5 Writing Tips that SUCK
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2024
- Sometimes it seems you can't follow one writing tip without breaking another, there's good reason for that...
(Open Me)
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5 Writing Tips that SUCK
#authortube #writing #books - Zábava
"Write what you know" always bothered me. It makes it sound like if you don't know enough about a topic, then forget about it. Like I feel like the statement should be, "Write what you know, research what you don't"
That's essentially the same, though.
"Write what you know" doesn't preclude you from doing research. In fact, if you want to expand or progress as a writer, you take it upon yourself to do the legwork and do some research. So that the more you know, the more you can write about.
I always took that to mean "only write about things you experienced" which is also dumb. You don't want to read about my life, trust me. I live it and it's not very exciting.
@@aacsmiles Now that (write only what you've experienced) IS dumb. I certainly hope I don't need to experience everything myself (including tragedies, disabilities, etc.) just to write about it. :P
They say 'have an interesting life' is an ancient Chinese curse (or something like that). Hahaha. xD
Quoting the great Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions, "The great thing about writing what you know is that you can always know more".
So yeah, write what you know to me sounds like an encouragement to do my research.
Yeah, this tip always annoyed me too. It doesn't help for writers of fantasy or sci-fi because I can't possibly "know" about aliens, or a planet and ecosystem that doesn't exist. I can't research it either. So, I have to base it loosely on science, then add lots of fiction and imagination. How TF can I possibly "write what I know" and be a sci-fi writer unless I get abducted by aliens? To be fair, I do know a decent amount about real science but very little of that helps with sci-fi worldbuilding. Star Trek and Star Wars don't contain much "real" science either. It's likely the authors weren't science geniuses and probably knew almost nothing about actual space travel! 😂🙄🤪👽🖖
#1 Start at the End 1:25
#2 Avoid/Overuse 'said' 2:45
#3 Always Describing the scene 4:45
#4 Write Daily 5:45
#5 Wait 6 months before reading your writing 7:25
notes:
-Different things work for different People.
-Absolutes aren't good
You have a pretty face and a nice voice. Thanks for the video.
6 months? I've heard 6 weeks. I agree. Half a year is too long.
So glad you mentioned that writing everyday is a bad piece of advice haha. Thank you, Cam. I've always agreed waiting 6 months after writing is stupid!!
For sure! I know way too many people that get really upset if they miss a day of writing, it’s just genuinely unrealistic
You should wait long enough to have distance from what you wrote. That depends on each writer.
I also find that writing the ending first doesn't work for me. Personally, I have to write something in chronological order because it's kind of like going through the journey with the character and from the reader's perspective so if I wrote the ending first I wouldn't really feel its impact, which being the ending I should feel it a lot. Plus like you said ideas just kind of develops as I write so how I would first envision the ending is going to differ from how I envision it at the end of the writing process.
But as for a tip that I myself see that I personally don't agree with is if you don't know where to take your story just kill off a character. Like just do it.
And I'm not saying never kill off a character but I just feel like if you're going to do something that could affect your plot so greatly it should be done with a lot of planning and thought behind it, you know? If you kill a character off just because you can then chances are that you're going to make your audiences feel manipulated and angry at you instead of elicit an emotional response that can help add to the impact to your story. I guess if you don't know where to take your story and it gives you some ideas then consider it, but writing a character death is actually pretty hard to pull off right so don't take it lightly.
Absolutely, I think we have a similar approach to writing it would seem
My style is to bounce around and create scenes like pieces in a puzzle before arranging them. I will often write a scene and later realize that I missed a grand opportunity. I, then, go back and write what I missed. You can always read it in sequence once you've arranged it and consider adding or changing details. You just limit yourself with the chronological order method. I never really know what's going to happen next, and it does mean more revising at times, but writing is not my occupation. Therefore, I have the time to get it right. Besides, I grind the emotional impact into the scenes themselves. The buildup is kind of in there, but I pack the impact into the scene in a building blocks method.
I've always listened to the advice to write the ending first, so you have a goal to get to, but always keep in mind that once you've written it down you can change it to fit what you've written up to it.
All the power is in the editing, my problem has always been to finish what I started writing.
I love the fact that "chirped" was one of the first 'speech style' words that came to your mind.
'Write your story from the end' only works for Plotters (or Outliners.) If you're a Discovery Writer (a 'Pantser,' or as George R.R. Martin calls it, a Gardener) your brain just doesn't work like that. Sure, as you said, it's possible to have a rough idea of how it'll end, or even some key points to hit along the way, but most Discovery Writers need to let the story grow from seed, whch can only be done in chronological order.
I hate "write what you know." Man, don't tell this to a 14 year who knows/experienced nothing. I never wrote....
When people say 'write what you know', they don't mean literally. A 14 year old knows how it feels to be put down, embarrassed, thrilled and happy, angry, sad. They know how other people react. A 14 year old has FOURTEEN years of experience, not zero years. 'Write what you know' doesn't mean to take your history lessons from school and create a sweeping epic about how the pilgrims first related to native Americans. I hope this clarifies that and you can now get use out of this great advice. P.S. Eragon by Christopher Paolini was written, completed, and published by the time he was sixteen. Age is irrelevant in writing. The most important thing to have is dedication. If you never wrote, it's because you didn't commit.
