Bird waves leg: "You will give me an almond." Brandon: "I will give you an almond"

8:32: "[My mother] had been pushing me to become a doctor or a scientist instead [of a writer] because i was skilled in some of these things." For some reason, this reminds me of a quote by Pablo Picasso: My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope. ' Instead, I was a painter, and I became Picasso. You instead chose to be a writer, and you became Brandon Sanderson!

How to get a pet dragon: Step 1: Get a pet. Step 2: Name it “Dragon.”

“I love big books and I cannot lie” 😂😂

The thing I like to keep in mind is that success is a spectrum, especially in a world with self-publishing and print-on-demand options available. If you write a niche book that only sells a hundred copies, no traditional publisher is going to care. And you certainly won't earn a living wage that way. But if a hundred people choose to spend a significant chunk of their precious time on this planet enjoying something you created that is still an accomplishment. A hundred is still infinitely more than zero, which is what you'd get without ever writing anything.

What's funny is Brandon thinks it was *his idea* to teach Magellan to use the Force and get an almond

He 'trries' to use the force to get almonds all the time? Dunno about you Brandon, but I am pretty sure he used the force and got an almond... there was no try.

Having Brandon seriously discuss how he was having a crisis while a bird jumps around on his shoulder definitely brightened my day. And the video was informative and interesting. Great job Brando.

Between just bringing a parrot to an interview and cutting his wedding cake with a sword, Sanderson just radiates chaotic good energy. You never know, what he will do next

I don't know about this guy, but his dragon-parrot was spitting out straight facts.

It takes a lot of humility to admit and insist that writing is not an elitist group for people chosen by their temperament and desires, but in fact something you can choose if you want it and want to work for it. You are truly a great help to the writing community at large, not just for your literature. Thank you Mr. Sanderson.

That is a strange chicken indeed!

I love Sanderson... But he can't compete with his bird.

Me, about to give up in some cinematic fashion (while sitting and writing): "I can do hard things, Doing hard things has intrinsic value Doing them will make me a better person.... even if I end up failing" Silence. Then "THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED" And I have sworn the first ideal of the Writers radiant. (Thanks a lot man this video was just what I needed today)

World’s weirdest reality check curtesy of Mr Sanderson.

The fact that the first book Sanderson wrote after the darkest moment in his writing career was The Way of Kings is beautiful in a way

When I was a teen, my parents asked my music teacher if expressing concern if I could support myself might dissuade me from being a composer. My teacher, a successful composer, replied, "If anything you say can discourage him, he probably isn't cut out to be a composer." I am now retired and still love to compose.

This speech reminds me of the message of Ratatouille "Anyone can be a successful author" doesn't mean every individual person could be a professional author. It means that an author could come from anywhere

"YOU, SIR, WHY DO YOU HAVE A PARROT ON YOUR HEAD?" "What parrot?"

This has been more helpful than 3 weeks of therapy.

As an unpublished author of 4 different novels, thank you for sharing this. I haven't stopped yet and I don't plan on it.

I personally just got a desk job, work 9-5, come home and for straight up 2 hours, I sit and write. It doesn't give me the time to go through books quickly, but I like the security of knowing I have a career even if I never make it in the writing industry

Okay I just had the craziest thing happen to me. I’ve been watching all of your lectures for about 6 months now (they are fabulous by the way) and never put this together, so bear with me! Last year I was on my way to a dinner party in an uber. I was discussing books with my driver and he recommended one of your books to me. I bought it (prior to knowing about you or your videos) without even thinking about it and put it on my shelf to come back to later! A few months go by and I randomly came across your videos. Tonight, I’m looking at a plant on my shelf and look over at the book and it hits me that I have your book The Way of Kings! I had totally forgotten I had even purchased the book (don’t worry, I will be reading it when I finish my current book)! So in all of my excitement I tell my husband about the crazy coincidence and he looks at me dead in the depths of my soul and says “I’ve legit watched that guy play magic! He’s a huge fan and I hear he’s a prolific writer!” So both of our hobbies collided tonight over a chance recommendation from an uber driver last year!

"If you want to become anything difficult, you gonna have to figure out how to make yourself do the things you'd wish to have done." I printed it and put it on the wall. Its a little rephrased but got me to start writing my thesis for my bachelor degree in Biology after six months.

