Part 1: Improving Your Mindset 2:15 Mindset #1: Talent vs Hard Work 8:02 Mindset #2: Putting your vision above your emotional attachment 13:39 Mindset #3: Don't blame the story idea: blame your skill level 16:49 Mindset #4: If it works, it works. 19:55 Part 2: Improving Your Writing Process 21:10 Tip #1: Figure out a process that works for you 27:30 Tip #2: Find a schedule that works for you 33:21 Tip #3: Edit whenever you want 37:08 Part 3: Improving Your Skills 37:54 When you want to improve a skill, identify what specifically needs to be improved 43:38 How to Identify Weaknesses (5 Core Skills: Story Structure, Scene Structure, Character Arc, Strong Sentences, Cohesive Paragraphs) -45:14 Story Structure -46:59 Scene Structure -48:42 Camera Dies -49:50 Character Arc -52:49 Strong Sentences -55:17 Cohesive Paragraphs 59:30 Fix it in Post
I personally love Mindset #3 "Don't blame the story idea: blame your skill level". I know several writers who constantly have amazing ideas and are always telling me about them, but seemingly give up after a few chapters in because they don't think the story is that good, or it's "bigger than they anticipated" or some other reason they tell themselves while giving up and moving onto their next big idea.
Adding to everything you've said about skill and talent, I thought I'd share a quote by Sir Michael Caine that's always stuck with me: "I'll always be there because I'm a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I've any talent is beside the point." I think this quote is wonderful because it can be applied not only to acting, but also to writing and a lot of other professions. As a reader, I don't care how talented the author is. What I care about is the quality of the book.
The longer your videos are, the more excited I am to watch them. Thank you for filming it despite your house situation, it must be unusual for you, but the content is worth it. Can't wait to see what you're preparing for us in 2024 (the interview with an agent sounds great). And Happy New Year to you too! I hope you have more time to work on your novel this year, and that your health gets better, but don't rush and take care of yourself. My comment is all over the place, but I'm just glad to hear from you and see that you are well. All the best, Ellen!
I'm someone who once had "natural talent" as a writer, but I also have bipolar disorder, and in retrospect most of my creativity was fueled by mania. Medication saved my life but also robbed me of that talent, and I've had to go back and consciously re-learn many of the stylistic and structural elements of fiction writing that used to feel second-nature to me. Your channel has been a great help in that, and it's so encouraging to hear from someone for whom writing was a learned, chosen vocation. Yours is still one of the best writing channels on UA-cam, bar none.
One of the best pieces of advice for the writing process that I ever got was to have a specific area in my document or writing place where I could put words or lines or scenes that I liked, but didn't belong. That way I could remove them from the flow of the story, but I didn't feel like I was throwing them away because they still existed and I wasn't deleting them.
I keep coming back to your videos whenever I feel stuck, which is more often than I care to admit. Your channel is a goldmine. Thank you for helping me all the way from the barest idea of my novella to actually publishing it!
Just take it one day at a time, and don't be frustrated when things are not working out. Just keep working at it, and you will get there. Thanks Ellen Brook, you truly are a good mentor.
Ellen, thank you so much, not only for this wonderful video (I was taking notes like mad!), but for teaching me to write. Your four writer types categorisation was a game-changer for me. As a plotter who straddles the intuitive-methodological spectrum, it cut through so much confusion. I'm now able to embrace rather than fight my weird tendencies (like intuiting a plot first, then using story structure to get the pacing right) and write more than I've ever done. 2023 was my best writing year so far, but I want to make 2024 even better. Thanks a million for putting out this video despite the circumstances. It's a shame UA-cam isn't promoting your videos as much, but we'll do our bit to share them! Take care and hope your year is going well so far :)
I fit most into your Methodological Pantser type. For me, it's important to edit those early scenes before I finish because i'm still new at this and need to see how it will look when polished. I don't want to build more bricks on top of an unstable one, to use your analogy. That instability just sits in my mind and I think it will cause me more work later, to fix everything that's built on it. And I also don't want to get to the end and only then start working on my polishing skills. I do think it's important to keep going, and to finish. But for me, if I don't finish at a certain level of quality, I worry that i'll give up and put it down. So a big part of it is building evidence that I CAN do this, I think. I could definitely see this changing if i'd already completed a first book, and knew more about how the process is likely to go (for me).
Just today I was realized that I needed to start focusing on improving specific storytelling skills if I want to become a better writer. I've spent a lot of time just teaching myself to finish stories, and I'm beyond ready to start focusing on improving other skills. Those five core skills you listed, and the signs that you may be struggling with them are just the thing I was needing. I was debating what skills I should focus on improving first, and now I have a much better idea of where to start. I always learn so much from your videos!
I guess I've never really thought about how our feelings about our story may differ from our *vision* of it, because these often come from the same place I think. And still, sometimes they stop going hand in hand and you have to sacrifice something. And one thing that really brought me a lot of peace about choosing to delete a scene or reject an idea is how these things don't really disappear: you can recycle them later. It sounds obvious but for the longest time it didn't really seem true to me, like, how would I ever be excited about an idea that I've already had to reject? But over the past year, there's been a bunch of times when my previously rejected or forgotten idea popped up again and turned out to be just the right thing for a completely unrelated story. This makes me unreasonably happy. You're not throwing this character or this scene into a volcano, they'll remain in your library of ideas and maybe there will come a point where they make an unexpected return!
If you can pull up an unused idea/scene/character cut from an old project and use it in a new one, I'm sure that is an incredible feeling! I would like to hope that any great idea will eventually find its home in some project!
The book/method "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" (literally) illustrates two critical things: 1. People improved tremendously when they learned how to observe and faithfully did the exercises. 2. ALMOST EVERYONE was able to draw respectably well once they had done this; the examples shown weren't cherry-picks of "talented" students. Talent does matter, and it's a limiting factor in what any individual can do. But it does NOT require genius-level talent to make art that other people would appreciate and even purchase. I see no reason why writing wouldn't be the same*. * after corrections: visual artists have a huge advantage over wordsmiths in that comparing a drawing to reality is fairly straightforward, and incremental progress is more obvious. Novel writers will need a lot more tenacity to make up for this.
I‘ve worked my way through so much writing advice, but just the concepts of letting go the idealized version of what I think how a writer should work and the specific core skills helped me get so much perspective on the areas I am struggling with. I will definitely have a look at those other videos!
Never heard of doing large chunk writing and then letting it rest a week or whatever. It works? I may just have to try that. Been struggling to keep up the daily schedule, even tho I have the time set aside. Thank you so much for this video!
Your four types of writers video(s) were an absolute game changer for me. I'm firmly a methodological pantser and as soon as I stopped listening to advice that contradicted my natural tendencies writing got soooo much easier. I have an actual process now. 😲
Ellen, thank you for making these videos! I've been following your channel for... god, like 8 years? And I've been rewatching a lot recently since I really want to write a novel for the first time in forever and I feel very lost, because I've completely switched to short form prose and it's quite overwhelming to set out to write a whole novel again. Considering all that, it was a delight to see a fresh new upload amidst binge watching your old videos. Your presence on this platform has always been very comforting for me, not to mention that I've learned a lot from your channel! Also, I might leave a bunch of separate comments because this video is turning out to be very profound and there are things I want to share in response that are piling up as I watch 😅
I love your work. Would you do video on core skills? I have a hard time conveying the importance and applications of the tentpole skills to new writers who, as you say, get hung up on secondary stuff. I see a weakness in how many critique groups function in that the focuses are on secondary aspects. I think if critique partners would share what they are trying to accomplice in a scene or chapter via core considerations before critique that would help get to the root of the story issues. Partners need to provide long lines and synopses to guide reviewers so the reviewers know what to look out for.
i missed this video when it first came out, but i'll comment anyway! your stuff is among THE best advice i've ever seen, and i really appreciate how clear, consice, but also well balanced it is in the pep talk vs tough love department lol. Your author types breakdown is my absolute favorite, and i've definitely been showing it to every group of writer friends i have whenever the opportunity arises! Personally speaking, i think i've come up to the "just gotta practice and get feedback on my work work" stage of improvement, so i don't really know what questions or video subjects might be useful to request, but i do love your Sample Editing videos! having the in-context concrete examples of what could be improved is so insightful, and feels very applicable compared to pulling "good examples" from books that have already been published. Hope you're doing well, thanks so much for your hard work
Happy 2024, Ellen! Thank you so much for this video. I've watched through twice already, and will surely be watching many more times throughout the year. I'm especially taken with your distinction between primary and secondary skills, and the examples you gave to diagnose what a particular writer needs to improve on. I started off 2024 in quite a deep creative rut, so the reminder that improvement is possible with hard work and resilience is very appreciated! Wishing you the best with your health and your home!
