What a low-key flex to sign stacks of books while talking about writing.

"Making clear their motivations that will let the reader understand that, so that the character doesn't feel schizophrenic... unless they are, indeed, schizophrenic." - Brandon Sanderson

I'm good at unintentionally making things look unintentional

"Every character is their own protagonist in their own story" That's why I feel like I would enjoy the backstory of every character Brandon writes

Four words I live by when writing: *NO MOVE WITHOUT MOTIVE.* Even if it's not obvious, characters certainly must have reason for acting the way they do, which must then stay consistent with their character overall and with the rest of the plot (or explained why when it doesn't) ...

A certain person has also been known to write entire unpublished novellas to determine a character’s between book activities... XD

Great video, definitely wasn't distracted by the Among Us characters on the white board!

Literally HOW does he ALWAYS KNOW?? I was thinking about my characters' backstories and then immediately got a notification for this video 😂

2:38 Took this one a bit literally when you were writing Wayne, didn't you?

i would pay to see Brandon review One piece xD

Anyone else catch how BOSS this video is? We are getting excellent writing information from someone signing HUNDREDS of copies of his book. It's such a subtle flex. I love it.

Over the past year, I've started planning my stories out with a PowerPoint slide show to use as a basic model for the book. When I do characters I pick two fictional characters or real people and find two pictures and place them on the character slide and use a combination of those two to create the personality and things of the character. For example in my current project which is a urban fantasy, the main characters are a father and daughter who are truck drivers. For the father I used Bill Engvall and Aragorn and the daughter I used Hannah Montana and Rhonda Rousey. It's been helping me create how they would see the world and what they would do in certain situations.

Love how you’re multitasking🤣 not only getting signings done but also a couple of youtube videos. It saves a lot of time.

While I'm writing, something I've found out is that the best character quirks and plot points, I don't so much make up. I discover them. I'll be thinking of what to do, writing along, and I'll just get a eureka moment. As if it's always been there, but my flashlight has only now focused on it. The same thing happens with names. I'll try so many different names for a character but eventually, I'll find the name which feels like that character has always had, and they can never have any other name.

brandon packs in more useful advice in 5 minutes than most authortubers do for their whole channel.

Praise the sun! 🙌🏻 ☀️

I'm always waiting for these kinds of videos, they help me with my novel Thank you Brandon!

I truly love this man for what he's doing

...The kind of grind you have to go through to sign as many books as that... Holy crap.

I love the amongus on the whiteboard

@Brandon Sanderson, I have no idea how you knew this was exactly the video I needed but somehow you did and I am very thankful for it!

These videos keep coming up at the perfect time - Thank you!

I absolutely love these videos - they are my bible for writing fiction! I'm finding the new editing a bit jarring sometimes though. I like that similar topics are being put together, but when every natural pause is edited out I find myself gasping because Sanderson doesn't seem to be breathing.

YEEEEEEESSSS!!!!! YES!!!!! THAT. This is the best video on character writing and it's so short! After a lot of disappointing stuff this is a blessing, i LOVED the part of them being different people to different people, how i never thought of that?!

I'm good at having ideas, like, lot of them. And sometimes i can make unconsciously things that work for what i'm working on. Even so, characters are my weakest. I struggled so much trying to make personalities, and then struggled onto the people arround them all being white, and now i have a lot of extra work.

gotta love the solaire shirt

The pulling back the curtain moment is so relatable for me. I made a whole KZfaq episode one it.

It's funny how many videos have Brandon signing books while explaining stuff. His signed books must be very easy to come by.

Something about the "unless they are schizophrenic" being cut off is making me crack up lmao

I definitely like these little digestible videos. Reminds me to keep thinking about my stories.

this man is signing books 24/7

I feel like Brandon is my long-lost brother because I see a lot of similarities in my approach and his. Especially the take on character profiles

Wow, I was just pondering this topic the other day. Thanks Brando Sando!

Can’t focus with him constantly autographing and moving so much! Oy!

Yes! The learning-to-appreciate-the-meta took me so long. Dickens used to be a slog, but now I enjoy dissecting his stories.

I also love it when it seems like a story is just a description of whats happening in some alternate dimension. Don't like it when it feels like fanfiction, very deliberate and obvious.

