Відео

"It's not what the logical side of my vrain thinks; it's what the feral side of my brain feels" - well Mood

Question. Do you sit and write and put the writing away or do you write whatever comes, then reread and edit multiple times? It sounds like you edit before you write things down, which can interfere with the actual process of writing. What if you just write, then come back later to edit? That way you can also use a more critical approach and analyze your work from further away, which might make it easier to share with people who can give feedback (please, no more friends or family with no connection to the world of writing/editing).

Most of everything you said is exactly me too. I hide my writing because I'm afraid the world will destroy it. I few of my tips if you don't mind me sharing. *Start in the morning by writing down your dreams. The more you write them down, the more you will remember them. *If I get an idea while driving I ask my phone to start recording. At first it will feel dumb but it works. * I always carry a thesaurus, small dictionary, a rhyming dictionary in my kit everywhere I go. *The credits of movies are great places to find names for stories. *Go to your favorite super secret comfy spot and edit aloud. *Write something everyday. If I'm in a dry spell I write down an elaborate complaint! Hit all the elements of a story. It will spiral into either ridiculous or intriguing. Happy creating Charlie. Thank you as always for sharing and making so many of us feel less alone.

THANK YOU. Yes, yes, and yes. It's hard to share the deepest, most important parts of ourselves. And yet... you do. And you encourage the rest of us to take the risk. Thank you. Needed this today.

If you’re looking for a book with a similar approach to your multi-author novel role through logs, This is How You Lose the Time War is an excellent novel, told as messages between the two protagonists, each written by a different writer

It seems like you’d like commonplace books. They’re a little old fashioned and quirky in a way that fits your vibe 😂 I learned about them from Ruby Granger’s channel

Hi, So you're a closet writer trying to get the closet off your back? I find it fascinating that you need that kind of explanation to do something for just yourself, and just for the joy it would give you. I wish I could give permission to do it for joy as it can be very liberating, but I know that you have to convince yourself of that. Ponder on it for some time and see if you can find something worthwhile to do just for selfish reason of just because. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Yours, Ann

It's interesting to me how many ways people can come to the same conclusions/actions from entirely different facts. I do not share my writing with my friends/family, but I have attended writing groups regularly in the past, without fear or anxiety about the feedback. See, the people I know and love tend to be brutally honest. I know that if they don't like what I wrote, I'll hear about it. They won't be mean, but having my husband tell me that he doesn't like X or Y aspect of my writing would hurt FAR more than hearing the same thing from a complete stranger. No fear about submitting things for potential publishing, but god forbid one of my sisters reads it... For removing the fear of the blank page and actually getting things done, I found Nanowrimo absolutely invaluable. The idea that I have to complete a certain volume of words in a short time scale (for those not familiar, it's 50K words in a month) meant that getting the words OUT was more important than getting the words GOOD. Is my first draft as good as it would be if I carefully crafted each sentence and agonized over the results? No, but I feel like I'm still 85% of the way there. And 50K words that are 85% of the way there in a month is WAY better than 50K words that are 100% of the words after 2 years. I can always edit, which has the added advantage of getting me to 100% in FAR less than the amount of time it would take if I were to carefully craft that first draft. And knowing this has become rather freeing. Because of this, even during my regular writing now, I tend to write with a timer. Get as much done in 15 minutes as I can, then break for 5. Repeat until I reach my desired wordcount or time allotted for writing. This has the added bonus of taking away the "luxury" of writing. It's 15 minutes, not a whole day, so it's a lot easier to justify that time to myself. I do wonder whether you're underestimating how much mental effort writing takes. You mention repeatedly taking a whole day to write, and though I love writing, if I did that, I would be EXHAUSTED. My brain just can't brain that long without a break. I know everyone's different, but I am MUCH more productive if I try to avoid spending more than 2-3 hours at a stretch ( or even in an entire day) writing than if I try to bludgeon my way through 8 hours of writing. It's just "thinking" and typing stuff out, but thinking requires a lot more effort and actual, real energy expenditure than many people give it credit for. If you sat and typed for 8 hours a day, just copying stuff from your notebooks directly, no attempt at analysis or editing, I suspect you'd still feel more energetic at the end of the day than if you sat and planned, did some basic writing and outlining, maybe got a few pages written in more detail, for 4 hours.

