I have written and published my 1st book in 2021-2022. My experience had been a terrible one. Nobody understood and supported me on my decision. The main reason is because the majority here in the Philippines especially in the Cordillera region are not readers and the assumed that I am just wasting my time with my hobby of writing instead of searching for ways to earn especially during the pandemic. The book is not he best written book ever or even qualified as a regular novel in my opinion but it is about my autistic brother (The Man Without Personality). It did sell initially but mostly by my friends, relative and those who knew me. As for now, I am currently working on my second manuscript and still watching on writing advices and online writing courses online in between breaks as I did on my first writing journey. Thanks for the great advice.
I lost so many writing projects in my life. First I had two of my first draft handwritten in a notebook during college and one day after finishing college my mom decided to clean my bookshelves and threw away most of my books and both of my notebooks. I still have vague memories of what I was writing so I plan on rewriting them from memory. Another project I was a few chapters In on a word document and my brother borrowed my laptop and ended up deleting the document. I can't believe I never backed it up It really demotivated me from writing and after many years I'm finally picking up my pen back again.
That's sad...did your mom not know or value your writing? Regardless, if you love writing, keep going, just be more careful next time, and you'll write something even better than what you wrote before.
@@Hello-hello-hello456 Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately I was too shy to let any of my family know that I wrote romance stories at that time.
Tip 5! Tracking your progress is a great thing to do. I used to do this by timing myself as I wrote and seeing how many words I got at the end of the day and how long I was writing for. When you finish a draft it tells you a lot. Tip 7 I'm not a fan of word sprints. They caused me a lot of problems in the past, but they can work for people. Sarah as you said it was a game-changer for you. I think word sprints work better for those who are more pantsers than planners. Great video, enjoy New Year's Eve!
I meet with a group of writers once a week and we do "sprints", but we always say what goal we have before we start. So, sometimes someone will have that whole chapter planned out and they really want to a lot of yardage on it and they'll set a high goal. And then other times (especially for me), there's a much lower goal because I'm revising or editing. I guess we shouldn't call them sprints anymore. Maybe just "jogs"?
@@seattlerain4809 I bet when you were doing sprints you wrote until you used up all your creative juices. It takes a while for it to return when that happens. I used to use up everything I had in the tank in a marathon of writing. Not sprints, just writing all day for a few days. Then have to wait a month to write again. The solution is to stop writing when you have something left and know where you're going in the story. Hemmingway was really on to something.
Awesome advice! One thing that helped me get started was posting new chapters weekly to my Patrons (and eventually Wattpad). I also started writing my story in a more proper format while working on a webcomic, which itself was based on a rough draft I had lying around for about a year. Wattpad actually has a system where they show how long it would approximately take to read a novel, and I set my limit to the length of a movie, thus my first short volume ended up being 2hrs and 48min long.
"Wattpad actually has a system ... " ... of discrimination found in their 'content guidelines'. No explicit sex, whether lawful or unlawful. What?!? Words are not people committing crimes! An artist must express the desires of humans, both good and bad. That is exactly what makes successful stories. What we see on their landing page is instead - "Your voice belongs on bookshelves Wattpad Books aspires to recognize and reflect diverse voices by taking Wattpad stories to published book and onto bookshelves around the world." Interesting how they said, "Wattpad stories" and not, 'Your stories", isn't it? Wattpad stories because they don't deal with other stories, or, could it mean because they weeded out your stories they disagreed with? "Wattpad has the right to close any account or remove content without notice." There is no such right in the Constitution, where are they getting their rights from? They don't own the material and they allowed it on their equipment. Also, the legal system is premised on the the presumption of innocence, until proven otherwise. Since when does a business license include a degree in ethical or legal judgement? That is the purpose of the courts not a small group of people. No-one can touch what you own without your permission, that is theft and/or damage to private property. If you have a 401K, whoever handles your money is responsible for it, called fiduciary duty, and must compensate you for any loss. Similarly with digital property. I don't care how great the staff are at their vocation, the legal noose is not worth the benefit. What if I wanted to write fiction on their discriminatory practices, with conflicted characters, flawed side-kicks, driven antagonists, world-sized plots, with hundreds of companies and governments and religious groups and fanatics involved with everything from, say, biological, medical, political revolutionary, and basic human sensibility and spirit? Could they be interested? Underage sex trafficking, and hormone blockers, maybe thrown in for added 'realism'? Does my voice belong on Bookshelves? Wattpad doesn't think so, does it? So no, it has its content guidelines because it is involved in many other companies who don't share your artistic skill and storytelling gift, but who instead demand you think the way they do. The noose will tighten, as it has been doing these last dozen decades.
