This was really helpful. Seeing into your writer's life is a blessing. I'm turning notifications off for channels about software development, tech, music production, DaVinci Resolve, quantum physics, and so many others. With all the great writing channels to watch, there are not enough hours in the day for anything else, for all my old hobbies and interests. I feel like I have half an idea about how to write a novel, so like with all things, it's time to actually start practicing, and start plotting and character building. Writing practice hooks, transitions, descriptions, dialogue, subtext, and introspection passages is no longer cutting it. I don't worry about it sucking because if I don't have a completed draft zero, how can I practice editing? Take care.
Lately, I've loved the freedom of giving myself a minimum number of days per month to write. Regardless of word count, just butt in chair and document open. It's brought back the sense of adventure and excitement. There's something to the feeling of doing extra because I want to that's also pretty cool.
I'm very similar when it comes to actually getting work done -- when I choose to do it because I want to rather than feeling like I HAVE to, I get a lot more done and my concentration skyrockets. It reminds me of something I read -- that 70% of a creative endeavour should be fun, and 30% difficult/not-so-fun. Otherwise, the passion fades and artists don't want to do the art anymore. Which is why I've decided to start a whole new project with absolutely no expectations and just posting it as I go and having fun with it like I used to when I was younger
Your writing process reminds me of the "Methodological Pantser" (from Ellen Brock) where you have to write something on the page to get your creativity going, but also have a method/skeleton/some kind of outline to guide and refine it along the way, without having to strictly adhere to it. And then going back and forth between the two processes. That's how my brain works! The outline inspires the writing that creates on-the-spot ideas, which then inspires a more refined outline, which then inspires more pantsing, and so on. It took me a while to accept that this is how I write because it seems to go against all the strict plotting advice out there 😅 I don't comment much, but I've watched your channel for years now and it warms my heart to see your writing journey (and all the drinks and cute mugs!). Your vlogs are a comfort for me to watch. Best of luck to you!
Hey that's me too! That video was so good. Totally helped me along my (honestly years-long) journey to disentangle myself from all the writing "advice" I've absorbed over the years which doesn't work for how I think and was actually starting to hold me back.
I have tons of craft books on fiction writing. A summary of most would suggest the following advice: Recording your oratory of your novel is a good way to feel out if the draft works or not. That's a video all unto itself. Another is to know how many pages per act you have to write in. Like 90 pages per quadrant of the story, act 2 being two or 180 pages long or double acts 1&3 for a three-act structure etc.. That controls the editing process to keep from over writing the target page count per act in a 365-page novel. Flash fiction technique is the best way to expand the draft early on. Where Content, Structure or Method are used to find prompts to build ideas on. Break everything into Beginning, Middle and End. Always writing toward the end on all levels of the story. Writing is a process of outlining and writing by the seat of your pants. Both techniques are used to find the story in different drafts. It's the only way, always was and always will be. Writing a novel is a true art form and has to be adjusted in the very same way as other art forms to find the gold. Conflict - Emotion - Theme in every scene.
Oh Kate! The video you did on your romance project was the very first video of yours I ever watched! That in turn was what rekindled my own spark to write again. I’m now one and a half scenes away from finishing the first draft of my own romance novel. It’s so good to hear about that project again and I can’t wait to read it someday. I’m also so very very grateful to you. You helped bring me back to something I loved.
I'll have to go back and watch your chats about Syd Field's book. I was thinking of doing a video series on all the screenwriting books on my shelf, but it's a big project to take on. I really enjoy your vlogs - the food and cat cutaways especially. (One of my film teachers used to call them "cataways.") Thank you for inviting us into your home. I look forward to your next vlog.
CATAWAYS! Omg I love that so much. Definitely going to start calling them that now too. And thank you!! Please do the video series! (Or maybe a favorites/best of round-up??) I'd love to know more about which screenwriting books to pick up next.
I know exactly what you mean about “weekend free work”! Also yes, I’m in the same stage with my WIP in terms of being in a very ebb and flow area of heavy revision. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another!
