My writing advice, don’t sweat it trying to write the perfect book. There’s never going to be a perfect book, don’t be so busy looking at what other more experienced authors are doing and devalue yourself and your story saying “ that’ll never happen to me.” What you have is unique to you and nobody else can write it like you can. So go for it! Write the story you want to tell and that’s the best you can offer the world. you will change the world with your words!🌎
Oh, I love this! It sounds so much like what I tell people when they tell me they want to start a RUclips channel. I tell them that they are going into a me too business and they need to find their own unique thing to help them stand out from the crowd. I love this idea of offering your own unique story and sharing it with the world. 💕
Moby-Dick, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, Passing, Madame Bovary and The Bluest Eye are pretty close to perfect tho lol. I want to write something on those levels.
4:45 One thing that helps me flesh out my characters is by looking at them as their own "main character" than a side character. It helps me give their lives and aspirations more meaning than just development for the mc.
the #1 mistake for a beginner writer is staying a beginner writer and never growing. My first 2 attempts at a novel were both tremendous flops but they were necessary for me to learn from my mistakes. Even if you hate what you have now it is crucial to learn why that is so and learn how to avoid making those mistakes in the future.
The better you are at writing the harder it is. Wish I could write with naivety again. It wasn't any good but it was fun and easy to write back then... Now I spend most my time refining an outline and character backgrounds before I even start... However nailing your act one setups makes it so much easier to write act 2.
1-too much external conflict, not enough internal conflict 2-protagonist without a big flaw 3-characters having roles instead of goals 4-no story structure 5-inconsistent pacing 6-telling instead of showing 7-not transformative moment that gives character arc full circle I'd say take these as advices, guiding points, but not strict rules to obey. After all, a story can break all of these and still be interesting.
ik u said this quite a while ago but i was wondering how are you supposed to "show dont tell" for a book? Like a movie you have a camera but a book you have to tell, no?
@@yellowing1buds so, just to like understand write smth along the lines of like "he stood there with his arms trembling before walking in" instead of like "he stood there for a moment in fear before walking in"
@@thisisnotbandit7467 for characterization, one way you can “show not tell” is rather than telling the reader outright who your characters are… ex: “she was optimistic, bubbly, and joyful all the time.” …you can SHOW these character traits through their interactions with the world. ex: “she skipped down the cobblestone path in the forest without a care, listening to the birds chirp and trees rustle with a grin. she ran her hand through the bushes and foliage without a care, even as the sun began to set slowly in the horizon. she was almost home, and surely she’d return in time for dinner.” this snippet shows our hypothetical character’s personality with depth by sharing her interactions, thoughts, and perspective with the world. this character skips through a potentially dangerous forest without a care (notice the specificity of SKIPPING rather than walking), pays attention to pretty sounds like birds singing and trees rustling, feels the leaves in the bushes despite not knowing if any of them could be potentially harmful, and doesn’t worry at all about the fact that the sun is going down. all this to say, it’s so much more entertaining for your reader to figure out your characters rather than stating their traits outright. plus, it gives us a more deep insight into who they are, rather than relying on shallow adjectives for characterization. depth is what gets us attached and compels us to keep reading!!
Abbie, a reader used the words "cringe" and "amateurish" to rate and review my debut novel in Goodreads last year, and I felt discouraged from writing my 2nd book😅 Funny thing is that book won the Singapore Book Prize for Best Young Person's Fiction by the Singapore Book Publishers Association, and was 1 of 4 shortlisted for the National Library's Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award, AND just a few days ago was awarded the White Raven 2024 by the International Youth Library in Germany. It's being showcased this week in Frankfurt's Book Fair, and will be in next year's biggest children's bookfair in Bologna, Italy. Not such a bad accomplishment for a "cringeworthy" and "amateurish" debut novel! Thanks to you, Abbie, and editor Ellen Brock, I followed your formulas to writing a good story👍🏾
Learn to distinguish between fact and opinion, and understand that not everyone will agree with you. Trust me, there are a lot of selfish, stupid people out there.
@@sillypuppy5940 I made a mistake in thinking it was obvious to readers that the language couldn't be as sophisticated as for adults since it's middle grade in the first person perspective of a 12-year-old protagonist in the mid twentieth century whose language isn't English 😕 I'll learn from mistakes 👍🏾
@@DymitriTobias Escape From Bussorah Street. A middle grade historical fiction on the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia in WW2, with a 12-year-old protagonist.
My favorite advice I ever heard was from Neil Gaiman on the Nerdist podcast. They asked him what advice he had for new writers, and he said quite simply, "No one is ever going to read your first draft." I got another piece of advice from a professional author I met at a conference. I wish more than anything I remembered her name. She said, "Writing is one process, and editing is another process." In other words, don't go back and tweak something you wrote earlier. It's too draining to change gears. Write the whole thing then edit the whole thing.
These are both fantastic words of advice!! I love that idea of switching gears to editing mode -- so true, it's a whole different process! 😁Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us!
I was noodling for months on about what I wrote already (not to mention my prologue is at its 7th version already) instead of making progress in the story but recently I realized, especially since I am improving as I go, every few months I won't be satisfied anyway with what I did. I'll try an advice I will attempt to apply for myself: leave the biggest of the editing for later, in one big "final phase", that's how you'll find consistency. Not talking from experience yet, hopefully soon it'll be :)
@@alyssum130 I'm the same way; I'm always editing at least part of the time while writing new material! Nothing works for everyone, and it's important to recognize when a tip isn't right for your writing style.
It’s best not be overly critical of yourself. Everyone started out as a novice, it just means we’ll continue learning and see more growth in ourselves as we do.
So, in real life, you’re the MC and finishing the book or chapter is part of your character arc. You’re developing and realizing your potential and overcoming whatever is holding you back.
I saved my work but my laptop ran into a problem TWICE so everything had to be erased TWICE so I ended up writing the same book over TWICE although the second time was arguably better. And it still needs another rewrite since I did it years ago and it was the only book I ever completed.
I saved my work, at least I think I did, but MS One Drive/Word decided to sync my document with an older version of itself, thus irrecoverably wiping out a brilliant scene that I wrote in a moment of inspiration where I really got into the character's heads, which I'm still unable to recreate weeks later.
If I were to go back and give myself or any novice some writing advice, I would say just write it out, whatever it is that is in your head. Don't worry if it's not perfect or doesn't flow smoothly or if it's a little clunky in places. Just write it all out because then you have your starting point. You can always go back and rewrite scenes so that they flow better. You can always add better details later. That's what editing is for. Also, it's ok to step away from it for a while and come back at a later date and go through it again. You might be struggling because you are just too close to the project and your mind needs a mental break. Finally to have fun with it. Don't stress out over all the details, just write. Give yourself some grace and don't be overly critical of yourself.
@@JusteenCurtis Thank you for asking, it's tomorrow actually. We are very happy too. We aren't sure what we are going to do, exactly, probably just a date night, now that the kids are getting older, we are able to do more of those.
@@JusteenCurtis It's what I tell myself whenever I get over-critical of what I wrote out. Sometimes I struggle to make things just right and then they don't come out the way I think they should. Sometimes I have to step away from it otherwise I find myself not enjoying the writing process. Right now I'm struggling with a way of describing seeing one's breath. I've probably rewritten this sentence 6 times. I don't want to say she could see her breath. I want it to be a little more flowy than it is currently. I know eventually I will get it. I just have to give myself some grace.
Don’t sweat it, I have plenty of rewriting I need to do and I also still have to outline my story and structure it. We’re all learning to enjoy the process 😊
Thank you my brother. I know the feeling. I'm been doing a lot rewriting as well, changing few things to make my characters more humanized. It's a slow process but it's good to learn with our mistakes😊@JusteenCurtis
@@AbbieEmmons I am on a point to leave my story in middle of the chapter 7 and I don't like how it it is going. I am from India and have this school thing on my head. You know it all a mess. I have all of it about the story- the internal conflict, story outline, characters with fetal flaw, even the transformation point also the additional story but I stuck feeling like drained. What do I do?
This is probably why I'm a pantser ... that and, if I do a solid outline, my brain decides we've told this story and wanders off ... Actually, I refer to myself as a chronicler, I just follow them around and document the adventure.
@@scloftin8861 Okay, right?! I'm new to all this, but it 1000% feels like i'm just looking out of a window and writing down what they're doing and saying. I did NOT KNOW that's how this worked. It took me completely by surprise that these characters were just _doing things_ and the only control i have over it is ...i guess... word choice. lol.
You should look into Haruki Murakami. He is known for taking this approach (characters acting independently from the writer) and has dubbed it “Automatic Dwarfs.”
This might sound mean (and I don’t intend it to be), but don’t get mystical. Characters are not real they don’t want things or like things. It’s not that your characters don’t like the plot, its that the traits you have developed for your characters don’t logically work within the plot that you’ve planned.
This is very useful for me since I'm writing a medieval fantasy romance genre and i want my story to leave an impact on the readers. I appreciate the video very much
I'm a 14 year old writer that has been on the author scene since maybe three years or four now, and I still feel like a hardcore beginner as a storyteller. Honestly I have tons of stories going at once (way too many, in other words) and I feel that none of them are what I wanted them to be in the first place. I just recently discovered your videos today and already I'm sensing a LOT of advice coming out of this that I can take to heart. Thank you for pointing out all these things for us, Abbie, because I've stuggled with so many of the same things your mentioning in this video and others, and I hope to shape my books to the better with your great words of writing wisdom. 😄 Thank you so much! ❤️
Great advice!! Having a fully-developed character with both strengths and weaknesses, a goal to achieve, and a transformation to undergo to get there is an essential part of the story. There's a quote I'm thinking of that I can't remember fully (or could find attribution for online 😭), but it's along the lines of "Readers will go anywhere with a full character, but will only go half a page without one." In other words, your character is essential to driving your story, and should be a major focus!
