Write, finish, and publish an incredible novel that readers will love with my advanced Story Coaching program. Apply here: jedherne.com/coaching Here's my full list of 37 books from this video: 1. Structuring your novel by K. M. Weiland 2. Outlining your novel by K. M. Weiland 3. Story by Robert McKee 4. Dialogue by Robert McKee 5. Your First Million Words by Jeff Wheeler 6. 5000 words per hour by Chris Fox 7. 2k to 10k by Rachel Aaron 8. The Anatomy of Story by John Truby 9. The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass 10. Character by Robert McKee 11. Write to Market by Chris Fox 12. Writing and Releasing Rapidly by Elana Johnson 13. The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman 14. Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland 15. Mastering Simple Facebook Ads for Authors by Mark Dawson 16. Learn Amazon Ads by Mark Dawson 17. Reader Magnets by Nick Stephenson 18. 5 Secrets of Story Structure by K. M. Weiland 19. Newsletter Ninja by Tammi Labrecque 20. Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday 21. Amazon Decoded by David Gaughran 22. Bookbub Ads Expert by David Gaughran 23. On being a dictator by Kevin J. Anderson 24. Launch to Market by Chris Fox 25. On Writing by Stephen King 26. James Paterson by James Paterson 27. The Game Crafter’s Apprentice 28. The Game Crafter’s Companion 29. The Art and Business of Online Writing by Nicholas Cole 30. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury 31. A Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemmingway 32. The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield 33. Seinfeldia by Jennifer Armstrong 34. All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk 35. A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee 36. Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir 37. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
there is an expression in film making, that you make a movie three times, once during the storyboarding, once during the filming, and again during the editing, and this holds true for writing novels too. If you skip any one of those steps you are cheating yourself out of a massive creative experience.
I like outlining, however, some of the most creative stories have been discovery written (like most of King's best books). When you discovery write, you think of things you never would have in an outline. Although, this is a much harder way (to writing a book) to master than plotting. There is one solution though ......... discovery write your first draft, then rewrite the entire thing with the new plot/events in mind. Keep repeating this process til your book shines. Great clips, thanks Jed. :)
I would counter-argue that even when you write with an outline, there is still a tremendous amount of discovery about the story and characters that happens as you write and revise. Speaking from my own experience writing about six drafts of a novel over the past five years. I think there's a fear that with an outline, you won't be able to improvise during the drafting process, and that's just not true. And not to knock Stephen King, but I'm sure there are books written by outline that are more creative than anything Stephen King ever wrote
@@nolancapps8654 Yeah, I agree. I think most important is the process you develop for yourself, whiich is, when examined more deeply, greatly different from anyone else's, even fellow like-minded plotters or pancers. I think it's important to eventually choose a process and become amazing at it, whatever that process may be. All the best. :)
In my business, we call it green light and red light thinking. You start out with green light thinking which means that you conceptualize without thinking about structure or specific Direction. Also known as spitballing or stream of conscience. Then you move to the red light thinking that compresses and organizes thought into a cohesive concept that has structure and a meaningful plot.
There is a whole spectrum between pure discovery and ultra-detailed planning. Each writer has to figure out how much and what kind of outlining and planning works. And each project may need a slightly different approach. The advice of planning as much as you need to get the story written is good. King is an outlier. Plenty of horrible books have also been discovery written.
I recommend anyone trying to learn about structure to read "The 90 Day Novel" by Alan Watt. In Watt's method, the outline blossom's from your character's core dilemma. It is incredibly practical! This book alone took me to another level of craft.
Also having read almost everything i could, I can say this, Tim's books and videos (from Hello Future Me) on world building are possibly the best advice on writing you will find on the internet.
Thanks for the video, I'm reading Anatomy of genres by John Truby, I recommend this book for those who want to stand out from the crowd and, among other things, understand what is at stake in the market. (I'm french, I hope I didn't make too much mistakes, forgive me if I did)
Hello Jed, nice to meet you. Great video! I started writing at 13. I'm now 44. I've written 35 books (so far), and my first book took me ten years to finish. 284k words. Eight years to get right, then two years to edit. No outline. Now . . . my books are around 200k, and they take 3-4 months to write. So having an outline helps, but it's the magic of storytelling that shines through if you allow yourself to dream big and not let anyone tell you it can't be done. :)
one thing I want to say about outlining: you dont have to know exactly what is going to happen. you don't need every single plot point. I think a big misconception about pansters is that we have absolutely no idea where we are going. thats not true. i dont know about anyone else's writing process but for me i generally have an idea of where i need to go without building a full-on outline; its just sitting in my head, and thats enough for me to get there. basically: dont listen to hardcore outliners saying you HAVE to have an outline. if it doesnt work for you, dont do it, if it does work for you, keep doing it
same and the only reason i don’t outline is because im too lazy to do it but at the same time its alr outlined in my head. also ill have scenes from the way future written in my notes app too that help
There are a few master pantsers. All the master classical music composers spent years producing derivative pieces, even the child genius Motzart, before creating their masterworks. I think it's a career shortcut to learn all the structure, tools and techniques first, even if you will eventually be a pantser. The exception would be if this causes you to stress and become unable to face your novel. Mental health must come before any method. There is obviously the other POV where many writers think if the plotters gave up their plotting, book quality would improve. No definitively correct answer.
I've read about 50 craft books and I reread about 6 regularly between writing my next book. The best one that nails everything a writer must know was written by Larry Brooks called, Story Engineering. If there is a bible of craft that is it.
@@Jed_Herne It has good things in it, but it also very infuriating to read since the author is very full of himself and likes to do constant food metaphors. But the stuff about story structure is actually good.
the number one piece of advice i give people is to plan ahead and write an outline, absolutely!!! it can be a real lifesafer, especially when youre not a full time writer and have to come back after maybe months not working on your thing! its extremely helpful to at least outline chapters or important plot points to keep you on track. solid advice 👍
This was very helpful advice for someone just starting out. I already see some mistakes that I have been making and will now course-correct. Thank you!
I don't disagree that writing an outline helps some people stay on track but I don't outline and my story is not messy or unreadable and I don't have to make major changes to it. I have a general idea of what I want to write and I go from there and see what my options are and what I like best. I don't think outlining hurts creativity, I just like to feel the flow of the story over outlining it.
I love Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I refer to it all the time. Lisa Cron's Story Genius is pretty good as well, though she's very much'my way is the only way to write a decent novel' which did put me off a bit. Still, information in there is solid.