I think this advice is more about knowing what you're talking about. But that doesnt mean you need to have first hand experience. Its great if you have, but if you dont there are plenty of options to do research which may be almost just as good
A synonym to this is saying "don't write _____ if you aren't ______." It's so annoying. It restricts from adding diversity to writings :/
Write what you know about: definitely good advice. How the fuck can anybody write what that don't know about?
@@user-sw2lv3zp6o It's just worded poorly, whenever I write about something I haven't experienced first hand that is real, obviously I need to do research. It's just that some people mean it in a way that you can only write stuff that you've actually gone through
The "wait six months" one always gets me. It just doesn't seem feasible for a working writer to do.
Agreed 😂
A little off topic, but it kind of ties into your second point, using said.
As a reader, I hate when there's a series of dialogue and no indication of what character is saying what.
Now, to be fair I'm dyslexic so maybe that's part of it. And Earnest Hemingway often didn't indicate which character the dialogue goes to, and obviously he was a great writer.
But I always get confused as to which character is saying what. I usually can figure it out with some time, but that's time where I can also get frustrated with the book and give up.
You mean no tag or beat at all? Wow. Usually, a lot of dialogue is beat tagged, ie the speaking character takes an action. The camp that says no tags at all usually reside in this camp. Then there are the anti-said group, which rarely beat tag, but instead use things like smiling sentences or erecting words.
Sometimes I need to take a break, since I can't really have a long dialogue exchange and write "Character A said" after every sentence. Same with a long piece from one character, I split it into separate lines of dialogue without ending the first quote as I read was how you write stuff like that
"Kind of like
"This"
I find I write my story backwards (end --> middle --> beginning). For me, it's easier to know my end game and then fill in the details to that point. I can't stand overly detailed books. Like I honestly don't care about each room, and my mind already has a set clothing style anyway so too many descriptions messes with my ideas and I often skim them because I DON'T CARE HIS BUTTONS ARE BRASS, FUCK.
Hahaha yeah, I can't even count how many books I've read recently that describe the specific fibres of the character's jacket and how the colour compares with a crisp sunset bla bla 🙄
Detail should add to the story. Setting and clothing establish the scene and the characters. Historical or speculative fiction may require emphasis on details that are less important in contemporary fiction -- and all depend on genre.
I could see something like that being used to show that a character has a poetical (or pretentious) nature. Otherwise, such details as color and fabric should have some other reason for mention. A threadbare seersucker suit worn in NYC in midwinter tells us something about the wearer that a threadbare generic suit doesn't.
HAHAHA THE clothing details I do the same. Like "shut up author, you're wrong, he's not dressed like that" haha
"I said, that's not what he said", she said.
😉
Honestly I take _any_ writing tip worth a grain of salt. Every writer is unique and what works for one person won't work for another. That really is the heart of the issue with "tips" for _any_ sort of art be it visual, performance, literary, or whatever. In the end, you really just need to figure out what works for you.
I hate the "write everyday" advice. I'm a college student and my education and grades are always going to take priority over my writing, even when it's something I would much rather be doing.
I am generally loathe to give writing advice, not because I don't want to help, but because different things work for different people and I have no idea if what works for me and my style will work for someone else and theirs. What might tank your writing might be just the thing for someone else. So whenever my friends ask for my advice I just end up dreading the conversation.
Better advice would be, "Write as much as you can, whenever you can."
Write everyday: This advice is was told that it wasn't just writing, it's watching a scene in your head, developing characters, etc.
Yeah, I won't write every day but I'll probably think about what I'm writing everyday. I can't just sit down and write the story even though I have a 30 page outline, I need to be able to picture the scene in my head and then be able to relate on the paper what is happening.
Wait six months to read a manuscript? a few weeks I understand but some people won’t even remember they wrote a novel to begin with after half a year
It does seem like an unnecessary wait right?
Jenna Book Haven Good thing I’ve waited longer unintentionally ;)
''Don't have characters whose names are similar/start with the same letter.''
GRRM said something to the likes of that not working if you have more than twenty characters.
That's pretty good advice, especially for the start of a story. Once you get well into the story and your current names are concrete into the readers' minds, it's perfectly okay to add more. But in writing, the name is the character's face. If you have two characters with similar names early on in the story, you're basically saying that they are twins and it's okay to mix them up.
My personal advice for names: Their parents couldn't possibly know who their kids would meet or anything about their future, so just get a random name generator.
@@redforest9269 But it isn't necessarily bad to have a name with a meaning that reflects the character
"If you get stuck somewhere in your story and don't know where to go with it kill a character"
Awesome video. I try to write every day, even if its just 50 words, it helps to keep me engaged with the project but I understand. Trying to write whilst working full time or the other hundred other responsibilities is difficult.
Writing every day certainly helped to me. In fact, it allowed me to evolve from being a play-pretend writer to somebody who can consistently write and finish stories.
