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tip 16: write what YOU actually find interesting. Otherwise you’ll burn out after a few pages. Don’t listen to people who don’t like your ideas, just write them for yourself :))

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

YES! I 100% agree with this

@sebastiansilverfox6912

Жыл бұрын

This both is and is not true. So on the one hand, yes, it's good to find a actual interest in what you're writing. It helps to spur you forward and keep focused. On the other hand, placing too much emphasis on interest can also be bad advice for some. There are times where interests change and in any long writing project, you are likely to have times where you have absolutely no interest in it whatsoever. It is important to plug away at it regardless and some writers will be very quick to point out the difference between what they WANT to write and what actually makes them money.

@cypherpunk7675

Жыл бұрын

Not if you want to be a professional writer.

@KKristof100

Жыл бұрын

@@sebastiansilverfox6912 On one hand, writers wouldn't give out a story that they don't like themselves and when you have to force yourself to write a story it could hardly be interesting for others. But on the other hand, you must not get lost in your ecstasy because it's like a m*******tion that would also make the story boring for others.

@sebastiansilverfox6912

Жыл бұрын

@@KKristof100 This sounds right on the surface but the reality is that there are writers who hate the grind and WANT to write something else, but have to write what pays the bills because that's what people find interesting and what they are actually good at writing. Skill is not always tied to emotion, even in something like writing. Certainly it can boost things or slow things down but dedication and skill are of far greater value than how one feels and most writers, particularly of long works, who are completely honest with themselves know this to be true.

Regarding point 4, cutting side plots: An alternative is to connect the side plot to the main plot. Maybe your antagonist is a wizard who can look through animal eyes, and is using the pigeon to spy on the protagonist, the old lady's neighbor.

@arianewinter4266

Жыл бұрын

Agree, sidequesty stuff that later becomes imported is awesome! Yeah, a scene that does not serve at least one purpose needs to go, but this can serve several purposes! Showing of the nature of the character, planting another for possible later use and well, a hidden checkovs gun or establishing of a principle apart from its importents so the plot twist is set up, but not obvious.

@kathyl6677

Жыл бұрын

You could also use a misfit as the seed for your next novel.

@Koyomix86

Жыл бұрын

That’s why I love the stormlight interludes. At least in the earlier books they would follow random people on random adventures but the stuff in the interludes always comes back in some way.

@kairemeriniit

Жыл бұрын

It is also a way to put in red herrings, I guess. Sometimes old lady is just an old lady, but if there are hints of importance, you can put it in, even if it is just a side plot with no value to main plot at all.

@bradleygalo4775

Жыл бұрын

I wonder if the protagonist will pull a funny prank, like messing with that wizard's house. Maybe with a very strong flashlight.

Here's a secret tip: save side-quests for a short-story book! A book of different characters the people might be familiar with by then, making little story adventures of their own!

@AsenINX

11 ай бұрын

That's a good tip. I'm always happy to find out, after finishing a book, that there exists a collection of small sidestorys of the characters. A bit like Fanfictions. But from the author.

@mastermoonlightvariety

10 ай бұрын

Or a good writing prompt to share with others so people can make fanfictions or story ideas of their own, which can also be very immersive and fun to give a join in to others who likes writing.

A tip for cutting side plots is to put them in a separate doc for later ideas!

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

Good tip! I've done this before and ended up coming up with an idea for an entire new book based off the one side plot 😂

@armygrunt13

Жыл бұрын

I've actually done that. Though I write historical novels, based around actual events, sometimes a plot thread takes away too much from the main storyline. However, sometimes there's enough there to make a separate story altogether. 😊

@paneljump

11 ай бұрын

Yes, I call mine "purgatory." It can be bonus/promotional material. It can be that thing in the fridge that you'll feel less bad about tossing once it's really gone off. It might be the kernel of something you're not ready to write yet. Separating it from your current project is NOT the same as throwing it away.

The first writer I ever read writing about rules concerning how to write a successful story wrote: don't ever create a character who has lost his/her memory. I've seen that rule broken and be successful over and over again. Be weary of rules. Even the basic rules concerning punctuation and Grammer can be broken in fiction. Though there are a lot of common sense rules.

@BlackCatOnline-

Жыл бұрын

My current project involves a protagonist with no memory 😅

@AntediluvianRomance

Жыл бұрын

I seem to remember that the 9 Princes of Amber were quite popular despite this.

@MatrixQ

Жыл бұрын

I think something like this comes down to how it's done. If it's done sloppily, as a way to avoid fleshing out a character or just make them mysterious without putting in effort, or hide their real identity from the reader, that can come off as boring / low effort. But if the memory loss is an actual integral part of what's going on, I think it can be used to great effect.

@dottnick

Жыл бұрын

@@BlackCatOnline- same bud. There’s is no box. No rules Take what you learn as guidelines … maybe

@cmilkau

Жыл бұрын

Rules in this context are guidelines to keep you from tripping over your own feet. They're not laws to be abided at all costs. The more experienced and confident you are, the less you need them. If you're inexperienced yet someone who likes walking off the treaded path, I'd recommend to pick exactly one rule to break, and explore where that leads. But remember to tread carefully and watch out for corpses of your predecessors, because you're entering wilderness.