I love these, these feel both conversational and instructional at the same time. ONLY thing I would suggest is, you mention 3 sections, I don’t see this in the vid right now but I would love if there was a way to retroactively provide time stamps for each section. Otherwise, very solid work, as usual.
I changed my type. I was an intuitive pantser, writing whatever, whenever. I had ideas and the farthest I ever got was 16k words? Not bad for a 12-year-old writing a fanfic, but none of my stories ever took off. My favorite author told me that the best method was to write everything down first. Everything. All the plotting. (I now realize that that’s just his best method, but I tried it anyway.) I sucked it up and started plotting! Started with a plot arc, moved to chapter outlines. Slowly, I try new things like character arcs, brainstorming sessions, and I delve more and more into the plot and worldbuilding. At first, changing my type was painful. But you must do hard things to reach success. I never thought of trying to work with my original style, I just tried the new one. And it worked! It made my writing so much easier, I wrote so much faster, and I actually finished my first draft. It was aggravating at first but with time, I have come to love the process. I’m definitely still a pantser at heart.
As someone who has a lot of paragraphs I'm emotionally invested in that just don't work - some even 10yo now - I agree that creating a separate doc where you keep it, and then edit it out of the main doc is the way to go. 70% of the time I never even remember the paragraph or line. But there are times where years after I've removed it I realize it needs to be in there, so it's helpful to go back to the "Play" file and bring it back in. Esp. when upon re-read I can't help but mentally add it back in every time.
"We don't want to be spending 50 hours on a single scene." Me: (Sometimes spending an hour to write a single sentence) Well... it's progress. I'll get there eventually. Monthly update: 31 July - 118 hours - 6,172 words
This is a wonderful video. You've really inspired me to keep going with writing my novel. You hit on every hangup I have about my writing, which it really comes down to confidence. I'm almost 75 (in December) and when I was 19 years old in my first year of college, my 28 year old English teacher stood in front of class handing out papers. She declared to everyone in a clearly condescending tone that I couldn't put two words together to write a sentence. A capital "F" written in red on my paper was clearly visible to everyone in the room. I went to a different college and took the course over again, this time getting an "A". I've struggled my entire life to write because of that incident. I'm now taking back my power from that memory and have begun to write again. I went back to school at the age of 52 and got an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts. Needless to say, I struggled with every word and every assignment. I graduated at 55 but could not concentrate on my writing until now as my circumstances have changed drastically. I have taken up writing a historical novel that I began in Grad school. To build up my confidence, rather than watching TV or listening to radio, I decided to only listen to creative writing videos. That's when I came across your fabulous channel. I decided to listen to every one of your videos at every opportunity, in the car, in the gym, or just laying down for a rest. I have a long way to go as you have an extensive library of videos, each one essential for any writer wanting to improve. Your presentations are done in such a way that I clearly understand what you're talking about. I love your voice, which is easy to listen to. I can't tell you how much you've helped me and it's only been a couple of weeks! I used to be able to only write less than 200 words, which took me hours. Now, I'm nearly at 700 words in about 3 hours! You had a lot to do with this improvement. Your words of encouragement have built up my confidence. This video really has been the most influential and important so far. Thank you so much for providing this exceedingly helpful information. You're amazing.
Im really happy with where my mindset is at. Very few people ever write a novel in their lifetime. I try to write a thousand words when i can because i know theres far more benefits to writing than simply reaching the finish line as quickly as possible. If youre struggling with mindset, my tip would be to complete a short story and print 1 copy. I created a few short pokemon stories for my son and i cant describe the feeling of reading a hardcover finished product to him. It reminds you that every single time you make a little bit of progress, it will be worth it. Plus you got to sit quietly and be creative for a few hours, which is a blessing in itself.
wow, the things you said about talent and passion really struck a chord with me. I definately don't have passion for writing, I've come to the realization that I write more out of a fanatical obsession of getting a book published and beeing able see it in a bookshelf at a local bookstore. There have been so many times over the years where I thought to myself that i'm never writing again, but then after some time passes I always get back into it ugh.
The four types of writers wasn’t something I’d ever heard of. Super helpful to know myself during the process. I never considered editing as I go instead of at the end of the draft. Would definitely change up some things for me.
Great information. I took a fiction writing class in grad school but I don’t remember any of it. I am now absorbing information from you and other writers on UA-cam and I bought some used books about writing fundamentals. I had instructors at college want what I wrote for examples for future classes but that was all non-fiction. Fiction is a whole other animal. I don’t have natural talent, I work on it. I am also finding that planning is very helpful. Writing back stories about a character and their relationships with others like family very helpful. I am working on structure at the moment. It is a fun and interesting adventure.
I've always been of two minds. In art school I was in both the painting department and the printmaking department. In the painting studio I was an intuitive pantser but in the printmaking studio, where you are dealing with acids and things that are sharp, I was more of a methodical planner. It took me years to get to the point where I could balance the two. And to be honest I still struggle with it. I think it is when I am just starting a new art project or technique when I just dive in and see if I can swim and figure some things and approaches out. Once I have a good understanding of the materials or techniques, I can then plan out a project to the Nth degree. With writing I have to sit down and just explore, to learn the characters and voice, the setting, but I desperately want to get to the point where I can plot everything out, to know where things are heading. There are too many variables, especially on something the size of a novel, to just wing it from the start. It's exhausting. But for now it is still my approach to the first draft. Maybe after I have more of the skills nailed down I can transition to something like a methodological pantser.
Ahh, now I get it. I’m stuck in the middle so I need to work on story structure. I’m an intuitive plotter. I do know the beginning and ends right away (although the ending could change). Also the advice about editing is priceless. I always feel like I’m messing up by editing, yet I can’t move forward without feeling the need to build “brick by brick”. Thank you for all the advice!
I really appreciate what you said about not having to be efficient. I'm revising and trying to work on multiple aspects and kicking my own butt because I'm not just flying through every scene in an hour or two.
Only 20min in, and I know I'm going to watch this twice. So much useful information, it's so encouraging to hear everything you said. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Hello Ellen. I like the long form unedited versions of your videos. You mentioned writing types, I'm definitely one of those writers that started as a religiously strict outliner for my first five or so attempts at a novel. I've never really described my process before, but after struggling for years I forced myself to change how I write stories. Now I write with a beginning and ending in mind but no clear idea of how the middle will go. I will start at the first scene, introduce trouble, a catalyst, and the antagonist as soon as possible to "light the fuse" of the story, and then I will springboard the character into the next scene in a logical entertaining way as a consequence of however the character dealt with the issues in the last scene. I do this over and over so the story can go in some wild and unpredictable yet organic (I hope, lol) direction until circling back around to the pre-planned ending, but I give myself permission to change the ending and often do if it feels better or is more satisfying. I finished two first drafts using the strict outlining method and I was happy with them but each of them took me about 6 months to write. After switching to the loosy goosey method that I use now, which allowed me to get into a more vivid flow state, I wrote the first draft of a 40,000 word novella in seven days. Thank you for the great videos!