Save the cat was a God send for me I hated outlining but found when I didn’t I’d get stuck and give up outlining made me feel like the story could fly out of my hands
5:00 But what about a story where the protagonist isn't the one to defeat the antagonist? That happened in the first arc of a fantasy story I'm writing. The reason for that is that the protagonist isn't the strongest of the main group and her master is the strongest so he defeated the main antagonist.
Thank you for making this video I am writing a sci-fi/ fantasy novel series about a planet that is fully inhabited by aliens that have characteristics of autism and the series, kind of will explore the society, this will be my first endeavor that I will be publishing this series so thank you for making this video Jed I feel like it’s helped me improve as a beginning author. I’m not trying to advertise on your channel Jed I am just telling you why I watch your videos and am subscribed to your channel.
Definitely second the outline suggestion. Since I started outlining bed each chapter, it’s helped me stay focused and know remind myself where I want to go. Now if there’s a chapter I’m stuck on, it takes me two weeks at most to get through it as opposed to two months
Interesting video. Thanks. Outlining a novel produces a standard story. A great story takes the reader on an emotional journey. The only book in the 37 that will help with that is 'The Emotional Craft of Fiction' by Donald Maass. It is hard work (34 checklists to improve your story) but if you want to elevate your first draft you have to do the work. The hard work is in self-editing your first draft - watch interviews with best-selling writers, most self-edit many many times. Don't expect an editor to do this - they want to see a great story before they start their job.
My hero and his mentor are flat characters. They start off as good guys and still are the good guys at the end. It's the villain that actually goes through the changes. He starts as a normal guy, sees his family and friends killed and gives into his anger. He hurts people, but does not kill them. At the end of the story the hero and the mentor kill him, but he is not sad or angry. He is happy because his pain is over and he will no longer hurt others. The villain part in the story is small, should I give him more dialogue and backstory.
I know this isn’t my question to answer, sorry. But. For me (which is really dumb lol) is the part between the inciting incident and the climax. It’s getting ideas of what to fill in it is a struggle. I always get dialogue ideas but nothing else. Enjoyed the video btw
Such a shame you’re not earning more bucks on your channel. Goddamit man, you’re my favourite author on Tube, the best quality and full of information videos. I’d love to know the software you use for planning/outlining your novel! I used Notion which for many is the best way, but I’m not really sure about its intuitivity. I’d love to know your insights on this topic!
I agree, Jed's content is phenomenal - the algorithm will bless him soon enough for sure! I've also been using Notion, mainly for Worldbuilding though. I'm finding it such a great tool! Scrivener still for my main document, outlining which will grow into draft one.
Thanks for the kind words Van! I have used both scrivener and notion in the past - for Kingdom of Dragons (my current novel) I used notion quite extensively for the outlining, and it's now where all my world building resides. I might do a video breaking down how I use notion for fantasy world building at some point in the future
@@Jed_Herne I’m not really proud admitting I haven’t read any of your works yet, but I tend to focus best when I read one book at the time. This week it’s Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, but something of your collection is next on the line. Also I’m wondering… Although I love Leigh’s worldbuilding and character development one thing I noticed is her in my opinion extensive use of adverbs. I always thought that when traditional publishers see that kind of kinda-flaw they would almost immediately move on to another author? Is there any secret behind that? Shouldn’t traditionally published books be more polished?
@@bbyg522 Prose is important - but if your characters, plot, and worldbuilding is good enough (Like Bardugo's is) then you generally have more wriggle room for 'mistakes' with your prose. Six of Crows was a 3.5/5 for me though - but the sequel (Crooked Kingdom) was a 5/5 and one of the best things I read that year.
I’m a pantser. I cannot outline or plot. Tried it in college and hated it. I’ve successfully written seven novels and have 13 more manuscripts to work on. To a pantser the 1st draft is the outline. I put notes to myself in it and add story beats.
As an addendum to his points on marketing your book. Creating art for art's sake is fantastic, and writing what you want to write is great but I would postulate that most artists (of all kinds) would like to have some people appreciate their work. It doesn't matter if you pen the greatest novel ever written, if no one ever reads it. Don't be afraid to market your stuff people, it's probably awesome and the world needs to know about it!
True, but there are also 8 billion people on Earth. If you write what you want and you write good, someone somewhere is bound to find it interesting. Amish kittens sounds way more interesting to me then yet another dragon and mages book. Ofc you still have to find that market, which is why it's easier to write to a market that already exists. But then you're also having to compete to everything within that market. So as with everything, it's a balance. You can try to nudge your story a certain way, or clean it up a bit so it stands out clearer as an example of something you know there's a market for. But if it's Amish Space Kittens, then Amish Space Kittens it is and you'll just have to make the world fall in love with those instead.
If your novels aren't published or posted, nothing truly matters. You can make any changes as you wish. And after you see it in this lens, the pantser and planner aren't that different at all.
This is such an educational video! Thank you so much for taking the time to create such great content. Your videos have inspired me to begin my own journey into the world of novel writing, and I can't wait to see where the adventure takes me (and I'll be eagerly awaiting uploads on this channel to learn more about the craft of constructing good stories)! After watching this, I quickly ordered several of K.M. Weiland's books on writing to study in greater depth. Thank you again for taking the time to create such great content for all of us! (Also, where can I find those cylindrical lights like those on your bookshelves? I'd love to illuminate my shelves like that!)
Unless "Write to market" is so good you count it as two books, I see only 36 ;P Regarding outlining (I was at 2:15 mark and had to stop and sigh). Oh dear. Advice like this (Outlining is more creative than not, blah blah blah) is actually what RUINED my first book. Killed it dead. Every brain works differently. There is a group of authors who, should they outline a book, will never write it. Brain stops making new things, because it checks off the story as done. My lovely well thought-out SF novel is 5 scenes and an outline. And there will never be any more. At the same time, my urban fantasy, which I just started writing and allowed my brain to pantse through, is now 6 volumes, and I've finished editing vol 4. Yes, it will require another cleanup and maybe cutting some slow pieces. But at least it EXISTS. If I tried to outline it first, it would have been DOA. YOUR brain doesn't cope with the chaos of pansting (as proven by your first book attempt). But you have written *something* without an outline. People with strict "discovery mode" brains may actually be unable to complete a project once they outline. Yeah, I know, you later said that it might not work for everyone. This is what you should have said AT THE BEGINNING of this entry. Warnings come first.
@@Jed_Herne How to structure plot alongside intended character arcs on your outline. Especially in a book with mini character arcs for various side characters, it can get confusing where to put what on the outline.