Hi, I’m from 2050. Readers’ attention span has shortened so much, stories no longer start with the inciting incident, but with the midpoint plot-twist.

@toaron8882

Ай бұрын

Dear God

@Tran809

Ай бұрын

Paragraph too long, I skip. From 2149.

I take advice regarding plotting or outlining with a pinch of salt. Everyone has their own methods, I never write more than one draft (I know, I just uttered blasphemy) I keep editing the same one again and again. If I make multiple drafts it just takes all the excitment away from the writing process. To each their own.

@chandlerholloway3900

Жыл бұрын

Steven Erikson who wrote Malazan does something similar! He goes back and edits what he wrote the day before before he continues the story, it helps him get back into the flow of the narrative. So that works! Every writers psychology can work differently

@spilchsaysstuff1427

Жыл бұрын

The problem with advice on how not to write a fantasy novel is that there will be a successful novel that has broken them. The Dragonbone Chair is extremely slow at the beginning. Fellowship of the Ring is too along with info dump on history of Hobbits-and endless bloody singing. The worst offense for me is the justification for 800 to 1000 page "epics" because, you know, world building.

@vol94

Жыл бұрын

@@chandlerholloway3900 I can't thank you enough for telling me an actual legendary author does the same thing I do. I also edit the thing I wrote the day before. Now I can stop doubting my process whenever talefoundry says, "You need to write multiple drafts, it's a must!"

@vol94

Жыл бұрын

@@spilchsaysstuff1427 true. You can ignore the rules and still produce a masterpiece but not everyone can bend the rules, so it's nice for starting authors to have some general rules for their writing. However, if they can repeatedly produce good works that go against some principle, they should ignore it.

@angelaspears4457

Жыл бұрын

It's extra work at the front end or the back end. Both ways are valid.

I'm writing my 9th book. Detailed plotting is good but it need not limit invention. What it does is tell you what you need to invent when you get there. One can always back up and insert foreshadowing and other plot or character elements on the next draft. Ideas pop up while the writer is in motion so don't worry about getting everything spot on while riding the plot rail.

As a failed writer, one of the things I've learned in writing stories with an overpowered protagonist is that fighting isn't just the way to put the MC in a dangerous situation in order to build tension. Time and time again I see are writers falling into the dragon ball power/enemy trope. You can easily use drama or having the MC make moral choices. But it has to be believable, like both choices have its pros and cons. And you can't just make it appear out of the blue. Slowly build it by planting seeds along the way. And when the time is right, execute it. But never sound preachy at the final event. In fact, the less dialogue and the narrator explaining, the better. And then have the overpowered MC live through the pros and cons of his/her decision. And boom, you got another plot to build on.

Deus ex machina: that's where planning really helps. Because if you need a certain outcome, you can create another plotline that leads up to it. Additional characters, even if they aren't that powerful/resourceful, can really turn around a situation. However, if they pop out of nowhere at just the right moment, that can be a very dissatisfying experience, even if it makes complete sense.

Actually, do include some standard fantasy tropes. People read fantasy because they like other fantasy books, give people more of what they like without giving them more of the same thing. At this point the basic fantasy tropes have been subverted so often that they are actually even more cliched than the originals. I read roughly two fantasy novels A DAY, Kindle Unlimited self published books, Best sellers, and Royal Road. You almost NEVER see the tropes that made the genre popular to begin with anymore.

@quinnholleman1547

7 ай бұрын

This is actually a part of why I think The Lord of The Rings is still highly regarded today (and why I love it so much). In a world where every trope it invented or codified has been subverted, averted, inverted, and deconstructed to the point where the subversion/deconstruction has become a trope in its own right, reading something that shamelessly and proudly uses these old tropes (and a lot of them were simply reused from fairy tales and myths, so they are very old) with more artistic integrity and intentionally than most subversions and deconstructions, it makes for a refreshingly straightforward, awe-inspiring, and, frankly, fun read.

@Uhhhi-ih8bb

4 ай бұрын

Imo like Sousou no Frieren having demons be pure evil is pretty cool

I’m not a writer but I enjoy fantasy books with long detailed descriptions, archaic words, and flowery writing. Writers like Mervyn Peake feels more fantasy to me. Also dialogue that reads like modern California teenagers talking in a medieval fantasy world is something that can pull a reader out of the story too.

Good one! Rule 10 Excessive fantasy jargon. I would like to read a fantasy story where place names like cities or geographical areas have simple names such as Starfruit River or the capital city Banger or The Short Grass Plains or Danby Four Corners. Makes it easier to follow.

@Waxer3929

Жыл бұрын

I think about this often with real world locations. The most fantasy sounding area I can think of is Death Valley, the Dead Sea, Salt Lake, or Great Basin, otherwise geographical names seem fairly plain and ordinary unlike a lot of fantasy which uses names like "the Woods of Mystery, the Dragon Peaks of Korgath, or the Swamps of Sadness" or something.

@BKPrice

Жыл бұрын

@@Waxer3929 The Cliffs of Insanity!

