoftheirholes?Youcandothat.Youwanttimetobe100%cyclical?Youcandothat.You
wantyourplanettobeamassivediskrestingonthebacksoffourelephants,whothemselves
standontheshellofacosmictortoise?Bygum,
youcandothat
(althoughitsnot
recommendedbecauseTerryPratchetthasbeendoingitforawhileandbythispointheskind
ofgotthemarketcornered).
ThismakesthecurrentproblemofSFFalittleironic:wecando
whateverwewant.
Butwekeep
onapingTolkien.Newandoriginalideasarewhatdrawustothegenreinthefirstplace.We
arethemostimaginativegenreouttherenooneshouldbesaying,Yeah,fantasyiskindofall
thesame.
Tolkientried.Ittookhim20yearstoputtogetherMiddleEarthandhe
still
didnotquiteget
everythinginthere.Therearestillvisibleseamsinthatbooksworldbuilding.
Rulenumbertwo:
everythingfiltersthroughyourcharacters
.Ifyourcharacterdoesnotcare
aboutaparticularaspectofyourSetting,youwouldbeilladvisedtocarryoninthatvain(thats
apunand
Imnotsorry
).Readersfollowthecharactersattention.
Youmayexperienceanurgetoshowoffyourworldbuildingperhapstohavetwocharacters
onaroadtripstopataspecificlandmarkwhereyouwillsuddenlygivea
twentypageessayon
thebattlethathappenedthere
.Youarenotaddingdepthtoyourworld:youareaddingpages.
Theyarenotthesame.
Yourprimaryconcernswillbe:
1. HowcanIdoanoriginaltakeonthis?
2. HowcanImakeitasourceofconflict?
3. HowcanImakeitasourceofpassion(relevantandsignificant)toacharacter?
4. Doesitlenditselftosomecooldescription?
5. *SandersonsZerothLaw:Erronthesideofawesome.
Whatwearedoinginthisgenreis
stuffthatisawesome
.ThisiswhatseparatesSFFfrom,say,
poetry.
Wewanttomakedragons.
Dragonsdonotmakesense,buttheyare
cool
.Some
thingsareawesomebecausetheyareawesome.Alwaysbedoingthingsthatyouthinkare
awesome.
Physical Setting
Thisissettingthatwouldexistregardlessofsentientraces.Itllinclude:
Topography
Climate
Wildlife
Magic(sometimes)
Atmosphere
Lighting
Elementsandgeology
Races
Andreallyeverythingelse.Whatyourelookingforisanideathatyouthinkisreally
stinking
cool.ThefantasysettingthatisbasicallyMedievalEnglandthingisgettingtiredthesedays.
Lookforsomethingthat(a)willstandoutand(b)iscooltoyou.
Cultural Setting
Thisisadirectresultof(andverydirectlyrelatesto)thesentientracesinthebook.Thesecan,
ofcourse,differaccordingtothealternateculturesinthebook.Itllinclude:
Parent/childrelationships
Genderroles
Religion
Government
Education
Military/warfare
Economics
SFFgetsalotofflackforitstreatmentofthistopic(whatareallthosearmies
eating
?).Itcanbeworthgivingthissomeextrathoughtifonlysoyoucankeep
yourheaduparoundthefolkswhoknowalittlebitaboutthisstuff.
Folklore
Music
Art
Ethnicity(andhowtheydealwithit)
Demographics(andhowtheyrelatetoeachother)
Recreation
SFFspendsalotoftimetalkingaboutHistoryandLinguisticsand(sometimes)Ethnicitybut
almostnoneonRecreation,FamilyRelationships,orEducation.Thatswhythegenrefeelsstale
alot:SFFwritersputalltheirfocusinthesameareas.
Besuretoletyourcoolideasplaytogether.LettheTopographyinfluencetheReligion.Letthe
GovernmentinfluencetheMagic.Whentheyinfluenceandplayoffeachother,theyllgenerate
greaterdepthforyourstory.
Sandersons Laws
Sandersondevisedtheseasadvicetohimself,tomakehisstoriesbetter.Theyreallmoreor
lessthemedtowardmagic,butcanbegearedtowardothersettingaspects.Additionally,theyre
notnecessarilygoingtoapplytoyou,butitcanthurttolearnthem.