I LOVE THAT QUOTE! 👏Sooo true! The characters are the heart and soul of the story... all the little mistakes can be fixed in the editing process, but you need strong characters to have a good story
I liked your channel from the beginning and I was already subscribed. This is among the first videos of yours I’m watching. But when I saw that familiar yellow book in your intro I had to double check… and I literally screamed “I LOVE THAT BOOK!” and now knowing you’re the one who wrote it makes you a million times more reliable.
I put numbers next to each paragraph in a chapter. That way, I don't need to scroll up and down forever reviewing things or changing a word. Also, if I get sleepy late a night, I can write the number and get back to it.
5:26 someone who I think does this REALLY well is Casandra Claire. You can tell her side characters are their own people too, and it gives a liveliness to the story that you don’t see often.
As counterproductive as this might sound, my advice would be to not take every single piece of writing advice you see as a concrete must do. There are certain things of course that are essential to good writing (internal conflict, grammar, pacing, pretty much all the points Abbie made in this video haha.) But everyone’s methods of writing are different, and at the end of the day certain suggestions will actually hinder more than help you. That said, there’s a ton of amazing advice out there and I’m definitely not saying you shouldn’t try it all, just don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t work for you. Hope that makes sense 😅
Yeah that's true. I feel like this video is just cliche writing advice for 15 year olds who want to try to write a book. I mean, you can literaly find these tips anywhere lol. I think you should just read and write and find out and if you stumble upon a tip that you try out then you can decide if it works or not. But I think she wants to promote something so that's why she's making this. I'm a big reader and I've never seen a book of her so she's saying all these tips as if she's the next stephen king
I literally just realised it's Preptober again lol. I remember I couldn't get my story done in time for Novelember last year so I'm glad that I'm here with ideas this year and ready to write! I'm calling it Novelember, nobody's stopping me
I'm a comic writer/artist and I learned the importance of story structure and scripting the hard way. I started out wanting to simply plan my story like a road trip (knowing the major destinations but no strict plan on what we're doing there). This lead to me rushing through major points of the story and not taking the time to make sure my characters weren't flat.
Love it - as usual. Thank you, Abbie Emmons! Key takeaway: Separate your "story" from your "self" - there's a superpower to that. "Objectively observe your own writing" - money talk. Showing your story is the real world. Telling your story....well, it has a limit to its' luck.
Thank you so much for doing what you do and that is making beginner writers, like me, believe in themselves. So many times I've strayed from the straight and narrow but you dear Abbie have reeled me in. I genuinely appreciate your presence in my writer's journey. Once again valuing your suggestions and following through I realized today-after watching this video-I have made immense progress over the last two years. Thank you thank you thank you🙏🙏 I believe in me because you believe in me.
This comment brightened my day!! thank you so much for being a part of the community here. I'm so happy my videos have been so inspiring for you on your writing journey. 🥹 I do believe that you can accomplish anything you set out to do! you should be super proud of the progress you've made. Best of luck on your writing journey my friend 🤗
I found that an easier way to look at show don't tell is "describe, don't explain" which helps me understand it a lot more. Show, don't tell works best for me when thinking about dialogue specifically
I love these videos, because though I know or feel the advice is already ingrained into my own imagination, they remind me what they are and why it matters. The small portion about side characters reminded me to reintegrate my protagonist's bully into later scenes of which I have forgotten to. His character arc could have been completely lost to a plot hole or loose end if I didn't catch it during a revision.
I've been writing for a few years now,, and Abbie is why I am still writing.. Abbie,, you keep giving me so much support to continue my journey .. Tell myself the story will be done this year.. It's a murder mystery but with many characters all living in a small town in 1960,, on the Island of Borneo..
@@zookeepersam888 I'' remember when it's finished.. By the way I'm very interested in the legends and myths of Borneo and currently drafting an idea for a story based on the Banana spirit
4:46 This is what I'm trying to avoid while writing my current story. I don't like the idea of creating characters just for the sake of having characters. It's a waste of page space and time, and it doesn't make me want to develop these characters. I want my characters to exist for a reason. Even the minor ones.
Whilst I agree that no character should be perfect, or a Mary Sue, the 'fatal flaw' is unnecessary if every character is flawed. Malazan is a prime example of this approach.
Love this! I actually have the opposite problem bc I've always loved the most character-driven stories. Explosions are the chaos that puts me to sleep. Now I want to look up an Abbie Emmons video on how much action and subplot material I really need in the middle of my protagonist's angsty, inner turmoil, lol!
I've recently been inspired to finish writing my novel and I've been binge watching these videos.. This is very helpful for me as I get back into it ☺️
Abbie always help others , thanks to her, I managed to built not just a novel, but a 10 years idea that have become a big world full of stories. Thanks Abbie
Loved the video!! I'm not necessarily a "new" writer but I still have yet to complete a book and just feel like I'm floundering...but you posted just in time. Thanks!
These tips are SO GOOD! Thank you for this!!!! 💜You are AMAZING at explaining everything and all of your videos are SO VERY HELPFUL! As for the writing advice I would give myself.... It would be to (like several people before me have stated) focus on your progress. Not perfection. Write what you love and find joy in the experience. I've had a habit of comparing myself to others.... and it's far, FAR from beneficial. (It ends up making me feel like I'm a horrible writer). But when I look at how far I've come, I can't help but feel elated. No one is perfect, so why push ourselves down for it? We should learn, grow, and be grateful for our gift of writing!
My writing advice: Decide on a narrative voice (i.e. first person or various types of third person) and a tense (present or past) early in the process. A lot of other aspects of the story flow from these choices. For example, a first-person past story invites a framing story in present tense in which the character introduces herself to the reader, and reflects on the past events that she is about to narrate. A first-person present story must work out natural, plausible ways for the character (and hence the reader) to learn about plot-relevant events they didn't experience directly. And so forth.
The more you write the easier it becomes. Write anything because it's fun. I find at some point I reach what I can only describe as "runners high." But, you have to already have an established outline and research already done
I have managed to stray from many of these but knowing that and much more has helped. I have not been able to make my mini art/writing vlogs due to heavy final exams but I at least watch an hourne my skill.
Edit: I am not disagreeing with Abbie's point. I am adding nuance from my point of view. 10:10 "Filler chapters that don't contribute to the story" are not merely a pacing problem. They certainly add to pacing problems. But if something doesn't contribute to the story, it should not be in the story. There is so much that a story needs, there should never be a need to add words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, or chapters that do not contribute. Abbie's advice on plotting may help a writer who is adding filler material. If you take some time to think about the story, the character, the plot, the internal and external conflict, the complexity of the world, the characters offstage that don't have a voice but require their needs are met as well... etc., etc., etc., you will have no room for filler words, let alone filler chapters.
what is character offstage mean? I have one draft of my story, where I just made MC cooking for his sis and mother for an entire 1 chapter. But later on, it was his last served meal to them
I think that depends. In plot driven stories, sure. In character driven stories a lot of chapters may help us understand the character better and in many ways that IS the story
@@BookClubDisaster Only words or "filler[s]... that do not contribute to the story ... should not be in the story." If words of any length aid in the storytelling, they belong in the story in one fashion or another. Cheers.
It would be interesting to see how many Great Books adhere to this advice. Kafka's trial? American Psycho by Ellis? The Road by McCarthy? Berlin Alexanderplatz by Döblin? On the road by Kerouac? 🤔
I've read all those books. Not sure American Psycho belongs on the list of great books. Andit doesn't follow all those rules. Like the part about a final conflict. He never has one. He has no character arc. He's just a pure monster.
I’m a pantser, I never really plan, I have a brief outline in my head but let my characters take over and do what they want. Some things even surprise me, and I’m the one writing it. I’ve written and self-published 5 books.
@@theq6797 At least 100, which might not seem many, but it’s not bad considering that I don’t do much to market the books. I was in hospital a few years ago and got talking to some of the patients about what they did, and I told them that I Self-publish books and the names I write under. A women’s gasped, I thought something medical was wrong and was about to call the nurses, but she said. “ My daughter loves your books, you’re one of her favourite authors.” So that was quite amazing and brightened up my day.
@@carabingham3207 Awesome. I am also "pantser" with vague outline in my head (3 major turns in the story). I am professional writer, but not writer as in "writer of published books". Currently I am working on a book with a target to publish it when I will finish it. It is anthology of stories that interconnect with each other.
Thank you for your videos. You gave me the courage to write my humble story instead of letting it just swim in the gray cells of my mind. I wish I had the time to attend your live training sessions to improve even more, but who knows, maybe one day I'll have the time to attend all of your training courses.
The note about internal conflict is SO important! Sometimes I’m watching movies or series or reading a book with a bunch of stuff happening to the protagonist and in my mind I’m just like… I don’t feel sorry for you!!! Because I don’t even know this character or why I should care about them at all! It’s definitely the most important thing for a compelling story.
Hi abbie! First of all, You're seriously amazing! I love how you make everything so easy. I love you! Thank you so much for doing this for all the writers. I have a question that's been keeping me up all night-- Are the readers supposed to consciously know the internal conflict? I mean how much should the readers know about the internal conflict, All of it? Or Some of it?
I’d say that depends on what effect you want your story to have, but generally it helps to reveal the conflict as early as possible to help your readers engage with and care for this character. However, be sure to reveal it naturally, through the character’s life, decisions, and demeanour, rather than stating it outright. The sooner the readers know what matters to the character, the sooner it’ll matter to them, too :)
Abbey, could you please consider doing a video about finding a good agent? I get that agents aren’t as necessary today as they once were, but many first time novelists aren’t good at marketing ourselves. I’d also like to get your thoughts on self publishing vs a publisher.
Thank you so much iI' been working on a book and for every tip I hought about my plot and characters and how to improve them. This is so helpful and i wish every writer could see this ❤❤❤
Problem for me, is that I see the entire story immediately... and if it's already completed upstairs, I can't motivate myself to finish. That's a great point about internal conflict though, I believe that's where I find my hook most times- in that it hooks me to develop the story.
