The Philosophy of Professional Writing: Brandon Sanderson's Writing Lecture #1 (2025)

If you’re here, you’re likely an aspiring writer. Whether you’re working on your first novel, trying to find a premise, or in the revision stage, Brandon wants to invite you to take this course along with his in-person students. 

On an evening in early January 2025, students filter into a BYU lecture hall. There's electricity in the air. A rising chatter. It’s the kind of energy you feel before a really great show starts, but this isn't just any show—it's Brandon Sanderson's course on writing science fiction and fantasy.

Dragonsteel’s publicity and marketing team will be filming each and every lecture and posting them one week later. For a recap and summary of the class, you can come here to Brandon’s blog at the same time as the lecture video goes up on YouTube.

We're looking at a semester as comprehensive as a Sanderson magic system. Let’s get started.

Course Overview: A Deep Dive into the Craft 

"What this class is," Brandon announces, "is me lecturing at you for an hour and a half!" The class laughs, but he's not kidding. We're in for an intensive journey through the craft of writing, structured like a well-plotted novel:

• Two weeks each on the big three—plot, setting, and character. 
• Then two weeks on the business side of writing (because yes, eventually you'll need to figure out what to do with all these words you're creating). 
• Lastly, Brandon will be adding in some guest lectures from industry experts who'll dive into everything from indie publishing to short story crafting, plus possible bonus content on revision and prose. We’ll see what happens.

The approach, as Brandon put it, is the “nuts and bolts,” designed to provide practical tools without stifling anyone’s creativity. “This isn’t about following rigid rules,” he emphasized. “It’s about enhancing your artistic expression.”

"This isn’t about following rigid rules. It’s about enhancing your artistic expression."

Now, for the “firehose of information,” as Brandon lovingly calls his lectures.

The Philosophy: Writing as a Personal Journey 

“Writing,” Brandon began, “is hard to teach.”

There's no "one ring" to rule all writing methods. Before diving too far into the concepts he’s laid out for this lecture, Brandon says: "You will learn more in this class by writing your first book than I or any person can possibly teach you. Writing is about doing. It’s about experimenting, exploring, and discovering what works for you.”

"You will learn more than I can teach you in this class by writing your first book than myself or any person can possibly teach you."

Let’s back up just a little bit. If you think about writing advice as a toolkit, every writer needs to figure out which tools work best for them. And that might change based on the project you’re working on. If you’re nailing something to the wall, you probably don’t need a wrench. 

A great example to illustrate this concept is the eternal outline debate. As many of you know, Brandon is a major proponent of using an outline. Especially since his work involves so many moving parts. Like Brandon, Orson Scott Card swears by outlines, and even developed a strategy known as the MICE Quotient. In contrast, Stephen King considers them story-killers, going so far as to say in his book On Writing, “Outlines are the last resource of bad fiction writers who wish to God they were writing masters' theses.”

So, who's right? 

Well, according to Brandon Sanderson, they both are. It’s not that black and white. Most writers end up being what Brandon calls "hybrid creators"—part architect (planner) and part gardener (discovery writer), with the ratio shifting depending on the project. More on this concept later in the course.

As a last thought on this concept introduction, Brandon emphasizes the importance of experimentation. “Try new things. Some advice won’t work for you. It might even be destructive right now. But later, as you grow, you might find it useful—or not. The key is to keep growing.”

The Chef vs. Cook Analogy

"I want to treat you like a chef, not a cook," Brandon says, launching into what might be the most accurate analogy for writing education. See, a cook (like Brandon himself in the kitchen, he admits) can follow a recipe and make something decent. But when something goes wrong? Chaos. Cooks don't know why baking soda and baking powder are different, just that the recipe called for one of them.

"I want to treat you like a chef, not a cook."

A chef, on the other hand, understands the actual principles behind the recipes. They know why ingredients interact the way they do, which means they can create new dishes and fix problems when they arise. That's what Brandon wants for his students—not to just follow writing "recipes," but to understand the underlying principles that make stories work. 

So, as we continue through this semester, keep in mind that we’ll be using this philosophy to talk through all concepts. You shouldn’t take things as prescriptive, but as information you can use to shape your own writing toolkit. That way you’ll have the knowledge you need to write your novel, and will also know how to fix things when they get off track. You’ll come up with more innovative ways to tell your stories, and ultimately, learn the rules so that you know how to break them.

