Видео

A pleasure! Glad it helped!

Hahahaha! So true!

I beleive it was in a letter to his brother which was later translated (from Russian) and became something of a touchstone for writers. :)

That they are!!!

It's a journey my friend! I'm still connecting the dots and it's been over a year for me. Makes so much sense of why I just don't get things sometimes.

A pleasure! Joe is absolutely one of my favorite writers! To the point of making me riddled with jealousy! :)

A scary thought!

Great idea! Good to clear the mind. I'll have to try that myself!

The first book in a new urban fantasy series! Focuses around a young woman who inherits a bar from her grandfather only to find out that the building is a kind of waystation between heaven and hell. Contrary to my advice, I'm writing this one without even the hint of an outline! Because I'm a glutton for punnishment. How about yourself? Are you giving it a go this year?

Hahaha hey Pops!

Fantastic!!!

Don't we all!!! :)

I completely understand the struggle! Part of the problem I think is that novels have so much in them. It's much easier to map out a script for a comic or short story because you're usually just focusing on a single main event, but with novels there's so many aspects to explore and it can feel like everything is so open ended if you haven't already locked in a novel. Usually, for me, it's at the half way point of writing a novel that I've figured out a basic conclusion. By then the characters are deep in strife and I can see how the pieces are converging etc. It is definitely a leap of faith if you haven't written that way before. You're basically betting that somehow, sometime you'll be able to come up with a viable conclusion which can be a little scary if you haven't done it before. I think you should definitely try mapping out the basic details of your conclusion and then start writing from there. Yes, it may not be as exciting to write, but there's still a lot of wiggle room even if you do have an ending in mind. I'd suggest maybe locking in a loose ending...something that still gives you enough space so that there are certain factors which you will still need to add in, to keep the writing excting! Feel free to hit me up on my website or socials if you want to bat around some ideas for your story. Happy to help!

@@MorgantheQuaid I emailed you through the website. You should be able to recognize my email address 😉

Does this same process apply to writing a biography? I’m beginning the process of writing an unofficial biography of a K-Pop group. I’ve started working on the outline and I feel it’s too detailed. Is there an easier way to outline a biography at the beginning before starting the writing process?

@@susanerickson5538 Ooohh, now that's a great question! I'm no expert on biographies by any stretch, but I think you could use a very similar process. You're essentially still telling a story, and your book will still have main characters, twists and turns, etc. It could also very easily spiral out of control (too much detail etc.). I think if you try to start with a very limited scope (maybe the shortest path from starting out in music to becoming a well known K-Pop group) and try to keep it as concise as possible, that's a great place to start. Once you've got the bare bones of the book, you can always add in more details later on, but if you've got a solid foundation, you'll be able to pick the right parts to expand on, rather than starting with a huge amount of information and trying to wittle down from there. I'd love to know how you go with it! Feel free to reach out if you want someone to bounce ideas off!

@@MorgantheQuaid Thank you for the advice. I’ll work on downsizing my outline and get back in touch with you when I have it down to the bare bones.

FANTASTIC! So great to hear you're giving it a go! The great thing is, it doesn't mattter how much you actually get written in the month, either way it will give you a great start on your novel! I'm thinking of putting aside my current series for a month myself so I can feel the thrill of the challenge and join you!

Very true! I lean towards first person because I'm a huge fan of dialogue, and in that POV, basically the whole book is dialogue (or...narration). My current series is third person, but with a narrow focus on the main character and I'm enjoying it a lot, but I find it so much easier and faster to write from my favorite POV!

A fellow Pantser!!! I'm the same. I've written novels to a detailed outline before and I find it very hard to do, mainly becuase the excitement of discovery isn't as profound when you already know where you're heading. This year though, out of comradery with the first timers out there, I'm going to try mapping out a novel next month and aim for that 50k in November. It will give me a welcome break from my current series, but the challenge for me is going to be writing to an outline!

@@MorgantheQuaid Sounds great! Good luck with your NaNo project :)

Thanks Shaun!!!