Deep thinking going on here - hair is high and tight. ❤

❤ i basically don't write at all compared to when I was a teen. I don't think i was ever a story kind of person, but poems and essays. Yes. Any time. Enjoy the "down time" ❤ and happy holidays ❤

21:44 This makes a lot of sense. I consider myself an artist and have a sense of great accomplishment seeing the things I imagined in my brain come to fruition before my eyes. But if you are an entertainer it makes perfect sense that your work needs to be seen, otherwise who are you entertaining?

I also get struck by ideas at times. I’ve found that it’s easier to capture them by using the voice to text function on my notes app. It’s not perfect, but it does let me hold on to things that otherwise would so easily slip away. I used to just let them come and pass, but these days, the ones I find worth holding on to, I can keep. I wish I had thought of it before it was too late to record my dad’s stories for posterity.

I seriously imagine your musing as a book being read and I like it! Thanks for sharing with us❤

I will miss your videos, but I'm happy you will take time to enjoy yourself. I terribly understand your reasoning, and I usually take a lot of time to do things for myself; on the other hand, I love doing things for other people, so I learnt to crochet for a charity, and now I'm making little crochet gifts for my friends, because they are precious to me and I love seeing them smile for a random act of kindness.

There are a number of tips I memorized when watching Brandon Sanderson's lectures on UA-cam, that really helped me with perfectionism and writing blocks. One of them was about writing and feeling obligated to earn money with it. He used the analogy of football. If you, as a 40-something male, took up football and went to do this once a week, people wouldn't comment like "So, when are you going to play the NFL?" but with writing "So, when are you going to publish?" is often the first comment he heard. Just like doing sports, you can be writing BECAUSE IT'S GOOD FOR YOU. We live in a society that values doing some kind of sport for your physical health, but what about mental and emotional health? Maybe this kind of framing could help here. After finishing some 13 manuscripts without being able to sell any, he had asked himself: would I be okay with never selling any single book but still writing year after year, would I be okay with that looking back at my life at high age? The answer was yes, so he kept writing. I'm struggling with leftover symptoms of burnout, one of them is finding words. I had started writing some time into my physiotherapy study, mid-thirties, after amongst others a failed career in journalism. I'm struggling to finish my 5th novel, living in Germany, working in the Netherlands (speaking mostly dutch all day, some German, some English), brainfog... Most writing I do during vacation as I'm an early riser and my partner absolutely not, so I spend my mornings working out and waiting for him. I still haven't found a good solution for every day writing and starting a master's in the Netherlands this fall hasn't helped... So I'm writing dutch medical text about the effectiveness of yoga on irritable bowel syndrome instead of doing the last 20% on my "Pride-&-Prejudice-&-Werewolves but male POV and set in post-napoleonic Germany" novel... Christmas vacation 🤞

Hey Charlie, I love you and the way you present your wonderful writing talent with us via these videos - they are great! I have the feeling that you have a similar relationship to 'work' as I used to have: 'it's got to be hard, unpleasant, using your time doing something you really don't want to do but you have to earn money to pay the bills.' While in fact we are totally allowed to earn money doing the things we LOVE to do - in which case it isn't called 'work', so that is not allowed. I'll be 70 next month and I sing as much as I can but making a career of it is not really an option anymore, not with the responsibility for 3 wonderful cats and 1 sweet little dog as well. Because they would not be happy being dragged along from place to place, while even though I don't 'feel' 70 at all, my body might have a different idea about lots of travelling. You are smart, intelligent, hugely creative and funny, so take that video-free month for yourself and I pray that you will discover that you can have all the fun of writing while potentially also earning your income with it. Because I'm sure you can do it! I'll miss your regular videos, but it's your life and you have the right to live that as happily and joyously as you can! In the mean time 'HAPPY HOLIDAYS'!

Does it sometimes feel like you can’t do the thing you want to do because if you’re caught at it someone will just take it away? Either literally or by popping your balloon. Maybe that kind of goes with the ‘hoarding words’ concept. I think when people try to take away the things that your heart wants you to follow, then it kind of dings your identity. And actual hoarding is so tied to broken sense of identity, as well as the fear of poverty. …anyway, I like the idea of being ready to be luxurious. Letting go of that priority of fear of not having enough of the thing, so you can just enjoy actually having it, because right now there is enough, and right now you are enough… or something like that, which would come out better if it wasn’t 2am.

I have written and have been published, but stopped altogether. I think depression plays a role. Also - this is the main reason I think - I get tripped up by setting. I'm not in America, but see a lot of American movies etc. That triggers ideas and sometimes whole stories in my head. But, when I want to use the ideas/stories they don't translate to the world I'm in and I can't use the setting they're in as I've never been there. Setting is a character in a story. Change the setting and you change the story. I've no idea how to deal with that.