Hi Sara, great video with some great tips and advice. Currently working on my new writing project which I hope will be out this year as well as republishing some previous books of mine, here's hoping 2023 is a great year for us all
Hey Sarah, so I managed to finish the 1st draft of my Novel but I had to split the story in two books otherwise I would have a 160K words (maybe a lot more). I started to write the 2nd draft by hand but I stopped (big mistake), I'm done with RUclips for good so I will start 2023 writing a lot more, I need to tell this story but sometimes I feel unmotivated because I think no one will read it but my sister told me to write at least for myself because it will make my head busy and not thinking about negative thoughts. I can't have a normal job because I suffer from depression and anxiety since 2014 and I have to take medication every day, specially to sleep. Take care. :)
What stops me is the imposter syndrome. Like I am not good enough to tell the story I want to tell, but that is not true at all. I've been working on the same series and even finished the first draft in high school, college and currently, grad school and of course life happens but luckily I still have the same notebook, and characters so it is just a matter of doing it. Thank you for the tips 😊❤️!
10:14 this happened to me once, i was on my third chapter of writing just for fun, than the following day the file was suddenly corrupted, turns out the USB stick i was using was faulty, i just lost the third chapter, but the thing was i wrote like 10 pages it took me 2 days to write.
Help? :) I'm a beginner in creative writing, and the only story that I’m passionate about exploring is suited for a novel length book. The obvious problem is that this project is SUPER hard and takes a lot of research. Unfortunately, this is the only one that I’m really passionate about... And I don't know what to do. I'm stuck between "I should definitely write something shorter, practice my writing skills with short stories and flash fiction!" and "The only thing that is exciting is a historical romance including astronomy that will be VERY difficult for me!" What the h*ll do I do? Do I write the novel because that's the only thing I'm passionate about, or do I force myself to do something more constructive to speed up my learning curve, like writing short stories and flash fiction? Just fyi I’m a Swede, so I will not be writing in English. Sorry for any mistakes.
Good morning, Sara and happy Friday! I loved watching this video because you amaze me every time. Thank you for posting and sharing your writing tips for next year, as I'll being focused on finishing the first draft of my second book in 2023, hopefully. Anyway, have a wonderful day, think positive and stay focused on writing. ❤
Hello, this is awesome and interesting thank you so much for this tips they are useful for me to improve the writing thanks so much for uploading it have a nice day.
This video came at a great time as I’m working towards my debút series. Alfheim Chronicles next year. im hoping to upload the series on wattpad at the end of each quarter.
So Sara, it sounds like you've written quite a bit of content since college. Have you had any success with the querying process through literary agents yet, or are you still editing your written pieces?
I have not queried yet. I wanted to get my writing right and build up a backlog before I went down that path and I talk a little about my new timeline in this video: m.ruclips.net/video/UwdySspk360/видео.html
Or just start outlining dragon books. You will not be able to stop thinking about them until the outlines are completed. Even if the outlines take you years to map out all the way.
@@hankkevinravelzouho5168 I outline all of my books in advance with character sheets, maps, flowcharts, magic system grids and the names of the various capital cities involved in the main plot, so the most I could maybe benefit from in that area is a beta reader. Creating all of those ideas out of thin air is a pretty complex and almost mathematical process. It would all just have to fit together with what I've got so far.
I have written and published my 1st book in 2021-2022. My experience had been a terrible one. Nobody understood and supported me on my decision. The main reason is because the majority here in the Philippines especially in the Cordillera region are not readers and the assumed that I am just wasting my time with my hobby of writing instead of searching for ways to earn especially during the pandemic. The book is not he best written book ever or even qualified as a regular novel in my opinion but it is about my autistic brother (The Man Without Personality). It did sell initially but mostly by my friends, relative and those who knew me. As for now, I am currently working on my second manuscript and still watching on writing advices and online writing courses online in between breaks as I did on my first writing journey. Thanks for the great advice.
I lost so many writing projects in my life. First I had two of my first draft handwritten in a notebook during college and one day after finishing college my mom decided to clean my bookshelves and threw away most of my books and both of my notebooks.
