I think part of that "fear of digging deeper" is that some writers aren't tackling deeper issues because they're afraid their work will be seen as "problematic" so they just take the safe route and dodge those deeper issues altogether. For example, a writer may think they need a psychologist-level understanding of mental health in order to write characters dealing with such issues.
But it's true though. Because these days they are cancelling authors for going deeper. even if you do your research, it doesn't mean you'll get it right. See Rebecca Yarros with Fourth Wing. She wrote about a disability that both SHE and her MAIN CHARACTER has, yet there was so much criticism about it. That brought in the whole misinterpretation thing. So, yes, a writer does sometimes need expert-level understanding to write about certain deep topics. Also, some simply don't want a "deep" book.
@@katgreer6113 A disadvantage of being a Polish writer, writing in Polish, is that you have minimal chance to reach world audience. An advantage is that in my country there's no cancelling. Worst you can get is some youtubers calling your book problematic and pretty much no one cares.
oh there are plenty more turn-offs i have, but that would have been a long video 🤣however, ive not actually had the early plot twist issue with any of the books ive worked on so far!
My pet peeve is kind of the *opposite* of the last you mentioned: Unnecessary conflict. Something really, bad happens to a character with lasting consequences...because reasons. Reasons that could have been *easily* avoided through simple communication or an already-handy solution. Easily-remedied miscommunication between otherwise-smart characters leading to tragedy makes me groan and toss books.
this is so much meatier and more helpful than 99.9999% of writing advice I see on this platform. Especially the points about easily resolved conflicts and authors who refrain from taking the plunge on foreshadowed horribleness, who aren't shooting that Chekhov's Gun at anyone. really good.
I think a GREAT Bridgerton example is from the book for the third season, where she sets up this plot about (in this case, Lady Danbury) helping Penelope find a husband, and then does LITERALLY NOTHING with it and there's basically almost no conflict in the entire book.
hahaha yes bridgerton is not known for taking risks unfortunately. its a shame because theres so much potential for juicy drama but the author doesnt go there
@@theplotterythe example you gave from Bridgerton (haven't watched all of S2 yet myself so thanks for the spoiler warning), reminds me of a couple of examples in Jane Austen where she uses characters being injured or ill as major plot turning points, but she does it so much better. Of course she knew her society from personal experience. Bridgerton could have used it to examine Recency medicine which could have been interesting. Just saying.
Great video! On the topic of archetypes, I’m trying to create compelling and deep characters using them. What I’ve done is choose what archetype a character is, their shadow, what archetype they think they are and the one they strive to be. So instead of having one level of depth, you end up with three levels.
What you said about fear resonates with me. During quarantine, I wanted to write a book inspired by Dahl with a kid escaping an awful environment and entering a more whimsical place. I ended up writing a rather gritty story about child abuse and trauma recovery. The more whimsical moments were undermined by paragraphs in the eleven year old girl's head. I was also quite proud of how it ended. After writing the first draft, I realized that the parents were now bizarrely out of sync with the rest of work, as they were setting up a completely different story. For the betterment of the work overall, I realized that I had to commit to the more emotionally charged version of the story. For that reason, I abandoned the book.
Here's what I don't understand: People want to see characters change & grow; & yet people themselves do not change. They want dialogue to be 'realistic,' yet actual dialogue is so very boring (sometimes exceptions do exist). They want there to be conflict, yet most people do everything they can to avoid it. Yes, I know readers read because stories are more interesting than life (not me, per se, I prefer the plotless wonderlands of European Modernism). But shouldn't readers also try to learn something from the books they read? & then challenge themselves to embrace more, uhm...challenging books? To embrace change? To confront & overcome conflict? To have more interesting & meaningful conversations? I'm not holding my breath. These are the thoughts that your video made pop into my mind (don't ask me why, I have no control over it). I really enjoyed the video & pressed all applicable buttons.
thanks so much! hah i like your philosophical musings. humans are very contradicting beings by nature. i for one, am all for meaningful books that can teach us lessons, especially if they're delivered in an interesting or original way. my favorite thing about writing is getting to explore the idea of conflict and how each character overcomes it (or whether they do...)
Thank you for this. It's really encouraging to hear these things from a professional in the field. These are the basics of how you interact with your own story as an author, the ones I've learned by myself and thus wasn't 100% sure of. It's nice to be reassured that my "blind kitten run" of writing is going where it should. I'd like to offer one of my pet peeves, too: stomping on your characters in favor of the plot. By which I mean situations where a character just can't do what you planned for them because of the very, well, character you've established so far, so instead of adapting the plot, which is much more flexible (if not negligible), you just go OOC route and then spend pages on justifying that... if you even bother (and I'm not sure which is worse).
oh that's a really good one! trying to fit a character into a plot is never a good idea... its so easily transparent to readers, and you just feel icky and confused when a character does something that's not in their nature, and is only retrospectively justified.
This is one of the best videos about writing that I ever watched. Everything I was insecure about; every writing problem I had is discussed right here. Thank you a lot!
I don't think I have a problem in these areas, but, as yet, I have no agent or beta readers to tell me otherwise. I liked what you said about fear, though. I expected you were going to talk about an excessive use of fear in characterization or some-such. I did not realize that there were many writers who would be afraid to challenge their protagonists and/or tackle what happens to them, good or bad. Thank you for your efforts, I think I learned a little on the "easily resolved conflict" ideas. Have a good day.
yep, it's a very common thing with the writers I've spoken to and worked with. mostly its to do with keeping characters in a safe middle ground or never pushing them to extremes
@@theplottery It's funny too, because characters who are pushed to their limits are the ones we relate to the most. Combine that with solid writing... I just hope I can pull it off.
@@annepirate2427 While half of what you say is true, (that you should write the story that inspires you) if we finally acquire an editor and publisher, we _should_ care what they think. I don't know about you, but I'm still an amateur writer, and any help I can get to make my written work better, especially if it's from the current professionals in the field I'm writing in, I'm going to take it, with relish. It means they care almost as much as you do to see that your work does well. Since they are the ones who know better about what works and what doesn't, it makes sense to take what they say seriously. Now, from what I've heard, editors and publishers and agents are perfectly willing to work _with_ writers on their novels, making suggestions on how to improve the story to make it more reader-friendly. If there are changes that they suggest which will harm the work, and the writer explains sufficiently the reason such a change is bad and not good, they are typically gracious on not pushing the issue. See Alyssa Matesic for confirmation on that one.
I like your take on archetypes. I plunged into some selfdoubt about one of my main characters, because he didnt fully fit into any classic archetype. So I started questioning that maybe some of his actions or beliefs are contradictory. I even considered rewriting bunch of stuff. Because he is a soldier in jungle that doesnt care to learn how animals live there, basically endangering his group, killing bunch of them instead of taking different safer route, its one of his flaws. But on the other hand he is a thoughtful and curious person, that worked in observatory in civilian life. So I thought its dumb, because if he is an "Investigator" or whatever then he should seek knowledge and how can a person be thoughtful and curious about some stuff and not be curious about a mysterious wildlife around him. Then I thought that its actually very human to have contradictions like this. He doesnt want to be there. So yeah maybe investigator always tries to learn and study or whatever, but sometimes you are just apathetic to something, especially about environments you dont even want to be in. Maybe its a task for other characters, to make him see this, that his emotions blind him.
that makes perfect sense! we're definitely not just one thing, it's down to what we care about at present, and its about everything that shaped us (backstory etc) which decides what choices we make now
If you're gonna use a coma as an effect, but they're magically back on their feet in the very next episode and there's no preface of "One year later" or something similar, then why did you go with a coma at all? Go with a heavy concussion. That's keep you out for a day or better. Wow, if I was watching a show and they were in a coma and magically were back up and around in the very next episode, that would be it for me. I'd be done with that dreck. That would be like running out of bullets in a dramatic gun fight. You start a car chase to try and evade the bad guys. Bad guys are ripping round after round at you as you squeal away in the only vehicle nearby that happened to have the keys still in the ignition. You frantically try to escape. Twists. Turns. Near escapes. Bullets flying all over the place (except from you). You get T-boned in a major intersection and your car flips 17 times end over end and crashes into...a gun shop. How convenient. And of course, your hero is just a little dizzy but still ambulatory enough to not only get out of the vehicle unscathed, but deftly manages to get all the guns and all the ammo he'll need to successfully mow down every bad guy that was just chasing him. Wow, good thing he crashed into a gun shop at that very moment, right? That must be some damn fine divine intervention. And the saddest part is...there are probably real writers who have already written this very thing and thought it was the greatest thing ever written.
