HOW TO OUTLINE A STRONG OPENING ACT
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- Опубліковано 12 бер 2019
- Happy #WritersLifeWednesday my friend! Today is the FIRST EPISODE of my new series: HOW TO OUTLINE A RIVETING NOVEL (using the 3 act story structure). Today we're tackling act 1: THE OPENING OF YOUR NOVEL. (Don't worry, it's scary for every writer.) In this video I show you how to hook readers on page 1 and keep them engaged AND I reveal the one reason why most novel openings suck!!
Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday!!
IF YOU DIDN'T SEE THE INTRODUCTION VIDEO, WATCH THAT HERE: • HOW TO OUTLINE A RIVET...
ACT 2: • HOW TO OUTLINE AN ADDI...
ACT 3: • HOW TO OUTLINE A GRIPP...
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Check out my character creation series:
HOW TO BUILD THE PERFECT CHARACTER PROFILE: • HOW TO BUILD THE PERFE...
THE SECRET TO IRRESISTIBLE INTERNAL CONFLICT: • THE SECRET TO IRRESIST...
YOUR CHARACTER'S BACKSTORY CHANGES EVERYTHING: • How Your Character's B...
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THE TEMPLATE + QUESTIONS FOR ACT 1:
THE HOOK
What does my protagonist think will bring her true happiness or contentment? And how is her fear stopping her from going after it?
INCITING INCIDENT
Why does this inciting incident matter to my protagonist? How does it push her outside her comfort zone?
BUILD-UP
What internal conflict is going to arise for my protagonist in wake of the inciting incident?
1ST PLOT POINT
How is my protagonist going to react to the inciting incident, given her fear and misbelief about the world? What decision is she going to make now to avoid the most pain? (And get what she wants while steering clear of the thing she’s afraid of?)
1ST PINCH POINT
What is the opposition/antagonistic force my protagonist is going to have to face head-on later? How can I show the reader that it’s already looming in the distance?
NEXT VIDEO:
HOW TO OUTLINE ACT 2: • HOW TO OUTLINE AN ADDI...
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MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:
→ HOW TO WRITE DUAL POVS
• How to Write (and Outl...
→ SHOWING VS TELLING INTERNAL CONFLICT
• How To SHOW and Not TE...
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• WRITING POWERFUL SIDE ...
→ HOW TO WRITE THEME INTO YOUR STORY
• How to Write THEME Int...
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My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.
Story isn’t about “what happens” - it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel - and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!
I really felt the need to comment here in case it helps anybody who is stuck. I have been watching these videos for a while, trying to get to the bottom of my story, not understanding what'll happen, what should happen... until I actually TOOK her advice of "don't even TOUCH your outline until you know your story's theme and then the misbelief (or lie) the protagonist has." She says this for a REASON guys! Honestly! I struggled and finally, right now, I went back and worked out the theme. And guess what? EVERYTHING fell into place. I now know WHY the story matters, what my protagonist believes, why they do, how the inciting incident must go so it connects to her fear...and that's not all of it! I never realised just HOW IMPORTANT it is that you know your theme. That simple first step - What is the truth you want to tell with your story? - changes everything. It pulls it ALL into focus. YES, THIS COMMENT REQUIRES THIS LEVEL OF ENTHUSIASM. I AM VERY EXCITED.
It's like this:
The theme and misbelief is like the foundation you lay when building a house.
All of a sudden, just like that, you have that thing to build on when you had nothing before! Now you can just lay your bricks. When you know what you're trying to say, and what your character believes, everything seems to build around that. I mean, you then have the outline and each point she describes but it just feels so easy to work out WHAT needs to happen cause you know the WHY. This should've been obvious to me, lol, in my life, I have no interest or motive to do something unless I know why and that why makes sense to me.
Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much to me, and I am thrilled that the content I make encourages you to chase your dreams and make your story MATTER!
this kinda spoke to me to because I kinda had a theme in my head but I was more so writing cuz I loved the setting and worldbuilding so much but after seeing the first video I thought more about the theme and how all the characters find out and follow the theme
@arichimera this sounds like Something Abbie would say!
SOLD!!! THIS COMMENT REALLY SPOKE TO ME AND I BELIEVE NOW I KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THIS IS RIGHT FOR ME AND THAT I SHOULD GET INTO WRITING MAYBE FILMMAKING!!!