@acanimatics906

Жыл бұрын

Right? If I have to read another fantasy with multiple locations all named something like Eylyiandrye city, Adlerfuhaise-ville, kingdom of Alencyionius etcetera I will scream! 😭 Manhwa are super guilty of this! Just pick a random word that's somewhat relevant to the location and slap the term for it to it, example : Moon + town, Moontown. If you want to be fancy translate it to a different language that ties into the geographic placement of your location, For example a medival central european setting, so german: Mondstadt. Consider the time period and adjust terms based on that and voilla : Mondstädt! I think there's a city in Genshin called that which is why it came to mind but yeah anything but keysmash names!

@BKPrice

Жыл бұрын

@@acanimatics906 Yngvlaglsined and Ddaaffllyydd (pronounced "Bob") made the long trek to Supercalifragilisticexpialadocioustown in search of the fell Unglynmyxl beast. As Yngvlaglsined read from the book of the mad god Vsylwyx, they learned that they would have to pass through the dread forest of Thgdairq and the mad caverns of Nxwallkkykk. Yngvlaglsined looked up from the pages of the book and said to Ddaffllyydd, "Fuck it, let's just go to Bargeport and have a nice Vinusian wine." Ddaaffllyydd nodded and added, "While we're at it, why don't we apply to change our legal names. My hand is cramping up, and I've only signed one document so far."

@Real_MisterSir

Жыл бұрын

I'd say in most cases, a heavy use of fantasy jargon only works if there is actual pattern structure to it, and the reader is able to learn the patterns and know what to expect. JRR Tolkien did this marvelously with his books of Middle Earth. They are actually filled to the brim with jargon, but there is concise structure to everything that exists. Words have true meanings, and combination words are logical when you understand at least one subsegment. If you know what "minas" means, you immediately get a referential idea of every city/location that has "Minas" in it. His structure enables the reader to get a basic idea of the jargon without having to know everything about every place and item and character. As long as you get familiarized with a subset of commonly used phrases, you can get a feeling for almost everything without understanding 90% of the jargon that is used. Where most writers fail, is when they lack this structure their jargon is based on, and instead just comes up with things as they go -without considering all the things the reader would have to understand to read between the lines. It's common especially in world building to work like this: "who lives in a place? where did they come from? What was it called before? Blend this into the city's name. Now over time words change meaning or evolve, how would that city name change?" etc. And while there is reason for this very complex approach, it also often ends up leaving the reader hanging with no threads to go by. They would have to basically understand everything about multiple groups of people, their combined history, their languages, and then a spice of writer's own style on top. That is simply too much to grasp, even if the substructure is there. If we take a real world example, say "New York". As long as you understand the English language, you can already decipher some things. It's a new place, meaning an older counterpart/origin must have existed, likely somewhere else. This could hint at a form of migration. You don't know what York means, but you still get the core essence of what the city's overarching lore is, at its most basic foundation. You know something about its people, they likely came to that land and may have ties elsewhere, potentially far away even. All of this, just by understanding the commonly used word "new". "Minas" is similar. It's a reoccurring word that you can use to describe multiple places in a simple yet meaningful manner, to understand the basics of what you're dealing with.

I love hearing writers talk about their craft, it's always so interesting like peeking behind the curtain. Looking forward to getting more videos around writing

Tropes: (opinion warning) one thing that particularly annoys me both in fantasy and sci-fi is turning human traits into races, species or cultures. And particularly the haughty-common-barbarian trinity (e.g. elves/humans/dwarves or Vulcans/humans/Klingons or vampires/humans/werewolves). This takes away so much. Real societies are much more diverse, and can also differ from yours in completely different ways than just some personality trait. There are better ways to build expectations than painting faces green as well.

@jeremiahhecita1027

Жыл бұрын

i kind of don't get what you mean. And I am trying to understand for my short stories

@jayreese8522

Жыл бұрын

​@@jeremiahhecita1027 don't make a planet of hats. That is, don't boil down an entire nonhuman society to just one trait. Don't make all orcs slobbering meatheads who murder. And that's... half correct. Because you can take a trope of a culture and do a deep dive. There's nothing wrong with a big race known for their physical strength to have a basis in war or martial power, if you're willing to explore the depths of it.

@Verred

Жыл бұрын

​@jeremiahhecita1027 I think they are saying humans=boring when designing unique races and cultures which I don't personally agree with.

@mrsidorax8623

Жыл бұрын

@@jeremiahhecita1027 Trying to say that when there are multiple speices in a fiction, their members often resemble like-minded clubs rather than individuals with possible variations. A notorious example: the classy elves and stubborn dwarves. These species should be able to form diverse communities like humans do, not act like they all share the same mindset.

@sanchellewellyn3478

Жыл бұрын

Subverting tropes is fun though. Protagonist: "Wow! Does this mean I'm the Chosen One?" Athena: "No. You're just the best I could find on such short notice."

Not gonna lie, the fact that I'm avoiding most of these out the gate, without being aware that they are common mistakes, makes me kinda happy, lol. And I'm still in the process of writing chapter one of my very first original story. Kinda. XD I had a weird teen phase, but the only thing that came from it was a graveyard of characters I had fun imagining, once upon a time. I digress, lol. This video was very reassuring for me as an aspiring novelist. And it never hurts to have what you're doing right reinforced. I'm glad I watched it and I'll definitely take to heart what I've heard.

