My favorite tip is skipping around when writing. I love that. If you are stuck on a part start writing the next part you’re excited about. It’s a great way to avoid writers block! 🙌
Tip 9 is exactly how I keep myself accountable. I use Wattpad and also have a couple few Patrons who support my work, so it incentivises me to post new chapters on a weekly basis. This has allowed me to write two novella-length stories over the span of nearly a year. It's definitely something I recommend!
Would you be willing to elaborate on the patron thing? I’ve been thinking about this for Y E A R S but typically I’ve only seen finished products be put up on patreon, OR they’ve already got a backlog of stuff for sale, and this is just supplemental. NK Jemisin did something like this, but I’m unclear what the story was there. I also know she stopped doing it when she realized this could be a sustainable thing (THREE nebulas later and…. Yeah, I think she’s on to something lmao)
@@billyalarie929 Basically what I do is both write and post one chapter a week on Patreon, and then post it later on Tapas/Wattpad. Usually a month-long gap. I originally started doing this with my short two-volume webcomic, but then I transitioned that effort to posting my novel. Some people have written entire backlogs and post them on a regular basis, but in my case my readers are getting new stories hot out of the oven 😂😂😂
@@matthewmusgrave6673 my average word count per chapter is about 1,000. Sometimes 2,500 for especially longer ones. The only problem is that Tapas has a 15,000 character limit, so if you have larger chapters, you will need to break them up into parts.
Thanks for all these tips. I really resonated with scheduling time, even if it's 15min. I sometimes get bogged down thinking I need to spend hours writing but dont have time to do that right now
I think we have to agree to disagree about walking away temporarily. Everyone is different, but I prefer to silently yell at myself. Loved your celebration!
That video came up on the right time! I always had a hard time finishing my ideas, but this week I've been focusing on doing it. This video will definitely help a lot, thanks Sara! :)
So many great tips! I think sharing your writing with trusted friends (readers and writers alike) is such an under-utilized resource for writers because we get scared of criticism. I always get so inspired by thinking about the questions people ask about my story after I share pieces with them.
Thank you for these helpful tips :) For me it helped finishing my stories when I learned more about the craft and actually plotting things. Especially character arcs and certain beats that drive the story forward. Reading craft books gets me extra excited because it always sparks ideas for the current project and usually for others as well. What also helped for me is writing EVERYTHING down I see in the story, I can cut things in the editing process later. Sometimes I have two versions of a scene or even more. I write all of them down and decide later which one fits best but one version might drive the story more forward than another. Also I don't mind repetitive words or how round the sentences are. The important thing is to write down what I see and feel and just go with the flow :) Skipping scenes is a very good tip pf yours. I write the scenes that I see and work from there. Often what helps too is just staring into blanc space and imagining what could happen next. What would help your character or even keep them from getting what they want and need? Sending you lots of love and creative vibes
My personal problem is that I feel often overwhelmed by writing Last year I finished my first draft, and now am completely paralyzed with writing the second, because it's not just edits, everything needs to be reworked and rewritten, so the idea of writing a whole new book about the same story is kinda scary I'm trying to implement the "one bite at a time" analogy to varying degrees of success
Sara, I am writing my first book. I am a black woman but my characters are all white and I really didn't know how to write the story because I didn't know how to act like a white woman but my characters and main character Kimberly she came to me in my dream she has grey eyes and long blonde hair she came to me told me her story and the next day I got my journal and pencil and begin writing her story. Basically the story is writing it self. She told me the beginning of the story. She seems so real she was a very hard character to become I had to literally get into her mind to become her, it took me about a year to become her and act like her. I even tried going out around rich white people to see if I can think and act like her but she told me no and she showed me how she act . I naturally became her that when I took a break from my book I was acting like her for about 3 days. It's a very good story it sounds like it would be a good fit for a TV show because it's very visual and the characters seem so real the whole plot it's just off the hook. I like Kim she's a good character.
Where's your tip about inventing a time turner lol. Once i get my architectural license, I'll have an additional (roughly) 20-30 hours/wk of study time freed up to write :) Until then, i squeeze in a page here and there before bed.
For tip 9, using this website called 4thewords might help you keep a daily wordcount consistently. It gameifies the experience of writing by presenting a monster for you to defeat that equates to a specific wordcount. Each monster has a different time limit to achieve the goal so it's pretty flexible too. For example you could take on a giant spider, giving you one and half hours to write four hundred words. It's really helped me personally with writing on a regular basis, even if one day I can only manage five hundred words, when the day before I managed nine thousand, as long as I'm hitting goals and slaying monsters I feel like I've achieved something and can keep moving forward.