@@subtledemisefox The more I read it, the more I like it and am glad that my brain went all cuckoo for cocoa puffs at that moment in time. A set of scenes like those would play well if executed properly. Thanks for the acknowledgement.
One of my biggest pet peeves in books are when the author jumps into a massive exposition during an action scene, like your bar fight example. A back story is a good example. Another is filling in massive descriptions, of clothing, of furnishings, of anything when there’s a literal “elephant in the room.” Exposition has a time and place, and it drives me nuts when authors don’t know this. A good example is from the late, great, Robert Jordan. While I love his books, he would throw in pages of descriptions, during said bar fight.
true, it can really ruin pacing as well. i think it comes from writers thinking that description of everything is necessary for visualisation, when it in fact comes a lot easier with just a few main details, and enough space to fill in the blanks
That was my thought as well. You don't want to interrupt the bar fight with a backstory about how the character learned to fight or the explanation of an internal conflict they have towards not wanting to fight, but feeling like they are morally obligated to. That stuff should already be setup when the fight happens and doesn't require huge paragraphs to do so.
Excellent advice, thank you. I personally love archetypal characters when they are brought to life. Plastic doll archetypes never work, they're sooo boring!
I have a subplot where my secondary main character is in a bad relationship. I've hinted at it before, but now I want to show a scene that really demonstrates how bad it is. The relationship won't be resolved (they eventually part ways), with the villain mainly to blame. I want to show my secondary character being pushed to the point where he acts out of character. Afterward, he blames himself while the villain smugly accepts his apologies as if she wasn't the instigator. I think this will make his recovery more meaningful, and his eventual new love interest more impactful.
Thank you! You reminded me that I have set up some conflicts I have been afraid to resolve. Guess I should let my character work it out in the novel instead of having it all done in my head before I dare to address it.
I used astrology but instead of just sun signs, I did a big 3 (sun, moon and rising) to get a more nuanced character. (moon= inner life, rising= public persona,)
Finally someone said that MBTI is useless unless you give your characters depth! I'm so sick of 16 types, why are lots of authors so crazy about them? You can just tell when an author used an archetype instead of an actual living prototype
yeah the archetypes are almost becoming the new stereotypes. it worked for a while, but you gotta dig so much deeper to make that character feel like a real person instead of a list of traits off the internet
Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of these peeves in Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss (especially not delivering on conflict/development/twists/etc.) and I’m wondering if I’m going to finish either, at this point. I say this even though I enjoy many of the characters.
To add onto "Fear" I think a thing a character may be struggling with may be to emotional for an author to tackle. I'm new to writing and Ive noticed there is like a zone when Im so into my characters head that now Im starting to feel how I perceive them feeling. Which to be frank I am there for, its what I love about writing but maybe for others hitting that zone it may lead to being overwhelmed or just something they themselves arent ready to tackle as a person.
totally get that! ive had that a few times with my own projects, and they were scenes i had to step away from or leave for later. my first project i simply had to let sit for a couple years until i was in the right headspace to tackle its topics
Hey, personal note in your description of this video you have a typo - it's at the bottom of a paragraph where you say "learned" twice. Love your channel, keep doing what you do!
I've never seen your channel before it came up on my feed tonight. I loved your video! Liked, subscribed, and left a comment! Looking forward to more content!
Hmm... I tend to like a fairly complex plot. For me it's not about padding, it sort of _is_ how I develop characters, sort of " What if he does this... that's interesting, what does that say about him?" I have one idea that I'm afraid of in its entirety. Without getting deep into the details the idea is you have this damsel in distress story where the hero saves the "princess" and she straight up kills him. And I'm like "Is that a story? Maybe that's backstory. Or Act 1. Could it be book 1 though? I'm not really interested in a continuation... Who wants to read a anything that sounds like it is made up of outdated cliches? People are going to think I want credit for subverting tropes that are so old they're not _even_ cliches anymore, they're more like arcane myths. Or for shock value. I want it to be shocking, but understandable. Audiences are too savvy. Maybe nobody will be surprised. What happened to 'it's more about the journey than the destination?' Maybe I'm not good enough to carry the journey either. Am I ready to be accused of performative feminism and misandry in equal measure? Maybe I should make the "hero" character unlikable so the heroine's actions seem more justified? Like a satire. But isn't it _more_ interesting if he is likable? At least enough? Then people will hate her though, right? Maybe just men. Am I asking to enflame a war of the sexes? Maybe it's just a terrible idea. I don't know... I like my instincts, and I got pretty excited about it. Yeah but people are going to ask you 'why?' I don't know why. You should know why. Ugh! Can I figure it out later, leave me alone! Why write the whole thing if there's no point? I kinda want to." It just goes on like that. What I find amusing about this is I agree with you, "just ask why," is a really important mantra to keep in mind. For this reason there's another piece of writing advice that I don't subscribe to that "themes" are something that are revealed by others after the story is completed, that you have nothing to do with, they're not something you should ever be thinking about while you're writing. It's also not lost on me that if I didn't prefer to have my endings in mind first, I could easily have written the whole thing, and incidentally stumbled my way into such a controversial conclusion, then the issue would largely be moot.
oh gosh, i think themes are super important for an author to know about their work so im glad you mentioned it! we definitely cant prevent people drawing their own conclusions after the work is out there, but going into it consciously makes all the difference to the project quality in the end
@@futurestoryteller i think you should if you feel called to it. There is inevitably going to be people who criticize it one way or another, but we can’t live in fear of what others will think about us
I have not actually read the archetype thing (but I’ve heard of it before). I just invent and develop my characters. That’s the most fun part of writing a novel, for me at least. It’s just kind of organic for me, hard to describe, these people just come alive in my head and become more and more alive the more I write them. It’s a really good feeling when I feel like I did this right, when I have created an actual person, a multi-layered character if you want to put it that way. The series of books I am working on now and publishing, they are scifi books with scifi plots but I created the characters first in a document. And then I thought of the plot. And I did it this way because I really wanted to write a character-driven story. (This after trying to write a few novels that had an interesting concept and plot but didn’t have any interesting characters.) When I did it that way the magic happened. Something clicked. I had the opposite of writer’s block. I couldn’t stop writing. I was belting out complete first drafts of these books in just a month. And they weren’t short books, either. Most of them are over 120K words. Anyway, I liked your video, you have great writing advice.
I don't know if I got it right about archetypes, but basically, you're saying we're supposed to put our own spin on it, so that means let's say we have a stoic father character, but actually they just wish to let go of their responsibilities to unwind their actual silliness. Sounds familiar? Well I just described BOTW/TOTK Link from Zelda 😭
While your points are valid in general, it should be noted that they only marginally apply (at best) to Humor and Satire. When a satirist stacks plot points like shipping pallets it is not from fear of their story being boring. It is the intentional application of a technique called 'Escalation'. Monty Python's 'The 4 Yorkshire Men' is an archetypical example of this. In addition, Archetypes are vital in satire because it is those precise archetypes that the satire is tearing down.