One piece of writing advice that I disagree with: many of these types of channels have recommended that I read up on all the current books in the genre I am going to write. But then we wonder why there are so few original ideas and why so many stories seem to resemble each other. Because they are either deliberately or subconsciously influencing each other. As I am halfway into my novel, I am deliberately avoiding all the recent books of my genre. I am reading history books or things outside of my genre for reading pleasure, because I do not wish to be influenced by current trends or plot devices. I’m writing the story I wish someone had already written that I could read. I hope it turns out well, I can’t say for certain this is the best approach, but if nothing else my story will not feel the same as someone else’s book. 😁

On point 2 (info dumping), it's good to tie in important aspects of the world with the story. If everyone has magic, and your world has like a mage cast system based on their magical prowess - have that be an important part of the plot. When the characters interact with a thing in the story, and that thing changes them or informs their actions, the reader will find it more interesting. That's what I've found, anyway. Great video dude!

A lot of it is kinda subjective, though. "Avoiding long description of the world etc." - not every reader is alike. A lot of them like these sorts of things because they do like getting a really precise idea of the world and its content. You may also not be the next Tolkien, but it's possible to make long descriptions and worldbuilding interesting and nice to read with a good enough way of writing it with beautiful language. Yeah sure if your only goal is "maximizing my chance of retention for a commercially successful novel" then I guess you will keep this in mind all throughout - but having some of it in good proportion can still be a good addition to your story.

@dionmcgee5610

9 ай бұрын

Agreed. In one of my stories i have the characters searching for something in a giant multi-species necropolis. I mean giant, as it's a mile long and wide graveyard and many many of the tombstones are huge- some like small houses or buildings. Describing the architecture of several was great fun and I found it entertaining rereading it years later. I did keep the descriptions within single, not overlong paragraphs. 3 or 4 intricately eerie sentences that held more mystery than exposition.

@callistowrites

4 ай бұрын

The book beginning that I've read that is probably my favorite, ever, remains the opening of 'The Hobbit'. Tolkien 'info dumped' about hobbits, what/who they are, their habits, their homes, a bit of their history (and touching on the history of others like dwarves), and of course about Bilbo and his history, including parentage. But because of the right amount of detail, and especially the very conversational tone of the 'narrator', it worked wonderfully. It felt like someone was speaking to me, explaining something they found interesting to me, like a friend would. It made me interested in not just continuing the story during my first read through, but has made 'The Hobbit' my number 1 re-read book, ever. I've read 'The Hobbit' at least a dozen times, probably more.

I love how this is less things to avoid and more a list of different strategies and when they're appropriate. It's wonderful and thoughtful and also the old lady and the pigeon sounds very Victor Hugo 😆😆😆

"Make the first chapter as intriguing as possible." Me whose book's first few pages are about a character waking up and getting ready for the day 😑

@matthewparker9276

Жыл бұрын

Do that, and make it interesting. Someone waking up and getting ready for a regular day can be interesting.

As someone who is on the beginning of their writing journal, I really appreciate your channel and this video. I'd love to see more creative writing content here and also some vlogs about your own writing.

When I wrote my first novel, which I released early this year, one of the major things I changed on the final draft was the structure of the prologue. The prologue of Falhorne: The World is Burning is a battle scene but my first few drafts included a bunch of smaller pre-battle scenes setting up the world and the characters before the action really got started. If I'd kept those scenes, the prologue would have been long and extremely clunky. Fortunately my beta-readers were really on the ball and I ended up changing things so the battle gets going right on the first page with the world-building unfolding alongside the plot action as the protagonist fights for his life.

More writing advice please!! I’m writing my first novel and will take any advice I can get!

I'm not a writer, but based on your advice, I'm rather looking forward to reading the fantasy novel you're writing!

9:30 - Multiple Voice Styles - Voice is different than P.O.V. (Point of View) Voice is the style and word choice of the author for narration and characters. P.O.V. is the perspective the story is told from (1st person, 3rd person, etc.) You actually should want to use multiple voice styles, so that each character can sound unique, as opposed to the amateur writer's tendency to make every character sound the same, like you, the author. When you do that, even if you properly attribute each line of dialogue, it still might make the reader unable to tell your characters apart. Also, Switching P.O.V. can be done, but it's difficult and not recommended for beginners.

@quinnholleman1547

7 ай бұрын

The Broken Earth Trilogy is a great example of a work that uses different P.O.V.s to great effect (and the switch between second- and third-person, yes, second-person narration, provides a lot of foreshadowing for the ending), but also keep in mind that N.K. Jemisin is one of the greatest writers alive and trying to live up to her work is a very tall order.

Very good stuff! One point I had to add was that while you don’t want a long, unnecessary side quest that doesn’t add anything, I think it can be very effective to put in small details and yes, on occasion even small tangents, that don’t really have any cause or effect on the central journey. What I’m saying is that not everything has to be tied directly to the main conflict of the plot. It’s okay for things to just happen, because that’s the way it works in real life.

Good tips! I fell squarely into over-planning when starting my current project 14 years ago. I plotted things out to the minute, and while I did use it pretty faithfully in my first draft, none of it matters now that the story has evolved.