ZerothLaw:
Erronthesideofawesome.
FirstLaw:
Yourabilitytosolveproblems(inasatisfyingway)withmagicisdirectly
proportionaltohowwellthereaderunderstandssaidmagic.
Corollary:
Themoreyouexplainthemagic,thelesssenseofwonderremaining.
Tip:
Yournumenous,notexplainedmagicwillfeelalotlessdeusexmachinay
if,whenyoufixproblemswiththemysticalmagic,youcause
biggerp
roblems.
SecondLaw:
Limitationsofpowersareusuallymoreinterestingthanthepowers
themselves.
ThirdLaw:
Expandwhatyoualreadyhavebeforeyouaddsomethingnew.
Note:
Thisdoesntmeanthoseotherthingscant
exist
,butthemorethingsyou
cramintoyourlensthemoredifficultitistocareaboutanyofthem.The
HollywoodVillainSequelProblemisthatifyouhaveonevillaininmovie1,you
needtwooftheminmovie2,andthenthreeoftheminmovie3.Thismakesall
threeofthevillainsinthatlastfilm
slightlylessthanathirda
scoolandinteresting
astheonevillaininthefirstfilm,anditswhy
SpiderMan3
wasnt
asgreatasit
couldvebeen
.
Q&A: Prose
Nowthattheclasshashadatasteofallthemajortopics,theQ&Aisopenseason(notthatit
wasntbefore).
Whatgetsyoustuckwhenyourewriting?Howdoyougetbeyondit?
Igetstuckwhenthingsdontmakesense.Solvingitcomesdowntoknowingmyown
writingstyle.Forme,blockscancomedowntoafewdifferentthings.OneisthatIjust
dontwanttowrite,whichhappens.Whenitcomestothat,Iwriteitanyway,Isetit
aside,andIcomebacktoitthenextdaytoseeifitreallywasasbadasIthoughtitwas.
Ifyes,Ithrowitaway,butnowmysubconscioushasbeenworkingonitandhowtofix
itprobably.IfItryagainandagainanditstilldoesntwork,Itakeastepbackandask
Howmuchdoesthis
actuallyi
mpactthebook?
Atworst,Ihavetoscrapthewholethingandstartover,whichisterriblebecause
momentumis
king
inhowIwork.Sometimesthatworksoutbeautifully,sometimesit
doesnt.
IvefoundImprettygoodatmakingscenesthatworkthatarefunorclimacticor
interesting,scenesthatjust
work
butIstruggletofillthegapsbetweenthose
sceneswiththenecessarystuff.HowdoIdoit?
Ooh.Thisisgonnabedifficultformetodiagnose.Iveknownpeoplewhowritelikethis
andbasicallytheirprocessistokeeponwritingfunscenes,justpagesandpagesof
differentcoolscenes,andthentheendstepoftheirprocessisstringingthemtogether
intoabook.Icannotcomprehendthat.ThatwouldnotworkformeatallbecauseIcant
figureoutwhereeachcharacterisemotionally.Filmactorscandothatsortofthing,
becausetheyrealwaysyoudontfilmamoviechronologically,ithastofitwiththe
budgetandwhosatworkthatdayandallsortsofthings,sotheybouncearound.
Thatsaid,ifyourewritinggreat,funscenes,thats...likethebestfirstworldproblemto
have.Ifitwereme,mysolutionwouldbetotaketwoscenesthatseemliketheyresort
ofclosetogetherandthentrytowriteascenethatconnectsthemandisfuntome.Itll
beboringtoyou,soyoudneedtofindsomewaystomakeitentertainingtoyou.You
coulddothatwithaoneoffviewpointifyouwantedtakeascenethroughtheeyesofa
waiterandmakethatwaiterreallyinterestingandserveallthesebizarrecharacters.You
couldalsodoitwithadifferentsetting.Reallyjustmakesurethatsomethinginteresting
isgoingonwhileyouregettingyourboringstuffoutoftheway.Dontdothe
expositionwhilestrollingthingfromtheStarWarsprequels.
Whatdoyoudoforrevising?Doyoureviseasyougo,orattheend?