What I find most important is to set a realistic quota for how many words you can write each day without stressing yourself out. Don't write a huge amount each day, start with something easy like 500 words a day and see how that works for a while. Turns out it's easy for you? You can increase it to 700 words a day. Not so easy? Just stick to the routine, it'll become much easier over time.
It's also a good idea to find some way to reward yourself for a job well done. It can be eating something tasty, allowing yourself to watch your favorite show etc. Also, I allow myself to take a day off after finishing a chapter. Not only is it rewarding and makes you more motivated to finish further chapters, but it also serves as a break during which you can collect your thoughts about the upcoming chapter/s.
I actually found this really helpful 😄
The word “said” has been a word that has hunted me for a long time.
6 months is a really long time to wait!! 😆
Ah, you and me both 😂
I may be in the "only use said" camp but I have good reasons for that.
Through years of use, "said" tends to fade into the background. It doesn't call attention to itself. It attributes the dialog and then goes away. Rare and wonderful is the person who will pause on the word said and wonder, "Why did they use that word? It sounds silly."
But many will stop on some other word, such as "growled," and wonder that very thing. This basically boils down to Strunk & White's rule #13: Omit Needless Words. This speaks more to new and inexperienced writers who have a tendency to dress up their writing with purple prose or just over description. When used sparingly, dialog attribution that is not "said" can be effective. When used abundantly, it becomes a drinking game that leads to death by alcohol poisoning.
The advice, like most advice, is given as an absolute because no one ever bats 1000. (I don't understand that turn of phrase, but I'm told it's effective) People don't need permission to break the rules and the rule is not improved by noting that there are exceptions. It also show a certain amount of contempt for your audience, as if they are not smart enough to figure it out for themselves. I refer to Strunk & White again:
"It is an old observation that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of
rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader will usually find in the sentence
some compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of
doing as well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned, by
their guidance, to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look, for
the secrets of style, to the study of the masters of literature."
Unless he is certain of doing well, he will probably do best to follow the rules.
I always wanted to be an author when I was a kid, but never had any great ideas. Videos like yours are amazing for anyone who likes to write or wishes they could be a writer. Thanks!
Many people will tell you they have an idea... but... don't feel like writing XD
The stupidest advise ever for ideas (I the only one I know who actually used it). Many of previous works came out from things I watched. It didn't have the exact same idea, but more like same relationships, ir same element (I saw something with elves, and wrote a story about an elf).
The what I want to end up as a book I started (or... my current book? Let's say, first one) I just sat in front of a notebook (you can with a paper) and said to myself "hmmm... What interesting things I watehd that I can put in?" (Sure, you can refer to books, but I mostly read articles lately... so... 0 metarial.) and then I thought of something that I came up in 2 different Tv series I watched. And then, I said, okay, now... we know this. What happens next. Just tried to think what can come out of it. In the end, I must admit, the first idea that started it all... isn't even mentioned in the end (the funny part).
Hope it helped in anything.
Can't do the write everyday thing.
I agree that those are all bad writing advice. Though some do point in right direction (which you mentioned). Write every day isnt doable for most people with lives and jobs. On the other hand writing regularly is important. If you write once a month it is hard to get things done.
I shoot for writing 5 days a week but I dont worry if it ends up being 4. I dont like writing less than four though because that is where I feel like progress starts breaking down.
Great Video, not trying to bash it, just commenting:
1 - I had trouble with my book. Someone said start at the end so what I did is wrote my final two chapters (Big Battle/Aftermath) and it helped me find where I wanted my book to go. When I began writing what would lead up to this battle, I found myself needing to change the ending a bit, which made it better over all.
2 - I don't often use anything other than said even when someone is yelling because that's what an exclamation marks are for xD. Saying that, I only use said if I feel it's confusing who is talking among a group/
3 - I love setting scenes, especially in science fantasy. As for clothing; only if it's either an important character or an alien. Not all the time though.
4 - I don't write every day. Usually send each chapter to my sister (I know I shouldn't ask family, but she's pretty honest and been a great help) and wait for what she thinks. Then I write notes and add them later.
5 - That just seems like a ridiculous writing tip. xD I'd say wait 1-2 weeks and let it sit.
Thanks for the Video
When I'm in the ideas phase of planning out a book, I generally come up with the ending first. It just usually comes to me as I'm figuring out the characters and what I want the story to be. I've never started actually writing the end first, because it also doesn't work for me. I enjoy starting at the beginning because things change as I actually write my story. The only time I ever write out of order is when I become obsessed with a particular scene and just need to get it out of my system. I think at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you.
Also who are these people that are waiting six months? That just seems crazy!
I completely agree Becky, almost everything I’ve written has been done with an idea of how it should end
I think the tip "start at the end" is good advice if it refers to OUTLINING a Story. You should know at least roughly what your climax scene and the resolution of the conflict will be, before planning out how your characters will get there and what obstacles to set into their way, so that all leads up to your climax and is resolved in a fitting way. Otherwise you risk needlessly meandering plots, unnecessary scenes, lose ends or even plotholes. But before you get to write those scenes in detail, you have to know what has happened before, so IMHO it is a bad idea to actually start writing with the last chapter.