Tip #4 is so creative. Picking up on an old project is so hard sometimes. Creating a relevant environment to refresh your memory to get going is a really great idea. I also liked that this tip starts at 3:14. I mean really, who doesn't like pi? :D
Good morning, Sara! ☕🌹Happy Monday as I had just watched your new vlog which I enjoyed and loved every bit of it. Thank you for posting and sharing your tips on how to finish writing a book. They sound very helpful but wondering how you are doing and how is your editing for Draft 6 of Project DE going? I'm actually thinking about using a character generator for the parents of my main character and just change a few things with them, but I would like to know what you think? Have a wonderful, lovely day and happy writing or editing. ❤
i really enjoy your vids, I find i have the same way of thinking. If i'm uninspired with my main WIP I'll work on a smaller project for a month or so. I did this more for NANO than anything but it helped take my mind off the problems I was facing with my maim project. Keep up the awesome work!
Hi! Just started following your channel and I’m really enjoying your content! (Found you through your Brandon Sanderson class application). If I may be so bold, as a commercial director/editor, I would love if you would allow me to make two suggestions that I believe would dramatically increase the scale of your audience almost instantly. Whether you feel it’s helpful or interesting I’ll leave up to you! The first is that your audio is generally very echoey and changes volume regularly, as your environment is not conducive for clear recording. ( you’re surrounded by Lots of big spaces and hard/flat surfaces). This is not the end of the world on its own, if you don’t have another location option, but I would highly look into watching some videos on doing vocal processing/compression with your video editing software. You can make your audio sound a lot more pro by adding an anti-reverb effect and some vocal isolation processing (to get rid of background noise). The compressor will level the volume of your audio track. My second thought is that your videos would benefit tremendously by incorporating some sort stock music underneath your dialogue and throughout the video. Some lofi beats or other instrumental music would add a lot of hypnotic quality to your videos and key us in to what you’re saying more. (Look into an account on [ artlist . io ] quite cheap, and give you unlimited access to loads of royalty free music with your membership license). Thank you for the content! Just wanted to offer some thoughts based on my own background because I think you could be one of the bigger writing accounts on this platform with just a couple elements to make your videos feel crisper and more vibey. All the best! Looking forward to checking out your work. ❤
Great video as always. Thank you so much, because I was struggling with my book's ending and this video really helped. So thanks and keep up the good work.
How do you skip scenes? I've never been able to do this. I'm a very much linear writer. Do you have any suggestions on how to block out not having written the scene before?
When I have an idea for the next scene while still writing the previous one, I write 2-3 sentences of what happens(can be shorter if you already have it in the outline) in brackets then continue like I already wrote it. I use brackets whenever I need to add or adjust something, so I can just search “[“ in the find and replace menu and I can go back later
It’s just how my brain works 🤷🏼♀️ I wish I had suggestions! If you get stuck but need to write linearly you could briefly outline the scene you’re skipping for what you need it to include later and then move onto the next scene
Good morning/afternoon, Sara! Happy Wednesday and how are you doing so far? How is draft 6 of Project DE coming along? Have a lovely day with whatever journey you take today. Happy Writing or editing! ❤
This was muchhh neeededddd. Comeon I wanna make my book offically out this feb on kdp buttt i want to finish my last chap... But how... thats a real question.🫠 Thanks for thee videooo🦋🦋🦋
My favorite tip is skipping around when writing. I love that. If you are stuck on a part start writing the next part you’re excited about. It’s a great way to avoid writers block! 🙌
🙌
That visualisation technique by creating a book cover is amazing! I think I'm going to do it. 😁
You totally should!
Tip 9 is exactly how I keep myself accountable. I use Wattpad and also have a couple few Patrons who support my work, so it incentivises me to post new chapters on a weekly basis. This has allowed me to write two novella-length stories over the span of nearly a year. It's definitely something I recommend!
