"If you write, you're a writer." Realizing that changed so much for me. Before I always felt like I had to justify my writing time, like writing had to take a back seat until I got published. Once I had that realization though, I stopped justifying stuff or apologizing for needing time to write. I'm much more focused now. My favorite mantra is adapted from something I saw Victoria Schwab tweet and that's: "You have to write it before you can right it." Helps me fight my inner perfectionist.
Favorite writing advice thing I ever read: “You can’t edit a blank page.” This simple line helped me SO SO SO much. I have a tendency to get stuck in these ruts where I second guess every little word. It gets so bad that I’ll become frozen before even finishing the first draft of something. By telling myself that it’s okay if it isn’t perfect because I can edit later. I am able to push forward and just write.
I sympathize with you. There is moments I find myself writing, getting stuck, going back to edit and rereading it I feel like a hack and I hate myself for being a terrible writer and I tend to just stop for the day, and sometimes multiple days if it was a really bad self loathing moment. I haven't learned to push through yet, but I hope to get where you are!
For me, I had to accept the fact that writing is subjective. Just because one person (or even multiple people) dislike your work or have issues with it doesn’t mean it’s bad. You should consider their advice, of course, but also remember that you can’t please everyone and shouldn’t try.
Yeah, it sucks when you give your work to others to critique and they had it back to you with notes that speak to their taste over your content. For instance: I wrote an experimental short story that utilized minimalist prose that was about a dragon living inside the moon whose blood gave birth to all life on our planet. Its sleep cycle is regulated by the female menstruation cycle. In essence, it was an antigod story. The dragon (blood wyrm) hates all life and the story ends with its awakening and annihilation of us. Well, a bunch of people took a shit on it, not because of the story structure, but because of their religious views. I gave the same story to some agnostic and atheists I knew and they loved it.
@@danielwright7710 yo, where can we read this? Also, that is why it's important to objectively look at a criticism and gauge if it is actually of substance and can aid you closer towards your vision for the work. You can't write for everyone, but you can strive to write well for someone.
"If it's hard, it's not you, it's not that you're not good enough or something's wrong with you, it's that you're a writer." YES! Everyone who wants to be a writer should see this. If you think it's hard then you're on the right track.
My favorite piece of writing advice I got from a screenwriting teacher. She said "Write the story you want to tell." She went on about how you'll eventually write something someone wants to see, but if you'll always writing what you think others want you to write you'll give up. The writing habit I've had to work around school and oddly has helped me with studying. Getting to write is my treat for studying . It's odd but during midterms I was frustrated because when I was studying I wanted to write, but then when I switched to writing I felt guilty for not studying.
“Know the rules like a pro , so you can break them like an artist.” -Pablo Picasso The key to breaking rules is that it’s done intentionally and while understanding the purpose of the rule.
One of the best pieces of writing advice for me is: Act out scenes!! Read them out loud and act them out in your room or wherever. Make sure they feel realistic. I am very movie-minded, so whenever I write, I almost feel like I'm directing the movie too! My love for movies has really helped my writing journey. Super fun and helpful!
So much of this hits home! I love that you emphasised the 'emotional bandwidth' that the rest of your life can take up, as opposed to simply time spent. And I also love that you made the distinction between forcing yourself to write when you don't feel like it and *knowing how to make yourself feel like it*. These nuances are important!
Consume media you love, mainly books but movies, television shows, and music can also help. In terms of reading, don't limit yourself to just reading the genre you write, because reading outside of it can help too.
This was the pep talk I needed today. I think the best advice I've gotten is you can't edit an empty page & to give yourself permission to be bad. It helped me let go of my inner perfectionist and get 2/3 of the way through my current wip. Your advice in another video to just 'do something crazy' also has been great. Thank you for being you & happy reading on your reading break!
Thanks for the list! I'm currently working on developing a writing habit, doing 500 words of manuscript a day whether I feel inspired or not. Sometimes it's downright painful to get the words on the page when I know it's not good, but hearing you and other RUclipsrs talk about how writing is hard for everyone and nobody's first drafts are perfect is hugely motivational. Keep up the good work! :)
I can’t believe you had a 10th grade English teacher who taught passive voice. I teach college English and 99% of my students have never heard the words passive voice. Lol
After 2002or so Middle and High School Lit teaching philosophy changed in the curriculum. I remember learning passive voice. I think it will come back though because it's changing again. In middle school they are learning how to write essays again so they don't have to go further into depth with that in middle school.
@@MGComics LOL. I lived in Moldova (Eastern Europe) when I started learning English (I was 16 at the time), and I learned the difference between active and passive voice during the second month of my English course. I doubt you can find ANY person who seriously studied English as the second language who hasn't heard of passive voice.
This helped a lot. I suffer from depression and I can't even explain how bad it mixes with writing, lmao. I wish I could write everyday but I just do not have the strength, and you can imagine what this does to my self esteem,,, so hearing all the advice is really comforting. I know I'm doing my best, and I'm a writer!!
I realised this was a year ago after i had written this comment, so I hope you're better, anyways I'm gonna post the comment , maybe it'll be helpful to someone else if not you Yes!!! I used to have depression so my mental health made me unable to write a story i wanted to, but that's when I took a year break from school and everything and focused on getting better and therapy and so i did. And after that you (if you haven't already) will have even more experience to write better and just take your time. Never pressure yourself because depression is real, and maybe it doesn't look to others like that, but at some points it has the same effects as having pneumonia - being unable to do anything but rest and focus on getting better... So just focus on getting better, and it'll all work out in the end that's what i promise
@@johnholland6704 idk, i used to write a lot and when my mental health got really bad, I wasn't able until it got better (I've probably written a few poems about my sadness and stuff, but not anything that was not by sudden burst of inspiration to calm myself down). I had those problems before and was writing them down in form of stories and it turned out good, but when you have a clinical depression, it makes you lose all sense of purpose and make writing pointless... Maybe it's not like that for everyone, but i did use to pressure myself and get angry for wanting to be a writer and wrote a story while I'm not doing it, but I didn't do it because i was clinically unhealthy and in a need of a lot of time and focus consuming treatment. 5 years later I'm a new person, it all worked out amazingly, am highly motivated and successful so yeah, it sometimes just isn't possible to live your full potential until you make sure you get better Idk if I've repeated myself if so I'm sorry
Alexa, whether you see this or not, I want to thank you for advice no. 8. You're the first published writer I've ever seen to give this piece of advice. As a mentally ill writer, this is so important to me and it nearly brought me to tears. So thank you for telling us that it's ok to forgive ourselves for not churning out that writing.
I'm a beginner writer (I write in italian) and to me writing is exciting and difficult at the same time, I'm always looking for the right words and that takes a lot of time! I can spend half an hour or sometimes a whole hour just to write a sentence (not every sentence) but when I finally get it, it feels very rewarding.
I love this! All suggestions were great, but I loved the reminder to read. Reading is the fuel to the creative fire, and for most of us, it's why we wanted to write in the first place!
My problem is I hate things that are non-essential. I think schooling did this to me, probably. But I can't stand reading all of the setting stuff, and dialogue that doesn't matter,etc... because of this, I realize I probably won't be writing anything people want to write haha!
I write a lot, and I always feel like I'm putting too much dialogue and not enough narration. But actually, everything I want to say is said in the dialogue and some paragraphs! And it's actually easier to read after 😅
Love this! My pet peeve, as an indie author, is people rushing to publication without doing the required rewriting and revision. These are the same people who like to brag about how many books they write a year. It's a stain on the self-publishing community and the main reason, IMHO, why we aren't taken seriously in some circles. I can't afford an editor, but I make damn sure my manuscripts are as clean as I can make them before passing them on to beta readers. Terrific advice all around, Alexa!