As a new writer. I've learned using the word SAID is useful when there are multiple characters involved in one conversation.
Six months? 6??? I mean, all the power to the people who do this and like this, but my God, that's a weird one. Love all these non-tips, Cam!
Thanks Brooke! 😊
I was about to comment the same. SIX MONTHS?!?!?!? D:
This is off topic but I'm obsessed with your audio and video quality 😂❤
Aw thanks! It's a pretty standard setup. Just some cheap, bright lighting. A sony nex-5 camera and a Samson usb mic 😊
It can't be of topic because a topic wasn't established.
One of my pet peeves is "don't use adverbs". Adverbs are part of the English language for a reason. Just don't overuse them. Another one is when writers take "show don't tell" to an extreme. Sometimes it's okay to just write "he was sad" versus "tears tickled the corners of his eyes".
Hell yeah, preach! 🙌
"Do your best to contribute to your writing every day"
1:43 We have the same writing process. That's how I work. I learn more as I write. I don't know who my characters are, their personalities, their secrets, etc, until I start writing. Sometimes I don't even know a character will become a character until literally seconds before I put them in the story and then I build from there. I can't plan a novel for the life of me. I have ideas here and there but can never complete a full outline like most people. I just can't. I get panicky because sometimes what I'm trying to convey doesn't work and needs all of these other things with it for it to work which takes more planning and I end up losing my initial idea and storyline completely. To counter this, I just go with the flow of my story. I don't force anything, I just let it happen. It's working nicely although sometimes I try and go back to outlining and, again, come to the realization that outlining is not for me. So, I could absolutely never write from the end or middle. If I tried that, my story would be even more of a hot mess than it is now when I'm writing the traditional way, from beginning to end.
Loved this. Great ... non-advice? I agree with all of these points and the fact that they've been hammered into the community is almost jarring. Especially the start from the middle or end thing. So many plot holes would pop up for me .... *cringes* So many inconsistencies ...
Yeah, there's perhaps TOO MUCH writing advice out there now
I’m a panster and I don’t like to plan everything out so I mostly just write in chronological order. Now if a scene is giving me issues and I have the next scene screaming to get out I will make a mark and skip forward, so I think it’s more about finding what works for you. Great video!
Very helpful tips on which tips are bad. I agree with you on them. Of course, different things work for different people, but in general rules that tell you to “always” or “never” do x, y or z are too strict for a field dedicated to the arts.
I completely agree Lexi
Awesome intro
I may use "said" a lot, but I only use words like yell, shout, or whispered if i feel it needs to be described. I've also been writing this story for a whole year, and like you, my opinion hasn't changed about the earlier chapters. I still thought the first and could be it's own thing and was thus perfect. Editing is required, but that's a no brainier for anything.
I find the most effective way to structure a story, at least for me, is to have a concept first then develop that into a solid idea. Then create a protagonist or multiple protagonists if necessary, their goals and how they get from point A to point B. The side characters and the settings are things to add through development and then you, more or less, have a grounded story that you can work on. Things like plot holes and such are things to find and fix in the outlining stage and then all that’s left are the beta readings, edits and whatever publishing route you decide on
Thank you. I'm checking out your vids as I am currently writing my first sci-fi novel.
Thanks for watching! Good luck 😊
Wolfshot Publishing thank you sir I really do appreciate that.
I only use the word said: if I feel it might be unclear who is speaking or when I'm introducing a new character to start their dialog.
And if you use to many of those words it makes the words stand out and clunky.
I've never heard "start by writing the middle/end first." That sounds really dumb to me because how do you know you're for sure going to get to that exact spot? How do you know that middle is still going to work after you write the beginning and the end? For me, things change as I write. I realize something I originally wanted wasn't necessary or didn't make sense or just ground the plot to a halt. Sounds like writing the middle first is just setting you up to waste your time.
Yes! So much contradictory advice out there!
Most materials I've read suggested waiting a few weeks. Any shorter, and you might not be spaced off from it. Too long, and you might forget too much. Half a year is WAY too long.
I totally agree with the first tip. I've tried starting in the middle/ end before and it doesn't really work for me. What I'm going to try is flesh out lil bits of the middle or climax before I write the beginning
At first I thought it say 'Dad Advice' 😂
Hahahaha there’s an idea 😂
There is one story where I started at the end because I was thinking how did this person end up like this. I like your writing tips and how you said it does not work for you. Keep up the good work.
I agree with most of what you just said! Actually... all of it. :D
I think it's dumb to start with the ending. I mean... it'll take me a year or so to write the whole thing... that means I'll be a year better writer when I reach that end, and I'll most likely have to re-write it anyway to match the rest of the story. :P Know the end... but don't write it 'til you get there.
An editor said that the word "said" is an invisible word and therefore should be used more often than not. Every time you write words like he mused/she laughed/he roared/she mumbled... it makes you more aware of it. If people are talking normally you don't need to draw attention to it, so she/he said.