So,revision.Revisionisthe
worst
.Iloatheit.OneofthereasonsItooksolongtoget
publishedwasthatIneverrevised,Ijustwroteanewbook.Myprocessforrevisionisto
makeitverygoalbased.Iidentify,WhatdoIwanttoachieveinthisdraft?andthenI
trytomakethathappen.
Forinstance,youllprobablyhaveaPolishingdraftatsomepoint.Inthatdraftyoure
lookingtocutawaystuffthatsrepetitious,yourelookingforwordchoicereallyyour
goalthereistoincreaseclarityand,ifitsyourthing,beauty.WhenIdoapolishdraft,I
focus
only
onthosethings.Notcharacteractions,notrelationships,notevents.
Just
the
smallscale.
WhatyoureprobablyaskingishowtodotheEditingdraft,orthemajorchangesdraft.
Imaquintessentialoutliner,oraonedrafter.Ihavetohavemymomentumandwrite
chronologicallybycharacterviewpoint.WhatthismeansisthatifIhaveagreatidea
midwaythroughthebook,itisbetterformetoinsertthatideaandpretenditsbeenthere
thewholetimethanitistogobackandstartthewholethingover.
Thismeansmyfirstdraftsare
bad
.YoucanseemoreofthiswithWarbreakerthats
thebookIwroteandpostedasIwasgoing,sootherpeoplecouldseehowmywriting
processgoes.
ThenextdraftiswhereIfixthemajorproblems,likecharacterswhojustvanishhalfway
through.IhaveadocumentonmycomputerthatsnamedNotesforNextRevision,
whichiswhereIkeepcommentstomyselfaboutthingsthatneedtobechanged.My
seconddraftImmostlyfixingthebigproblems,makingsurethatthewholebookworks
togetherratherthansuddenlyjumpingtherailsinthemiddle.MyseconddraftiswhenI
startfillingouttheNotesforNextRevision.Theyresmallscalethingsthatneedtobe
fixed,butIdontfocusonthoserightnow.Imfocusingonmakingthenovelcohesive.
Draftthreeismyfirstpolish,whereItakecareofthethingsthatInoticedintheNotes.I
sendthisdrafttomyeditor,myagent,mybetareaders,andthentheirfeedbackgoes
intotheNotes.
DraftfouriswhereIintegratetheirfeedback.DraftfouriswhenIdothereally
discouragingeditorthings.Atthispoint,IorganizetheNotesaccordingtoseverity.Iread
throughthewholebooklookingforthingstochange.
Afterthatitsbasicallybugfixing.OccasionallyIllneedtodoadraftfivethatsasbigas
draftfour.
Iwanttonotethatthisis
verydifferent
fromhowdiscoverywritersdorevision.Ask
Jansey(sp?)whenshecomesin,becauseshesverydifferentandverygoodatrevision.
Doyoueverabandonadraft?Isiteversobadthatyoujustgiveitup?
Ifinishthedraftunless...well,thereareonlyafewdraftsIveneverfinished.Onewas
Mythwalker
,whichIdidntfinishbecauseitfelttoogeneric,itfelttoomuchlikewhatId
alreadydone.Anotheronewas
DeathbyPizza
,whichwasmyfirstexperimentationwith
urbanfantasynecromancerwithapizzajointanditwassomethingIdonlydonefor
funinbetweentwootherbooks,whichIdoalotandveryfewofthosegetreleased.
Anotheronewas
LiarofPartinel.
ImnotsureifIfinishedthefirstdraftofthatone,butI
definitelydidntdomultiplerevisionsonit.ItsverydangerousformeifIputdowna
book,likewritefourorfivechaptersandthenstop,itsextremelydifficultformetoget
backintoit,whichisbad.
WhatIrecommendfornewauthors,particularlywhenyourskillisstilldeveloping,isjust
to
finishbooks
.Ifyoudont,yourenotlikelytoeverlearnhowto,andthenyoullalways
bedisappointedwithyourstuff.Youwontprogressasquicklyasyouneedto.
Doyouhaveanyrecommendationsforhowtofinishabookifyouveneverdoneit
before?
Justdoit.