After watching Walking Dead and Attack on Titan like 11257 times, I understood exactly why I wanted to tell stories, why I always ramble and tell them in real life, and why they are so important for me to share with people.
It's an illustration of why themes and messages like love conquers all are so infinitely important. But typically when you just preach these messages to people, it's hard for them to hear them or they just sound ridiculous and corny honestly. But when you can illustrate them with that touching story people can connect and relate to them and understand why they're actually the most important things in life.
Thank you big time!
Negative character arc can bring positive to the world, the purpose of this is to show the reader the wrong way. It can realy convey the message
"Your inciting incident doesn't have to be some big, crazy, epic call to adventure."
*Me planning out my crazy, epic call to adventure* YES IT DOES!!!!!
Omg LMAO
Funniest comment on this channel
"your inciting incident doesn't have to be some big, crazy, epic call to adventure"
In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit
@@absolutedesi5899 You have earned my respect
LMAO THE TECHNOBLADE PFP it's so fitting
I really love how you say, "what's up my friend" instead of 'friends'. It's like you're talking directly to ME, as my personal writing coach or something. I really do love it!!!
-adrienne
yas
Totes
I agree! First thing I really noticed about the video!
Yes it’s nice
Hey guy
I really disagree with you on writing negative character arcs, they can absolutely be beneficial to the reader. It can work as a cautionary tale, not every protagonist needs to be a good role model.
That's not what she meant, she meant that the reader needs to know and not want to follow the protagonist. The negative arc can teach the reader but they need to know the protagonist isn't a good role model and teach the reader what the protagonist did wrong and not do the same. There's a difference between trying to follow a bad role model cuz the writer didn't make things clear and learning not to follow protag off of character arc. Is what she said I think
@@akgwriting9481 Unless you're writing for children the authors doesn't need to tell the reader anything like that. Show, don't tell and let the reader decide for themselves if the protagonist is a hero or anti-hero, or even a villain, let alone is suitable as any kind of role model. The protagonist just needs to be compelling, everything else is optional and dependent on the genre and the type of story the author wants to tell.
Well, link us to your video where you discuss how great it is to have a negative arc where the protagonist transitions into a antagonist and provide examples of people wanting to emulate this in rl. Just like how you want to say negative arcs are great, she is free to say they don’t..
@@nOt24seven Do you only consider a topic if someone has made a youtube video about it? What a small and bland world you must live in. There is a whole genre about it, it's called tragedy, and many subgenres which involve a fair amount of it too.
Do you not know what a cautionary tale is? The entire point is not to emulate them.
But she didn't express it like her opinion, she expressed it like a fact in a video giving writing advice, there outright condemning it to aspiring authors. Romeo and Juliet is considered one of the greatest works of literature and Breaking Bad is considered one of the greatest TV series of our generation. Are they worthless because one is about teenagers killing themselves and the other is about a chemistry teacher's descent into the criminal underworld? No. Of course not.
She is giving advice and limiting aspiring authors in the process limiting them, and telling them a whole chunk of human experiences are worthless. That is not acceptable. You personally might not like a type of story or a genre, or argue about the quality of a specific story but you're not the arbiter of what is art or worth writing. There are lots of dark stories out there and a lot deserve telling and should be heard. We don't live in a damn fairytale and fiction is written for a whole slew of reasons, including holding up a mirror to the dark side of humanity and society.
@@antiochus87 Damn. Very well said. I was taken aback about how Abbie Emmons didn't (or couldn't) see the point in writing negative character arcs. Blew my mind an author would say something like that.
I swear I took more notes and paid more attention to this video than any class I've ever taken in college. I've seriously watched this a dozen times, rewinding, going back, reviewing my notes to make sure I'm doing this right. I would've never considered outlining before but now I actually know what I'm DOING with my story. Your videos are so thorough and helpful. You're saving my butt here, thanks so much!!!!!!!!
THIS COMMENT MADE MY DAY 👏 seriously, thank you so much!! I'm so glad this video helped you with your story!!
I completely agree! I never imagined that some day story-building and writing would become a hobby of mine, especially on such a short notice. It’s something I never really dabbled in growing up. I liked books, yes, but randomly wanting to be a part of that process of making my ideas come to LIFE? Younger me would have said that’s not interesting. Now, I get sad when I have to work on my college stuff because it pulls me away from my obsession.