Loved the dancing 🙌 and the Mulan singing too! And I totally relate to the relaxed weekend working and the pressure being off. I also try not to work on the weekends, but if I do I get all the fun creative parts because I’m choosing to work, rather than the self imposed deadline stress or overthinking etc 😅
@@KateCavanaugh Yeah, the plan was good. The plan might even work, but now that there is a plan, my 2-year-old brain sits down with its arms crossed and says, "I don't wanna." Then it sulks until I watch New Girl for the 479,000th time.
Sprunkle that sprinkle, girl! 🤣 Also I have ZERO idea how I have done this, but I’ve written 65k this month so far? This has never happened to me before, Kate, I’m scared send help. And tea. Lots of tea 👀😂 P.s brunch and books is the best combo 😍
CLAIRE!!! You. Are. Crushing. IT! And the month isn't even over!! Definitely sending all the tea. ☕️ It's always fun when a crazy writing month comes out of nowhere! ENJOY. (And yessssss, agreed! 📚)
Okay two days late. But in the last year my writing process has changed a lot after I have started to learn screenwriting. Before I would make an outline and just write a story. But now I consider the outline a draft of the story. I don't what I am calling them yet. I have just called them zero drafts for now. Right now what works for me is that in the beginning of a story idea I just live life and usually ideas get to me eventually. Then the first zero draft is me stream of consciousness telling myself the story. I have already have a pretty good idea of what the story is going to be both at the end and along the way. This draft is just to figure out what comes inbetween. I have realized in the last couple of months that I am much better of knowing what should happen when I do it stream of consciousness. Because then I can consider the emotions of the character, the pacing and concept of the scene. The next draft. My 0.1 draft. Is a scene outline version of that stream of consciousness text I wrote. Again it is often here where I figure out that things doesn't exactly work with the emotions of my characters. If i am doing a screenplay I basically map out each location using the slugline. "INT. OFFICE - DAY" Then I just write a description of what I want happen for the scene later in the draft. At this point I could be ready to write but usually there are changes I want to do. If I am working on a screenplay I will take it from Fade In (my screenwriting program) and put it into Scrivener. Scrivener is better at editing scenes, I think. Then I make a couple passes on it. Sort of like you do with revisions and then after that I am ready to write. So far I have been only doing this with Screenplays, but I think this method works with novels as well. In terms of what has changed. Before I was more diligent in putting specific scenes following the Save the Cat method. I still do it but I work the story intuitively. I put in the story what it needs to be, and I have spent so much time reading different plot structures that it is basically muscle memory now.
That analogy you made about the tide and always pushing forwards but never qiute reaching the shore is literally the last line of The Great Gatsby lmaoo
I don't have that exsperience of having a book that I have put off reading because I want to savoir it. I do however write scenes that will never end up in the book because I cant move forward until it is out of my head.
A few months ago my new writing notebook went missing, it's the notebook I put my new ideas in that I'm not ready to work on yet. My sons had been playing in the office and hid my notebook in "the secret house" the crawl space I have instead of closets. I was without it for nearly 2 months.
My writing process is now: draft, yeet to alpha readers (chapter by chapter), revise, edit, and proofread based on their feedback (from start to finish). But my aphantasia makes stage directions (and a lot of other things) hell for me that I have trained myself to compensate for thanks to always asking my alphas “does this not make sense?”
Setting goals that even I find hard to do and then procrastinating is my game 😅. That's why for Camp I had a hard time and even setting a 10k goal seemed extreme when it took me 3 months to write 11k, but I figured it would be a girt step towards eventually trying Regular Nano. Made it in 10 days 😅 altho it's been hard since then with all the appointments at Dr's and my kids schools, still proud of the over 13k I have managed. But as I'm nearing the final stretch of my zero draft (altho I still need half my novel😅😂) I thinking I should zero draft the whole trilogy before sitting down to do the "real writing". Because as I've been doing this first pass at letting myself decide stuff and telling myself the story I have found that I not only would need more time to tell the underlying story, but I discover? new details of my characters and future characters tied into the story and I'm wondering if I should try to write it all to add some types of clues throughout the whole series not just pertaining this book
Unfortunately, I'm someone who thrives with a To-Do list, but I also revolt when being told to do something (even when I'm the one telling myself to do it and I want to do it). UGH!
Sometimes the journal is the only answer xD the biggest advice I'm struggling to follow rn is to find active writing friends. My coven is out of state for me now and I'm doing it on my own rn and it's pretty lonely...
