I write a “0st draft” where I just get the story down on paper, regardless of grammar, or missing dialogue, or a lack of any flowery language. Then, I go back and fill it out and fix all big issues and call that my 1st draft. The motivation to be “done” with the novel and the insight you get from seeing the whole story really really helps you fix all the bugs.
...I genuinely think this is the most motivating thing I've seen for months. I'm going through the painful process of trying to make the final decision on whether I should just abandon my current draft and start the whole thing from scratch, knowing what I know now (I started it in 2021), and I think this is exactly what I need!! Thanks
I tried this once, but my brain goes: "We finally put our long time idea onto paper. Now the thrill is gone. Let's move on to something else." I hate myself
@@valhatan3907 Hey, you don't have to feel like that about it. I know how it feels - for me, it's leaving the characters behind after I've spent so much time building them up in my head and getting to know them like real friends. Maybe revisit your '0st draft' after some time and see if you have any new ideas for how to make it better. Or maybe that's not the story for you. Either way, keep writing, you'll find an idea you can keep going with :)
@blossom357 I think it makes people feel less overwhelmed by starting a project. Like ok, this is exactly what I've got to work with, the only way is up from here. There's nothing 'special' or pretentious about finding a process that works for you and wanting to share it with other people.
3:34 also, reading an author that really inspires you helps, it dosent have to be the same genre as the book you are writing. Whenever I'm not feeling inspired I take a break and read my favorite author, then I feel inspired to write, and even sometimes learn a new word or qoute I want to include into my book 😉
I've got to the point that writing videos rarely help me, because apparently I'm skilled now, I just procrastinate a lot, but you're videos actually offer bits advice and insight that still helps me. And also reminds me of some important things I forget.
That is exactly where I'm at. Most videos on writing do not help me, as they repeat the same basic information I've already learned, but there's something about this channel that motivates me and also inspires me to take a different approach to my writing.
That advice about not coming up with a perfect draft is so right. Actually having something to revise instead of something simply in your head. It's perfect because you mull over the absolute best thing to say or place name, or motivation For your characters and when you come up short, the book stalls. Bernard Cornwell likens writing a book to climbing a mountain. The good thing about writing is it's your own adventure. He says you write a path to the top but find a better path half way up. You go back and rewrite, fix your path. Easier to do if you've actually done the work. Writing is fun. Creating is fun. Being stuck on one minor detail is standing between you and the fun. Remember how much fun it is. That's why I write.
I ended up buying a pair of “writing pants.” They were harem pants with a paisley pattern. “If you ask me to run an errand, I will do it for you…in these pants.”
I’ve listened to Brandon McNulty but I don’t any value from his videos specifically for writing. It’s just entertainment since the majority of his content is taking movies and comparing them. Besides Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures, no one has helped me actually learn to write better like this channel. His book is well worth the purchase, too.
I'm a night owl, as soon as the sun goes down I just get very creative and introspective. I can write up to 4 hrs until 2-4 am sometimes. Especially in the summer during warm nights. Lately I've been starting sooner and going until around 10 or 11. I always seem to do my best writing late at night or in the middle of the night when I get into my meditative practice. Don't get me wrong, I can do my writing at other times and have, but I seem to get the best, unbroken creative time almost the later the better. Almost nothing feels better than getting in a really good 3-4+ hrs session straight before bed. I feel like every worry and issue on my mind is completely handled and off my shoulders, it's helped me with my bedtime meditations. My mind is totally clear and light after I finish a good session later at night. Thats probably because I channel all my emotions and subtle insights into my writing and I've had a practice of falling asleep as grateful and relaxed as possible for a few years, writing before bed made it much more effective. Getting all the things off my mind I otherwise wouldn't have been able.
With my two novels, taking advice was interesting to say the least. For one, people's opinions of my MC were split 50/50. He was a combat veteran with PTSD. What I discovered was that those who loved his character, were people who had PTSD or those who lived with someone who had it. Those who had never experienced it, didn't like him or understand him. I left him as he was. My other novel, everyone had the consensus that the MC was not relatable. So ultimately, she was changed, while still keeping the vision I had in mind for her. Needless to say, my second MC is now, over all more relatable and my first still divides people, they either love him or hate him.