What's your response to King's arguments in "On Writing"? It's on your list of read books here, but I think he'd basically say all three of these things are absolutely antithetical to everything he believes.
Great question! On Writing is excellent - I've read it twice. Not sure he'd disagree with #2, but #1 and #3 he might take issue with. Although I'm sure he's done plenty of writing to market-style work before. I guess I'd say that different approaches work for different people, and for every Stephen King (i.e. every non-outliner), there's a Brandon Sanderson (i.e. an extensive outliner). Both are great writers in my opinion. There's no one right way to write - this video just shares what's worked best for me.
I'd recommend actually learning to write to enjoy it instead of learning to market it and work your way from there. This video is just an ad for buddy's class and the content of the blurbs of those 30 odd books he "read".
Hi Jed- have you read StoryGrid: What good editors know by Shawn Coyne?- this really helped my writing, particularly how to structure scenes. If you like plot points you will love the StoryGrid approach.
picky detail that tripped me up when I watched this video. You give three 'things' you've learned, but you number the third one, '2'. I ended up watching the video twice to verify I wasn't going crazy....
Thanks for the video, Jed! As always, you did a great job and there are a lot of points to think about. Do you have any recommendations for books to read about marketing and the business side of being a writer? You had a lot of good points on that subject, but it’s what I’m struggling with the most in my own writing journey, and I would love to find research more into it
Write to Market Launch to Market Writing and Releasing Rapidly Writing Killer Cover Copy Anything by David Gaughran The Art and Business of Online Writing All these books are listed in my pinned comment :)
Not related to this, but how do you name your books? Every time I think of a title, I always dislike everything about it. Do you have a process you use or does it come naturally.
I wonder if it's possible for the character 'ghost' to happen during the course of the book, and drive the character into pursuing the goal by the 25% of the book ex:- The fall of the walls in attack on titan
Unrelated question. I love outlining and worldbuilding, but I find the actual writing difficult. I think I enjoy it but it’s also very hard for me. I’m a perfectionist who agonising over every sentence & I’m not even a good writer so I know every sentence doesn’t even turn out well. I also struggle overwriting everything. I find it hard to summarise and turn every little moment of the character’s actions into a page of wasted filler. I’m not very visual and always struggle to come up with descriptions for scenes & characters. But I love stories, character arcs, & dialogue. I’ve thought about maybe trying a different medium rather than novels. Maybe screenplays but I do want to write novels. Any advice?
You have to give yourself permission to suck 😀 As adults, we think we should automatically be good at stuff right away, but the truth is, we should be more like kids and enjoy the process of experimentation - otherwise, how can we learn? Just get through the first draft of your book, however long it takes, then you can go back and fix your prose, cutting out the waffle and layering in description. Read some good craft books on these topics - I recommend "Self-editing for Fiction Writers" by Dave King and Renni Browne, and "Word Painting" by Rebecca McClanahan
Hey man, no need to worry about the time. Just earlier today I was on a consulting call with a client who I didn't think was a good fit, but we still had a good chat and I was able to help him with his writing, even though I didn't offer him a slot in the program. I'd encourage you to apply anyway, and we can see how it goes from there.
Very much enjoy your channel, Jed, and wish you every success, but my beef with this take: Plot and character are the same thing? Oh h*ll no. Plot will always depend on characters, not the other way around. It's why literary fiction exists. The things that "happen" in a book are just events, they only become plot (ie an actual part of the story) when they're contextualized for the reader by the characters. For example: A meteor hits a town. This is dramatic, right, this "moves the story along", right? No, not on its own. It's just a thing that happened. What turns it into plot is the characters' reactions and attitudes to the event. Most readers would think: "Oh, meteor crashed, people died, apocalypse incoming!" and get set for a dystopian until the townspeople start celebrating and you learn that this was foretold in a prophecy. That this falling star would bring untold riches to them, which it does as it's full of rare ore and then that providence persists as it draws pilgrims (and their purses) from all over. The disaster is totally re-contextualized and given a place in the story by the characters, as opposed to the reader projecting significance onto it just because it happened. Without that, the author is just banging pots and pans together and yelling LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING! ISN'T IT EXCITING!?"
That’s what “plot is character” means. People think the “plot” of a story is a bunch of stuff happening and pots and pans banging together, but plot is the journey of a character. Plot = A character’s attempt to get what they want or need. People like to talk like literary fiction is all character and no plot, but it isn’t. A character with no plot means they’re a static character who isn’t taking any action to achieve their goals or change. Character = Plot = Character
@@Auctarius23 What you're describing is not something that is the same or even interchangeable, but co-dependent. Which they aren't. Literary fiction is often described as "books where nothing happens" because people don't consider an internalized, contemplative character arc to be of significance, or even a story at all. That's a questionable assessment, but the fact that you can even consider the existence of one without the other is reason enough to maintain the distinction, especially in discussion. People will treat them differently whether you want them to or not, which is why I introduce the term "Event". I think it does a better job of capturing what most actually mean when they say "plot". To them, Plot and Character are separate things conceptually, (just ask a hard-core architect-style writer and they will drag out three dozen bullet point lists, flow charts and scene cards while their characters are eating glue in the corner) Functionally, they greatly benefit from each other and SHOULD be nearly indistinguishable, with Character contributing the lion's share to the story as the lens through which events are filtered, with Character then being filtered through the lens of the Setting, which informs their attitudes, expectations and provides their resources or lack there of. Character --> event --> character --> setting--> theme --> story --> reader. That is how depth and nuance are crafted, and gives a subtle sense of persistence and consistency to really great storytelling.
You're #3 is labeled as #2 in the video😂 Always appreciate your videos, I just wanted to point it out. I'm a professional video editor by trade so I notice these things haha
Have you ever used Scrivener to write with? What is your main software you utilize when writing? I've been shy of outlines and yet, after this video I may revisit. Right now, my outline is in my head. Great video.
I used scrivener for Across the Broken Stars and a few other early novels. These days I prefer the simplicity of word and/or my freewrite. I might do a video about scrivener in the future so let me know if there's any questions you have about it!
Full list posted in the pinned comment. And a Moveable Feast taught me more about balancing life and writing than maybe any other book, which I personally consider a central aspect of the craft
Sure, you can learn a lot about how to write from reading great writers (& probably how not to write from reading some bad ones). I think reading Stephen King’s books, especially the early ones, can teach you much more about how to write a compelling story than his book On Writing does. But then, why just 37 books … instead of every one you’ve read? Btw, did enjoy your video! Keep up the good work.