AHHH I totally feel this!! I have such an incredible online group of writing friends, but I'm really feeling the ache for some in person ones. Maybe we can challenge each other to find some local writing events. I actually went to the San Antonio Book Festival the other weekend and they had a whole indie author group tent there. So I know WHERE to find people....I just have to actually do it.....eek!
If you can do your own audio books, that would be fantastic! I wish you great luck with that. Paying through ACX is expensive, one way or another, either in cash or in book rights. I've never sold enough to pay for the audio book. AND if you do your own, you don't have to listen to e-ver-y-word-a-stran-ger-says. Groan.
I use Romancing the Beats! I typed it all up once in scrivener and made it a template so I could just always have it bahaha. Would definitely recommend the book! It’s super small and has great references.
VERY HAPPY UPDATE: I found my notebook!!! So now it's just time to catch up on my Escapril poems bahaha.
That is fantastic! :)
This was really helpful. Seeing into your writer's life is a blessing. I'm turning notifications off for channels about software development, tech, music production, DaVinci Resolve, quantum physics, and so many others. With all the great writing channels to watch, there are not enough hours in the day for anything else, for all my old hobbies and interests. I feel like I have half an idea about how to write a novel, so like with all things, it's time to actually start practicing, and start plotting and character building. Writing practice hooks, transitions, descriptions, dialogue, subtext, and introspection passages is no longer cutting it. I don't worry about it sucking because if I don't have a completed draft zero, how can I practice editing? Take care.
Lately, I've loved the freedom of giving myself a minimum number of days per month to write. Regardless of word count, just butt in chair and document open. It's brought back the sense of adventure and excitement. There's something to the feeling of doing extra because I want to that's also pretty cool.
I'm very similar when it comes to actually getting work done -- when I choose to do it because I want to rather than feeling like I HAVE to, I get a lot more done and my concentration skyrockets. It reminds me of something I read -- that 70% of a creative endeavour should be fun, and 30% difficult/not-so-fun. Otherwise, the passion fades and artists don't want to do the art anymore. Which is why I've decided to start a whole new project with absolutely no expectations and just posting it as I go and having fun with it like I used to when I was younger
Your writing process reminds me of the "Methodological Pantser" (from Ellen Brock) where you have to write something on the page to get your creativity going, but also have a method/skeleton/some kind of outline to guide and refine it along the way, without having to strictly adhere to it. And then going back and forth between the two processes. That's how my brain works! The outline inspires the writing that creates on-the-spot ideas, which then inspires a more refined outline, which then inspires more pantsing, and so on. It took me a while to accept that this is how I write because it seems to go against all the strict plotting advice out there 😅
I don't comment much, but I've watched your channel for years now and it warms my heart to see your writing journey (and all the drinks and cute mugs!). Your vlogs are a comfort for me to watch. Best of luck to you!
Hey that's me too!
That video was so good. Totally helped me along my (honestly years-long) journey to disentangle myself from all the writing "advice" I've absorbed over the years which doesn't work for how I think and was actually starting to hold me back.
I have tons of craft books on fiction writing. A summary of most would suggest the following advice: Recording your oratory of your novel is a good way to feel out if the draft works or not. That's a video all unto itself. Another is to know how many pages per act you have to write in. Like 90 pages per quadrant of the story, act 2 being two or 180 pages long or double acts 1&3 for a three-act structure etc.. That controls the editing process to keep from over writing the target page count per act in a 365-page novel. Flash fiction technique is the best way to expand the draft early on. Where Content, Structure or Method are used to find prompts to build ideas on. Break everything into Beginning, Middle and End. Always writing toward the end on all levels of the story. Writing is a process of outlining and writing by the seat of your pants. Both techniques are used to find the story in different drafts. It's the only way, always was and always will be. Writing a novel is a true art form and has to be adjusted in the very same way as other art forms to find the gold. Conflict - Emotion - Theme in every scene.
Oh Kate! The video you did on your romance project was the very first video of yours I ever watched! That in turn was what rekindled my own spark to write again. I’m now one and a half scenes away from finishing the first draft of my own romance novel. It’s so good to hear about that project again and I can’t wait to read it someday. I’m also so very very grateful to you. You helped bring me back to something I loved.