Everyperson
Iveknownpersonallywhosfinishedafirstbook,theendinghasbeena
disaster.Meincluded.Mostofus,whenwefirstfinishabookitssortofjust,Okay,this
islongenough,letswrapitupnow.Atthejourneymanlevelofwriting,yourelearning
howtowritegreatscenes,butyouprobablydontknowyethowtopullitallintoabook.
TheonlywayIveknowntolearnthatistopractice.
ImstrugglingalittlewithvoiceIvegotfivedifferentcharacters,buttheirvoices
arethesame.
OnethingIveheardforthisproblemistotakeawellreceivedbookandimitatethe
voicesinthere.Itsonethingthatartistsdoalot,wheretheylllearnhowtopaintlikean
ImpressionistoraRealistorwhatever.Sotakeacharacterorawriterwithareally
distinctivevoiceandtrytoimitateitaswellasyoucan.
Doyoudoanythingbeforeyoustartwriting?
Idonthavealotofwritingrituals.Imaveryworkmanlikewriter,soIjustgetup,Iread
myScriptures,andIturnmymusiconandIwrite.
Ihaveacharacterwhosbasicallyagod,andImtryingtofigureouthowtoset
limitsonhispowerlevelsohecanbeinteresting.
AskHowardaboutthis.Inhiscomic,hehasbasicallyagodcharacter,andhesolvesit
reallywell.
Thereareacouplewaystosolvethis.Oneistoconfrontthemwithproblemstheirdeific
powerscantsolvethisistheSupermansolution.Anotheristoconfrontthemwitha
problemthat
only
theycansolve,andthatwilltakealltheirresources.
Prose
ThegrandskillofSFFwritersistheabilitytoconveysettingandcharactertothereaderinaway
thatisengaging,powerful,andnotboring.Therearemultiplewaystotakethison,andnoneof
themarerequiredagain,itsallaboutwhatworksforyourstory.
Hybrids
ItsextremelydangeroustowriteWindowPane90%ofthetimeandStainedGlasstheother
10%.Whenitssurroundedbyatransparentstyle,StainedGlasslooksalotmorelikepurple
prose,whichisthewritingequivalentofcakingyourentirefaceinmakeup.
aremoreabstract(narrower,hardertomakereadersconnectwith)andthingsatthebottomare
moreconcrete(broader,easytovisualize).
Thisiswhyalotofwriterswillstartoffwitha
grounding
element,someshortsettingdescription
sothatnocharactersaretalkinginawhiteroom.
Writersareproneto
navelgazing,
inwhichthecharacterbroods.Take,forinstance,Batman
mullingabouthowhisdeadparentswouldfeelabouthowheshandlingthecrimeproblemin
Gothamandwhethertheywouldbeproudofhimorashamedandwhatifhesactuallydoing
somethingtheywouldntapproveofbutreallyhesprobablyrightbecausethey
tried
tochange
thecityandtheyfailedandtheydiedbuthesgoingtochangethingsby
beatingup
psychopaths
blech
ThissortofisallthewayupinthePyramidofAbstraction.Itshardtokeepthereadergrounded
whileyourcharacterismumblingabouttheirmoralphilosophyandflashbackingtohowthey
developeditwhentheirfamilysbutlerwastalkingaboutKant.
LoveandmoralityandheroismfitatthetopofthePyramid,obviously.Wherewouldyouput
dog?Ifyousaidbottom,sorry,tryagain,buttakecomfortinthefactthateverybodyelse
thoughtthatwayatfirst,too.
Dogisactuallyanabstractconcept.ItslikeaPlatonicIdeal,becauseifyousayittotwo
differentpeople,theyllgettwodifferentimages.DogisonlyslightlyloweronthePyramidthan
lovebecausewhenyousaydog,youregivingyourreaderalmostnothing.Youcandrag
almostanythingdownfromitsplaceonthePyramidofAbstractionbygiving
specificdetail
.Her
Majestyscorgiiswaymorespecificthandog.Thedanger,ofcourse,isthataddingdetail
oftenrequiresaddingwords,whichslowsyourprosedownalot.
Oneofthebestwaystogoaboutthisistopickoneortwosignificantdetailsforyourscene,and
describethosewiththeirownconcretedetails,andthesewillhelpevokeyourscene.Using
multiplesenses,ratherthanjustsight,willalsohelpsolidifythestory.
