How to push through (and become a real writer)
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2024
- My most recently published novella: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW6Z5JNL
Act two breaks writers. Novel two breaks writers. Why is this, and what can you do to avoid becoming a casualty? One of my top writing tips to win the war of attrition that is fiction writing, because you can't become a successful author without completing your book.
This is good for motivation. 97 percent of writers quit before they finish their books. I believe it. Social media has kind of killed our thinking of new ways to motivate ourselves. We just have to quit meaningless, boring social media and finish our novels, novellas, short stories, journals, and writings. We need to love the journey more than destination.
Yes, those really are the keys to making it. It truly requires thinking differently
"How many of you have multiple first acts of novels?"
*raises hand*
haha well settle in, because I feel like my new calling is to convince writers to just keep pushing forward.
(And let's just keep this between you and me, but don't feel bad, because I have plenty of first acts of uncomplete novels. It's going to happen occasionally.)
+1
Present.
I’m 60,000 words into my novel right now, and it’s the farthest I’ve ever gotten in finishing any novel since I started writing.
Now, just turning 30, I felt a huge surge of momentum when I realized I was at the halfway mark.
At this point, I can’t envision a future where I don’t finish it.
That's fantastic! So much of it is a mental game to get yourself to keep pushing forward. I'm sure knowing you're over the hump will see you through. Also, you're closing in on act 3, which is usually very fun to write
@@JAlanRyker Appreciate the response! that boring middle almost took me out, and other writer's were making me feel crazy for being bored by a section of character building or sequences that needed to slow down for good pacing.
The one thing that drove me crazy was author's would tell me "If You're bored writing it they'll be bored reading it"
which this video you posted expresses exactly what i was feeling! I love my story but i would be disingenuous if i said that 99% of the story was a blast to write.
Im just glad to see i wasn't crazy for not feeling totally engaged through the entire process and that it was entirely normal for me to feel that way.
@@justinsanegaming9724 "If you're bored writing it they'll be bored reading it"... good lord. Readers live with it for a few hours, you, for months. They suspend disbelief and fall into hte world of your story, thinking maybe the attempts of the protag in the 2nd act will actually work. You know it's not going to until act 3, many many pages away. So that's just a nonsensical statement. Glad to validate that you're right!
I reached 117k words yesterday and the feeling was overwhelming, considering I gave up writing for a while because I never felt good enough. A lot of the words are probably unnecessary jumble that I will cut, but I am halfway through my book too and the overwhelming motivation that has come with that realisation has been the best remedy ever for my chronic perfectionism!
@@SquiggleScrawl Nice! Consciously, you know you need to just get that first draft out, but it's fantastic when you actually feel it.
Sometimes fewer words are junk than you think, and sometimes you need to add as much as you take away (I think a writer tends to lean one way or the other for that). You might have two volumes on your hands
came here for writing advice left with a completely new way to look at my life. unbelievable
Wow, thanks so much! That really means a lot to me
I got stuck in the boring middle, felt that chafing between what I wanted and the reality. It was a mental health journey to approach it from a more realistic way, and this year I've really focused on "the process is the goal" and it's helped me tremendously. I'm just focused on writing short stories, and show up every day, even if I don't get a lot done. But the more I do that, the more I seem to get done in a day. Your video reassured me that I'm finally on the right path.
We all have a LOT left to figure out, but it sounds like you figured out the thing that'll keep you pushing forward, giving you the chance to figure everything else out. Good for you!
And what I've found is that a lot of stuff that feels bad and boring in the writing, you can't tell it in the finished product. I read it expecting it'll be more revision work than something that flowed easily, and it's really not. It really was just how it felt.
Having written - that is, completed - some books I find that each of them has, kind of, "written itself". The suggestion of Plotting Ahead would make my working method impossible and so I never ever will do that. Where you say a writer has to sit down and write every day ... I wonder why one should have to sit to be able to write? Putting one word after another, for me, is merely a side-effect of the process of writing, which involves so much more than words. Yes, I am a writer and a fulltime one too. I write when I see a dying tree on one of my walks, I write when I hear dialogs in the subway or seeing that crippled man crossing the street. I am a writer when I chose to lit a cigarette, I am an author while preparing dinner. Life itself is the inspiration and the motivation. I just cannot live NOT writing then? True - absolutely true. What I am getting at that, it is no problem if you do not create chains of words for a given time: you are still a writer when you are a true writer. Just TRUST your identity, getting the words connected on the screen or on paper will inevetibly happen.
Some very good ideas in there. When you've got the identity of writer at your core, it often permeates everything else.
I would only suggest plotting ahead for someone struggling with what to do after act 1, which I think usually flows easily for almost everyone. But, if someone who plots ahead struggles, I'd suggest they try not and see if it makes the process more fun and satisfying.
I can feel what you're saying about writing very clearly because of how much it parallels my thoughts on meditation. I will sit and meditate, which is like the exercise, building the awareness muscle, the ability to catch yourself drifting. But when I do walking meditation, I don't do it like others where I focus on the movement of my stride, putting mhy mind in my hips and feet like I do my lungs while sitting. I focus on the whole world, just opening up awareness of what my sense bring me, because that is the "purpose" of meditation. Being able to hold awareness of the moment is hte reason for building that mental muscle while sitting. So why limit walking meditation to an exercise when it can be a way to bring awareness to your true, authentic interactions with the world?