If a character is important I'll describe him/her and the person's clothes etc. At least if they are showing up more than once. If the character is only there for a few seconds, I'll mention maybe that it's a he/she, and possibly one feature, like long hair... or dark clothes. No need to bother if they're not gonna be seen again. Same with houses, or rooms or places.
I try and write a little bit every day, but it's not a must. Some days I write three lines, some days 10 pages and some days I skip. That's just how it is and you shouldn't force yourself. There's time to do other things, and you shouldn't write if you really don't want to. But try to avoid longer breaks though. At least I have to, because otherwise my brain moves to another story in my head and I might find it hard to get back to it again.
I re-read parts of my story as I'm writing it. Partially because I'm uploading it at a place, and partially to just get back into the story or to remember parts that I'm referring to later in the story. As I do, I find things I want to add or remove. But the thing is... I can do this the day after I wrote it as well, and still find a need to re-write it. I also find other things that I don't want to change because I like them as they are, no matter when I re-read it. Some of the stuff I still don't want to change, and I wrote it 11 years ago. Some of it I want to change and I wrote it yesterday. :P
Agree mostly except for about writing every day. I do 2 - 3 word sprints (10 mins with a timer) i.e. one before work, one at lunch, and one in the evening (with a strict no editing rule while writing). I found Chris Fox's advice on this really inspiring. That means I at least get something down each day even if I just write 300 words, it adds up pretty fast instead of waiting until I have the time or feel inspired. True, I end up throwing away a lot of what I write, but like they say: you can't edit a blank page!
It's good that that method works for you. But I think the point being made was that it doesn't work for everyone. I, for example, have days or even weeks where I flat cannot write anything beyond basic communication, and I find I recover my ability to be creative and write much faster if I don't stress about it. It's different for everyone.
Tips are generally useless anyhow. Writing is rather simple, at least in my opinion. Of course, I've had 10 years of serious work and effort put in, and though I'm self taught, I find that all your points are valid.
I never used tips, mostly because I'm self taught, but also because I feel a lot of them indeed, suck. For most people, I'd say that a general method of writing is required, rather than tips on specific aspects. I just don't feel it necessary to go from thing to thing, but rather having a complete system to base your work on depending on genre, style, etc.
Enough rambling, but I find your video helpful. Will visit your channel.
I've heard the 6 months thing, but have never done it. I don't think I could. I've let something sit for a few months because I had issues with it. However, when I came back to it changed for the better. But 6 months is tooooo long. Great vid, thanks!
Piggybacking on your point about writing every day (a HUGE set-up for an inferiority complex), the one about "write every day--and even give yourself permission to write garbage" is next to useless. I hear that one a lot from published writers on You-Tube and elsewhere, and it strikes me as a vanity ploy to induce us unpublished schlubs to sign up for more money-making (for them) writing workshops and seminars where they sling this hash in the first place.
You're probably right, some of the stuff people do to sell their courses is shady as hell
I kinda agree with not having similar names. There's this show about cops, paramedics, and firefighters. One of the firefighters had a girlfriend named Abby. His sister's name is Maddie. They sound REALLY similar. I know that this is an auditory and visual example, but it works.
I write the middle bit with the full expectation that it will be completely and entirely rewritten when I catch up to that point. it just gives me direction....
the said thing is so true - but any absolute rule was made to be broken.
people (who haven't read my work) ask me what my characters are wearing, and I just tell them to generally assume that they are clothed.
6 months?! I could die tomorrow.....
If that's what works for you Liene than don't let anyone tell you different 😊
I prefer to write the story as a brief outline. For a novel that's planned to be roughly 80,000 words your first draft will be somewhere between 50,000-55,000 words. Then you start penciling in the details. Cherry pick a chapter that you want to work on for the day and start reworking it. Read it and as you read it take the mental image you have in your head and start flushing it out onto the page. You'll start with a chapter that's 2,000 words and by the time you are done putting everything in your head onto the page it's usually about 7,000 words. Keep doing this until you've said everything that you want to say. Now, step back and work on something else. Come back and reread that shit in about 2-3 days. You'll see all sorts of errors you jacked up. Fix them. Step back and work on something else for another 2-3 days. Come back, reread it. Keep doing this until your inner voice stops fumbling over words. Once you reach that point you've probably polished it as much as you can. Now run it through grammarly and fix the syntax errors because trust me... they are there. Reread it one last time if you are paranoid.
1. I know how my story is going to end before I start writing, sometimes it is a vision for a specific ending that inspires me to create a story. I always outline, but once I start digging in I write the story from the beginning. The only time I jump around between beginning, middle, end, is during editing. A chapter is done and I'm flushing it out and making sure chapters are flowing into each other, or adding a scene I may not have thought of until much later in the process and decided to included it. 2. The said thing is just annoying, I always ignore people who hard on it. 3. As a reader I find writers who describe everything boring and frustrating to slog through. On the other hand under describing can leave me disoriented. This is a balancing act, a writer shouldn't feel constrained by any strict
rules, but follow their best judgment. This can be addressed in the editing process and I wouldn't worry about it during a first draft. 4. Write every day, sigh. Having a good routine I think is important, if everyday is do able great! If not, don't beat yourself up over it. Fully agree with you on this and most of what you've said. 5. Is just dumb, I wouldn't even both giving this a try. Having a good person you can have read and give you feed back I think is really important and giving yourself a little time and space, 2-6 weeks from when you wrote it to when you read the feedback goes a long way to making me more receptive of the advice. I'm not as defensive because I'm not still patting myself on the back for what I wrote. Most situations I wouldn't wait more than 8 weeks. Depends on what I'm writing though, full novel versus a comic script.
