I've found that writing advice is very useful when I'm outlining or editing, but if I'm working on a first draft I close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears. (Apparently, I write my first drafts with my nose.)
Thank you so much for sharing! As a writer getting back into writing after a long break, learning to trust my instincts has been one of the biggest lessons I have had to learn.
My three rules of writing a novel. 1 Learn story structure. 2 Always write an outline. 3 Find what works for you and do it, but always be open to trying something new if it sounds good. That's what works for me.
I have something similar: 1. Do what works for you. 2. Be honest about Rule 1. Don't do something that isn't working just because it makes you feel smart and/or unique.
K your comment re: how complex a process writing truly is has been a huge, unexpected discovery for me. I've spent the past year absorbing 'wisdom' from on-line coaches, purchasing a few 'how to' books (several of yours) as I've attempted to finish a first draft. This was a timely video. Balancing between 'learning' and 'doing' has been difficult.
I would like to add another way of describing what I think you're trying to impart: I call it anecdotal learning. I like to think of it as learning a pixel at a time. For a while, any pixel you learn is hard to understand in the context of the whole, but after you digest enough pixels, you start to see a hint of the bigger picture. Once you can see what the picture is, all subsequent pixels start to make more and more sense, and you start to see immediately where each new pixel you learn fits in. You start to understand the pixels as you learn them. Just learn technique after technique after technique, and don't about trying to retain or understand each technique. Just move on to the next technique and have faith that they are building an understanding within you.
Of all your videos and articles that have shaped me as a writer, this video is food for my soul... for my mental health as a writer. Thank you for your profound words.
I'm glad I published a book before learning the art of storytelling. The learning curve is intimidatingly steep. Like many, I then spent too long following others' advice, which led to bland, but politically correct books-I lost my passion. Was only when I embraced failure and returned to writing for myself that I truly found my voice and love for storytelling again.
Absolutely 100% agree. The best way to learn is by writing. And then writing another book. And another. The good writers will find their way. The others will follow the formulas.
One of the strangest things I see all the time in writing spaces online is how so, so many people automatically take what they read in craft books/videos as literal, unalterable gospel truth, instead of a tool they can use if it makes sense in a given situation and is a thing made up of elements you can cherry pick to develop your own personal way of writing. It's not even that there isn't nuance, though that's true as well, but the concept of nuance itself has been so insanely diluted that stepping an inch away from black and white binary choices is considered by many as nuance now, instead of just obvious and normal thinking for a human being. I don't understand why, and it's not just a generational thing, so while it's worse with younger people it's certainly not exclusive to them and at least some of them will evolve out of it as they mature... people are under the mistaken impression that there is a way to self-actualization that comes in the form of being spoon fed and just following the instructions. PS - Is there a GOOD way for a brain to explode? haha
I'm still confused about what I've read all over, especially that you can only fit so many 'scenes' into any story. Does that fit into all of the books written on writing? And from there onto a particular peeve of my own: Is there a reason that any particular chapter/scene must NOT be separated by an empty line, or even any signal that while we are still in the same place, the 'old' scene is now almost over. I've been reading older novels recently, and they are not so much different from newer novels. But reading one sequence of a chapter, and the next line just jars you out of whatever you were actually reading beforehand, just because there was not just a simple empty line before the next part of the the story/chapter. I really hate writers to have write scenes without any divides, even if the focus actually shifts during the scene. And the scene should be divided anyway. anyway! 😝
I like your thoughts here. Asking good questions is always the best starting point for any problem. I have been an almost-writer my whole life, always getting in my own way over some excuse, distraction, or sense of futility. I never sought much advice - for me the missing ingredient was always discipline. I have the impulse to write, but my latest insecurity is that AI has made (or will make) this skill obsolete. I imagine completing a project that takes many months and trying to submit it, only to be “competing” with an endless swamp of auto-generated content. Do you have any tips about this specific worry? What are publishers doing to eliminate AI generated submissions - or are they doing anything? Will audiences reject AI content or embrace it? What can an unestablished writer do to stand out and declare their unique humanity?