Would you be willing to elaborate on the patron thing? I’ve been thinking about this for Y E A R S but typically I’ve only seen finished products be put up on patreon, OR they’ve already got a backlog of stuff for sale, and this is just supplemental. NK Jemisin did something like this, but I’m unclear what the story was there. I also know she stopped doing it when she realized this could be a sustainable thing (THREE nebulas later and…. Yeah, I think she’s on to something lmao)
@@billyalarie929 Basically what I do is both write and post one chapter a week on Patreon, and then post it later on Tapas/Wattpad. Usually a month-long gap. I originally started doing this with my short two-volume webcomic, but then I transitioned that effort to posting my novel. Some people have written entire backlogs and post them on a regular basis, but in my case my readers are getting new stories hot out of the oven 😂😂😂
@@ArtakaWorksStudio Are the chapters around the same length each time, and if so, what is the word count per chapter?
@@matthewmusgrave6673 my average word count per chapter is about 1,000. Sometimes 2,500 for especially longer ones. The only problem is that Tapas has a 15,000 character limit, so if you have larger chapters, you will need to break them up into parts.
Thanks for all these tips. I really resonated with scheduling time, even if it's 15min. I sometimes get bogged down thinking I need to spend hours writing but dont have time to do that right now
Progress is progress! Every sentence counts :)
I think we have to agree to disagree about walking away temporarily. Everyone is different, but I prefer to silently yell at myself. Loved your celebration!
😂
That video came up on the right time! I always had a hard time finishing my ideas, but this week I've been focusing on doing it. This video will definitely help a lot, thanks Sara! :)
Thanks for watching! Good luck and happy writing!
So many great tips! I think sharing your writing with trusted friends (readers and writers alike) is such an under-utilized resource for writers because we get scared of criticism. I always get so inspired by thinking about the questions people ask about my story after I share pieces with them.
For sure!
Thank you for these helpful tips :) For me it helped finishing my stories when I learned more about the craft and actually plotting things. Especially character arcs and certain beats that drive the story forward. Reading craft books gets me extra excited because it always sparks ideas for the current project and usually for others as well. What also helped for me is writing EVERYTHING down I see in the story, I can cut things in the editing process later. Sometimes I have two versions of a scene or even more. I write all of them down and decide later which one fits best but one version might drive the story more forward than another. Also I don't mind repetitive words or how round the sentences are. The important thing is to write down what I see and feel and just go with the flow :) Skipping scenes is a very good tip pf yours. I write the scenes that I see and work from there. Often what helps too is just staring into blanc space and imagining what could happen next. What would help your character or even keep them from getting what they want and need?
Sending you lots of love and creative vibes
My personal problem is that I feel often overwhelmed by writing
Last year I finished my first draft, and now am completely paralyzed with writing the second, because it's not just edits, everything needs to be reworked and rewritten, so the idea of writing a whole new book about the same story is kinda scary
I'm trying to implement the "one bite at a time" analogy to varying degrees of success
Sara, I am writing my first book. I am a black woman but my characters are all white and I really didn't know how to write the story because I didn't know how to act like a white woman but my characters and main character Kimberly she came to me in my dream she has grey eyes and long blonde hair she came to me told me her story and the next day I got my journal and pencil and begin writing her story. Basically the story is writing it self. She told me the beginning of the story. She seems so real she was a very hard character to become I had to literally get into her mind to become her, it took me about a year to become her and act like her. I even tried going out around rich white people to see if I can think and act like her but she told me no and she showed me how she act . I naturally became her that when I took a break from my book I was acting like her for about 3 days. It's a very good story it sounds like it would be a good fit for a TV show because it's very visual and the characters seem so real the whole plot it's just off the hook. I like Kim she's a good character.
Where's your tip about inventing a time turner lol.
Once i get my architectural license, I'll have an additional (roughly) 20-30 hours/wk of study time freed up to write :)
Until then, i squeeze in a page here and there before bed.
I would love a time turner
For tip 9, using this website called 4thewords might help you keep a daily wordcount consistently. It gameifies the experience of writing by presenting a monster for you to defeat that equates to a specific wordcount. Each monster has a different time limit to achieve the goal so it's pretty flexible too. For example you could take on a giant spider, giving you one and half hours to write four hundred words. It's really helped me personally with writing on a regular basis, even if one day I can only manage five hundred words, when the day before I managed nine thousand, as long as I'm hitting goals and slaying monsters I feel like I've achieved something and can keep moving forward.