Does all of this apply to thriller/ murder mysteries? Because for example, giving all my side characters goals won’t really serve much of a purpose as I need them there for a specific role. Not to mention, I think a lot of murder mysteries are mainly plot- driven because the murder itself has to happen. Idk, I’m just not sure what kind of genre you’re talking about here but I would love to know!
Honestly I kind of agree I feel like there's some stories we're not all of these really apply. Like I'm writing a zombie book where a lot of her videos helped me learn how to better write it cuz they did apply. I'm also working on a second book that is mostly plot driven where these don't apply cuz it's literally about the end of the world and not so much about the main character struggles lol So I feel like it's really nuance
I'm writing two different stories (both D&D fantasy) just to get the stories out of my head and serve as a "what not to do" type thing. It's nice to see guidelines and suggestions about how to do things correctly and I can already feel my third story (the one where I'll try to do things properly) coming into being and how it differs from these first two "practice" stories. SIDE NOTE: I ordered "One Hundred Days of Sunlight" last week from Amazon. They said it should arrive by Oct. 4, so two more days. ☺
I'd argue that you could make 7 of the biggest writers' mistakes, but as long as you've nailed your pacing, readers will stay glued to your book like moths to flames.
I have a side character (a best friend of a love interest), she doesn't add anything to the story. But since that love interest isn't very friendly and would look like a loner, i'm not sure if i should cut her out.
For me the biggest mistake was not finishing. Trying to find perfection and worrying about the results meant I would always be going back to change just a little bit. Eventually I self published. There were a lot of mistakes and things I wish I had done differently; but after finishing a couple of books I have now gone back to rewrite the first novel and will take it to a traditional publisher.
I don't want to sound pretentious,but this made me feel so much more confident in my writing.I took a deep look and I only found a few bad scenes and 2 questionable characters.Im kinda suprised I barely did these at all.
Hi I found your channel last year - I have been trying to learn more about storytelling to write short comic book stories for anthologies. I'm an artist first and foremost. I really appreciate the way you break things down into easy to understand concepts. I watched a video you made some months ago giving advice to beginners where you said something addressing perfectionism like "practice IS the output" - that really stuck in my brain and I apply that to all of my artwork and illustrations now. Whenever I make something, I do my best to make it excellent but with the knowledge that it won't be perfect, that's ok, and its also practice for future works - and that its most important to get it done and move onto the next one. Another way to phrase this might be "finished not perfect". I dont remember which video it was (maybe a video on writing short stories") but I greatly appreciate your advice.
I don't know if you have written horror before, or at least know much about it. I'm trying to write a cosmic horror story (not a whole novel) and I'm trying to figure out how a character should develop in a situation that's meant to leave the reader feeling vulnerable and fearful.
Writing my first novel right now, and this is exactly the video I needed to watch! Thank you so much! Also random side note, is Wildwood one of the books in the background? Love that book.
Hi, congratulations on your book! It's such an inspiration to other children who have similar issues with being picked on, whether they're on the spectrum or have ADHD. My daughter had you as a substitute teacher at Ensign last year. You are the best!
Goes without saying that you cannot convey everything about your protagonist(s) all at once, in a few sentences, or even in a few paragraphs; nor should you attempt to do so. Instead, you have to string all that out throughout the novel, developing the characters as the story progresses. However, when you introduce them to the reader, make sure that you introduce them in such a way that your readers will start caring about them, and even as they're getting to know the characters, you start describing their inner conflict, giving the readers a whiff of the external conflict to come... This way, the introduction of the characters (which will, hopefully, be endearing to the readers), what their inner struggles are, why that matters to them and a hint of the external conflict are all presented in quick succession, almost intertwined together... If this is your first chapter, and it's done well, you're Golden! =========================================================================================================================================================
Mistake #1: Question: can one have too much internal conflict as opposed to external conflict? Is there a natural balance to the relative intensities of internal vs external conflicts? Also, I note that there can be feedback loops between inner and outer, and outer and inner conflicts. Mistake #2: the fatal flaw aka misbelief, aka (*in a sense*) the Vital Lie. My favorite example of this is Henrik Ibsen's play "The Wild Duck". I heartily recommend it, both as a literary treat and as an excellent question for each person to ponder: "what is my Vital Lie?" #3: "Giving characters roles instead of goals" YES! "Your Side characters should not be here in the story because the story needs them to be, they should be here because they need to be." Exactly. I'm writing that down for my Writing Wall. The goals of my supporting characters affect the roles they play in the evolution of the main character, and of the plot. Question: can there be too much development of side characters? #4: No story structure. I'm sort of a weird cross between a pantser and a plotter. I came up with the basic plot, but just started writing keeping it in mind, But I'm old fashioned and like actual meaningful Chapter Titles and Tables of Contents. And so, I've found that OCDly-completing a ToC also serves as a somewhat constrictive plotting device. #5: I'm having trouble thinking out the pacing issue. Not sure if I have one or not. I rewrite a passage until it feels right (because I generally have a problem proceeding unless I feel comfortable with the preceding). #6: showing not telling. I'm writing an SF novel, so it already leans towards exposition. I've spent much of the preceding decade on rewrites battling with this. The problem now is that the dialog that replaces most of the exposition makes the word count much longer. #7: transformative moment? Oops. I don't have any. No, seriously, those all happen (for protagonists and supporting characters) in the sequel. I mean, I DO have character development, there IS progress (for everyone) for but final realizations don't happen until the sequel? What do? Sorry to run on so long. This was an EXCELLENT video, and I wanted to comment in depth.
I’m not going to lie, as I was listening to this I was comparing it to an idea of a story I want to write in nanowrimo and I’m actually shocked to find out that I somehow managed to not make a lot of these mistakes. Which actually shocks me because I genuinely thought I was making all the mistakes. I only say this because your video actually made me realise that I might actually be able to do this writing thing. And I needed that a lot. So thank you so much for your videos. (We will of course see how it holds up for the bits I haven’t done yet like actually writing it. But fingers crossed!)
For #7, how do you approach having those fatal flaws, character arcs, and "ah-ha" moments with characters that are in a multi-book series? Option 1 is to have multiple fatal flaws, and then in each book in the series have the MC fixing one of them. But that feels unwieldy to me, and possibly a little forced? Option 2 is to have them work a little bit on them in each book, only having that satisfying "ah-ha" moment at the climax of the series plot instead of the book plot, but then how do you keep the reader's engaged to make it through to that final book for the payoff? Option 3 is a little bit of a mix of them, having a fatal flaw that can be worked on in "stages", and have the completion of each stage be something that completes at the climax of each book's plot, with the final book and series' plot being the completion of the whole of it, but then that feels like you have to arbitrarily and formulaically split up something that should be an organic growth. I'm not really sure if those cons make sense to anyone else (ah, there it is, that sneaking "am I just bad at communicating through writing" fear), but I would love to hear thoughts regarding this.
With each new challenge there’s a new opportunity for the character to change and grow. They can either reject the chance because of their fear or Misbelief, or they can choose to overcome their fear. By having that in mind, that could help deciding where the aha moments fits best in your series. I hope this helps at least some.
"All compelling stories are character driven... all of them." '20.000 Leagues under the Sea'? 'The Time Machine'? 'Murder in the Orient Express'? 'And Then There Were None'? 'The Lord of the Rings'?
All of those are stories from a different time. And probably not Abbie's target audience. If you've read "The Three Musketeers," you'll see that story violates pretty much _all_ of today's writing rules/guidelines, yet it's still a great story. I have almost 20 classic stories and they don't follow today's successful writing habits at all.
@@grondhero I think I can come up with a few slightly more modern examples: 'Red Dragon', 'The Silence of the Lambs', 'Hannibal'; all Harry Bosch novels, all Jack Reacher novels, all Pendergast novels; even post-modern films, like Rian Johnson's 'Knives Out' or 'The Glass Onion' (not that I like them) aren't really about the main character overcoming his "fatal flaw". I would say Abbie is just selling A branch of writing as THE ONE AND ONLY way to do it (because of some 'science'), which is factually incorrect. But you're certainly right about one thing: I seem not to be her target audience, so I will leave it at that.
@@Kit5une131313 Yep, I'm certainly not her target audience. I disagree fundamentally on MANY of these videos... I still watch them for a few nuggets that I can agree with here and there. * I LOVE infodumps - especially at the start of a story. If I don't care about the world and setting, I couldn't care less about the characters, their motivations, or any events taking place in that story. * I LOVE when there is telling, rather than showing, removing the ambiguity from situations that I often mis-read, both in books, and real life. * I LOVE characters that DON'T CHANGE, are NOT flawed, and actually stay heroes in a heroic story, for instance. Yes, the flat character arc, changing the world around them instead of changing as a character. That's just to name a few.