On the writing is rewriting tip: I recently had a conversation with my grandfather because I was proud of how much I'd written in such a short amount of time. His comment was "quality over quantity." Normally, I take his advice very seriously, I consider him a wise man, but in this case it was wrong. When writing a first draft, it really is a matter of quantity first. You can edit and revise and polish your first chapter all you want, but it means nothing if you don't have the rest of the story with it. For first drafts, it really is important to get it all down, and to see what pieces you're working with, so you can see what is missing and what needs tweaked or fixed or polished or sometimes even omitted. Writing is rewriting, and rewriting is getting to do the fun stuff once you know where all the building blocks are.
On the emotional health part, here are some serious tips: 1) Eat healthfully. You don't have to splurge on ridiculous organic foods with goofy names. Just simple ingredients that have no or next-to-no artificial components. I always recommend meal prep for lunches and be creative for dinner. It makes it easy to eat during the day and wind down during the evening in a pleasant way. 2) "Early to bed, early to rise" is not a meme. I started going to bed at 9/10 pm and started waking up at 5/6 am and now not only do I get more work done before lunch, but now less of my day feels wasted. This is great for people who get easily distracted by what's on TV or social media. Speaking of: 3) Don't consume mass media, particularly stuff like cable news, pop music, and pornography. That stuff is like junk food for your soul. It's not there to add nourishment or fulfillment. Instead, engage with media that make you feel like you experienced or learned something new and nice. In short, treat media like an art gallery. What kind of paintings would YOU wait in line for an hour to see? 4) Reduce social media usage. It's fine to keep up to date with friends, events, people you look up to, etc, but social media can easily become a gateway that sucks you into drama, gossip, and anxiety over people's opinions about you. 5) TAKE. COLD. SHOWERS. Trust me on this. 6) Exercise. It doesn't have to be strenuous, but sitting down while writing for a long time can be really OOF, so take time to do stretching, walking, or even just straight up going to the gym for an hour or so. I lift weights at the gym, and afterward I feel like I'm ready to take on anything. 7) Give compliments and encouragement. You'll feel really good knowing that you helped others feel good. I really like telling people that they're wearing something well or that their writing idea is really interesting and creative.
I started a routine (I'm homeschooled) I wake up 5/6am, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, check direct messages, do school work, eat lunch, do more school work, workout, spend time with the fam/watch movies/read/write/ect. , wash my face, brush my teeth, go to bed 9/10am, and its helped a ton with me mental health it took a while to adapt to but I've been doing it for a month now.
i agree with eveerything except hating pop music. there's still artistry and composition that goes into pop music, even if a lot of it is banal. there's a reason some music gains massive appeal and other music doesn't- someone had to create and develop the sounds/chords that please others.
I am so glad I found your videos Alexa. I need your reality checks.You have made me excited to write again, but also terrified. One minute I am about to write a best seller, the next I feel that with so many great writers out there, who would want to read mine? See what I mean? Thank you for bringing clarity to my crazy writing and reading world.Your enthusiasm is infectious. I am a writer, repeat 10 times every day.
Excellent advice. Whenever I get stuck, I read. I also agree with showing up to write and making it a habit. Also set attainable goals and don’t play the comparison game. It’ll deplete the emotional bandwidth.
YES!! CONFLICT!! THANK YOU!! Conflict is hard to write if you love your characters so much, but good lord, is it exciting. I've turned into something of a junior sadist because I love injecting plot with angst (and torturing my readers). NEW WRITERS: CONFLICT IS YOUR BEST TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX!
If you're too busy to read books in hard copy, your local library or the library of your largest nearby big city probably has an app where if you have a library card (you can usually get a library card online) you can check out audio books for free! You can listen while driving, taking care of kids, as you fall asleep, while cooking, etc!!!
The creating a healthy space thing is so true! I recently got made redundant and my creativity is so much better now than it was when I was working! I wrote more this past month than I did the six months before that, obviously I have stress from money and needing to get another job, but at the moment I have more time to focus on myself and my writing and it's really helped.
Any day that Alexa Donne drops a writer pep talk is a good day! I especially love your reasoning for reading as writers, particularly in your chosen genre. You can read all the craft books and take all the writing classes you want, but there is so much that just seeps into you about story structure, character development, etc. when you're reading amply and mindfully!
This was super helpful, thank you Alexa! I've been developing a little morning routine, and I tend to watch your videos while I eat my breakfast, and then go to my writing when the video and my breakfast are done. I really appreciate all the work that you do, and your energy and sense of humor along the way!
I'm so glad you talked about emotional bandwidth in this video! It is very real. Once I started working with public while going to college full time, I lost all my energy to write. I stopped writing for a good part of a decade, but once I started freelancing, the words started flowing out of me again. I also now have time to commit to writing regularly. I know freelancing isn't for everyone, because it can be stressful, but it really helped me. Anyway, thanks for your videos! They're great.
I love your view on "being a writer". I haven't finished any longer novel (and I have a few of them) but I still feel like an author and nobody will tell me I'm not. I had a "writing" professor who is actually a writer, like, he has published book, and on the first day he told us that probably none of us will ever be writers... ummm nope? Not anyone can be a writer but it also isn't something that is reserved only for published ones. Love you and happy reading!
Writing peptalkery is my fave phrase. There’s so much power in taking ownership of the title of writer. Loved this advice so much but man do I struggle sometimes with reading within my genre of its too close to what I’m writing. I never want it to influence my story or characters-then there’s times I read an author’s work (I’m looking at you Laini Taylor) and wonder why I bother because my writing style will never be hers but man do I wish it was. I still agree that you have to read if you want to write, though. 💜
Love this so much thank you! I always get so caught up with perfectionism and compare/despair that my brain is like "ugh, writing? What is that!?" But videos like this always help to get out of a slump so thank you!
Also, aside from reading, editing other people's work has helped me improve my own writing. I learned what NOT to do as well as what works well in a novel.
Anime is also excellent for teaching story structure and character arcs. When I watch an anime I ask, "What can this teach me about writing?" If the answer is nothing, I drop it hard. The reason I got into anime was how much it reminded me of books. Missing an episode or two is like skipping chapter 13 and 14 of a book and jumping from 12 to 15. Fairy Tail is one of the best I've found for this. At least those into fantasy and magic. But there's a lot of really awesome 12 episode ones. Classroom of the Elite is good for competing youths within the same school. Orange is good if you need to know impressive ways to combine suicide, romance, and time travel. Of course I do read YA, just saying anime about teenagers overcoming their odds is also akin to YA novels.
Eprocto-Files I think people with open mind have the advantage of learning from different mediums: books, anime, manga, comics, webcomics, movie scripts and tv shows and so many different genres... It’s awesome ❤️ I like how you analyze it ^^
@@giveandtake8428 YES! Death Note is gold. Fullmetal Alchemist brings up unique ideas and Japanese media in general can flip your perspective if you don't live in Japan. Many of the stories we read are US/UK centric which is limiting to our thought processes and the way in which we approach story structure.
Anime helped me write more. Anime helped me create my own character arcs and with writing fan fiction and I learned so much through writing and reading fanfics because it taught me how to research and made many writing friends along the way. It's such a shame that a lot of friends I've met during my writing journey no longer write.