Ultimately, I can only speak from my own personal experience. For me, the foremost reason to write is for yourself. You write the story for yourself; you publish (perhaps) for others. So I would first examine your true motives for writing and whether or not anxieties about the publishing market are in fact just distracting from greater and more personal fears (not saying they are, but that's the first place I would look). As for the specific question of whether AI will render novelists and other creatives obsolete, who knows? But my personal opinion is absolutely not. Although AI and other tech will inevitably change the way we create, the single most important dynamic in art is the artist who wants to say something (as per my first point) and the audience who wants to experience communication in this way from a fellow human. Although AI is changing the landscape, it will not change the human need to create and to experience human creation. You might find this post helpful: www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/why-everyone-should-write-even-if-you-think-you-stink/
@@KMWeilandAuthor “motive” - I dunno. Why does anyone do anything? Really, for an illusion of security and permanence. I guess my anxieties are that I don’t want to wrangle all the time with an unjust world. Bash my head against the publishing wall just to drive myself crazy because i can’t fit a niche. But I’ve also not really tried, so yeah. I would like to see a mass artistic movement against AI - creators (and publishers) swearing it off, audiences loudly rejecting it. We need better detection tools, for one thing. I’m just worried that instead it will all get normalized. I agree that the human need for expression and connection will remain - but people are not always great at realizing those needs. I think we have a lot of neglected or suppressed needs in modern society that we have just resigned ourselves to lacking. Anyway I’m rambling, thanks for your reply.
I've found that writing advice is very useful when I'm outlining or editing, but if I'm working on a first draft I close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears.
(Apparently, I write my first drafts with my nose.)
That last part of your comment made me laugh 😂
😂😂 wise and funny
Thank you so much for sharing! As a writer getting back into writing after a long break, learning to trust my instincts has been one of the biggest lessons I have had to learn.
I'm in the same space. Only recently back to what has been a lifelong dream.
Please post a video @Chiyenumwriter, because I just subscribed. 😊
@@TimeslipNovel will definitely post new video soon!
@@chiyenumao I'll be cheering you on🥳
My three rules of writing a novel. 1 Learn story structure. 2 Always write an outline. 3 Find what works for you and do it, but always be open to trying something new if it sounds good. That's what works for me.
I have something similar:
1. Do what works for you.
2. Be honest about Rule 1. Don't do something that isn't working just because it makes you feel smart and/or unique.
@@DarkDefender1024 Awesome, good one.
K your comment re: how complex a process writing truly is has been a huge, unexpected discovery for me. I've spent the past year absorbing 'wisdom' from on-line coaches, purchasing a few 'how to' books (several of yours) as I've attempted to finish a first draft. This was a timely video. Balancing between 'learning' and 'doing' has been difficult.
I love the look on the faces of new writers when they discover that finishing the first draft is the easy part of writing a novel. LOL
I would like to add another way of describing what I think you're trying to impart: I call it anecdotal learning. I like to think of it as learning a pixel at a time. For a while, any pixel you learn is hard to understand in the context of the whole, but after you digest enough pixels, you start to see a hint of the bigger picture. Once you can see what the picture is, all subsequent pixels start to make more and more sense, and you start to see immediately where each new pixel you learn fits in. You start to understand the pixels as you learn them. Just learn technique after technique after technique, and don't about trying to retain or understand each technique. Just move on to the next technique and have faith that they are building an understanding within you.
Speaking as a marketer, if you ever write a book about healthy mindsets for writers, 'A Cosmology of Story' is a fantastic name for that. Well put.
Totally 😎
I really like your presentation style: info rich but personable. Very articulate. You have a talent for this!
Thank You for this!
Of all your videos and articles that have shaped me as a writer, this video is food for my soul... for my mental health as a writer. Thank you for your profound words.
Thank you, I’ve finally found resolve to move on.
I'm glad I published a book before learning the art of storytelling. The learning curve is intimidatingly steep. Like many, I then spent too long following others' advice, which led to bland, but politically correct books-I lost my passion. Was only when I embraced failure and returned to writing for myself that I truly found my voice and love for storytelling again.