Lmao, Stephen King pants his novels and can write a first draft in three months. What's up with outliners consistently insisting that their way is the correct way when a good number of the most prolific authors working prove otherwise?
Yep he does which is probably why a lot of his novels start ok and then end up going nowhere. You can clearly tell reading books like "The Tommyknockers" that he didn't really know what he was doing. His best work are short novels or short stories anyway
I'm depressed by this new trend in writing (that i frankly blame Sanderson for) that if you aren't writing 5000 words a day you are somehow a failure. The best piece of advice I tell my viewers is this: if you don’t have to think about what you are writing, then it means your reader doesn’t have to think about what they are reading.
@@Jed_Herne Really? I heard 5000. I've heard 5000 thrown around a lot recently as if it is the holy grail of writing. Someone recently told me that Neil Gaiman also said 5000. (though of what I know of him I doubt that is true). I fear it is giving young writers the impression that writing fast equates to being literary and it simply isn't true. I want to do my own limited series on writing advice, focused largely on the horrible advice I often see passed around, and this piece of advice would be near the top. But first i have to get my book series published this summer, and i'll do the writing tutorials maybe this winter.
@@Jed_Herne Also I wanted to thank you for your first point. I feel this issue of pantsers not wanting to attempt plotting because of some misguided notion that it stifles creativity needs to be discussed FAR more. I feel you could go on and on about this and still only scratch the surface. I'm hearing more and more often these days writers who make the transition to plotting all say the same thing, that it actually opens the possibility for more creativity, not the other way around. But it all goes back to what I said, "If you don't have to think about what you are writing, then your readers aren't going to need to think much about it as they are reading it."
@@elementeight8 Because there is a serious problem in self publishing, that you may not be aware of. it is a crisis that it has been allowed to get as bad as it has. Literary agents are being drowned in an avalanche of abysmally bad writing submissions. It has gotten so bad that it is impossible for good writers to get noticed anymore. 99.99% of submissions get turned down. literary agents have less than 6 minutes per submission to make a judgement call. That isn't enough time to read the whole query, let alone your sample pages. Self publishing has a reputation for being poorly edited. Badly written, and stocked full of poor prose. And one of the driving forces behind that are amatueur writers who are grinding out garbage at an astounding rate. This has led to a stigma that self publishing books are trash. Anyone who cares about the future of self publishing needs to care about this, and work hard to correct this. DON'T be part of the problem. Get your work edited professionally, and polish your work. That means we all need to work better at putting out quality over quantity, because it is affecting everyone. You, me, everyone. People who don't take this seriously are ruining it for everyone else. Every idiot with a keyboard is writing a book these days, and most of them are what i call writing enthusiasts. But just because they can type doesn't make them writers. It is up to a few of us to combat the onslaught of mediocrity.
@Phoenix Awareness that is a naive argument I'm afraid. I don't mean to sound rude, that isn't my intention. The traditional literary industry has voiced this very concern, as has several prominent youtubers such as Daniel Greene. The reputation of the self publishing industry affects us all. It affects writers. It affects publishers, it affects readers too. Newbie novice writers willing to grind out abominably written, poorly edited trash at an alarming rate impacts everyone. It impacts other struggling writers writing in those genres. As Daniel keeps saying, "Don't be part of the problem be part of the solution." Mark my words, at the rate we are going self publishing is going to be so overwhelmed with trash that many avid readers won't want to risk their money on unknown writers anymore. It will become as trustworthy as an ad on craigslist. People will only be willing to waste their money so many times before washing their hands of it and giving up entirely. A secondary problem is that 99.99% of writers aren't really writers, they are enthusiasts with aspirations of being a writer but aren't willing to teach themselves everything necessary. It's the Dunning Kruger effect. people THINK they know everything about a subject because they don't have an appreciation for how complex that subject actually is. Those sort of people used to be filtered out by the publishing process, but now any idiot with a keyboard can pretend to be a writer, and that affects us all. Yes marketing is one element to self publishing. But it is everyone's responsibility to meet minimum standards or we all run the risk of losing our livelihoods. I'm frustrated because literary agents no longer have time to read samples. They have 6 minutes per submission to make a judgement call. That's where we're at right now. You could be the next Shakespeare and unless you were number 1 on amazon's best sellers list they won't even consider you.
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Write, finish, and publish an incredible novel that readers will love with my advanced Story Coaching program. Apply here: jedherne.com/coaching
Here's my full list of 37 books from this video:
1. Structuring your novel by K. M. Weiland
2. Outlining your novel by K. M. Weiland
3. Story by Robert McKee
4. Dialogue by Robert McKee
5. Your First Million Words by Jeff Wheeler
6. 5000 words per hour by Chris Fox
7. 2k to 10k by Rachel Aaron
8. The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
9. The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
10. Character by Robert McKee
11. Write to Market by Chris Fox
12. Writing and Releasing Rapidly by Elana Johnson
13. The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman
14. Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland
15. Mastering Simple Facebook Ads for Authors by Mark Dawson
16. Learn Amazon Ads by Mark Dawson
17. Reader Magnets by Nick Stephenson
18. 5 Secrets of Story Structure by K. M. Weiland
19. Newsletter Ninja by Tammi Labrecque
20. Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday
21. Amazon Decoded by David Gaughran
22. Bookbub Ads Expert by David Gaughran
23. On being a dictator by Kevin J. Anderson
24. Launch to Market by Chris Fox
25. On Writing by Stephen King
26. James Paterson by James Paterson
27. The Game Crafter’s Apprentice
28. The Game Crafter’s Companion
29. The Art and Business of Online Writing by Nicholas Cole
30. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
31. A Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemmingway
32. The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield
33. Seinfeldia by Jennifer Armstrong
34. All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk
35. A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee
36. Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir
37. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
What are the top 3 for the three lessons?
there is an expression in film making, that you make a movie three times, once during the storyboarding, once during the filming, and again during the editing, and this holds true for writing novels too. If you skip any one of those steps you are cheating yourself out of a massive creative experience.