Honestly, I've been writing for years and I still don't know what I'm doing. So, I just keep going and I hope for the best. Outlining helps a lot.
I'll have to go back and watch your chats about Syd Field's book. I was thinking of doing a video series on all the screenwriting books on my shelf, but it's a big project to take on. I really enjoy your vlogs - the food and cat cutaways especially. (One of my film teachers used to call them "cataways.") Thank you for inviting us into your home. I look forward to your next vlog.
CATAWAYS! Omg I love that so much. Definitely going to start calling them that now too. And thank you!! Please do the video series! (Or maybe a favorites/best of round-up??) I'd love to know more about which screenwriting books to pick up next.
I know exactly what you mean about “weekend free work”! Also yes, I’m in the same stage with my WIP in terms of being in a very ebb and flow area of heavy revision. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another!
Your puppers never fall to make me smile. I have allergies, so my desk companions are plush, but they’re so cute.
For the question you asked: I used to be a pants-ter, then I became a planner, and now I’m a little mix of both, which I think is working for me.
Love the Cafe Du Monde coffee cup!
Loved the dancing 🙌 and the Mulan singing too! And I totally relate to the relaxed weekend working and the pressure being off. I also try not to work on the weekends, but if I do I get all the fun creative parts because I’m choosing to work, rather than the self imposed deadline stress or overthinking etc 😅
Rebelling against pressure. Being in FT employment I want writing to be my hobby, an activity I enjoy. Like with your Sunday write, lean into the joy.
Oooh yes. Lean into the joy is such a great way of putting it.
I totally feel the "put pressure on myself and then rebel against it" thing. That's like, standard operating procedure for me.
RIGHT, BUT WHY. WHY MUST WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES bahah.
@@KateCavanaugh Yeah, the plan was good. The plan might even work, but now that there is a plan, my 2-year-old brain sits down with its arms crossed and says, "I don't wanna." Then it sulks until I watch New Girl for the 479,000th time.
Sprunkle that sprinkle, girl! 🤣 Also I have ZERO idea how I have done this, but I’ve written 65k this month so far? This has never happened to me before, Kate, I’m scared send help. And tea. Lots of tea 👀😂
P.s brunch and books is the best combo 😍
CLAIRE!!! You. Are. Crushing. IT! And the month isn't even over!! Definitely sending all the tea. ☕️ It's always fun when a crazy writing month comes out of nowhere! ENJOY.
(And yessssss, agreed! 📚)
"the sprinkle has not been sprunkled" well im just gonna say that all the time now lmfao
Hang on “Mother in-law”? I caught that 😉
👀💜
I was looking for this comment ❤
so did i! wait what did i miss?
Okay two days late. But in the last year my writing process has changed a lot after I have started to learn screenwriting. Before I would make an outline and just write a story. But now I consider the outline a draft of the story. I don't what I am calling them yet. I have just called them zero drafts for now.
Right now what works for me is that in the beginning of a story idea I just live life and usually ideas get to me eventually.
Then the first zero draft is me stream of consciousness telling myself the story. I have already have a pretty good idea of what the story is going to be both at the end and along the way. This draft is just to figure out what comes inbetween. I have realized in the last couple of months that I am much better of knowing what should happen when I do it stream of consciousness. Because then I can consider the emotions of the character, the pacing and concept of the scene.
The next draft. My 0.1 draft. Is a scene outline version of that stream of consciousness text I wrote. Again it is often here where I figure out that things doesn't exactly work with the emotions of my characters. If i am doing a screenplay I basically map out each location using the slugline. "INT. OFFICE - DAY" Then I just write a description of what I want happen for the scene later in the draft.
At this point I could be ready to write but usually there are changes I want to do. If I am working on a screenplay I will take it from Fade In (my screenwriting program) and put it into Scrivener. Scrivener is better at editing scenes, I think. Then I make a couple passes on it. Sort of like you do with revisions and then after that I am ready to write.
So far I have been only doing this with Screenplays, but I think this method works with novels as well.
In terms of what has changed. Before I was more diligent in putting specific scenes following the Save the Cat method. I still do it but I work the story intuitively. I put in the story what it needs to be, and I have spent so much time reading different plot structures that it is basically muscle memory now.