Read Asian fantasy novels for a good change in perspective. Manga and anime have a drastic advantage in telling a story compared to plain writing. Reading popular translated works like The Second Coming of Gluttony, The Amber Sword, City of Sin
I love your advise, it so true that not all hard and fast rules are actually rules to be put into practice. I am learning so much and really enjoying it!As for reading in the genre you are writing in.... Well to be honest I often read all types of books. It is a great way for me to clear my brain ( what little I have left)not to say I don't also read in the genre I write in, but not always. I eat books on a regular basis. I have one in the car, the jon, the living room ect. Yes they are all different genres and worse yet I read them all at once. Don't shoot me I do even read magazines when my brain is on overload. I am enjoying your vlog immensely. Keep on vlofgging
I'm on page three of my novel, and I just want to say thank you for making videos like these! I've watched so many, and honestly, they've been a huge help in even just getting the courage to start writing my own stuff! I have a long way to go, but I 100% believe I can do it!
Love the "writing is rewriting" advice. I think I've heard it before but today was one of those days where it just really sunk in. Specifically loved how you applied it to story choice! l I'm pretty good at ignoring the perfectionist in my head when it comes to word choice but I do constantly get hung up on "am I taking this in the right direction?" especially now at 3/4 through my current WIP. Going to start applying that same "writing is rewriting" advice to those story moments from now on. Thanks for the pep talk :D
As far as fighting perfectionism goes, I find it's helpful to go into the first draft with the _intention_ of formatting badly, of using repetitive words, and of making the prose worse than you would like it to be. The first draft should always focus on the story, _not_ on the words used to tell it. If you intentionally make it bad, your perfectionism doesn't have room to kick in, and once you have the whole thing down you can go back and edit it to make it read smoothly and sound good. Patch together a shoddy scaffold, and then go back and rebuild it once you figure out its shape.
I swear she’s the best person to come to when it comes to someone who is trying to write their first original work. I use to write fan fiction and now I’m trying to write my own original work and she has helped me so much!
Thank you. Your videos always make me feel better about writing and encourage me to continue. Many writing educators leave me feeling overwhelmed and defeated. You're a blessing. Namaste, Gracie
You are so legit generous with your knowledge. So many people hoard their key knowledge like dragons, no matter the craft, even under the pretense of sharing! They go all enigmatic, or just do a bunch of set up only to give their oh-so-original "one weird hack". It's weird! 😅 Or they're just bad at articulating things. Even a lot of huge pros. They'll be haughty, showing off, seeking to demonstrate superiority, net some more standom and adoration. Or they're dramatically bardic and performy, and/or hyper edited and produced; like they're trying to impress people with their skills instead of *sharing* with those most in need. Many people do this even while under the pretense of talking on a level. I'm going to sound super fangirly, but screw it. (Lol) You just share like a teacher who actually cares to see success from her pupils. Or like a friend excitedly talking to you after a big life-learning moment, relaying it without reaching for applause. It's so refreshing on youtube! And your advice is spot-on, specific, actionable.. just no nonsense. My new favorite channel for this type of info. 😏 Thank you!
I haven't read a book in so long. And im a writer. I feel like that bit of advice should have come as a given, as something OBVIOUS, but i just simply hadn't thought of that... I really need to start reading again. Thank you for the video!
Looks a great advice. I love conflict, I love revolution, I love destruction and people being teared apart, broken hearts, disturbing situations, assassination, malicious people, tortured souls, vengeance, distrust, lies, etc. That's the sauce of my books. I really liked your advices.
Great advice! Really enjoying your videos! As for advice, I just happened to think of something I recently discovered, but I don't know if you've mentioned it or not. Sometimes I'll write some great scenes or good dialogue, but it doesn't quite fit in the overall story. So I just make separate pages with these good bits on them and then when I come to a point in my story where it seems to fit better, then I can put it in! (Course sometimes I have to edit it a bit.) Writing when I don't feel like it, is also a problem for me, that and constantly rewriting so much I don't make much progress.I always seem to get my best ideas late at night, but I don't feel like getting up and writing them down. Of course, I've forgotten them when I wake up in the morning!
This has helped me stay motivated to keep writing eventhough its hard to find the time or energy these days with a 18 month old keeping me busy, thankyou :)
Learning to put something down and go, "OK it's good enough." Has always been super hard for me. Right now I'm trying to get into writing (more as a hobby, although I would like to eventually have at least one thing published), but my day job is costume making. SO there are many, many, many days where I have to repeat to myself, "OK it's good enough, time to walk away."
It helped me SO MUCH to read this comment on a famous author's blog: "Well, my latest MS got rejected." That might not seem helpful at first blush, but the realization that EVEN FAMOUS AUTHORS STILL GET REJECTED was strangely comforting to me. It meant that even people with celebrated talent and a proven audience sometimes still write stuff that doesn't pass muster with an editor. It also exposed what had been a blind spot in my brain; I hadn't overtly thought about it, but on a subliminal level I really believed that at a certain point writers *arrive* and after that they get to publish everything they write. That isn't even remotely true.
For the 7th pointI actually write in a way I call "ligth reading". Where it really doesn't feel you read that much but you actually do. And I think is bc I don't use many fancy words. For my when I read is important to nail two things in my writing and that's flow and emotional flow. At least that how I look at it, it might sound the same but for me Emotional flow is that the emotional rollercoaster the characters in the scene go thru is a racional conclusion to (personality+experience+situacion+external reaction) and doesn't jump from one felling to an other if there's no reason to it. And Flow, is the way this emotional flow affects the scene actively to develop the scene itself, so it becomes an easy read (I edit until I'm satisfied with it). Since I'm not a good reader, I tend to get confuse really easy if it's not well explain sometimes when reading so if I can't read and understand it and get it then it isn't good for me xD Which I think is a good method since my betareades have told me they can read a lot without notice it but I wish I could be half of good at plotting... wich I suck.
my problem is I used to enjoy reading when I was younger but have a harder time getting into it now, so I kinda have to force myself to read anything and I miss actually enjoying it. but yeah I've definitely had the experience of running empty after writing a lot without refilling my well.
You're advice is AMAZING!!!!!! SO SO AMAZING! every time I get stuck on writing my novel I come to you and you help so much!! Have you done a video on choosing a title for you're book?
Great video, as always! What you said about slow beginnings is very interesting. I’ve been panicking so much over this in my own writing, not wanting to infodump or bore my readers in the beginning. So I’ve ended up at the other extreme. I recently asked for feedback from two professional editors, and they both mentioned that I am in too much of a hurry in the beginning, and don’t take enough time to establish the world, the problems, or the relationship between the two main characters. Much of it was in place in earlier drafts, but I felt it was dragging, and just cut more and more. Now I’ve had to add it back in. Anyway, how did I make this about me? Great video, keep it up!
I write mostly short stories/short form/fanfics and I reread my work a lot, especially when something isn't working. What I like to do is if I need to cut or completely alter something, I create what I like to call "a void document". Basically it's a place where I can store my old work from wherever I'm writing it so I don't feel terrified of just up and deleting my work. Because I have a hard time with that because "oh I never finish anything" combined with "I need to see what I've done otherwise I dont feel like Ive accomplished anything". (Thanks adhd and depression.) It's helped me and I figured I'd share and see if it helps others. 💛
This was such a fantastic video ✨ I felt like every piece of advice was speaking directly to my WIP/writing process - particularly pacing and flow, so thank you!
all good advice and very peppy! just what I needed - my job is stressful and when I finally have time to write I don't always have the energy. I am determined to finish the book this summer while things have died down a little though, and having a good calm atmosphere to write in would really help me!
