Editing Down

I remember a piece of writing advice from Brandon Sanderson (I’m not sure if he was referring to the words of someone else) which goes something like this. It relates to individual scenes in the story. Scenes should do the following. Progress the plot, Color the character, or help develop him further, Expand on the worldbuilding or setting. Plot, character, and setting are the three aspects of the story that must be accounted for. Each scene should work on at least two of the three, and ideally all three. ...

November 7, 2026 · 135 words

Sanderson's Laws of Magic

Brandon Sanderson, the author of Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, etc. presents three points of consideration for fantasy authors. First Law Solving a problem through magic depends on how well the readers understand the magic. You cannot simply have vague magical powers and then use a wizard to enchant problems away. That would amount to deus ex machina, an unsatisfactory read at best, a betrayal of the readers at worst. Second Law Limitations are more important than powers. ...

June 23, 2026 · 234 words