I picked your vlog for my 20-minute workout. I'm an accountant writing my first sci-fi. The story popped out in a dream I had a day prior. It's been three months, and I am about halfway through. I started with an outline of the plot per chapter. When I start a chapter, I handwrite the main idea. I write and complete the chapter on Saturday and Sunday. My goal is to have a four-book series.
Thank you! every single point you brought it was about an insecurity i had. I tried to be a plotter and use work sheets, character sheets , diagrams and so on and it made me hate my story and for half an year i only plotted (when i already knew kind of what i want to write) because i thought that's how you write a successful story (and I'm afraid of plot holes and mistakes. i would plan and plan and when i was about to sit down and write i was too tired of my story. I never knew the concept of drafting so naturally when i sat down i started writing the book as i envisioned it. There are parts of my drafts that could be final and you could open up in a book store to read. Then everyone said the first draft should have no editing and just get your idea down and bla bla, and when i tried to write whatever... I couldn't grasp the feeling of the story and it didn't help me get new ideas for the rest of the plot. EG: *insert scene where character dies*. This made me feel nothing. But , the moment i wrote the entire scene with metaphors, editing, action, all dialogue etc. it clicked into my mind the trauma that this scene left on my protagonist. It never did when it was just a draft concept. ...so yes, i do edit as i write and i thought it's wrong and it slows me down . I am the type who prefers to write an entire day or week even than sit down and write one hour, because out of that one hour 30 minutes takes me to get into the "phase" - i light up incense, i set up the lighting, i select the suitable music, my room has to be clean. etc. By the time i finnick with the setting the hour might long be gone. To do all of this only to write 30 minutes is a waste of time. (i could still be wrong about this) Scheduling my writting sessions makes me write less than spontaneous writing. And feelin' guilty about all of the above point made me want to give up completely on my book anyways. Now that i realise no method is wrong and anything can work as long as it keeps you moving - well now i feel like writing every single moment and regret it if I'm exhausted (I'm like - dang it!) I suspect i am a pantser, but i tried plotting only because thought I had to. What i know for sure is that a blank page doesn't scare me, but my story i mostly developed in my mind already. I'm almost sure I'm not a methodological plotter, but I'm not exactly sure where i fall between the other 3 types I can't wait to watch your videos!!! Thank you! it's a bit annoying that i seem to fall into each type of writing style / method that is not usually talked about or it's frowned upon. EG. most people glorify being a plotter, having a writing schedule of 1 hour sessions everyday, never editing as you write. No wonder why i struggled to work on my book when i was working agsinst myself in almost every aspect and the only times i had fun writing seemed like weird divine interventions
Thankful for your continued well thought-out videos - quality of content here means I don't care that this is a basic video. Wishing you the best in 2024 and for your writing and editing journey.
oh woah - I thought I was mainly struggling with story structure, but listening to the specific struggles linked to core skill weaknesses, turns out scene structure might be an even bigger issue! 😦thank you so much for the useful list, and of course for all of the other tips in the video!
I started off being full intuitive pantser but I think that’s because it was my first novel and I didn’t have the skills so I needed to just jump in. The novel certainly blossomed as I continued but I ended up on like 8 drafts it changed so much. By the end of my second novel I realized planning things a little more helped and am slowly progressing towards more of a planner as a writer but that’s cause I know a lot more about what needs to happen now. I think many new novelists might start off just having to jump in rather than plan but then end up finding planning helps them a lot. That’s what has seemed to happen in my group of new writers as we have progressed over the years.
I'm becoming a method panzer. The method is new, really since watching your vids. Now I'm using story structure to time scene changes, which really helps, but mostly I'm putting more into world / character building and letting them drive the plot. I've realised that my current story isn't about the character I initially thought it would be and two others are probably destined to fall in love, which is delightfully inconvenient. I shall do my best to persuade them otherwise but you know lust is deaf. I used to think there wasn't enough tension, yet I still enjoy re-reading what I've written. So my recent revelation is that the world is also a character, or bunch of characters, and provides plenty of conflict. I've also learned that when I'm trying to write a scene I find difficult, my characters can voice that difficulty with their own internal dialogue. I had a scene where the main characters had to dress up and it just felt wrong for one of them. So I wrote out the argument. Now the scene flows. I edit every time I read through, my policy is if you notice a necessary change, do it. It means the first draft will take longer, but be more polished and I always enjoy reading it through without thinking "I have to fix that someday". That last bit is important. I could still improve on story / scene structure and character arcs, so that'll give me something to do on the second draft. Thank you, you've been the most useful writing tutor since Robert McKee (and I've watched quite a lot of the others on UA-cam).
I've been writing compulsively for some time as a hobby and I've noticed a considerable jump in my own abilities soon after I've read something like a masterpiece let's say--but I'd say it applies to any story worth its own salt. I cut my teeth on genre fiction and still love it today, but find reading through many of the classics of both old and recent work to be the deepest well in which to draw from. Your content is so good and I appreciate your fun and creative but no nonsense approach to this, your advice has been extremely helpful!
Can't believe I'm going to say this, but I do have a slight disagreement with writer's not writing when the inspiration is lacking. If writing is a hobby, waiting for inspiration is fine. But if the goal is to be a profitable author, persistent writing even without inspiration is mandatory. That doesn't mean "write everyday" but it does mean get your butt working even when you don't know what's going on. A rough draft is always ugly like Ellen says. Even if your uninspired words are trash, that doesn't mean game over. We have to find the discipline to, if we're not inspired, find a way to get inspired. Take it from someone who "waited for inspiration" and ended up with books that took 2-3 years to write. A total of 4 published books in 12 years. Don't wait for the inspiration. Good luck writers, see you on the bookshelf!
Just to clarify, I don't generally advise that people wait for inspiration. For most writers, yes, I agree that waiting for inspiration isn't a good idea, but there are some writers who feel inspired fairly consistently and when writing when not "in the mood," they just put something down to put something down and it ends up deleted later. Like I mentioned, some of us truly need a schedule to be disciplined enough to ever sit down and write, but when we do, we consistently produce good (enough) work. It's just about knowing what produces good work in a somewhat timely manner for each individual.
What's wrong with writing a book in 2-3 years? Sometimes it really takes time to polish and get what you really love and cherish. It's not only about inspiration. I'd rather sit with a book longer than have it sloppy and unpolished in a year or so.
@@dariakey5318 If the goal is to make a living as an author, 2-3 years for one book is not an efficient production schedule. Might work for people in their 20's, less so for people 40 and up where time becomes more valuable. Inspiration is fickle and not always guaranteed. It's great for writing a few scenes, definitely short stories, but not entire novels. If you define your writing career off inspiration alone you may find you never finish a book. Also, your mindset and tastes change as you age. There is a high likelihood that after you've written your inspired book, in a couple of years you might become embarrassed by what you wrote in it. Then all that inspiration was for nothing. Ellen did clarify her point, but I know a lot of newbie authors who only know the romanticized version of writing rather than the reality. Inspiration is not needed for quality, that's what editing is for.
Thank you Mrs Badger! I paused this at 22 mins and rewrote a scene which has been holding me up. I realised I was trying to make myself create more characters and dialogue that really didn't move the story forward, so I just reported it rather more impersonally. In context (between two lengthy dialogue sections) it seems to work ok. This means I can move my mental cursor to the end of the text, where I'm also a bit stuck. So now I shall watch the rest of the video. 🙂
I did want to mention that you used to come up on my feed all of the time but, I'd not heard from you in years, so glad you are back. I shared this video on my discord server and with any writers I meet. Thank you so much Ellen. These videos mean a lot to so many people.