Tip #4 is so creative. Picking up on an old project is so hard sometimes. Creating a relevant environment to refresh your memory to get going is a really great idea. I also liked that this tip starts at 3:14. I mean really, who doesn't like pi? :D
❤️
Good morning, Sara! ☕🌹Happy Monday as I had just watched your new vlog which I enjoyed and loved every bit of it. Thank you for posting and sharing your tips on how to finish writing a book. They sound very helpful but wondering how you are doing and how is your editing for Draft 6 of Project DE going? I'm actually thinking about using a character generator for the parents of my main character and just change a few things with them, but I would like to know what you think? Have a wonderful, lovely day and happy writing or editing. ❤
i really enjoy your vids, I find i have the same way of thinking. If i'm uninspired with my main WIP I'll work on a smaller project for a month or so. I did this more for NANO than anything but it helped take my mind off the problems I was facing with my maim project.
Keep up the awesome work!
I do that too! And find it so helpful. Good luck and happy writing :)
Love tip number 4, and this video entirely. SO helpful, thank you!!
❤️❤️❤️
Hi! Just started following your channel and I’m really enjoying your content! (Found you through your Brandon Sanderson class application).
If I may be so bold, as a commercial director/editor, I would love if you would allow me to make two suggestions that I believe would dramatically increase the scale of your audience almost instantly. Whether you feel it’s helpful or interesting I’ll leave up to you!
The first is that your audio is generally very echoey and changes volume regularly, as your environment is not conducive for clear recording. ( you’re surrounded by Lots of big spaces and hard/flat surfaces). This is not the end of the world on its own, if you don’t have another location option, but I would highly look into watching some videos on doing vocal processing/compression with your video editing software. You can make your audio sound a lot more pro by adding an anti-reverb effect and some vocal isolation processing (to get rid of background noise). The compressor will level the volume of your audio track.
My second thought is that your videos would benefit tremendously by incorporating some sort stock music underneath your dialogue and throughout the video. Some lofi beats or other instrumental music would add a lot of hypnotic quality to your videos and key us in to what you’re saying more. (Look into an account on [ artlist . io ] quite cheap, and give you unlimited access to loads of royalty free music with your membership license).
Thank you for the content! Just wanted to offer some thoughts based on my own background because I think you could be one of the bigger writing accounts on this platform with just a couple elements to make your videos feel crisper and more vibey.
All the best! Looking forward to checking out your work. ❤
Thank you for the suggestions!! I will definitely look into this
@@SaraLubratt 🙏🏻🙌🏻
Thanks for advice really appreciate
Thanks for watching!
Writing a book and finishing a book are very different activities!
Definitely!
Great video as always. Thank you so much, because I was struggling with my book's ending and this video really helped. So thanks and keep up the good work.
Glad it was helpful! Good luck and happy writing!
Thanks for the tips, Sara
Thanks for watching!
How do you skip scenes? I've never been able to do this. I'm a very much linear writer. Do you have any suggestions on how to block out not having written the scene before?
When I have an idea for the next scene while still writing the previous one, I write 2-3 sentences of what happens(can be shorter if you already have it in the outline) in brackets then continue like I already wrote it. I use brackets whenever I need to add or adjust something, so I can just search “[“ in the find and replace menu and I can go back later
It’s just how my brain works 🤷🏼♀️ I wish I had suggestions! If you get stuck but need to write linearly you could briefly outline the scene you’re skipping for what you need it to include later and then move onto the next scene
@@SaraLubratt Thanks, I might give this a try the next time I get stuck. 🙂
Good morning/afternoon, Sara! Happy Wednesday and how are you doing so far? How is draft 6 of Project DE coming along? Have a lovely day with whatever journey you take today. Happy Writing or editing! ❤
Thank you!
@@SaraLubratt You're welcome, Sara! ❤
Really liked this vid!
... and 8:29 - 8:31 of course! Haha
Sara, I follow your videos from time to time... And I wonder - where can I find and read your published books?
Not published yet but keeping everyone updated!
@@SaraLubratt I thought so... another aspiring author giving writing advice 🙈
Hello, thanks so much for this tips they are very value have a nice day.
Thanks for watching! Have a great day :)
U rock !!!
Thank you!!
Pro tip: write an autobiography or memoir. The content is already there.
😂
I watched video and I’m planning on writing a book soon but I don’t know how to get started please help
I've got a video for that :)
ua-cam.com/video/9btKu3o_JhA/v-deo.html
:)
This was muchhh neeededddd.
Comeon
I wanna make my book offically out this feb on kdp buttt i want to finish my last chap...
But how... thats a real question.🫠
Thanks for thee videooo🦋🦋🦋
You can do it!