7 things I wish I knew before writing a book
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- Опубликовано: 29 июн 2024
- Hope this was helpful :) If you have any other tips, advice or book recommendations please share them down below!
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Mastering Plot Twists: / mastering-plot-twists
The Writer's Guide to Beginnings: / the-writer-s-guide-to-...
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Author website: ageigerman.com
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I Like Joseph Campbell's take on beginnings. He says to begin in an "everyday trouble." Show the MC dealing with a minor problem which can foreshadow their type or character arc. It demonstrates the MC's surface before the deeper stuff they are made of comes out. It not a change. It is an indication they need to change.
My biggest problem is that I always doubt myself, even though I get fantastic feedback. I rewrite my story repeatedly, afraid it's not good enough or missing parts. I'm also a perfectionist and get easily stressed out by working on the same page for days-sometimes weeks. 😮💨
That’s so relatable-it’s so hard to see how fresh eyes will read your story, but it helps me to remember how little time I take to read a page and that mostly I remember the full story arcs and characters over a single paragraph. I also force myself to push through and not go page by page until the end (although I know it’s hard)! I hope I’ll find your story someday in a bookstore :)
@@abbygeigerman It sure is, and I find it challenging when I have no family members or friends interested in reading or writing. I'm eager to share my thoughts and what I learned from amazing authors on RUclips. Tricks and tips to become better. Maybe help each other by reading and talking about the character arc, the outline, or ideas if you get stuck. When you have writer friends, it’s easier to overcome self-doubt when you encourage each other.
Thank you, I hope so too🌺
"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt". Sylvia Plath.
@@davidcopson5800 It is, and it is hard to turn a blind eye to it.
“No work is lost”… such great advice. 😊
My current WIP novel is 130k and I have only hit the midpoint. When I'm done, the entire novel will only be 80 to 100k words. Obviously tons will be cut, but also, entire chapters will be rewritten. ... Nothing is lost in this process. It's a process with an end goal. Sometimes you need to go down long and windy roads only to backtrack and find the better path until you get to the finish.
Also, plotting more would reduce this meander, but the larger point stands. From word one to finish is not an obvious linear path.
I'm writing currently and I've experienced all that you've mentioned. Nice to hear it from another person! We writers have to stay tough.
So true-I feel like it’s easy to glamorize the process but it can honestly be really trying at times 😮💨
All great advice. Taking the ego out of feedback is so incredibly hard sometimes. Because (a) you are married to the material, and (b) folks giving feedback you often view as not understanding what you are doing.
Shove that stuff aside. I can't remember who said it, but criticism often doesn't hit the mark precisely, but it usually highlights a problem you need to address. I.e. What they criticize is often just the symptom of a needed improvement. You need to find the underlying cause.
I founded a critique group. They have identified significant issues in my stories. They have been invaluable.
I love that idea-it’s so true, and if you think about it as a symptom that probably makes it easier to be a bit more objective about it
Lovely list, congrats. The greatest rule I've learned is "Be your number one fan. If you don't love what you're writing, no one will love to read it". But yeah, adding those to my personal list. Thanks.
Love that! Adding it to my list ✍️
my first drafts are structurally solid because I plot and do a lot of preparation beforehand. I don't need a zero draft but I can see why others do.
A criminally underrated video
thank you, this made my day 🥹
You are underrated! These tips were so helpful! I’m so glad RUclips recommended me this!
Aw thank you!!! 🙏
@@abbygeigerman of course!
very happy to have discovered your channel! Great video!
I’m only just starting to take writing seriously, and with the first intention of writing for a 2D fantasy RPG I’m trying to create, but I still find this kind of advice to be so helpful. I feel like I want to start strong so I don’t need to re-write everything fifty times, but if that’s what it takes to get my vision into reality, then so be it. Great video and nice vibes 😊
Congrats, and hope it’s going well!! Would love to get updates on how it’s going 😊
@@abbygeigerman - Thanks! Still in the learning phase but will update!
love this! You have some great advice here!
Great video! This was super helpful! ❤
Amazing advice, thank you so much for taking the time to make this video!!
Glad it was helpful! Would love to hear if there’s anything else you want a video about!
of the 50 or so craft books I have read the best one, to me, is from Larry Brooks called, Story Engineering. Larry covers everything you need to know about the mechanics of story.
I haven’t read that one yet-added to my list!
I'm getting ready to publish a book series and I definitely understand aboutbthe ego! Ive written over 200 novels but never published anything because of anxiety.
With the book series, I have 5 characters and i feel so close to them... its as if they're my best friends.
I feel so close to them!
The story begins with a young man who is a bit of a pushover. He dies, meets a spiritual guide who sends him back to earth to learn how to overcome his fears.
He meets four other individuals who have also died and returned, and they travel through time, being placed into difficult situations, and work as a team to find solutions and overcome their fears along the way.
I've written four books in the series so far. I'd like to publish the first one. This advice you gave has been helpful. So much better than the other advice I've seen in a lot of other people's videos!
Congrats, and good luck on the publishing journey!! Are there any videos/topics you would want to see about that?
@@abbygeigerman Thanks! I enjoy writing! Yes, I would love to see a video on how to get over the anxiety. Sharing my books and characters is like sharing something personal. Then I fear no one will like my books. I'd love to know how some people get over that anxiety!
There is one thing about self publishing that has helped me. I have written a few books, and have improved with each one. The advice I would give is to publish that first book just to get it out of the way, because you can always go back and revise later.
That’s a great point with self publishing-I definitely want to discuss more of that process because I have also found it incredibly rewarding!
great video, and i love that book cover! - subbed!
Aw thank you! I’m working on a video of how I made the cover now ❤️
You really did inspire me In at least trying to achieve my dream of writing a book .. your previous video of how you wrote a book was also very helpful .. Keep going !!
Aw thank you I’m so glad to hear that-would love to hear updates on your writing journey!!!
That was a really good video - Thanks!
thank you for watching! 🫶
You have a wonderful and very approachable presence in your video! This really helped me. Thank you so much for putting this out!
Aw thank you, I’m so glad it helped! Do you have any other questions/videos you would want made?
To be honest this may be too specific to warrant an entire video... but advice on how to make good decisions on what things to cut from a story that are really cool to write but not necessarily helpful for a good book or reading experience? Sorry for the word salad there I'm bad at answering questions like these 😅
great video and tips 💕 i hope you make a whole video next time about the zero draft and your method or style 💖
Definitely!! I’ll get started on that one soon :)
Great video. #2. No Work Is Lost reminds me of a quote I read somewhere. I don’t remember who said it, or the exact words, but it went like this: “A good 400 page novel probably started out as a 600 page novel. The missing 200 pages are still there, you just can’t see them.”
That is such a good quote-it couldn’t be more true, definitely going to remember that 🧐
Great video :)
I want to see your collages in focus and up close.
6:03 Number 5 is possible if you don't identify with your role. "I'm a writer" is a role you're playing and identifying with while "I'm writing books" is just one of many things you're doing. Also, productive feedback is supposed to help you grow and learn as a writer, so always seek it
That’s so true-it’s funny because I think I read the converse (saying “i’m a writer”) about establishing habits, but it can get tricky when feedback comes into the picture
Chatgpt write books also
My favorite piece of advice is to not write to impress other writers.
That’s fantastic advice-I have definitely stressed myself out before by falling into that trap