I have a couple questions; (1) Is there a such thing as too much internal conflict? (2) How do I come up with names for sci fi alien characters? (3) How do I make a really compelling plot, while still making the internal conflict drive the story forwards? (4) If I have no money or a non-existent budget, how do I find a website/app to write on? (5) I like to do art and I also like writing, but I can't find or make time to do either, and when I do find or make time, I can't find the words to write, and I can't come up with names for characters, places, or stories. What do I do? (6) I can't find words to describe certain feelings or for how a character speaks. What words can I use? (7) I'm trying to make a really emotionally complex character, but I feel like they're too complex for me to figure out, how do I keep track of how they'd react or act about different things or scenarios? (8) I feel like because I am under 18, I can't write well, and school takes up most of my time, but I still want to write, and I have A LOT of ideas for stories but I can't seem to get them out on paper or on digital. Do you have any advice? Sorry if there's too many questions, but I'm still really confused about writing. 😅
Hello! I might be able to answer some of these: 1: Any development for a character’s conflict is good, so I don’t think you need to worry about “too much”. However, you need to make sure you stay focused and that your character’s conflicts line up in one core arc to make sure you aren’t going off on tangents. 2: umm maybe use name generator websites? 😅 3: internal and external conflict go hand in hand. My story is a fantasy and the magic system and characters represent something symbolic or deeply-rooted in the protagonist’s psyche, so try to make the external events affect the characters’ beliefs and motives, and maybe trigger fears. 4: I’ve heard of people using Google docs, though I’ve never used it so I can’t guarantee it’s good. 5: you can use placeholder names until you settle on some, or use name generator websites or scroll through baby naming websites! Also if you find yourself lacking in inspiration. Use Pinterest. I swear it will change your life. 6: Pinterest has lots of lists for great words for writers! Also try to use metaphors to convey emotion more effectively ^^ 7: this one is actually easier than you think. No matter how complex the character, they will always have a goal, fear, and misbelief behind their actions. If you’re unsure how they’d react in a situation, go to the core of who there are and consider how they could get closer to their goal in that moment - even if it’s indirect and means manipulating other characters. Surprisingly, the character arc formula exists in real people too - I realised that various fears I’ve had always led back to one core fear. So keep the formula of that character in mind at all times! 8: sadly, I’m not sure what to suggest here, other than the fact that you have to write down every idea you get, no matter how vague. You won’t regret it, and you can use it for reference later. I hope this helps!
Great advice - thank you 🌺 I do however not agree with the last point. Some of the best books I have read (award winning books among them) one or several of the characters remain unaware of their misbeliefs throughout the book. They remain unchanged and un-reflective. Definitely depends on the genre and plots.
Im a fledgling science fiction writer, and ive been working out a pretty horrific and terrifying story with a lot of heavy material and bloodshed, fleshing out characters is sometimes easier said than done, because i have been told many times, that showing certain traits out the door right away are a massive turnoff to some readers, or i have been told that flawed characters who have problems are Mary Sues/Gary Stews when they clearly aren't, im struggling to find a balance with making characters appealing without overtly dumping out what they are all about, hiding too much of it, and making characters seem to good to fail. These have been helpful in defining that [Edit] I have also been told many many times... That some writers dont make a good draft until like the 6th or 7th draft. I wish personally it was as easy as 1st draft, all the flaws, 2nd draft, everything is ready to publish. Been told one too many times its that easy
7:04 okay but what if I have it outlined in my mind? I keep seeing all this stuff about writing an outline but I have basically the ENTIRE STORY up in my head. I can’t just write it down as a summary because that’s boring and my brain won’t let me (idk why, it just stop me and I cut things even shorter. It sucks) like I have EVERYTHING basically, just not on paper. Does that count as an outline? Or do I have to write it down?
Thanks for all your knowledge. I have my first novel written, a cozy detective mystery, and I am working on finding an agent. Without you and a few others on this platform, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do it. 🎉
Okay, so I am an amateur writer with about six years of experience. I use a style of writing that is uncommon, with punctuation that is unconventional. I write every page as though it were the final draft. I don't make drafts because the narrative can dilute with each revision. Once I'm done with each page, I perform a spell check and proofread. What I am writing is third-person past tense, with a balance of show and tell. It is dialogue heavy with action beats replacing "said" for the most part. I prefer to imagine my characters going through trauma first before writing it, so I can feel what they feel. I have actually cried from doing this. I'm only 42 pages in. I started with one character, added two more (who will return later), then had a "flashback" for one of them, then switched to a different location introducing four other characters. This involved a scene with two of them, then one, then back to two, then four. I don't plan on revisions because I'm 37, not 17. If people don't like what I have written, then that's their problem. I write for myself, not to please others.
I'd love it if someone could do a live project outlining, and then show us a 'now you have your outline, here's what to do next'. I know how to construct a plot, i know how to characterize, I know how to hook and pay off - cos there are so many videos out there about all this - but there's no video about how to do the meat an potatoes of sitting down, writing a chapter to get your characters from A to B.
What do you think about side characters who have the same goals? Like finishing school? I’m worried things get dull and I need to add a secondary element or secondary goal to attach to it
Just try not to make any character "paper character". Flesh them out. They can have same goal, because they are independent people from your main character. And remember that when you are having one main character and story is from his POV then those other people, side characters with their agenda are having their role in a story of main character. I have a time table what all characters in my story are doing on given time, so when it is logical for them they can show up with something and when it is not logical I can bend the rules (and think WHY they changed their plans) or just write make my main character move to find that side character.
As my late online mentor reminded us: Perfect? Probably not. Best you can write at This Exact Moment? (after at least one revision) Yes. Because you will always find something after publication that you think you could have done better. Use it in the next book.
Sometimes a good goal can simply being a friend Carying about someone else. Sometimes that may feel like a role. But it can be a goal. For instance a rival lover. That simply wants to be closer to the character in a highschool setting. Sometimes the goal and role are adjacent and doesnt need to be grandoise.
I have an outline already. But i want to create another separate story just for experimentation and learning. The outlined story is something i put alot of heart into. I want to get more experience before writing that one.
The fatal flaw of all protagonists is innocence, in one respect or another. They go along doing what they have always done, and then the externals expose their innocence. An unaware catalyst to their own challenges. Aren't we all? On the other hand, the fatal flaw all antagonists is blindness. They cannot be aware that they are the antagonist. If the story in any way directly indicates that either protagonist or antagonist are aware of their role as such, the reader is cheated. The reader must know and discover things the characters do not know. Things they may never know. If you write, you become aware that these things are true in your own life. You are both protagonist and antagonist in your own life's story, innocent and blind. That is the part of being a writer that rips your heart out. People who do not write are blissfully unaware of these things.
I have to disagree on the eternal focus on "show don't tell". You hear it everywhere, but my point is: it depends. There are books which are entirely written with "tell don't show", and they are a success. Show don't tell is a style of writing, and it is in fashion today, but that doesn't mean you have to do it everywhere. Because it is a style, you have to use it in cases where that style fits. Not necessarily in all cases. An example: you could have a book where actions in the present and flashbacks of the past are alternated. Then it could be a good idea to use "show don't tell" for the description of the present actions, while "tell don't show" could be used as style for the flashbacks of the past. This creates contrast and clarity. As show don't tell is just a style, it depends what kind of book you're writing. In a thriller, which is all action, it would fit. It might be that it fits less in a philosophical novel. So my message on "show don't tell" is: it is not a law. It depends on the situation.
I was fortunate to follow an author's ms from second draft through publication. The changes in direction and the opening and closing scenes were instructive. Rewriting has got to be 75+ per cent of the writer's job. I had a newswriting teacher who wrote "so what" on many of my stories until I learned about the importance of that first paragraph.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
My writing advice, don’t sweat it trying to write the perfect book. There’s never going to be a perfect book, don’t be so busy looking at what other more experienced authors are doing and devalue yourself and your story saying “ that’ll never happen to me.” What you have is unique to you and nobody else can write it like you can. So go for it! Write the story you want to tell and that’s the best you can offer the world. you will change the world with your words!🌎
Oh, I love this! It sounds so much like what I tell people when they tell me they want to start a RUclips channel. I tell them that they are going into a me too business and they need to find their own unique thing to help them stand out from the crowd. I love this idea of offering your own unique story and sharing it with the world. 💕
@@SimpleDesertRose you don’t have to do what other people are doing, you just have to do what you are doing and that’s enough☺️
Moby-Dick, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, Passing, Madame Bovary and The Bluest Eye are pretty close to perfect tho lol. I want to write something on those levels.
@@hardnewstakenharder keep at it, stick to it, and I know you’ll do great. You may do even better, you never know😉
This is fantastic advice! I couldn't say it better myself 👏👏👏
4:45 One thing that helps me flesh out my characters is by looking at them as their own "main character" than a side character. It helps me give their lives and aspirations more meaning than just development for the mc.
That's brilliant! Such a good way to figure out a character's motive and conflict, by giving them a "Center stage" moment to see what drives them 👏
Huh. I might have to try that! Thanks for the tip! :D
Me too ❤
This is exactly what I do too! All of my characters are the main character of their own story.
Yes! I’ve been fleshing out characters over time and I think this whenever I get stuck!
the #1 mistake for a beginner writer is staying a beginner writer and never growing. My first 2 attempts at a novel were both tremendous flops but they were necessary for me to learn from my mistakes. Even if you hate what you have now it is crucial to learn why that is so and learn how to avoid making those mistakes in the future.
Can't improve on what you never practice. 😁
🎯🏆
@@Dragonmoon1598well said! 😁
The better you are at writing the harder it is. Wish I could write with naivety again. It wasn't any good but it was fun and easy to write back then... Now I spend most my time refining an outline and character backgrounds before I even start... However nailing your act one setups makes it so much easier to write act 2.
So true!! You need that practice to grow through the trial and error, it's the only way to improve 👏
1-too much external conflict, not enough internal conflict
2-protagonist without a big flaw
3-characters having roles instead of goals
4-no story structure
5-inconsistent pacing
6-telling instead of showing
7-not transformative moment that gives character arc full circle
I'd say take these as advices, guiding points, but not strict rules to obey. After all, a story can break all of these and still be interesting.
ik u said this quite a while ago but i was wondering how are you supposed to "show dont tell" for a book? Like a movie you have a camera but a book you have to tell, no?
@@thisisnotbandit7467 the way i see it is that you have to show the personalities or whatever you want to tell,, without saying it outright!
@@yellowing1buds so, just to like understand write smth along the lines of like "he stood there with his arms trembling before walking in" instead of like "he stood there for a moment in fear before walking in"
@@thisisnotbandit7467 basically like that
@@thisisnotbandit7467 for characterization, one way you can “show not tell” is rather than telling the reader outright who your characters are…
ex: “she was optimistic, bubbly, and joyful all the time.”