I like outlining, however, some of the most creative stories have been discovery written (like most of King's best books). When you discovery write, you think of things you never would have in an outline. Although, this is a much harder way (to writing a book) to master than plotting. There is one solution though ......... discovery write your first draft, then rewrite the entire thing with the new plot/events in mind. Keep repeating this process til your book shines. Great clips, thanks Jed. :)
I would counter-argue that even when you write with an outline, there is still a tremendous amount of discovery about the story and characters that happens as you write and revise. Speaking from my own experience writing about six drafts of a novel over the past five years. I think there's a fear that with an outline, you won't be able to improvise during the drafting process, and that's just not true. And not to knock Stephen King, but I'm sure there are books written by outline that are more creative than anything Stephen King ever wrote
@@nolancapps8654 Yeah, I agree. I think most important is the process you develop for yourself, whiich is, when examined more deeply, greatly different from anyone else's, even fellow like-minded plotters or pancers. I think it's important to eventually choose a process and become amazing at it, whatever that process may be. All the best. :)
In my business, we call it green light and red light thinking. You start out with green light thinking which means that you conceptualize without thinking about structure or specific Direction. Also known as spitballing or stream of conscience. Then you move to the red light thinking that compresses and organizes thought into a cohesive concept that has structure and a meaningful plot.
Really good strategy. Get the creative ingredients, then shape them into something consumable. :) Cheers.@@sttarch5150
There is a whole spectrum between pure discovery and ultra-detailed planning. Each writer has to figure out how much and what kind of outlining and planning works. And each project may need a slightly different approach. The advice of planning as much as you need to get the story written is good. King is an outlier. Plenty of horrible books have also been discovery written.
I recommend anyone trying to learn about structure to read "The 90 Day Novel" by Alan Watt. In Watt's method, the outline blossom's from your character's core dilemma. It is incredibly practical! This book alone took me to another level of craft.
Yes, good one. That book is much more generic, and not so deeply embedded in genre specific.
Are you referring to “The 90-Day Novel: Unlock the Story Within” or
“The 90-Day Novel and The 90-Day Rewrite”
Please and thank you.
@@nmercenary They are both the same book, the "The 90-Day Novel and the 90-Day Rewrite" is two books in one.
@@nmercenary Start with the 90 day novel, which gets you to the end of your 1st draft. Then read the 90 day rewrite to shape up your draft.
Also having read almost everything i could, I can say this, Tim's books and videos (from Hello Future Me) on world building are possibly the best advice on writing you will find on the internet.
I started as a pantser. Then I became a planner but that caused me to burn out very often. So, I became something in the middle. And it worked out.
Thanks for the video, I'm reading Anatomy of genres by John Truby, I recommend this book for those who want to stand out from the crowd and, among other things, understand what is at stake in the market. (I'm french, I hope I didn't make too much mistakes, forgive me if I did)
I have that book on my pile of books to read this month.
I will never forgive you.
I haven't read Anatomy of Genre yet but his other book, Anatomy of Story, is easily the best craft book I have read. Bar none.
@@one_smol_duck And I have that on my pile of books too. It's getting too big.
As is typically the case, your English is more graceful and well said than most whose first language is English.
Hello Jed, nice to meet you. Great video! I started writing at 13. I'm now 44. I've written 35 books (so far), and my first book took me ten years to finish. 284k words. Eight years to get right, then two years to edit. No outline. Now . . . my books are around 200k, and they take 3-4 months to write. So having an outline helps, but it's the magic of storytelling that shines through if you allow yourself to dream big and not let anyone tell you it can't be done. :)
That's awesome! Great job on the lifetime of writing :)
one thing I want to say about outlining:
you dont have to know exactly what is going to happen. you don't need every single plot point. I think a big misconception about pansters is that we have absolutely no idea where we are going. thats not true. i dont know about anyone else's writing process but for me i generally have an idea of where i need to go without building a full-on outline; its just sitting in my head, and thats enough for me to get there.
basically: dont listen to hardcore outliners saying you HAVE to have an outline. if it doesnt work for you, dont do it, if it does work for you, keep doing it
same and the only reason i don’t outline is because im too lazy to do it but at the same time its alr outlined in my head. also ill have scenes from the way future written in my notes app too that help
Im a pantser mysef.
There are a few master pantsers. All the master classical music composers spent years producing derivative pieces, even the child genius Motzart, before creating their masterworks. I think it's a career shortcut to learn all the structure, tools and techniques first, even if you will eventually be a pantser. The exception would be if this causes you to stress and become unable to face your novel. Mental health must come before any method. There is obviously the other POV where many writers think if the plotters gave up their plotting, book quality would improve. No definitively correct answer.
Not many in writing.
Totally agree with the outlining advice. That was huge for me as well.
I've read about 50 craft books and I reread about 6 regularly between writing my next book. The best one that nails everything a writer must know was written by Larry Brooks called, Story Engineering. If there is a bible of craft that is it.
I've heard good things about that
@@Jed_Herne It has good things in it, but it also very infuriating to read since the author is very full of himself and likes to do constant food metaphors. But the stuff about story structure is actually good.
the number one piece of advice i give people is to plan ahead and write an outline, absolutely!!! it can be a real lifesafer, especially when youre not a full time writer and have to come back after maybe months not working on your thing! its extremely helpful to at least outline chapters or important plot points to keep you on track. solid advice 👍
These are some of the most valuable writing tips I've seen on the platform so far.
Super helpful, especially the outline/structure.
This was very helpful advice for someone just starting out. I already see some mistakes that I have been making and will now course-correct. Thank you!
Happy to help!
I don't disagree that writing an outline helps some people stay on track but I don't outline and my story is not messy or unreadable and I don't have to make major changes to it. I have a general idea of what I want to write and I go from there and see what my options are and what I like best. I don't think outlining hurts creativity, I just like to feel the flow of the story over outlining it.
I love Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I refer to it all the time. Lisa Cron's Story Genius is pretty good as well, though she's very much'my way is the only way to write a decent novel' which did put me off a bit. Still, information in there is solid.
Save the cat was a God send for me I hated outlining but found when I didn’t I’d get stuck and give up outlining made me feel like the story could fly out of my hands
5:00 But what about a story where the protagonist isn't the one to defeat the antagonist? That happened in the first arc of a fantasy story I'm writing. The reason for that is that the protagonist isn't the strongest of the main group and her master is the strongest so he defeated the main antagonist.
Theirs a lot of advise on writing. Few people have realistic facts and advise like you. Thanks
A very timely video for me. Thank you.
Thank you for making this video I am writing a sci-fi/ fantasy novel series about a planet that is fully inhabited by aliens that have characteristics of autism and the series, kind of will explore the society, this will be my first endeavor that I will be publishing this series so thank you for making this video Jed I feel like it’s helped me improve as a beginning author. I’m not trying to advertise on your channel Jed I am just telling you why I watch your videos and am subscribed to your channel.