I don’t know man. We can’t always be positive when writing because it’s simply not realistic. I want to understand the good, but it’s also important to understand the bad. Negative character arcs can be powerful.
I agree! People can learn from bad people too. We' can read between the lines. As long as we're made aware of the consequences, thus making it grounded even for those characters.
*(500) Days of Summer* come to mind. Even though I hate Tom (and people like him) to this day, I-through his character-can reflect on my shortcomings that I may or not be aware of before. And I am not alone in that dissection. People continue to learn from that film.
Descent into madness or how society or human nature holds back characters and ultimately can break them is something that has been around since the very first fiction and until the world and those who live in it change dramatically for the better, we're going to need to keep telling those stories.
It’s a naive, possibly immature, position she takes on this. Life is gritty and dark and most ppl don’t have positive character arcs in life.
@@benjaminramsey498 then only read happy books 🤷🏻
@@benjaminramsey498 I don’t live in fantasy worlds like GOT so reading them doesn’t remind me of our world
After searching for some advice on Novel Outlines, I became quickly disappointed as many that would make videos would not break down outlines too much or they did not stay within the topic. There are good videos out there, however, I must say your video should have been the top of the list. Awesome breakdown, perfectly paced and explained. You love, have gained a subscriber! Keep up the awesome work!!
I'm so glad this video helped you!! 💛✨
Soooo True!!!
So about a negative character arc. To a lot of people, a story is NOT about feeling good. To a lot of people, a story is just about feeling strong emotions.
And some things knock a person sideways so far, a first book in a series might require at least a temporary negative character arc.
when you said "congratulations, you're going to have a freaking powerful opening" i was so pround of myself because I'm writing this short film which I have the answer for all those questions. I have all of this. Thank you cuz I have a lot of anxiety about it
How'd the film turn out??
Negative character arcs can inspire good by showing the consequences of, let's say, leaving the government in control of every person's life (Orsen Well's 1984), or how letting fear control your decisions can lead to losing everything you care for (George Lucas' Star Wars Prequels (Anakin Skywalker)). Considering the benefits and warnings that come with a negative character arc, I find it strange a professional author would say something like, "...I don't see the point in writing negative character arcs for your protagonist." We live in reality, and reality has a slew of negative aspects authors can use to teach the world what will happen if we aren't aware of them.
I completely agree. I enjoy her videos/tips but I was surprised by that. I mean it's fine if someone would prefer not to write negative character arcs, but to make a statement implying they can't be used to make a positive message or are pointless? I strongly disagree with that.
@@iamei21, I think the problem with negative character arcs is more nuanced. Can they teach important lessons? Absolutely. But a negative character arc is a bit like leaving a negative review for a product on the internet. You provide criticism but then offer no solution. So, the end result is despair rather than hope. And while I have learned valuable lessons from many dystopian sci-fi novels, Asimov's Foundation rises above the despair it introduces. It shows you what the world could be without checks and balances and then finds the smallest crack of light among the darkness. This not only convinces your reader to care about the problem, but motivates them to be involved in its solution. It's a call to action rather than a whimper in the abyss. I am a pessimist, but even I see the need to provide hope.
* George Orwell's 1984...and I completely AGREE!
Today I bought your book 100 days of sunlight and started reading it, and now I have a whole new perspective of you as a writer, it hit me hard, I had to stop reading because I literally couldn't breathe from the tight knot I got... thank you.
THIS IS BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFULLY TIMED
IM OUTLINING RIGHT NOW SGHGFG
WOOOHOO 👏✨ you rock
Ness same
In the popular Anime series "Death Note" thereis a negative character ark for the protagonist. It's very interesting. I guess "Her" has a negative character arc for the protagonist as well. The great thing about these stories is that you don't really root for the protagonist, but you are fascinated by them, all the while rooting for the antagonists of the series. Especially in death note where the Antagonist is a good guy.
You could argue light Yagami was the antagonist, and L was the protag
@@groundedlifestyle88Light was 100% the protagonist. The story came from his perspective. He found the death note, and the anime starts and ends with him. He kills L before the final season.
