Perennial favourite Brandon Sanderson’s BYU Writing Course Returns for 2025. Sanderson released the first lecture of this year’s series with The Philosophy of Professional Writing.
Whether or not you rate Sanderson’s books, stories or writing, he is one of the most successful fantasy and sci-fi authors in the world. He is also an effective and dynamic writing tutor running one of the most accessible and practical creative writing courses. It’s all online and FREE.
The course outline proposes two sessions each on the big three, plot, setting, and character, followed by two sessions on the business side of writing. There’s a Q&A session to bookmark the break of each topic. There’s also a promise of guest lectures from industry experts on topics such as indie publishing, short story forms, and bonus content on revision and prose.
Sanderson’s opening session comprises:
- The Philosophy of the Class
- Being a Pro vs Non-Pro
- Making a Living as a Novelist
- Philosophy on Artistic Expression
- Survivorship Bias
- Writing in the Same World
- Writing Groups
It’s fast-paced and light in tone. If you’ve heard some of the examples and anecdotes before, don’t worry, there’s another along in a few minutes. Well worth an hour of your time if you aspire to be a full-time author.