10 Worst Writing Mistakes to Avoid
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- If I had a time machine, I'd tell my past self to avoid these 10 writing mistakes. In this video, I go through each and show how you can avoid making the same mistakes, with a few examples from my own past writings.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Welcome
0:25 - No Research
1:31 - Too Much Thinking
2:52 - Never Finishing
3:46 - Unrealistic Deadlines
4:44 - Too Few Clues
5:23 - Too Many Characters
6:14 - Long Breaks from Writing
7:06 - Worldbuilding Exposition
7:58 - Inconsistent Point of View
9:01 - Rushed Ending
10:24 - Conclusion
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ABOUT
I'm Grayson Taylor, an author and filmmaker, here to help you on your creative journey by sharing what I've learned-and what I'm still learning-about storytelling. After writing my first full-length novel when I was seven, I've authored more than a dozen action-adventure, sci-fi, mystery, and dystopian books. I've also written and directed several short films, composed music, and acted onstage, on TV, and in films.
You'll find writing advice, publishing tips, and behind-the-scenes videos on my channel.
You can find my books, films, music, and more at graysontaylor.info.
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I appreciate how the video is about your OWN mistakes and not other writer's mistakes. It shows that everybody can make mistakes and that's okay.
Yeah! Making mistakes is not only normal-it's necessary for becoming a better writer. (And who doesn't like a little self-deprecation? 😄)
It’s sad that the most helpful or relatable videos are often the ones from smaller channels, since that means not nearly as many people are going to see them as there are people who would probably get some good use out of them. Then again, sometimes it’s precisely those unexpected but surprisingly helpful videos that suddenly make a small channel grow exponentially.
This may be a small channel now, but it's people like you that help it grow! Thanks for your support. And I certainly agree-I've seen plenty of really great videos from smaller channels.
How did you know most of my new writer mistakes? 😅
One writing mistake I have made countless times is cramming every cool idea I got into the same story, without thinking about whether the cool idea would actually make the story better or fit another story better. I also learned the hard way not to let readers see my first draft as I was writing it.
Yeah, having a lot of ideas can be both a blessing and a curse. For that reason and others, a first draft is usually too messy to share with readers-but that's where the power of editing comes in! I've learned over the years to take more time on that stage of writing.
Currently trying to write a story with a large cast, a decent amount of exposition on past events in the world, and a lot of switching between characters.
I imagine it's all possible as long as the characters are distinct enough to relate them to their story rather than just a name, the exposition isn't done too much, and the character switching doesn't happen every 2 paragraphs
Sure. There's a way to do those things well, and there are some mistakes to watch out for when writing them. But as long as you're aware of the potential pitfalls, that should help you avoid them. If written well, a large cast of characters, extensive worldbuilding, and multiple POVs can actually enhance a story.
He looks like Tim Templeton as a dad in the new movie 😭😭
🤣 Ha ha, I guess I do!
Out of most of the RUclipsrs I've watched about Writing books. You are definitely among the top few ive seen. I think you will grow rather quickly and glad I could join the ride. ‼️💯
Thanks for your support!
What about a cliffhanger in the debut novel? Is that a bad idea?
A cliffhanger can be done well, and it can be done poorly. As long as there's a clear reason for it-like if the book is the first in a series-then a cliffhanger can be a pretty good ending. Like I said in the video, make sure the ending doesn't feel rushed and premature. Some readers tend to dislike the lack of resolution that results from a cliffhanger, but as long as it's clear there will be a resolution to it eventually, a cliffhanger can be a good way to keep readers interested in a future continuation of the story.