"The boring middle is where you actually find out if you're a writer"! :) I always thought the idea was to avoid the "boring middle." That can prove quite challenging. I learned in my writing journey that I don't work well with detailed plotting. I'm not sure I'm a "write by the seat of one's pants" kind of writer, but I suspect I'm closer to that end of the writing methodology spectrum. I have a general idea of the events and where I'm going, but not being a strict plotter has allowed me to improvise and find solutions/ideas as I go. For me, the further you get in the book, the stronger your perspective becomes about where the novel should go and how it should end. Some of my endings have surprised me. One of my most enjoyable moments is when I'm pleasantly surprised by an unexpected event or character. I'm not addressing several of your thoughts here, Alan - just what resonates with me in this pre-coffee moment in the morning. :) Thanks for your thoughts, brother.
I definitely don't try to tell people to switch to plotting from making it up as they go if whatever method they're doing works for them. If a person is having trouble finishing a book, though, I'd recommend they try out plotting ahead. Even a loose outline can help, like plot beats, but leave room for spontaneity.
So the point about avoid the boring is a really good one and a distinction that I should have made in the video. Elmore Leonard, right, said, "leave out the boring parts" or something. But I think that's from a reader's perspective. I think a lot of writers have fun discovering and setting up the problem, and then writing how it gets concluded, but get bored with the big stretch in the middle with all the trying and failing.
@@JAlanRyker Funny, I was thinking of Elmore's comment when I replied to you! :) The plotting versus improvisatory (for last of a better descriptor) approach-and every method in between-depends far too much on individual temperament or natural skills to be universalized, but I take your point that if you're having problems with one approach (for example, improvising with little plotting), try another approach. I came at it from the opposite end of yours, I think - for years, plotting stuff in detail. I found THAT made it impossible to complete a novel. Over and over, the novel headed in directions my plot didn't permit, but those directions were actually better for the story (in most cases)! I would try to wrestle the story back into my plot outline and then throw my hands up in despair when the result sucked. The question of strategies might hinge on just how good you are at detailed planning. Apparently, that's not my strength, but for another writer, that might perfectly suit their natural abilities.
I'm mostly a pantser (recently heard another term called the gardener and I love that one) and what I've learnt to see my process as is: the first write is draft zero and it becomes a very loose outline then. so when I go into draft 1 I've somewhat planned, but in a way that was fun for me rather than trying to plan it all out before I really know what's going to happen and who it will happen to.
@@nicoledorman8484 that's a great process, allowing for the best of both worlds. I've had some success with a hybrid process where I wrote Act 1 without any planning, then, because at that point I felt I knew the character well enough to know what they'd choose to do, I would outline the rest. Being open to discovering these things is half the battle!
What an insightful video! And to see so many people opening up in the comments is very heartwarming. For so long I've been struggling with following through with a novel, and it's exactly like you said; every time I start a different story, I'll go through the beginning with ease and enthusiasm, but then it feels like the magic dies, and suddenly I've given up entirely on it, and then a new idea will come around and the same thing will happen again. I'm nineteen years old, I'm currently taking time off before trying for college, and I have so much time in my hands and still I find myself shying away from this true passion of mine, the one thing that's always stuck with me ever since I first learned how to use my imagination. It's so frustrating! I'm so tired of having all these ideas in the palm of my hand, but being unable to execute them for... what? Pure lack of discipline? Laziness? Hearing what you have to say on the matter has been very helpful, so thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks so much for the kind words. I totally agree that it's amazing reading about everyone's struggles and successes. I didn't start this channel long ago, and I had no idea that I would basically rediscover my lost writing community here.
I truly doubt it's laziness holding you back. We know now that procrastination comes from anxiety. You have to figure out what about the process is causing you the anxiety. Is it fear that the boring middle means it's not a good idea? When it feels hard to write, does that make you feel like you're not a good writer, and you shy away from the keyboard?
If you haven't tried plotting ahead, I'd suggest it, at least after you get stuck. Take a look at save the cat. It's for screenplays, but the structure can easily get you to a novella length without stretching, and can be stretched out to short novel and beyond. www.studiobinder.com/blog/save-the-cat-beat-sheet/
If you want more structure after that, plot out 13 scenes in each of the main 4 sections (1st act, 2nd act to midpoint, 2nd act after midpoint, 3rd act). Each scene needs some conflict, even if it's low key. That should be short novel length. Let me know how you do!
I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so seen! Thank you for this video. New subscriber here about to embrace the boring middle.
Immediately your video caught the corpse inside me and made it wake the hell up. I started writing my novel inspired by a cool metal album I saw, and it led to something I never thought I was capable of: a poetic, heavy metal-themed, post-apocalyptic song of a novel that just flowed right out of me. It features three distinct beginnings, all intertwined, focusing on one man you come to view as the protagonist. These were going to be different beginnings from other novels I would write but I decided why not try to get out of the same story and change the plot to be more interesting. You witness him dispensing justice, saving a town, and rescuing a woman. Later, you see him dancing with the girl, then cutting off her head because she saw his true nature-and that is the scariest thing to ever be. Another character, having fallen in love with the girl, receives her head directly from the protagonist, who then forces him to do what she detested most in the world. Which is his job and he is a good toy to play with. I’ve found that leaving things open to interpretation really adds to the story; by not making almost everything a direct cause and effect of the protagonist’s actions, the world feels more alive. If anything, I try to make him-and, by extension, myself-the antagonist to the reader. He feels like a cancer, very much so: a spider that ensnares flies and drains them dry upon his silky threads, yet even he doesn’t know how to get down. An emperor of sand, too drunk on death to find his way.