I really appreciate the respect you give to how different writers have very different processes that can still work. Many writers onky talk about plotting and planning and no attention is given to us intuitive pantsers. Thank you for your videos. They have been most helpful!
Even when you don’t have talent for writing, you sure have talent for explaining things. Love every single of your videos. So much precious insights and help. 33:35 I guess that's my biggest mistake. Once I am like 50 pages in, I start thinking like a maniac "is this working, is that working? I think I need to rewrite this. I don't hink this is the right length for the scene, the people are our of character, I'm explaining too much, ect yada yada" and get tangled up in overthinking at an early stage. Maybe I need to accept, that the 1st draft will be a mess. But it should be a 300 pages mess. So I have something to work with in editing... but it's hard to just stop my brain from doing this.
Thank you so much for this! A frequent issue I have deals with characters that end up effectively being the same "person" and have too little to distinguish them. If there's a quick video in that, I'm all ears! Thanks again
Ellen, tysm for this and just your whole channel in general. It has been so eye-opening. I was very much trying to be a methodological plotter at first and was getting frustrated. I love science and theory, so I just presumed I needed to learn that way. Idk what type of writer I am yet, but knowing I can just discard structure whenever has made it easier to actually start writing a story
Thank you this was so helpful ❤! I've been rewatching the video a few times. I didn't even knew there were 5 core skills to improve on. This is what I've been struggling with the most since I started writing but didn't know what was wrong. And I also didn't know how to improve it. Your 4 writer type videos also saved me it was like the brain fog left my head lol 🙂 it made me embrace my chaotic writing process more. Keep up the good work!
Totally guilty when it comes to emotional attachment… I basically put a project aside because the majority of my beta readers didn’t like something that I’m very attached to. And I just don’t want to change it, because… well … emotion. But at the same time, the readers said the rest of the novel is quite fun, so rationally I should change this scene… but my own emotions get in my way. Thanks for the tip with different versions, I guess, I‘ll try this this year 😊
You really drove down the point about the value of editing and I appreciate it - up to now I have always given up on writing projects before finishing OR editing because I thought they were too bad, and I could start a better one, but this year I will look my NaNo23 project in the eyes and try to fix it!
Thank you for this video. It's relevant for me. I'm close to the end of my third book and I am also on a course. I am a discovery writer but I have decided to change my writing process. I know that I can do better by learning to outline and plot. This is the last time I write without plotting. It won't be easy to adjust but I am set on it so that I have well structured books. I also need to learn to write faster. There's a lot to learn, but I must get there and must improve.
i think for me the hardest issue i'm having is that i'm coming up with these things on my own, and i know i need guidance because i've hit roadblocks. it's hard to think of ideas when you don't know what you're supposed to be thinking of 😅
It is great that you made this video. There is so much advice on the internet and even your channel alone, so having a roadmap that explains what to focus on first is really helpful.
Writing is a form of art. It can be said that it's the easiest profession because all what you need to do is to play around with words in different ways. However, you have to have very good knowledge of the language you use to express your wild imagination and subjective interpretations of the world around you, no matter which ever human language it is. Fictional writing is even easier because you are free to say whatever you want, while there is no right nor wrong interpretation of the same human world, unlike critical writing in which you have to base your personal interpretations on known facts in order for your subjective interpreations to be valid
Thank you so much for this video. It is such an inspiration and relief for me who always has doubts regarding my way of thinking creatively and so I could never be an author. But after listening to you saying that writing is a skill that can be developed over time, so I realised, maybe I can try it. I'm not in delusion of becoming a professional writer, but I do want to put some effort into bringing something into this world which is worth reading....
I've started watching your videos recently and they've helped me so much. You're fantastic at explaining these concepts. Thank you so much for making these videos readily available ❤
Thank you so much Ellen for this video and everything you do. Watching this motivated me to tackle some editing of a first draft 1/3 in. I wish you a great year with better health, better house and better writing!
Thanks for reminding me to look over your four types videos again! I can't remember if I was the intuitive plotter or methodological pantser. Also I really appreciate going over the mindset aspect of writing. Like with a lot of things how we think about it has a huge effect on how we deal with it. I think even if you had a video just on that first part I can see people making huge gains with their work. Although obviously the rest is very helpful as well!
This is such a speedround of excellent, precise, actionable information! Thank you so much for taking the time to do such a thoughtful, in-depth video during a tricky phase of your own personal life, it's hugely appreciated. As always!
I've shared your channel with my writer friends, your content is amazing. Your concept of the 4 main types of writers made such a difference in how I approach my writing ❤ thank you for sharing your wisdom, and Happy 2024!!!
Thank you for another wonderfully informative video, Ellen. I've been wanting to write a novel for as long as I can remember but your videos are helping me to give it a shot this year. Hope you have a healthy and happy 2024!
I absolutely loved this video. Going into the core skills and how they can bubble up in writing was such a new way for me to look at my writing. 100% plan on catching your other videos.
Another incredible video! Thank you so much, Ellen. Would you ever consider making a video of the top X# of books that helped you become a better writer, editor, or gave you a better understanding of the skills needed to become a better writer? I’m always trying to peek at the titles on your shelves, but would love to hear from you 😊
This is so helpful and practical advise. It can be really helpful to analyse one's own writing with your given advise. Especially, when the story has become a big blur, from reading and writing it over and over again. Thank you 🙏
I just wanted to say, I’ve watched a lot of writing advice channels on UA-cam and bounced off them almost immediately. You’re the best writing teacher I’ve seen on this platform! Thanks for another great video. I’d already personally decided 2024 was the year I wanted to take another stride in my writing and this video gave me a lot of inspiration on how to work toward that goal. Do you plan on taking on more clients again in the future?
Happy New Year!! Thanks so much for another really helpful video. I'm currently plotting/writing what I hope will be my debut novel, and your videos have been a Godsend.
Needed this. I’ve been stuck in my second novel going on year 3. The major pacing issues I’ve been fighting have me ready to scrap the whole project. My prose isn’t where I want it to be in this draft and all the big scenes are falling flat. I did not have the same set of issues with my first published novel so I figured the idea is trash😢. I’m still trying to finish it but I’ve been pulling teeth.
Thank you! Love your deep dives! Your knowledgeable analytical and empathetic approach to writing advice is superb. I have so many of your videos in my writing 'reference' playlist.
Good presentation Writing is Art with a ink pen I read mostly from old books That's where all the best stuff is The best book to read is the King James version of the Bible That the best piece of literary art I've ever seen You're an excellent speaker Look forward to watching your videos A star is born Yep how much better can any one put it
Thank you for being here
Part 1: Improving Your Mindset
2:15 Mindset #1: Talent vs Hard Work
8:02 Mindset #2: Putting your vision above your emotional attachment
13:39 Mindset #3: Don't blame the story idea: blame your skill level
16:49 Mindset #4: If it works, it works.
19:55 Part 2: Improving Your Writing Process
21:10 Tip #1: Figure out a process that works for you
27:30 Tip #2: Find a schedule that works for you
33:21 Tip #3: Edit whenever you want
37:08 Part 3: Improving Your Skills
37:54 When you want to improve a skill, identify what specifically needs to be improved
43:38 How to Identify Weaknesses (5 Core Skills: Story Structure, Scene Structure, Character Arc, Strong Sentences, Cohesive Paragraphs)
-45:14 Story Structure
-46:59 Scene Structure
-48:42 Camera Dies
-49:50 Character Arc
-52:49 Strong Sentences
-55:17 Cohesive Paragraphs
59:30 Fix it in Post
37:10 Part 3. Improve your skill
Thank you for your effort. 💛
Thank you
Thanks, SpeedHunter020
I think I struggle most with scene structure, the story structure I tend to let the story speak from it self but I know what the character arc us
I personally love Mindset #3 "Don't blame the story idea: blame your skill level". I know several writers who constantly have amazing ideas and are always telling me about them, but seemingly give up after a few chapters in because they don't think the story is that good, or it's "bigger than they anticipated" or some other reason they tell themselves while giving up and moving onto their next big idea.