I still have vague memories of what I was writing so I plan on rewriting them from memory.
Another project I was a few chapters In on a word document and my brother borrowed my laptop and ended up deleting the document. I can't believe I never backed it up
It really demotivated me from writing and after many years I'm finally picking up my pen back again.
That's sad...did your mom not know or value your writing? Regardless, if you love writing, keep going, just be more careful next time, and you'll write something even better than what you wrote before.
@@Hello-hello-hello456 Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately I was too shy to let any of my family know that I wrote romance stories at that time.
Tip 5! Tracking your progress is a great thing to do. I used to do this by timing myself as I wrote and seeing how many words I got at the end of the day and how long I was writing for. When you finish a draft it tells you a lot. Tip 7 I'm not a fan of word sprints. They caused me a lot of problems in the past, but they can work for people. Sarah as you said it was a game-changer for you. I think word sprints work better for those who are more pantsers than planners. Great video, enjoy New Year's Eve!
I meet with a group of writers once a week and we do "sprints", but we always say what goal we have before we start. So, sometimes someone will have that whole chapter planned out and they really want to a lot of yardage on it and they'll set a high goal. And then other times (especially for me), there's a much lower goal because I'm revising or editing. I guess we shouldn't call them sprints anymore. Maybe just "jogs"?
@@seattlerain4809 I bet when you were doing sprints you wrote until you used up all your creative juices. It takes a while for it to return when that happens. I used to use up everything I had in the tank in a marathon of writing. Not sprints, just writing all day for a few days. Then have to wait a month to write again. The solution is to stop writing when you have something left and know where you're going in the story. Hemmingway was really on to something.
I'm trying to finish my book this year🤙💫 Tnx for the tips🤙🥰
Nice! You got this!
I am definitely going to use that celebration bit, raising my hands and going 'Woooohoooo!' whenever I complete something. Loved the video!
😂 YESSSSS! It's so much fun!
Awesome advice! One thing that helped me get started was posting new chapters weekly to my Patrons (and eventually Wattpad).
I also started writing my story in a more proper format while working on a webcomic, which itself was based on a rough draft I had lying around for about a year. Wattpad actually has a system where they show how long it would approximately take to read a novel, and I set my limit to the length of a movie, thus my first short volume ended up being 2hrs and 48min long.
That's a great idea!
"Wattpad actually has a system ... "
... of discrimination found in their 'content guidelines'.
No explicit sex, whether lawful or unlawful. What?!? Words are not people committing crimes! An artist must express the desires of humans, both good and bad. That is exactly what makes successful stories.
What we see on their landing page is instead -
"Your voice belongs on bookshelves
Wattpad Books aspires to recognize and reflect diverse voices by taking Wattpad stories to published book and onto bookshelves around the world."
Interesting how they said, "Wattpad stories" and not, 'Your stories", isn't it? Wattpad stories because they don't deal with other stories, or, could it mean because they weeded out your stories they disagreed with?
"Wattpad has the right to close any account or remove content without notice."
There is no such right in the Constitution, where are they getting their rights from? They don't own the material and they allowed it on their equipment. Also, the legal system is premised on the the presumption of innocence, until proven otherwise. Since when does a business license include a degree in ethical or legal judgement? That is the purpose of the courts not a small group of people.
No-one can touch what you own without your permission, that is theft and/or damage to private property. If you have a 401K, whoever handles your money is responsible for it, called fiduciary duty, and must compensate you for any loss. Similarly with digital property.
I don't care how great the staff are at their vocation, the legal noose is not worth the benefit. What if I wanted to write fiction on their discriminatory practices, with conflicted characters, flawed side-kicks, driven antagonists, world-sized plots, with hundreds of companies and governments and religious groups and fanatics involved with everything from, say, biological, medical, political revolutionary, and basic human sensibility and spirit? Could they be interested? Underage sex trafficking, and hormone blockers, maybe thrown in for added 'realism'?
Does my voice belong on Bookshelves? Wattpad doesn't think so, does it? So no, it has its content guidelines because it is involved in many other companies who don't share your artistic skill and storytelling gift, but who instead demand you think the way they do. The noose will tighten, as it has been doing these last dozen decades.
Hi Sara, great video with some great tips and advice. Currently working on my new writing project which I hope will be out this year as well as republishing some previous books of mine, here's hoping 2023 is a great year for us all
Exciting! Good luck and happy writing!