Yeheh, I felt my head shaking many times at your advices😵💫 I wrote a book and I am in the editing phases, and it looks like a F* never ending story. But I am glad I like to write. Never saw myself as a writer. But now i truly am a writer😎 To be sure I want to join NaNoWrimo: here it comes to using writers skills - training them- and using your imagination. My first book is a true story. I had all ingredients within myself. So I started to learn how to outline but I think iam a pantser🤣 Still I need a good idea for NaNoWrimo. The sheets are there. Now the story to put it in. Thank you for sharing your advices. Love listening to you❤️- you are vibrant! Or vibrantly🤔uhh
I honestly feel really bad for the person I was 2-3 years ago. When I transferred to a university, classes were so hard that I began to hate myself for coming up with new story ideas out of the blue. I just couldn't help it, and so I forced myself (trained myself) to stop coming up with ideas. I became so unhappy during those two years of my life. I felt dead. I had no ambition. It was like I had forced myself into depression. I'm finally starting to get back to writing a bit more frequently, and I finally feel a bit more happy. Your videos are helping me so much with my new journey!
I was amazed when rewriting actually made my first draft better and editing made it better. My advice to increase emotional band width is use bilateral music while writing and for meditation breaks.
I really needed to hear that last bit. I'm not in paid employment so when people ask me what I do I get flustered and ashamed. But I write almost everyday and I'm working actively on a novel, so why shouldn't I call myself a writer? Why should I feel like a fraud? Again, thank you 🙂
I actually thought it was fairly easy to write a book (at least my first). But, it took a LOT of time and dedication, and if you don't have that it'll be hard. Then, I had had this story in my head for years, so it was easy for me to write it. Other stories haven't come as easy. But, for me, the main problems came in editing. Because rewriting is hard, moving things is hard, line editing is time-consuming, etc. I wrote the book in 6 months, I've been editing it for 9 now. :P
I got into a major writing slump around high school around 2007ish. I think after that any books I read were more academic in nature. More history books. But mostly just the internet. If I was reading anything it was fanfic. But then I went to college and well... if you're not drawing, you're not artisting properly. 8,) I'm graduating soon now but I've been away from books I didn't already own for so long I have no idea where to even start. Other than I love pure fantasy. Not sure if I want anything to do with contemporary stuff.
Thank you, Alexa! This is great! When I read a novel that I love, the plotline seems inevitable, like the author knew exactly what choices to make from start to finish. It's like looking at a solved Rubik's cube. I feel like my own WIP should have that feeling of inevitabiity, and I end up paralyzed.
i've been watching your channel for a while now and i love your videos - really helpful & also realistic! of all the writing channels i've found on yt yours is my favourite lol ♡
Great video Alexa!! :) I loved your tips. Recently I was told to expand my scenes which I didn’t know what it meant until recently. Also to alway indent before a character speaks. To try to create a glance or showing and telling. I’ve been telling more than showing but that’s what revising is for. Third person seems to be the easiest POV to write and I’ve always been told it’s a good POV to use, especially beginner writers such as myself. Just curious what are your top books on writing that have helped you? Who are your favorite authors and why?
No play off of Dori's song from Nemo: Just keep writing... writing... writing.... Just keep writing... writing... writing... What do we do we write... write write write!
The biggest one for me is to stop sabotaging yourself with embarrassment or fear. Give yourself permission to put crappy work on the page, and get it out there, and write. You can worry about mistakes and continuity and awkward dialogue later. I realized that my best work comes out when I'm "in the zone," flowing and writing without a single care for hours, not worrying about any mistakes or continuity errors I may have made until later. That's when it flows the most naturally, in my experience.
My biggest progress jump was when I gave myself a M-F word count quota. I'm a busy stay at home mom, but during nap time I am at my computer 'working'. My motivation is to write myself a book. Even if it isn't published, I will have my own novel! My favorite paraphrased quote by Dostoevsky: "I may experience some relief from writing it all down."
I personally draw comics and I've developed my own way of doing mulitiple projects. Usually just two, I have my main one and than I have the one I'm planning. So if I can't think of dialogue or my drawing is bad for a bit. I take a step back, set a timer and work on the other project for a half an hour or so. Then when I return to the main project it's like magic and I can work again.
Conflict. Scene number one: pound your main characters with a sledgehammer. Scenes numbers two through........................whenever: keep using bigger and bigger sledgehammers.
Ugh I needed to hear this xD made the mistake of reading pages I wrote a few months ago. On the plus side, I can see my improvement. On the downside :/ Editing editing editing
I love to write. I do amazing in English and actually scored higher than 85% of my school when I took the PSAT freshman year. I skipped two grades in English class due to essays and narratives. I still always feel incompetent with my writing. I always feel like publishing my books is impossible. It may be my age that discourages this, I’m not sure.
I am surprised that conflict is something many fail to include. On Wattpad I have read a few stories that didn't seem to have a driving kind of conflict, but just minor conflicts that didn't make the flow of the entire story change. I thought this was really rare, but then I have only read published books before now. But upon reading unedited stories by people online, I have found this is more common than I thought. As a teacher, I always tell my kids when they write to include a problem that needs to be solved before the story ends. :P How is this something people fail to do? I mean, have they never read a book or watched a movie in their lives?
Loved the vid'... AND you'd probably file "this one" under "Fighting Perfectionism"... The way I was told, was that the first draft is the "step 1" of the writing process. "Tell the damn story"... OR more (dubiously) precise, "Don't sweat getting it right. Get it written." For part of that, there's so much more ease in fixing what's obviously wrong later... There's a lot of merit to being extra careful through the draft for "goofs" like typo's, BUT focusing on getting the story told to begin with is the first step. On the other side of that same coin, it's never going to be PERFECT, no matter how much you edit, re-write, retro-fit, augment or accent, add in or strip away... SO you might as well "fight the battles you KNOW you can win" and let the rest go... clunky dialogue spots and all. ...I mean, I do bang my head against the wall so long and hard because it feels SO DAMN GOOD when I stop, but there are limits... even for the poor wall. ;o)
![Hunxho - Ball Forever [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nki9ZTF9Uls/mqdefault.jpg)
Every time I’m stalled and those intrusive thoughts tell me I should give up, I just remember “I didn’t come this far to only come this far.”
I should remember this
oeh, I like that one
So true. You gotta keep on plugging away, its the only way to finish. Not always easy, very often not, but a battle worth fighting.
"If you write, you're a writer." Realizing that changed so much for me. Before I always felt like I had to justify my writing time, like writing had to take a back seat until I got published. Once I had that realization though, I stopped justifying stuff or apologizing for needing time to write. I'm much more focused now.
My favorite mantra is adapted from something I saw Victoria Schwab tweet and that's: "You have to write it before you can right it." Helps me fight my inner perfectionist.
Favorite writing advice thing I ever read: “You can’t edit a blank page.”
This simple line helped me SO SO SO much. I have a tendency to get stuck in these ruts where I second guess every little word. It gets so bad that I’ll become frozen before even finishing the first draft of something. By telling myself that it’s okay if it isn’t perfect because I can edit later.
I am able to push forward and just write.
I sympathize with you. There is moments I find myself writing, getting stuck, going back to edit and rereading it I feel like a hack and I hate myself for being a terrible writer and I tend to just stop for the day, and sometimes multiple days if it was a really bad self loathing moment. I haven't learned to push through yet, but I hope to get where you are!
For me, I had to accept the fact that writing is subjective. Just because one person (or even multiple people) dislike your work or have issues with it doesn’t mean it’s bad. You should consider their advice, of course, but also remember that you can’t please everyone and shouldn’t try.