I think these pieces of advice are overall good guidelines. As someone who is also naturally a planner, I still try to leave room for characters to drive the story: if while writing their interactions and development it feels more natural that they would behave in a certain way once reaching decision point X, I go along with that and adjust the story to still follow the main plot outline, rather than forcing them to act according to the original plan. And having an engaging first chapter in which stuff happens and questions are raised tends to work better, the slower set up can come later - so long as it is not an exposition dump to show straight away the effort that went into world-building. When it comes to dialogues, I took the habit to read them aloud to get a feeling whether they sound like something a real person would say. I think a writer can get away with a specific character talking more "like a book" if there are solid story and personality reasons, but it should be an exception and definitely not one of the main characters with the most lines of dialogue.

I think a slow start is still not horrible if it develops the characters and flashes out their perspectives on what the plot will be. In my story the plot starts with a mystery that the protagonists are trying to uncover. But while the mystery is still slow to build up, and the story is picking up pace, the character work and setting up stuff for later payoffs will help keep the readers in my opinion.

@AsenINX

11 ай бұрын

A mystery to solve isn't a slow start. It's maybe not the grand disaster or worldending event. But that's not the point. I think what it is refering to would be you character enjoying his everyday live while nothing important happens. Only to show that he is an aprentice smith... which also will not be important.

Hi, I follow your channel and I am also writing a fantasy book in my spare time. I have bought some self-editing books on Amazon that have some great ideas for mistakes writers should avoid. Watching your video, in particular the deux ex machina part made me think I should change a sequence in my book where the main character is saved by another one almost miracolously. I am intending to add a much darker twist to it that actually fits much better with the plot. Thank you for pointing out the obvious to me. It helped already. Also, I think you should definitely make more of these videos :)

The other thing about dropping worldbuilding info in naturally at a later point is that it can actually function as a plot twist, or at very least an intriguing recontextualisation of the plot so far. This works especially well if you've got a fish out of water protagonist who is discovering the world alongside the reader, but it can work with an unreliable narrator device too.

Great video, I love discussions and more in-depth discussions about what makes good writing, and how a writer might use the different tools and devices in storytelling to make it come alive.

Great advice! I’ve been steadily writing for the past few years but it’s always good to get some reminders to not stray off course

As a future potential author myself I would love to see more writing videos. Maybe even sneak peeks about what you are working on, like some setting details or magic system plans

Really enjoyed your advice about writing. I like how you named specific things to avoid that can hinder a beginning writer. Thank you!

I enjoyed this video greatly, I would definitely watch more writing advice videos from you. Also, more theory and lore videos would be fantastic!

Something that @Reedsy said that stuck with me for writing fantasy or just stories in general for battles or anything that will require your protagonist and their team to strategies and create a plan prior, it's a good idea if you lay the plan out within the text, to make it go not as planned. Create plans, lay them out for the reader, then have things ruin those plans as they are implemented. Like having something unexpected, but foreshadowed pop up to make the plan go completely haywire. Also, the opposite is also a good idea. When a plan is required, have your protagonist and his team talk about a plan, but not actually mention a plan, then after the plan is implemented and succeeds, explain the plan after it was a success. Anime, especially Naruto, does this quite often. Now, to add to @Reedsy advice, the only drawback is that the more you use this, the more predictable it gets. On the flip side, you can use the technique above to subvert expectations by flipping the technique in which you've used the first one several times, then you can lay out a plan to the reader in which it is actually successful. Since you've primed the reader to expect that whenever a plan is actually spoken, it'll fail and whenever just the plan is mentioned without being laid out, it'll succeed. Now you can lay out a plan that succeeds to surprise the reader, due to the fact they'll expect the opposite. Martin does a lot of priming in his books, where he'll use some technique often only to have something opposite happen. You can see it with Rob Stark, who wins battle after battle, only for the red wedding to occur. Dany conquers city after city, only to get stuck in Mareen and dragged down by politics. We expect Dany to conquer Mareen and move on, but she doesn't. She stays because she realizes that just because she's set slaves free, doesn't mean she's made their lives better due to the fact this just fall into chaos after she leaves. Basically, he sets up patterns within the book to get readers to anticipate something, only to break the pattern and create a sense of surprise in readers. Priming in itself is a psychological technique in which mostly advertisers use to get you to buy something. The technique basically, increasingly exposes you to whatever service or product they want to sell you, by showing you constant images, videos, and other sensory information to, like pairing the sound of a can of pop opening to the image of coca-cola. So, basically, you'll see an image of a can of coca-cola opening in an ad, along with the fizzing drink being poured, mixed with the reaction of someone drinking that pop and feeling satisfied. Then the put images of coca-cola all over the place so you're constantly thinking of it. When you have that option to buy, you buy coca-cola. This can also work in writing, only instead of getting you to buy something, you're set up to think something will happen or expect a certain pattern to continue, only for the author to subvert expectations and create that awe-struck twist, like with George and the Red Wedding. We don't expect Rob to go out like that because he's primed us to expect Rob to win because all he's done so far is win. Same with Dany. She's won every battle, only to get stuck in this city with the Harpies. He uses it a lot throughout his books. House of the Dragon is using it right now with Queen Rhaenerya. If you've read the book or paid attention in the Game of Thrones, tv show, you know how she ends. So to set her up as a very sympathetic character in the first act, is a great way to subvert expectations. We're primed to want to root and cheer for Team Black.

Point 9: The Princess Bride, or, "How many tropes can I squeeze into a single story?"