Adding to everything you've said about skill and talent, I thought I'd share a quote by Sir Michael Caine that's always stuck with me: "I'll always be there because I'm a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I've any talent is beside the point." I think this quote is wonderful because it can be applied not only to acting, but also to writing and a lot of other professions. As a reader, I don't care how talented the author is. What I care about is the quality of the book.
The longer your videos are, the more excited I am to watch them. Thank you for filming it despite your house situation, it must be unusual for you, but the content is worth it. Can't wait to see what you're preparing for us in 2024 (the interview with an agent sounds great). And Happy New Year to you too! I hope you have more time to work on your novel this year, and that your health gets better, but don't rush and take care of yourself. My comment is all over the place, but I'm just glad to hear from you and see that you are well. All the best, Ellen!
Thank you so much. I hope 2024 is a great year for us all! Hoping to make some different/interesting/useful videos!
I'm someone who once had "natural talent" as a writer, but I also have bipolar disorder, and in retrospect most of my creativity was fueled by mania. Medication saved my life but also robbed me of that talent, and I've had to go back and consciously re-learn many of the stylistic and structural elements of fiction writing that used to feel second-nature to me. Your channel has been a great help in that, and it's so encouraging to hear from someone for whom writing was a learned, chosen vocation. Yours is still one of the best writing channels on UA-cam, bar none.
Mental illness is a writing amplifier sometimes lol
One of the best pieces of advice for the writing process that I ever got was to have a specific area in my document or writing place where I could put words or lines or scenes that I liked, but didn't belong. That way I could remove them from the flow of the story, but I didn't feel like I was throwing them away because they still existed and I wasn't deleting them.
I keep coming back to your videos whenever I feel stuck, which is more often than I care to admit. Your channel is a goldmine. Thank you for helping me all the way from the barest idea of my novella to actually publishing it!
Brick by brick, editing as I go, is the only way that works for me. Thank you, Ellen, for recognizing this approach. Another great video, as always!
Just take it one day at a time, and don't be frustrated when things are not working out. Just keep working at it, and you will get there. Thanks Ellen Brook, you truly are a good mentor.
Love this - you know it's a good video when you're torn between immediately rewatching and picking up your writing project to get started!
Ellen, thank you so much, not only for this wonderful video (I was taking notes like mad!), but for teaching me to write. Your four writer types categorisation was a game-changer for me. As a plotter who straddles the intuitive-methodological spectrum, it cut through so much confusion. I'm now able to embrace rather than fight my weird tendencies (like intuiting a plot first, then using story structure to get the pacing right) and write more than I've ever done. 2023 was my best writing year so far, but I want to make 2024 even better.
Thanks a million for putting out this video despite the circumstances. It's a shame UA-cam isn't promoting your videos as much, but we'll do our bit to share them! Take care and hope your year is going well so far :)
A one-hour video! Thank you so much for this. A lot of great points. Hopefully this is the year I finally finish a manuscript.
I fit most into your Methodological Pantser type. For me, it's important to edit those early scenes before I finish because i'm still new at this and need to see how it will look when polished. I don't want to build more bricks on top of an unstable one, to use your analogy. That instability just sits in my mind and I think it will cause me more work later, to fix everything that's built on it.
And I also don't want to get to the end and only then start working on my polishing skills.
I do think it's important to keep going, and to finish. But for me, if I don't finish at a certain level of quality, I worry that i'll give up and put it down. So a big part of it is building evidence that I CAN do this, I think.
I could definitely see this changing if i'd already completed a first book, and knew more about how the process is likely to go (for me).
Just today I was realized that I needed to start focusing on improving specific storytelling skills if I want to become a better writer. I've spent a lot of time just teaching myself to finish stories, and I'm beyond ready to start focusing on improving other skills. Those five core skills you listed, and the signs that you may be struggling with them are just the thing I was needing. I was debating what skills I should focus on improving first, and now I have a much better idea of where to start. I always learn so much from your videos!
I guess I've never really thought about how our feelings about our story may differ from our *vision* of it, because these often come from the same place I think. And still, sometimes they stop going hand in hand and you have to sacrifice something. And one thing that really brought me a lot of peace about choosing to delete a scene or reject an idea is how these things don't really disappear: you can recycle them later. It sounds obvious but for the longest time it didn't really seem true to me, like, how would I ever be excited about an idea that I've already had to reject? But over the past year, there's been a bunch of times when my previously rejected or forgotten idea popped up again and turned out to be just the right thing for a completely unrelated story. This makes me unreasonably happy. You're not throwing this character or this scene into a volcano, they'll remain in your library of ideas and maybe there will come a point where they make an unexpected return!
If you can pull up an unused idea/scene/character cut from an old project and use it in a new one, I'm sure that is an incredible feeling! I would like to hope that any great idea will eventually find its home in some project!
The book/method "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" (literally) illustrates two critical things:
1. People improved tremendously when they learned how to observe and faithfully did the exercises.
2. ALMOST EVERYONE was able to draw respectably well once they had done this; the examples shown weren't cherry-picks of "talented" students.
Talent does matter, and it's a limiting factor in what any individual can do. But it does NOT require genius-level talent to make art that other people would appreciate and even purchase. I see no reason why writing wouldn't be the same*.
* after corrections: visual artists have a huge advantage over wordsmiths in that comparing a drawing to reality is fairly straightforward, and incremental progress is more obvious. Novel writers will need a lot more tenacity to make up for this.
I‘ve worked my way through so much writing advice, but just the concepts of letting go the idealized version of what I think how a writer should work and the specific core skills helped me get so much perspective on the areas I am struggling with. I will definitely have a look at those other videos!
great contribution to the community to make such extensive content!
Never heard of doing large chunk writing and then letting it rest a week or whatever. It works? I may just have to try that. Been struggling to keep up the daily schedule, even tho I have the time set aside.
Thank you so much for this video!
That does work.
Your four types of writers video(s) were an absolute game changer for me. I'm firmly a methodological pantser and as soon as I stopped listening to advice that contradicted my natural tendencies writing got soooo much easier. I have an actual process now. 😲
Happy New Year Ellen, thanks for all the amazing advice and content. I always refer back to your videos when I'm struggling or feel lost.
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” -Vince Lombardi
Ellen, thank you for making these videos! I've been following your channel for... god, like 8 years? And I've been rewatching a lot recently since I really want to write a novel for the first time in forever and I feel very lost, because I've completely switched to short form prose and it's quite overwhelming to set out to write a whole novel again. Considering all that, it was a delight to see a fresh new upload amidst binge watching your old videos. Your presence on this platform has always been very comforting for me, not to mention that I've learned a lot from your channel!
Also, I might leave a bunch of separate comments because this video is turning out to be very profound and there are things I want to share in response that are piling up as I watch 😅
I love your work. Would you do video on core skills? I have a hard time conveying the importance and applications of the tentpole skills to new writers who, as you say, get hung up on secondary stuff. I see a weakness in how many critique groups function in that the focuses are on secondary aspects. I think if critique partners would share what they are trying to accomplice in a scene or chapter via core considerations before critique that would help get to the root of the story issues. Partners need to provide long lines and synopses to guide reviewers so the reviewers know what to look out for.
i missed this video when it first came out, but i'll comment anyway! your stuff is among THE best advice i've ever seen, and i really appreciate how clear, consice, but also well balanced it is in the pep talk vs tough love department lol. Your author types breakdown is my absolute favorite, and i've definitely been showing it to every group of writer friends i have whenever the opportunity arises! Personally speaking, i think i've come up to the "just gotta practice and get feedback on my work work" stage of improvement, so i don't really know what questions or video subjects might be useful to request, but i do love your Sample Editing videos! having the in-context concrete examples of what could be improved is so insightful, and feels very applicable compared to pulling "good examples" from books that have already been published. Hope you're doing well, thanks so much for your hard work
I'm only 20 minutes in but this is truly a masterclass. I can't believe we get this for free. Thank you for sharing.