@@groundedlifestyle88the MC can be bad and still be protagonist. There's a difference between villain and antagonist
"Not like the bloodsucking creatures that I wish didn't exist" As a person that's gotten lyme disease before, MEEEEE TOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ooh, sorry to hear that
I *love* how enthusiastic you get about story writing.
you are so different from my creative writing professor and a lot of other youtubers as well lol. You really value characters over plot, it's an interesting point of view! I'm personally 49% plot, 51% character, so both viewpoints are work pretty well with me. Very excited to keep watching your videos to get ready for preptober! subscribed :)
you can't distinguish one from another, because organic plot comes from character...
@@brunobilandzija1823 yeah. Even if the plot is revolving around a fight with nature, you can make the nature a character in the story and it still fits in the character-first approach.
I'm a fifty year old guy from Holland who sold his company to pursue his dream of becoming a writer (why I am writing about myself in the third person?). I published a short story called "how I lost my leg" and now I am working on two novels. To prepare myself I took a very expensive creative writing course which taught me a lot but I wish I had discovered your videos earlier. You make it so simple and doable. I haven't been this confident in years ;-) Never thought I could learn so much from a twenty year old. Thank you.
PS. I don't know if I agree that there isn't a good negative character arc. What about "The Joker" movie? Or Lolita by Nabokov. Great stories with despicable characters.
I'm in the process of outlining, and I am going absolutely nuts. It's like hearding cats in my head! Her explanation of the 3 part act is so helpful! I've seen it, I know the diagram, but the way she explains it and the notes she puts up are really helpful at driving it home. You earned yourself a subscriber!
Thing 1: Those earrings are ALMOST everything and I want them. Neat trick to up the views. Had to watch this again because I was too busy coveting them (I know, a sin) to get all the juicy goodness of your amazing content the 1st time. Which brings us to: Thing 2: Your content is ALWAYS is COMPLETELY everythng. I am inspired and empowered by it. Well done, young woman. Prepare yourself for massive celebrity. (I know these things: picking winners is one of my superpowers.)
HAHA OMG MADELINE this comment made me laugh and smile so muchhhh 💛💛💛 I'm floored with gratitude, thank you so much!!! :')
I subbed the moment you said “I wanna inspire some good in the world”
I don't know how you don't have more subscribers. Your videos are so informative and you have a great personality and teaching method. Oh, and your editing is just awesome. Hopefully, your channel will blow up soon! I'm just revising my second draft at the moment and am glad to say that I did most or all of these steps in my game-plan for draft two if I hadn't already included them for draft one. One day, when my book is published, you'll definitely be getting a copy! Thanks for all your help
Right? Like her quality and content are both so good!
I disagree on the negative character arc thing - but that's a preference. I'm sucker for an excellent fall arc that you don't know is going to be a negative arc - at least for most of act one. They are only good when you learn from their mistake by the end or it poses a question about ethics or morality (aka a more open-ended ending that's still mostly satisfying). I will agree that most stories don't tackle this very well and it's frustrating. Honestly, this is better in film.
Awesome video though. Thank you for putting so much time and effort into teaching people for free!! It's greatly appreciated :)
I will say, once you physically write down (yes. Write, not type) all the different outline bullet points, it really starts to give you this new found sense of confidence and motivation. I was really surprised at that.
"Don't build the character's world!" I laughed out loud, but you're absolutely right about gradually building the world through the characters as it unfolds in relation to the story and why it even matters to them.
Every time I watch her videos something clicks inside my brain and my story suddenly makes sense! It's like magic, I swear
An artful way, not a preachy way. Unlike so many movies nowadays.
Abbie, you truly have a gift for conveying complex ideas and thoughts in the most easy-to-understand and compelling way. And all in a poetic manner. Your vision of using a character arc to weave truth into your story in an artful way... well, that is art in itself :-) I will admit that I already have the basics of a three act structure outline in place for my current WIP. With that being said, the information you have provided has me poking the bee's nest a little more to see if I can find some of that extra conflict (and honey) ;-) And I'm pretty sure it's working! The way you voice things is a pure joy to listen to (and immensely helpful and informative at the same time). I mean, your comment about pulling out your literary shovel and unearthing your hook is an image and visual that I'll remember for a long time. One humble "recommendation" I might make (or plead for, as it may be), is a summary of those questions asked throughout for each section to be included in the comments below :-) This series and your channel should be a go-to source for all authors and I look forward to video #3 as well as diving into your character video series as well. Keep doing what you're doing, it's brilliant!