Yeah, it sucks when you give your work to others to critique and they had it back to you with notes that speak to their taste over your content. For instance: I wrote an experimental short story that utilized minimalist prose that was about a dragon living inside the moon whose blood gave birth to all life on our planet. Its sleep cycle is regulated by the female menstruation cycle. In essence, it was an antigod story. The dragon (blood wyrm) hates all life and the story ends with its awakening and annihilation of us. Well, a bunch of people took a shit on it, not because of the story structure, but because of their religious views. I gave the same story to some agnostic and atheists I knew and they loved it.
@@danielwright7710 yo, where can we read this?
Also, that is why it's important to objectively look at a criticism and gauge if it is actually of substance and can aid you closer towards your vision for the work. You can't write for everyone, but you can strive to write well for someone.
"If it's hard, it's not you, it's not that you're not good enough or something's wrong with you, it's that you're a writer."
YES! Everyone who wants to be a writer should see this. If you think it's hard then you're on the right track.
My favorite piece of writing advice I got from a screenwriting teacher. She said "Write the story you want to tell."
She went on about how you'll eventually write something someone wants to see, but if you'll always writing what you think others want you to write you'll give up.
The writing habit I've had to work around school and oddly has helped me with studying. Getting to write is my treat for studying . It's odd but during midterms I was frustrated because when I was studying I wanted to write, but then when I switched to writing I felt guilty for not studying.
“Know the rules like a pro , so you can break them like an artist.” -Pablo Picasso
The key to breaking rules is that it’s done intentionally and while understanding the purpose of the rule.
One of the best pieces of writing advice for me is: Act out scenes!! Read them out loud and act them out in your room or wherever. Make sure they feel realistic. I am very movie-minded, so whenever I write, I almost feel like I'm directing the movie too! My love for movies has really helped my writing journey. Super fun and helpful!
So much of this hits home! I love that you emphasised the 'emotional bandwidth' that the rest of your life can take up, as opposed to simply time spent. And I also love that you made the distinction between forcing yourself to write when you don't feel like it and *knowing how to make yourself feel like it*. These nuances are important!
Consume media you love, mainly books but movies, television shows, and music can also help. In terms of reading, don't limit yourself to just reading the genre you write, because reading outside of it can help too.
This was the pep talk I needed today. I think the best advice I've gotten is you can't edit an empty page & to give yourself permission to be bad. It helped me let go of my inner perfectionist and get 2/3 of the way through my current wip. Your advice in another video to just 'do something crazy' also has been great. Thank you for being you & happy reading on your reading break!
Thanks for the list! I'm currently working on developing a writing habit, doing 500 words of manuscript a day whether I feel inspired or not. Sometimes it's downright painful to get the words on the page when I know it's not good, but hearing you and other RUclipsrs talk about how writing is hard for everyone and nobody's first drafts are perfect is hugely motivational. Keep up the good work! :)
I can’t believe you had a 10th grade English teacher who taught passive voice. I teach college English and 99% of my students have never heard the words passive voice. Lol
She was an amazing teacher! Pretty sure we learned it in class, though my memory is fuzzy now... but she definitely went over it with me individually!
I live in Mexico and we were taught english and passive voice was included XD Since little children
After 2002or so Middle and High School Lit teaching philosophy changed in the curriculum. I remember learning passive voice. I think it will come back though because it's changing again. In middle school they are learning how to write essays again so they don't have to go further into depth with that in middle school.
@@MGComics LOL. I lived in Moldova (Eastern Europe) when I started learning English (I was 16 at the time), and I learned the difference between active and passive voice during the second month of my English course. I doubt you can find ANY person who seriously studied English as the second language who hasn't heard of passive voice.
I learned that in 6th grade
This helped a lot. I suffer from depression and I can't even explain how bad it mixes with writing, lmao. I wish I could write everyday but I just do not have the strength, and you can imagine what this does to my self esteem,,, so hearing all the advice is really comforting. I know I'm doing my best, and I'm a writer!!
Hey,depression and writing go hand in hand.👍
I realised this was a year ago after i had written this comment, so I hope you're better, anyways I'm gonna post the comment , maybe it'll be helpful to someone else if not you
Yes!!! I used to have depression so my mental health made me unable to write a story i wanted to, but that's when I took a year break from school and everything and focused on getting better and therapy and so i did. And after that you (if you haven't already) will have even more experience to write better and just take your time. Never pressure yourself because depression is real, and maybe it doesn't look to others like that, but at some points it has the same effects as having pneumonia - being unable to do anything but rest and focus on getting better... So just focus on getting better, and it'll all work out in the end that's what i promise
@@johnholland6704 idk, i used to write a lot and when my mental health got really bad, I wasn't able until it got better (I've probably written a few poems about my sadness and stuff, but not anything that was not by sudden burst of inspiration to calm myself down). I had those problems before and was writing them down in form of stories and it turned out good, but when you have a clinical depression, it makes you lose all sense of purpose and make writing pointless... Maybe it's not like that for everyone, but i did use to pressure myself and get angry for wanting to be a writer and wrote a story while I'm not doing it, but I didn't do it because i was clinically unhealthy and in a need of a lot of time and focus consuming treatment. 5 years later I'm a new person, it all worked out amazingly, am highly motivated and successful so yeah, it sometimes just isn't possible to live your full potential until you make sure you get better
Idk if I've repeated myself if so I'm sorry
Me too! 100%❤️
Alexa, whether you see this or not, I want to thank you for advice no. 8. You're the first published writer I've ever seen to give this piece of advice. As a mentally ill writer, this is so important to me and it nearly brought me to tears. So thank you for telling us that it's ok to forgive ourselves for not churning out that writing.
POBODY’S NERFECT 😄
Did you just have a stroke, Pam?
I'm a beginner writer (I write in italian) and to me writing is exciting and difficult at the same time, I'm always looking for the right words and that takes a lot of time! I can spend half an hour or sometimes a whole hour just to write a sentence (not every sentence) but when I finally get it, it feels very rewarding.
I love this! All suggestions were great, but I loved the reminder to read. Reading is the fuel to the creative fire, and for most of us, it's why we wanted to write in the first place!
Big blocks of text. I couldn't read so many books because of this reason. I love dialogue 😍
My problem is I hate things that are non-essential. I think schooling did this to me, probably. But I can't stand reading all of the setting stuff, and dialogue that doesn't matter,etc... because of this, I realize I probably won't be writing anything people want to write haha!
I write a lot, and I always feel like I'm putting too much dialogue and not enough narration. But actually, everything I want to say is said in the dialogue and some paragraphs! And it's actually easier to read after 😅
Love this! My pet peeve, as an indie author, is people rushing to publication without doing the required rewriting and revision. These are the same people who like to brag about how many books they write a year. It's a stain on the self-publishing community and the main reason, IMHO, why we aren't taken seriously in some circles. I can't afford an editor, but I make damn sure my manuscripts are as clean as I can make them before passing them on to beta readers. Terrific advice all around, Alexa!
On the writing is rewriting tip: I recently had a conversation with my grandfather because I was proud of how much I'd written in such a short amount of time. His comment was "quality over quantity." Normally, I take his advice very seriously, I consider him a wise man, but in this case it was wrong. When writing a first draft, it really is a matter of quantity first. You can edit and revise and polish your first chapter all you want, but it means nothing if you don't have the rest of the story with it. For first drafts, it really is important to get it all down, and to see what pieces you're working with, so you can see what is missing and what needs tweaked or fixed or polished or sometimes even omitted. Writing is rewriting, and rewriting is getting to do the fun stuff once you know where all the building blocks are.
On the emotional health part, here are some serious tips:
1) Eat healthfully. You don't have to splurge on ridiculous organic foods with goofy names. Just simple ingredients that have no or next-to-no artificial components. I always recommend meal prep for lunches and be creative for dinner. It makes it easy to eat during the day and wind down during the evening in a pleasant way.
