Last week in Salt Lake City, Brandon Sanderson and Leigh Bardugo shared the stage for the final stop of Bardugo's Six of Crows anniversary tour—a full-circle moment, ten years after they first met on a book tour in the UK.
They spent the evening trading insights on writing fantasy heists, developing yourself as an author, and what makes a crew of misfits work on the page. Then Bardugo dropped an announcement fans had been waiting for. After years of patience, they would get a new Grishaverse story in 2026. A Darker Shore: Letters from Ketterdam marks the return of the Crows, promising more of the duo fans are demanding more of: Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa. This time the story takes the form of ephemera and found documents.
The timing was ripe for a reunion. In the decade since that first meeting, Bardugo's Grishaverse became a Netflix phenomenon with Shadow and Bone, while Sanderson completed the first arc of The Stormlight Archive and surprised the industry with his record-breaking Secret Projects Kickstarter. Now, their paths cross again—this time with both authors more beloved and better anticipated than ever before.
What Makes the Best Fantasy Heist Books
Brandon started the conversation with a look at what he shares with Leigh: both authors’ careers took off after their heist novels were published; Mistborn in 2006 and Six of Crows in 2015. “You are one of a few people who write in the best genre,” Brandon prompted, “What made you want to write a fantasy heist?” Six of Crows started with Leigh’s love of big heist moments, from assembling the crew to the moment of failure and the grand reveal. When planning the heist , she knew that she was writing a story to con two marks: the mark in the novel and her readers. The trick after that is balancing the fantasy element.
“I think you have to be extra cautious,” Leigh elaborated. “It can’t feel like [magic] is the way you’re getting one over on someone all the time. [Magic] has to be just one additional power influencing the world.”
Her heist starts as street level fantasy—the superpowered magic users are elsewhere when the Crows start their journey. That scope quickly puts the intrepid crew in hot water, and as Leigh put it, “necromancy happens sometimes.”
In Mistborn, the crew members' allomantic abilities take their thievery to the next level. Allomancy’s limitations and costs, not to mention the scale of the job they are planning—deicide, anyone?—keep the superpowered crew on the back foot throughout the series.
You Can Invent a Tank
Brandon’s next question for Leigh touched more on the writing process. “After you fall in love with an idea, how do you stick with it long enough to see it bloom?” He reiterated his belief that improving as a writer is as much the goal of writing as are the words on the page, and a major purpose of writing is to turn ourselves into people who can write great stories. “Can you think of a time when it was a real struggle for you; or when the book just wasn’t working?”
Leigh shared a story from her time writing Six of Crows.
“I had done some research with one of my friends who works for the CIA about security at the White House. And I had put the crew inside this impenetrable fortress, but I couldn’t get them out. I really was stuck for weeks. I remember being in the shower and realizing ‘Oh, I can invent a tank!’ Many of my best ideas come while I’m in the shower.”
Sometimes, we just have to wait for the story to come to us.
Leigh then asked Brandon if he ever suffers writer’s block. “I do. . .” the prolific writer prefaced, “but I am pretty good at getting over it. I know when it’s writers block because something is wrong with the story and when it’s writers block because something is wrong with me.”
“My wife knows that if she walks in and I’m wet in a towel with my laptop, to just ignore me,” Brandon responded, prompting an uproar. Apparently this happens a lot in the Sanderson house.
Embrace Discomfort
Leigh gave a TedX presentation she called The Art of Discomfort, which encouraged artists and authors to find joy in the uncomfortable parts of the creative process. “Something that was really striking about that Ted Talk,” Brandon said, “was you talking about how we need the uncomfortable, difficult parts of writing. AI kind of prevents people from doing the hard parts. What is your perspective on that?”
“If art always felt good, everyone would do it,” Leigh said. She paraphrased Ted Chiang, saying, “Using AI to do your writing for you is like bringing a forklift into the gym: the weights were lifted, but you’re not any stronger.”
From solving problems while reading to enjoying the simple joy of a productive writing day, Leigh celebrated the discomfort and effort that goes into writing. Her recommendation to new writers?
“Know your why. You have to love writing. If your only goal is to finish a novel, AI can do that for you. But you miss out on so much, and that itself is a con.”
Brandon reiterated that the writer is as much a product of their art as the words on the page. “Think of yourself as a piece of art,” he said. “The purpose of the writing is to have these experiences.”
Writing Advice TL;DR
The authors spent some time responding to audience questions and sharing more advice and anecdotes before the evening is over. While I highly recommend tuning in to the recording, here is the breakdown in case you missed it:
- Sometimes your brain needs a break. Sometimes your story needs restructuring. Mastering your process can help you figure out the difference.
- Let your subconscious work for you. Time spent away from your desk can prime your mind for your next writing session.
- The market is fickle, and its whims do not make a writer or their work less worthy.
- Let new story ideas inspire you as you refine what you’re already writing.
- To write viewpoints different from your own, embrace empathy.
- Don’t write to a trend.
- Write honestly.
No Mourners, No Funerals
The heist writers left the stage with a rousing call. “No mourners!” cried Leigh.
“No funerals!” responded an audience that couldn’t have been more enthusiastic.
The packed auditorium emptied slowly, with fans of both authors clutching new editions and signed copies of their favorite books. Encouragement and advice from some of the most beloved writers in fantasy bolstered the up-and-comers in attendance and the promise of fresh stories set imaginations and reading appetites alight.
The enthusiastic crowd has loved the Knights Radiant and the Crows, Ravka and Roshar, for more than a decade. If their rousing applause is any indication, they’re ready for whatever comes next.
Further Reading:
Fantasy Heists:
- Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
- Six of Crows Series by Leigh Bardugo
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
What’s Next from Leigh Bardugo and Brandon Sanderson:
For More Writing Advice:
For the full discussion, check out Brandon’s YouTube channel below.