That analogy you made about the tide and always pushing forwards but never qiute reaching the shore is literally the last line of The Great Gatsby lmaoo
LOOOOOL knew I had to have heard it from somewhere! (Admittedly I've never read The Great Gatsby! Should I?? Bahaha.)
I can't wait to read Project ☠️ one day!
A new video! Yay!
🍾🎉
I don't have that exsperience of having a book that I have put off reading because I want to savoir it. I do however write scenes that will never end up in the book because I cant move forward until it is out of my head.
A few months ago my new writing notebook went missing, it's the notebook I put my new ideas in that I'm not ready to work on yet. My sons had been playing in the office and hid my notebook in "the secret house" the crawl space I have instead of closets. I was without it for nearly 2 months.
My writing process is now: draft, yeet to alpha readers (chapter by chapter), revise, edit, and proofread based on their feedback (from start to finish). But my aphantasia makes stage directions (and a lot of other things) hell for me that I have trained myself to compensate for thanks to always asking my alphas “does this not make sense?”
Your cat is so cute right next to you while you were writing 😚♥️
She's precious and always knows the best/worst times to sit in my arms bahaha.
Setting goals that even I find hard to do and then procrastinating is my game 😅. That's why for Camp I had a hard time and even setting a 10k goal seemed extreme when it took me 3 months to write 11k, but I figured it would be a girt step towards eventually trying Regular Nano. Made it in 10 days 😅 altho it's been hard since then with all the appointments at Dr's and my kids schools, still proud of the over 13k I have managed. But as I'm nearing the final stretch of my zero draft (altho I still need half my novel😅😂) I thinking I should zero draft the whole trilogy before sitting down to do the "real writing". Because as I've been doing this first pass at letting myself decide stuff and telling myself the story I have found that I not only would need more time to tell the underlying story, but I discover? new details of my characters and future characters tied into the story and I'm wondering if I should try to write it all to add some types of clues throughout the whole series not just pertaining this book
Unfortunately, I'm someone who thrives with a To-Do list, but I also revolt when being told to do something (even when I'm the one telling myself to do it and I want to do it). UGH!
Love your timelapses 😊
Hooray!!! I always find them SO satisfying getting to watch them back, so I'm glad others enjoy!
Sometimes the journal is the only answer xD the biggest advice I'm struggling to follow rn is to find active writing friends. My coven is out of state for me now and I'm doing it on my own rn and it's pretty lonely...
AHHH I totally feel this!! I have such an incredible online group of writing friends, but I'm really feeling the ache for some in person ones. Maybe we can challenge each other to find some local writing events. I actually went to the San Antonio Book Festival the other weekend and they had a whole indie author group tent there. So I know WHERE to find people....I just have to actually do it.....eek!
@@KateCavanaugh I'm going to have to look into romance writers in NM I think... there really is nothing like an in person meetup!
Oh now I want to listen to The Police! And I am still trying to figure out my process. It would be nice to know what actually works.
No spoilers please 😅
Can you teach us how to make coffee? Like all your coffee secrets? Like, the big whirring Coffee Engine, can we get a tutorial?
1.Still figuring out a process and system. The fact I still don’t have one scares me. 2. Ask Dobby. He has your notebook. 😉☺️😘
i got through this video and i don't know what your new writing process is 🙈 can you explain it again, kate?
Hi, Kate! I'm a new follower and I want to read your writing, where can I find your work?
If you can do your own audio books, that would be fantastic! I wish you great luck with that. Paying through ACX is expensive, one way or another, either in cash or in book rights. I've never sold enough to pay for the audio book. AND if you do your own, you don't have to listen to e-ver-y-word-a-stran-ger-says. Groan.
Random comment: I love your nailpolish ✨
THANK YOUUUU! It's almost always Holo Taco and I cannot recommend it enough! It makes me so happy. :)
30.32 all.the.time. I need a new way of writing.
This episode is brought to you by Texas's deregulated power gird!
What outline are you using for the romance project? If i may ask
I use Romancing the Beats! I typed it all up once in scrivener and made it a template so I could just always have it bahaha. Would definitely recommend the book! It’s super small and has great references.
@@KateCavanaugh thank you! I will look into it as i was searching something more directed to romance then save the cat 😍
Did you say mother-in-law?!!!!
*Sprinked