DobecautiousofusingTheGorillainthePhoneBooth.Ifyougiveoffhandeddescriptionof
somethingextraordinary,likeagorillainthephonebooth,youllredirecttheaudiencesattention
withoutnecessarilymeaningto.
Takenotethatepicfantasycanhandlemoredescriptionthan,say,anurbanthriller,buttrynot
togooverboard.Precisionandeconomyareyourprimarygoalsinprose,evenifyouredoing
StainedGlass.
It
is
possibletodotoolittledescription,butitsextremelyrare.
Infodumps
You,asanSFFwriter,havealotofreallycoolstuffyouwanttogetacrosstoyourreader.Rule
numberoneisthatyoudontneedtogivenearlyasmuchasyoufeelyouhavetogive.Erron
thesideofleavingitout.Yourreaderswillletyouknowwhentheyreconfused.
Ingeneral,newwriterstrytostufftoomuchin.Therewas,inearlyfantasy,atrendtoward
threepageProloguesthatexplainthewholeofthestoryworldinincrediblydry,boringdetail.
Youcanstilldoprologues,butreadersreallywanttostartwithconflictandcharacterandthen
workthesettinginlater.Readershavegottentoosophisticatedtoreadatravelogueatthe
beginningoftheirnovels.
Rulenumbertwoistosetyourtoneearlyandhonestly.
Rulenumberthreeistobeunobtrusive.Onewaytodothatisthecharacterinschooltrope,
wherealectureonthemagicsystemishappening,butitsbrokenupwithcharacterandconflict
sothatyouonlyincludethemostnecessarydetails.Anotheristohavecharactershave
natural
conversations(or,better,
arguments
)aboutthethingsyouwanttoexposit.
Whenyouredoingthisexposition,becautiousaboutcreatingGreatWallsOTextatthe
beginning,becausetheycommunicatetothereader,
Steep
learningcurvedenseprose
readerbeware.Iftheycomeinandtheyseesomethingalittlemorebrokenup,withsmaller
paragraphsandintersperseddialogue,theyllconsideritafastmovingbook.
Really,thegrandskillisjusttheabilitytocommitinceptiononyouraudience,whereyou
convincethereaderthattheyrewatchingthemaincharactersargumentwithahorsemerchant,
when
really
youreslippingindetailsabouthowthatcharacteryearnstobecomeashipcaptain
and
thatyoursettingissteampunky
and
thatthecharacterispoor
andt
hatthecharacteris
extremelybrusqueandstrugglestocommunicatehisfeelings
and...
.
Q&A Again
Howcanyoustartwithanexcitingsceneandthentransitioninto,like,lorestuff?
Forthatstuff,itslargelypersonaltaste.Onethingthatisreallyhelpfulforthisisthe
prologue.Youcansetuptoneandloreinthatprologue,althoughyouhavetobecareful
withthem.Thebabyisrescuedandthenfosteredoutandthen,like,18yearslater
thatsthemaincharacterisoneofthe
most
clichedthingsinprologues.Thatdoesnt
meanitcantbedonewell,becausethatswhatHarryPotterdidanditsafantasticbook,
butitsdangerous.
Isitpossibletoshowtoomuchandnotgiveenoughofthecharactersreaction?
Yes.IvenoticedthisalotmorewithmyYAstuffthanmyadultfictionstuff.Onewayto
doitistosortofletthecharactermuseonsomethingandbreakuptheirfeelingsabout
somethingwiththeirconsciousthoughts,likedialogue.
[somethingunintelligibleaboutshowv.tell]
Telling
iswritingHewaslonely.
Showing
cangiveusthespecifictypeoflonelinessand
letsthereaderinferthingsanddevelopanemotionalconnectionwithcharacters.
Showingthelonelycharactersittingatthelunchroomtablebyhimself,listeningintothe
conversationsofothersandwhisperingtohimselfwhathewouldsayifhewerelucky
enoughtobepartoftheirgroup,canbemorepowerfulthanHewaslonely.
Doyouhaveanyrulesofthumbfordolingoutcluesinamysteryplot?
AgoodoneisMentionitthreetimesbeforeitbecomesrelevant.Testreadersaregood
forthis.Erronthesideofbeingalittlemoreobviousthanyouthinkyouneedtobe.As
before,itsreallyjustaboutgivingasenseofprogression.
