The Art of Revision: Lessons from Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker

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What if you could peek behind the curtain of a bestselling novel—watching it evolve draft by draft?

In 2006, rising fantasy author Brandon Sanderson did something unheard of: he posted his in-progress novel Warbreaker online as he wrote it—and not just once, but through six evolving drafts. This rare experiment gives us an unprecedented window into the creative process and shows how a raw first draft can transform into a New York Times bestseller. In this class, we’ll dig into those drafts side by side, uncovering the choices, edits, and revisions that shaped the final book. You’ll leave with practical strategies for revising your own work, a sharper eye for story development, and a clearer path from rough draft to polished manuscript.

Participants are encouraged (but not required) to read at least one version of Warbreaker, available on Sanderson's website, before class. There will be spoilers!

Bonnie McKnight founded Lady Knight Editing in 2018 after spending three years as a freelance editor—but she’s been correcting people’s grammar since she was two (ask about the legendary fog vs. mist debate of ’92). One of her proudest editorial moments was accepting the 2020 Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology for RISE: An Anthology of Change. She earned her MA in the History of Books from the University of London and is more than happy to gush about ancient Mesopotamian literacy or Christine de Pizan’s Medieval manuscripts or Victorian fiction magazines. She enjoys reading, playing computer games, and doing “letters” (Wordle) with her five-year-old.

The Art of Revision: Lessons from Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker

Saturday Oct 25 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Zoom (register for link)
United States

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