@apmanda

Жыл бұрын

Have you read the book? It’s a satire, it’s literally doing that on purpose for satirical reasons.

brilliant tips! helped me a lot! thank you so much, it actually gave me a right direction to work towards!

I’ve had a professed grumpy writing coach, tell me the cut non plot important locations or character positions. I agree if it is jarring to the reader, but I think I’m going to learn make it easier for the reader to see a similar scene that I saw writing it. I think the cut anything that is not necessary for the plot approach actually can remove immersion. I want to make my style something that will allow readers to animate the scene themselves. Something that despite my use of first person past makes the story have volume and real distance to the readers.

Pro tip about planning from non-writing projects: revise your plan. Don't treat it as a static skeleton to fill with muscle. Treat it like a plan in personal life: always advance towards the goal, but adapt to the opportunities and roadblocks as you learn about them.

This makes me feel so good about my novel. I’ve avoided all of these. And I’m 5-7 chapters away from finishing the first novel. ❤

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Good luck with your writing!

@supersmartgaming1233

11 ай бұрын

What’s the book called?

I appreciate readers speaking to things in writing that drives them nuts. I’d love it if you’d do more videos like this 😊

You really make me just want to send you the first chapter of my story to see if it is good. I struggle with writing and feeling confident with said writing is an even more difficult struggle.

Good video Jay, keep these up. How would you personally draw the line between a showing a main character's thoughts (who's mind we have reader insight into) vs not giving away too much in their chapters by only slimming it down to their dialogue and body language? In other words, what do you think is too much, despite the fact that the chapter is from THAT character's perspective?

In addition to what you said, planning too much kills the thrill of invention. One of the most enjoyable parts about writing is the unexpected discoveries and surprising connections. If you have everything planned, you miss out on the fun of that. That fun is often what keeps me going when some of the sentence-by-sentence writing is bogging down. Great advice!

@dionmcgee5610

9 ай бұрын

I think very important is character growth. If you've created distinct personalities for your characters then as your writing they'll behave naturally to events, and often you'll find them reacting to things different than you imagined. Known to sabotage entire storylines and highjack well thought out character arcs and lead them in unknown directions.

honestly, these are good tips for beginners, they can avoid some mistakes and then explore these situations later on with more experience on their back, although point 14 is kind of too subjective, at least on the talking style chosen; while it's important to emulate real conversations, one must take in consideration the ambiance, the current mood, at what point of the story they're in etc. one good example, Star Wars, when Darth Vader utter that famous line: "No Luke, [I] am your father", that's over dramatic, something that would be out of place elsewhere, but it fits the scene well, aggravating the emotions already in game.

I'm not sure the points about slowness always apply. It depends what kind of book you're trying to write. If anything, I'd say that relying too much on action and things being 'cool' is a sign of a lack of skill in a writer. If the prose is good, if the story is good, if the characters are good, if the world is intriguing, those things will keep the reader engaged. As long as they have a reading age above that of a child, anyway.

@jeremiahhecita1027

Жыл бұрын

It depends on the reader and not just intelligence, Some people like politics while others want to see how the MC wins. And some people just like looking at the world.

15: Every artist can tell you that until you sit down and start working on your project, you have *no idea* what you are going to do. All of a sudden you'll start having flashes of "Ah, that would be cool!" or "Oh! If I do this it will pay off so well later!" Planning is good, but getting your hands dirty is better.

Thank you! this was really helpful!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video, it's going to transform my writing tremendously! 😊 Thank you! 🤗💙

Gosh, I am such a pantser - I haven't even heard of 'solid ground' 😂 I did have a real hard time with 'perfect characters'. Made the awful mistake of excessively basing two of my main characters on friends of mine, had to rewrite the whole draft just so I could make them more... well, assholey. Also forced me to change their whole arcs! Hundreds of hours of work, complicated stuff. Hey, great list :) I enjoy how you go straight to the point instead of meandering around each of the lil' nuggets. Also love the imagery!

As someone that is working on a back at the moment, these tips are going to be fantastic.

Thank you for mentioning Assasins Apprentice and using book two original cover art! So many people are missing out on the story of Fitz and the Farseers!

Thank you for sharing the tips. I have a blind spot to tense switching that even with practice continues to plague me. It's because I hear the words in my head and put it on the page, I don't always keep my tenses straight in my head. The tip I can share is: don't obsess over the perfect first line. We assume you're working digitally, meaning you don't need to start your chapter or page with a great line. You can always scroll back to add one. My tip: write your second line first. Then flow from that line. And when you read back what you've written, you can get a better sense of what you want your first line to do.

"Giving Everything Away" is a helpful tip you don't see covered often, Thanks.

Really looking forward to these writing videos!

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

I'm excited to make more!

I never realized that as a novice writer, it can be damn hard when your dreams and hopes of becoming a storyteller after 35 years of waiting rely on reader reviews of seven chapters from your first fiction novella. Your channel keeps my spirits high. Thank you, Jay. I'm subscribed.

This video was so helpful. I'm working on my first novel, and several of these points are helping me navigate the strange waters of a new creation! Thanks for your wonderful help!

I love how many of these tips also apply to [REDACTED] fiction!

Good advice. We are working on the third draft of our fantasy book now and we chose to put a small battle first with one of the protagonist and the apposing army (but not the most powerful villains) to create tension at the beginning. I am co writing a fantasy book with my sister.