That sounds really interesting, and a good way to write a postapocalyptic novel. The world has become unpredictable
Thank you for this. I started writing my new novel in February 2024, and it was exactly in the middle of the second act where I went down to a slog…i subconsciously made it hard, and MAN! It took all of me to push through. KEEEEEEEEEEP WRITING!!!
haha I want to get "KEEEEEEEEEEP WRITING!!!" tattooed backwards on my forehead. Keep it up!
Love this advice, thank you. I finished my first novel and now in the process of self editing. You are right, finishing a manuscript is hard, and I take my hat off to anyone who embarks on the arduous journey of writing a novel.
You come out of that boring middle a different writer than you went in. Congrats on a finished draft!
This video felt quite motivating. I usually do not get to share my writing journey, specially cause none of my friends write, but heck I'll do it right here and right now.
In 2019 I found myself devouring dozens of YT videos on the craft of storytelling, and I remembered I had written a handful of chapters on a fantasy book just for the sake of it when I was in highschool, around 2014 or so. When I finished my engineering career and Covid struck, I dug up those chapters (hadn't forgotten ghe characters' names, nor the general idea) and just did a rewrite on them. And then I got stuck. I reached the end of act 1 and had no idea what to do next. But I didn't want to give up because I had enjoyed the writing sooo much. So I read books on writing, a couple of the most popular ones. I plotted quite nicely act 1, really losely act 2 and quite nicely act 3 and got back to it in August 2021.
I haven't stopped since then, and I've had to adapt. I've been at a 9 to 5 since 2020 too, but throughout 2021 and 2022 I tried to write daily after work. Of course there were some days I was just so beat, and others I did something else like watching a movie or so, but I always reminded me inspiration was ot enough, and that I needed to just get to it, despite the challenges of it all. I pushed through the boring middle and on dec 31st, 2022, I finished my first draft with 340,000 words.
And then I kept going. I went back to the drawing board, tried to structure better the boring middle, flesh out the worldbuilding and the characters and the plot itself, and in May 2023 I started draft 2. Then my work schedule changed, but I adapted and now I write 3 hours each day before work, from 6 am to 9 am. I'm about to reach the 60% mark and have trimmed down 40,000 words. And I'm still going.
My father tells me I should've began with a shorter book, something easier until I refined my craft and then I could write the story I wanted. But I couldn't disagree more, because THIS is the story I crave to tell. It was there since 2014 and is still here 10 years later. Of course there've been moments when I've been tempted to search a new story, to feel again that dopamine of excitement and wonder and plot the next great story, but it doesn't last long, cause this is the story I love. I love it so much that I'm almost through the boring middle for a second time, and hey, I think it's no longer thaaat boring as it was 1 year ago.
Naturally, I doubt myself at least twice per week. I cannot help but think I'm an engineer in a 9 to 5 with no contacts in the writing medium, no friends to exchange anecdotes, not a single work published to my name, not even on Wattapad. And yet I keep pushing, cause at least I believe in the story I have to tell. I believe in its potential to connect with people, and I want to see it through.
So yeah. After reaching the 60% mark of my second draft of my first novel ever, I do think I'm a writer and I can say it proudly. And just you wait until 2050 when it's finally published! :P
What an inspiring journey it's been! Before commenting on the rest, I have been feeling how important community is recently, and I'm glad you could come here and share.
Wow, 340k first draft! That's incredible! Your drive is admirable, even if you love the world and the work, to be able to write 3 hours every morning before going off to a very brain-draining type of job... Wow, again.
Something is going to come of this. Work is what matters. Keep me up to date on what you're up to. I don't know the fantasy world like I do the horror world, but still, I'm excited to see what happens.
@@JAlanRykeryeah! Community is always great! I've been watching more of your videos and found so much value on them, plus hearing your journey from writer to computer programming back to your true nature as a writer has been so eye opening. Keep it up! I will definitely stay tuned and in touch here and there!
I‘be written about 40 pulp novels and all I can say - this is one of the most helpful and honest videos about writing I‘ve ever seen. Greetings from Germany!
40 novels... That's amazing! Thanks for your kind words. I'm surprised I even have anything to say to someone who's written 40 novels
@@JAlanRyker You have👍 I enoyed the Video and looking forward to the other ones! Writing can be a very demanding way of living. It is very pleasant to see fellow sufferes on their way and listen to their experience.
I have a slightly different problem. I finished my novel last August and just managed to make myself start reading it again. And its an up hill battle to even want to look at it. Ive spent years on it, worked on all hours of the night on it, cried over it, and now im mad at myself for not having motivation to even open it.
I really enjoy the revising process. For me, it's much less stress. For me, the stressful part is getting that initial material made. I wonder if maybe you've built it up in your mind and now you're afraid to touch it, but if you do, maybe you'll also find it fun.
Not everyone has my experience by any stretch, though. I know some people hate revising.
So maybe you could just start on your next book and let the first sit. I typically write at least one other book between the first draft and the second, often multiple. That could give you the distance. Don't beat yourself up, and don't force yourself and make yourself hate writing. The last thing you want is to give up at this stage. You might think the time since August should have given you the distance, but if it's been living in your head, and I think it has, you might need to clear it out with something else. Start with a short story or two if a new long work sounds intimidating. Just don't give up!
fantastic video! The thing that worked best for me so far is to prepare all the scenes ahead without much detail, just places, people and main events.