Great video! I think the worst tip for me is "write every day." You can develop a guilt-ridden, ultimately toxic, mindset to your own writing limits when it comes to that bit of advice. Especially if you have a day job or children or any other huge responsibilities that take time and energy away from your writing. You end up comparing yourself to these mysterious, mythical writers who can write 10k words a day (being hyperbolic here hehehe) which can affect your confidence as well as your will to write. It's a vicious cycle! ^^; For me I'm trying to find the balance of "write when you can"/"avoid procrastinating." It's tricky!
Absolutely agree 😄
Your first not tip is really funny because I'm outlining my second novel and both stories I started with the end first haha. Describing what characters are wearing is something i had to start doing a bit less of. And i think 6 months between writing and editing is a bit excessive too >.
Perfectly worded. I agree. Thank you
Always set the scene is something people say about when you start the scene. If you don't do this, then there is no scene, just talking heads. Your example of moving from one room to the other, when you set the scene of one room at the start of the scene, is set by the motion itself. With one room described, we can imagine what is in that room. My problem with this is that a lot of writers will start a new chapter and just jump into action or dialogue without any context. Chapter starts, John punches Jeff in the face and they spend an entire page throwing down in a blank white room. The author's excuse is that they described the room in detail in the last chapter, but chapter breaks are just that. People put down books between chapters, no matter how good the hook is at the end. But because of the detailed description, all you have to do is a single line or two just to remind the reader.
Blocking is important, more so than painting. (Blocking is a term that comes from stage plays I believe, but a lot of writers I know use it, but it basically means to describe the foreground and things that are in direct relation to the characters for the scene. Painting is simpler because it's painting the background image, giving more context to the world and making your stage look larger than it actually is/setting up things for later)
The point about said is that beat tags are often better than just using said, but if you have to use a dialogue tag (which means the flow is the most important rather than getting into more descriptions), then said is your bag because it's basically invisible. If you're going to waste the words on a said-book-ism, you might as well expand that and give a beat/description from the character and show what you meant by the said-book-ism. (That being said, sometimes a well-placed said-book-ism is great, and it can be used for character voice if you use close third/the character is the narrator/2x first persons to distinguish them)
I’ve always heard start at the end for PLANNING. Which makes sense; it’s so you know where you need to get with your story. But to start WRITING at the end seems..... weird.
About the description thing: I only describe stuff when my MC would actually notice it. If the arrogant douchebag suddenly wears PJ's and a messy hairstyle without the usual amount of hair gel in it, when there are dirty plates standing in a tidy persons' house or when a room smells different from the others, I'm going to mention it. But I'm not going to mention what kind of clothes every person wears after describing their style once, which I will only do when there's something striking about it.
I thought that was self-explanatory. Who cares if the character is wearing a black or a blue shirt? The only situation people would care for the color is when everyone else is wearing a black shirt except for that one guy who is wearing a blue shirt. Because it raises questions: Why is everyone except that one dude dressed alike? Why did that one guy choose to attract attention? Did he just grab the wrong shirt because he was in a rush? Or was it intentional? What does it say about the character? Does it make him stupid? Brave? Provocative? How are the people dressed in black reacting to it? Is wearing black obligatory? In which way? Legally or socially? Will he get arrested for wearing blue? What does it say about society/politics? What effect did the rule it have on the people? Did it affect their journey of self-discovery? Do they now all act alike because they have no idea who they are? Why is it obligatory? Is individuality in all forms illegal?
Answering those questions is a way of including world building into a fantasy/ dystopian without info dumping.
Nice refreshing video, thanks.
My favored method of writing is to start with an idea; a key scene that you think is essential to the plot. If it does nothing more than highlight a few characters and key relationships between them, you've succeeded. Ping-pong all over the place as your mind decides; writing scene after scene after scene. Then, arrange them like a jigsaw puzzle. Fill in gaps. Find the best place to start and convert all that may come before it into flashbacks and backstory exposition. When beginning a story, don't give any thought to where in the story that scene is going to go (unless that method suits you) because it limits your potential creativity by telling your imagination what it's going to say. That's not wise unless your mind just works that way.
When writing, I hate the diarrhetic landslide of I/he/they said. Even if you don't use the word "said" and, instead, use "exclaimed," "growled," "groaned," etc, it means the same. It gets BORING faster than Speedy Gonzales!
I'm starting to learn that I should describe things incidentally, not directly. For instance, say that "tears welled in [character's] vivid green eyes" instead of "[character] had vivid green eyes." Descriptions do clog up the writing, but you can combine details and condense them together.
