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Loving these tips, this is great.

Thank you, this was incredibly helpful.

U forgot abt me😔

I don't think there's any problem with you promoting your own book on your own youtube channel. It's perfectly fair.

I’m a collector (of only 300ish, but I’m only 26). Almost all my books have come from thrift stores apart from the odd few I adore and want to display pretty copies of I do actually read everything I purchase (outside some classics I own just to own, like The Wealth of Nations or Don Quixote, maybe I will someday) but all this talk about the overconsumption of books as left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t buy the new trendy water bottles, I don’t buy fast fashion unless I’m broke and my cat pissed in my laundry basket (that was fun), and I don’t see how it’s any different from someone collecting mugs or Pokémon cards? I mean what would I even do, donate them back to the same goodwill I bought them from? What good would that do anything?

Given I tend to watch Horror rather than read it there is one thing and only one thing I absolutly and whole-heartedly hate. The forced "To be continued"-Ending. I mean, I get it that you want to holpd the door open if - by any chance - your movie was a success. If the book was written with an open end, fine. But I've seen SO MANY horror movies where they tucked a bad twist at the end clearly just to give way to a potential seuqel it frustrates me. Especially bad was "The Gallows". I loved it how the movie handled the story, how everything seemed to be explainable, just a mad woman and a bunch of scared teenagers. And than right at the end: BOOM! SURPIRSE! It wasn't the mother, she summoned the ghost of her daughter to help her and now the ghost murdered the police. This was SO STUPID. It ruined the whole movie in an instant.

Think you could do a video on pulp fiction (the literary example not the movie by Tarantino)?

I really enjoyed this book. I finished it a couple days ago.

I'm kind of / sort of very / really surprised by the video. Suddenly, I noticed a lot of things. This video was like a flash of sunlight in the deep cave. Thank you so much! Best regards from Ukraine!

More new books came out

I'm currently in the process of trying to write a place-based horror anthology, all taking place in a particular group of settings. It's interesting starting with settings and then moving to story, because I have to find ways to enhance the naturally creepy elements of the places I'm writing about. I'm looking forward to viewing more of your videos as I continue!

Always wanted to write a story but never have, trying to get the courage to do it and this video helped. Thanks for sharing.

8:32 - when you’re a man and you hear about a book saying the world would be better after a genocide against men, the appropriate response is not to worry wether the author might also hate trans-people. Yes, if someone calls for genocide on trans-people, that’s the main issue. But that was not the genocide that was being called for. The genocide the author maybe might’ve wanted to call for is obviously a less weighty issue than the genocide she did actually call for.

Short stories are amazing!

What if in an alternate timeline, every story in existence was short? Even Shonen mangas like Dragon Ball and Naruto. Had they been fully-thought out standalone stories. And everything planned ahead of time from origin stories to epilogues.

I'm not surprised your novels 'suck.' All I heard was, me, me, me. Good writers listen and watch others. Get involved in their emotions, not in their own. i thought you might end with some concrete advice for others just starting on their journey. As an avid reader, someone who buys the finished product, I/we can tell when someone is writing for themselves intead of us.. You remind me of someone iIknew who was given a pretty black kitten and instead of being grateful and nourishing it, just moaned because it wasn't a white one. I see in the comments section, you have not rewarded any of the folks who support you, with a heart imoji, or a comment, even though you have had 4 years to do so;. Highlighting the fact you have no interaction with folks either. To busy contemplating your own navel I suppose.

This "Always use said" is funny for me. Why? Because most people I know who give this tip also say: "don't ever use adverbs. Always use strong verbs to show action!" But as soon as it comes to dialogue they are fine with "said quietly" or "said angrily". Because how else can you convey the tone of the dialogue? You cannot put "whispered" or "yelled" as a dialogue tag, because it's not said. Sometimes they top it up with: "Oh yeah, 'to say' will get glossed over by the reader, so it doesn't obstruct as much as another verb". But if it gets glossed over than why write it in the first place? What I want to say is this: Use the dialogue tag you think is the right one for the given situation - or none at all, if you think. The rest will be done in editig anyway.

Thanks for this video. Best wishes from Pakistan 🇵🇰

I think Elder Scrolls did by far the best take on the common fantasy races trope. Not only do they avoid planet of hats by having diffrent competing factions within each race, they also changed some of the pereived personalities alltogether. Like the Bosmer (wood elves) that purley eat meat, because it would be blasphemic to eat plants - the trees are sacred to them. Or the Dwemer (dwarves) who already had hight-technology, but for some reason died out (in Skyrim it seems because their slvaes turned against them and just wiped them out, but that's not the sole reason). The Altmer (high elves) who split into diffrent groups and subsequently even diffrent races over time, with diffrent live styles and agendas. And - I think most crucial of all - they also have diffrent people within the humans as well, with diffrent cultures and practices and mindsets.

Yukio Mishima and Ernst Junger are recommendations for badassery medals. Both insane in their own way.