Hi Char, I've been enjoying all your content the past few days. You always have a bottomless well of literary wisdom that I appreciate immensely. I hope you never let the Critical Cathies among us drag you down. You know what they say about people who are soaring to the zenith of success--their critics will crawl out of the woodwork and out of their own insecurity, attack them in mean-spirited ways. I think the way you carry yourself is very unique and sophisticated, and it attracts positive vibes. I hope you have a beautiful day (or night) wherever you happen to be!
it's something ive started noticing only recently, but ive had several manuscripts where the authors weren't taking risks or pushing their characters to extremes. like not letting them get obsessive over a topic that would make perfect sense for them to be obsessed with, or letting them get angry and act out, or keeping a side-character a nice cool/safe/kind vibe so their friendship evolves without hiccups, rather than giving the side character an edge that might clash with the protagonist and challenge them (this makes the eventual friendship feel more deserved), or not exploring a certain theme because it's a little risky or controversial
8:42 Oh fear of digging deeper and exploring other events?-hm sometimes I dig deep into one thing and then also go from there and develop characters and more. Once had to time jump to get back on track and then the next chapter was all about what happened during this specific event. Oh and about the archetype character thing?-well I think that instead it is better to think of how a character is and then their fears-misbelives and more did this for a character and it explains well now why a character is the way they are-also Fanfic’s I think could help in creating all sorts of characters because a fanfic has the main characters and other characters and you have to write them the way they would react and be like and go from there.
I don't agree with your third argument, you're sharing an opinion, not an objective advice. Some people like you love character-driven stories, but others love plot-driven stories. Saying "you should not do plot-driven stories" is stupid, it's an artistic choice, not a flaw. It's like saying "don't do fantasy novels they are boring" that's an opinion not a truth.
@@Kephy_ thats why this video is titled as my pet-peeves! of course everything i say is going to be subjective based on my own reading and editing preferences :)
A pet peeve I have with videos, those who do a 30 second preview of the “juicy stuff” in the beginning. I skip skip skip this because it is annoying. I’m already invested when I clicked on it. At least you have chapter marks.
I don't know if it's just me, but she seems to be imitating Abbie Emmons both in how she structure her video and how she talks and carries herself. It feels fake somehow. Uncanny. It's a shame because her advice is not generic; she has some unique perspectives. She should be confident to do her own thing (but if this happens to be her real voice and style then I apologize 😂).
ouch, that actually really hurts. i am not trying to be abbie at all, i respect her and occasionally watch her videos. the 30-second preview is a very standard marketing trick i wasnt aware she did, i picked it up from business channels i watch. i dont know where your perspective is coming from, but its really hurtful to call me fake or call out how i 'carry myself' when its already really difficult to gather the confidence to sit in front of my camera and do this as someone with severe anxiety and a speech impediment. why there needs be a comparison at all is beyond me. ive already been doing this on instagram for years, and only now switched to youtube because i thought i might express myself better here and be able to show more of my personality on this platform, so you judging me for being 'fake' and comparing me to someone else is a real kick in the gut that i didnt need. i do read all my comments. many creators do. so please, in the future, maybe think through what you're saying and whether it actually needs to be said.
@@theplottery Whoa. I said it 'seems' and I admitted it may be just me, and already I apologized in advance if that is the case. I just pointed out the similarities I observed, how others who have seen Abbie Emmons might also see the similarities, and how it 'feels' fake to 'me' and affected my enjoyment of your video a little bit. I'm not judging you or saying you 'are' fake, because I don't know your real personality, of course. Heck, even if you are copying someone else's proven style, there's nothing wrong with that. Because you learn from successful people before you when you just started out, then develop your own style along the way. What I'm trying to say is that your content is strong enough, and 'in my opinion' you don't need a well-recognized business style to market it, 'if' that were the case. This is the first video of you I saw and I followed right away. And now I'm starting to regret it. I saw your channel seems to be just starting out, and I just gave an opinion on what might help, as a random impressed viewer who's watched many writing advice channels. This is just constructive criticism (unwelcome here, apparently). And the thing with criticism is if you feel it isn't relevant, you can just ignore it. I'm just one slightly critical comment in a sea of praise, so far. So in general, you're doing great and don't have to change a thing. As an editor, I thought you'd know authors don't have to take all advice; only what is relevant to their case. Because how is a random person watching your video supposed to know what triggers you and what trauma or what condition is plaguing you? I know emotions can be hard to read in text, but why are you jumping to the worst possible scenario and not giving some benefit of the doubt? Not everyone is trying to be hurtful. It's curious how as an editor you can dish it out, so to speak, but can't take. You can't distinguish general critique on your content, from an actual personal attack? I've been writing online for over a decade. I've read and replied to thousands of readers' comments directly. So yes, I have thought through what I said. I've always been empathetic to fellow creators. And I still don't see any harm in what I said or how I said it. You could have just said: "That's an unfortunate coincidence. This is my real voice and style and I never mean to copy AE. I had speech impediment and anxiety, so I might have picked and chosen from others unconsciously as I learn how to carry myself before a camera", and carry on, and we're good. You being so offended actually leaves me feeling more suspicious than ever that there might be a grain of truth to what I said.
@@jeidafei1165 i welcome constructive criticism on things i talk about or people challenging my opinions always, but yes - I’m sensitive when someone comes after me personally. I also don’t see why you’re allowed to make comments on my personality but im not allowed to respond with how i feel about that comment. Perhaps im in the wrong about how your comment was intended (were all subjective creatures after all) but when I read it, it felt personal rather than a general critique, considering you mentioned you like my opinions but criticised my personality/presentation. I dont know, would you not feel that someone calling you fake was hurtful? I’m not sure what me being an editor has to do with this, since again, I feel there’s a difference in saying someone’s book could use restructuring versus saying the author seems a certain way and it’s a shame because you liked their book. Does that make sense? To me, your comment definitely translated as personal. I had other people commenting before about disliking my intro, and I took that feedback on board and made a new one, or people disagreeing with a point I made and I acknowledged different perspectives so I definitely don’t shy away from critique when it’s constructive, but I didn’t know what to do with your comment other than be hurt by it or try to justify myself about how this is my “real voice” (not really sure what that means), or that I carry myself how I always do. Is that really something I need to justify? If I were to look at your comment as constructive, would my next logical steps be to consider changing the way I talk? Does that really not feel like personal criticism? I don’t know. Maybe I’m too sensitive for this age of social media. If you don’t want to follow me for stating how I feel, that’s okay. No hard feelings.
@theplottery Where did I make any comment on your personality? I literally said I don't know your real personality. And only that you being so offended makes me suspicious that my guess was correct. "I'm not 'allowed' to make a comment"? Are you the authority on what is allowed on CZcams? I think I am allowed to make a comment on your personality (which I didn't), if I wanted to. And where did I say you're not allowed to respond? I just explained my intentions, and suggested the way you responded may be overreacting, that's all. Neither you nor I are the authority here. Delete, block and report me, and let CZcams be the judge of whether I am allowed to comment so, if you feel so harmed. I criticized your presentation, NOT your personality. I said "you seem fake on your video", not "you are a fake person". I said "you seem to be imitating Abbie to me and it feels uncanny to me", not "I just know you copied Abbie, you copycat". Do you see the difference? First is opinion. Second is libel. We all need to market to our viewers. A reasonable creator would take critical/negative feedback from viewers and consider whether this is an issue, if changing it would help the brand, and if that's the brand you want to create. If no to all, then discard it. You can't please everyone. I'm one critique in a sea of praise. All the other commenters must be looking at me like I'm an idiot, for all I know. Why so bothered? You don't have to do anything. You don't have to justify having a voice that sounds to one person on the internet like another creator. If someone innocently has the wrong first impression of you faking your voice, then say you're not and move on. It shouldn't be your concern whether they change their mind. Why do you feel the need to prove yourself to every single person? If you were to look at my comment as constructive, then changing the way you talk might make you stand out more, yes. But if you feel that you'd rather use your genuine voice, and this is one commenter being delusional when everyone else is already happy with your voice, then feel free to cast my opinion in the trash! It's up to you! You know your channel best! I'm not being sarcastic, really! Why do you care so much? And no, suggesting you change your voice and how you speak to market your content is not a personal attack. It's no different from suggesting you dress differently to what you'd be dressing at home, for work or formal occasions, or not put 30 second previews before your video. It's just a suggestion, a preference from a viewer. Which again, you can disregard.