2) "Early to bed, early to rise" is not a meme. I started going to bed at 9/10 pm and started waking up at 5/6 am and now not only do I get more work done before lunch, but now less of my day feels wasted. This is great for people who get easily distracted by what's on TV or social media. Speaking of:
3) Don't consume mass media, particularly stuff like cable news, pop music, and pornography. That stuff is like junk food for your soul. It's not there to add nourishment or fulfillment. Instead, engage with media that make you feel like you experienced or learned something new and nice. In short, treat media like an art gallery. What kind of paintings would YOU wait in line for an hour to see?
4) Reduce social media usage. It's fine to keep up to date with friends, events, people you look up to, etc, but social media can easily become a gateway that sucks you into drama, gossip, and anxiety over people's opinions about you.
5) TAKE. COLD. SHOWERS. Trust me on this.
6) Exercise. It doesn't have to be strenuous, but sitting down while writing for a long time can be really OOF, so take time to do stretching, walking, or even just straight up going to the gym for an hour or so. I lift weights at the gym, and afterward I feel like I'm ready to take on anything.
7) Give compliments and encouragement. You'll feel really good knowing that you helped others feel good. I really like telling people that they're wearing something well or that their writing idea is really interesting and creative.
Sounds so simple to say but these are life changing to do.
Thank you for your tips!!
I started a routine (I'm homeschooled) I wake up 5/6am, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, check direct messages, do school work, eat lunch, do more school work, workout, spend time with the fam/watch movies/read/write/ect. , wash my face, brush my teeth, go to bed 9/10am, and its helped a ton with me mental health it took a while to adapt to but I've been doing it for a month now.
Sputterbugz I’m asexual, am I not a healthy human?
i agree with eveerything except hating pop music. there's still artistry and composition that goes into pop music, even if a lot of it is banal. there's a reason some music gains massive appeal and other music doesn't- someone had to create and develop the sounds/chords that please others.
I am so glad I found your videos Alexa. I need your reality checks.You have made me excited to write again, but also terrified. One minute I am about to write a best seller, the next I feel that with so many great writers out there, who would want to read mine? See what I mean? Thank you for bringing clarity to my crazy writing and reading world.Your enthusiasm is infectious.
I am a writer, repeat 10 times every day.
"Do something terrible!" Hahaha. I love it.
Excellent advice. Whenever I get stuck, I read. I also agree with showing up to write and making it a habit. Also set attainable goals and don’t play the comparison game. It’ll deplete the emotional bandwidth.
YES!! CONFLICT!! THANK YOU!! Conflict is hard to write if you love your characters so much, but good lord, is it exciting. I've turned into something of a junior sadist because I love injecting plot with angst (and torturing my readers). NEW WRITERS: CONFLICT IS YOUR BEST TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX!
If you're too busy to read books in hard copy, your local library or the library of your largest nearby big city probably has an app where if you have a library card (you can usually get a library card online) you can check out audio books for free! You can listen while driving, taking care of kids, as you fall asleep, while cooking, etc!!!
The creating a healthy space thing is so true! I recently got made redundant and my creativity is so much better now than it was when I was working! I wrote more this past month than I did the six months before that, obviously I have stress from money and needing to get another job, but at the moment I have more time to focus on myself and my writing and it's really helped.
Any day that Alexa Donne drops a writer pep talk is a good day! I especially love your reasoning for reading as writers, particularly in your chosen genre. You can read all the craft books and take all the writing classes you want, but there is so much that just seeps into you about story structure, character development, etc. when you're reading amply and mindfully!
This was super helpful, thank you Alexa! I've been developing a little morning routine, and I tend to watch your videos while I eat my breakfast, and then go to my writing when the video and my breakfast are done. I really appreciate all the work that you do, and your energy and sense of humor along the way!
"Pobody's Nerfect". Love that. You advice is always great, some of the best out here. thank you so much, ur a huge help to me
I'm so glad you talked about emotional bandwidth in this video! It is very real. Once I started working with public while going to college full time, I lost all my energy to write. I stopped writing for a good part of a decade, but once I started freelancing, the words started flowing out of me again. I also now have time to commit to writing regularly. I know freelancing isn't for everyone, because it can be stressful, but it really helped me. Anyway, thanks for your videos! They're great.
I love your view on "being a writer". I haven't finished any longer novel (and I have a few of them) but I still feel like an author and nobody will tell me I'm not. I had a "writing" professor who is actually a writer, like, he has published book, and on the first day he told us that probably none of us will ever be writers... ummm nope?
Not anyone can be a writer but it also isn't something that is reserved only for published ones.
Love you and happy reading!
My favorite one that is so, so, soooo helpful is (this might have been from you) NOT EVERY CHARACTER MATTERS.
Absolutely reading helps so much to me when I write. Plus, being in book club helps a lot to understand readers opinions base off genre.
Writing peptalkery is my fave phrase. There’s so much power in taking ownership of the title of writer. Loved this advice so much but man do I struggle sometimes with reading within my genre of its too close to what I’m writing. I never want it to influence my story or characters-then there’s times I read an author’s work (I’m looking at you Laini Taylor) and wonder why I bother because my writing style will never be hers but man do I wish it was. I still agree that you have to read if you want to write, though. 💜
"Train yourself to *feel* like writing." That simple wording made a world of difference. Thanks again for fantastic advice!
Love this so much thank you! I always get so caught up with perfectionism and compare/despair that my brain is like "ugh, writing? What is that!?" But videos like this always help to get out of a slump so thank you!
Also, aside from reading, editing other people's work has helped me improve my own writing. I learned what NOT to do as well as what works well in a novel.
Anime is also excellent for teaching story structure and character arcs. When I watch an anime I ask, "What can this teach me about writing?" If the answer is nothing, I drop it hard.
The reason I got into anime was how much it reminded me of books. Missing an episode or two is like skipping chapter 13 and 14 of a book and jumping from 12 to 15.
Fairy Tail is one of the best I've found for this. At least those into fantasy and magic. But there's a lot of really awesome 12 episode ones. Classroom of the Elite is good for competing youths within the same school. Orange is good if you need to know impressive ways to combine suicide, romance, and time travel.
Of course I do read YA, just saying anime about teenagers overcoming their odds is also akin to YA novels.
Eprocto-Files I think people with open mind have the advantage of learning from different mediums: books, anime, manga, comics, webcomics, movie scripts and tv shows and so many different genres... It’s awesome ❤️ I like how you analyze it ^^
Next watch Death Note and Full Metal Alchemist--both versions. Hell, just read the manga.
@@giveandtake8428 YES! Death Note is gold. Fullmetal Alchemist brings up unique ideas and Japanese media in general can flip your perspective if you don't live in Japan. Many of the stories we read are US/UK centric which is limiting to our thought processes and the way in which we approach story structure.
Anime helped me write more. Anime helped me create my own character arcs and with writing fan fiction and I learned so much through writing and reading fanfics because it taught me how to research and made many writing friends along the way. It's such a shame that a lot of friends I've met during my writing journey no longer write.
Read Asian fantasy novels for a good change in perspective. Manga and anime have a drastic advantage in telling a story compared to plain writing.
Reading popular translated works like The Second Coming of Gluttony, The Amber Sword, City of Sin
I love your advise, it so true that not all hard and fast rules are actually rules to be put into practice. I am learning so much and really enjoying it!As for reading in the genre you are writing in.... Well to be honest I often read all types of books. It is a great way for me to clear my brain ( what little I have left)not to say I don't also read in the genre I write in, but not always. I eat books on a regular basis. I have one in the car, the jon, the living room ect. Yes they are all different genres and worse yet I read them all at once. Don't shoot me I do even read magazines when my brain is on overload. I am enjoying your vlog immensely. Keep on vlofgging
You are a gift to the writing community! Thank you for these videos.
