Creating Believable Backstories for Characters—Brandon Sanderson

Dope shirt

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! 😂😂😂

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

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?!

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

gotta love the solaire shirt

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.

sussss

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.

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

Is this going to be five minutes of him signing books? No thanks.

Keep strong. Dont forget that despite the evil in this world, God is full of justice, mercy and love.

Justice said we broke His perfect law - causing the world's previous perfection to be destroyed - and therefore we deserve Hell (like a punishment in any legal system but this is eternal as His perfect law is eternal too). Don't think you fit in that category? Ever done one of these?: lying, stealing - regardless of how small the object EVER, hating others - which is murder in God's perfect law, lusting (plus God sees our entire thought life). Justice says "the soul that sins shall die" - if we break one in thought/word/deed it's as if we're guilty of all of them. Quite simply, living by the law (which is doing everything perfectly) is impossible for sinful humans

. The law shows us that 1. We will die in Hell if we fail to follow it and 2. We cannot save ourselves BUT, 3. God's perfect, immovable law points us to Christ, who followed and fulfilled the law in thought, word and deed perfectly in our place. He did what we couldn't and did it on our behalf. He was then sentenced to death on a cross, and took our personal punishment for our sin, paying our penalty (like paying our fine) completely FOR us, and has given us freedom.

If we turn from the sins we have committed and repent (pursue the opposite direction of love through Christ) He will, overtime, recreate us into His image through The Holy Spirit which Jesus sends to all who accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior of their life. We cannot purify ourselves, but Christ lived that perfect sinless, pure life and then allotted it to our "account".

That's where our righteousness comes from. Not from any good, works that you or I could do.
It is not based on the amount of good works we do. God starts the changes, He carries it on, and He completes it in those who let Him.

It's about letting Christ in to guide and teach you and obeying Him, again, through His power and instruction).

He is our substitute in His life, death and resurrection. He essentially rewrote history in our place so that, if you believe in Him, it will be as if YOU had never sinned if you accept Christ's death as our own in our place.

He is in Heaven right now preparing a place for us so that He can take His faithful, believing children home with Him when He returns. He will ressurrect us from death when He returns, giving mercy to those who accept His love, forgiveness, instruction and teachings in their life, and give justice to those who refuse it.

He doesn't want ANY of us to go to Hell and die for continuing in evil and rejecting His way to life, thats why He died FOR us. Hes giving EVERYONE a chance, He wants everyone to take the free gift of salvation from Hell. He wants us to be His and begin to follow His life of love and service through His power and abiding (staying) with Him. So long as we keep our hearts near to Christ through His strength, strive to follow His will of perfect love revealed in the Bible, and let Him lead in the midst of (very certain) pitfalls and struggles, we will, in time, win the ultimate victory over sin, pain and DEATH through Christ. Even if you are willing to be made willing, pray for Jesus to come in and He will do what we can't. Give us The Holy Spirit who will guide us in the right way.

NOTE: You are NEVER too sinful or messed up that God cannot turn your life around through Jesus. EVER
If you have any questions let me know

He writes a 400k book one sentence at a time and then had to sign 400k books one signature at a time.

Success is rough

Bruh the among us characters on the white board

The writing on the whiteboard is so neat

I love the amongus on the whiteboard

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

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.

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

What a mind on this boy.

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

This is something good to do while signing

does nobody saw the among us drawings in the board?

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

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

praise the sun.

PRAISE THE SUN

I like Brandon but the fact he does so many of these videos while signing hundreds of books is kinda egotistical. like we get it man, we wouldn't be here if we didn't like your writing, we know you're popular and successful

blew my mind
great great answer

The board is an epic gaming moment.

That whiteboard is sus

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

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

Thumbs up for the sun bro shirt ☀️

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

This is what productivity looks like

He signs his name so fast lol

"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

Dark Souls shirt. Nice ❤️👌

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

One piece is the GOAT at flashbacks

Sounds like wayne

this man is signing books 24/7

Green sus

I would love Brandon to review some anime

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

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

Praise the sun! \o/

amogus????