@@graysontaylornyc everyobody else I asked was basically telling me to stop writing the book if I plan to utilize the cliffhanher
@@frankie3010 A cliffhanger ending is usually better for a book in a series, instead of a standalone. If you're unsure whether you'll write a sequel or follow-up story, then a cliffhanger might not be a good way to end the book. You could even try writing two endings: one with a cliffhanger and one with a more typical resolution. See which one you like more. Sometimes, even if there isn't going to be a second book, a cliffhanger can be a strong dramatic choice as an ending. So I'd suggest writing, or at least outlining, a couple different endings to see which you prefer-you can even show the alternate endings to someone else for feedback if you want. At the end of the day, though, it's your story, so write what you think is best. You can always change it in editing.
A really apparent mistake I made when I was younger is not being creative enough to think of genuine characters so I resorted to self-inserting. PLEASE never do this 😭
I'm glad I stumble in your channel. I too have started writing young but I didn't start doing it right till later in life. Now I feel like even with the years of writing I feel stuck and hardly improved. One hard lesson I learn is that if I'm reading a story that inspire me or spark a new idea; is to write it the way I want it and not have a specific author and write how they do. Like if Harry Potter inspire me to write fantasy I should be open to my potential and how will I reach my best, whatever that is and not be as good as Rowling. It's one thing to admire and be inspired. It's another to be a shadow or a clone.
Yeah! It can take time to find your own voice as a writer-time, and often a lot of experimenting with different styles. Imitation might be part of the early stages, but a unique style should emerge the more you write.
In terms of deadlines: I'm not a much of a writer, but I like drawing. When I make a drawing and I have/want to set a deadline, I don't just say "I'm gonna get the piece done by z". I usually say that, but when I that's the onyl goal I set it tends to un-motivate me, either because i feel like it's very far away and I procrastinate until it's too late, and/or the deadline is nearing and I feel like i'll never finish it on time so what's the point of starting/continuing? What works for me is setting deadlines for smaller things as well. Usually I'll say "I'll try to get the lineart done by w" and when i'm done I'll go to "I'll get the coloring done by x" and then "I'll get the shading and highlight done by y", with w x and y being able to be really close or really far apart, and all being before z.
Yes, I know there are a lot of differences with writing vs drawing, so do with this comment what you will
Very helpful, thank you fella 🙂👍
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching.
Superb ⭐
Bro how to build strong professional relationships with successful people & surround ourselves with high achievers especially when we cannot meet them personally but online ? Are there any good books which talks about it as there's a great saying that -you're the average of 5 people you spend time with ! Now unfortunately i am at my home in new town so there are less like minded people here so i avoid them & spend more time on RUclips learning from content creators..
Oh my god your Antarctica story triggered me back to when I wrote a book where the cast went from Australia to North America to South America to Antarctica and Egypt and mars… it’s actually a bit of a fever dream now and I have no clue what was going on.
😂 Same with a lot of my older stories... Imagination, of kids especially, can go some wild places! Literally, in this case.
That feeling from the optometrist fits pov whiplash so well 😅
Makes sense in a doctor's office, not so much in a book...
Something I would add here is find out why people don't like the genre you are trying to write in. Usually this can help you avoid genre traps or cause you to think of new ways to come at a problem.
Also realizing that genres are B.S. and don't really exist except as an aesthetic can be really useful. My favorite example of this is the wheel of time which would accurately be classified as SciFi, but is often categorized as fantasy. That's not really accurate either because it's actually action adventure, political thriller, suspense, horror, existential horror, and several more to boot. Just about the only thing it's not is space opera and romance.
Understanding the genre aesthetic and how that shapes your story can really help you identify the two or three sub-genres that your book actually is.
The advice I really like to give new authors is to pick an old book (preferably one in public domain) and re-write it completely. Keep the core but everything else is up for grabs, change the setting, the genre, the characters genders or sexuality. By the end you will have something that if you squint really hard you can see the original story. Then do it again a second or third time. By the third time you should have a good feel for what actually matters and what doesn't.
Also writing characters unisex (either all men or all women) and then flipping a coin or rolling dice for each to determine their sex can really change things up and expose flaws. As an example one person I beta read for accidentally wrote a scene where one character r*ped another and it wasn't until I gender swapped the character for her that she saw it.