Unsolicited advice: most books in the last decade have all felt the same. They’re written for women who feel like they’re smart but not the smartest, pretty but not the prettiest, bad with money and definitely not racist based on stupid examples. Acceptable flaws. Basically every millennial. Every guy is either a jerk, an idiot or THE ONE…who ultimately ends up being a murderer. Stop. This story has been written ten thousand times. Make the rich pretty girl complicated, make the jock complicated but resist the urge to make him gay. Give the protagonist an actual flaw. Stop writing in a sociopolitical echo chamber and your book will soar.
I am going to be murdered by Polish Witcher fans... but here goes: I think that the Witcher *novels* are a prime example of avoiding deeper exploration. Sapkowski invented a fascinating character with much potential for adventure and drama, which was later extensively developed in movies and even games. A genetically modified super-warrior who yearns to be human, and feels pity for the creatures he is meant to slay - drama-rich stuff! But then Sapkowski veers off into the story of Ciri, who is really bland in comparison, and the witcher becomes a side-kick at best. Mind you, the story of Ciri is engaging and well-written - but that's not who the books should be about! I find it especially interesting because I caught myself doing a similar thing with my first novel (now reworked and in search of a publisher :D ). And I honestly do not understand why I was doing it...
I have tried soooo hard to like Bridgerton but it just won't let me. I don't care about any of the conflicts. Any of them. I was hoping it would fill the void left by Downton Abbey but it's like trying to get into a John Wayne western after binging on Deadwood.
There are over seven billion people in the world. The books aren't written for you. The author writes a book for themselves and others like them will like it. You should stick to doing your job.
Good luck getting published when you're so dismissive of editorial guidance. There may be 7 billion people in the world but an editor has a pretty good idea about what most of them find annoying.
@@TheBrighterSpider Some of the greatest literary works I've ever read were self published. In general, editors ruin people's books. They want everybody to follow the exact same pattern. When most people don't like the pattern, which is exactly why book sales worldwide are so low.
Well, isn't she and people like her a part of those 7 billions? If an author likes her advice and uses it, they will get this part of the audience instead of sone other, where's the loss? What's the point in shutting down anyone's opinion if you believe that each author can get readers by their own merit?
Wow, that's different. You're an unusual editor. Most of the time, they say going deeper is boring. I'm a literary author. I don't know what you mean by excessive backstory, but in my case, the development of the political landscape is the whole point of the story. Without it, it wouldn't make any sense, and would just be another dime novel. Oh well... most editors are snobs. I don't know if you are, but generally, the point of why we read isn't to go on adventures, but to learn something. Movies are for pointless adventures. That's why I never was published is that novels are now just three hundred page, 80,000 word movies. And am flapping in the wind on Amazon's KDP because of it.
@@BKNeifert im more into literary and character driven fiction myself, that’s why i have these opinions, i suppose. With excessive backstory, i mean info dumps at the beginning of the book, or giving the backstory in an unnatural spot in the book!
@@theplottery Without Jules Verne's Info Dumps we wouldn't have Submarines. I think Info Dumps are kind of important sometimes, even to the plot in some novels, as you wouldn't be immersed in a totally different world. Like Tolkien's descriptions of trees is the best part of Tolkien; he's trying to tell you something about the place our technology has with nature, and that's the main theme of The Lord of the Rings is how industrialization spoils much of the world's natural beauty. It might not be the most fun thing to read, but I got to say, that Submarine is about the only thing I actually enjoyed about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I like Characters as much as anyone else, but the whole point of reading is much more than characters. It's to learn and communicate.
I think you may be presumptuous on why people read. You may personally find that you read to learn. Others may not feel the same. Many read to be entertained or as escapism or to trigger a certain emotion or even to find comfort in a shared human experience. And there is a such wide variety of books that meet these needs. Different audiences look for different things. Maybe you haven't been able to find the right audience for your books?
If you're a writer reading this, stop listening to "writing advice" youtube. All it's doing is paralyzing you. These videos are not meant to help you. They're selling you something. Look at the description links. SHE IS USING YOUR FEARS AND INSECURITIES TO MAKE MONEY. Stop listening to these people and go write.
gasp, an editor promoting her livelihood in the description of a completely free video made for the sole purpose of helping writers in which she coincidentally never mentioned any services nor said to click on the description. must warn everyone.
The New Masterpiece Imagine the Quran being add to the Bible Where you, as the author, would have placed the Old Quran in this new biblical canon The only possible placing would have seem, at first sight, in between the Old and New Testament, which would have meaned a new secular timeline for Earth's history, because if you would have preserved the current profane timeline by positioning the Original Quran at its end what you would have need to do next is to take the Abrahamic canon out from Earth and replace it by a Brahmic one due incompatible with Earth's coming future, which would have been logically impossible for more than 84 years As you knows, the Abrahamic cannon contains, hidden among its pages, the true Earth timeline, you cannot just take it out from Earth Then the real timeline revelation could have been a third temple ... The other option, the seemingly profane one, could have been to absolute change Quran to make it compatible with Earth's future as you placing it at the end of your new biblical canon, preserving our preserved and always present profane timeline, and the sacred hiding of Earth's real timeline, which would have mean the past WW3's worldwide christian persecution and traditional muslims genocide decision taking through the Atheo-brahmic forces that have been robotically imposed, but pyramids and related touristic infrastructures, as well as entertainment industries investments saved ... Mmmh, yes, this is authentically our best piece
100% get the fear! I’ve literally said ‘not sure if I’m smart enough to tackle the actual problem inspiring this so I’ll find a way to talk about a PIECE of it.’ But fiiiiiiine. I’ll do the hard thing, too. 🥲
hahahah we've all been there! it's the 'i dont think ill go too deeply into this, i dont think it matters' and then later realizing its the whole foundation for your story and you could never avoid it
I think part of that "fear of digging deeper" is that some writers aren't tackling deeper issues because they're afraid their work will be seen as "problematic" so they just take the safe route and dodge those deeper issues altogether. For example, a writer may think they need a psychologist-level understanding of mental health in order to write characters dealing with such issues.
I think a lot of writers haven't dug deep into themselves first.
But it's true though. Because these days they are cancelling authors for going deeper. even if you do your research, it doesn't mean you'll get it right. See Rebecca Yarros with Fourth Wing. She wrote about a disability that both SHE and her MAIN CHARACTER has, yet there was so much criticism about it. That brought in the whole misinterpretation thing. So, yes, a writer does sometimes need expert-level understanding to write about certain deep topics. Also, some simply don't want a "deep" book.
@@katgreer6113 A disadvantage of being a Polish writer, writing in Polish, is that you have minimal chance to reach world audience. An advantage is that in my country there's no cancelling. Worst you can get is some youtubers calling your book problematic and pretty much no one cares.