Happy 2024, Ellen! Thank you so much for this video. I've watched through twice already, and will surely be watching many more times throughout the year. I'm especially taken with your distinction between primary and secondary skills, and the examples you gave to diagnose what a particular writer needs to improve on. I started off 2024 in quite a deep creative rut, so the reminder that improvement is possible with hard work and resilience is very appreciated! Wishing you the best with your health and your home!
I love these, these feel both conversational and instructional at the same time.
ONLY thing I would suggest is, you mention 3 sections, I don’t see this in the vid right now but I would love if there was a way to retroactively provide time stamps for each section.
Otherwise, very solid work, as usual.
I changed my type. I was an intuitive pantser, writing whatever, whenever. I had ideas and the farthest I ever got was 16k words? Not bad for a 12-year-old writing a fanfic, but none of my stories ever took off.
My favorite author told me that the best method was to write everything down first. Everything. All the plotting. (I now realize that that’s just his best method, but I tried it anyway.)
I sucked it up and started plotting! Started with a plot arc, moved to chapter outlines. Slowly, I try new things like character arcs, brainstorming sessions, and I delve more and more into the plot and worldbuilding.
At first, changing my type was painful. But you must do hard things to reach success. I never thought of trying to work with my original style, I just tried the new one. And it worked! It made my writing so much easier, I wrote so much faster, and I actually finished my first draft. It was aggravating at first but with time, I have come to love the process.
I’m definitely still a pantser at heart.
As someone who has a lot of paragraphs I'm emotionally invested in that just don't work - some even 10yo now - I agree that creating a separate doc where you keep it, and then edit it out of the main doc is the way to go. 70% of the time I never even remember the paragraph or line. But there are times where years after I've removed it I realize it needs to be in there, so it's helpful to go back to the "Play" file and bring it back in. Esp. when upon re-read I can't help but mentally add it back in every time.
"We don't want to be spending 50 hours on a single scene."
Me: (Sometimes spending an hour to write a single sentence) Well... it's progress. I'll get there eventually.
Monthly update:
31 July - 118 hours - 6,172 words
This is a wonderful video. You've really inspired me to keep going with writing my novel. You hit on every hangup I have about my writing, which it really comes down to confidence. I'm almost 75 (in December) and when I was 19 years old in my first year of college, my 28 year old English teacher stood in front of class handing out papers. She declared to everyone in a clearly condescending tone that I couldn't put two words together to write a sentence. A capital "F" written in red on my paper was clearly visible to everyone in the room. I went to a different college and took the course over again, this time getting an "A". I've struggled my entire life to write because of that incident. I'm now taking back my power from that memory and have begun to write again. I went back to school at the age of 52 and got an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts. Needless to say, I struggled with every word and every assignment. I graduated at 55 but could not concentrate on my writing until now as my circumstances have changed drastically. I have taken up writing a historical novel that I began in Grad school. To build up my confidence, rather than watching TV or listening to radio, I decided to only listen to creative writing videos. That's when I came across your fabulous channel. I decided to listen to every one of your videos at every opportunity, in the car, in the gym, or just laying down for a rest. I have a long way to go as you have an extensive library of videos, each one essential for any writer wanting to improve. Your presentations are done in such a way that I clearly understand what you're talking about. I love your voice, which is easy to listen to. I can't tell you how much you've helped me and it's only been a couple of weeks! I used to be able to only write less than 200 words, which took me hours. Now, I'm nearly at 700 words in about 3 hours! You had a lot to do with this improvement. Your words of encouragement have built up my confidence. This video really has been the most influential and important so far. Thank you so much for providing this exceedingly helpful information. You're amazing.
Single best writing video I’ve ever seen. This is so spot on.
This video is poignant and succinct. One of the greatest videos you've produced!
I learned so much from you in ‘23. Looking forward to all the mind gains in ‘24 from your content!
Im really happy with where my mindset is at. Very few people ever write a novel in their lifetime. I try to write a thousand words when i can because i know theres far more benefits to writing than simply reaching the finish line as quickly as possible. If youre struggling with mindset, my tip would be to complete a short story and print 1 copy. I created a few short pokemon stories for my son and i cant describe the feeling of reading a hardcover finished product to him. It reminds you that every single time you make a little bit of progress, it will be worth it. Plus you got to sit quietly and be creative for a few hours, which is a blessing in itself.
ur the only reason im finishing i SWEAR!!!
wow, the things you said about talent and passion really struck a chord with me. I definately don't have passion for writing, I've come to the realization that I write more out of a fanatical obsession of getting a book published and beeing able see it in a bookshelf at a local bookstore. There have been so many times over the years where I thought to myself that i'm never writing again, but then after some time passes I always get back into it ugh.
The four types of writers wasn’t something I’d ever heard of. Super helpful to know myself during the process.
I never considered editing as I go instead of at the end of the draft. Would definitely change up some things for me.
Great information. I took a fiction writing class in grad school but I don’t remember any of it. I am now absorbing information from you and other writers on UA-cam and I bought some used books about writing fundamentals. I had instructors at college want what I wrote for examples for future classes but that was all non-fiction. Fiction is a whole other animal. I don’t have natural talent, I work on it. I am also finding that planning is very helpful. Writing back stories about a character and their relationships with others like family very helpful. I am working on structure at the moment. It is a fun and interesting adventure.
I've always been of two minds. In art school I was in both the painting department and the printmaking department. In the painting studio I was an intuitive pantser but in the printmaking studio, where you are dealing with acids and things that are sharp, I was more of a methodical planner. It took me years to get to the point where I could balance the two. And to be honest I still struggle with it. I think it is when I am just starting a new art project or technique when I just dive in and see if I can swim and figure some things and approaches out. Once I have a good understanding of the materials or techniques, I can then plan out a project to the Nth degree. With writing I have to sit down and just explore, to learn the characters and voice, the setting, but I desperately want to get to the point where I can plot everything out, to know where things are heading. There are too many variables, especially on something the size of a novel, to just wing it from the start. It's exhausting. But for now it is still my approach to the first draft. Maybe after I have more of the skills nailed down I can transition to something like a methodological pantser.
Ahh, now I get it. I’m stuck in the middle so I need to work on story structure. I’m an intuitive plotter. I do know the beginning and ends right away (although the ending could change). Also the advice about editing is priceless. I always feel like I’m messing up by editing, yet I can’t move forward without feeling the need to build “brick by brick”. Thank you for all the advice!
I really appreciate what you said about not having to be efficient. I'm revising and trying to work on multiple aspects and kicking my own butt because I'm not just flying through every scene in an hour or two.
Only 20min in, and I know I'm going to watch this twice. So much useful information, it's so encouraging to hear everything you said. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Hello Ellen. I like the long form unedited versions of your videos. You mentioned writing types, I'm definitely one of those writers that started as a religiously strict outliner for my first five or so attempts at a novel. I've never really described my process before, but after struggling for years I forced myself to change how I write stories. Now I write with a beginning and ending in mind but no clear idea of how the middle will go. I will start at the first scene, introduce trouble, a catalyst, and the antagonist as soon as possible to "light the fuse" of the story, and then I will springboard the character into the next scene in a logical entertaining way as a consequence of however the character dealt with the issues in the last scene. I do this over and over so the story can go in some wild and unpredictable yet organic (I hope, lol) direction until circling back around to the pre-planned ending, but I give myself permission to change the ending and often do if it feels better or is more satisfying. I finished two first drafts using the strict outlining method and I was happy with them but each of them took me about 6 months to write. After switching to the loosy goosey method that I use now, which allowed me to get into a more vivid flow state, I wrote the first draft of a 40,000 word novella in seven days.
