1) Mistborn.
One of my favorite series.
2) His BYU writing class lectures (on YouTube).
I enjoy his nerdy, kind, wise teaching style.
3) The idea of authors having a 'Brandon Sanderson File".
4) The Writing Excuses podcast.
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| Link to the podcast website. |
Lately I've been listening to "crunchy" episodes while cooking or doing dishes. I don't take notes like I do with the Bird book. In fact, I'm often distracted and not listening as well as I should.
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Authors and hosts (2017) Mary Anne Mohanraj, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Wesley Chu |
As often as I think, "Ah! Great idea. I'll have to remember that," I find myself nodding and thinking, "Yup. I do that," or "Right. That's how it works for me too."
Overall, listening to the podcast makes me feel more like a writer than a student of writing, though I'll probably always be a student of the craft. That's a pretentious word I've started to use, by the way. Craft.
Some lessons...
Groups of people within a culture are not homogenous (i.e. all wearing hats).
Remember that there is variation within religious belief and practice.
Doing diversity well means adding intersectionality within characters to avoid stereotyping.
Minor characters need quirks and interests beyond their plot function.
Various authors write in various ways. I mean, duh. But seriously.
And they really use each other as alpha and beta readers. A lot.
The best part?
"You're out of excuses. Now go write!"
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