I’ve always felt that writing long form stuff was far easier than short, something that the advent of Twitter really underscored. It takes so much more work to keep things brief while getting all your ideas across. It harkens back to the saying attributed to Blaise Pascal, “If I had more time I would’ve written a shorter letter.” The similar saying, attributed to various people: “If you want me to speak for 5 minutes, I need two weeks to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour I can start now.” Jack L. Chalker said that if there was a scene he was dying to write then he’d do that first to get it out of his brain. Another author did the opposite, using the anticipation of getting to write that scene as the enticement to write everything that came before it. I think that’s the difference between someone who outlines first versus someone who kind of makes it up as they go, the plotter versus the pantser.
Honestly, I'm, now having a hard time trudging through my first novel. Only one thing encourages me, though: there are only 4 chapters left. I'm hoping to get this done either at the end of November or at the very beginning of December. Thank you. Wishing you a Halloween that's as sweet as your candy stash. Edited on Nov 30: yesterday, I eventually got this done! Thank you, everyone, for your support!
I love your framing of the differences between editing and writing mode as being about whether you let your inner critic and doubt take front stage. Also, Scheherazading yourself is brilliant. Great video!
It sounds silly, but what I imagine and what keeps me motivated is this: Somewhere down the line, there is an episode of Dancing with the Stars. The stars (whoever they may be) are dressed as my MFC and MMC, and they're doing a routine to A Thousand Years Part 2 by Christina Perri, feat Steve Kazee (which is their song). I see it in my head every time the song plays and it's one of those things where I will know, for a fact, that some one was impacted by my book in the way I've been impacted by some many of my favorites.
I have all the ideas for almost the whole series in my head. I really need to get them outlined, but severely lack discipline, and I hate that about myself 😭
I've had this problem so I'm trying something new. I have a vague idea of where I'm going and am focusing on getting to a certain destination in the first few chpts. Then I plan to plot out the next few chpts (1-3) and reach that destination then rinse and repeat. Not sure how it will turn out but so far, it's helping me focus on what I can manage. Just reframe it in your head, it's not that your lacking discipline it's that you're overextending yourself and feeling overwhelmed. Rather than outlining your whole series just focus on the first bk and remember, you can go back and make things connect when you edit, the first draft you get to explore and see where your characters take you, you get to figure out what does and doesn't work which isn't going to be clear in the outlining stage.
@@mmem4264 Thanks. I already wrote the first chapter and prologue, but I plan to make a new prologue for book one, and keep the current one for the second book. I suppose I could start with outlining and maybe writing the new prologue, and move on to doing that for the rest of the story.
You can talk to chat GPT and tell it your ideas and tell it what you still need to plot. You can ask it for info on 7 point plot structure etc. I don't use it to write my stories for me, but if I'm stuck I can tell it what I'm trying to accomplish and where I feel stuck or needing more research. That's how I started my book series. I printed 120 pages of outline from chat gpt. It took me another year to start sincerely writing the original characters. I'm over 5 full chapters completed now with an average of 14+ pages. It's taken me months to get this far but I'm finally filling out my mental plot lines and the chapters and POV characters are starting to build on one another. It often takes me multiple sessions of writing to finish my chapters.
I believe that creating a writing routine and keeping the momentum going are the most important things in writing. This actually applies to any new habit you want to add to your life. The last time I wrote consistently was a few years ago, right after I finished college. I had a few months of 'break' before I was accepted to do research at an institute. I miss those days when I could write all morning and manage about 1,000 to 2,000 words a day... Nowadays, I have a full-time job, and in the evenings, I’m tired and want time for myself and my wife. When I do find time to write, my mind keeps telling me I should be enjoying what little free time I have. My biggest distractions are the day’s exhaustion and the voice in my head telling me to do something more fun with my time. It doesn’t help that my wife doesn’t understand or respect my writing time. :(
Weird, but: unless you're rich, you're gonna have to sacrifice free time to become writing time. Live your life however you want, but I felt that I would never be truly fulfilled unless I finished a novel and had it published. My debut will be traditionally published fall of 2025 :) I had to sacrifice a lot of time with friends and family, and at many points, I thought it wasn't worth it, but when you get a really good writing groove going, there's nothing like it. And the sense of accomplishment is something else! How many people say they want to write a novel, but don't? I'm not one of those people anymore :)
@@hardnewstakenharder Thanks for your words. I also think that I will never be truly satisfied unless I finish and publish my books. I just have to deal with my time management problems and my mind throwing me down and I know I can do it. It's funny that when I was younger I used to finish a lot of stories, nowadays everything seems to get in the way. But I will get back the feeling of a "good writing groove" as you said! :) Congratulations on your book, I hope I'm able to read it someday. Cheers!