There are so many benifits to "getting runs on the board" as we say in Australia (or...did I just make that up?). I wrote 3 sprawling fantasy epics (none of which have seen the light of day) before I finished my first novel. Each of theme was the first book in a different series, but they just kept going on and on and on. That's why I went with urban fantasy as a preferred genre, because I could include those fantasy elements I love, but contain everything to a more simple, fast-moving story. I can highly recommend geting a short novel or two out of the way before tackling something bigger. You'll learn a huge amount through the process. Also, short stories are a fantastic way to feel productive and flex some different muscles. Striving for brevity rather than longer prose just adds another quiver to your bow. Whichever way you go, sending positive thoughts your way!! GO GET IT! :)

@@MorgantheQuaid you're honestly so inspiring ^-^ i happily subscribed to your channel, and be looking forward to more videos of yours! i'll be taking your advide gladly, and start to work on my shorter stories again! and good luck with your writing as well :) you sure seem to be prepared for it!

AMAZING! Can't wait to hear how you go!@@martjanamoon1785

Hahahaha! 20k is a great goal! Smart to go for something you can definitely achieve!

So great to hear! Go forth and conquer my friend!

Great point! No idea why November was the original choice. Myself, I'm based in Australia, so November over here is right on the cusp of summer. Great time to be outside, at the beach.....couped up in your writing nook writing a novel!! Honestly, any time is a good time to start. Getting into a writing rhythm is the key, and even the choice of a single month is a bit of a stretch for most people. I tend to write a first draft in 2 months myself, so I can keep a good pace, but without pushing too hard and risking burnout. Again though, I think any time is a great time to start on your novel and if you can keep a regular writing rhythm up, eventually you'll get the book done!

Ironically November was chosen specifically because it’s a cold month where people don’t have as much to do. The first nanowrimo was in July, but it was deemed too busy so they moved it. (For non-Americans who don’t have Thanksgiving or Black Friday it is a pretty bleh month). If you’re having trouble with scheduling though, they run “Camp Nanowrimo” which is basically the same thing in both April and July.

@@ms-literary6320 Interesting! I'm based in Australia so November is nice and warm!

You're very welcome!!

@@MorgantheQuaid with such an expansive universe, I think a star wars based novel would work, it's not limited to say a Link or a Zelda. I think that would help get my feet wet so to speak

My pleasure!!

Maybe start with a similar rpg style world as zelda, but design some entirely new characters. You can lean on similar fantasy tropes and themes in your writing, but if the characters are distinct from zelda (different drives, character flaws, etc.) you'll be able to break new ground. Also, I wouldn't get too hung up on uniqueness to begin with. One you've got a general idea of where your story is heading (the ups and downs, conflicts and oppositions, etc.) and you've written a very, very rough first draft, you can start shaping the story to be more unique. Sometimes it also helps to ask yourself a bunch of questions and start writing based off your answers. e.g. What kind of person do you want your main character(s) to be? Will your story be dark, gritty, realistic, or more fantastical? Is magic something incidental to the world, or is it something very personal to characters? What's the primary conflict within your setting (world at war, rising enemy from beyond, impending cataclysm)? If you can answer some of these it will give you a good picture of the kind of story you want to write and hopefully bring up some nice ideas to explore. Hope that helps, but I'll be doing a series in the next couple of months on writing a novel from scratch, so hopefully some helpful things coming!

@@MorgantheQuaid thank you that does help. I also sent you a tweet today asking you a similar question. I appreciate your input, also, do you use a thesaurus?

I do indeed! Though most of the time I end up searching google to check that I'm using the right word in the right circumstance. Using a thesaurus is a fantastic idea for a new writer though. It helps to keep the reading interesting by not relying too heavily on the same words in your writing. :)

Great fun chatting with Amy! She's AMAZING!

My pleasure!!

A pleasure!

It's amazing isn't it! Made sense of a lot of stuff for me. But now it feels a little bit like I'm missing out!!

@@MorgantheQuaid We are missing out on certain things, of course…everyone is in many ways. And yeah, it hurts me to know I could connect in more profound ways to the good times and people in life. Now I cannot see myself focusing on that though. We do have a unique way of seeing our world and hopefully, in our own way we can help make it better in some way

Mooohahahahahahaha! :)