"I feel like every story was a boy and his pet dog, and the dog died. That was like, three in a row." This is why I'm very selective when people suggest me books nowadays, this is too accurate lol

I did not expect my feelings to be validated today. Not trying to become a writer but I am trying to become a doctor and I have moments where I wonder if I'm really cut out for it because a lot of times I just don't want to study and would rather do other stuff. I guess being told that it's ok and natural, while obvious, is something I needed to hear. So thanks Brandon and I'm super looking forward to Rythm of War.

I’m writing my first novel after writing only fanfictions for many years, and the firt part of this video was really depressing.... but I somehow got inspired by the end! Just got pass the 30,000 word count today, and I’m going o continue writing it everyday! Thanks for all the tips Brandon, take care!

Man, this guy is my hero. I'm not an author but Brandon's leadership and modeling style are just so genuine and well-meaning.

9:26 Watch Magellan. He reacts every time Brandon says dragon. By the third time, he starts doing his dragon trick (flapping his wings). (Even the first time, he moved his wings a little. But 3rd and 4th, he was doing it full out.)

Brandon, you're clearly warming up to a new profession, as a great Professor. You sir, clearly are an incredible story teller, be it written or the spoken word. Now I have to try to explain to my friends, that there's this inspiring writer whose lecture they have to see, while also warning them there's a parrot involved.

This is basically what I was taught in project management class. Set achievable goals, break them down to manageable tasks, know how you work, know how the people with you work, make sure you have a hard and a soft deadline to work towards, don't beat yourself up if you don't make them just readjust them etc. They're solid advice, but if you're not used to working like this it's hard to start.

Rhythm of War is the one thing that can save 2020

*when you get a notification from your favourite person in the world and 3 minutes in the video you realise that this is just the opposite of what you needed and you start having existential crisis*

Brandon: I can't have a pet dragon Birb: *flaps around* What am I then?

Your delightfully unassuming manner, your fumbling with the white board, and your intrusive macaw, all add to the strange magic of this video.

I am a PhD student in French. Survivorship bias is huge in my world. My parents have given me the same speech as your mom did, Brandon. So have other professors. They are all right. The market is nonexistent. But I'm fine with doing this research short-term and afterward doing something very different. Still, there's the question of transferable skills. All of us in the arts and humanities have such skills but it has to show up on our CVs in some way. When people ask me about doing graduate work, I give them the speech too. I tell them that unless this is what they dream about doing for the next 5 years there's no point. There are no jobs. Only the 1% win. One of my favorite quotes, I heard from Kate DiCamillo. I don't think she came up with it but I will always associate it with her: "I hate writing but I love having written." I feel this so much.

This video is the writting equivalent for Ratatouille´s *"Anyone can cook"*

Brandon, you would make a horrible “Get Rich Quick Fake Guru”! Way too much honesty... you should probably stick to being a best selling author ;)

Yes! I got in trouble from a parent when they discovered I had told my son that people just can’t always be or do whatever they want, even if they work really hard for it. Know your strengths, find your passion and live your life well.

“You can’t control who you’re competing against.” In 2014 I was part of the Firefly RPG design team, and we were nominated for an Ennie award. Problem was, that year, Dungeons and Dragons 5th Ed was published. We didn’t have a chance. 🙂 But a year later I got on the design team for Torg Eternity, a game I loved in the 90s...and got to write huge portions of three sourcebooks, and even reboot the classic adventure trilogy from the first edition. Haven’t won any awards, but I’m still pinching myself I got to do this. And it was a combo of skill, persistence...and luck. A whole lot of luck. But one of the best feelings was getting to make OTHER authors’ days by bringing them onto the team themselves. Next step is novel writing. I’ve probably written 200,000 words for Torg Eternity so I’ve already proven I can finish the thing. Just need to convince myself I’m good at the other things too. 🙂 Though then I remember that my first editor on a game said that I was one of the most enjoyable writers he’d edited before. Impostor Syndrome is a @$*$#,. But I definitely needed this video. Thanks, Brian.

I have no desire to be a writer, and this is one of my all-time favorite videos. Everyone should watch this.

Me, a teen, watching the beginning: Brandon: There is a lie lots of adults tell you... Me: Ohhhhh... Brandon: ...Particularly the media... Me: He's gonna say something amazingly inspirational! Brandon: that lie is that you can do it.

I love at the end when he was out of almonds he gave the bird a toy and the bird was like "This is acceptable."

Brandon Sanderson: Describing his crisis of faith in his early years of writing. Magellan: YOUR DREAMS ARE BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD!!! I DANCE ON THE WRECKAGE OF ALL YOU HOLD DEAR!!!!!!!