That's a really good idea. Everyone has to find their balance that works for them, but this sounds like a good general rule for eliminating stress while leaving room for fun
What an awesome video. You really nailed it when you said that there isn't any new writing advice being written about. I audibly laughed at a few things you said, especially "if i write 7k words a day, ill be done in a week" which is something I say to myself constantly.
Its strange because I love writing more than life itself but the biggest issue I have is reckoning with the fact that genre-fiction has poisoned the minds of most readers these days, along with short form video content, so writing in my usual style, which is Tolstoyan/Proustian but with extra long, dense, philosophically verbose, psychedelic/psychological prose full of allusions, abstract imagery, lengthy character interludes where I go for thousands and thousands of words in a character's mind during a scene...it almost feels Sisyphian writing it because although I do it regardless of what others think, its like I know NOBODY wants to read it nor will I get any money or be able to live off of it. In fact, my work is so long it physically cannot be printed because the first part of the first novel borders 1M words.
I work on my stuff every single day, I average 3-5k words a day but despite my love for the art, that is not just infatuation but actually a prolonged infatuation given how much I love the art, it's disheartening knowing nobody will ever read it
I'm currently listening to Western Cave on your youtube channel. Did you make this? It's exactly the sort of music I love. Fantastic stuff! I know you come from the direction of metal, but there's a band called City of Caterpillar (check out "A Little Change Could Go a Long Ways") that does a slow doom hardcore that it reminds me of, with the long droning builds. I've been really into blackened crust, so black metal fused with d-beat crust hardcore, like Illvilja, who do a slow dirge-y version.
Anyway, while I think genre readers are more likely to enjoy a story that's very low on character, there is elevated, literary fiction in each genre. I write horror, and I almost only care about character, and tend to spend most of my time in the characters head and thoughts. But even so, not a million words worth! That's incredible.
You're right in that your book can't be physically read unless you break it up into volumes, but I would absolutely do that. I love how you'll work on it regardless, but I do want to see what impact this could have on the writing world. Besides volumes, you could go the route of putting it online. With your dedication to constant creation, and some kind of promotion (ugh sorry), you could build a dedicated following who would tell you what format they want it in. You could even go the Patreon route, or a Substack, where people could pay to read as you incrementally put it out.
I know I don't even have to tell you not to give up on writing, but also don't give up on getting your work out into the world. There are too many routes to go these days, and if there isn't a route that suites you, you can forge your own.
Idk I always found the middle to be the easiest and most fun part by far, followed by endings, and lastly beginnings.
I write for the end and the middle, the beginning is just obligatory setup for me.
since the middle is twice as long as the other parts together, you're one lucky writer! You get the part you don't like over with first, leaving only the fun parts. Very enviable
Interesting and helpful.
I am trying this rapid pulp writing thing on Amazon where you shoot for a novel a month. After about 4 months I’m just about finished with the first. There does seem to be some advantage to writing like this. Yeah, you have to sacrifice quality. You just can’t write anything brilliant this way. But if you aim for a short 60k word novel, you can get it to the point where you’re writing a novel a month.
You learn a lot just blitzing thought stories this way. A friend of mine did this and ended up with something like 20 novels in 2 years and they weren’t horrible. He made some cash on Amazon and more importantly his writing really improved. There’s something to be said for just having a lot of finished novels. It boosts your confidence and you internalize a lot of the fundamentals that take a long time to master.
I would suggest to anyone who wants to be a writer to give this a shot. Take a year and try and write as many pulp novels as you can, provided you actually enjoy some type of pulp. Write as fast as you possibly can, letting go of caring about quality, focus on capturing the details and showing over telling.
I do think this is a great idea, for a lot of reasons. No matter what, you can always revise, and personally, I find that there's no stress once the matter is in front of me and I can mold it. This technique would definitely result in you shutting that inner critic up, to be woken on a later date. And I've had plenty of times where I thought an idea would make something killer and it didn't, and something I just decided to try turned out better than expected. You don't know what's going to turn out really well until you get it down, and the more you get down, the more chances. Then you can go back and spruce it up.
Thank you for this video! So many important truths. :)
I'd love to hear more about your plotting process, maybe even see a small sample of it "in the moment".
I'm definitely going to put up a video of my concept generation process, so look out for that! Using the Adventure Crafter for generating an entire plot is a bit more involved, but I'm going to figure out how to do it
You should post a link to your books so we can buy and read them.
Thank you for the video.
You are right. I'll start doing that. I'm in a season of getting out my back catalog from the publisher that went bankrupt, so I'll be showing some of those over the course of the year as they become available. Thanks!
I’m happy to have discovered your channel and its useful content at this early stage in your career here. Just commenting to support the algorithm, aaannnnd… SUBSCRIBED!
thank you very much for the support and for getting in on the ground floor!
I started writing when I was still a teenager, pre-teen?? at about 10… my mom used to call me “Chapter One” cos that’s all she saw me writing. 😂
Changed that around now
haha I love this. my son wants a new 200-400 page hardcover blank journal to start each of his books. He had like 6 going at once and I had to tell him this was too expensive and he needed to finish some before he was getting a new one
This was great. Have you considered recording these as podcasts? I'd certainly love to have these to listen to on my commute. Look forward to future videos from you, man!
considering how little is going on visually, you'd think making it a podcast would be obvious, and yet no, I hadn't considered it! I'm going to look into that. Thanks for the suggestion and the kind words!