So don’t turn your book into an anime opening and I thought that revealing your plot twist too early would have been a turn off.
oh there are plenty more turn-offs i have, but that would have been a long video 🤣however, ive not actually had the early plot twist issue with any of the books ive worked on so far!
im gonna turn my book into an anime opening on purpose. You do you 😂
@@WinryRockbellElricmy book is just going to be an entire anime series. Nobody can stop me
😂yesssss!! @@subtledemisefox
My pet peeve is kind of the *opposite* of the last you mentioned: Unnecessary conflict. Something really, bad happens to a character with lasting consequences...because reasons. Reasons that could have been *easily* avoided through simple communication or an already-handy solution. Easily-remedied miscommunication between otherwise-smart characters leading to tragedy makes me groan and toss books.
love this! miscommunication sometimes almost feels like the deus ex machina trope in reverse and it can be painful to read/watch
Too much sugar makes coffee undrinkable
Too much drama makes a story unreadable.
this is so much meatier and more helpful than 99.9999% of writing advice I see on this platform. Especially the points about easily resolved conflicts and authors who refrain from taking the plunge on foreshadowed horribleness, who aren't shooting that Chekhov's Gun at anyone. really good.
thank you so much! that really means a lot, its definitely what i strive for
I think a GREAT Bridgerton example is from the book for the third season, where she sets up this plot about (in this case, Lady Danbury) helping Penelope find a husband, and then does LITERALLY NOTHING with it and there's basically almost no conflict in the entire book.
hahaha yes bridgerton is not known for taking risks unfortunately. its a shame because theres so much potential for juicy drama but the author doesnt go there
@@theplotterythe example you gave from Bridgerton (haven't watched all of S2 yet myself so thanks for the spoiler warning), reminds me of a couple of examples in Jane Austen where she uses characters being injured or ill as major plot turning points, but she does it so much better. Of course she knew her society from personal experience.
Bridgerton could have used it to examine Recency medicine which could have been interesting. Just saying.
Great video! On the topic of archetypes, I’m trying to create compelling and deep characters using them. What I’ve done is choose what archetype a character is, their shadow, what archetype they think they are and the one they strive to be. So instead of having one level of depth, you end up with three levels.
thats a great idea!
What you said about fear resonates with me. During quarantine, I wanted to write a book inspired by Dahl with a kid escaping an awful environment and entering a more whimsical place. I ended up writing a rather gritty story about child abuse and trauma recovery. The more whimsical moments were undermined by paragraphs in the eleven year old girl's head. I was also quite proud of how it ended. After writing the first draft, I realized that the parents were now bizarrely out of sync with the rest of work, as they were setting up a completely different story. For the betterment of the work overall, I realized that I had to commit to the more emotionally charged version of the story. For that reason, I abandoned the book.
aw that's a shame that you abandoned it though! but i understand, sometimes projects get away from us
No, go back to it! My book is about the aftermath of "that stuff" and magic.
Here's what I don't understand: People want to see characters change & grow; & yet people themselves do not change. They want dialogue to be 'realistic,' yet actual dialogue is so very boring (sometimes exceptions do exist). They want there to be conflict, yet most people do everything they can to avoid it.
Yes, I know readers read because stories are more interesting than life (not me, per se, I prefer the plotless wonderlands of European Modernism). But shouldn't readers also try to learn something from the books they read? & then challenge themselves to embrace more, uhm...challenging books? To embrace change? To confront & overcome conflict? To have more interesting & meaningful conversations? I'm not holding my breath.
These are the thoughts that your video made pop into my mind (don't ask me why, I have no control over it). I really enjoyed the video & pressed all applicable buttons.
thanks so much! hah i like your philosophical musings. humans are very contradicting beings by nature. i for one, am all for meaningful books that can teach us lessons, especially if they're delivered in an interesting or original way. my favorite thing about writing is getting to explore the idea of conflict and how each character overcomes it (or whether they do...)
People change all the time. I don't think I trust your capacity for observation if you really believe nobody changes.
Thank you for this.
It's really encouraging to hear these things from a professional in the field. These are the basics of how you interact with your own story as an author, the ones I've learned by myself and thus wasn't 100% sure of. It's nice to be reassured that my "blind kitten run" of writing is going where it should.
I'd like to offer one of my pet peeves, too: stomping on your characters in favor of the plot. By which I mean situations where a character just can't do what you planned for them because of the very, well, character you've established so far, so instead of adapting the plot, which is much more flexible (if not negligible), you just go OOC route and then spend pages on justifying that... if you even bother (and I'm not sure which is worse).
oh that's a really good one! trying to fit a character into a plot is never a good idea... its so easily transparent to readers, and you just feel icky and confused when a character does something that's not in their nature, and is only retrospectively justified.
This is one of the best videos about writing that I ever watched. Everything I was insecure about; every writing problem I had is discussed right here. Thank you a lot!
wow thank you so much! i really appreciate that
I don't think I have a problem in these areas, but, as yet, I have no agent or beta readers to tell me otherwise. I liked what you said about fear, though. I expected you were going to talk about an excessive use of fear in characterization or some-such. I did not realize that there were many writers who would be afraid to challenge their protagonists and/or tackle what happens to them, good or bad.
Thank you for your efforts, I think I learned a little on the "easily resolved conflict" ideas. Have a good day.
yep, it's a very common thing with the writers I've spoken to and worked with. mostly its to do with keeping characters in a safe middle ground or never pushing them to extremes
@@theplottery It's funny too, because characters who are pushed to their limits are the ones we relate to the most. Combine that with solid writing...
I just hope I can pull it off.
You should write what you like. Others like you will like it. You shouldn't care what a publisher or editor thinks. Write for you.
@@annepirate2427 While half of what you say is true, (that you should write the story that inspires you) if we finally acquire an editor and publisher, we _should_ care what they think. I don't know about you, but I'm still an amateur writer, and any help I can get to make my written work better, especially if it's from the current professionals in the field I'm writing in, I'm going to take it, with relish.
It means they care almost as much as you do to see that your work does well. Since they are the ones who know better about what works and what doesn't, it makes sense to take what they say seriously.
Now, from what I've heard, editors and publishers and agents are perfectly willing to work _with_ writers on their novels, making suggestions on how to improve the story to make it more reader-friendly. If there are changes that they suggest which will harm the work, and the writer explains sufficiently the reason such a change is bad and not good, they are typically gracious on not pushing the issue. See Alyssa Matesic for confirmation on that one.
I like your take on archetypes. I plunged into some selfdoubt about one of my main characters, because he didnt fully fit into any classic archetype. So I started questioning that maybe some of his actions or beliefs are contradictory. I even considered rewriting bunch of stuff. Because he is a soldier in jungle that doesnt care to learn how animals live there, basically endangering his group, killing bunch of them instead of taking different safer route, its one of his flaws. But on the other hand he is a thoughtful and curious person, that worked in observatory in civilian life.
So I thought its dumb, because if he is an "Investigator" or whatever then he should seek knowledge and how can a person be thoughtful and curious about some stuff and not be curious about a mysterious wildlife around him.
Then I thought that its actually very human to have contradictions like this. He doesnt want to be there. So yeah maybe investigator always tries to learn and study or whatever, but sometimes you are just apathetic to something, especially about environments you dont even want to be in. Maybe its a task for other characters, to make him see this, that his emotions blind him.
that makes perfect sense! we're definitely not just one thing, it's down to what we care about at present, and its about everything that shaped us (backstory etc) which decides what choices we make now
Most satisfying realization is pursuing those ideas that presented the most trouble that I tried avoiding!! 😂
So true! It's amazing how long it takes us to piece together that actually addressing some of the things we ignore can make the story click into place
That "fear of digging deeper" part is something I've also seen a lot of times. It's really irritating.
If you're gonna use a coma as an effect, but they're magically back on their feet in the very next episode and there's no preface of "One year later" or something similar, then why did you go with a coma at all? Go with a heavy concussion. That's keep you out for a day or better. Wow, if I was watching a show and they were in a coma and magically were back up and around in the very next episode, that would be it for me. I'd be done with that dreck.
That would be like running out of bullets in a dramatic gun fight. You start a car chase to try and evade the bad guys. Bad guys are ripping round after round at you as you squeal away in the only vehicle nearby that happened to have the keys still in the ignition. You frantically try to escape. Twists. Turns. Near escapes. Bullets flying all over the place (except from you). You get T-boned in a major intersection and your car flips 17 times end over end and crashes into...a gun shop.
How convenient.
And of course, your hero is just a little dizzy but still ambulatory enough to not only get out of the vehicle unscathed, but deftly manages to get all the guns and all the ammo he'll need to successfully mow down every bad guy that was just chasing him. Wow, good thing he crashed into a gun shop at that very moment, right? That must be some damn fine divine intervention.