Will watching this video help with finishing the novel? Let's find out... (opens up the word doc and discovers it finished itself) Well, what do you know! But seriously, these videos are great, keep it up.
I have finished my first novel (cozy mystery) and sent it to a publisher. Now I wait and work on the sequel which i want to use as a segue to my spy novel. The process of writing is brutal. Great suggestions. I find the fact I have to work full time in retail to support myself a bit stifling creatively but so would homelessness.
OMG you're so motivating with your videos. I've had pretty good momentum, i'm about 50% through the first draft of my story (started in August), but I've felt myself deflating a bit. Off to write one more scene! :)
Thank you, as always, BookFox! Been following for about a month now (along with a few other similar channels; Alyssa Matesic, Abbie Emmons, etc.), and your advice is so helpful in developing my craft! This video was especially motivating. Really hoping to more often channel that FLOW /makes hand motion lol, and get the rough draft done instead of constantly doubting. Writing SciFi Horror, and definitely look forward to utilizing Danielle's page when I'm ready :-) Happy Halloween!
The advice of letting it rest is a brilliant one that I have used several times; I'll go do something else like play video games and this awesome idea will just spark my head from nowhere (thanks ADHD) and I will have to set the controller down to grab my laptop and write it in real quick because I know I will forget if I wait.
15:02 I've been writing a book for some years now. Everything on it is a tribute to my mom and the home my parents built for me, and not because im actively trying to get it there, but because the lenses of the story wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them. its a very special story for me, regardless, i encountered some 'future beta reader' problems. My mom is an avid crime fiction reader (a bit of historic fiction too), very cozy woman and always smiling, but she doesnt really like any other genres (at least not these past years). My dad, on the other hand, is a science fiction buddy, but a serious, deep political one. Now, my story couldn't be further from those genres, in fact, i fear it might be too cheesy or sad for them. There's romance, there's lots of deep feelings, psychology, overall cozy sad feelings that are SO VERY FAR from their likings. Do you have any advice on that? I know i would be devastated if they disliked it, yet i know too not every book is made for everybody. i know getting the 'i love it' critic just for being their child (typical mama behaviour) isnt much fun either, i want a real answer. I know I still have some years until the manuscript is ready to be read, but this has been on my mind lately and i dont know how i will deal with it... any help appreciated!
On the reading books during writer's block: I oftentimes actually specifically don't consume the media in the same genre as my current project in that scenario. Instead I'll look at something that is somehow the opposite. For example, right now I'm working on a novel about a gang leader, a revolutionary, and a detective and how their stories all connect and intertwine in a futuristic setting with no magic. So I'm playing God of War in my time that I'm not writing. This has actually given me a lot of ideas for my book, however, that I never would have thought of if I had only been reading other similar books like 1984 or other dystopian stories like it.
I would add another tip: switch mentality for a while. Watch a K-drama (or a recent C-drama) in the same genre you write. There are plenty, some are worth watching, and there are subtitles.
I'm also a huge fan of Korean and Chinese dramas. Likewise, I don't watch while I write but when I need a break or get stuck, I pull something off my MDL watchlist to binge for a day or four and then get back to work.
The cultural perspective has me consider nuance of interactions that I would t give attention to otherwise. I find characterization improves when seeing the way similar people with different socialization make decisions.
