Consistency for me has been the most important. Writing almost a million words since summer 2020 has been the best thing I've ever done. Show up, day after day. Commit to the creation, even when it's junk or you're tired or you're doubting yourself. If you don't just show up and right, there's nothing to improve!
Thinking about what type of writer I am has really helped me. That's based on an Ellen Brock video, on how much planning and structure I might need, and the implications. With that addition, I totally agree with your list, and I love the way you presented using craft books!
It feels silly, but I think writing fanfiction helped me. I could focus on parts of the writing craft without carrying the entire load - since I was playing in somebody else's sandbox, writing fic was almost like filling writing prompts. I also found it freeing that the only end goal was sharing something with other fans; I did not weigh myself down with the pressure of hoping to publish. I think we can get so attached to our original projects that it can be hard to experiment and take risks, so projects that are 100% just for fun are a great place to stretch and test our writing muscles.
I agree with this completely. My biggest flaw as a writer was always writing Mary Sue characters because I hated to give them weaknesses and failings. Writing fanfiction forced me to write other people's characters, which helped me to grow as a writer so much. I will say, however, that it is easy if one writes primarily fanfiction to let certain skills sort of atrophy. Because fanfiction works off established characters, settings, and oftentimes plot, it is easy to learn to rely on that and struggle in those areas in trying to go back to original writing.
The thing that has helped me the most in improving my writing is honestly just showing up. It is such an easy thing to procrastinate and do all the things that surround writing without actually sitting your butt in the chair and typing the words. The more I educate myself, the more I start to pick up the things all the different craft books and story structures have in common. My recommendation is to distill these things in your own words and begin piecing together your own process that works for you and is built upon concepts you understand well enough to reword for your own uses. Interestingly enough, the point at which things started to click for me and start falling neatly into place was when I stopped seeking out novel writing advice and started focusing on what screenwriters were saying about crafting a narrative. I realized how important it is to learn how to create a well-crafted story before I try to sit down and try to write one. Crafting a story and writing a story, at least for me, are two very different beasts. I know I'll deep dive into how to be a good writer later on but for now I'm focused solely on creating and structuring a strong story that I can fall in love with. Since making this mental shift everything has changed. I can't wait to get back to playing with my story each day. I intentionally don't see it as work but as play. As crafting art. And I'm writing down scenes, slowly making my way through each part of the story. I've made more progress than I ever have before. Yeah, the writing is crap, but that's okay with me. I can come back and learn about writing well later and apply what I learn to editing my first draft. It isn't important to me if my writing is good right now--only if my story is structurally strong and my creativity is flowing. Future me will learn how to write. Current me is learning to tell a story I can get so wrapped up in it will carry me through the many months it'll take me to get to the end. I'm sure my experience is different from that of other people, but it is the only way I've been able to beat down the mental wall that's blocked me out from making significant progress and having fun. I follow a few authortubers (like Meredith) who do a more vlog style approach and I find it so helpful to see the flow of everybody's day and to witness their experiences. But I keep it to only a few channels so I gain the benefit without losing too much of my time to the YT rabbit hole. Other than that I follow channels that explain story structure and/or developing screenplays. The most helpful of the these has been a channel called Film Courage. I watch a lot of their interviews with professional writers and hearing a lot of different professionals explain the same types of things but using different language to describe those same things has really helped me to internalize and more fully understand important story elements and beats. "Fun and Games" has never meant very much to me, but hearing that same section described as "trials and obstacles" made all the difference. In my story there was nothing "fun" about the emotional upheaval of this part of the narrative. It really was trials, tribulation, and antagonistic situations getting in the way. "Beats" is never a phrasing I vibed with very much either but having permission to use a different terminology and think more in "important moments" and "sequences" unlocked doors for me. Wherever you're at with things, whatever you're focused on, don't be afraid to poke around and see what a variety of voices have to say, whether on YT, in books, or from critique partners (like Meredith recommends). But above all: just show up. Seriously, get your butt in the chair and play around with ideas. You don't have to commit to anything you come up with. Everything is malleable. Like an artist with a painting, if you make a mistake just paint over it. Go another direction. Tweak a character. Ask a lot of "what if" questions: what if I changed this character's motivation? what if I dropped this interaction altogether? Playing with story options, especially in the beginning, should be fun, it should be a creative spark, your artist coming alive. This is your way to play again. Like a child, only instead of Legos it's story threads and quirky characters and bombs going off (or whatever the things are that are showing up in your own story). I guess this advice is more for people just starting out, not necessarily someone who's several drafts in and querying, but it is what I've found to be most helpful. There's totally time to be serious later, don't be afraid to mess around with your ideas. That's my .02.
Ahhh this is fantastic! I totally agree with showing up for yourself and your writing. And I love your distinction between crafting a story vs writing a story. That's so important to keep in mind. I LOVE the Film Courage channel. I do pick up the stray tip or story idea to explore from the interviews, but I just love hearing people talk about creating stories. It's very inspiring.
Hi Meredith! I agree with you on all these tips. I'm in the educate myself mode right now and have been learning a lot from craft books. I'm almost 47 years old and part of me thinks I shouldn't even try to start an author career, since i probably only have 30 or so years to live. But then I think to myself, why shouldn't I at least try? So, my biggest tip is to never give up on dreaming, and reach for the stars, no matter how dark life gets.
Love that! It's never too late to start. I'm always reminded of the folk painter, Grandma Moses, who didn't start painting until she was in her late 70s. She had a lot of success in the field and is a good reminder to keep after those dreams!
Consistency for me has been the most important. Writing almost a million words since summer 2020 has been the best thing I've ever done. Show up, day after day. Commit to the creation, even when it's junk or you're tired or you're doubting yourself. If you don't just show up and right, there's nothing to improve!
