Sanderson 2016.2 - Characters

Brandon Sanderson’s 2016 Semester at BYU: Creative Writing, Lecture 2: Characters This video is a mirror of the materials posted by user camerapanda. The authorized filming is thanks to Brandon's friend Earl Cahill and his assistants from CameraPanda.com (go support them). The lecture was filmed at Brigham Young University. I've color corrected the original shots, transcribed the whiteboard, and taken some notes w/ timestamps to help you follow along. ** LECTURE NOTES ** 0:12 / Cook vs chef Chef comes up with something new and has formal training; the cook just follows instructions - As writers, you want to use writing tools as a chef When Brandon discusses concepts and lists that work, as yourself why, don’t view them as a checklist 6:00 / What makes a story? Three main parts: Plot, Setting, Character All three are tied together by conflicts Your prose structure (viewpoint, tense, tone, paragraphing) create the window through which you view these story parts 9:48 / Characters In Sci-fi / fantasy people might assume setting is most important, but it is not Don’t worry about starting with a bang, thing about starting with a strong ‘why’ What makes a character interesting? - Proactive, flawed, sympathetic, has a past 18:38 / Everyman vs superman slider The everyman reminds us of ourself, which increases sympathy The superman (hyper-competent) is who we want to be, but often less sympathetic A lot of stories are about moving along the slider from everyman to superman - Less common these days for stories where the MC begins as a superman 26:18 / Brandon looks at characters as a group of sliding scales Competence, Likability, and Proactivity Easy way to make someone likable is to have another character say why they like them The villain problem is when the villains are the main source of proactivity: this inadvertently causes the reader to sympathize with the bad guy Very important to make your main character proactive - Even if they are just after something secondary or non-essential, just to show their drive You can give people competence in one area but not another to let them still struggle 45:22 / Flaws and handicaps Flaw: something the character can (and maybe should) overcome about themselves or their situation, and they struggle with it Handicap: something the character must live with and surmount, but the story is not (necessarily) about getting rid of them - An example is spiderman’s aunt, or a code of ethics for superman/batman 51:00 / Dossier method Look for questions that provoke a deep understanding of your character for the story you have in mind You can also have the character respond to the questions in voice in a monologue 54:45 / Who doesn’t belong Think of a reason why your character doesn’t fit the role they need to play; creates immediate conflict Class exercise - Pick a common trope/role - Pick an unusual profession given their role - Pick a deep dark secret they don’t want anyone to find out Now use these things to undermine the trope and build a backstory ** CAMERAPANDA NOTES ** Authors Mentioned: Brandon Sanderson - http://amzn.to/28KyDak Arthur Conan Doyle - http://amzn.to/290oDZ7 Joseph Campbell - http://amzn.to/28XhbdT J. R. R. Tolkien - http://amzn.to/290hV47 Dan Wells - http://amzn.to/29joNt5 Dave Wolverton - http://amzn.to/290ppoQ Agatha Christie - http://amzn.to/28XgZvx Works Mentioned: The Hero with a Thousand Faces - http://amzn.to/28ZyZdz Star Wars - http://amzn.to/28KyTX4 Sherlock - http://amzn.to/297kTr7 The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings - http://amzn.to/28Zz3db The Expanse: Leviathan Wakes - http://amzn.to/290dR3a