Yes! Great advice. I'm a huge K and C drama fan, and it can be a great break/inspiration for my writing! A kdrama inspired my most recent project, in fact. 😊
This is something I don't understand. I'm very excited about my story and can't wait to work on it. I know how my story ends, so working on it is somewhat easy. And I have other writing projects. If my novel work is just hitting a dead end, I work on another project I have.
that's the rub. my stories scars and and after might nmot be novels. they might be series of short stories. i'm not sure, but they are kinda two seperate entities because of the broader focus. scars is about simon and arthur. and after is about arthur. it's not about simon anymore. he's in it, barely, but he's not even the same person (there is some debate on that point, but essentially)
How I overcame writers block: In grad school, I volunteered at a community radio station doing morning news one day a week. I'd get there at 5am and had to have a newscast ready by 6am. No rip and read or simply reading the newspaper allowed. At a quarter to 6, I'd be like, "Dude, it doesn't matter if it's perfect style or right lead or anything resembling perfect. Just write something."
It's not about the will ... my brain takes some time to de-stress and only then it can go into creative modes 😕. There are days I cannot make even one word and but once I get rested... I can make 10,000 words in like one day... the pain of having to go to work that you hate but you needed to make a living
What worked for me was to cut my evenings short, go to sleep early, then get up 2-3 hours before it was time to go to work. It was a gradual process, but became the best part of my writing life.
i couldn't write anything but my story for so long, but i took a long break, changed my mindset and now it's fun again. i've written all my short stories 'cept the prettiest christmas tree, in the past 3 years. oh, and this pretty long thing i started on a larf, about this literal motherf v cker, covetown jim. geez, i never foresaw myself writing about pirates! or motherf v ckers! jim isn't dumb, but he is naive for a kid who grew up in a whorehouse. he's so not emo like arthur. a lot of fun
I read daily, but not enough. I get my own ideas like two pages in and end up trading the book for my word processor. This video isn't really for me, good stuff, but I felt like spewing out the thought on my mind about struggling to read due to the distraction of writing. Probably not relatable, ignore me.
Hi man, thanks for your help🙏can you please say,i am create novel long time ago and now i am writing it ,what you can suggest to read for improving writing skills and understanding at all❤
I tend to write at night because I can't be distracted by other things like laundry and other tasks that its easy to tell myself matter more during the day. And everyone is asleep, so no family to distract me. I've done it enough that my writing brain goes CRAZY at night. Oops, haha
nah, i do it when i feel it, but if i'm not inspired to write there's plenty to edit or type, i've been typing in here for days, and you sir, are frankly not helping by being so engaging. you see how many capitals snuck in my messages today. i never do that. it's all the switching back and forth
You know what... why NOT use AI as a supplementary tool? The more I hear people advise against it, the more it feels like a kneejerk reaction against new technology, the same way calculators were once shunned. As you said, you are free to accept and reject feedback at your will. There's no rule demanding you do everything an AI spits back at you.
I hesitate to reply to an edited comment, but here I am. You used the word "supplementary tool" in relation to the use of AI in writing which, even a few months ago, would've meant something like PWA or even Scriv. With *generative* AI having become a major player, however, you have to deep dive into what "supplementary tool" means. Using AI for storytelling itself could be, depending on what the AI spits out, plagiarism. The AI result cannot be copyrighted by the end user, ergo your finished product will have dubious copyright provenance. Now, if you use AI solely for an outline, and never use one sentence that it spits out, you should be fine--unless it spits out an outline of Harry Potter sans names and places. Rowling's lawyers will have you for lunch, then--and she just might roast you online. No matter how one uses generative AI in their writing, every detail needs to be combed over to avoid a copyright claim against the work--because if it's used for the storytelling, someone else owns the copyright to those portions of the work that were gleaned online by the AI "tool."
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I write a “0st draft” where I just get the story down on paper, regardless of grammar, or missing dialogue, or a lack of any flowery language. Then, I go back and fill it out and fix all big issues and call that my 1st draft. The motivation to be “done” with the novel and the insight you get from seeing the whole story really really helps you fix all the bugs.
...I genuinely think this is the most motivating thing I've seen for months. I'm going through the painful process of trying to make the final decision on whether I should just abandon my current draft and start the whole thing from scratch, knowing what I know now (I started it in 2021), and I think this is exactly what I need!! Thanks
I tried this once, but my brain goes:
"We finally put our long time idea onto paper. Now the thrill is gone. Let's move on to something else." I hate myself
@@valhatan3907 Hey, you don't have to feel like that about it. I know how it feels - for me, it's leaving the characters behind after I've spent so much time building them up in my head and getting to know them like real friends. Maybe revisit your '0st draft' after some time and see if you have any new ideas for how to make it better. Or maybe that's not the story for you. Either way, keep writing, you'll find an idea you can keep going with :)
I don't know why this "zero draft" term has gained traction. Do people feel special for calling their first draft... not a first draft?
