As part of my pre-writing for my next Epic Fantasy project, I’ve decided to read some Brandon Sanderson. He’s been recommended to me for years, but I knew of him mainly from the Writing Excuses podcast (which is one of my favourites – you should check it out).

Because of this, the one thing I knew about Sanderson was his strength when it came to creating magic systems (hence Sanderson’s Laws). I want to do new things in my writing (or at least avoid horrendous tropes), but in order to do that, it is essential to know what has already been done. So in addition to just enjoying this book, to a degree I was studying it. In particular, I wanted to see how he set up Allomancy, which is one of the most engaging magic systems I have ever come across. Despite the grand scope of it and the potential brutality, the action scenes are handled with a deft touch. There is a system of checks and balances, which means the main characters never become so competent that they also become boring in the process.

For me, having a female main character was something I wanted to see done well, as I also intend to write from a mainly female perspective. It is often lamented that there aren’t many female protagonists in Epic Fantasy, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t think I was treading new ground when I wasn’t. I was really pleased to see the way he handled her vulnerabilities and insecurities, without reducing her plausibility as a hero. This seems to be something of a fine balance, especially there are intensely physical fight scenes as part of the plot.

So much to learn from, but that’s one of the fun parts of the experience!