…you can SHOW these character traits through their interactions with the world.
ex: “she skipped down the cobblestone path in the forest without a care, listening to the birds chirp and trees rustle with a grin. she ran her hand through the bushes and foliage without a care, even as the sun began to set slowly in the horizon. she was almost home, and surely she’d return in time for dinner.”
this snippet shows our hypothetical character’s personality with depth by sharing her interactions, thoughts, and perspective with the world. this character skips through a potentially dangerous forest without a care (notice the specificity of SKIPPING rather than walking), pays attention to pretty sounds like birds singing and trees rustling, feels the leaves in the bushes despite not knowing if any of them could be potentially harmful, and doesn’t worry at all about the fact that the sun is going down.
all this to say, it’s so much more entertaining for your reader to figure out your characters rather than stating their traits outright. plus, it gives us a more deep insight into who they are, rather than relying on shallow adjectives for characterization. depth is what gets us attached and compels us to keep reading!!
Abbie, a reader used the words "cringe" and "amateurish" to rate and review my debut novel in Goodreads last year, and I felt discouraged from writing my 2nd book😅 Funny thing is that book won the Singapore Book Prize for Best Young Person's Fiction by the Singapore Book Publishers Association, and was 1 of 4 shortlisted for the National Library's Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award, AND just a few days ago was awarded the White Raven 2024 by the International Youth Library in Germany. It's being showcased this week in Frankfurt's Book Fair, and will be in next year's biggest children's bookfair in Bologna, Italy. Not such a bad accomplishment for a "cringeworthy" and "amateurish" debut novel! Thanks to you, Abbie, and editor Ellen Brock, I followed your formulas to writing a good story👍🏾
Learn to distinguish between fact and opinion, and understand that not everyone will agree with you. Trust me, there are a lot of selfish, stupid people out there.
hi can you tell me the name of your novel
@@sillypuppy5940 I made a mistake in thinking it was obvious to readers that the language couldn't be as sophisticated as for adults since it's middle grade in the first person perspective of a 12-year-old protagonist in the mid twentieth century whose language isn't English 😕 I'll learn from mistakes 👍🏾
@@DymitriTobias Escape From Bussorah Street. A middle grade historical fiction on the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia in WW2, with a 12-year-old protagonist.
YOOOO FELLOW SG HUMAN? HELL YEAH ILL CHECK OUT YOUR BOOK THO (after Os haha)
My favorite advice I ever heard was from Neil Gaiman on the Nerdist podcast. They asked him what advice he had for new writers, and he said quite simply, "No one is ever going to read your first draft."
I got another piece of advice from a professional author I met at a conference. I wish more than anything I remembered her name. She said, "Writing is one process, and editing is another process." In other words, don't go back and tweak something you wrote earlier. It's too draining to change gears. Write the whole thing then edit the whole thing.
These are both fantastic words of advice!! I love that idea of switching gears to editing mode -- so true, it's a whole different process! 😁Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us!
I was noodling for months on about what I wrote already (not to mention my prologue is at its 7th version already) instead of making progress in the story but recently I realized, especially since I am improving as I go, every few months I won't be satisfied anyway with what I did. I'll try an advice I will attempt to apply for myself: leave the biggest of the editing for later, in one big "final phase", that's how you'll find consistency. Not talking from experience yet, hopefully soon it'll be :)
@@AbbieEmmons So kind of you. But I have nothing I wasn't given.
That doesn't work for me at all 😂
@@alyssum130 I'm the same way; I'm always editing at least part of the time while writing new material! Nothing works for everyone, and it's important to recognize when a tip isn't right for your writing style.
Doing mistakes is not a bad thing. It's perhaps the best way how to learn something. ❤
It’s best not be overly critical of yourself. Everyone started out as a novice, it just means we’ll continue learning and see more growth in ourselves as we do.
so true. Learning how what you did was wrong helps you see why it needs to be done right more clearly. :)
True!! honestly the biggest mistake is to be afraid of making mistakes 😆
So, in real life, you’re the MC and finishing the book or chapter is part of your character arc. You’re developing and realizing your potential and overcoming whatever is holding you back.
SAVE YOUR WORK
SAVE YOUR WORK
SAVE YOUR WORK
Best advice I ever got from a fellow writer!
HAVE A BACK-UP ON THE CLOUD SOMEWHERE
I saved my work but my laptop ran into a problem TWICE so everything had to be erased TWICE so I ended up writing the same book over TWICE although the second time was arguably better. And it still needs another rewrite since I did it years ago and it was the only book I ever completed.
Have backups for your backups - off-site.
I saved my work, at least I think I did, but MS One Drive/Word decided to sync my document with an older version of itself, thus irrecoverably wiping out a brilliant scene that I wrote in a moment of inspiration where I really got into the character's heads, which I'm still unable to recreate weeks later.
@Lestibournes maybe pick a new file name each time? Just a thought, it might not work for you.
Just after a hell lot of motivation and abbie's video i finally wrote 4000 words in past five days 😅
Woohoo! ✋🏼 *high fives*
@@AbbieEmmons 🤚
DAYUM PLS SHARE SOME MOTIVATION😭😭😭
If I were to go back and give myself or any novice some writing advice, I would say just write it out, whatever it is that is in your head. Don't worry if it's not perfect or doesn't flow smoothly or if it's a little clunky in places. Just write it all out because then you have your starting point. You can always go back and rewrite scenes so that they flow better. You can always add better details later. That's what editing is for. Also, it's ok to step away from it for a while and come back at a later date and go through it again. You might be struggling because you are just too close to the project and your mind needs a mental break. Finally to have fun with it. Don't stress out over all the details, just write. Give yourself some grace and don't be overly critical of yourself.
Great advice!😊
By the way, did your anniversary happen yet? If it did, I hope it went well.😀
@@JusteenCurtis Thank you for asking, it's tomorrow actually. We are very happy too. We aren't sure what we are going to do, exactly, probably just a date night, now that the kids are getting older, we are able to do more of those.
@@JusteenCurtis It's what I tell myself whenever I get over-critical of what I wrote out. Sometimes I struggle to make things just right and then they don't come out the way I think they should. Sometimes I have to step away from it otherwise I find myself not enjoying the writing process. Right now I'm struggling with a way of describing seeing one's breath. I've probably rewritten this sentence 6 times. I don't want to say she could see her breath. I want it to be a little more flowy than it is currently. I know eventually I will get it. I just have to give myself some grace.
@@SimpleDesertRose Well, Happy Anniversary tomorrow! I’m sure you’ll have a good time, and good luck on all your writing endeavors😊❤
I reached 300 pages so far. Not gonna lie that I'm little resentful about what I wrote, but this video helps me a lot. Thank you Abbie😊
Don’t sweat it, I have plenty of rewriting I need to do and I also still have to outline my story and structure it. We’re all learning to enjoy the process 😊
Thank you my brother. I know the feeling. I'm been doing a lot rewriting as well, changing few things to make my characters more humanized. It's a slow process but it's good to learn with our mistakes😊@JusteenCurtis
I'm so glad this video inspired you! Keep writing and chasing your dreams, you're going to go places! 💗
@AbbieEmmons Thank you so much, Abbie! I'll keep chasing this dream to become a great writer.😃
@@AbbieEmmons
I am on a point to leave my story in middle of the chapter 7 and I don't like how it it is going. I am from India and have this school thing on my head. You know it all a mess. I have all of it about the story- the internal conflict, story outline, characters with fetal flaw, even the transformation point also the additional story but I stuck feeling like drained.
What do I do?
The biggest misstake of beginner writers make is not writing.
See you all Sunday!
Amateur means lover of the activity and i do love doing the activity
Therefore i am a proud amateur
Checkmate
lol 😂
Yeah, I love being a pantser.
It's awesome to be an amateur!!
@@AisyahHeartly no they meant the literal etymology of 'amateur', amare is 'to love' in romance languages and latin
My characters often don't like my structure. More than once I find myself asking them, "what are you doing?"
This is probably why I'm a pantser ... that and, if I do a solid outline, my brain decides we've told this story and wanders off ... Actually, I refer to myself as a chronicler, I just follow them around and document the adventure.
@@scloftin8861 I just put them in a hypercube, so they won't wander off far.
@@scloftin8861 Okay, right?! I'm new to all this, but it 1000% feels like i'm just looking out of a window and writing down what they're doing and saying.
I did NOT KNOW that's how this worked. It took me completely by surprise that these characters were just _doing things_ and the only control i have over it is ...i guess... word choice. lol.
You should look into Haruki Murakami. He is known for taking this approach (characters acting independently from the writer) and has dubbed it “Automatic Dwarfs.”
This might sound mean (and I don’t intend it to be), but don’t get mystical. Characters are not real they don’t want things or like things. It’s not that your characters don’t like the plot, its that the traits you have developed for your characters don’t logically work within the plot that you’ve planned.
This is very useful for me since I'm writing a medieval fantasy romance genre and i want my story to leave an impact on the readers. I appreciate the video very much
I'm a 14 year old writer that has been on the author scene since maybe three years or four now, and I still feel like a hardcore beginner as a storyteller. Honestly I have tons of stories going at once (way too many, in other words) and I feel that none of them are what I wanted them to be in the first place. I just recently discovered your videos today and already I'm sensing a LOT of advice coming out of this that I can take to heart. Thank you for pointing out all these things for us, Abbie, because I've stuggled with so many of the same things your mentioning in this video and others, and I hope to shape my books to the better with your great words of writing wisdom. 😄 Thank you so much! ❤️
Great advice!! Having a fully-developed character with both strengths and weaknesses, a goal to achieve, and a transformation to undergo to get there is an essential part of the story. There's a quote I'm thinking of that I can't remember fully (or could find attribution for online 😭), but it's along the lines of "Readers will go anywhere with a full character, but will only go half a page without one." In other words, your character is essential to driving your story, and should be a major focus!
I LOVE THAT QUOTE! 👏Sooo true! The characters are the heart and soul of the story... all the little mistakes can be fixed in the editing process, but you need strong characters to have a good story
Your videos are super helpful, Abbie. And I really appreciate how you actually wrote out those 7 cringyest mistakes for me. Thank you kindly.