[somethingunintelligible]
Readersarebetteratpickingupshowsthanyouthinktheyare.Theyareworseat
pickingupcluesaboutthelargescaleplotthanyouthinktheyare.Rememberthatyou
cannot
fooleveryone,andifyoudidthenyouprobablywroteabadbook.Thebest
reveal,tome,iswhenthemajorityofthereadersfigureitoutoneparagraphbeforeits
revealed,andtheyreexcited/worriedthattheyreright.
Q&A: Assorted
Howdoyouhandlestubborncharacters?
Itlldependonwhatyourarcis.Youmightwantyourcharactertoovercometheir
stubbornnessinsidethebook,andyoumightnot.Somecharacterswillbeveryawareof
theirownflawsandtryingtofixthemoracknowledgethemorsomething.Otherswillbe
lessselfawareandmoreinstinctive.
Onethingthatshelpfulismayberunningyourcharacterthroughascenethatisnt
relevanttotheplotatallandseeinghowthecharacterreacts,soyouunderstandtheir
idiosyncraciesbetter.Andthenyoucandothatagainattheendofthebookandseeif
thecharactersreactionsaredifferent.
[somethingunintelligibleaboutbookreleases]
Idonthavemuchsayinwhenmybooksgetreleased.Alotofitdependsonwhatthe
publisherwantstodoandalsowhenIturnthebookin.Onebigbenefittopublishingin
fallisthatyougettheChristmasseason,whichisgreatforsales,butifabookis
publishedinthespringthereslesscompetitionforbestsellerlists.Bestsellerlist
placementisimportantbecausebooksellersusethatastheirgaugeforwhichbooksthey
oughttogiveprideofplaceto.
Doyoupickanaspectofyourwritingandfocusonitwhenyouwriteabook?
Yes.Significantly.In
Warbreaker
youcanprobablytellthatImtryingtoworkonhumor,
in
WayofKings
Imfocusingonworldbuilding.Obviouslyyouwanttogetbetterat
everythingthemoreyouwrite,butitcanbehelpfultofocusonjustoneaspectofyour
craftinanyparticularproject.Shortscanbereallygoodforthis,too
TheEmperors
Soul
wasmeseeingifIcouldwriteastorythatbasicallytakesplaceinonlyoneroom,
and
Legion
ismetryingtodoacontemporarydetectivestory.
Whatkindoftimecommitmentdoesittaketobecomeagreatwriter?
Thatsgoingtodependalotonwhereyourskillleveliswhenyoustartandalsoonyour
ownstyleofwriting.EricFlint(sp?)describeshimselfasabingewriter.Tomy
knowledgehisstylehasalwaysbeentakingthreeorfourmonths,andwrite12hours
everyday,andgetthebookoutofhissystemandthenhewontwriteformonths.My
friendJansyisalsoabingewriter.
Imyselfamadailyquotawriter.Iwriteeverydayconsistently,andIneeda
block,
not
interspersedin30minutebites.
Otherwritersaregreatatdabblewriting,wheretheydothosesmall,bitesizechunksof
writingandthentheywatchTVorsomething.
Wesaywriteeveryday,buttheresabigoldasteriskonthat.Reallyitsvery
individualized.Youhavetofigureoutwhatworksforyou.Bearinmind,though,that
mostpeopleneedyearsofdoingathingbeforetheybecomeamasterofaform.Thats
theideaof10,000hours.
Ifyoureanewwriter,butyoucantgetpublished,whenshouldyoustartthinking
aboutselfpublishing?
Itrytoavoid
should
inthisclass,soImgoingtoavoidsayingthat.Imtryingtogiveyou
asmanyyoucanandifyoudlikestatementsaspossible,insteadofyoumustor
youshould.Withthatsaid,selfpublishingtodayis
extremely
viable.Therearewriters
todaywhoaremakingalivingdoingfulltimeselfpublishingandtheyworkcompletelyoff
ofelectronicpublishing.
Whenshouldyoubeconsideringit?Itdependsonyourownfeelings.Ifhavingprint
editionsinthebookstoresisabigdealtoyou,selfpublishingisntyourjam.Ifyouhate
doingyourowncoverdesignorhiringacoverdesigner,orhiringaneditoryourself,or
doingallyourownmarketingpursuingtraditionalpublishingisthebestoptionforyou.
