Best-Selling Author Tells Martinez Students to Practice Their Writing

Author Brandon Sanderson autographs his latest book, “Firefight,” for Martinez 8th grader Brandon Bell during a visit to the Romeoville middle school. The new book will be released in several months. Submitted by Valley View School District.

It takes lots of practice to become a published author according to New York Times Best-Selling List author Brandon Sanderson, who visited Martinez Middle School’s “Lunch Bunch” Friday.

“Your early books are like musical practice sessions and that’s just fine,” he told the group, pointing out he wrote six books before he sold one. “It’s all about sitting down and spending time on writing. The only way to succeed is to practice.”

Sanderson, whose current book Steelheart is about super villains taking over Chicago, admitted he hated reading until his 8th grade teacher helped him realize he wasn’t reading the right books.

“Books are like shoes…you have to find the right match,” he said.

The host of the two-time Hugo-nominated writing advice podcast “Writing Excuses” took students through a writing exercise showing them the importance of first coming up with an interesting character. Everything else, including the setting and the conflict, flows from there, he said.

“You gotta have somebody interesting. And every character should be in a quandary.”

The only author to make the short list for the David Gemmell Legend Award six times in four years, Sanderson won that award in 2011 for The Way of Kings and was on the short list again in 2012 for The Alloy of Law. He has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice award for Best Epic Fantasy twice and has been nominated three other years. He was twice nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

His books have been published in over 20 languages.