Thank you for sharing ❤
Thinking about what type of writer I am has really helped me. That's based on an Ellen Brock video, on how much planning and structure I might need, and the implications. With that addition, I totally agree with your list, and I love the way you presented using craft books!
Yes to all of these, time and practice especially! Writing involves a lot of repetition to get there, as in draft, revise etc.
YES that repetition can get a little old sometimes, but it's so necessary!
Your notebook is so neat!
It feels silly, but I think writing fanfiction helped me. I could focus on parts of the writing craft without carrying the entire load - since I was playing in somebody else's sandbox, writing fic was almost like filling writing prompts. I also found it freeing that the only end goal was sharing something with other fans; I did not weigh myself down with the pressure of hoping to publish. I think we can get so attached to our original projects that it can be hard to experiment and take risks, so projects that are 100% just for fun are a great place to stretch and test our writing muscles.
Not silly at all! I know a ton of writers who started in the fanfic space and many credit it the same way you do.
I agree with this completely. My biggest flaw as a writer was always writing Mary Sue characters because I hated to give them weaknesses and failings. Writing fanfiction forced me to write other people's characters, which helped me to grow as a writer so much. I will say, however, that it is easy if one writes primarily fanfiction to let certain skills sort of atrophy. Because fanfiction works off established characters, settings, and oftentimes plot, it is easy to learn to rely on that and struggle in those areas in trying to go back to original writing.
@@falconlux Definitely - it can be very easy to slip from "this is good practice" to "this is a crutch"!
The thing that has helped me the most in improving my writing is honestly just showing up. It is such an easy thing to procrastinate and do all the things that surround writing without actually sitting your butt in the chair and typing the words. The more I educate myself, the more I start to pick up the things all the different craft books and story structures have in common. My recommendation is to distill these things in your own words and begin piecing together your own process that works for you and is built upon concepts you understand well enough to reword for your own uses. Interestingly enough, the point at which things started to click for me and start falling neatly into place was when I stopped seeking out novel writing advice and started focusing on what screenwriters were saying about crafting a narrative. I realized how important it is to learn how to create a well-crafted story before I try to sit down and try to write one. Crafting a story and writing a story, at least for me, are two very different beasts. I know I'll deep dive into how to be a good writer later on but for now I'm focused solely on creating and structuring a strong story that I can fall in love with. Since making this mental shift everything has changed. I can't wait to get back to playing with my story each day. I intentionally don't see it as work but as play. As crafting art. And I'm writing down scenes, slowly making my way through each part of the story. I've made more progress than I ever have before. Yeah, the writing is crap, but that's okay with me. I can come back and learn about writing well later and apply what I learn to editing my first draft. It isn't important to me if my writing is good right now--only if my story is structurally strong and my creativity is flowing. Future me will learn how to write. Current me is learning to tell a story I can get so wrapped up in it will carry me through the many months it'll take me to get to the end.
I'm sure my experience is different from that of other people, but it is the only way I've been able to beat down the mental wall that's blocked me out from making significant progress and having fun. I follow a few authortubers (like Meredith) who do a more vlog style approach and I find it so helpful to see the flow of everybody's day and to witness their experiences. But I keep it to only a few channels so I gain the benefit without losing too much of my time to the YT rabbit hole. Other than that I follow channels that explain story structure and/or developing screenplays. The most helpful of the these has been a channel called Film Courage. I watch a lot of their interviews with professional writers and hearing a lot of different professionals explain the same types of things but using different language to describe those same things has really helped me to internalize and more fully understand important story elements and beats. "Fun and Games" has never meant very much to me, but hearing that same section described as "trials and obstacles" made all the difference. In my story there was nothing "fun" about the emotional upheaval of this part of the narrative. It really was trials, tribulation, and antagonistic situations getting in the way. "Beats" is never a phrasing I vibed with very much either but having permission to use a different terminology and think more in "important moments" and "sequences" unlocked doors for me.
Wherever you're at with things, whatever you're focused on, don't be afraid to poke around and see what a variety of voices have to say, whether on YT, in books, or from critique partners (like Meredith recommends). But above all: just show up. Seriously, get your butt in the chair and play around with ideas. You don't have to commit to anything you come up with. Everything is malleable. Like an artist with a painting, if you make a mistake just paint over it. Go another direction. Tweak a character. Ask a lot of "what if" questions: what if I changed this character's motivation? what if I dropped this interaction altogether? Playing with story options, especially in the beginning, should be fun, it should be a creative spark, your artist coming alive. This is your way to play again. Like a child, only instead of Legos it's story threads and quirky characters and bombs going off (or whatever the things are that are showing up in your own story). I guess this advice is more for people just starting out, not necessarily someone who's several drafts in and querying, but it is what I've found to be most helpful. There's totally time to be serious later, don't be afraid to mess around with your ideas.
That's my .02.
Ahhh this is fantastic! I totally agree with showing up for yourself and your writing. And I love your distinction between crafting a story vs writing a story. That's so important to keep in mind.
I LOVE the Film Courage channel. I do pick up the stray tip or story idea to explore from the interviews, but I just love hearing people talk about creating stories. It's very inspiring.
Hi Meredith! I agree with you on all these tips. I'm in the educate myself mode right now and have been learning a lot from craft books. I'm almost 47 years old and part of me thinks I shouldn't even try to start an author career, since i probably only have 30 or so years to live. But then I think to myself, why shouldn't I at least try? So, my biggest tip is to never give up on dreaming, and reach for the stars, no matter how dark life gets.
Love that! It's never too late to start. I'm always reminded of the folk painter, Grandma Moses, who didn't start painting until she was in her late 70s. She had a lot of success in the field and is a good reminder to keep after those dreams!