Brandon Sanderson's Writing Lectures

Brandon Sanderson's lecture series offers a comprehensive education in writing science fiction and fantasy, covering the three foundational pillars of storytelling—plot, character, and setting—along with practical publishing guidance. The course emphasizes becoming a 'chef, not a cook'—understanding underlying principles deeply enough to adapt them creatively. Learners will master promise-progress-payoff structures, character frameworks, worldbuilding techniques, and publishing pathways.

10 sections · 40 lessons

Course outline

Writing Philosophy

  1. Chef vs. Cook Mindset
  2. Hybrid Creator
  3. Professional Expectations
  4. Split Personality Method
  5. Writing Groups
  6. Writing Philosophy

Plot Foundations

  1. Two Levels of Plot
  2. Making Promises
  3. Creating Progress
  4. Delivering Payoffs
  5. Plot Foundations

Story Structure

  1. Structure as Scaffolding
  2. Story Circle Framework
  3. Three-Act Structure
  4. Try-Fail Cycles
  5. Hanging a Lantern
  6. Story Structure

Character Pillars

  1. Proactivity
  2. Relatability
  3. Capability
  4. Pillar Balance
  5. Character Pillars

Character Depth

  1. Antiheroes
  2. Character Motivation
  3. Personality Expression
  4. Character Values
  5. Character Depth

Character Craft

  1. Writing Dialogue
  2. Character Quirks
  3. Viewpoint Strategy
  4. Challenging Characters
  5. Character Craft

Magic Systems

  1. First Law of Magic
  2. Second Law of Magic
  3. Third Law of Magic
  4. Magic Systems

Worldbuilding

  1. Three Worldbuilding Components
  2. Iceberg Technique
  3. World-Story Integration
  4. Avoiding Paralysis
  5. Worldbuilding

Traditional Publishing

  1. Publishing Machine
  2. Advances and Royalties
  3. Literary Agents
  4. Traditional Publishing

Publishing Paths

  1. Indie Publishing
  2. Contract Protection
  3. Pitching Effectively
  4. Choosing Your Path
  5. Publishing Paths

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