This video was really helpful bc recently I've been trying to write but I keep messing up 😅Thank you Abbie!
Thanks for sharing 🙏
I liked your channel from the beginning and I was already subscribed. This is among the first videos of yours I’m watching. But when I saw that familiar yellow book in your intro I had to double check… and I literally screamed “I LOVE THAT BOOK!” and now knowing you’re the one who wrote it makes you a million times more reliable.
That's freaking awesome! I wish that happens to me too ❤
My side characters are usually given personalities and hidden secrets readers can somehow relate to, and so my book can have sad scenes- 😅
I put numbers next to each paragraph in a chapter. That way, I don't need to scroll up and down forever reviewing things or changing a word. Also, if I get sleepy late a night, I can write the number and get back to it.
Good plan!👍
5:26 someone who I think does this REALLY well is Casandra Claire. You can tell her side characters are their own people too, and it gives a liveliness to the story that you don’t see often.
"You are not Stephen King. It's okay to write in a style different from everyone else."
As counterproductive as this might sound, my advice would be to not take every single piece of writing advice you see as a concrete must do. There are certain things of course that are essential to good writing (internal conflict, grammar, pacing, pretty much all the points Abbie made in this video haha.) But everyone’s methods of writing are different, and at the end of the day certain suggestions will actually hinder more than help you. That said, there’s a ton of amazing advice out there and I’m definitely not saying you shouldn’t try it all, just don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t work for you.
Hope that makes sense 😅
Yeah that's true. I feel like this video is just cliche writing advice for 15 year olds who want to try to write a book. I mean, you can literaly find these tips anywhere lol. I think you should just read and write and find out and if you stumble upon a tip that you try out then you can decide if it works or not. But I think she wants to promote something so that's why she's making this. I'm a big reader and I've never seen a book of her so she's saying all these tips as if she's the next stephen king
I literally just realised it's Preptober again lol. I remember I couldn't get my story done in time for Novelember last year so I'm glad that I'm here with ideas this year and ready to write!
I'm calling it Novelember, nobody's stopping me
NOVELEMBER
ACCEPTED. I WILL HENCEFORTH ONLY CALL IT THIS. Thank you for your contribution!
I'm a comic writer/artist and I learned the importance of story structure and scripting the hard way. I started out wanting to simply plan my story like a road trip (knowing the major destinations but no strict plan on what we're doing there). This lead to me rushing through major points of the story and not taking the time to make sure my characters weren't flat.
Love it - as usual. Thank you, Abbie Emmons! Key takeaway: Separate your "story" from your "self" - there's a superpower to that. "Objectively observe your own writing" - money talk. Showing your story is the real world. Telling your story....well, it has a limit to its' luck.
Thank you so much for doing what you do and that is making beginner writers, like me, believe in themselves. So many times I've strayed from the straight and narrow but you dear Abbie have reeled me in. I genuinely appreciate your presence in my writer's journey. Once again valuing your suggestions and following through I realized today-after watching this video-I have made immense progress over the last two years. Thank you thank you thank you🙏🙏 I believe in me because you believe in me.
This comment brightened my day!! thank you so much for being a part of the community here. I'm so happy my videos have been so inspiring for you on your writing journey. 🥹 I do believe that you can accomplish anything you set out to do! you should be super proud of the progress you've made. Best of luck on your writing journey my friend 🤗
When it comes to writing, you write it over until you get it right. That's why it's called righting.
I found that an easier way to look at show don't tell is "describe, don't explain" which helps me understand it a lot more. Show, don't tell works best for me when thinking about dialogue specifically
I love these videos, because though I know or feel the advice is already ingrained into my own imagination, they remind me what they are and why it matters. The small portion about side characters reminded me to reintegrate my protagonist's bully into later scenes of which I have forgotten to. His character arc could have been completely lost to a plot hole or loose end if I didn't catch it during a revision.
I've been writing for a few years now,, and Abbie is why I am still writing.. Abbie,, you keep giving me so much support to continue my journey .. Tell myself the story will be done this year.. It's a murder mystery but with many characters all living in a small town in 1960,, on the Island of Borneo..
Ooo I love murder mysteries good luck! :D
Sounds so interesting! I want to read it!
@@zookeepersam888 I'' remember when it's finished.. By the way I'm very interested in the legends and myths of Borneo and currently drafting an idea for a story based on the Banana spirit
4:46 This is what I'm trying to avoid while writing my current story. I don't like the idea of creating characters just for the sake of having characters. It's a waste of page space and time, and it doesn't make me want to develop these characters. I want my characters to exist for a reason. Even the minor ones.
Whilst I agree that no character should be perfect, or a Mary Sue, the 'fatal flaw' is unnecessary if every character is flawed. Malazan is a prime example of this approach.
Love this! I actually have the opposite problem bc I've always loved the most character-driven stories. Explosions are the chaos that puts me to sleep. Now I want to look up an Abbie Emmons video on how much action and subplot material I really need in the middle of my protagonist's angsty, inner turmoil, lol!
I like to make story structure and go completely against it because I had a good idea at the last moment that I feel is even better than the original
I've recently been inspired to finish writing my novel and I've been binge watching these videos.. This is very helpful for me as I get back into it ☺️
Writing a novel is such an uphill struggle. Between learning what to write and battling the writer’s block.
You can say that again!😅😂
There is no writer's block. Just laziness and/or being busy.
Abbie always help others , thanks to her, I managed to built not just a novel, but a 10 years idea that have become a big world full of stories.
Thanks Abbie
4:31 is there a book or smth that has the portag an aspiring writer but hates their lack of skills?
Loved the video!! I'm not necessarily a "new" writer but I still have yet to complete a book and just feel like I'm floundering...but you posted just in time. Thanks!
Thank you for your continued support of writers/writing.
This is one of the best descriptions of show-don't-tell I've heard - and I've heard a LOT of them.
These tips are SO GOOD! Thank you for this!!!! 💜You are AMAZING at explaining everything and all of your videos are SO VERY HELPFUL!
As for the writing advice I would give myself.... It would be to (like several people before me have stated) focus on your progress. Not perfection. Write what you love and find joy in the experience.
I've had a habit of comparing myself to others.... and it's far, FAR from beneficial. (It ends up making me feel like I'm a horrible writer). But when I look at how far I've come, I can't help but feel elated. No one is perfect, so why push ourselves down for it? We should learn, grow, and be grateful for our gift of writing!
My writing advice: Decide on a narrative voice (i.e. first person or various types of third person) and a tense (present or past) early in the process. A lot of other aspects of the story flow from these choices. For example, a first-person past story invites a framing story in present tense in which the character introduces herself to the reader, and reflects on the past events that she is about to narrate. A first-person present story must work out natural, plausible ways for the character (and hence the reader) to learn about plot-relevant events they didn't experience directly. And so forth.
My advice would be; don't stop and take 20 year's off. Stay with it until you finish the story. 😊
The more you write the easier it becomes. Write anything because it's fun. I find at some point I reach what I can only describe as "runners high." But, you have to already have an established outline and research already done
I have managed to stray from many of these but knowing that and much more has helped. I have not been able to make my mini art/writing vlogs due to heavy final exams but I at least watch an hourne my skill.
Keep at it, and I know you’ll do great!😁
@@JusteenCurtis Thanks. If I do well in said exams I could go to an animation course where I hope to put life into those words I call a story
@@SmokeAndMirrorsS.A.M Animation, I’d love to do animation!!! At the very least I’d like to do computer animation for video games 🎮
@@JusteenCurtis As I always say, animation and storytelling go so hand in hand. Don't they ?
@@SmokeAndMirrorsS.A.M especially when you can have animated visuals for your story😁
Edit: I am not disagreeing with Abbie's point. I am adding nuance from my point of view.
10:10 "Filler chapters that don't contribute to the story" are not merely a pacing problem. They certainly add to pacing problems. But if something doesn't contribute to the story, it should not be in the story. There is so much that a story needs, there should never be a need to add words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, or chapters that do not contribute. Abbie's advice on plotting may help a writer who is adding filler material. If you take some time to think about the story, the character, the plot, the internal and external conflict, the complexity of the world, the characters offstage that don't have a voice but require their needs are met as well... etc., etc., etc., you will have no room for filler words, let alone filler chapters.
what is character offstage mean? I have one draft of my story, where I just made MC cooking for his sis and mother for an entire 1 chapter. But later on, it was his last served meal to them
I think that depends. In plot driven stories, sure. In character driven stories a lot of chapters may help us understand the character better and in many ways that IS the story
@@BookClubDisaster
Only words or "filler[s]... that do not contribute to the story ... should not be in the story."
If words of any length aid in the storytelling, they belong in the story in one fashion or another.
Cheers.
I'm worried that my novel may be too plot driven, even though I hate plot-driven stories. I guess I need to step back and look at that.
I worry mine isn't plot driven enough. Mine is all character driven!
It would be interesting to see how many Great Books adhere to this advice. Kafka's trial? American Psycho by Ellis? The Road by McCarthy? Berlin Alexanderplatz by Döblin? On the road by Kerouac? 🤔
I've read all those books. Not sure American Psycho belongs on the list of great books. Andit doesn't follow all those rules. Like the part about a final conflict. He never has one. He has no character arc. He's just a pure monster.
I’m a pantser, I never really plan, I have a brief outline in my head but let my characters take over and do what they want. Some things even surprise me, and I’m the one writing it. I’ve written and self-published 5 books.
How many people read them?
@@theq6797 At least 100, which might not seem many, but it’s not bad considering that I don’t do much to market the books.
I was in hospital a few years ago and got talking to some of the patients about what they did, and I told them that I Self-publish books and the names I write under. A women’s gasped, I thought something medical was wrong and was about to call the nurses, but she said. “ My daughter loves your books, you’re one of her favourite authors.”
So that was quite amazing and brightened up my day.