Oh my gosh thank you so much, Dave!! 😊 THAT REALLY MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. I'm so glad you find my videos so helpful and inspiring - comments like these inspire me to keep creating!! I appreciate it. So rad that you're digging even deeper into your story to find more inner conflict! 👏 That's a great suggestion! I've been sending out these videos to the email circle (if you signed up for the character profile template you'll be on this list) with the story beats + questions written out, but I don't know why I didn't think to put them in description box! *forehead smack * DONE. thank you so much for watching!! I hope you enjoy act 3 :D
So true
@@ourprologue the ancient birds were a powerful race until dinner conflict caused them to abandon their nests and become mortal creatures for the worms were more seductive than the sky. Woe is man! Who now must deal with the once devine droppings of the flying fluffballs!
„You‘ll never have to write a second draft ever again“ ... Abbie, I love your videos, but I have to disagree with you.
Dang! My stories *always* need a second and third draft. Even though I Plot very thoroughly and I know every scene needed to get to my happy end. BUT - my writing needs good old elbow grease and polishing until it’s good. Until *I* even like it :D
Oh and by the way - you’re correct.
My story starts before it should. With my current story I decided to completely delete the first chapter. - It still exists in my scrivener file because I need to figure out to implement an important plot point into the second chapter so that the story still makes sense.
This plot point lovely foreshadowed an event later in the book - however that’s a rather sucky reason to keep boring stuff. Even I get bored reading that. And jeeeez that’s a huge red flag. Insert a dramatic sigh here xD
By the way! Did you base this three act structure on save the cat?
I just downloaded Save the Cat writes a Novel (because I apparently can’t get enough writing advice and therefore another method to plot my stories) and I just started reading it. 😃
Can’t wait for your act 2 video ♥
I totally know what you mean about polishing your writing!! And I definitely put my own books through revisions and rewriting bits here and there - but as for the "second draft" thing, I pretty much mean story-wise. So that you're not doing a bunch of developmental edits on the story/ character arcs themselves after the first draft is written. 😊
No I actually have never read Save The Cat and don't really know what it is?? 😂 I've heard a lot of good things about it though!
@ me and my 7 drafts even after I perfect my outline lmao
I don't think I can say a big enough thank you for this series of videos. I have been taking so many notes and my head is now full of focus - instead of just loads of loose ideas rattling around I now have a path to follow. Thank you from the bottom of my fear-filled heart for showing me how to get to what I desire! You are truly awesome!!
I'm so happy I found your channel! I'm a PLANTser, so I write with an evolving outline, because I need to have some type of roadmap before I commit words to a paper, but I let my characters light the way which is the best part of the journey. Thank you for your great insights and questions. It's definitely helping me to re-examine issues i have with my novel right now.
"I like to inspire good in people"
Me: writing sociopathic rambo kid that's going to have it a little better before absolute carnage.
-fek...
This video is so enlightening and I already feel like I'm getting out of a writing rut after focusing on your outlines. Thanks so much. Your energy is contagious!
Thank you so much for this video!
I was taking notes throughout the whole thing, you explained and broke down every single section in such a concise and relatable way that I was able to plot out my entire first act while watching this video - purely because of your explanations!! (plotting is something that I have had major struggles with in this process) I am so grateful for this and cannot wait to discover more about my story and my characters while watching the rest of this series!
Also, this is the first time I have ever left a comment on a video but I just needed to let you know how much I appreciate what you have created here!! THANK YOU!!! 😊
You look mystical in today's outfit. Blue eyes and dark colours, the earrings - this look is a mood!
t
those videos of yours are really everything. before that I had the whole story in mind , characters, why it does matter , world, magic system... but I had no clue how to put everything together until now , I'm watching your video and putting the pieces together and it worked so well , so I'm truly thankful
I’ve written my first draft, and I’m currently starting my second. I felt lost until now on how to make my story full of content yet not too prolonged. Thank you so much for this!
Abbie, I love how you explain things so that even I can understand and I feed off of your energy!
Your videos are the most helpful and in-depth I've seen concerning writing and I'm so glad I found your channel now rather than later, as the story I'm currently writing is coming along nicely! Thanks for the amazing videos :)
To think I began following you for the sheer pleasure of your themed music playlists and have ended up discovering an awesome writing coach!! Thank you for your refreshing take on things and the true value of a writer/storyteller's role in this world. I thought I was the only one who felt this way.