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

That's exciting, I wish you and your sister good luck on your writing journey!

Eh, I'm not a fan of arbitrary rules of writing. A lot of the points on this list is stuff you can absolutely get away with if you actually think about what you're doing and do it well enough. They're not mistakes, they're just difficult for beginners to work with. That means they should be treated with due respect, yes but if you always avoid them it will weaken your writing skill and stifle your creativity. It's a reductive approach to art. Like, writing perfect characters or magic with no major downsides doesn't make the story worse _per se,_ it just makes it more difficult to write well. You'll want to know what you're doing, see? But you can't learn that if you don't give it a shot once in a while. You gain more experience from making mistakes than you do from always playing it safe. The only way to get good at a difficult thing is to fail at it until you figure it out.

One of my all-time favorite series, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, does this really well. One character is telling his own story in the 1st person, present tense while the other protagonist's story is told in 3rd person limited in the past tense. And somehow it works

First off, editing is on point. And verb tense is a big thing! If you don’t keep the verbs consistent, it is absolutely confusing.

Practising both plotting and pantsing will build your writing muscles. I plot out the main points of the story, but leave how to get from one to the next open. With using dialogue to reveal part of your world, one of the characters legitimately must not know about the information, or it becomes As You Know Bob. It is preferable to have your reader experience the world than be told about it. Good video, thanks.

The number of things on this list I DIDN'T do when planning out/writing my in-progress graphic novel makes me feel a lot better about my writing. I had a rough idea about how the plot was going to go but I kept it loose and largely make up the action/dialog as I go. I mostly worry that the characters are boring, which is why I tried having little character interaction moments between the two main characters from time to time. Hopefully they're fleshed out sufficiently.

I’m a pantser BUT what often happens is that… I go off the rails completely so after writing my story, completely improvising, I bring in the timeline of scenes and structure so the final story is a yummy stew

Another fantastic video!!! Thank you!!!

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching :)

Love love the scene you described of the mc being poisoned

All your advices are relevant outside the fantasy genre. I am writing cosy mystery myself (think a mix between Agatha Christie and John Le Carré, set in a small town railway station in the UK in the late 1940s/early 1950s, my main character is the stationmaster, for my works) and I can say exactly the same things on what to write in my genre. I just have to point that, compared to fantasy writers, I have a facility : historical context. I have not to create a world of my own (what I did when I wrote sci-fi), I just have to research an existing world. For the dialogues, I also have a facility : I'm picking what is said on my workplace, and how it is said, to built dialogues. I am a public officer working in a social service, so I can grab interesting speech patterns and dialogues I can integrate into my histories. Anyone can have inspiration for vivid and realistic dialogues by looking at his working place. Even if, sometimes, it might not be evident (high-jargon vocations like attorney or accountant, or lighthouse keeper...)

this is a really great video, thanks for the advice!

@CapturedInWords

10 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

When I think "slow beginning" I think Eragon lol

Cool video, loved the art.

Good advice, though most of them are subject to exceptions, just like anything when it stands to writing advice. About cutting everything that doesn't move the plot forward, I wouldn't personally be so strict. Side quests can be valuable if they develop characters. And when I say that, I don't mean your MC finds a dog that has no relevance to anything, moving forward. I'm talking about deep side stories that make your characters shine (or interact with one another in an interesting way). The first example popping into my mind isn't actually a book, but a video game. In FFVII, there are several quests that develop the story of the different characters following Cloud. Those don't move the plot, for the most part, but they're incredibly valuable because they allow you to understand your companions and make you see them in a different light. I'm personally one of those people who think that characters are more important than the plot, so, I really don't mind when authors depart from the main story, provided they develop their characters in an interesting way. In fact, I'm asking for it and hope that they do, every time I start a book (especially a fantasy book). Another thing that can be subject to exceptions is not to introduce too many characters at once. Don't get me wrong, as a general rule, it's definitely what writers should be doing but there are ways to help the reader in that regard, should the story absolutely demands you to shove more characters than you might like. You mentioned Georges RR Martin. While I believe he goes a bit overboard with his characters, at times, I have to say he's an absolute genius when it stands to making his various character stand out and helping the reader not mixing them with one another. If someone wants to make a huge story with tons of characters. He's the man to study, for sure.

Great information and interesting video editing. Thank you.

@CapturedInWords

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

I completely understand the not using hard to read or pronounce or understand names and words but at the same time I enjoy some of that, especially if there's an index to explain it for me. And it's part of the reason why I'm comfortable with the route I'm taking for my Celtic based story. So many of those names do not sound the way they look. I'm not shying away from that fact but I am at least trying to stick to names that are not excessively out there for pronunciation. Ex: Darach = dar-ock Bebhinn = bay-vin

Thank You!

I am not writing a book but I really enjoyed the video an can use this information for writing homebrew campaigns for Table Top RPGs. :) Thx! 😊

I don't agree with cutting off side stories, i think side quest like stories are the best for character development as well as to show more of the characters personality, what they like to do for fun, what they enjoy eating, how they carry a conversation in a calm environment ect. and hell it can even be used to break up tension from previous chapters during the down time in the story where things are slowing down a bit. just because something seems useless doesn't mean it can't have it's uses if you really want to put those side stories in. on a more personal level, cutting out ideas in general takes the fun away from writing in the first place. It is so much more interesting to me to take an idea that's out of the box while i am writing and fit it into place like a puzzle piece. doing that insures that none of my ideas go to waste, and i don't just give up because having to cut an idea has ruined the mood for me to continue with the story.