Thank you for the great videos!
I picked your vlog for my 20-minute workout. I'm an accountant writing my first sci-fi. The story popped out in a dream I had a day prior. It's been three months, and I am about halfway through. I started with an outline of the plot per chapter. When I start a chapter, I handwrite the main idea. I write and complete the chapter on Saturday and Sunday. My goal is to have a four-book series.
Thank you!
every single point you brought it was about an insecurity i had. I tried to be a plotter and use work sheets, character sheets , diagrams and so on and it made me hate my story and for half an year i only plotted (when i already knew kind of what i want to write) because i thought that's how you write a successful story (and I'm afraid of plot holes and mistakes. i would plan and plan and when i was about to sit down and write i was too tired of my story.
I never knew the concept of drafting so naturally when i sat down i started writing the book as i envisioned it. There are parts of my drafts that could be final and you could open up in a book store to read. Then everyone said the first draft should have no editing and just get your idea down and bla bla, and when i tried to write whatever... I couldn't grasp the feeling of the story and it didn't help me get new ideas for the rest of the plot.
EG: *insert scene where character dies*. This made me feel nothing. But , the moment i wrote the entire scene with metaphors, editing, action, all dialogue etc. it clicked into my mind the trauma that this scene left on my protagonist. It never did when it was just a draft concept. ...so yes, i do edit as i write and i thought it's wrong and it slows me down .
I am the type who prefers to write an entire day or week even than sit down and write one hour, because out of that one hour 30 minutes takes me to get into the "phase" - i light up incense, i set up the lighting, i select the suitable music, my room has to be clean. etc. By the time i finnick with the setting the hour might long be gone. To do all of this only to write 30 minutes is a waste of time. (i could still be wrong about this)
Scheduling my writting sessions makes me write less than spontaneous writing. And feelin' guilty about all of the above point made me want to give up completely on my book anyways. Now that i realise no method is wrong and anything can work as long as it keeps you moving - well now i feel like writing every single moment and regret it if I'm exhausted (I'm like - dang it!)
I suspect i am a pantser, but i tried plotting only because thought I had to. What i know for sure is that a blank page doesn't scare me, but my story i mostly developed in my mind already. I'm almost sure I'm not a methodological plotter, but I'm not exactly sure where i fall between the other 3 types
I can't wait to watch your videos!!! Thank you!
it's a bit annoying that i seem to fall into each type of writing style / method that is not usually talked about or it's frowned upon.
EG. most people glorify being a plotter, having a writing schedule of 1 hour sessions everyday, never editing as you write.
No wonder why i struggled to work on my book when i was working agsinst myself in almost every aspect and the only times i had fun writing seemed like weird divine interventions
Thankful for your continued well thought-out videos - quality of content here means I don't care that this is a basic video. Wishing you the best in 2024 and for your writing and editing journey.
oh woah - I thought I was mainly struggling with story structure, but listening to the specific struggles linked to core skill weaknesses, turns out scene structure might be an even bigger issue! 😦thank you so much for the useful list, and of course for all of the other tips in the video!
I started off being full intuitive pantser but I think that’s because it was my first novel and I didn’t have the skills so I needed to just jump in. The novel certainly blossomed as I continued but I ended up on like 8 drafts it changed so much.
By the end of my second novel I realized planning things a little more helped and am slowly progressing towards more of a planner as a writer but that’s cause I know a lot more about what needs to happen now.
I think many new novelists might start off just having to jump in rather than plan but then end up finding planning helps them a lot. That’s what has seemed to happen in my group of new writers as we have progressed over the years.
I'm becoming a method panzer. The method is new, really since watching your vids. Now I'm using story structure to time scene changes, which really helps, but mostly I'm putting more into world / character building and letting them drive the plot. I've realised that my current story isn't about the character I initially thought it would be and two others are probably destined to fall in love, which is delightfully inconvenient. I shall do my best to persuade them otherwise but you know lust is deaf. I used to think there wasn't enough tension, yet I still enjoy re-reading what I've written. So my recent revelation is that the world is also a character, or bunch of characters, and provides plenty of conflict. I've also learned that when I'm trying to write a scene I find difficult, my characters can voice that difficulty with their own internal dialogue. I had a scene where the main characters had to dress up and it just felt wrong for one of them. So I wrote out the argument. Now the scene flows. I edit every time I read through, my policy is if you notice a necessary change, do it. It means the first draft will take longer, but be more polished and I always enjoy reading it through without thinking "I have to fix that someday". That last bit is important. I could still improve on story / scene structure and character arcs, so that'll give me something to do on the second draft. Thank you, you've been the most useful writing tutor since Robert McKee (and I've watched quite a lot of the others on UA-cam).
I've been writing compulsively for some time as a hobby and I've noticed a considerable jump in my own abilities soon after I've read something like a masterpiece let's say--but I'd say it applies to any story worth its own salt. I cut my teeth on genre fiction and still love it today, but find reading through many of the classics of both old and recent work to be the deepest well in which to draw from. Your content is so good and I appreciate your fun and creative but no nonsense approach to this, your advice has been extremely helpful!
Can't believe I'm going to say this, but I do have a slight disagreement with writer's not writing when the inspiration is lacking. If writing is a hobby, waiting for inspiration is fine. But if the goal is to be a profitable author, persistent writing even without inspiration is mandatory. That doesn't mean "write everyday" but it does mean get your butt working even when you don't know what's going on.
A rough draft is always ugly like Ellen says. Even if your uninspired words are trash, that doesn't mean game over. We have to find the discipline to, if we're not inspired, find a way to get inspired. Take it from someone who "waited for inspiration" and ended up with books that took 2-3 years to write. A total of 4 published books in 12 years.
Don't wait for the inspiration. Good luck writers, see you on the bookshelf!
Just to clarify, I don't generally advise that people wait for inspiration. For most writers, yes, I agree that waiting for inspiration isn't a good idea, but there are some writers who feel inspired fairly consistently and when writing when not "in the mood," they just put something down to put something down and it ends up deleted later. Like I mentioned, some of us truly need a schedule to be disciplined enough to ever sit down and write, but when we do, we consistently produce good (enough) work. It's just about knowing what produces good work in a somewhat timely manner for each individual.
What's wrong with writing a book in 2-3 years? Sometimes it really takes time to polish and get what you really love and cherish. It's not only about inspiration. I'd rather sit with a book longer than have it sloppy and unpolished in a year or so.
@@dariakey5318 If the goal is to make a living as an author, 2-3 years for one book is not an efficient production schedule. Might work for people in their 20's, less so for people 40 and up where time becomes more valuable.
Inspiration is fickle and not always guaranteed. It's great for writing a few scenes, definitely short stories, but not entire novels. If you define your writing career off inspiration alone you may find you never finish a book.
Also, your mindset and tastes change as you age. There is a high likelihood that after you've written your inspired book, in a couple of years you might become embarrassed by what you wrote in it. Then all that inspiration was for nothing.
Ellen did clarify her point, but I know a lot of newbie authors who only know the romanticized version of writing rather than the reality. Inspiration is not needed for quality, that's what editing is for.
See ya on the bookshelf
Thank you Mrs Badger! I paused this at 22 mins and rewrote a scene which has been holding me up. I realised I was trying to make myself create more characters and dialogue that really didn't move the story forward, so I just reported it rather more impersonally. In context (between two lengthy dialogue sections) it seems to work ok. This means I can move my mental cursor to the end of the text, where I'm also a bit stuck. So now I shall watch the rest of the video. 🙂
I did want to mention that you used to come up on my feed all of the time but, I'd not heard from you in years, so glad you are back. I shared this video on my discord server and with any writers I meet. Thank you so much Ellen. These videos mean a lot to so many people.