I’m working on a story, and was struggling with writer’s block so bad. But seeing this outline, and questions really helped for me to give my protagonist a clear goal, conflict, and purpose. It’s so helpful omg thank you 🙏
I understand where Abbie is coming from with the negative character arcs, but I love reading tragedies too, and I think that seeing a character in a downwards spiral can also send a message about what they could’ve done better. Thanks for this awesome video though, you’re so talented!
Omg, you are so awesome. Making me so exciting to figure out this story concept ive been struggling with for YEARS!! Game changer. So pumped. WOO I love it
can the inciting incident not push the character out of their comfort zone? like harry receiving the letters or hagrid coming to pick him up to bring to the wizrding world? those incidents moved the story along but harry just went along with them, his character wasn't really pushed out of his comfort zone, in fact, he seemed to delight in those events or what those events were to bring.
I know I'm late but I think the inciting incident is what changes the character's direction in the story. It's the point where they have the possiblity to engage in a new world. The first plot point is the point of no return. They accept the challenge or finally embark on the journey and they gi full ahead into their new world. Hope that helps someone:)
@@LovelyKelly645 Thank you so much! I have been doing a lot of research since my post and I have found what you wrote to be accurate and think it will be helpful to everyone.
This video is good and almost all of her videos are awesome, but for this one I had a question because she states, "INCITING INCIDENT Why does this inciting incident matter to my protagonist? How does it push her outside her comfort zone?" So as I'm writing, while I think I can get the character's direction to change at the/because of the inciting incident, and also some of the the story, I am not always certain it has to be something out side their comfort zone. I'm sure most Inciting Incidents will, just by their nature of being surprises or questions or peculiar events, etc, will cause some curiosity and possible discomfort in how they'll immediately respond to the event. I just didn't know if it had to force them out of their comfort zone. I guess it could and/or should, in order to provide more engagement from the reader and make the story more interesting.
But I know you got it perfect!
I'd also like to say that you seem very knowledgeable on the plot points. I'm having huge trouble understanding the emotional/story vs the physical/plot in each plot point. And does each plot point need both the inner and the outer happenings? I'm trying to plot a novel and guides like Abbey's and others' are fantastic, but I think what us newer writers really need to know is not what happens at the plot points, but what each plot point causes - what each plot point causes for the character and for the story and plot. How they change the direction of the story and make the each plot point a no turning back moment. For instance, I think I have my head around the midpoint - it's there to show a commitment or recommitment to the goal, offer new information, an event that changes the protagonist’s goals/choices or devastating that makes them lose all hope and completely given up. Something happens near the three-quarter mark - an event that steals the protagonist’s hope for a solution.
Wow I'm rambling, but if you have any insight into what each plot point is supposed to do, to make the story change and how, both emotionally from the character and from the outside plot, rather than what it is, it sure would help me and probably tons of others! Thanks again!
Lol, if you are taking harry potter as your inspiration, then u are messed up already(this is a joke)
This is one of the best videos I've watched relating to opening acts. It hasn't taught me anything, rather it has confirmed the method that I use when writing a story. Every aspiring author should watch this.
you are the best of all to me known writing teachers, because your emphasis is on the roots of story (characters) and organic development...you give awesome direction with questions to ask oneself in order to continue the story from every beat...just awesome!
Wow, this video really REALLY helped me. I have been struggling so much with getting my book sorted out, and have wrote sooooo many drafts and it's been a killer! But FINALLY I realized through this video what the 3 story act really is and like... wow... IT'S AWESOME!! Thank you SO MUCH Abbie!!!!! I would never be where I am now in my writing without your videos. I have a feeling I will be up laaaaate benge watching a lot of them cause they're SO HELPFUL! 😆😍
I really wish I had found these videos sooner. The things you talk about and the way you say it are so helpful and insightful it truly is amazing to hear what you have to say!
I'm writing my outline with this video and am getting so hyped! thank you so much for making this!!!
Omg I have been binge watching your videos girl!! ♥️ Thank you so much for all of the valuable insights!! 😍
Wow. I just sat down after struggling with a negative character arc, clicked on a unrelated video and there you are, talking about negative arcs telling me they suck. Well, thanks :-D
I hope you don't get discouraged, as it's all about "taking what you like, losing what you don't" in advices. Also, it depends on the theme you're getting at.
And people can learn from bad people too. Readers can read (lol) between the lines. As long as we're made aware of the consequences, thus making the world grounded even for those characters.