Definitely second the outline suggestion. Since I started outlining bed each chapter, it’s helped me stay focused and know remind myself where I want to go. Now if there’s a chapter I’m stuck on, it takes me two weeks at most to get through it as opposed to two months
Love that!
I'm not a writer. But who the hell writes a book without an outline? Why is this even a thing?
Excellent video!! I’m about to start my fourth book and these are amazing things to keep in mind. Thanks!
Good luck on the book!
Interesting video. Thanks. Outlining a novel produces a standard story. A great story takes the reader on an emotional journey. The only book in the 37 that will help with that is 'The Emotional Craft of Fiction' by Donald Maass. It is hard work (34 checklists to improve your story) but if you want to elevate your first draft you have to do the work. The hard work is in self-editing your first draft - watch interviews with best-selling writers, most self-edit many many times. Don't expect an editor to do this - they want to see a great story before they start their job.
Yes, please a course will be super useful!!
yes reading is the key...good point
My hero and his mentor are flat characters. They start off as good guys and still are the good guys at the end. It's the villain that actually goes through the changes. He starts as a normal guy, sees his family and friends killed and gives into his anger. He hurts people, but does not kill them. At the end of the story the hero and the mentor kill him, but he is not sad or angry. He is happy because his pain is over and he will no longer hurt others. The villain part in the story is small, should I give him more dialogue and backstory.
Detailed course for outlining would be extremely helpful.
I recommend The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson.
Glad to know! What's the biggest things you struggle with when it comes to outlining?
I know this isn’t my question to answer, sorry. But. For me (which is really dumb lol) is the part between the inciting incident and the climax. It’s getting ideas of what to fill in it is a struggle. I always get dialogue ideas but nothing else.
Enjoyed the video btw
hmmm the outline...I like that idea.
Such a shame you’re not earning more bucks on your channel. Goddamit man, you’re my favourite author on Tube, the best quality and full of information videos. I’d love to know the software you use for planning/outlining your novel! I used Notion which for many is the best way, but I’m not really sure about its intuitivity. I’d love to know your insights on this topic!
I agree, Jed's content is phenomenal - the algorithm will bless him soon enough for sure! I've also been using Notion, mainly for Worldbuilding though. I'm finding it such a great tool! Scrivener still for my main document, outlining which will grow into draft one.
Thanks for the kind words Van! I have used both scrivener and notion in the past - for Kingdom of Dragons (my current novel) I used notion quite extensively for the outlining, and it's now where all my world building resides. I might do a video breaking down how I use notion for fantasy world building at some point in the future
@@Jed_Herne I’m not really proud admitting I haven’t read any of your works yet, but I tend to focus best when I read one book at the time. This week it’s Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, but something of your collection is next on the line. Also I’m wondering… Although I love Leigh’s worldbuilding and character development one thing I noticed is her in my opinion extensive use of adverbs. I always thought that when traditional publishers see that kind of kinda-flaw they would almost immediately move on to another author? Is there any secret behind that? Shouldn’t traditionally published books be more polished?
@@bbyg522 Prose is important - but if your characters, plot, and worldbuilding is good enough (Like Bardugo's is) then you generally have more wriggle room for 'mistakes' with your prose. Six of Crows was a 3.5/5 for me though - but the sequel (Crooked Kingdom) was a 5/5 and one of the best things I read that year.
I’m a pantser. I cannot outline or plot. Tried it in college and hated it. I’ve successfully written seven novels and have 13 more manuscripts to work on. To a pantser the 1st draft is the outline. I put notes to myself in it and add story beats.
As an addendum to his points on marketing your book. Creating art for art's sake is fantastic, and writing what you want to write is great but I would postulate that most artists (of all kinds) would like to have some people appreciate their work. It doesn't matter if you pen the greatest novel ever written, if no one ever reads it. Don't be afraid to market your stuff people, it's probably awesome and the world needs to know about it!
True, but there are also 8 billion people on Earth. If you write what you want and you write good, someone somewhere is bound to find it interesting. Amish kittens sounds way more interesting to me then yet another dragon and mages book. Ofc you still have to find that market, which is why it's easier to write to a market that already exists. But then you're also having to compete to everything within that market. So as with everything, it's a balance.
You can try to nudge your story a certain way, or clean it up a bit so it stands out clearer as an example of something you know there's a market for.
But if it's Amish Space Kittens, then Amish Space Kittens it is and you'll just have to make the world fall in love with those instead.
If your novels aren't published or posted, nothing truly matters. You can make any changes as you wish. And after you see it in this lens, the pantser and planner aren't that different at all.
This is such an educational video! Thank you so much for taking the time to create such great content. Your videos have inspired me to begin my own journey into the world of novel writing, and I can't wait to see where the adventure takes me (and I'll be eagerly awaiting uploads on this channel to learn more about the craft of constructing good stories)! After watching this, I quickly ordered several of K.M. Weiland's books on writing to study in greater depth. Thank you again for taking the time to create such great content for all of us! (Also, where can I find those cylindrical lights like those on your bookshelves? I'd love to illuminate my shelves like that!)
I’d be interested in an outlining course.
Unless "Write to market" is so good you count it as two books, I see only 36 ;P
Regarding outlining (I was at 2:15 mark and had to stop and sigh). Oh dear.
Advice like this (Outlining is more creative than not, blah blah blah) is actually what RUINED my first book. Killed it dead.
Every brain works differently. There is a group of authors who, should they outline a book, will never write it. Brain stops making new things, because it checks off the story as done. My lovely well thought-out SF novel is 5 scenes and an outline. And there will never be any more.
At the same time, my urban fantasy, which I just started writing and allowed my brain to pantse through, is now 6 volumes, and I've finished editing vol 4. Yes, it will require another cleanup and maybe cutting some slow pieces. But at least it EXISTS. If I tried to outline it first, it would have been DOA.
YOUR brain doesn't cope with the chaos of pansting (as proven by your first book attempt). But you have written *something* without an outline. People with strict "discovery mode" brains may actually be unable to complete a project once they outline.
Yeah, I know, you later said that it might not work for everyone. This is what you should have said AT THE BEGINNING of this entry. Warnings come first.
Excellent video. Yes i'd like the course on outlining 💯💯
Thanks for letting me know! Is there anything specifically with outlining that you'd like the course to cover?
@@Jed_Herne How to structure plot alongside intended character arcs on your outline. Especially in a book with mini character arcs for various side characters, it can get confusing where to put what on the outline.