@@carabingham3207 Awesome. I am also "pantser" with vague outline in my head (3 major turns in the story). I am professional writer, but not writer as in "writer of published books". Currently I am working on a book with a target to publish it when I will finish it. It is anthology of stories that interconnect with each other.
Thank you for your videos. You gave me the courage to write my humble story instead of letting it just swim in the gray cells of my mind. I wish I had the time to attend your live training sessions to improve even more, but who knows, maybe one day I'll have the time to attend all of your training courses.
The note about internal conflict is SO important! Sometimes I’m watching movies or series or reading a book with a bunch of stuff happening to the protagonist and in my mind I’m just like… I don’t feel sorry for you!!! Because I don’t even know this character or why I should care about them at all! It’s definitely the most important thing for a compelling story.
i do not understand how you always drop a video on the exact subject i am struggling with
magic
By dropping videos on common problems frequently
Hi abbie! First of all, You're seriously amazing! I love how you make everything so easy. I love you! Thank you so much for doing this for all the writers. I have a question that's been keeping me up all night-- Are the readers supposed to consciously know the internal conflict? I mean how much should the readers know about the internal conflict, All of it? Or Some of it?
I’d say that depends on what effect you want your story to have, but generally it helps to reveal the conflict as early as possible to help your readers engage with and care for this character. However, be sure to reveal it naturally, through the character’s life, decisions, and demeanour, rather than stating it outright. The sooner the readers know what matters to the character, the sooner it’ll matter to them, too :)
Abbey, could you please consider doing a video about finding a good agent? I get that agents aren’t as necessary today as they once were, but many first time novelists aren’t good at marketing ourselves.
I’d also like to get your thoughts on self publishing vs a publisher.
Thank you so much iI' been working on a book and for every tip I hought about my plot and characters and how to improve them. This is so helpful and i wish every writer could see this ❤❤❤
Problem for me, is that I see the entire story immediately... and if it's already completed upstairs, I can't motivate myself to finish. That's a great point about internal conflict though, I believe that's where I find my hook most times- in that it hooks me to develop the story.
Does all of this apply to thriller/ murder mysteries? Because for example, giving all my side characters goals won’t really serve much of a purpose as I need them there for a specific role. Not to mention, I think a lot of murder mysteries are mainly plot- driven because the murder itself has to happen. Idk, I’m just not sure what kind of genre you’re talking about here but I would love to know!
Honestly I kind of agree I feel like there's some stories we're not all of these really apply. Like I'm writing a zombie book where a lot of her videos helped me learn how to better write it cuz they did apply. I'm also working on a second book that is mostly plot driven where these don't apply cuz it's literally about the end of the world and not so much about the main character struggles lol So I feel like it's really nuance
I'm writing two different stories (both D&D fantasy) just to get the stories out of my head and serve as a "what not to do" type thing. It's nice to see guidelines and suggestions about how to do things correctly and I can already feel my third story (the one where I'll try to do things properly) coming into being and how it differs from these first two "practice" stories.
SIDE NOTE: I ordered "One Hundred Days of Sunlight" last week from Amazon. They said it should arrive by Oct. 4, so two more days. ☺
I’d like to read “ The Otherworld,” I tried to find it once in Barnes n Noble but I couldn’t find it.😂
same, i'm writing a fic of my baldurs gate 3 playthrough but with added flare here and there and I have notice my writing improve significantly
@@nekochan7542 I’m so happy for you!😄
I'd argue that you could make 7 of the biggest writers' mistakes, but as long as you've nailed your pacing, readers will stay glued to your book like moths to flames.
Pacing was one of her 7 mistakes.
I have a side character (a best friend of a love interest), she doesn't add anything to the story. But since that love interest isn't very friendly and would look like a loner, i'm not sure if i should cut her out.
For me the biggest mistake was not finishing. Trying to find perfection and worrying about the results meant I would always be going back to change just a little bit. Eventually I self published. There were a lot of mistakes and things I wish I had done differently; but after finishing a couple of books I have now gone back to rewrite the first novel and will take it to a traditional publisher.
Your information is great and well explained especially for often vague topics: show vs tell, external vs. internal.
A goal is a goal, and a role is a role. And if we don’t have no goals, we don’t get no roles!
😬
I don't want to sound pretentious,but this made me feel so much more confident in my writing.I took a deep look and I only found a few bad scenes and 2 questionable characters.Im kinda suprised I barely did these at all.
Hi I found your channel last year - I have been trying to learn more about storytelling to write short comic book stories for anthologies. I'm an artist first and foremost. I really appreciate the way you break things down into easy to understand concepts. I watched a video you made some months ago giving advice to beginners where you said something addressing perfectionism like "practice IS the output" - that really stuck in my brain and I apply that to all of my artwork and illustrations now. Whenever I make something, I do my best to make it excellent but with the knowledge that it won't be perfect, that's ok, and its also practice for future works - and that its most important to get it done and move onto the next one. Another way to phrase this might be "finished not perfect". I dont remember which video it was (maybe a video on writing short stories") but I greatly appreciate your advice.
Thanks because your advice has helped me so much I have published my own book at 12 chronicles of dawn the dark guard
Attempting to write my first novel that is based in Ancient Greece. Any tips with writing about this historical world as an amateur writer?
I don't know if you have written horror before, or at least know much about it. I'm trying to write a cosmic horror story (not a whole novel) and I'm trying to figure out how a character should develop in a situation that's meant to leave the reader feeling vulnerable and fearful.
Writing my first novel right now, and this is exactly the video I needed to watch! Thank you so much!
Also random side note, is Wildwood one of the books in the background? Love that book.
Yay, another Abbie video!!!! I can't wait to watch haah
Thank you so much for this Abbie.
Hi, congratulations on your book! It's such an inspiration to other children who have similar issues with being picked on, whether they're on the spectrum or have ADHD. My daughter had you as a substitute teacher at Ensign last year. You are the best!
Goes without saying that you cannot convey everything about your protagonist(s) all at once, in a few sentences, or even in a few paragraphs; nor should you attempt to do so. Instead, you have to string all that out throughout the novel, developing the characters as the story progresses. However, when you introduce them to the reader, make sure that you introduce them in such a way that your readers will start caring about them, and even as they're getting to know the characters, you start describing their inner conflict, giving the readers a whiff of the external conflict to come... This way, the introduction of the characters (which will, hopefully, be endearing to the readers), what their inner struggles are, why that matters to them and a hint of the external conflict are all presented in quick succession, almost intertwined together... If this is your first chapter, and it's done well, you're Golden!
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Mistake #1: Question: can one have too much internal conflict as opposed to external conflict? Is there a natural balance to the relative intensities of internal vs external conflicts? Also, I note that there can be feedback loops between inner and outer, and outer and inner conflicts.
Mistake #2: the fatal flaw aka misbelief, aka (*in a sense*) the Vital Lie. My favorite example of this is Henrik Ibsen's play "The Wild Duck". I heartily recommend it, both as a literary treat and as an excellent question for each person to ponder: "what is my Vital Lie?"
#3: "Giving characters roles instead of goals" YES! "Your Side characters should not be here in the story because the story needs them to be, they should be here because they need to be." Exactly. I'm writing that down for my Writing Wall. The goals of my supporting characters affect the roles they play in the evolution of the main character, and of the plot. Question: can there be too much development of side characters?
#4: No story structure. I'm sort of a weird cross between a pantser and a plotter. I came up with the basic plot, but just started writing keeping it in mind, But I'm old fashioned and like actual meaningful Chapter Titles and Tables of Contents. And so, I've found that OCDly-completing a ToC also serves as a somewhat constrictive plotting device.
#5: I'm having trouble thinking out the pacing issue. Not sure if I have one or not. I rewrite a passage until it feels right (because I generally have a problem proceeding unless I feel comfortable with the preceding).
#6: showing not telling. I'm writing an SF novel, so it already leans towards exposition. I've spent much of the preceding decade on rewrites battling with this. The problem now is that the dialog that replaces most of the exposition makes the word count much longer.
#7: transformative moment? Oops. I don't have any. No, seriously, those all happen (for protagonists and supporting characters) in the sequel. I mean, I DO have character development, there IS progress (for everyone) for but final realizations don't happen until the sequel? What do?
Sorry to run on so long. This was an EXCELLENT video, and I wanted to comment in depth.
I’m not going to lie, as I was listening to this I was comparing it to an idea of a story I want to write in nanowrimo and I’m actually shocked to find out that I somehow managed to not make a lot of these mistakes. Which actually shocks me because I genuinely thought I was making all the mistakes.
I only say this because your video actually made me realise that I might actually be able to do this writing thing. And I needed that a lot. So thank you so much for your videos.
(We will of course see how it holds up for the bits I haven’t done yet like actually writing it. But fingers crossed!)
For #7, how do you approach having those fatal flaws, character arcs, and "ah-ha" moments with characters that are in a multi-book series?
Option 1 is to have multiple fatal flaws, and then in each book in the series have the MC fixing one of them. But that feels unwieldy to me, and possibly a little forced?
Option 2 is to have them work a little bit on them in each book, only having that satisfying "ah-ha" moment at the climax of the series plot instead of the book plot, but then how do you keep the reader's engaged to make it through to that final book for the payoff?
Option 3 is a little bit of a mix of them, having a fatal flaw that can be worked on in "stages", and have the completion of each stage be something that completes at the climax of each book's plot, with the final book and series' plot being the completion of the whole of it, but then that feels like you have to arbitrarily and formulaically split up something that should be an organic growth.
I'm not really sure if those cons make sense to anyone else (ah, there it is, that sneaking "am I just bad at communicating through writing" fear), but I would love to hear thoughts regarding this.
With each new challenge there’s a new opportunity for the character to change and grow. They can either reject the chance because of their fear or Misbelief, or they can choose to overcome their fear. By having that in mind, that could help deciding where the aha moments fits best in your series. I hope this helps at least some.
"All compelling stories are character driven... all of them."