@blossom357 I think it makes people feel less overwhelmed by starting a project. Like ok, this is exactly what I've got to work with, the only way is up from here. There's nothing 'special' or pretentious about finding a process that works for you and wanting to share it with other people.
3:34 also, reading an author that really inspires you helps, it dosent have to be the same genre as the book you are writing. Whenever I'm not feeling inspired I take a break and read my favorite author, then I feel inspired to write, and even sometimes learn a new word or qoute I want to include into my book 😉
I've got to the point that writing videos rarely help me, because apparently I'm skilled now, I just procrastinate a lot, but you're videos actually offer bits advice and insight that still helps me. And also reminds me of some important things I forget.
That is exactly where I'm at. Most videos on writing do not help me, as they repeat the same basic information I've already learned, but there's something about this channel that motivates me and also inspires me to take a different approach to my writing.
That advice about not coming up with a perfect draft is so right. Actually having something to revise instead of something simply in your head. It's perfect because you mull over the absolute best thing to say or place name, or motivation For your characters and when you come up short, the book stalls.
Bernard Cornwell likens writing a book to climbing a mountain. The good thing about writing is it's your own adventure. He says you write a path to the top but find a better path half way up. You go back and rewrite, fix your path. Easier to do if you've actually done the work.
Writing is fun. Creating is fun. Being stuck on one minor detail is standing between you and the fun. Remember how much fun it is. That's why I write.
I ended up buying a pair of “writing pants.” They were harem pants with a paisley pattern. “If you ask me to run an errand, I will do it for you…in these pants.”
I write wearing an ugly yellow sweater. It's a blaring "Do Not Disturb" sign.
You and Brandon McNulty are the biggest encouragement for me. I've never done any sort of serious creative writing, but it's an exciting adventure!
McNulty's examples are too focused on movies for me to trust his advice. And I love movies of course, but I don't aim to write scripts.
@@blossom357
Completely agree.
Over 80% of his videos do focus on movies. As for me, he could provide more examples of actual prose.
I’ve listened to Brandon McNulty but I don’t any value from his videos specifically for writing. It’s just entertainment since the majority of his content is taking movies and comparing them.
Besides Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures, no one has helped me actually learn to write better like this channel. His book is well worth the purchase, too.
I'm a night owl, as soon as the sun goes down I just get very creative and introspective. I can write up to 4 hrs until 2-4 am sometimes. Especially in the summer during warm nights. Lately I've been starting sooner and going until around 10 or 11. I always seem to do my best writing late at night or in the middle of the night when I get into my meditative practice. Don't get me wrong, I can do my writing at other times and have, but I seem to get the best, unbroken creative time almost the later the better. Almost nothing feels better than getting in a really good 3-4+ hrs session straight before bed. I feel like every worry and issue on my mind is completely handled and off my shoulders, it's helped me with my bedtime meditations. My mind is totally clear and light after I finish a good session later at night. Thats probably because I channel all my emotions and subtle insights into my writing and I've had a practice of falling asleep as grateful and relaxed as possible for a few years, writing before bed made it much more effective. Getting all the things off my mind I otherwise wouldn't have been able.
With my two novels, taking advice was interesting to say the least. For one, people's opinions of my MC were split 50/50. He was a combat veteran with PTSD. What I discovered was that those who loved his character, were people who had PTSD or those who lived with someone who had it. Those who had never experienced it, didn't like him or understand him. I left him as he was.
My other novel, everyone had the consensus that the MC was not relatable. So ultimately, she was changed, while still keeping the vision I had in mind for her.
Needless to say, my second MC is now, over all more relatable and my first still divides people, they either love him or hate him.
I’ve always felt that writing long form stuff was far easier than short, something that the advent of Twitter really underscored. It takes so much more work to keep things brief while getting all your ideas across. It harkens back to the saying attributed to Blaise Pascal, “If I had more time I would’ve written a shorter letter.” The similar saying, attributed to various people: “If you want me to speak for 5 minutes, I need two weeks to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour I can start now.”
