Here you are! You have been dropped off in the cosmere as one of Brandon Sanderson’s protagonists. But how are you going to pull it off? Here is a starter pack of everything you need to be a successful protagonist!
Trauma
If you are in therapy, diagnosed with any sort of mental health condition, or just a ball of anxiety, Congratulations! You’re already half way there. Your childhood trauma has become the backbone of you as a Brandon Sanderson character.
Sanderson is known for writing characters in The Way Of Kings with mental health disorders like: depression, anxiety, bipolar, BPD, etc. You did half the work for him by being ill.
“What if I don’t have a mental illness?”
Congratulations! You are one of the lucky ones. Sanderson will make sure you do by the end of his book! You will likely face, loss, grief, and the pressure of the world around you collapsing on your shoulders because you are accidentally important.
Wingin’ It
You will likely not be able to plan anything, so you’re going to have to learn to wing it or hide your plan from other very important people! Don’t worry, even if you decide to try and plan it, it won’t go the way you want it to. Loop this back into the “Trauma” section!
You will be questioned, and it is important that you really debate on telling the truth. Because is that person asking to help you, or to ruin you? Who knows? You certainly don’t. Unpredictability is the key to being a good protagonist.
Complicated Magic System
Are you going to eat metal, inhale Stormlight, or pick apart why an enchanted city became a land of zombies? Get ready to learn a whole new system. It’s going to be your new hobby for at least one year now! And even longer to master it.
You probably will have to go back to Wingin’ it, or you’ll have an unreliable mentor who will likely give you trauma later or die early on. Go back again to trauma. There will also be a considerable amount of info-dumping to extend your story to over 1000 pages long. However, in the end, it will be worth it. You will be shaped into a whole new person.
Identity Crisis
Was this journey really for you? Are you the one to save the nation? Yes, absolutely you are but you are going to deny it for at least 20 pages.
You don’t believe you’re strong enough. You will not understand how much the weight will be worth it. You are the chosen one. You might pick out your awesome armor, cloaks, ballgowns, anything to make yourself unique. You will be the cat’s meow.
Let’s not forget: You are the main character.
So flaunt those gorgeous pieces. Take down evil rulers. Fly across miles of unmapped land. You will always look gorgeous doing it, because you’re the most important person in the book.
The Sanderson Rules
This is fun, isn’t it? Do whatever you want, fly, wear cool stuff, let mental challenges develop your personality. Well, your enemies also have an eye for you. It just depends if you are going to fall for it or not.
Listen to your guide. Whether it’s the law, your mentor, or someone of power, because you risk being thrown into a cell. Where you will sit and think about what you have done wrong, because you have a 90% chance of this happening. You might have a fun cell buddy or one right next door, casually waiting for you. Either way, you’re in deep trouble.
Don’t mess up!
Now that you have your starter pack, what king of protagonist do you want to be?
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