Picking up litter is the answer. It’s a huge job. My Belly Dance Troupe has done this. I am not rugged enough to slog through deep grass and deal with muddy areas full of junk that flew off truck beds and moving trailers.

This is why spinning thread, weaving, etc led to good stories.

Have fun with your writing retreat!

Yes! Go on a writing trip!!

The most annoying comment for me is "wow you should sell that" because very few people will actually pay a decent price for the product. More often I hear " that's too expensive" "I can't afford to shop at small businesses." It's very upsetting to hear especially as a small business owner.

What if art is communication? Communication can happen between individuals like with entertainment or possibly, between different parts of yourself? Like talking it out to yourself or journalling.

I bet we'd love to hear some of your short stories here. Then it would be "work" as well. My favorites are short stories without much drama (there's too much of that in the world already) - warm, peaceful, friendly vibes, where the climax is something like finding a lost button, or discovering that you like boiled cabbage after all. Travel stuff is fun, too.

When you start sharing your stories, there's a robust indie author community. While a few make a living that way, most of us write because we love writing... Or because we NEED to write. There's nothing like the feeling of holding your own book in your hands. Your videos are engaging and interesting. Why wouldn't your other works be the same?

I think I'm going to do what you're doing and start writing again. So thank you for the inspiration! Merry Christmas to you and yours.

You wonderful strange weird woman. You are amazing, I so love the way you share you with us. I love the way you tell your stories. In my mind you are a great story teller ❤

Your videos really resonate with me Charlie. So much of this video, even though I'm not a writer (I'm an out of work reality TV producer), we share a desire to create things and entertain people and tell stories.

Adopt a highway???? Never heard off anything like it 😅

As often occurs when watching (honestly, more like listening) to your videos, I relate muchly to what you've shared here. The musing while driving, I definitely get. The struggle to allow myself the "luxury" of whatever sort of craft (writing definitely included) that I feel would be not the "best" use of my time. In my case however, I have historically, then used that time poorly in other directions. Improving on that front though! The desire to share and to entertain is also a vibe. Thanks for starting to share your writing even if it isn't obvious that you are. I wish you a wonderful luxurious writing adventure ahead!

A writing hiatus is a good thing. Enjoy your working time.

It is very hard to break into the writing world. It definitely needs a very large slice of luck for it to turn into something. My OH is in the process of doing just that, and all I can do it watch and support. But I’d never expect him or anyone else to stop. And anyone who wants to make it happen needs to just keep writing to improve what they make. I hope you and anyone else here trying to make it in authorship all the lucky breaks in the world. I also agree with the whole “I have to justify anything I do for fun” thing. I rarely do or watch anything now that isn’t going to inform my UA-cam production. Fortunately, making crafty UA-cam videos means I get to do something I love! Excellent video. It’s such a good insight into how things like this work

A few videos ago, you said it was the first one that was off the cuff. Not written out. That surprised me. Your videos are so fresh and spontaneous. Now, I know it is mostly based on your writing skill. As a stranger, just let me say: You have skills sister! You are hugely entertaining. The numbers on your channels prove it.

I've also "written" since I was a child, although I never put it on paper then (if you put it on paper, someone might read it AKKK). A few years ago I was obsessed with a story that I was writing (yes, physically writing). I finished it an polished it and then made the mitake of showing it to two of my good friends. The first one said "She sounds so much like you!" and the second one said "Maybe God doesn't mean for you to be a writer." Those were the only comments they had. So, no, none of the "I love you so I will say nice things about it to make you feel good" for me! I sitll write but I don't show anyone what I've written.

I spent nearly two decades being unable to write more than vignettes by myself. But I recently hit a muse that just.... Kicked me into gear and in the last two and a half months, I've written nearly 120,000 words, 63,000 of which is in just one story. I missed this so much

I love listening to you when falling asleep. I would love to hear your short stories this way 🥰

Just a thought here from someone who used to write. Instead of starting in the morning first thing try making your writing time into s treat. Sort of a "I did such and such work/chore/job, I'm going to treat myself to writing for 15 minutes (or whatever time you choose) then find a quiet place and write for that time. This greases the wheels so to speak. Doesn't matter if it's good or not, just write. It also helps you learn to turn off your inner editor. A story doesn't have to be perfect on the first draft. Another tip is to think in terms of word count instead of amount of time spent writing. Sometimes, when a story just takes over and flows you can do 20k in a few hours or you can do 1k in the same time fighting a plot hole or a character that doesn't want to do what you want them to do.