I like the different, more edited style of this video. Thanks for putting these together, Adam!

blew my mind great great answer

I feel this, me and my partner like to write little stories and we both say what we like and dont, we offer help to each other. I often write my partners side characters and antagonist backstory like it was just part of the story you didn't see and you're getting put into whatever the "start" is. I love to put things that affects thier behavior and things that can be remembered later by association to new events, not planned events just oh hey theyve been in a car crash too when thinking of scenes.

I love your books.

I like how he answers the question while signing his books. He wastes no time

The writing on the whiteboard is so neat

Always useful thank you.

Nice one again! Thanks!

This is what productivity looks like

This is something good to do while signing

i just finish stromlight 3, te amo sanderson

❤️ The Jungle reference

When Shallan faced Re-Shepir in Oathbringer I instantly though that this enemy was especifically created to be shallans dark counterpart, but this didnt take my out of the story, I loved it! Sometimes it isnt wrong to make something obvious if it helps the characters and the story. If shallan faced off against another enemy I wouldnt have felt this deepter conection between the two of them.

What a mind on this boy.

also characters aren't just there to fulfill a role. they more or less might ask themselves "why do i live on this planet and who am i?" like a real person does.

The board is an epic gaming moment.

Dope shirt

My ADHD kept making me pay attention to the movement of books being signed and not to the subject I really wanted to care about :')

These are fun👍👍

Praise the sun! \o/

Dark Souls shirt. Nice ❤️👌

Praise the Sun!

what fundamental driving forces for a characters?

Praise the sun!

Nunca entiendo una palabra de lo que dices pero solo por que no hablo Inglés igualmente me encantan mucho tus libros :3

Clever of Brandon to get in some weightlifting practice while talking to us.

Thanks for the pointers, thoroughly appreciated, but with each signature I lost track of part of your message; easier to follow if I look away and listen. Stop signing the damn books and connect with your audience! 😂😂😂

Read the Way of Kigns -- Was my first book from you. So good. Literally, I mean. You're great

3:30 I wonder what kaladin's favourite movie would be 😂😂

praise the sun.

When I watch these videos it always ends up being an examination of if so do what he's talking about well. Most of the time the answer is no, but I feel like I have this one down pretty well.

Thumbs up for the sun bro shirt ☀️

PRAISE THE SUN

2:52 brandon: "so that the character doesn't feel schizophrenic" my character being schizophrenic: "uh.. yes sir"

This video is psychedelic indeed

Petition for advice from everyone: My main character Irian is in a fantasy world where humans and merfolk are at war. Irian's belongs to a poor farming family, and after a bad season limits a harvest, and his sister takes to a prolonged bad illness, Irian decides to move down to the coast, and find work. Specifically, he goes to work at a scale farm, where captured merfolk have their colorful scales harvested to make jewelry and other luxury items. Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do to add to or improve his backstory?

what a guy

He signs his name so fast lol

Hi Brandon, How do you write natural dialogues

Wow Brandon, signing a billion books while teaching about writing, what a flex...(jk. love the video!)

One piece is the GOAT at flashbacks

2:21

I would love Brandon to review some anime

Can you talk about tone and what types of things writers can do to make sure they convey the right tone?

I literally could not pay any attention once I noticed the among us characters on the whiteboard behind him

It's harder for me to read books and watch movies because I see all the things that are being done and forget about the story.

Awesome! Yes, this is useful! Contextually describe chars as opposed to generating their backstories w/ info dumps 😃 Took plenty of notes, thank you, Brandon! 🧩

5:08 Is that the signature he's writing in the books?

I'm also interested why I can see Among Us characters in the background. 😂😂😂

ok sanderson, what is Kal's favorite movie?

Sounds like wayne

I should’ve left the amount of likes at 420, but I just love Brando Sando content too much

How do I stop myself from giving all the characters the same accent, while not accidentally giving characters the same accent when writing.

The writers for Horizon Forbidden West should have watched this before writing Aloy's character.

Do I get anything for being the first to like this video?

Having ADHD makes me hyperfocus on his signing skills and drip every word he said

Bruh the among us characters on the white board

Hey, Brandon, didn't your mom ever tell you not to draw doodles in books? ;)

Did anybody see the Among us on the board in the back?

2:54 ok 0.0 best girl(s)

Ars est in celare artem

That whiteboard is sus

Oh man. Don't tell me you're going to sign all of those

Oh christ he's auto writing again. Spirit's protect us all