Absolutely 100% agree. The best way to learn is by writing. And then writing another book. And another. The good writers will find their way. The others will follow the formulas.
This is just genius - and right inside my head!
Love your website! It and your books have helped me so much! Thank you!
One of the strangest things I see all the time in writing spaces online is how so, so many people automatically take what they read in craft books/videos as literal, unalterable gospel truth, instead of a tool they can use if it makes sense in a given situation and is a thing made up of elements you can cherry pick to develop your own personal way of writing.
It's not even that there isn't nuance, though that's true as well, but the concept of nuance itself has been so insanely diluted that stepping an inch away from black and white binary choices is considered by many as nuance now, instead of just obvious and normal thinking for a human being.
I don't understand why, and it's not just a generational thing, so while it's worse with younger people it's certainly not exclusive to them and at least some of them will evolve out of it as they mature... people are under the mistaken impression that there is a way to self-actualization that comes in the form of being spoon fed and just following the instructions.
PS - Is there a GOOD way for a brain to explode? haha
I'm still confused about what I've read all over, especially that you can only fit so many 'scenes' into any story. Does that fit into all of the books written on writing?
And from there onto a particular peeve of my own: Is there a reason that any particular chapter/scene must NOT be separated by an empty line, or even any signal that while we are still in the same place, the 'old' scene is now almost over.
I've been reading older novels recently, and they are not so much different from newer novels. But reading one sequence of a chapter, and the next line just jars you out of whatever you were actually reading beforehand, just because there was not just a simple empty line before the next part of the the story/chapter. I really hate writers to have write scenes without any divides, even if the focus actually shifts during the scene. And the scene should be divided anyway. anyway! 😝
I wrote for thirty years or more, but stopped a year ago because my inner critque became such a bully I could no longer write.
I like your thoughts here. Asking good questions is always the best starting point for any problem. I have been an almost-writer my whole life, always getting in my own way over some excuse, distraction, or sense of futility. I never sought much advice - for me the missing ingredient was always discipline. I have the impulse to write, but my latest insecurity is that AI has made (or will make) this skill obsolete. I imagine completing a project that takes many months and trying to submit it, only to be “competing” with an endless swamp of auto-generated content. Do you have any tips about this specific worry? What are publishers doing to eliminate AI generated submissions - or are they doing anything? Will audiences reject AI content or embrace it? What can an unestablished writer do to stand out and declare their unique humanity?
Ultimately, I can only speak from my own personal experience. For me, the foremost reason to write is for yourself. You write the story for yourself; you publish (perhaps) for others. So I would first examine your true motives for writing and whether or not anxieties about the publishing market are in fact just distracting from greater and more personal fears (not saying they are, but that's the first place I would look).
As for the specific question of whether AI will render novelists and other creatives obsolete, who knows? But my personal opinion is absolutely not. Although AI and other tech will inevitably change the way we create, the single most important dynamic in art is the artist who wants to say something (as per my first point) and the audience who wants to experience communication in this way from a fellow human. Although AI is changing the landscape, it will not change the human need to create and to experience human creation.
You might find this post helpful: www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/why-everyone-should-write-even-if-you-think-you-stink/
@@KMWeilandAuthor “motive” - I dunno. Why does anyone do anything? Really, for an illusion of security and permanence.
I guess my anxieties are that I don’t want to wrangle all the time with an unjust world. Bash my head against the publishing wall just to drive myself crazy because i can’t fit a niche. But I’ve also not really tried, so yeah.
I would like to see a mass artistic movement against AI - creators (and publishers) swearing it off, audiences loudly rejecting it. We need better detection tools, for one thing. I’m just worried that instead it will all get normalized.
I agree that the human need for expression and connection will remain - but people are not always great at realizing those needs. I think we have a lot of neglected or suppressed needs in modern society that we have just resigned ourselves to lacking. Anyway I’m rambling, thanks for your reply.
And you expect me to listen to your advice?