And the saddest part is...there are probably real writers who have already written this very thing and thought it was the greatest thing ever written.
@@BigDaddyJinx hahahah this is amazing 😂
@@theplottery Heh. Glad you enjoyed it.
Idk that's kind of badass. It could probably work in some over-the-top self aware action movie. Or some kind of action movie parody.
@@subtledemisefox The more I read it, the more I like it and am glad that my brain went all cuckoo for cocoa puffs at that moment in time. A set of scenes like those would play well if executed properly.
Thanks for the acknowledgement.
One of my biggest pet peeves in books are when the author jumps into a massive exposition during an action scene, like your bar fight example. A back story is a good example. Another is filling in massive descriptions, of clothing, of furnishings, of anything when there’s a literal “elephant in the room.” Exposition has a time and place, and it drives me nuts when authors don’t know this. A good example is from the late, great, Robert Jordan. While I love his books, he would throw in pages of descriptions, during said bar fight.
true, it can really ruin pacing as well. i think it comes from writers thinking that description of everything is necessary for visualisation, when it in fact comes a lot easier with just a few main details, and enough space to fill in the blanks
That was my thought as well. You don't want to interrupt the bar fight with a backstory about how the character learned to fight or the explanation of an internal conflict they have towards not wanting to fight, but feeling like they are morally obligated to. That stuff should already be setup when the fight happens and doesn't require huge paragraphs to do so.
Excellent advice, thank you. I personally love archetypal characters when they are brought to life. Plastic doll archetypes never work, they're sooo boring!
I have a subplot where my secondary main character is in a bad relationship. I've hinted at it before, but now I want to show a scene that really demonstrates how bad it is. The relationship won't be resolved (they eventually part ways), with the villain mainly to blame. I want to show my secondary character being pushed to the point where he acts out of character. Afterward, he blames himself while the villain smugly accepts his apologies as if she wasn't the instigator. I think this will make his recovery more meaningful, and his eventual new love interest more impactful.
I’m jealous of your videos they’ll so tightly edited and powerful
aw thank you! i have a really awesome editor
Thank you! You reminded me that I have set up some conflicts I have been afraid to resolve. Guess I should let my character work it out in the novel instead of having it all done in my head before I dare to address it.
that's a great idea! its often easier to work things out on paper by actually writing it down than just in your head
Great video! Interesting things I hadn't necessarily thought to look out for! Thank you 😁
I used astrology but instead of just sun signs, I did a big 3 (sun, moon and rising) to get a more nuanced character. (moon= inner life, rising= public persona,)
Finally someone said that MBTI is useless unless you give your characters depth! I'm so sick of 16 types, why are lots of authors so crazy about them? You can just tell when an author used an archetype instead of an actual living prototype
yeah the archetypes are almost becoming the new stereotypes. it worked for a while, but you gotta dig so much deeper to make that character feel like a real person instead of a list of traits off the internet
Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of these peeves in Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss (especially not delivering on conflict/development/twists/etc.) and I’m wondering if I’m going to finish either, at this point. I say this even though I enjoy many of the characters.
To add onto "Fear" I think a thing a character may be struggling with may be to emotional for an author to tackle. I'm new to writing and Ive noticed there is like a zone when Im so into my characters head that now Im starting to feel how I perceive them feeling.
Which to be frank I am there for, its what I love about writing but maybe for others hitting that zone it may lead to being overwhelmed or just something they themselves arent ready to tackle as a person.
totally get that! ive had that a few times with my own projects, and they were scenes i had to step away from or leave for later. my first project i simply had to let sit for a couple years until i was in the right headspace to tackle its topics
Hey, personal note in your description of this video you have a typo - it's at the bottom of a paragraph where you say "learned" twice.
Love your channel, keep doing what you do!
I've never seen your channel before it came up on my feed tonight. I loved your video! Liked, subscribed, and left a comment! Looking forward to more content!
@@debraperry6091 thank you so much!
Hmm... I tend to like a fairly complex plot. For me it's not about padding, it sort of _is_ how I develop characters, sort of " What if he does this... that's interesting, what does that say about him?"
I have one idea that I'm afraid of in its entirety. Without getting deep into the details the idea is you have this damsel in distress story where the hero saves the "princess" and she straight up kills him. And I'm like "Is that a story? Maybe that's backstory. Or Act 1. Could it be book 1 though? I'm not really interested in a continuation... Who wants to read a anything that sounds like it is made up of outdated cliches? People are going to think I want credit for subverting tropes that are so old they're not _even_ cliches anymore, they're more like arcane myths. Or for shock value. I want it to be shocking, but understandable. Audiences are too savvy. Maybe nobody will be surprised. What happened to 'it's more about the journey than the destination?' Maybe I'm not good enough to carry the journey either. Am I ready to be accused of performative feminism and misandry in equal measure? Maybe I should make the "hero" character unlikable so the heroine's actions seem more justified? Like a satire. But isn't it _more_ interesting if he is likable? At least enough? Then people will hate her though, right? Maybe just men. Am I asking to enflame a war of the sexes? Maybe it's just a terrible idea. I don't know... I like my instincts, and I got pretty excited about it. Yeah but people are going to ask you 'why?' I don't know why. You should know why. Ugh! Can I figure it out later, leave me alone! Why write the whole thing if there's no point? I kinda want to."
It just goes on like that. What I find amusing about this is I agree with you, "just ask why," is a really important mantra to keep in mind. For this reason there's another piece of writing advice that I don't subscribe to that "themes" are something that are revealed by others after the story is completed, that you have nothing to do with, they're not something you should ever be thinking about while you're writing. It's also not lost on me that if I didn't prefer to have my endings in mind first, I could easily have written the whole thing, and incidentally stumbled my way into such a controversial conclusion, then the issue would largely be moot.
oh gosh, i think themes are super important for an author to know about their work so im glad you mentioned it! we definitely cant prevent people drawing their own conclusions after the work is out there, but going into it consciously makes all the difference to the project quality in the end
@@theplottery Look. I'm not asking you as a professional. On a personal level... do you think I should write this shit?
@@futurestoryteller i think you should if you feel called to it. There is inevitably going to be people who criticize it one way or another, but we can’t live in fear of what others will think about us
I have not actually read the archetype thing (but I’ve heard of it before). I just invent and develop my characters. That’s the most fun part of writing a novel, for me at least. It’s just kind of organic for me, hard to describe, these people just come alive in my head and become more and more alive the more I write them. It’s a really good feeling when I feel like I did this right, when I have created an actual person, a multi-layered character if you want to put it that way. The series of books I am working on now and publishing, they are scifi books with scifi plots but I created the characters first in a document. And then I thought of the plot. And I did it this way because I really wanted to write a character-driven story. (This after trying to write a few novels that had an interesting concept and plot but didn’t have any interesting characters.) When I did it that way the magic happened. Something clicked. I had the opposite of writer’s block. I couldn’t stop writing. I was belting out complete first drafts of these books in just a month. And they weren’t short books, either. Most of them are over 120K words. Anyway, I liked your video, you have great writing advice.
So from your video.. you “Prefer” linear, hold your hand, story telling with character development and happy endings.. Got it.. No sprinkles 😉
not sure where i said that :)
I don't know if I got it right about archetypes, but basically, you're saying we're supposed to put our own spin on it, so that means let's say we have a stoic father character, but actually they just wish to let go of their responsibilities to unwind their actual silliness. Sounds familiar? Well I just described BOTW/TOTK Link from Zelda 😭
While your points are valid in general, it should be noted that they only marginally apply (at best) to Humor and Satire.
When a satirist stacks plot points like shipping pallets it is not from fear of their story being boring. It is the intentional application of a technique called 'Escalation'. Monty Python's 'The 4 Yorkshire Men' is an archetypical example of this. In addition, Archetypes are vital in satire because it is those precise archetypes that the satire is tearing down.