So this video resonates with me. I did a lot of research at the beginning of the infatutaion stage. I wrote out the outlines for 8 chapters. I thought learning by doing would be a good way to push forward. I think Stephen King's On Writing confused me a lot as he doesn't believe in plotting. However, he has been writing for such a long time, he probably does all the plotting in his head. I put off writing to take up hobbies like pencil sketching; career postive moves like a 9 month course in management and reading a several books on project management. I currently have more time on my hands and want to start writing again. I have dusted off my folder with all my notes and have started to arrange them and chew them over. I hate feeling so guilty though. The resistance is awful. Anyway, As David Scoggins said ' I have to embrace the suck' (the 2nd Act). Good video. Very helpful
Stephen King is a genius at what he does. Besides the fact that, you're right, he's incorporated the beats in his head, he can also go on long asides and produce such great character work that he gets away with a loose structure. I think though, that sometimes backfires even for him.
The hardest thing is to pick up something you've sat aside for a long stretch. You've got the daily grind ahead, but FIRST the big lift of getting everything loaded into your mental ram again, with no infatuation intensity boost to help. I'm saying this to validate your struggle, though now I'm thinking it sounds like I'm trying to dishearten you!
If you don't mind some unrequested advice: try getting the beginning notes loaded up first and start writing for half your time while you're organizing and familiarizing yourself with the rest. You're in a tough spot and I think you need a taste of what you're working towards
I would love more videos about the process please! Great stuff!
good to hear! I have some plans
Thanks for this video, new subscriber! I'm currently halfway through my book and this is the first book attempt I've actually plotted out in advance. I am learning so much by committing to this process. This was really motivational to keep me going!
Thank you! I'm glad that you've found a way past act 1. If you find yourself stuck at another point along the way, please reach out.
Has this turned you into a plotter? Or maybe freestyle the first act and plot the rest?
@JAlanRyker I've written 3 other books before this one that were just for fun, so I didn't bother plotting ahead for those. They were stand-alone projects that were more for personal catharsis than anything else. This current book, however, is a first in a series that I've been wanting to write since I was 16. I've made attempts to write this book before, but it was too big for me to wrap my head around. Now I realize that I just needed to be older and have more writing experience to tackle it. I've learned more tools over time and realized last year the ONLY way to write this series is to plan it out in advance. Started plotting in outlines in January, and I'm astounded that it's actually working this time. I'm blasting through it! Feels amazing!
@JAlanRyker I think to write the books I truly want to write and pursue publishing, I'm going to have to be a plotter! After this experience I think I'm going to be doing this from now on, regardless of what I'm writing. It's just better and has taken my work to a higher level 👍
@@solaraesoterica okay, 4th book, so obviously you've got this. Your project sounds ambitious. It's very cool that the combination of experience and plotting is getting you such good results. I tell you, when I think of my other artistic interests and then see people aging out of those mediums, I'm so glad I chose writing. A lot of writers seem to only hit their stride in their 50s. Life experience is the cheat code to writing well!
Great motivational video. Although I do have 4 books out ( 2 different series) I feel I am in the 'middle' of those series, and have been giving more attention recently to a pen name project but i know I definitely do NOT want to give up on my already started series.
That's something I've never experienced. Horror is difficult for series. I have one two book series, but that basically means I was never in the middle. Honestly, I can imagine it being VERY difficult to keep the same energy in the 2nd book of a trilogy.
@JAlanRyker well I've written 2 of a possible 6 or 7. My problem is the first 2 were companion novels so I now have to wrangle 2 casts together
thanks!
I am a writer at heart, but I haven't written anything due to analysis paralysis. Despite reading every book on writing, I have yet to write. I even earned a degree in English and creative writing, hoping it would teach me how to write properly-how to understand gerunds, adverb usage, etc. However, I can't trust that I can produce anything I would want to read, let alone something others would enjoy.
Speaking of Act II, would it be feasible to start by writing it first?
Thanks for this message.
I think you need to find a way to trick yourself into starting. Are you having trouble with a novel but find you can write short stories? The first thing I published was a novella, but the first act had been a short story that ended with the protagonist overcoming a problem and at the end facing a much bigger, worse version of that problem. So it was natural to just continue from there.
Starting with act 2 is an interesting idea. I've never thought about it. You really need to know your character by then, so I guess it's to do with how much you are able to either immediately know your character or do exercises to flesh them out. You then need to make decisions about what revelations would have been made in act 1 that you don't need to repeat in act 2 and take note of them to write later.
So it's going to be harder, and I'm not sure there would be a benefit. Act 2 is still going to have the character running around trying one thing after the other that you know aren't going to lead to success, and now act 1 is going to be boring because you're not discovering much.
At least that's how it works in my head.
Now, i have like 10 1st pages of other work I want to get to when i finish my cyrrent work. And the habit thing, dont make a habit out of youre enviorment, thrive in whatever enviorment the world puts you in, and it will make you a better writer, for you can write, or brainstorm ideas whenever you want. But be realistic, plan a deadline, and stay to it. 7k words a day is unrealistic, 500 words a day tells you that you are at a beginners level, and you will imrove if you try. But always make your deadline, make that youre driving force, write when you dont feel like writing, cus then you train your brain to be creative on comand.