Jack L. Chalker said that if there was a scene he was dying to write then he’d do that first to get it out of his brain. Another author did the opposite, using the anticipation of getting to write that scene as the enticement to write everything that came before it. I think that’s the difference between someone who outlines first versus someone who kind of makes it up as they go, the plotter versus the pantser.
Honestly, I'm, now having a hard time trudging through my first novel. Only one thing encourages me, though: there are only 4 chapters left.
I'm hoping to get this done either at the end of November or at the very beginning of December.
Thank you.
Wishing you a Halloween that's as sweet as your candy stash.
Edited on Nov 30: yesterday, I eventually got this done! Thank you, everyone, for your support!
I love your framing of the differences between editing and writing mode as being about whether you let your inner critic and doubt take front stage. Also, Scheherazading yourself is brilliant. Great video!
It sounds silly, but what I imagine and what keeps me motivated is this: Somewhere down the line, there is an episode of Dancing with the Stars. The stars (whoever they may be) are dressed as my MFC and MMC, and they're doing a routine to A Thousand Years Part 2 by Christina Perri, feat Steve Kazee (which is their song). I see it in my head every time the song plays and it's one of those things where I will know, for a fact, that some one was impacted by my book in the way I've been impacted by some many of my favorites.
"Discipline. Consistency. Deadlines. Creativity. Reflection. Repeat." --an award-winning author
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
Man this channel is the only useful one !
Its fast and experienced !
Keep UP !
I have all the ideas for almost the whole series in my head. I really need to get them outlined, but severely lack discipline, and I hate that about myself 😭
It's alright, It happens to us every now and then
You are what you think you are. If you think you can do it, you can do it! Start small and work from there.
I've had this problem so I'm trying something new. I have a vague idea of where I'm going and am focusing on getting to a certain destination in the first few chpts. Then I plan to plot out the next few chpts (1-3) and reach that destination then rinse and repeat. Not sure how it will turn out but so far, it's helping me focus on what I can manage.
Just reframe it in your head, it's not that your lacking discipline it's that you're overextending yourself and feeling overwhelmed. Rather than outlining your whole series just focus on the first bk and remember, you can go back and make things connect when you edit, the first draft you get to explore and see where your characters take you, you get to figure out what does and doesn't work which isn't going to be clear in the outlining stage.
@@mmem4264 Thanks. I already wrote the first chapter and prologue, but I plan to make a new prologue for book one, and keep the current one for the second book. I suppose I could start with outlining and maybe writing the new prologue, and move on to doing that for the rest of the story.
You can talk to chat GPT and tell it your ideas and tell it what you still need to plot. You can ask it for info on 7 point plot structure etc. I don't use it to write my stories for me, but if I'm stuck I can tell it what I'm trying to accomplish and where I feel stuck or needing more research. That's how I started my book series. I printed 120 pages of outline from chat gpt. It took me another year to start sincerely writing the original characters. I'm over 5 full chapters completed now with an average of 14+ pages. It's taken me months to get this far but I'm finally filling out my mental plot lines and the chapters and POV characters are starting to build on one another. It often takes me multiple sessions of writing to finish my chapters.
I believe that creating a writing routine and keeping the momentum going are the most important things in writing. This actually applies to any new habit you want to add to your life.
The last time I wrote consistently was a few years ago, right after I finished college. I had a few months of 'break' before I was accepted to do research at an institute. I miss those days when I could write all morning and manage about 1,000 to 2,000 words a day...
Nowadays, I have a full-time job, and in the evenings, I’m tired and want time for myself and my wife. When I do find time to write, my mind keeps telling me I should be enjoying what little free time I have. My biggest distractions are the day’s exhaustion and the voice in my head telling me to do something more fun with my time. It doesn’t help that my wife doesn’t understand or respect my writing time. :(
Weird, but: unless you're rich, you're gonna have to sacrifice free time to become writing time. Live your life however you want, but I felt that I would never be truly fulfilled unless I finished a novel and had it published.