'20.000 Leagues under the Sea'? 'The Time Machine'? 'Murder in the Orient Express'? 'And Then There Were None'? 'The Lord of the Rings'?
All of those are stories from a different time. And probably not Abbie's target audience. If you've read "The Three Musketeers," you'll see that story violates pretty much _all_ of today's writing rules/guidelines, yet it's still a great story.
I have almost 20 classic stories and they don't follow today's successful writing habits at all.
@@grondhero What about Jurassic Park, the original novel
you have a great point. When a writer has something genuinely interesting or new to say, all these rules don't really matter.
@@grondhero I think I can come up with a few slightly more modern examples:
'Red Dragon', 'The Silence of the Lambs', 'Hannibal'; all Harry Bosch novels, all Jack Reacher novels, all Pendergast novels; even post-modern films, like Rian Johnson's 'Knives Out' or 'The Glass Onion' (not that I like them) aren't really about the main character overcoming his "fatal flaw".
I would say Abbie is just selling A branch of writing as THE ONE AND ONLY way to do it (because of some 'science'), which is factually incorrect.
But you're certainly right about one thing: I seem not to be her target audience, so I will leave it at that.
@@Kit5une131313 Yep, I'm certainly not her target audience. I disagree fundamentally on MANY of these videos... I still watch them for a few nuggets that I can agree with here and there.
* I LOVE infodumps - especially at the start of a story. If I don't care about the world and setting, I couldn't care less about the characters, their motivations, or any events taking place in that story.
* I LOVE when there is telling, rather than showing, removing the ambiguity from situations that I often mis-read, both in books, and real life.
* I LOVE characters that DON'T CHANGE, are NOT flawed, and actually stay heroes in a heroic story, for instance. Yes, the flat character arc, changing the world around them instead of changing as a character.
That's just to name a few.
I have a couple questions;
(1) Is there a such thing as too much internal conflict?
(2) How do I come up with names for sci fi alien characters?
(3) How do I make a really compelling plot, while still making the internal conflict drive the story forwards?
(4) If I have no money or a non-existent budget, how do I find a website/app to write on?
(5) I like to do art and I also like writing, but I can't find or make time to do either, and when I do find or make time, I can't find the words to write, and I can't come up with names for characters, places, or stories. What do I do?
(6) I can't find words to describe certain feelings or for how a character speaks. What words can I use?
(7) I'm trying to make a really emotionally complex character, but I feel like they're too complex for me to figure out, how do I keep track of how they'd react or act about different things or scenarios?
(8) I feel like because I am under 18, I can't write well, and school takes up most of my time, but I still want to write, and I have A LOT of ideas for stories but I can't seem to get them out on paper or on digital. Do you have any advice?
Sorry if there's too many questions, but I'm still really confused about writing. 😅
Hello! I might be able to answer some of these:
1: Any development for a character’s conflict is good, so I don’t think you need to worry about “too much”. However, you need to make sure you stay focused and that your character’s conflicts line up in one core arc to make sure you aren’t going off on tangents.
2: umm maybe use name generator websites? 😅
3: internal and external conflict go hand in hand. My story is a fantasy and the magic system and characters represent something symbolic or deeply-rooted in the protagonist’s psyche, so try to make the external events affect the characters’ beliefs and motives, and maybe trigger fears.
4: I’ve heard of people using Google docs, though I’ve never used it so I can’t guarantee it’s good.
5: you can use placeholder names until you settle on some, or use name generator websites or scroll through baby naming websites! Also if you find yourself lacking in inspiration. Use Pinterest. I swear it will change your life.
6: Pinterest has lots of lists for great words for writers! Also try to use metaphors to convey emotion more effectively ^^
7: this one is actually easier than you think. No matter how complex the character, they will always have a goal, fear, and misbelief behind their actions. If you’re unsure how they’d react in a situation, go to the core of who there are and consider how they could get closer to their goal in that moment - even if it’s indirect and means manipulating other characters. Surprisingly, the character arc formula exists in real people too - I realised that various fears I’ve had always led back to one core fear. So keep the formula of that character in mind at all times!
8: sadly, I’m not sure what to suggest here, other than the fact that you have to write down every idea you get, no matter how vague. You won’t regret it, and you can use it for reference later.
I hope this helps!
@@isadoranurdin4402 thanks, this helped me a lot! :D
Great advice - thank you 🌺 I do however not agree with the last point. Some of the best books I have read (award winning books among them) one or several of the characters remain unaware of their misbeliefs throughout the book. They remain unchanged and un-reflective. Definitely depends on the genre and plots.
Im a fledgling science fiction writer, and ive been working out a pretty horrific and terrifying story with a lot of heavy material and bloodshed, fleshing out characters is sometimes easier said than done, because i have been told many times, that showing certain traits out the door right away are a massive turnoff to some readers, or i have been told that flawed characters who have problems are Mary Sues/Gary Stews when they clearly aren't, im struggling to find a balance with making characters appealing without overtly dumping out what they are all about, hiding too much of it, and making characters seem to good to fail.
These have been helpful in defining that
[Edit]
I have also been told many many times... That some writers dont make a good draft until like the 6th or 7th draft. I wish personally it was as easy as 1st draft, all the flaws, 2nd draft, everything is ready to publish. Been told one too many times its that easy
7:04 okay but what if I have it outlined in my mind? I keep seeing all this stuff about writing an outline but I have basically the ENTIRE STORY up in my head. I can’t just write it down as a summary because that’s boring and my brain won’t let me (idk why, it just stop me and I cut things even shorter. It sucks) like I have EVERYTHING basically, just not on paper. Does that count as an outline? Or do I have to write it down?
Oo, the fatal flaw bit was excellent and really got me thinking.
Thanks for all your knowledge. I have my first novel written, a cozy detective mystery, and I am working on finding an agent. Without you and a few others on this platform, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do it. 🎉
This comment brightened my day! Congrats on your cozy mystery (sounds awesome!) and best of luck with finding the perfect agent for it 👏😁
Another great video and very helpful, thank you!!!
Another great lesson. Thank you sharing! Write on.
Okay, so I am an amateur writer with about six years of experience.
I use a style of writing that is uncommon, with punctuation that is unconventional.
I write every page as though it were the final draft. I don't make drafts because the narrative can dilute with each revision.
Once I'm done with each page, I perform a spell check and proofread.
What I am writing is third-person past tense, with a balance of show and tell. It is dialogue heavy with action beats replacing "said" for the most part.
I prefer to imagine my characters going through trauma first before writing it, so I can feel what they feel. I have actually cried from doing this.
I'm only 42 pages in. I started with one character, added two more (who will return later), then had a "flashback" for one of them, then switched to a different location introducing four other characters.
This involved a scene with two of them, then one, then back to two, then four.
I don't plan on revisions because I'm 37, not 17. If people don't like what I have written, then that's their problem. I write for myself, not to please others.
I'd love it if someone could do a live project outlining, and then show us a 'now you have your outline, here's what to do next'. I know how to construct a plot, i know how to characterize, I know how to hook and pay off - cos there are so many videos out there about all this - but there's no video about how to do the meat an potatoes of sitting down, writing a chapter to get your characters from A to B.
What do you think about side characters who have the same goals? Like finishing school? I’m worried things get dull and I need to add a secondary element or secondary goal to attach to it
Just try not to make any character "paper character". Flesh them out. They can have same goal, because they are independent people from your main character. And remember that when you are having one main character and story is from his POV then those other people, side characters with their agenda are having their role in a story of main character.
I have a time table what all characters in my story are doing on given time, so when it is logical for them they can show up with something and when it is not logical I can bend the rules (and think WHY they changed their plans) or just write make my main character move to find that side character.
As my late online mentor reminded us: Perfect? Probably not. Best you can write at This Exact Moment? (after at least one revision) Yes. Because you will always find something after publication that you think you could have done better. Use it in the next book.
That’s a good word!
Sometimes a good goal can simply being a friend
Carying about someone else.
Sometimes that may feel like a role. But it can be a goal.
For instance a rival lover. That simply wants to be closer to the character in a highschool setting. Sometimes the goal and role are adjacent and doesnt need to be grandoise.
I have an outline already.
But i want to create another separate story just for experimentation and learning.
The outlined story is something i put alot of heart into. I want to get more experience before writing that one.
The fatal flaw of all protagonists is innocence, in one respect or another. They go along doing what they have always done, and then the externals expose their innocence. An unaware catalyst to their own challenges. Aren't we all? On the other hand, the fatal flaw all antagonists is blindness. They cannot be aware that they are the antagonist. If the story in any way directly indicates that either protagonist or antagonist are aware of their role as such, the reader is cheated. The reader must know and discover things the characters do not know. Things they may never know. If you write, you become aware that these things are true in your own life. You are both protagonist and antagonist in your own life's story, innocent and blind. That is the part of being a writer that rips your heart out. People who do not write are blissfully unaware of these things.
I have to disagree on the eternal focus on "show don't tell". You hear it everywhere, but my point is: it depends. There are books which are entirely written with "tell don't show", and they are a success. Show don't tell is a style of writing, and it is in fashion today, but that doesn't mean you have to do it everywhere. Because it is a style, you have to use it in cases where that style fits. Not necessarily in all cases.
An example: you could have a book where actions in the present and flashbacks of the past are alternated. Then it could be a good idea to use "show don't tell" for the description of the present actions, while "tell don't show" could be used as style for the flashbacks of the past. This creates contrast and clarity.
As show don't tell is just a style, it depends what kind of book you're writing. In a thriller, which is all action, it would fit. It might be that it fits less in a philosophical novel.
So my message on "show don't tell" is: it is not a law. It depends on the situation.
I was fortunate to follow an author's ms from second draft through publication. The changes in direction and the opening and closing scenes were instructive. Rewriting has got to be 75+ per cent of the writer's job.
I had a newswriting teacher who wrote "so what" on many of my stories until I learned about the importance of that first paragraph.