I really appreciate the respect you give to how different writers have very different processes that can still work. Many writers onky talk about plotting and planning and no attention is given to us intuitive pantsers. Thank you for your videos. They have been most helpful!
Good luck with your new house!
I will always improve as a fiction writer.
I like the color palette of this video. The background looks aesthetically pleasing. A new feel for a new year. Happy writing, everyone.
Even when you don’t have talent for writing, you sure have talent for explaining things. Love every single of your videos. So much precious insights and help.
33:35 I guess that's my biggest mistake. Once I am like 50 pages in, I start thinking like a maniac "is this working, is that working? I think I need to rewrite this. I don't hink this is the right length for the scene, the people are our of character, I'm explaining too much, ect yada yada" and get tangled up in overthinking at an early stage.
Maybe I need to accept, that the 1st draft will be a mess. But it should be a 300 pages mess. So I have something to work with in editing... but it's hard to just stop my brain from doing this.
You always makes me remember what is important
Thank you so much for this! A frequent issue I have deals with characters that end up effectively being the same "person" and have too little to distinguish them. If there's a quick video in that, I'm all ears! Thanks again
Ellen, tysm for this and just your whole channel in general. It has been so eye-opening. I was very much trying to be a methodological plotter at first and was getting frustrated. I love science and theory, so I just presumed I needed to learn that way. Idk what type of writer I am yet, but knowing I can just discard structure whenever has made it easier to actually start writing a story
Thank you this was so helpful ❤! I've been rewatching the video a few times. I didn't even knew there were 5 core skills to improve on. This is what I've been struggling with the most since I started writing but didn't know what was wrong. And I also didn't know how to improve it. Your 4 writer type videos also saved me it was like the brain fog left my head lol 🙂 it made me embrace my chaotic writing process more. Keep up the good work!
Totally guilty when it comes to emotional attachment… I basically put a project aside because the majority of my beta readers didn’t like something that I’m very attached to. And I just don’t want to change it, because… well … emotion. But at the same time, the readers said the rest of the novel is quite fun, so rationally I should change this scene… but my own emotions get in my way. Thanks for the tip with different versions, I guess, I‘ll try this this year 😊
Ellen, your videos are so excellent. I can't believe that they're free. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for your kindness. I've been feeling really pressured and overwhelmed these days
You really drove down the point about the value of editing and I appreciate it - up to now I have always given up on writing projects before finishing OR editing because I thought they were too bad, and I could start a better one, but this year I will look my NaNo23 project in the eyes and try to fix it!
I could be listening to you forever ❤
Thank you, your tips are very useful!
This is exactly the kind of video I needed today! Thank you.
You have a natural talent for teaching writing. You’ve helped me so much!
Thank you for this video. It's relevant for me. I'm close to the end of my third book and I am also on a course. I am a discovery writer but I have decided to change my writing process. I know that I can do better by learning to outline and plot. This is the last time I write without plotting. It won't be easy to adjust but I am set on it so that I have well structured books. I also need to learn to write faster. There's a lot to learn, but I must get there and must improve.
i think for me the hardest issue i'm having is that i'm coming up with these things on my own, and i know i need guidance because i've hit roadblocks. it's hard to think of ideas when you don't know what you're supposed to be thinking of 😅
It is great that you made this video. There is so much advice on the internet and even your channel alone, so having a roadmap that explains what to focus on first is really helpful.
Writing is a form of art. It can be said that it's the easiest profession because all what you need to do is to play around with words in different ways. However, you have to have very good knowledge of the language you use to express your wild imagination and subjective interpretations of the world around you, no matter which ever human language it is. Fictional writing is even easier because you are free to say whatever you want, while there is no right nor wrong interpretation of the same human world, unlike critical writing in which you have to base your personal interpretations on known facts in order for your subjective interpreations to be valid
Thank you so much for this video. It is such an inspiration and relief for me who always has doubts regarding my way of thinking creatively and so I could never be an author. But after listening to you saying that writing is a skill that can be developed over time, so I realised, maybe I can try it. I'm not in delusion of becoming a professional writer, but I do want to put some effort into bringing something into this world which is worth reading....
I absolutely LOVE LOVE your channel and your tips. I know your focus is on novels, but would also love a video on Screenplay writing
I've started watching your videos recently and they've helped me so much. You're fantastic at explaining these concepts. Thank you so much for making these videos readily available ❤
Glad you like them!
Thank you so much Ellen for this video and everything you do. Watching this motivated me to tackle some editing of a first draft 1/3 in. I wish you a great year with better health, better house and better writing!
Your channel is so helpful. It makes me feel like I have realistic paths to follow to improve! Thank you.
So happy to have a new video from you. This video was so thorough and gave me so much to think about. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful insight. I am about to put my in print. It has been in my head for a few years.
Thanks for reminding me to look over your four types videos again! I can't remember if I was the intuitive plotter or methodological pantser. Also I really appreciate going over the mindset aspect of writing. Like with a lot of things how we think about it has a huge effect on how we deal with it. I think even if you had a video just on that first part I can see people making huge gains with their work. Although obviously the rest is very helpful as well!
This is so wonderful! Thank you for posting this. Here to complete a first draft in 2024
Awesome! You got this!
This is such a speedround of excellent, precise, actionable information! Thank you so much for taking the time to do such a thoughtful, in-depth video during a tricky phase of your own personal life, it's hugely appreciated. As always!
I've shared your channel with my writer friends, your content is amazing. Your concept of the 4 main types of writers made such a difference in how I approach my writing ❤ thank you for sharing your wisdom, and Happy 2024!!!
Everything you said about the core skills was super enlightening thank you!
Good to see you! Happy New Year!🎇
Thank you for another wonderfully informative video, Ellen. I've been wanting to write a novel for as long as I can remember but your videos are helping me to give it a shot this year. Hope you have a healthy and happy 2024!
I absolutely loved this video. Going into the core skills and how they can bubble up in writing was such a new way for me to look at my writing.
100% plan on catching your other videos.
Solid writing advice throughout. Any writer who's struggling would do well to watch this video
Another incredible video! Thank you so much, Ellen. Would you ever consider making a video of the top X# of books that helped you become a better writer, editor, or gave you a better understanding of the skills needed to become a better writer? I’m always trying to peek at the titles on your shelves, but would love to hear from you 😊
This video was a well needed nudge to get writing this year.
Thanks.
This is so helpful and practical advise. It can be really helpful to analyse one's own writing with your given advise. Especially, when the story has become a big blur, from reading and writing it over and over again. Thank you 🙏
I just wanted to say, I’ve watched a lot of writing advice channels on UA-cam and bounced off them almost immediately. You’re the best writing teacher I’ve seen on this platform! Thanks for another great video. I’d already personally decided 2024 was the year I wanted to take another stride in my writing and this video gave me a lot of inspiration on how to work toward that goal. Do you plan on taking on more clients again in the future?
This is what makes you the best! Thanks for this great advice.
Happy New Year!! Thanks so much for another really helpful video. I'm currently plotting/writing what I hope will be my debut novel, and your videos have been a Godsend.
Needed this. I’ve been stuck in my second novel going on year 3. The major pacing issues I’ve been fighting have me ready to scrap the whole project. My prose isn’t where I want it to be in this draft and all the big scenes are falling flat. I did not have the same set of issues with my first published novel so I figured the idea is trash😢. I’m still trying to finish it but I’ve been pulling teeth.
Thank you! Love your deep dives! Your knowledgeable analytical and empathetic approach to writing advice is superb. I have so many of your videos in my writing 'reference' playlist.
Good presentation Writing is Art with a ink pen I read mostly from old books That's where all the best stuff is The best book to read is the King James version of the Bible That the best piece of literary art I've ever seen You're an excellent speaker Look forward to watching your videos A star is born Yep how much better can any one put it