I wrote a story that I'm proud gonna rewrite that was written as if the whole thing was a journal written by the character and at the very beginning it says if the reader is reading it the writer is dead. Which while this tells you how it ends you are left wondering how and when. Since nobody will read it I can spoil it but basically the main character went mad and destroyed his universe and so the book ended up in our world. The last chapter is criptic random letters and symbols that are a code that translate to basically "its all gone, what have I done" and morse code for sos

Finally i got my motivation to write again. Thank you

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

I'm happy I could help!! Keep on writing!

Hot dang, this should be interesting, right after November writing month.

One observation on point 4 the granny subplot. Maybe the granny is in with the villain and doing what's she's doing to distract the side character. Darlings are often like an Rubik's cube, a simple twist can make a darling into a major plot point.

Love this video, definitely make more! One thing that I just realised is that maybe my whole book series is based around a trope and you can guess where it's going, but it is made for younger readers so maybe that's ok? I've already written two books in it so I can't stop now

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

Tropes aren't a bad thing! There's certain tropes I want to include in my book, but some tropes like "farm boy becomes the hero" can be a little tiring. If you're writing a story for younger readers I don't think it's too big of a deal at all since a lot of the books I read a kid are filled with common tropes

@soleyalexandravalbergsdott3126

Жыл бұрын

@@CapturedInWords Yeah, it's more magical item quest. Thx for tips btw

Yes, make more!

These are all great, solid rules to follow... and occasionally bend a little... there's a sixteenth and seventeenth to add though. I'm an information sponge so I kind of do this by habit and I spent a lot of time in Martial Arts to learn to focus and be more disciplined in my exercise. Research, research, research. I've done a lot of beta and critic reviews of new writers, and run across this in some established writers. If you are going to set something in say, a Northern European style nation in the Middle Ages, do some research on what the setting was like. There are loads of history books on this. One writer I was doing a crit read for put a rice paddy in a Northern European land and it destroyed by willing sense of disbelief immediately. A little research can save you a lot of trouble. If you are going to script a fight, do a little research. Don't just randoming throw out cut, thrust, parry. Another writer scripted a fight in a small shack with a dozen people. That's a lot of people for a shack. And the fight script had a lot of big moves. I wrote ten pages of notes on why the fight was a disaster, referenced half a dozen easy to find books on western and eastern martial arts, told her to cut the scene down to three people, since twelve in a shack before the fight starts is just nuts, and she was livid about it though, every other serious reviewer gave her almost exactly the same comments. A little time spent on research can save you years of frustration trying to get audience or Agent interest in a story. You don't have to be an expert. But, you need to know the basics to make it work, and that only comes from research. Seventeen... tell the story. Too many books and movies these days are about agenda and modernity rather than story telling. All your reader cares about is story. If you want to push agenda, write a manifesto and try to publish it. If you want to write modernity, try to get hired at Disney or one of their companies such as Lucasfilm or Marvel. You can weave your social conscience through a good story told well. But, if you can't tell that story well, you aren't going to get anywhere. Tell a story well first. That's what your audience cares about, not agendas. That's important in any genre, but essential in Fantasy where willing suspension of disbelief is critical.

I've just started writing a fantasy novel and have already fallen foul to several of these. Thanks for the advice.

Omg tip two is so me when I write novels😂. I usually start it in a fight or in a panicking protagonist to catch attention just anything that's like a life or death situation. It gives great interest to me and my readers, it's just so nice

On my 5th novel ... but #4 was advice from an editor who published my work early on. The extra plot beat made sense, was realistic, fit the narrative, but distracted. It was easy to cut, so it was easy to accommodate, and I think the result was better.

Nice advice, thx. Lets be sure it doesn't dissappear into thick or thin air.

I found myself back on this video while doing some editing lol. In my head I was like "This video sounds familiar." And then I look at the comments and I'm like "Oh I because have watched this." 😂 Anyway, I'm 100% a pantser/discovery/gardener (as Good Ole Georgey Boy as you call him, refers to pantsing). And I'm considering doing a video about pantsing, maybe after I finish my book and side project book (which is in the same world). I don't necessarily like Sando as a writer but the man knows how to maneuver in the industry! Series book, side project, series book, side project.

Thank you for this video. Great sponsor…darn my cataract surgery that made glasses unnecessary.

Yes. More. Please.

Really good advice. I’ll watch this video again when I am cleaning my draft. Where do you find the art for your B-Roll? 😍

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I find most the artwork for my videos on ArtStation or DeviantArt

Thank You

I actually discribe my main character through the eyes of other characters one feature here and there because most people don't know how to describe themselves, while others will catch onto certain things like their hair or eyes. So you get a description piece by piece as the story progresses.

Great video, even for someone who doesn't want to write a novel but likes to understand it's structure

@CapturedInWords

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed! :)

14:33 One example is Turtle from Wings of fire. Many people (including myself) like Turtle because they relate to/like his flaws.