@@harrylyme3969 ooh that’s a fair point! Never thought of that
Hi Char, I've been enjoying all your content the past few days. You always have a bottomless well of literary wisdom that I appreciate immensely. I hope you never let the Critical Cathies among us drag you down. You know what they say about people who are soaring to the zenith of success--their critics will crawl out of the woodwork and out of their own insecurity, attack them in mean-spirited ways. I think the way you carry yourself is very unique and sophisticated, and it attracts positive vibes. I hope you have a beautiful day (or night) wherever you happen to be!
@@Fitrah111 thank you so much, i really needed to hear this 💜 glad to be of help!
You’re most welcome. I’m so happy to have helped.
Loved it, it was great! I'd have liked to hear more about the fear, how do you spot it, what's an example.
it's something ive started noticing only recently, but ive had several manuscripts where the authors weren't taking risks or pushing their characters to extremes. like not letting them get obsessive over a topic that would make perfect sense for them to be obsessed with, or letting them get angry and act out, or keeping a side-character a nice cool/safe/kind vibe so their friendship evolves without hiccups, rather than giving the side character an edge that might clash with the protagonist and challenge them (this makes the eventual friendship feel more deserved), or not exploring a certain theme because it's a little risky or controversial
8:42 Oh fear of digging deeper and exploring other events?-hm sometimes I dig deep into one thing and then also go from there and develop characters and more.
Once had to time jump to get back on track and then the next chapter was all about what happened during this specific event.
Oh and about the archetype character thing?-well I think that instead it is better to think of how a character is and then their fears-misbelives and more did this for a character and it explains well now why a character is the way they are-also Fanfic’s I think could help in creating all sorts of characters because a fanfic has the main characters and other characters and you have to write them the way they would react and be like and go from there.
I don't agree with your third argument, you're sharing an opinion, not an objective advice. Some people like you love character-driven stories, but others love plot-driven stories. Saying "you should not do plot-driven stories" is stupid, it's an artistic choice, not a flaw. It's like saying "don't do fantasy novels they are boring" that's an opinion not a truth.
@@Kephy_ thats why this video is titled as my pet-peeves! of course everything i say is going to be subjective based on my own reading and editing preferences :)
@@theplottery In the video you're talking like it's an objective advice, not an opinion, it's not clear
@@Kephy_ sorry if it wasn’t clear, definitely not my intention to give deterministic advice 💜
A pet peeve I have with videos, those who do a 30 second preview of the “juicy stuff” in the beginning. I skip skip skip this because it is annoying. I’m already invested when I clicked on it. At least you have chapter marks.
I don't know if it's just me, but she seems to be imitating Abbie Emmons both in how she structure her video and how she talks and carries herself. It feels fake somehow. Uncanny. It's a shame because her advice is not generic; she has some unique perspectives. She should be confident to do her own thing (but if this happens to be her real voice and style then I apologize 😂).
ouch, that actually really hurts. i am not trying to be abbie at all, i respect her and occasionally watch her videos. the 30-second preview is a very standard marketing trick i wasnt aware she did, i picked it up from business channels i watch. i dont know where your perspective is coming from, but its really hurtful to call me fake or call out how i 'carry myself' when its already really difficult to gather the confidence to sit in front of my camera and do this as someone with severe anxiety and a speech impediment. why there needs be a comparison at all is beyond me. ive already been doing this on instagram for years, and only now switched to youtube because i thought i might express myself better here and be able to show more of my personality on this platform, so you judging me for being 'fake' and comparing me to someone else is a real kick in the gut that i didnt need. i do read all my comments. many creators do. so please, in the future, maybe think through what you're saying and whether it actually needs to be said.
@@theplottery Whoa. I said it 'seems' and I admitted it may be just me, and already I apologized in advance if that is the case. I just pointed out the similarities I observed, how others who have seen Abbie Emmons might also see the similarities, and how it 'feels' fake to 'me' and affected my enjoyment of your video a little bit. I'm not judging you or saying you 'are' fake, because I don't know your real personality, of course.
Heck, even if you are copying someone else's proven style, there's nothing wrong with that. Because you learn from successful people before you when you just started out, then develop your own style along the way. What I'm trying to say is that your content is strong enough, and 'in my opinion' you don't need a well-recognized business style to market it, 'if' that were the case.
This is the first video of you I saw and I followed right away. And now I'm starting to regret it. I saw your channel seems to be just starting out, and I just gave an opinion on what might help, as a random impressed viewer who's watched many writing advice channels.
This is just constructive criticism (unwelcome here, apparently). And the thing with criticism is if you feel it isn't relevant, you can just ignore it. I'm just one slightly critical comment in a sea of praise, so far. So in general, you're doing great and don't have to change a thing. As an editor, I thought you'd know authors don't have to take all advice; only what is relevant to their case.
Because how is a random person watching your video supposed to know what triggers you and what trauma or what condition is plaguing you? I know emotions can be hard to read in text, but why are you jumping to the worst possible scenario and not giving some benefit of the doubt? Not everyone is trying to be hurtful.
It's curious how as an editor you can dish it out, so to speak, but can't take. You can't distinguish general critique on your content, from an actual personal attack? I've been writing online for over a decade. I've read and replied to thousands of readers' comments directly. So yes, I have thought through what I said. I've always been empathetic to fellow creators. And I still don't see any harm in what I said or how I said it.
You could have just said: "That's an unfortunate coincidence. This is my real voice and style and I never mean to copy AE. I had speech impediment and anxiety, so I might have picked and chosen from others unconsciously as I learn how to carry myself before a camera", and carry on, and we're good. You being so offended actually leaves me feeling more suspicious than ever that there might be a grain of truth to what I said.
@@jeidafei1165 i welcome constructive criticism on things i talk about or people challenging my opinions always, but yes - I’m sensitive when someone comes after me personally. I also don’t see why you’re allowed to make comments on my personality but im not allowed to respond with how i feel about that comment. Perhaps im in the wrong about how your comment was intended (were all subjective creatures after all) but when I read it, it felt personal rather than a general critique, considering you mentioned you like my opinions but criticised my personality/presentation. I dont know, would you not feel that someone calling you fake was hurtful? I’m not sure what me being an editor has to do with this, since again, I feel there’s a difference in saying someone’s book could use restructuring versus saying the author seems a certain way and it’s a shame because you liked their book. Does that make sense? To me, your comment definitely translated as personal.
I had other people commenting before about disliking my intro, and I took that feedback on board and made a new one, or people disagreeing with a point I made and I acknowledged different perspectives so I definitely don’t shy away from critique when it’s constructive, but I didn’t know what to do with your comment other than be hurt by it or try to justify myself about how this is my “real voice” (not really sure what that means), or that I carry myself how I always do. Is that really something I need to justify? If I were to look at your comment as constructive, would my next logical steps be to consider changing the way I talk? Does that really not feel like personal criticism? I don’t know. Maybe I’m too sensitive for this age of social media. If you don’t want to follow me for stating how I feel, that’s okay. No hard feelings.
@theplottery Where did I make any comment on your personality? I literally said I don't know your real personality. And only that you being so offended makes me suspicious that my guess was correct.
"I'm not 'allowed' to make a comment"? Are you the authority on what is allowed on CZcams? I think I am allowed to make a comment on your personality (which I didn't), if I wanted to. And where did I say you're not allowed to respond? I just explained my intentions, and suggested the way you responded may be overreacting, that's all.
Neither you nor I are the authority here. Delete, block and report me, and let CZcams be the judge of whether I am allowed to comment so, if you feel so harmed.
I criticized your presentation, NOT your personality. I said "you seem fake on your video", not "you are a fake person". I said "you seem to be imitating Abbie to me and it feels uncanny to me", not "I just know you copied Abbie, you copycat". Do you see the difference? First is opinion. Second is libel.