34:34 "It's good for you to write books." *Magellan peeks over head for emphasis.*

This video was just for me. Brandon said exactly what I did. I sat down tonight to write, but played a video game instead... "You're just human" - Brandon Sanderson 2020 Mind blown, really. Time to get back to writing!

Three lessons from the lecture: 1) Set goals that you can control. 2) Learn how you work, and make it rewarding to you. 3) You can't have my buttons!

Magellan is so cute laying in brandons arms. And Brandon: You might want a Magellan proof jacket with magnetic buttons that Magellan can't reach.

You gave me the free Ways of King's today and now this... Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.

Brandon: I like big books and I cannot lie Birb: I like big buttons and I cannot lie

IDK why some of the people in these comments are acting as if this was some doom and gloom 'hit you with hard reality' sort of thing. This was probably the most inspiring reminder to stay grounded I've ever seen.

I could stop writing if I wanted to (I don't). I actually just spent an entire month not writing, which was really hard (absolutely torturous some days). Ironically, not writing taught me a lot about writing, and is helping me write more consistently, which has been a real struggle. Great video! I always look forward to your videos.

"You're going to end up playing the Switch instead of writing your book a few times." Literally what I was doing the entire time I listened to this video. I feel so called out. But in a good way. Struggling with distraction doesn't make me any less confident that I want and need to keep writing. Thanks for being inspirational as always, Brandon. Now, time for me to get back to work.

I am a screenwriter and I can confirm that I've learned everything he has (the hard way, like he did). Keep writing. If it happens for you, great. If it doesn't, at least you got to spend your life doing what you love. And trust me, even if it does "happen for you", it's not as great as you might think. Success means money, which means pressure from other voices in the room. Many successful writers complete their most creative and fulfilling work in their breakthrough script/novel.

Unlikely you'll ever see this, but this was actually very encouraging, thank you! And your wish for it having a broader application than just for aspiring writers has come true. I write for pleasure on occasion, but I have no particular desire to ever publish anything. I am however a PhD student having a "oh god what am I doing with my life" crisis. And this was helpful.

I hate dark fantasy…I’m so happy you write like you.

How am I supposed to watch other Brandon lectures without a dragonbird eating his buttons after this??

fellow fantasy creator with parrot as surrogate dragon friend 🙌 I started watching this specifically because of Magellan in the thumbnail haha What a good baby 💖 Oh, and--the lesson was excellent, too!

I find it weird that I enjoy Sanderson's lectures more than I enjoy his books. So interesting and informative. I wish more writers did stuff like this and made it freely available for their fans.

As a musician, I really feel this. I got into my college music program on a talent based scholarship, but that in no way guaranteed I would de well in my program, get good roles in Operas or especially have a career after college. There is nothing I can do about who I am auditioning with, what my competition is, or what a given director is looking for. Several of my classmates are making a living performing and I am so proud of their work! A greater number of them-equally talented, skilled, and educated-are teaching or working in an unrelated field, and talent had nothing to do with that.

Maybe its partly my fault, but that parrot really got my eyes almost throughout the video

"I can't have a Dragon" Has an evolved dinosaur instead...

May the 4th be with you Master Sanderson.

I'm printing this advice and putting it in front of me. Make Goals You Can Control Learn How You Work Break It Down

The Master on May the Fourth! 😍 Edit: wonderful lecture. And Magellan is one wonderful bird. I'm so thankful we can share a time and a planet with Brandon Sanderson.

This is actually much more optimistic advice than what it seems at first. Setting goals & milestones, becoming a student of your own psychology/motivations, breaking stuff down into manageable bits - these are all aspects of the dream-making process that you can control. Hence, where the tangible joy of the journey is. There’s something so remarkable about this video.... maybe it’s Brandon Sanderson being as generous and insightful as he is, side by side with a macaw who knows the force. Their thu’um is strong.

That's why we love reading books. We like to see a world with characters that defy the ugly truth. The beautiful success stories are few, so we go looking for more in fiction.

Correction: you can TRY to be anything you want to

Brandon: Nobody wants to buy them (my books) Bird: (Yep yep yep)

As a later-in-life author, this message resonates a lot with me! Guidance throughout childhood and the school system is bipolar: First, we're told we can be anything we want to be, then a switch flips sometime in HS and we're told "ONLY IF YOU CAN MAKE MONEY AND GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!" Well, I went the route of accountant... so now I can support writing my own novel. Thanks Brandon for some realistic advice and helpful tools! The best thing I got out of this was to "gamify" writing--I will be implementing this. All you writers, keep writing!