My debut will be traditionally published fall of 2025 :) I had to sacrifice a lot of time with friends and family, and at many points, I thought it wasn't worth it, but when you get a really good writing groove going, there's nothing like it. And the sense of accomplishment is something else! How many people say they want to write a novel, but don't? I'm not one of those people anymore :)
@@hardnewstakenharder Thanks for your words. I also think that I will never be truly satisfied unless I finish and publish my books. I just have to deal with my time management problems and my mind throwing me down and I know I can do it.
It's funny that when I was younger I used to finish a lot of stories, nowadays everything seems to get in the way. But I will get back the feeling of a "good writing groove" as you said! :)
Congratulations on your book, I hope I'm able to read it someday. Cheers!
Will watching this video help with finishing the novel? Let's find out...
(opens up the word doc and discovers it finished itself)
Well, what do you know!
But seriously, these videos are great, keep it up.
I have finished my first novel (cozy mystery) and sent it to a publisher. Now I wait and work on the sequel which i want to use as a segue to my spy novel. The process of writing is brutal. Great suggestions. I find the fact I have to work full time in retail to support myself a bit stifling creatively but so would homelessness.
OMG you're so motivating with your videos. I've had pretty good momentum, i'm about 50% through the first draft of my story (started in August), but I've felt myself deflating a bit. Off to write one more scene! :)
I love your content! That which doesn't impart wisdom, resonates so true to the process! Appreciate you!
Thank you, as always, BookFox! Been following for about a month now (along with a few other similar channels; Alyssa Matesic, Abbie Emmons, etc.), and your advice is so helpful in developing my craft! This video was especially motivating. Really hoping to more often channel that FLOW /makes hand motion lol, and get the rough draft done instead of constantly doubting. Writing SciFi Horror, and definitely look forward to utilizing Danielle's page when I'm ready :-) Happy Halloween!
The advice of letting it rest is a brilliant one that I have used several times; I'll go do something else like play video games and this awesome idea will just spark my head from nowhere (thanks ADHD) and I will have to set the controller down to grab my laptop and write it in real quick because I know I will forget if I wait.
15:02 I've been writing a book for some years now. Everything on it is a tribute to my mom and the home my parents built for me, and not because im actively trying to get it there, but because the lenses of the story wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them. its a very special story for me, regardless, i encountered some 'future beta reader' problems. My mom is an avid crime fiction reader (a bit of historic fiction too), very cozy woman and always smiling, but she doesnt really like any other genres (at least not these past years). My dad, on the other hand, is a science fiction buddy, but a serious, deep political one. Now, my story couldn't be further from those genres, in fact, i fear it might be too cheesy or sad for them. There's romance, there's lots of deep feelings, psychology, overall cozy sad feelings that are SO VERY FAR from their likings.
Do you have any advice on that? I know i would be devastated if they disliked it, yet i know too not every book is made for everybody. i know getting the 'i love it' critic just for being their child (typical mama behaviour) isnt much fun either, i want a real answer.
I know I still have some years until the manuscript is ready to be read, but this has been on my mind lately and i dont know how i will deal with it... any help appreciated!
On the reading books during writer's block: I oftentimes actually specifically don't consume the media in the same genre as my current project in that scenario. Instead I'll look at something that is somehow the opposite. For example, right now I'm working on a novel about a gang leader, a revolutionary, and a detective and how their stories all connect and intertwine in a futuristic setting with no magic. So I'm playing God of War in my time that I'm not writing. This has actually given me a lot of ideas for my book, however, that I never would have thought of if I had only been reading other similar books like 1984 or other dystopian stories like it.
I would add another tip: switch mentality for a while. Watch a K-drama (or a recent C-drama) in the same genre you write. There are plenty, some are worth watching, and there are subtitles.
I'm also a huge fan of Korean and Chinese dramas. Likewise, I don't watch while I write but when I need a break or get stuck, I pull something off my MDL watchlist to binge for a day or four and then get back to work.
The cultural perspective has me consider nuance of interactions that I would t give attention to otherwise. I find characterization improves when seeing the way similar people with different socialization make decisions.
Yes! Great advice. I'm a huge K and C drama fan, and it can be a great break/inspiration for my writing! A kdrama inspired my most recent project, in fact. 😊
Super advise thanks
This is something I don't understand. I'm very excited about my story and can't wait to work on it. I know how my story ends, so working on it is somewhat easy. And I have other writing projects. If my novel work is just hitting a dead end, I work on another project I have.
that's the rub. my stories scars and and after might nmot be novels. they might be series of short stories. i'm not sure, but they are kinda two seperate entities because of the broader focus. scars is about simon and arthur. and after is about arthur. it's not about simon anymore. he's in it, barely, but he's not even the same person (there is some debate on that point, but essentially)
oh, guilt! that's even better for my creativity than schedules and timers!