Writing every day is a failed notion because, even if inclined, circumstances interfere. When they do, highlight the scene in cliff note version when you have the brief opportunity. Sometimes, ideas don't flow. If you can't write, revise and reconsider. Maybe you can add something to an already-written scene or change a detail for the better. And, NO, do not wait 6 months to read it after it's finished! I have read and reread and reread again my two story ideas more times than I can count. That's how one has a BUNCH of content and has mutated FAR from its original form; and, it's not even finished yet! Eventually, ideas settle but, as you learn, your style and ability evolve. Let them.
My least favorite writing tip is "You must write many short stories before attempting a novel." I believe that short stories shouldn't be treated as practice bacause they are a story in themselves and are still hard to write. It's just my opinion, so of you do this, you do you.😊💜 Thanks for the video!
I take a look at possible endings. They are blurry images I work to. Merely an old map. I am a pantser. The story moves and grows. The ending is fluid.
The only tip that’s worked for me on this list is start at the end because my idea for my story ended up being the conclusion.
i find that a lot of advice is given to make someone to do something at all and people go on to take it too literally
we make them a rule rather than an exercise
i.e. write a paragraph without using said so you learn not to do it every time vs. telling someone to never use said
I waited 6 months... My problem is, I have a very good memory and I still remember the whole thing. I did spot sentences that were... They need fixing. But, yeah, 3 weeks and 6 months would be the same to me. I will still remember.
Writing in the middle or end was probably just a way to break down writer's block. It can work, actually. So does outlining everything from the start.
"Said" is one of those words that readers will just gloss over. There are definitely times when you'll want to use other tags, but when in doubt using "said" or none at all is always a safe bet.
Six months? I haven't heard of that one. I usually hear "at least one month" and even that is too long for me! I don't know how you did it. I'd be thinking about it constantly.
I can tell you Elysa, it was a total waste of time haha
@Wolfshot Publishing Hello. Hardcore Speculative Fiction writer here. Loving the videos. Just have a few things to add. Let's start with #1. I think you're a bit confused as to what "start in the middle" actually means. It doesn't mean start in the middle of THE story you're writing. It means that your story should begin in the middle of the WORLD'S story. Examples: Lord of the Rings starts at the beginning of THE story, with the hobbits celebrating Bilbo's birthday. The story itself actually begins in the middle of the WORLD'S story. Sauron has already created the One Ring. Gollum has been corrupted by the ring. The nine men have become Nazgul, etc. Game of Thrones is the same. We didn't get to see the Made King's reign, but it happened before THE story begins. Almost all successful fantasy novels utilize this tool. It's great advice if you understand what it really means. Moving on, #2 is good advice. Use 'said' when it's appropriate, don't use it when it's not. It's an arbitrary decision that really doesn't matter too much. Check how many times Tolkien or Martin uses 'said'. It's overwhelming. #3 Always set the scene, yes. But, show it rather than telling it. And split the description up between paragraphs of action. #4 Write everyday, if you can. Work on the project everyday, whether you do actual writing or not. Planning, plotting, and creating the fantasy setting, or characters, is just as productive as actual writing. #5 Six months is a long time. I agree that you should step away from it once completed with the first draft. Maybe a week or two at max. But, this is all just personal preference. Anyway, that's my two cents.
Six months? I have not heard that before. I couldn't do that.
Do you have advice on writing science fiction/fantasy without coming off as campy or a very bad B-movie?
Thank you for bashing these dumb writing tips! I've heard the "write it backward" tip, that didn't work for me either. The tip (not mentioned) that annoys me personally, is "show don't tell" because it's so vague. If you show every single part of the story and what your character does each second, the book would be a million pages long. In a lot of cases it's better to tell the reader, "She took a shower and brushed her teeth, then got dressed and rushed out the door." instead of showing the character do each thing one by one.
My advice: Telling the boring things helps you keep a better pace so that way readers care when you show them interesting things. Showing too much useless stuff slows the pace. Telling too much can make readers feel spoon fed. There has to be a balance. Characters twisting off the cap of their toothpaste is boring. What your character is getting ready for is interesting. What they're thinking as they get ready is interesting.
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.
Luckily I'm in high school now so I'll have more time in between arriving home and things like going to Girl Scout meetings or Aikido.
The 6 months thing completely screwed me over( as well as lack of self motivation) . I did it after Nano and guess what? I could not pick it back up again. As it's only a hobbie not to worried but annoying.
I feel ya Holly, 6 months is just too gratuitous
All advice should be carefully considered before adoption.
Waiting a bit before editing makes sense. YOU know how long it takes for you to be able to do so. After all, you have to be able to spot the places where you weren't clear or contradicted yourself.
Having an idea of the ending is good. How much of an idea depends on your genre. Knowing that it was Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with an axe tells you what clues to plant in a mystery. Otherwise, do what you need for the story.
"Tip" one has never made sense to me either, unless someone is writing a lot of flashbacks/forwards or the story itself isn't meant to be read chronologically therefore it's not written that way either. But even then, the best place to start is, duh, the start.
