Lecture #2: Plot Part 1 — Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
TLDRThe video discusses effective storytelling techniques for sci-fi and fantasy writing. It examines how to craft compelling openings that set the story's tone and make promises to readers about the plot and characters. It stresses the importance of steady plot progression to engage readers and not lose their interest, using the metaphor of nested code brackets to visualize properly closed plot arcs. Finally, it explores plot payoffs, from directly fulfilling initial promises to exceeding expectations through plot expansions and substitutions, while warning that the latter can dissatisfy some readers.
Takeaways
- 😀 A story's tone promise indicates the tone and style of the story to come
- 😇 Progress creates the illusion that the story is steadily moving toward an inevitable and exciting goal
- 📝 Identify the umbrella plot, core plot, and character arcs early on
- 🔍 Readers sense progress through elements like maps showing advancement
- 🚦 Avoid side plots that divert too far from core promises and goals
- 😥 Pay attention when beta readers find parts boring that you expected to be exciting
- ↩️ Backsliding in plots is okay if done carefully and briefly
- 🎁 The plot expansion twist gives readers more than they expected
- 🔀 The substitution twist convinces readers they want something else
- ✅ Successful payoffs deliver what was promised plus something new
Q & A
What are the three main things that stories are made up of according to Sanderson?
-Plot, character, and setting. But Sanderson says they are glued together by conflict.
What was the inspiration behind the plot idea for Mistborn?
-The ideas of: 1) a fantasy world where the prophesied hero failed and the bad guys took over, and 2) doing a fantasy heist story where each member of the team has different magical powers.
What are the three types of promises authors make at the beginning of a story?
-1. Tone promise - Sets expectations for the style and tone of the story. 2. Character arc promise - Hints at how the main character will change. 3. Plot premise promise - Indicates the type of plot readers can expect.
Why is progress the most important element out of promise, progress and payoff?
-Sanderson argues that many authors are great at progress/middle sections even if their beginnings and endings are weaker. Getting readers invested through strong progress is vital to keep them reading to the ending.
What's the difference between a story arc and an umbrella plot?
-The story arc is the core plot and emotional journey, while the umbrella plot provides an external structure and motivation pushing characters through the story arc. They can be the same or different.
What is Sanderson's First Law related to story progress?
-That an author's ability to solve conflict through magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands the magic. If magic solves problems too easily with no consistency, tension is lost.
What are Sanderson's three categories of plot twists/payoffs?
-1. Fulfilling the promise, 2. Plot expansion - Exceeding what was promised, 3. Plot substitution - Replacing the expected payoff with something unexpected that the audience has been primed to desire instead.
How can authors hook readers from page one and create page-turners?
-By making strong promises about tone, character arcs and plot early on, then building steady progress chapter-by-chapter toward expected payoffs. This creates momentum and tension drawing readers through the book.
Why was the Shadesmar sequence boring for early readers of Oathbringer despite having interesting content?
-Because Sanderson had made a mini-promise of the characters needing to escape, but instead they ended up traveling to the location of the climax against what was promised. He had to adjust the early promise.
Why can giving readers plot substitutions or twists instead of expected payoffs sometimes backfire?
-If not set up properly through priming the audience to expect and desire the substitution, the surprise can feel random rather than satisfying. It defies what the progress of the story has built toward.
Outlines
🎬 Setting Up the Plot Framework
Brandon introduces key components in plotting - promise, progress, and payoff. He explains how promises set expectations, progress fuels engagement, and payoff delivers resolution. Effective plots balance predictability and surprise through subtle inversions and mashups rather than outright subversion of promises.
📈 Tracking Progress to Maintain Interest
Brandon emphasizes the importance of conveying steady plot progress to readers. Even slow/boring events can be compelling with signs of advancement. He shares an example from his book where reframing the promise (not events themselves) made a boring plotline exciting.
😲 Going Beyond Expected Payoffs
Brandon advises making good on plot promises while exceeding expectations sometimes. Giving more than promised (plot expansion) works better than substitutions. Payoffs should extend naturally from the established progress.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡promise
💡progress
💡payoff
💡plot expansion
💡substitution plot
💡archetype
💡umbrella plot
💡core plot
💡iconic character
💡strange attractor
Highlights
Stories all make a promise. Being in control of your promises is a sign of mastery of the art.
Your tone promise is where your introductory chapter indicates the tone and style of story you’re going to tell.
Promise us your character's desires and what's preventing them from getting what they want.
Indicate what kind of plot you are going to give us - your actual plot or your 'umbrella' plot.
Progress is creating the illusion for the reader that steady progress toward an inevitable and exciting goal is happening.
Identify what your plot is and ask yourself, what question do readers need answered? What makes them turn the page?
If you go in a different direction from your promises, your story can get boring even if exciting things are happening.
I changed nothing about what was happening in the story. I changed the promise and tone at the beginning. Reader perception shifted completely.
Your payoff should flow naturally from the type of progress you're doing. Consider a plot twist, but it should give readers what they wanted plus something new.
The plot expansion twist is where you intentionally make a smaller promise up front then massively overdeliver at the end.
The substitution twist is where you convince readers they want something different than the original promise, then deliver that at the end instead.
Into the Woods substitution works because during the happily-ever-after first half, there's a constant sense that everything is too perfect.
Your best stories give readers what they were promised plus something exciting and new they didn't expect.
Skill of the author is what editors and readers are really looking for - the ability to grab them quickly and make them want to keep reading.
Ideas are cheap. Bad ideas with a great writer generally produce better stories than good ideas with an unpracticed writer.
Transcripts
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