*(500) Days of Summer* come to mind. Even though I hate Tom (and people like him) to this day, I-through his character-can reflect on my shortcomings that I may or not be aware of before. And I am not alone in that dissection. People continue to learn from that film.
I wrote 50K words for NaNo in 18 days (started late) and I KNOW my story is a giant mess. I outlined for the first few scenes and did some character planning for my two MCs. But I mostly flew by the seat of my pants and want to work out an outline that will help me get the novel finished and have more of a goal. I think I lost the plot.
Edit: I also didn’t finish my NaNo novel so thankfully, I can continue with my goal/plot in mind without having to rewrite the WHOLE thing.
im so happy i found your video!!!! I've been looking for tips on how to outline and yours made it easier for me to understand how to do it. You have no idea how much it helped a beginner writer like me. You got a sub!!
OMG I'm so glad I've found you! You have a very wonderful way of speaking to your audience to really get them to think! I'm an aspiring novelist/short story writer and generally I've NEVER written with an outline BUT, I've never finished a story because I tend to lose track of where it's going. Finally (thank you pandemic) I'm buckling down to have structure with my story and seeing where that leads. I'm been taking feverish notes! On to your Act 2 vid!
Foreshadowing is so awesome. I rewatch movies / reread novels and suddenly realize there is a minor detail early that becomes very significant later on. SO satisfying!
You’re videos are super entertaining and I feel like I’m learning a lot for my future writing. Thank you. Keep it up.
I'm going to play this on repeat button while writing the first act of my novel
Abbie's eyes are my inciting incident.
And her eyebrows are SO EXPRESSIVE! I love her eyes!
😍 agree
Calm down, friend. Lol
Thankyou so much Abbie! I took so many notes on this video and I was literally crying happy tears by the end of it, because you helped me uncover so many things about my novel that I never even knew. I am currently re-outlining my first draft, prepping to write the 2nd draft during camp nanowrimo april. ilysm :) XOX0
OH MY GOSH KATHERINE 💛💛💛 this comment made my day!! I'm so glad this video helped you with your outline! *high fives * YOU ROCK. I hope you have an awesome Camp Nano!! :D
Yes, I have been taking notes
Yes, it wasn't so hard
and yes, now I'm following what you've been talking about and automatically apply it on my story without even thinking!
Goodness, this is an accomplishment for me! Thank you Abbie!
I've been watching you for a couple months and only just noticed your books are arranged in rainbow order and I frickin love it
Very excited for this series. I am extremely new to creative writing and your videos have been so helpful in ordering my thoughts and keeping me excited for my story I am trying to write!
I just love you!!! you're like a happy acupuncture needle dancing around on you, hitting the right point where your hands just start writing. Thank you for your great fireworks. By being the light yourself, you allow others to be their light :)
You make instructional videos exciting to watch. Love the enthusiasm.
This is so awesome. Love your videos! You always inspire me.
AHH THANK YOU IVIE 💛
Yay!! So pumped for this video. I am outlining my first novel currently and I really need this. Thank you Abbiee!!!
Also, I love, LOVE your earrings...! 😍😍 Where did you find them? ☺
Excited for the rest of this series!! ⚘
Thank you so much, Janet!! I'm so glad this series is helping you with your outline 👏👏👏 I actually have no idea where the earrings came from. My grandmother gave them to me! 😊
your videos helped me so much while i wrote my first published novel in 2020 and even now i come back to your videos for advice such as this. the story is about how the plot affects the characters! yes! amazing!
Abbieee, this series is amazing! It gives me so much confidence that I didn't have for writing my first fiction novel. The structuring and questions are so good for kicking writer's block and self-doubt in the ass. Thank you so much for sharing with us!
WOOHOO 👏 I'm so glad this series is giving you inspiration + confidence!! ROCK ON. 😊
U have a beautiful vibe and love how ur broke it down with such clarity
Been watching your videos and I've had ideas in my head for the last 10 years (seriously) but I either quit on my writing before I got very far or scrapped it all and started over and eventually gave up. Finally though, I think I've got a winner for my story and I gotta say in large part thanks to you. I'm about 50 pages in so far and it's coming along smoothly. I've got just about everything planned out minus some beats in the middle, but with the way I've been writing, a lot has come to me in the spur of the moment and for the most part it's been for the better. My new years resolution is to have my first draft done by the end of the year.