I'm on page three of my novel, and I just want to say thank you for making videos like these! I've watched so many, and honestly, they've been a huge help in even just getting the courage to start writing my own stuff! I have a long way to go, but I 100% believe I can do it!
When you were talking about emotional bandwidth and forgiving yourself I just started crying. So that's where I'm at. But thank you. I needed that.
Take care of yourself! I'm currently on a break right now, and just taking is easy is the best thing! I'm feeling so refreshed
I loved every single minute of this video and needed to hear each and every one of these! Thank you so much Alexa!! 🤗
Love the "writing is rewriting" advice. I think I've heard it before but today was one of those days where it just really sunk in. Specifically loved how you applied it to story choice! l I'm pretty good at ignoring the perfectionist in my head when it comes to word choice but I do constantly get hung up on "am I taking this in the right direction?" especially now at 3/4 through my current WIP. Going to start applying that same "writing is rewriting" advice to those story moments from now on. Thanks for the pep talk :D
Thanks for your staightforward yet encouraging videos! Looking forward to reading your book.
As far as fighting perfectionism goes, I find it's helpful to go into the first draft with the _intention_ of formatting badly, of using repetitive words, and of making the prose worse than you would like it to be. The first draft should always focus on the story, _not_ on the words used to tell it. If you intentionally make it bad, your perfectionism doesn't have room to kick in, and once you have the whole thing down you can go back and edit it to make it read smoothly and sound good. Patch together a shoddy scaffold, and then go back and rebuild it once you figure out its shape.
I swear she’s the best person to come to when it comes to someone who is trying to write their first original work. I use to write fan fiction and now I’m trying to write my own original work and she has helped me so much!
Thank you. Your videos always make me feel better about writing and encourage me to continue. Many writing educators leave me feeling overwhelmed and defeated. You're a blessing. Namaste, Gracie
Thank you so much for your extremely helpful writing tips, they’ve reinforced me as I write my high fantasy novel 🍄
You are so legit generous with your knowledge. So many people hoard their key knowledge like dragons, no matter the craft, even under the pretense of sharing! They go all enigmatic, or just do a bunch of set up only to give their oh-so-original "one weird hack". It's weird! 😅
Or they're just bad at articulating things. Even a lot of huge pros. They'll be haughty, showing off, seeking to demonstrate superiority, net some more standom and adoration. Or they're dramatically bardic and performy, and/or hyper edited and produced; like they're trying to impress people with their skills instead of *sharing* with those most in need. Many people do this even while under the pretense of talking on a level.
I'm going to sound super fangirly, but screw it. (Lol) You just share like a teacher who actually cares to see success from her pupils. Or like a friend excitedly talking to you after a big life-learning moment, relaying it without reaching for applause. It's so refreshing on youtube!
And your advice is spot-on, specific, actionable.. just no nonsense.
My new favorite channel for this type of info. 😏 Thank you!
You're SO right
I haven't read a book in so long. And im a writer. I feel like that bit of advice should have come as a given, as something OBVIOUS, but i just simply hadn't thought of that... I really need to start reading again. Thank you for the video!
Looks a great advice.
I love conflict, I love revolution, I love destruction and people being teared apart, broken hearts, disturbing situations, assassination, malicious people, tortured souls, vengeance, distrust, lies, etc. That's the sauce of my books. I really liked your advices.
Great advice! Really enjoying your videos! As for advice, I just happened to think of something I recently discovered, but I don't know if you've mentioned it or not. Sometimes I'll write some great scenes or good dialogue, but it doesn't quite fit in the overall story. So I just make separate pages with these good bits on them and then when I come to a point in my story where it seems to fit better, then I can put it in! (Course sometimes I have to edit it a bit.) Writing when I don't feel like it, is also a problem for me, that and constantly rewriting so much I don't make much progress.I always seem to get my best ideas late at night, but I don't feel like getting up and writing them down. Of course, I've forgotten them when I wake up in the morning!
This has helped me stay motivated to keep writing eventhough its hard to find the time or energy these days with a 18 month old keeping me busy, thankyou :)
Learning to put something down and go, "OK it's good enough." Has always been super hard for me. Right now I'm trying to get into writing (more as a hobby, although I would like to eventually have at least one thing published), but my day job is costume making. SO there are many, many, many days where I have to repeat to myself, "OK it's good enough, time to walk away."
Hi Alexa I really loved this video. As a newbie writer your content has really opened my eyes. A very big thank you! :)
Thanks so much, Alexa!
Learn to use tarot cards! It's not that difficult to learn and the cards really can help lay out characters and scenes
Wow, that's really interesting. I'm gonna have to look into this
That's such a good idea! I use it personally but never thought of it as a source of inspiration
damn! ty for this
I've been thinking about trying that lately.
Any advice on how to do it?
It helped me SO MUCH to read this comment on a famous author's blog: "Well, my latest MS got rejected."
That might not seem helpful at first blush, but the realization that EVEN FAMOUS AUTHORS STILL GET REJECTED was strangely comforting to me. It meant that even people with celebrated talent and a proven audience sometimes still write stuff that doesn't pass muster with an editor. It also exposed what had been a blind spot in my brain; I hadn't overtly thought about it, but on a subliminal level I really believed that at a certain point writers *arrive* and after that they get to publish everything they write. That isn't even remotely true.
Thank you! You've been and will continue to be a great help. Love your spirit.
For the 7th pointI actually write in a way I call "ligth reading". Where it really doesn't feel you read that much but you actually do. And I think is bc I don't use many fancy words. For my when I read is important to nail two things in my writing and that's flow and emotional flow. At least that how I look at it, it might sound the same but for me Emotional flow is that the emotional rollercoaster the characters in the scene go thru is a racional conclusion to (personality+experience+situacion+external reaction) and doesn't jump from one felling to an other if there's no reason to it. And Flow, is the way this emotional flow affects the scene actively to develop the scene itself, so it becomes an easy read (I edit until I'm satisfied with it). Since I'm not a good reader, I tend to get confuse really easy if it's not well explain sometimes when reading so if I can't read and understand it and get it then it isn't good for me xD Which I think is a good method since my betareades have told me they can read a lot without notice it but I wish I could be half of good at plotting... wich I suck.
my problem is I used to enjoy reading when I was younger but have a harder time getting into it now, so I kinda have to force myself to read anything and I miss actually enjoying it. but yeah I've definitely had the experience of running empty after writing a lot without refilling my well.
Your videos are so incredibly helpful. Thank you for going out of your way to help others like myself actually write. I am so grateful.
You're advice is AMAZING!!!!!! SO SO AMAZING! every time I get stuck on writing my novel I come to you and you help so much!! Have you done a video on choosing a title for you're book?
As always, you videos have perfect timing in my writing life. Thank you for sharing and making us take the right path💕
Great video, as always! What you said about slow beginnings is very interesting. I’ve been panicking so much over this in my own writing, not wanting to infodump or bore my readers in the beginning. So I’ve ended up at the other extreme. I recently asked for feedback from two professional editors, and they both mentioned that I am in too much of a hurry in the beginning, and don’t take enough time to establish the world, the problems, or the relationship between the two main characters.
Much of it was in place in earlier drafts, but I felt it was dragging, and just cut more and more.
Now I’ve had to add it back in.
Anyway, how did I make this about me? Great video, keep it up!