What's your response to King's arguments in "On Writing"? It's on your list of read books here, but I think he'd basically say all three of these things are absolutely antithetical to everything he believes.
Great question! On Writing is excellent - I've read it twice. Not sure he'd disagree with #2, but #1 and #3 he might take issue with. Although I'm sure he's done plenty of writing to market-style work before.
I guess I'd say that different approaches work for different people, and for every Stephen King (i.e. every non-outliner), there's a Brandon Sanderson (i.e. an extensive outliner). Both are great writers in my opinion. There's no one right way to write - this video just shares what's worked best for me.
I'd recommend actually learning to write to enjoy it instead of learning to market it and work your way from there. This video is just an ad for buddy's class and the content of the blurbs of those 30 odd books he "read".
thanks man! enjoyed it and got a tons of value from it.
Hi Jed- have you read StoryGrid: What good editors know by Shawn Coyne?- this really helped my writing, particularly how to structure scenes. If you like plot points you will love the StoryGrid approach.
I used to listen to his podcast heaps back in the day, but haven't read the book. I should probably check it out at some point
picky detail that tripped me up when I watched this video. You give three 'things' you've learned, but you number the third one, '2'. I ended up watching the video twice to verify I wasn't going crazy....
Thanks so much for sharing, absolutely love your videos
Thanks Jackson!
It’s a long journey and process but it’s worth it in the end
What books did you read?
Thanks for the video, Jed! As always, you did a great job and there are a lot of points to think about. Do you have any recommendations for books to read about marketing and the business side of being a writer? You had a lot of good points on that subject, but it’s what I’m struggling with the most in my own writing journey, and I would love to find research more into it
Write to Market
Launch to Market
Writing and Releasing Rapidly
Writing Killer Cover Copy
Anything by David Gaughran
The Art and Business of Online Writing
All these books are listed in my pinned comment :)
@@Jed_Herne thank you!
Haven't published anything but I've always outlined
Great video!
Thank you. This helped
Glad to hear!
Great advice! Thank you!
Thanks Theresa!
Not related to this, but how do you name your books? Every time I think of a title, I always dislike everything about it. Do you have a process you use or does it come naturally.
I wonder if it's possible for the character 'ghost' to happen during the course of the book, and drive the character into pursuing the goal by the 25% of the book
ex:- The fall of the walls in attack on titan
Unrelated question. I love outlining and worldbuilding, but I find the actual writing difficult. I think I enjoy it but it’s also very hard for me. I’m a perfectionist who agonising over every sentence & I’m not even a good writer so I know every sentence doesn’t even turn out well. I also struggle overwriting everything. I find it hard to summarise and turn every little moment of the character’s actions into a page of wasted filler. I’m not very visual and always struggle to come up with descriptions for scenes & characters. But I love stories, character arcs, & dialogue.
I’ve thought about maybe trying a different medium rather than novels. Maybe screenplays but I do want to write novels.
Any advice?
You have to give yourself permission to suck 😀 As adults, we think we should automatically be good at stuff right away, but the truth is, we should be more like kids and enjoy the process of experimentation - otherwise, how can we learn? Just get through the first draft of your book, however long it takes, then you can go back and fix your prose, cutting out the waffle and layering in description. Read some good craft books on these topics - I recommend "Self-editing for Fiction Writers" by Dave King and Renni Browne, and "Word Painting" by Rebecca McClanahan
Is there a good and efficient way to figure out what the market wants before you actually begin to write?
I wish you can get to go to my program to teach the same thing you talking about now
I absolutely love this! Subscribed! What were your favorite outlining books?
Cheers! Outlining your Novel by K.M Weiland is probably my fave
Anatomy of Story is great too
Gonna have to pick those up ASAP
Brother, do you write with your hand or type?
He types
I always do a rough outline.
I dont. Im a pantser.
Perfect.
Inspiring
Hi Jed, I was wondering what’s the average cost of your coaching ? I don’t want to waste your time with the consultation if I can’t afford it.
Hey man, no need to worry about the time. Just earlier today I was on a consulting call with a client who I didn't think was a good fit, but we still had a good chat and I was able to help him with his writing, even though I didn't offer him a slot in the program. I'd encourage you to apply anyway, and we can see how it goes from there.
Very much enjoy your channel, Jed, and wish you every success, but my beef with this take: Plot and character are the same thing? Oh h*ll no. Plot will always depend on characters, not the other way around. It's why literary fiction exists.
The things that "happen" in a book are just events, they only become plot (ie an actual part of the story) when they're contextualized for the reader by the characters. For example: A meteor hits a town. This is dramatic, right, this "moves the story along", right? No, not on its own. It's just a thing that happened. What turns it into plot is the characters' reactions and attitudes to the event. Most readers would think: "Oh, meteor crashed, people died, apocalypse incoming!" and get set for a dystopian until the townspeople start celebrating and you learn that this was foretold in a prophecy. That this falling star would bring untold riches to them, which it does as it's full of rare ore and then that providence persists as it draws pilgrims (and their purses) from all over. The disaster is totally re-contextualized and given a place in the story by the characters, as opposed to the reader projecting significance onto it just because it happened.
Without that, the author is just banging pots and pans together and yelling LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING! ISN'T IT EXCITING!?"
That’s what “plot is character” means.
People think the “plot” of a story is a bunch of stuff happening and pots and pans banging together, but plot is the journey of a character.
Plot = A character’s attempt to get what they want or need.
People like to talk like literary fiction is all character and no plot, but it isn’t.
A character with no plot means they’re a static character who isn’t taking any action to achieve their goals or change.
Character = Plot = Character
@@Auctarius23 What you're describing is not something that is the same or even interchangeable, but co-dependent. Which they aren't. Literary fiction is often described as "books where nothing happens" because people don't consider an internalized, contemplative character arc to be of significance, or even a story at all. That's a questionable assessment, but the fact that you can even consider the existence of one without the other is reason enough to maintain the distinction, especially in discussion. People will treat them differently whether you want them to or not, which is why I introduce the term "Event". I think it does a better job of capturing what most actually mean when they say "plot". To them, Plot and Character are separate things conceptually, (just ask a hard-core architect-style writer and they will drag out three dozen bullet point lists, flow charts and scene cards while their characters are eating glue in the corner) Functionally, they greatly benefit from each other and SHOULD be nearly indistinguishable, with Character contributing the lion's share to the story as the lens through which events are filtered, with Character then being filtered through the lens of the Setting, which informs their attitudes, expectations and provides their resources or lack there of. Character --> event --> character --> setting--> theme --> story --> reader. That is how depth and nuance are crafted, and gives a subtle sense of persistence and consistency to really great storytelling.