How I overcame writers block: In grad school, I volunteered at a community radio station doing morning news one day a week. I'd get there at 5am and had to have a newscast ready by 6am. No rip and read or simply reading the newspaper allowed. At a quarter to 6, I'd be like, "Dude, it doesn't matter if it's perfect style or right lead or anything resembling perfect. Just write something."
Research puts me in the zone, I like to write false history or a skewed history and doing Research on real history gets me gitty
Same! Research works wonders to spark new ideas :-)
It's not about the will ... my brain takes some time to de-stress and only then it can go into creative modes 😕. There are days I cannot make even one word and but once I get rested... I can make 10,000 words in like one day... the pain of having to go to work that you hate but you needed to make a living
What worked for me was to cut my evenings short, go to sleep early, then get up 2-3 hours before it was time to go to work. It was a gradual process, but became the best part of my writing life.
i'm still tryna figure out what happens after i broke time
2 pm is the best time to nap, 2 am is the best time to write! 😁
i couldn't write anything but my story for so long, but i took a long break, changed my mindset and now it's fun again. i've written all my short stories 'cept the prettiest christmas tree, in the past 3 years. oh, and this pretty long thing i started on a larf, about this literal motherf v cker, covetown jim. geez, i never foresaw myself writing about pirates! or motherf v ckers! jim isn't dumb, but he is naive for a kid who grew up in a whorehouse. he's so not emo like arthur. a lot of fun
I read daily, but not enough. I get my own ideas like two pages in and end up trading the book for my word processor. This video isn't really for me, good stuff, but I felt like spewing out the thought on my mind about struggling to read due to the distraction of writing. Probably not relatable, ignore me.
Hi man, thanks for your help🙏can you please say,i am create novel long time ago and now i am writing it ,what you can suggest to read for improving writing skills and understanding at all❤
Okay but what do you do when your creative time is between 3 and 4:30 a.m.?
To leave something behind when I am gone...
at very least, it couldn't hurt to have a pen and something to write on available at all times
I tend to write at night because I can't be distracted by other things like laundry and other tasks that its easy to tell myself matter more during the day. And everyone is asleep, so no family to distract me. I've done it enough that my writing brain goes CRAZY at night. Oops, haha
why is j.d. vance in this video?
George R. R. Martin's search history:
nah, i do it when i feel it, but if i'm not inspired to write there's plenty to edit or type, i've been typing in here for days, and you sir, are frankly not helping by being so engaging. you see how many capitals snuck in my messages today. i never do that. it's all the switching back and forth
I wish you posted a little bit earlier for me to enjoy it on my commute back. Oh well. I will enjoy this either way.
Yes, we're all losers 😉
You know what... why NOT use AI as a supplementary tool? The more I hear people advise against it, the more it feels like a kneejerk reaction against new technology, the same way calculators were once shunned. As you said, you are free to accept and reject feedback at your will. There's no rule demanding you do everything an AI spits back at you.
I hesitate to reply to an edited comment, but here I am. You used the word "supplementary tool" in relation to the use of AI in writing which, even a few months ago, would've meant something like PWA or even Scriv. With *generative* AI having become a major player, however, you have to deep dive into what "supplementary tool" means.
Using AI for storytelling itself could be, depending on what the AI spits out, plagiarism. The AI result cannot be copyrighted by the end user, ergo your finished product will have dubious copyright provenance. Now, if you use AI solely for an outline, and never use one sentence that it spits out, you should be fine--unless it spits out an outline of Harry Potter sans names and places. Rowling's lawyers will have you for lunch, then--and she just might roast you online.
No matter how one uses generative AI in their writing, every detail needs to be combed over to avoid a copyright claim against the work--because if it's used for the storytelling, someone else owns the copyright to those portions of the work that were gleaned online by the AI "tool."
@@5Gburn "I hesitate to reply to an edited comment, but here I am." ......what?