"write when you dont feel like writing, cus then you train your brain to be creative on comand" This is very true. I've also found that what I write when I feel like it's a struggle, when I'm not in flow, when I'm not feeling creative, is usually as good as what I write when it's flowing, though it doesn't feel like it at the time.
Great video 🎉
My question to writers is how can you make the old feel new and exciting?
I've been working on the same novel on and off for two years now.
What has kept me sticking it out, and now finally finishing my rough draft, is switching things up.
I have four different locations around my home that I like to write.
That alone goes a long way into keeping boredom from seeping in.
One of those places is outdoors, which I highly recommend if possible.
I also have a list of songs that are all instrumental for writing.
Each one conveys a different type of mood.
Depending on the scene I'm working on I can easily choose a song to match.
Also something as simple as changing up the lighting can go a long way.
I feel very differently when I'm sitting in a bright sunny room, versus when I'm sitting in a dim room with candles and mood lighting.
Also it helps I think if you think of your book as rather a series of scenes versus this one big hunk that you have to tackle.
And if you're writing is starting to feel boring, ask yourself why?
What could you throw in the mix that would suddenly make it more exciting?
It could be anything from a car accident to a sudden storm to a revelation by one of the characters.
And last but not least, doing writing sprints with other people has been really helpful.
You can usually find writing sprints on CZcams. Or of course you can buddy up with someone you know.
Hope this helps.
Great video.
New subscriber here ✅
I'll pin this so others can engage with it. I'm a small channel but this videos is doing some numbers, so maybe.
Good ideas here! One I can add is that while I don't always write one manuscript while revising another in the same day, if creating new words is feeling like a slog, I'll split my writing time up and write for a bit then revise a different manuscript for a bit. It takes the pressure off of the new work, since I'll have two sources of feeling productive. Then you have to deal with two stories living in your head, but even while that can be jarring, it can also be good for reducing boredom.
@@JAlanRyker Ty 🙏 And the other thing is changing the font, or changing the font color.
Small things add up.
@@coffeecreateconnect "Small things add up."
less is less
more is more
fewer in the same space have more space
great writing is about what you say and how well - good writing is about what you say
a great writer says less than a good writer, more
For me and my slow moving brain, the most apt is "Fast is slow and slow is fast." Push me to go fast, and you're going to see a human statue.
@@JAlanRyker I'm just like that too! I figured it like going on a hike, and I only find the words at the top of the hill... push me and I lose momentum, pull me and I lose stamina
Okay, so I've been writing on a daily or near-daily basis since 2001. But I was writing in a collaborative space, with one or more other writers all working together to create stories via text-based roleplaying in chats, forums, and games. Much like D&D. Except more freeform, less rules. I'm not really doing that these days. I'm more on a solo journey or strictly co-authoring journey. I/we actually have stuff that we're in the revision and editing stage now, a well as other projects that are on a first draft in act 1. But they all have momentum. And we chip away at them every day. The thing we're revising started off in a completely different format, a completely different style, and without a plan, at the beginning. It was being done as a game, rather than a story/novel.
Since then we've fleshed out Act 1 more, as well as Act 2, and cleaned up some of the meanderings. Realized we didn't even have a proper act 3, so that's been fixed. The subplots are now more solid, along with character arcs. The re-write should go fast, now that we have a solid blueprint. The closer we get to doing that the more excitement I feel as this has been a slog, cleaning up the worst mess I've made. (I take responsibility for the mess.)
Being willing to push through the slog, do the work when it's not fun, but keeping in mind how important it is is one of the marks of a writer. As well as getting thick enough skin to handle feedback with grace, evaluate it honestly, and adjsut and grow accordingly. Excellent video.
Wow, what a journey! It's great that you've been able to keep your motivation up. The path was winding, but you must have learned a ton from it.
As I got really into writing, my rpg friends moved away, and I didn't feel the need to replace them as I had loved the storytelling we did together, but felt that writing on my own satisfied that urge. I still use a lot of tools from the RPG space, though, to help with my writing: The Story Engine, Adventure Crafter, various game master prompt decks... It sounds like you're still able to use the strengths of a sort of gamified writing process, too.
@@JAlanRyker - The Story Engine, and Adventure Crafter? Can you direct me to those? (I don't wanna stumble into the wrong links or whatnot.)
I'm finding I'm getting away from some of the tabletop/gaming elements these days. I found I wound up being too reliant on those systems, but they helped a lot.
@@tearstoneactual9773 No problem. Here's the story engine: storyenginedeck.com/
Here's the adventure crafter book and deck. I love the deck as it really helps things flow. You're flipping a ton of cards, or looking up on tons of tables, and I prefer the cards. But, if you want to just try it with the book first, this bundle has a link to it: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/343465/the-adventure-crafter-printed-deck-and-pdf-book-bundle
This ties into the Mythic system, but you don't need to know anything about that to use it for plot generation, just for use playing rpgs solo.
@@JAlanRyker - I actually have the Mythic GM Emulator... but I haven't delved into it too much. Thank you so much. I will look into those as soon as I am able.
Wise words, and I would follow your advice if I needed it. I've been a pure discovery writer since 2012 and to my great surprise I've never experienced writer's block. It just comes and comes, and I must force myself to abandon the keyboard when there's only five hours left before it's time to wake up and go to work. I've actually finished two novellas in five days, so I know it can be done. Right now I'm working on translations from English to Swedish, and it's a boring push through job, but as you say, it's what writers do. Is "Dream of the Serpent" a good one to start with? It caught my eye, because I use a snake biting it's own tail in all my books.
that's a great place to be! I can write screenplays that way, because they contain all my favorite things about fiction with none of the things I find difficult.