@@SaraLubratt Thank you
Hey Sarah, so I managed to finish the 1st draft of my Novel but I had to split the story in two books otherwise I would have a 160K words (maybe a lot more). I started to write the 2nd draft by hand but I stopped (big mistake), I'm done with RUclips for good so I will start 2023 writing a lot more, I need to tell this story but sometimes I feel unmotivated because I think no one will read it but my sister told me to write at least for myself because it will make my head busy and not thinking about negative thoughts. I can't have a normal job because I suffer from depression and anxiety since 2014 and I have to take medication every day, specially to sleep. Take care. :)
such great tips!!
Thanks for watching!
What stops me is the imposter syndrome. Like I am not good enough to tell the story I want to tell, but that is not true at all. I've been working on the same series and even finished the first draft in high school, college and currently, grad school and of course life happens but luckily I still have the same notebook, and characters so it is just a matter of doing it. Thank you for the tips 😊❤️!
I'm glad you know that the logic is that you are good enough to tell the story you want to tell. Fight that negative voice, you got this!
10:14 this happened to me once, i was on my third chapter of writing just for fun, than the following day the file was suddenly corrupted, turns out the USB stick i was using was faulty, i just lost the third chapter, but the thing was i wrote like 10 pages it took me 2 days to write.
Helpful tips. I'm so glad I found your channel
Happy to have you here!
Milanote is amazing for plotting stories, checklists, having mood boards, notes, etc. Helps me stay organized while I make my game :D
I'll have to check it out!
We really needed this for 2023 ❤️😂BTW love from india
Thanks for watching!
Help? :) I'm a beginner in creative writing, and the only story that I’m passionate about exploring is suited for a novel length book.
The obvious problem is that this project is SUPER hard and takes a lot of research. Unfortunately, this is the only one that I’m really passionate about... And I don't know what to do. I'm stuck between "I should definitely write something shorter, practice my writing skills with short stories and flash fiction!" and "The only thing that is exciting is a historical romance including astronomy that will be VERY difficult for me!"
What the h*ll do I do? Do I write the novel because that's the only thing I'm passionate about, or do I force myself to do something more constructive to speed up my learning curve, like writing short stories and flash fiction?
Just fyi I’m a Swede, so I will not be writing in English. Sorry for any mistakes.
Wow this literally came at the perfect time!!!
Good luck and happy writing!
Good morning, Sara and happy Friday! I loved watching this video because you amaze me every time. Thank you for posting and sharing your writing tips for next year, as I'll being focused on finishing the first draft of my second book in 2023, hopefully. Anyway, have a wonderful day, think positive and stay focused on writing. ❤
Good luck and happy writing in 2023!
@@SaraLubratt Thank you and the same to you, Sara! ❤
Great advice! Going to for sure use this going forward! Also, going to try and couple this with the launch of my own Author/writing RUclips channel!
Exciting!! You got this!
@@SaraLubratt Much appriceated! First video is premiering today! 🤯
Hello, this is awesome and interesting thank you so much for this tips they are useful for me to improve the writing thanks so much for uploading it have a nice day.
You're so welcome!
This video came at a great time as I’m working towards my debút series. Alfheim Chronicles next year. im hoping to upload the series on wattpad at the end of each quarter.
That's awesome!
Love this! Awesome advice!! :D
Thanks for watching!
So Sara, it sounds like you've written quite a bit of content since college. Have you had any success with the querying process through literary agents yet, or are you still editing your written pieces?
I have not queried yet. I wanted to get my writing right and build up a backlog before I went down that path and I talk a little about my new timeline in this video: m.ruclips.net/video/UwdySspk360/видео.html
me using this advice for fanfic
That's great!
Or just start outlining dragon books. You will not be able to stop thinking about them until the outlines are completed. Even if the outlines take you years to map out all the way.
I already can't stop thinking about the books I want to write and that motivates me to get them on the page :)
@@hankkevinravelzouho5168 I outline all of my books in advance with character sheets, maps, flowcharts, magic system grids and the names of the various capital cities involved in the main plot, so the most I could maybe benefit from in that area is a beta reader. Creating all of those ideas out of thin air is a pretty complex and almost mathematical process. It would all just have to fit together with what I've got so far.
Who else is watching this in 2025?
Lol people still watch the 2021 version all the time
:)