Why Nobody Asks When You're Joining the NBA: The Professional vs. Hobby Divide

Here's a truth that doesn't get universally acknowledged in writing circles: It's completely okay to write just because you love it. 

Brandon points out an interesting double standard—nobody questions someone who plays basketball at their local gym about their NBA prospects, but mention you're writing a book and suddenly everyone wants to know about your publishing plans.

The other thing aspiring novelists often hear is that their chances of going pro are one in a million. But for those eyeing the professional path, Brandon offers some refreshingly realistic perspective. The odds of making it as a professional fiction writer? "Kind of like one in twenty." Not impossible, but not a cakewalk either. 

Something students admire about Brandon’s infamous writing class is that you won’t just hear concepts—he offers practical solutions you can implement. Regarding making writing fiction your career, there’s a formula you should start with. Brandon suggests writing at least five novels before you even start thinking about publishing. Why? Because as a new writer, your job isn't to sell books yet—it's to figure out your process. We’re going to dive into that next

The Writer's Journey: A Focus on Process (AKA: Why YOU Are the Real Masterpiece)

Here's where Brandon gets both philosophical and practical: "The product of your writing time is YOU." Not the novel, not the short story–you. The person you become through the process of writing, the empathy you develop, the voice you discover. The writing itself is just the visible part of the iceberg.

"The product of your writing time is YOU."

As you begin writing your story, he suggests developing what he calls a "split personality" approach: Let your artist self be in charge during the creative process, but once the draft is done, lock that sensitive artist in a closet and let your business-minded self take over. Eventually, these two aspects need to learn to work together–kind of like a buddy cop movie, but with less car chases and more revision sessions.

Somewhere in that process you’ll discover who you are as a writer.

Brandon’s philosophy on writing extends beyond craft. He challenges the societal notion that art must be utilitarian, that creative pursuits are only valuable if they’re monetized.

“It’s okay to be a non-professional writer,” he assures the class. “The primary purpose of art is to enrich your own life. Writing is good for you. It’s good for your soul. But because our society values utility, people often ask writers when they’ll ‘sell their book.’ You never hear someone playing basketball in a church gym being asked when they’re going to join the NBA.”

That said, the class will be structured as if every student aspires to be a professional science fiction or fantasy writer. “Why? Because the advice is the same,” Brandon explains. “Whether you’re writing for yourself or aiming for a career, the process begins with writing—lots of it.”

Circling back around on Brandon’s formula for getting started, he stresses the importance of finishing at least five novels before focusing on publication. “Your job right now isn’t to sell books. It’s to figure out your process, to learn what works for you as a writer. The first few books are about discovery—finding your voice, experimenting with style, and learning how to handle the pressures of deadlines, publicity, and everything else that comes with being published.”

Approaching Writing Groups With Caution and Duct Tape

Brandon’s approach to writing groups is refreshingly nuanced. Yes, they can be valuable. No, they're not for everyone. In fact, they can actually ruin your story if you're not careful, especially if you're a discovery writer. Because especially for gardeners, you haven’t told yourself the story yet. So, getting feedback too early in the process can cause your story to divert in directions dictated by other people that you didn’t intend. 

However, if you get a group of writers together that are all on the same page (i.e. they agree on how often they want to submit and how much reading they want to commit to) and magic can happen. Brandon’s own writing group from college is a prime example (check out the lecture video to hear the full story).

And, once you’re in a writing group, you need to get good at receiving feedback. It’s hard not to talk while someone is discussing a scene in your story, and especially difficult not to correct them when they’re off base about something you intended. Listening and not talking is an essential skill in critique. Why? Because it’s the only way to get a genuine response from your work. That’s why you’re in a writing group, after all.

Looking Ahead (Because There's More Where This Came From)

This first session feels less like a traditional writing class and more like being handed a map to a treasure trove. Sure, it's a map with "Here Be Dragons" written in several places, but Brandon's made it clear: fantasy and sci-fi are for everyone, and if you aren’t bought in yet, we’ll convert you by the end of this class. And, regardless of your genre, you’ll learn some of the most applicable frameworks and methodologies for writing fiction from one of our generation's best selling authors.

As we go, Brandon may give writing prompts or other “homework,” for lack of a better term. If he does, we’ll include that in these blogs so you can follow along with the rest of the class.

Stay tuned for future installments, where we'll dive deep into the nuts and bolts of storytelling. Next up: Two weeks of plot discussion that promises to be more intricate than one of Kelsier’s heists. Bring your notebooks, your questions, and maybe some snacks—this is going to be a ride.