ButifyoufeellikeIcoulddoallthatthenmaybeyoushouldpursueselfpublishingfrom
thegetgo.
Sowhatistheshould?The
should
isbasedonwhatyouwant,whatyourecomfortable
with,andwhatyourecapableofdoing.Ifyoureonlygoingtowriteabookeveryfour
years,selfpublishingwill
not
payyourbills.
Thoughtsononlinewritinggroups?
Ipersonallydonotlikeonlinewritinggroups.Ipreferbeingabletoseethebody
languageofpeoplewhoarereadingmystuff.
Prose Workshop
Duringthissegment,Sandersonreviewsseveralsubmissionsfromhisownstudents,looking
specificallyforwaystoshowinsteadoftell,forinstancesoftoomuchwordiness(ortoolittle),
repeatedconstructions,phrasingthatgoestoohighonthePyramidofAbstraction,andother
smallbutsignificantwritingbugaboos.
Itis,however,nearlyimpossibletoreadthetextontheprojector,soIvecollatedSandersons
personaltips:
StartbyturningonTrackChangesandturningoffAutocorrect.Sandersonalsolikes
havingtheDocumentMapup(whichisnotafeatureImfamiliarwith).
Followtheviewpointcharactersattentiondontlarkoffontothingsthecharacterdoesnt
notice
unlessyoureallyknowwhatyouredoing.
Thestyleinvogueistokeepyourself
confinedtoonecharactersheadanddownplaythelittledidheknowstyledramatic
irony.
Bewarepassivevoice!
Focusheavilyon
image
and
character
.
Bewarelazysentencesinfact,bewareadequatesentences.Theoverachieving
sentences,whichaccomplishtwoorthreethingsatonce,arewherethemoneysat.If
yoursentenceis
only
describingastandardsituation,oddsaregooditsnotworking
hardenough.
Weighthecostsandbenefitsofeachwordingdecisionyoumake.Sometimesyoull
needtopickbetweengivingmoredetailabouttheworldandgivingmoredetailabouta
charactershistoryoremotion.Considerwhatyougainandwhatyoulose.
Becarefultoletyourreaderfollowthecharacterslineofreasoningdontletthe
characterjumpthroughconclusionsallontheirown.
Itsoftenhelpfultogiveamagicsystemsensorycomponents.Ifyouweretodescribea
carpentercarvingwood,youcouldgointogreatdetailabouthowhegripstheknife,how
thewoodsmells,howhisfingersmoveoverthegrain.Anykindofartinourworldhas
that.Often,though,fantasywriterswilljustgivetheirmagicakeywordandnothingelse.
Magicsystemsaremoreinterestingwhentheyhavesensorycomponents.(Consider
Avatar:TheLastAirbender:
themagicsystemishighlyvisual,aswellasbeingvery,very
active.)
Becarefulaboutviewpointerrors,likementioningthatyourviewpointcharacterdidnt
noticesomething.Ifyourviewpointcharacterdidntnotice,youcannotbringitupwithout
breakingviewpoint.
StrivetomovedetailsdownthePyramidofAbstraction.Insteadofageneralairof
bemusement,describeslightlysquintedeyes,amouththathasopenedwithoutits
ownerrealizingit,orsomethingsimilar.Thatbeingsaid,sometimesyoucangetaway
withageneralairofbemusement.
Thoseofyouwhoselfidentifyaseditors:becautiousaboutapplyinghardandfastrules
tootherswriting.Behardonyourownwriting,butgentleonthatofothers.Forinstance,
ifyourereadingasubmissionfromyourwritinggroup,donotpresumetochange
hollered,lobbed,rebutted,repliedorclaimedwithsaid.Bejudiciousabout
interferingwithsomeoneelsesdiction.
Beextracarefulaboutmetaphorsandeuphemismsinyourphrasing,particularlywhen
writingSFF.Forinstance,Heflewacrosstheroomisapermissible(ifsomewhatlazy)
sentenceinacontemporarynovel,butinafantasynovelitcouldmeantwo
very
different
things.