3 years late to this comment section and I'm having so much fun writing that I don't care I will be published or die trying "Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination."

This is actually true...even Brandon has things he cannot do...stick with what you can do...if you can't get famous or make money off of it, well, that's life...but at least you can do it...learn to figure out what you can and cannot do and learn to live with it...

What a wonderful world where I can watch this for free. I really needed this. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever is it your life seems to be circling around, remember: please give me money, but never give away hope.

I like that you’re talking about your “failures”, but you’re bigger as a writer than both Scalzi and Novak, arguably speaking. Awards aren’t everything, sir. From my perspective, you’ve truly won. Btw, Magellan was force chocking you the whole time! Lol, you’re truly a Master Jedi!

Thanks for the speech, I am in process of writing my first novel, and I really needed this. I am a physics major, and had always sucked at English, it’s often that I ask myself if I would ever be successful, and if this would all be worth it. But now that my insecurities are confirmed, I realized the true value of my stories to me. Although my books might never be published or even be seen by another person, it now feels of value, at least to me.

The bit about the things you "want to have done" as opposed to things you want to do absolutely grabbed me. This is **exactly** the way I've always phrased it to myself every day. I have so many things that I never want to do when I have the time, but I do want to **have done** them. So uplifting to hear Brandon talk about that exact feeling.

Stormlight has the potential to grow in popularity to the levels of ASOIF and Lotr, if it gets a great tv show/ movie adaption.

What am I doing with my life?! *Bird bounces happily on his shoulder* lol 🤣

Best thing I ever did? Give up on my dream to be a drawing artist. I was good. I was never great and I didn't have the right eye for it. It freed up my time to do other things and I'm happy with my choice! The weight of that dream is off of my shoulders and I can choose something new.

I love how real Brandon Sanderson is. He's not sugar-coating anything and his advice is actually incredibly helpful.

Boy did she look happy about that bird hanging out 😆

While I agree that some luck plays into it, Brandon and other writers shift the odds dramatically in their favor by 1. Getting really good at wrting by just reading and writing a heck of a lot. 2. Completing a multitude of well-written novels in a genre with a rabid fanbase 3. Not getting too discouraged by rejection that he would give up or stop submitting. The great thing about writing nowadays is that even if not published, you can independently publish and still find an audience and start to build a fanbase, which will make you more alluring to the big publishers if that's your goal.

One thousand times thank you

Brandon, I'm not asking for the world. I'm not asking to become obscenely rich, famous, well-known. None of it. I write because I wish to free the magical world bumping around in my head. I write because I want to share its mysteries with others, even if it only be a single other human. I write because if I were to die, this fable Ive been nuturing for years disappears with me. This is what keeps me going to be honest. Otherwise, what's the point?

Art or any desire of your heart, you have to do it just because it is what you want to do regardless of success, because success it is actually luck, luck that people resonate with what you do and that they want to buy whatever you are doing.

Wow, such a great topic to discuss! Love that you’re willing to discuss it. Love the Parrot

Thank you Brandon! This was exactly what I need to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it. I'm having "that moment" right now.

People forget far to often that it's a Parent's duty to say "Are you sure about that?" regarding your career choices. If nothing else, to ensure you reconsider and ensure you have fallback career options if needed.

Thank you very much for making this available on YT.

This has been exceptionally insightful. Can't thank you enough for the uploading of this keynote and the previous lectures. They have been really motivational for me.

26:24 this is the most amazing thing i,ve ever heard.

Thank you, Brandon. This is very apt for me right now. Thank you from Manitoba, Canada

I came across this video on the exact day I received my first rejection letter from a short story I seriously cared about. This helped me understand it's not always in my control, even though the moment was hard. Thank you, Brandon.

Thank you, Brandon! I love it when people tell the true part of this message

Brandon, this was some very insightful and comforting wisdom you have given us. Thank you very much.

Thank you Brandon; when you talked about you goal shifting from being published to simply writing regardless, to telling the stories you love to the best of your ability, it resonated so much with me. Thank you for reminding me why I write.

Thank you for your honesty and insight. That is truly refreshing.👍

"The world is your oyster" is the one I find most baffling. Such an odd metaphor. Your 'random rant' is exceptionally well spoken and genuine. Thanks for taking the time.

Great video Sanderson, whit a lot of truth, as a writer, this actual lies can affect a lot in your writing process, even in your professional life. Greetings mr Sanderson! You are great!

the most helpful thing i've ever heard about writing. and the most honest. thank you.