You're a very good actor and entertainer, and UA-cam as a platform is very much set up for this kind of personality. Honestly the only thing that this platform seems to be interested in publicising is 'entertainment content', not 'factual content', because even factual content has to be presented by an entertaining 'personality' to get any visibility. I think that's a problem, because not everyone is capable of being that kind of personality, and it is for sure burying people who have important things to say.

Get up earlier, write when you’re most inspired or most productive, find a writer’s guild and join, write about your neurodivergence as it’s a current popular subject, write about experimentation in crafting, write about your travels, write about your dog, just write. ✍️ Get up and do it. We find you very interesting, we are confident your writing will be just as interesting. Fear is wasted inertia, love yourself enough to step out of the boat and walk on the water. God gave you those gifts, don’t wrap them in handkerchiefs and bury them. Go for it! Here’s a boot in the rear if you need or want one. You can do it.

As someone who has graduated from a writing program, with a (hopefully temporary) disabled arm, and no time... I feel everything you say so hard. I joke that writing will be my backup if my day job doesn't work out. I LOVE the concept of writing as entertainment, because that honestly feels so true to me??? Like, even with my sewing, I get excited to show other people and to get their feedback and comments. My struggle is very similar to yours -- trying to devote a whole day to writing feels wasteful -- both of my time, as well as the limited strength that my dominant arm has. I feel thankful I am not alone in the "inspiration" over "getting it done" pit ❤️ I appreciate you making me feel so seen

I legit thought the Narnia series was based on nature magic and pre-Christian religion until I found the last 3 books in my high school library and finished the series. I still remember reading in a library alcove, getting to the last chapter of the last book and putting it down, stunned, and saying loudly (in my head), "What the? He's supposed to be *Jesus*!? ... That's disappointing" 😅

I adore Discworld, but the early books aren't his best because he hadn't settled into the world yet and the ones at the end suffered from his early-onset alzheimer's. as someone with a similar religious background to yours I absolutely adored Small Gods, it works as a standalone, and it's the one that I started my mama on and she enjoyed it even more. just saying it is best not to think of that as a series to read. I'd have a million other recs, but obviously you have more than enough lol. I would like to add another vote to A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet since I see that one in this comment section.

There are waterproof shower pens that you can get to write down shower ideas as soon as they show up. Also, sometimes just going back and standing in the shower, fully clothed, can help those memories come back, because your brain puts them in the box labelled "shower". Same reason you walk out of the kitchen and forget why and remember as soon as you go back to the kitchen

I started writing fanfiction on Wattpad during lockdown. It was meant to be one story. It has since become a series. I need to finish it as I want to write an original story but part of writing is finishing what you start. But I have learned a great deal about novel writing and I am glad i stuck at it as I've formed a writing habit now :).

I enjoy your writing and your videos. Thanks for sharing!

Maybe you're more of an artisan than an artist? Loving the craft but not necessarily needing to "showcase" the product of said craft. The "product" is important and it being praised or appreciated is like the cherry on top. And I also wanted to say that writing all these scrips for the videos has to give you a lot of practise with letting stories go. Have fun indulging in the "luxury" of writing during January.

I loved to make up stories as soon as I could talk. I forced my mom to write them down :) I learned how to read by 4 years old and though I didn’t have the manual dexterity to write yet, my mom realized I could probably type (hunt and peck, for sure) well enough for a first draft. Then she would clean up my spelling and retype. They all went into a binder. This was all on a manual typewriter, almost 60 years ago… unfortunately due to time, multiple moves and some natural disasters there is nothing left. You’re so lucky to have your past efforts around :) Keep on writing!!

Two questions! 1. Have you ever considered a developmental editor? Their whole job is to give CONSTRUCTIVE criticism in a professional, productive manner with no meanness or fluff. 2. Have you always felt this protective of your writing since childhood, or did that occur during/after college? If those feelings came during adulthood, I was wondering if maybe it developed after the whole issue with your college singing audition? I remember you sharing previously about how the fallout from that was feeling disillusioned about your singing ability and betrayed by everyone who had complimented your voice in the past. So my thought was maybe this experience prompted the protectiveness of your writing so another thing you loved wasn't tainted by the opinions of others.