For sure Simon 😊 I know a few people who successfully jump all over the place chronologically but it’s just not for me
The waiting six months annoys me. I will forget what the heck the story was about in that time and If you want to be a full time writer, it’s unreasonable. And the writing the ending first does not work for me either. I generally have an idea of the climax in my head but I always start from the beginning and let the events lead into one another.
A better guideline than the 6 months rule is edit every time a story or book receives a rejection from a publisher. In the time between, don't even look at it, and move on to another project. Then when that inevitable "that's a negative, ghost rider" notice comes, drop your current project, edit the piss out of your failed piece, send it to another publisher, and then resume with your unfinished project while the old one is in waiting. This way, you never stop editing and making your story all it can possibly be, and you won't get overwhelmed juggling an old work and unfinished new work in your writing schedule.
As much as I remember, people say to wait after the first draft. So... publishers don't have much to do with it.
@@sharonefee1426 I think you misread my post.
6 months are sure a lot. I hardly remember what it is about after such a long time (okay, I remember in genereal, but really in general). I think a month is enough (or if you have better memory than mine, maybe 2 or 3)
I have put off outlining my book for *months*
6 month?! I would wait 2 weeks befor overworking etc. I agree, those tips are just rubbish (in my oppinion)
I did the last one with my first novel. I waited for 6 months meanwhile I took a trip to another country for 3 months. I felt like I wasted my time and my first novel is still pending. Now I'm stuck editing it and I'm hating to rework the chapters cause while I was away I got new ideas. My first novel is like doomed and I've almost finished my second cause I got so bored waiting that I wanted to make a fun story.
Gettimg more ideas is damn horrible... now I'm "in the middle" (more like... quarter?) and the meantime I got other ideas, and I wanted to develop other chcaracter rather than my protagonist (I guess it is weird...), so the protagonist was taken aside, and other chracters are gonna get "time screen" in the book. He's just going to be absent for a whole chapter. But thinking about new ideas aftter finishing?! Unless it can help to make a sequeal.... that sucks.
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.
The music was distracting and a bit too loud on this one.
Does anybody use Auctor?
Now you're just silly - Gerald doesn't growl! He's a well-behaved dude. Cool video, it's interesting to hear how the "common" writing tips are actually not working that great.
😂
The ancient roman poet Horace famously said every good writer should wait at least 9 YEARS before revisiting their text xD
6 months is not that long in my opinion. You can begin on your next work in the meantime. But I do think it depends on how long you take on your first draft. If you put it together in a month, maybe wait three months. If you are like me and it took you several years, than definately wait at least 6 months or longer! You have to get that distance to your work.
9 Years! That's insane hahaha, I could never wait that long 😂
Six months works well for me :P
OMG 6 months IS a long time! WHY!?
I think maybe if you don't like it and think you won't do anything with it, then maybe wait 6 months and read it again? I wrote a book for NaNoWriMo a few years ago and I thought it was just meh, and so I never did anything with it, but then I found it on my computer over a year later and I read through it, and it felt like I was reading someone else's book because it was so out of my mind, and I was like: "Hey! This is actually good!" and some parts made me go "I can't believe I wrote this!" haha
But that's the only time I've done that, and only because I didn't like it at first.
Normally it KILLS me when my beta readers take longer than 2 weeks to read my drafts because I just want to get back into my worlds again and do revisions RIGHT AWAY lol
Caleb Williams was written from end to beginning, but Godwin was a genius. Stephen King recommended writing every day, but it's too exhausting unless you're superhuman.
hahaha yeah Stephen King is a bit above human level if you ask me 😂
People really write-write the ending first? I’m a mega outliner, but wow.
I hate the "just write" advice. I can go sit down right now and spend an hour spewing out any old crap. The reason I'm not doing that right now, and spend a week trying to come up with something is that I DON'T WANT to spend an hour spewing out any old crap. When I do sit down to write, I want to maximize the chances that what I commit to the screen is going to be worth the time and effort. It's like telling a photographer to "just take photos". Ok, they can walk around their house taking photos of any random thing they can find for an hour, and a good photographer can probably get at least one photo that someone will like. A bad (or new) photographer will have a memory card full of bad photos and probably won't have improved their skills at all. Also they're probably going to come out of that experience feeling disappointed or frustrated. Now if either of those photographers sat down and came up with an idea of what to shoot first, where to shoot at, who to shoot with etc, they're going to end up with a much better result. (the writing counterpart would be looking for inspiration, thinking through ideas, research etc) So to me that "just write" kind of advice is very unhelpful and arguably disrespectful. If it works for you, and you actually create something quality from it, that's great and I wish I was the same.
One writing tip I have found to be just terrible is to spray my eyes with salt after every 500 words written. I have found this to be very counterproductive. I do not recommend it.
Some say never use said. Some say NEVER use said....
Said: what's wrong with it? Read Ellroy. Growled, snarled etc: leave them out.
Describing a character's appearance: I agree with that.
Two months is more than enough to wait to review your work.
If you need someone to give you writing tips, you obviously cannot write.
I’m kind of surprised that one of the writing tips wasn’t “don’t write about humans/dinosaurs screwing.” Lol. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. 😂
Hahaha Dinosaur Erotica will be my legacy apparently