Dream of the Serpent would be a fine starting place, but with it being out of print, you're probably going to find it at a very high price. I'm in the process of republishing all of my back catalog to fix that issue. Right now, In the Shadows of Children might be the most representative book of my style that's in print.
@@JAlanRyker Thanks for the reply. I will see if I can get Shadows of Children, but the serpent sold me on the cover. My books is about both dreams and serpents.
@@andreasboe4509 ahhhh that's cool. You probably will enjoy dream of the serpent, then. I will be publishing it later this year, but if you already bought one of the earlier run, it is a bit collectible, so that's good. Dreams have really influenced my work, too. I started in horror because I was fascinated with the terror of not being able to trust your own senses, as I've suffered from night terrors where I dream with my eyes open and can move around since I was a teenager
@@JAlanRyker Very interesting to hear about the connection between night terrors and your fascination with horror. My main character has been subjected to drugs that makes him enter an inner dream world indistinguishable from real life, but only for a few minutes at a time. I read the sample of In the Shadow of Children, and it actually made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I know it makes it sound as if I'm a milk-toast kind of a man, but I'm simply very sensitive when it comes to horror. The scariest movies I've seen are probably Seven, Silence of the Lambs and The Shining. I simply don't have any defenses against visual mediums, so jump scares literally jump scare me. I've listened to Dan Wells' podcast Writing Excuses for many years. I'm impressed by his craftmanship even if I'm not particularly into horror. I will be looking forward to the new release of Dream of the Serpent. If I should suggest one of my own books I would think The Bad Jack would be a good match for someone with preferences for a darker tone. www.amazon.com/Bad-Jack-Nerdology-Wolf-Book-ebook/dp/B086SJ4NTY
@@andreasboe4509 "The name Andreas Boe is really only a pen name. My real name is Andreas Bøe." HA!
Have a look at Julia Cameron's book, the Artist's Way
That's funny timing on you recommendation. I'm just started it
I have great ideas.
but i realized that...i kinda find writing itself boring.
Its not so much that its hard.
Its more that im "the ideas person"
You can come to me and say "I need ideas for X" and i could probably give some kind of idea.
When i do write...
i obses over details
and i CAN write characters.
But...
I cant world-build for the life of me.
I try the world/map generators and I just space out.
Idk what to do tbh.
Everyone I talk to find my ideas and even my writing interesting.
I wrote around 30 original characters.
All kinda open ended backstories since they were for roleplaying.
I then stopped making new ones because my brain just could not make any more of them for some reason. I got stuck thinking of 2 characters i liked and kept on repeating the same type of characters over and over again.
Currently...
I am strugling with making a fantasy world with inspiration from eveeything fantasy related.
There arent any humans
Theres steampunk snails
An original egg creature.
Dragons
Goblins (MC )
And the Hero as I like to call em who is the only human and the guy just wants to go home to his family that need him.
But i got no map outside of 1 forest and a rocky gold mine.
Sooooo
im basically just full of these ideas yet it all feels so empty.
---
My dad wrote a book.
And weirdly its for women.
To me its boring kinda.
And I see the flaws in it. And its clearly amateurish with little revisions.
He himself said he kinda rushed the end part due to getting bored and publishers wanting it in time.
its his 1st book ever at age 60
And... on one hand i am jealous
on the other i think i could write a better book.
My sister read the book and she didnt praise it that much.
But...
when i explained a whole concept for a book i would like to write she was so invested.
I wrote a bunch of 1st chapters for it but weirdly even from the start I had most of the plot sort of figured out...except the saggy middle...i never got trough it....
So I kinda dropped it.
This new fantasy book with the Goblin MC its essentially "If the mc was a conqueror/ manipulator/ does it for fun and challenge." And it stems from me being bored of the same exact Isekai manga/anime over and over again lol
It's really cool that your dad got published, and maybe it will open some doors for you.
A couple of things that could help:
If the map is the problem, try inkarnate: inkarnate.com/
If it's coming up with the world, try Deck of Worlds from The Story Engine. I own deck of worlds but haven't used it much yet, but I use the original Story Engine system to create every plot concept I use these days, so I know their products work on a professional level: storyenginedeck.com/products/deck-of-worlds-worldbuilding-prompts
If it's that you don't like to write a lot of flowery description, you might want to try writing it as a screenplay first. It lets you focus on character, plot, and very functional description of action. I love writing screenplays. Then you can turn it into a novel if you want. Check out savethecat.com/beat-mapper
My most drastic suggestion would be to try writing horror, because one reason I write horror is that I have no interest in making or describing worlds.
Good luck!
Yes please I am interested in writing craft advice too if you're up for it
I'm glad to hear that! That opens up a whole new batch of topics
Me too
novel...tea...
"Hundreds of unfinished first drafts"
Why am I being personally attacked like this? 😂
I am... gonna disagree a little on a couple of points. 1. I don't think unfinished drafts are useless! Those are still words and practice of your art, and something you, the writer, can still go back to, either to analyse your own writing or to recycle ideas (or even pick them up again! It does happen sometimes!)