I write mostly short stories/short form/fanfics and I reread my work a lot, especially when something isn't working. What I like to do is if I need to cut or completely alter something, I create what I like to call "a void document". Basically it's a place where I can store my old work from wherever I'm writing it so I don't feel terrified of just up and deleting my work. Because I have a hard time with that because "oh I never finish anything" combined with "I need to see what I've done otherwise I dont feel like Ive accomplished anything". (Thanks adhd and depression.) It's helped me and I figured I'd share and see if it helps others. 💛
This was such a fantastic video ✨ I felt like every piece of advice was speaking directly to my WIP/writing process - particularly pacing and flow, so thank you!
These videos always feel like a little smack in the face and then a hug lol I love you alexa
all good advice and very peppy! just what I needed - my job is stressful and when I finally have time to write I don't always have the energy. I am determined to finish the book this summer while things have died down a little though, and having a good calm atmosphere to write in would really help me!
Thanks, Alexa, you're so inspiring.
Yeheh, I felt my head shaking many times at your advices😵💫 I wrote a book and I am in the editing phases, and it looks like a F* never ending story. But I am glad I like to write. Never saw myself as a writer. But now i truly am a writer😎 To be sure I want to join NaNoWrimo: here it comes to using writers skills - training them- and using your imagination. My first book is a true story. I had all ingredients within myself. So I started to learn how to outline but I think iam a pantser🤣 Still I need a good idea for NaNoWrimo. The sheets are there. Now the story to put it in. Thank you for sharing your advices. Love listening to you❤️- you are vibrant! Or vibrantly🤔uhh
I honestly feel really bad for the person I was 2-3 years ago. When I transferred to a university, classes were so hard that I began to hate myself for coming up with new story ideas out of the blue. I just couldn't help it, and so I forced myself (trained myself) to stop coming up with ideas. I became so unhappy during those two years of my life. I felt dead. I had no ambition. It was like I had forced myself into depression. I'm finally starting to get back to writing a bit more frequently, and I finally feel a bit more happy. Your videos are helping me so much with my new journey!
I've editing my first novel, and your vids have been a great help. Keep making these. They are great!
I was amazed when rewriting actually made my first draft better and editing made it better. My advice to increase emotional band width is use bilateral music while writing and for meditation breaks.
I just want you to know that about 1/3 of my motivational playlist is made out of your pep videos
I really needed to hear that last bit. I'm not in paid employment so when people ask me what I do I get flustered and ashamed. But I write almost everyday and I'm working actively on a novel, so why shouldn't I call myself a writer? Why should I feel like a fraud? Again, thank you 🙂
I have no idea if you read these comments, but I just want to let you know that you've helped me so very much
Thank you so much for the pep talk, and have a great reading break!
Thank you Alexa! Appreciate the advice and effort in your vids. This one helped a LOT. :)
I actually thought it was fairly easy to write a book (at least my first). But, it took a LOT of time and dedication, and if you don't have that it'll be hard. Then, I had had this story in my head for years, so it was easy for me to write it. Other stories haven't come as easy. But, for me, the main problems came in editing. Because rewriting is hard, moving things is hard, line editing is time-consuming, etc. I wrote the book in 6 months, I've been editing it for 9 now. :P
I got into a major writing slump around high school around 2007ish. I think after that any books I read were more academic in nature. More history books. But mostly just the internet. If I was reading anything it was fanfic. But then I went to college and well... if you're not drawing, you're not artisting properly. 8,)
I'm graduating soon now but I've been away from books I didn't already own for so long I have no idea where to even start. Other than I love pure fantasy. Not sure if I want anything to do with contemporary stuff.
Thank you, Alexa! This is great! When I read a novel that I love, the plotline seems inevitable, like the author knew exactly what choices to make from start to finish. It's like looking at a solved Rubik's cube. I feel like my own WIP should have that feeling of inevitabiity, and I end up paralyzed.
i've been watching your channel for a while now and i love your videos - really helpful & also realistic! of all the writing channels i've found on yt yours is my favourite lol ♡
Absolutely brilliant words!!
Great video Alexa!! :) I loved your tips. Recently I was told to expand my scenes which I didn’t know what it meant until recently. Also to alway indent before a character speaks. To try to create a glance or showing and telling. I’ve been telling more than showing but that’s what revising is for. Third person seems to be the easiest POV to write and I’ve always been told it’s a good POV to use, especially beginner writers such as myself.
Just curious what are your top books on writing that have helped you?
Who are your favorite authors and why?
Alexa, I love you for your advice/pep talk #10...;-)
No play off of Dori's song from Nemo: Just keep writing... writing... writing.... Just keep writing... writing... writing... What do we do we write... write write write!
You have Elsa eyes in this video, and I love it! Great video, great tips. Writing is hard, Hard, HARD.
The biggest one for me is to stop sabotaging yourself with embarrassment or fear. Give yourself permission to put crappy work on the page, and get it out there, and write. You can worry about mistakes and continuity and awkward dialogue later. I realized that my best work comes out when I'm "in the zone," flowing and writing without a single care for hours, not worrying about any mistakes or continuity errors I may have made until later. That's when it flows the most naturally, in my experience.
My biggest progress jump was when I gave myself a M-F word count quota. I'm a busy stay at home mom, but during nap time I am at my computer 'working'. My motivation is to write myself a book. Even if it isn't published, I will have my own novel! My favorite paraphrased quote by Dostoevsky: "I may experience some relief from writing it all down."
I personally draw comics and I've developed my own way of doing mulitiple projects. Usually just two, I have my main one and than I have the one I'm planning. So if I can't think of dialogue or my drawing is bad for a bit. I take a step back, set a timer and work on the other project for a half an hour or so. Then when I return to the main project it's like magic and I can work again.
I so needed to hear the part about not being perfect.
I recently discovered your channel, and your videos always make me so motivated to go write
Conflict. Scene number one: pound your main characters with a sledgehammer. Scenes numbers two through........................whenever: keep using bigger and bigger sledgehammers.
Use a spiked sledgehammer
Ugh I needed to hear this xD made the mistake of reading pages I wrote a few months ago. On the plus side, I can see my improvement. On the downside :/ Editing editing editing
I love to write. I do amazing in English and actually scored higher than 85% of my school when I took the PSAT freshman year. I skipped two grades in English class due to essays and narratives. I still always feel incompetent with my writing. I always feel like publishing my books is impossible. It may be my age that discourages this, I’m not sure.
I am surprised that conflict is something many fail to include. On Wattpad I have read a few stories that didn't seem to have a driving kind of conflict, but just minor conflicts that didn't make the flow of the entire story change. I thought this was really rare, but then I have only read published books before now. But upon reading unedited stories by people online, I have found this is more common than I thought. As a teacher, I always tell my kids when they write to include a problem that needs to be solved before the story ends. :P How is this something people fail to do? I mean, have they never read a book or watched a movie in their lives?
Loved the vid'...
AND you'd probably file "this one" under "Fighting Perfectionism"...
The way I was told, was that the first draft is the "step 1" of the writing process. "Tell the damn story"... OR more (dubiously) precise, "Don't sweat getting it right. Get it written."
For part of that, there's so much more ease in fixing what's obviously wrong later... There's a lot of merit to being extra careful through the draft for "goofs" like typo's, BUT focusing on getting the story told to begin with is the first step. On the other side of that same coin, it's never going to be PERFECT, no matter how much you edit, re-write, retro-fit, augment or accent, add in or strip away... SO you might as well "fight the battles you KNOW you can win" and let the rest go... clunky dialogue spots and all.
...I mean, I do bang my head against the wall so long and hard because it feels SO DAMN GOOD when I stop, but there are limits... even for the poor wall. ;o)