Writing tips | Learning from the big names
What I’ve Learned From Brandon Sanderson’s Writing Class (1)
And what you can learn, too, on plot.
For those of you who don’t know, there is a hidden treasure among the many music and dog videos on YouTube. I’m talking about Brandon Sanderson’s entire Creative Writing class of 2020, filmed and ready for us to devour.
With only fourteen videos — that last about an hour each — you get to learn everything from a best-selling author on plot, character, setting and the publishing industry.
The best part — you don’t need to be a novelist to learn from the big names. Sanderson’s principles can be implemented to any kind of writing.
Since there are many gems in Sanderson’s class, I decided to focus on one aspect in each post.
This time — plot.
Every story makes at least one promise to the reader. It could be in the opening chapter or the first few, in the first line, or in the headline. Not all promises are the same, though.
If you don’t want to disappoint your readers — and lose them in the process — you have to know the difference between the different types of promises, then make sure they are made.
Promise of Tone
If a story starts with a certain tone — funny, dramatic, action-packed — the readers expect it to stay that way. You can’t start a comedy with a tragic, brutal death, because then your reader would feel cheated.
How to make sure your readers’ tone expectations are met? Ask yourself the following questions:
- What mood do I want my readers to have while reading my work?
- What kind of language do I use? Humorous? Dry? Informative?
- What emotions do my opening lines convey?
- What emotion does my ending convey?
Promise of Character Arc
Every story has characters, and unless you’re writing the next Sherlock Holmes or James Bond, every character will change throughout the plot. Character development isn’t another layer in the story — it is the story.
Which is why readers love character arcs.
Positive or negative — the direction of the progress doesn’t matter as long as at the beginning you show a fraction of what your character can turn into, and in the end, show a different version of that character. If a character’s flaws shine at the beginning, the readers will expect a change — whatever that change may be.
If you want to make sure your characters are evolving, ask yourself:
- Who is my character at the beginning of the story?
- What are my character’s strengths and weaknesses?
- With what journey does my character face?
- How do the obstacles the character faces shape him or her throughout the plot?
- Who is my character at the end?
- What is the direction the character has evolved in?
Something to think about — some character arcs stretch over a long time or throughout several stories. You don’t have to make a steep character arc if it doesn’t fit as long as your character is constantly changing.
Promise of Content
There is a well-known method in storytelling of combining two different types of plot in a new way. Why does it work?
It makes your plot look somewhat familiar yet exciting at the same time.
Think of Infinity War. The writers took a superhero action-packed plot and combined it with a heist in a way that feels familiar but also entirely new.
Each combination will make the reader expect a certain type of plot. A heist, for example, directs the plot toward a twisty and surprising direction.
If you want to make sure your readers won’t be disappointed with the plot, ask yourself:
- What will the readers expect from my genre?
- If I combine two types of plot, what will the readers expect to happen?
- What are the main plot points in my story?
- How do my main plot points meet the readers’ expectations?
Promise for Benefit
This type of promise wasn’t in Sanderson’s class, but since we’re all content creators as well, this may come in handy.
For content creators, fulfilling their readers’ expectations is essential in any post. If you want to gain more followers, you have to give solid, honest advice. Advice that doesn’t come from a personal experience should come from a profound research.
Ask yourself:
- What is the source of the content I create?
- What message does the headline send to my readers?
- If my post is my own personal opinion, how is it conveyed in the article?
- How do I make my message clearer? Can I use bullet points and subheadings?
- How do I connect between the start of my post to the end to create a cohesive reading experience?
Conclusion
Many writers talk about promises, but not many dive into it for three hours. That’s why when I first watched his class a year ago, I found it refreshing. Not only does Sanderson use simple examples, he tells us about his rookie’s mistakes when it comes to meeting the audience's expectations.
No one likes to feel disappointed, especially readers that have been waiting impatiently throughout reading your work. But no one likes to lower their expectations, either.
Tone, character, plot and benefit – we all look for something once we start reading. Even if it’s sheer entertainment.
If you make your readers expect highly of your writing, make sure these expectations are met. Not only it’ll be satisfying for you, it’ll make them come back for more.
I’d love to know what you thought of Sanderson’s first two lessons — feel free to leave a comment!
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Thank you for reading!
I’ll see you on the next piece of the series.