2. I don't think you need to write *every day*. It's great if you can and it's something I am currently working on myself, but I think there's more than one way to skin a cat, y'know? Some people do better if they have fewer, but longer writing sessions. To put it another way - a habit practiced once a week is still a habit, imo. Like doing laundry or vacuuming or mowing the lawn. And to put it another way - we don't expect people to do their jobs every day. People get days off because we need that time to rest and recuperate. (Though I would also argue that taking a day off actively writing to do activities which help replenish the well of inspiration does count as writing. Personally, I know nothing kills me drive to write faster than always doing it and not making time to read or go to museums or anything else that helps me connect to inspiration.)
to your first point, very true. Unfinished drafts still give you experience. At some point, you do need to get experience finishing a book, but you're right.
If I said you need to write every day (and I may have. I speak off the cuff), I misspoke. I think you need to write regularly. I usually take Friday's off unless insomnia gets me up really early. You're totally correct, a habit doesn't need to be a daily affair, and while you're being very nice about it, I myself get a bit miffed when I hear people say you have to write every day. It makes people put too much pressure on themselves and give up, and I think I'll do a video on this topic just to clarify my position on it.
Started 100s, finished 3. So I am currently 3%
finishing 3 is huge. Are they sprinkled throughout the hundreds, or is pushing through to the end a more recent development?
@@JAlanRyker unfortunately sprinkled throughout. I’m only recently making myself write on a schedule.
I have always had a problem with the middle. Act Two is my weak point, I know that. I have good ideas, get about 75 pages in and want to skip to the end. I know where I want a story to go but holding off to that point is difficult. I’ve often thought that my style seems to be more shorter fiction, novellas mainly, shorter novels. I’m talking barely 50k. I’m starting to lean into that and thinking maybe I don’t need 200 pages for a 2nd act.
@@hughiegibson1716 this could be copium, because my natural novel length is 50-60k, but I think novellas and short novels are having a bit of a resurgence. You still have to try to get the right balance so that it doesn't feel rushed at the end, but yeah, write to the length you feel comfortable with.
That length also has the advantage of working really well with a screenplay structure. Check out save the cat, particularly "fun and games" and "bad guys close in". Writing screenplays really helped me with act 2. This page isn't a good explanation of those things, but summarizes the entire structure: www.studiobinder.com/blog/save-the-cat-beat-sheet/
@@hughiegibson1716 I know that's very specific advice, but your struggle sounds exactly like my own and this is what worked for me
@@JAlanRyker I completely understand. I love screenplay structure and actually come from a script “background” I’ve written about 30 comic book scripts.
Thank you for the feedback.
Can you do a video on "writing to market" vs writing what you want? I've been struggling for years trying to choose a profitable genre - thinking I should write romance or cozy mystery... Or else I won't be successful... I'm constantly browsing 20Booksto50k - but basically... I think those genres are boring to me and it is painful/pulling teeth to write a book in those genres. I don't think I could do sci-fi, horror, or thriller either. I think maybe I like Speculative fiction. Philisophical fiction. I like Matt Haig and Etgar Keret. And after years, I start to wonder why I bother writing in the first place... I feel like i'm trying to force myself to do things that don't really matter to me or even make sense to me. I mean I want to be a full time writer but I don't seem to like popular stuff??? Not judging those who do write to market, it just seems like I suck at it. I wish I could but I can't seem to figure it out.
I touched on that on a video I just recorded about making writing as easy as possible, where I say you should write what you want. I didn't say this in the video, but if you get successful writing something you don't like, you've just traded 1 boss for thousands of bosses. Write what you enjoy reading (but with the understanding that the reader isn't in your head, of course) and you know that type of reader exists because you are that type of reader. That's my opinion, at least.
And don't write horror to be successful. It's the second least popular genre, excepting only westerns. Yet, I've written two horror westerns because I wanted to, and they attracted a publisher to approach me! I can't say it will lead to success, but at least you won't be miserable while you strive towards success.
@@JAlanRyker Thank you for replying! I will go look for that video! Great channel by the way!
@@donutlover9222 Oh no, I haven't posted it yet, just recorded it. And after seeing how desynched the speaking and video was in my most recently posted video, I'm wondering if I'm going to have to re-record it. Hope I didn't send you on a wild goose chase! And thank you for the kind words.
@@JAlanRyker Oh, no you're good... I looked for it but then I re-read your comment... lol. My bad. Whenever you post it I will def watch. I really appreciate this channel!
damn good topic
Thanks!
This man is so tired and exhausted looking that I am naturally inclined to trust him over the excessively manicured white girls who speak much and say little about writing.
I myself tend to finish what I start, but I had to abandon a 70% completed novella due to mental health. It's whatever. Accept the failure, move on to the next task. More people need to embrace the commonality of failure and rejection and just do the work. It seems to work while stocking and cashing out at Walmart or filling out data entry sheets. Why not make take that mentality into the writing sphere?
haha that made me laugh because I watch my videos and I'm like, "good lord, I thought I was more animated than that". The naturally sleepy eyes and whitening beard don't help.
You're completely correct about people having a much better understanding that their professional pursuits will take time to develop and not always be fun. Writing is maybe the worst area for people assuming their first efforts will be professional, I'm guessing because writing is so accessible, and also so difficult for the creator to view objectively since the actual experience of the work is such a collaboration between the writer and the audience's imagination, and of course we're all our own optimal audience.
No one thinks their first painting should hang in a museum. No one thinks they can take up baseball and in a year be in the minor leagues. But many feel like a failure if their first novel doesn't gain a significant audience.