I've had writers block lately ,so I'm so excited to try this out and finish planning my story to get things rolling again !
Thanks for all the tips ! 💛
I'm so glad this series got the creative juices flowing for you again!! 😊
Perfect video series, just what I needed to kick me from behind to get this novel finished! And to organize and fine tune it, lol. Thank you!
You're a blessing, thank you for sharing this knowledge! We'll forever take this steps, ideas, techniques and learnings that you've taught us ❤
This is an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G video!!! Thank you so much, Abbie!!! Super duper helpful. It would be awesome if you posted an outline or list of these different plot points in Act 1!
I love your videos, it makes writing feel less formal and helps me brainstorm for my writing
Dude, I'm just watching this to better write my fanfiction. I'm too insecure with my own original fiction to even start. 😅😂 *Hides in shame*
Believe in yourself! You've got this! Believe in those words you've been given. :) Happy writing! Thanks for being here.
@@AbbieEmmons awwww thanks. I think that's why I write fanfiction. To prove to myself that I got this, that people enjoy how I write and what I write.
Big mood.
Just want to say thank you! You have inspired me to outline a novel I started years ago but stalled on. By just answering the character questions I had more ideas than I could deal with and the grey areas and sags in the story became bright. Love the scientific breakdown, it's just what I needed. Thanks again.
This couldn't have been at a better time. I'm starting to plot my story and this was so helpful :)
YAY!! I'm so glad! 💛
I do appreciate the insight. I'm not here to disapprove, only to listen. When I write I am transported to another world. Writing is art and doesn't always has to follow a specific structure. You made good points, but it is also the aspect of experimentation. It doesn't always work, but is part of the journey. This is my humble opinion. Onward!
GUUUUURL
DID YOU-
DID-
DID YOU JUST UNLOCKED MY BRAIN AND CURED MY WRITER'S BLOCK???
you explain things so damn well, bless your soul.
thank you.
THANK YOU A LOT
Thanks Abbie,
This is helping me plan my graphic novel. Im still figuring out how the 3 act atructure will apply in comics but this truly help push me in the right direction.
This first act gave me lots of ideas how to begin my script and novel. Thank you
Just finished watching this after i've done the planning for the 1st act of my novella. It was satisfing seeing that I have everything that you said that needs to be there. Really usefull video and really good advices. Tysm
I love your positive outlook on life and writing thank you so much for this
Ok I’m probably very late to the party because I just found out about this but WHY ISNT THIS THE BIGGEST WRITING UA-cam YET binging your videos and loving every second of it 😍
Thanks for the info in this video! I'm off to answer those questions. I have been working on a certain novel for...wow, nearly ten years now, and I REALLY want to actually finish it. I hope this works for me! Also, I LOVE your background! The shelves full of books so nicely organized and brightly colored adds a calm and a cheeriness and I just loved it so much. I want to do that, too... :)
This is the most helpful thing in the writing community. Its October and I am SUPER late with my outline for NaNoWriMo, so this is really helpful.
Everytime I watch another video of yours, more of my WIP is revealed to me lol thank you so much!
I'm not going to watch it now. I'll watch it at the end of the month after you've uploaded all of it. Thank you for making them, dude. Really appreciate it!
Good idea!! I hope you enjoy the series 💛
ur rlly underrated yet has such good advice!
This is just such amazing information!!! Thank you so much!!!
omg, your videos are making ideas flow through my mind like a broken pipe,
I was stuck in the mud for a while lol, thx so much for the insight :)
I am planning my story to have 2 prologue, now I change my mind. I am thankful that I discover your channel
i am so ready for the next episode of this! this is so helpful. thank you
I'm so glad this series is helping you so far! 💛✨
Abbie Interesting! Hell, I’d watch you even if I didn’t write. Your verve for the craft is so engaging. Wow!. The way you bunch your books by color your love of aqua is amazing. You are truly a nurturer of artists and you work hard at your vids, it’s clear. Thanks Abbie.🙏🕉🙏
I used to hate outlining, but now I'm obsessed with it. I'm actually outlining my first story right now. Thank you for showing me the importance of outlining.
Your eyes are so beautiful😍 Thank you for making this video. Here's to starting yet another writing method and quitting halfway😬
Your book shelf is awesome!
This is amazingggg and so helpful!
This helped me so much! Thank you!!