We all need to market to our viewers. A reasonable creator would take critical/negative feedback from viewers and consider whether this is an issue, if changing it would help the brand, and if that's the brand you want to create. If no to all, then discard it. You can't please everyone. I'm one critique in a sea of praise. All the other commenters must be looking at me like I'm an idiot, for all I know. Why so bothered?
You don't have to do anything. You don't have to justify having a voice that sounds to one person on the internet like another creator. If someone innocently has the wrong first impression of you faking your voice, then say you're not and move on. It shouldn't be your concern whether they change their mind. Why do you feel the need to prove yourself to every single person?
If you were to look at my comment as constructive, then changing the way you talk might make you stand out more, yes. But if you feel that you'd rather use your genuine voice, and this is one commenter being delusional when everyone else is already happy with your voice, then feel free to cast my opinion in the trash! It's up to you! You know your channel best! I'm not being sarcastic, really! Why do you care so much?
And no, suggesting you change your voice and how you speak to market your content is not a personal attack. It's no different from suggesting you dress differently to what you'd be dressing at home, for work or formal occasions, or not put 30 second previews before your video. It's just a suggestion, a preference from a viewer. Which again, you can disregard.
Another great video :)
@@Tdogg819 thank you!!
this is great! thanks for the vid
thanks :)
I'm starting to think I'm a good writer. Is my obsession with foreshadowing and adding hints ruining my story? If it is I'm keeping it. Lol
Unsolicited advice: most books in the last decade have all felt the same. They’re written for women who feel like they’re smart but not the smartest, pretty but not the prettiest, bad with money and definitely not racist based on stupid examples. Acceptable flaws. Basically every millennial. Every guy is either a jerk, an idiot or THE ONE…who ultimately ends up being a murderer. Stop. This story has been written ten thousand times. Make the rich pretty girl complicated, make the jock complicated but resist the urge to make him gay. Give the protagonist an actual flaw. Stop writing in a sociopolitical echo chamber and your book will soar.
I think you're reading in one genre...romance. Expand and see different things please.
I don't think you're reading the right kind of books....
Well plot for the sake of plot is better plot what plot 🤭
Im kidding insightful video!
I am going to be murdered by Polish Witcher fans... but here goes: I think that the Witcher *novels* are a prime example of avoiding deeper exploration. Sapkowski invented a fascinating character with much potential for adventure and drama, which was later extensively developed in movies and even games. A genetically modified super-warrior who yearns to be human, and feels pity for the creatures he is meant to slay - drama-rich stuff! But then Sapkowski veers off into the story of Ciri, who is really bland in comparison, and the witcher becomes a side-kick at best. Mind you, the story of Ciri is engaging and well-written - but that's not who the books should be about! I find it especially interesting because I caught myself doing a similar thing with my first novel (now reworked and in search of a publisher :D ). And I honestly do not understand why I was doing it...
Helpful video - thanks!
I have tried soooo hard to like Bridgerton but it just won't let me. I don't care about any of the conflicts. Any of them. I was hoping it would fill the void left by Downton Abbey but it's like trying to get into a John Wayne western after binging on Deadwood.
ohhh yeah i think downtown abbey and bridgerton are incomparable unfortunately. bridgerton is a very light no-focus-needed show
There are over seven billion people in the world. The books aren't written for you. The author writes a book for themselves and others like them will like it. You should stick to doing your job.
Good luck getting published when you're so dismissive of editorial guidance. There may be 7 billion people in the world but an editor has a pretty good idea about what most of them find annoying.
Stick to your fanfic
@@endo4682 One should never ass-ume things.
@@TheBrighterSpider Some of the greatest literary works I've ever read were self published. In general, editors ruin people's books. They want everybody to follow the exact same pattern. When most people don't like the pattern, which is exactly why book sales worldwide are so low.
Well, isn't she and people like her a part of those 7 billions? If an author likes her advice and uses it, they will get this part of the audience instead of sone other, where's the loss? What's the point in shutting down anyone's opinion if you believe that each author can get readers by their own merit?
Thanks for this video.
welcome! :)
Wow, that's different. You're an unusual editor. Most of the time, they say going deeper is boring.
I'm a literary author. I don't know what you mean by excessive backstory, but in my case, the development of the political landscape is the whole point of the story. Without it, it wouldn't make any sense, and would just be another dime novel.
Oh well... most editors are snobs. I don't know if you are, but generally, the point of why we read isn't to go on adventures, but to learn something. Movies are for pointless adventures. That's why I never was published is that novels are now just three hundred page, 80,000 word movies. And am flapping in the wind on Amazon's KDP because of it.
@@BKNeifert im more into literary and character driven fiction myself, that’s why i have these opinions, i suppose. With excessive backstory, i mean info dumps at the beginning of the book, or giving the backstory in an unnatural spot in the book!
@@theplottery Without Jules Verne's Info Dumps we wouldn't have Submarines. I think Info Dumps are kind of important sometimes, even to the plot in some novels, as you wouldn't be immersed in a totally different world. Like Tolkien's descriptions of trees is the best part of Tolkien; he's trying to tell you something about the place our technology has with nature, and that's the main theme of The Lord of the Rings is how industrialization spoils much of the world's natural beauty. It might not be the most fun thing to read, but I got to say, that Submarine is about the only thing I actually enjoyed about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
I like Characters as much as anyone else, but the whole point of reading is much more than characters. It's to learn and communicate.
I think you may be presumptuous on why people read. You may personally find that you read to learn. Others may not feel the same. Many read to be entertained or as escapism or to trigger a certain emotion or even to find comfort in a shared human experience. And there is a such wide variety of books that meet these needs. Different audiences look for different things. Maybe you haven't been able to find the right audience for your books?
@@sabihasayeed1670 Well, reading is very boring, and people are going to figure that out some day. So, there has to be better reasons for it.
If you're a writer reading this, stop listening to "writing advice" youtube. All it's doing is paralyzing you. These videos are not meant to help you. They're selling you something. Look at the description links. SHE IS USING YOUR FEARS AND INSECURITIES TO MAKE MONEY. Stop listening to these people and go write.
gasp, an editor promoting her livelihood in the description of a completely free video made for the sole purpose of helping writers in which she coincidentally never mentioned any services nor said to click on the description. must warn everyone.
You are sooooo pretty girl ❤❤❤
youre making me blush 🥰 thank you!
The New Masterpiece
Imagine the Quran being add to the Bible
Where you, as the author, would have placed the Old Quran in this new biblical canon
The only possible placing would have seem, at first sight, in between the Old and New Testament, which would have meaned a new secular timeline for Earth's history, because if you would have preserved the current profane timeline by positioning the Original Quran at its end what you would have need to do next is to take the Abrahamic canon out from Earth and replace it by a Brahmic one due incompatible with Earth's coming future, which would have been logically impossible for more than 84 years
As you knows, the Abrahamic cannon contains, hidden among its pages, the true Earth timeline, you cannot just take it out from Earth
Then the real timeline revelation could have been a third temple
... The other option, the seemingly profane one, could have been to absolute change Quran to make it compatible with Earth's future as you placing it at the end of your new biblical canon, preserving our preserved and always present profane timeline, and the sacred hiding of Earth's real timeline, which would have mean the past WW3's worldwide christian persecution and traditional muslims genocide decision taking through the Atheo-brahmic forces that have been robotically imposed, but pyramids and related touristic infrastructures, as well as entertainment industries investments saved ...
Mmmh, yes, this is authentically our best piece
That candle or whatever flashing in the background is giving me a headache.
I think it’s very aesthetically pleasing, personally.
100% get the fear! I’ve literally said ‘not sure if I’m smart enough to tackle the actual problem inspiring this so I’ll find a way to talk about a PIECE of it.’ But fiiiiiiine. I’ll do the hard thing, too. 🥲
hahahah we've all been there! it's the 'i dont think ill go too deeply into this, i dont think it matters' and then later realizing its the whole foundation for your story and you could never avoid it