If you think this book has harsh themes, check out the sequel ‘then’ there are too many deaths in that book and they all happen in such a sad way…

The best example of first person present tense that I've read is the Red Rising series. Pierce Brown wrote the books in a way that could be more easily translated to film.

I just found your channel, Cam. Really great work. I could see you being an important beacon in the horror community. Please put your cape back on and make more videos. You really are great.

I've been on kind of a kick lately about this, getting my blood pressure up, a lot of people misunderstand this to mean literal, physical descriptions. I can't tell if you have that problem, but here are some things I noticed. First, the word "hate" is present in your example that supposedly contains "no" emotive words, like "angry." Second, you complain that always showing rather than telling bloats your word count, while a thumbnail floats conspicuously next to your head beside a title "My Biggest Writing Flaw" that is coincidentally labeled "Under-Writer" Lastly, as far as "The soldier whipped around, his expression furious" - setting aside that worrying you're going to be taken to task for a single terse sentence is pure neuroticism, there is no reason to believe this bloat is an inevitable side effect of showing. "The soldier flung around, his face roiling." is not even longer by character count. Whether or not you prefer this alternative: showing can be stark, just as telling can be wordy. You know "Jimmy went to check the mailbox, it was empty" is telling, relative to "The mailbox was empty." as a standalone sentence. Because the audience is entrusted with the exceedingly simple task of figuring out that Jimmy is our POV and that he's checking his own mailbox; using context. That's really all this is about.

I wish I had found you before I started my Horror Story channel. I use AI to help me write but still use the tips you have given. I will be watching all of your videos for more tips in good writing. I do try to give my characters a background even though my videos are are less than 30 minutes. I agree that a happy ending is not always a bad thing. I do like to have a happy ending, "but..." sometimes. Thanks for the videos, just subscribed!

I'm sorry about your dad but I'm glad you are celebrating his life❤️

No. Know it or don't give advice for it. Hearing what people say is much different from knowing your source material

I have a general concept, argument/theme, characters, but always have trouble choosing the main plots conflict.. does the military (in my story) encounter cyborgs? Aliens? Something supernatural? A parasite? Some sort of disease? Perhaps even alternative versions of themselves (the humans who discover the “thing”) I can dream up a million different scenarios and never know which is right…

It's not an anthology if it's by one author.

8:27 You said it! it's 2024, and the libabries in NY are going away!

our teacher read this to us in grade 4 when i would of been 9 years old. picked this series up just recently from a bookstore and i am currently reading through it at 20 years old. its so surreal and even sadder first hearing the story at the same age as the protagonist then reading through it as an adult and fully understanding the context. fantastic book

Is it because of NNN your moustache grow like this in November? 😅😅😅😂😂

Three kids go to school, unfortunately, the neck of a teacher attacks them (Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone)

Never do World building in chapter 1 has become a popular one recently and I hate it. The first chapter is an excellent place to include world building, and I don't like that that's becoming popular.

Thank you. ❤

I know I'm late to the party BUT the main thing I focus on is writing two stories one with the horror and one with out that is just drama. This way I make sure I make believable characters with believable personalities, goals, flaws, decisions, etc. I also think it just makes the story scarier if the drama side of it is something the audience can relate too.

I wrote this story and had it narrated by Lances Creepy Readings feat Nordic Vampire

There is no way to do kid with the imaginary friend trope good? INCORRECT PLAY HELLO CHARLOTTE ITS A MASTERPIECE

Oh my lord this outfit 🥵

I'm glad to hear that you plan to rewrite these stories! Especially when you can write it much better now and learn from your mistakes. Rewriting failed projects is something I don't hear talked about from published authors at all. Yet, it just makes so much sense to me. If I really want a project to succeed, I would continue to work on it until it does. On another note, personally, I don't think the "damsel in distress" trope is outdated if done well or subverted. My fantasy story pretty much opens with a princess going missing. This unsolved mystery is what sends my main character and her friends on a quest to, well, solve it. When what happened to the princess is finally revealed, it becomes a story about survival and perseverance. She was in distress, but it doesn't mean she has to be trapped in a tower doing nothing. However, I don't write her like some modern "girlboss" who saves herself and looks good while doing it (while also making the "dudes" look dumb). She goes through the wringer. The whole thing is a struggle. I want to say more but I would be revealing way too much of my story then.

Facebook comment section, lmao. I love this already

My hot take "Overused is not valid criticism." (outside the context of a aigle creator)

plenty of failed fanfictions.

Their is only ONE worst. You cant read it here. It is SO BAD that when south park, ripped on it they didnt even mention it by name, they did however introduce the concept of laughing through vomit for those that never have. Its a unique sensation.

Had to sub for the inclusion of the Facebook comments section 😂😂😂

I think the reason short stories are less respected than full length novels (by the lame people among us) is just because short stories are harder to monetize.

I came to this channel after thinking "I'm tired of these books being so long" and wanting analysis on that sentiment ... but haven't I heard that background music in Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy?

Thanks for your insight on the writing process!