But there are 36 book covers there. The last one is repeated xD
You're #3 is labeled as #2 in the video😂 Always appreciate your videos, I just wanted to point it out. I'm a professional video editor by trade so I notice these things haha
Ah nuts, thanks for the pickup
Have you ever used Scrivener to write with? What is your main software you utilize when writing? I've been shy of outlines and yet, after this video I may revisit. Right now, my outline is in my head. Great video.
I used scrivener for Across the Broken Stars and a few other early novels. These days I prefer the simplicity of word and/or my freewrite.
I might do a video about scrivener in the future so let me know if there's any questions you have about it!
Scrivener is great for organising material and I've been using it since it first came out, but I need to start with a pencil and notebook.
Did you take lots of notes on these books?
There's something so funny about being like "It's not about selling out, it's about making money!"
💀🤣
I think people are scared to let go of their ideas
Tell us the name of those 37 books man ...
See the image at 00:08
@@superfluityme some titles are not clear
See the pinned comment
If your characters can't exist outside of the plot then you're a plot person. Or just mentally stable idk
37 books to learn 3 lessons..... that sounds quite inefficient!
Write to Market is there twice
I dont like outlining, Im a pantser.
Ever wonder why fiction is becoming homogenized extruded product, same as has happened with music and movies and TV?
That's 36 books.
Um, not sure 37 is accurate. I see Write to Market twice, and I’m not sure others would classify Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast as a writing craft book.
Full list posted in the pinned comment. And a Moveable Feast taught me more about balancing life and writing than maybe any other book, which I personally consider a central aspect of the craft
Sure, you can learn a lot about how to write from reading great writers (& probably how not to write from reading some bad ones).
I think reading Stephen King’s books, especially the early ones, can teach you much more about how to write a compelling story than his book On Writing does.
But then, why just 37 books … instead of every one you’ve read?
Btw, did enjoy your video! Keep up the good work.
You should read my book on how to write. It will change everything. It's called, simply, "How to Write" authored by B. K. Neifert.
Lmao, Stephen King pants his novels and can write a first draft in three months. What's up with outliners consistently insisting that their way is the correct way when a good number of the most prolific authors working prove otherwise?
Yep he does which is probably why a lot of his novels start ok and then end up going nowhere. You can clearly tell reading books like "The Tommyknockers" that he didn't really know what he was doing. His best work are short novels or short stories anyway
I'm depressed by this new trend in writing (that i frankly blame Sanderson for) that if you aren't writing 5000 words a day you are somehow a failure. The best piece of advice I tell my viewers is this: if you don’t have to think about what you are writing, then it means your reader doesn’t have to think about what they are reading.
I agree that people shouldn't be shamed for writing
@@Jed_Herne Really? I heard 5000. I've heard 5000 thrown around a lot recently as if it is the holy grail of writing. Someone recently told me that Neil Gaiman also said 5000. (though of what I know of him I doubt that is true). I fear it is giving young writers the impression that writing fast equates to being literary and it simply isn't true.
I want to do my own limited series on writing advice, focused largely on the horrible advice I often see passed around, and this piece of advice would be near the top. But first i have to get my book series published this summer, and i'll do the writing tutorials maybe this winter.
@@Jed_Herne Also I wanted to thank you for your first point. I feel this issue of pantsers not wanting to attempt plotting because of some misguided notion that it stifles creativity needs to be discussed FAR more. I feel you could go on and on about this and still only scratch the surface. I'm hearing more and more often these days writers who make the transition to plotting all say the same thing, that it actually opens the possibility for more creativity, not the other way around. But it all goes back to what I said, "If you don't have to think about what you are writing, then your readers aren't going to need to think much about it as they are reading it."
@@elementeight8 Because there is a serious problem in self publishing, that you may not be aware of. it is a crisis that it has been allowed to get as bad as it has. Literary agents are being drowned in an avalanche of abysmally bad writing submissions. It has gotten so bad that it is impossible for good writers to get noticed anymore. 99.99% of submissions get turned down. literary agents have less than 6 minutes per submission to make a judgement call. That isn't enough time to read the whole query, let alone your sample pages. Self publishing has a reputation for being poorly edited. Badly written, and stocked full of poor prose. And one of the driving forces behind that are amatueur writers who are grinding out garbage at an astounding rate. This has led to a stigma that self publishing books are trash. Anyone who cares about the future of self publishing needs to care about this, and work hard to correct this. DON'T be part of the problem. Get your work edited professionally, and polish your work. That means we all need to work better at putting out quality over quantity, because it is affecting everyone. You, me, everyone. People who don't take this seriously are ruining it for everyone else.
Every idiot with a keyboard is writing a book these days, and most of them are what i call writing enthusiasts. But just because they can type doesn't make them writers. It is up to a few of us to combat the onslaught of mediocrity.
@Phoenix Awareness that is a naive argument I'm afraid. I don't mean to sound rude, that isn't my intention. The traditional literary industry has voiced this very concern, as has several prominent youtubers such as Daniel Greene. The reputation of the self publishing industry affects us all. It affects writers. It affects publishers, it affects readers too. Newbie novice writers willing to grind out abominably written, poorly edited trash at an alarming rate impacts everyone. It impacts other struggling writers writing in those genres. As Daniel keeps saying, "Don't be part of the problem be part of the solution."
Mark my words, at the rate we are going self publishing is going to be so overwhelmed with trash that many avid readers won't want to risk their money on unknown writers anymore. It will become as trustworthy as an ad on craigslist.
People will only be willing to waste their money so many times before washing their hands of it and giving up entirely.
A secondary problem is that 99.99% of writers aren't really writers, they are enthusiasts with aspirations of being a writer but aren't willing to teach themselves everything necessary. It's the Dunning Kruger effect. people THINK they know everything about a subject because they don't have an appreciation for how complex that subject actually is. Those sort of people used to be filtered out by the publishing process, but now any idiot with a keyboard can pretend to be a writer, and that affects us all.
Yes marketing is one element to self publishing. But it is everyone's responsibility to meet minimum standards or we all run the risk of losing our livelihoods.
I'm frustrated because literary agents no longer have time to read samples. They have 6 minutes per submission to make a judgement call. That's where we're at right now. You could be the next Shakespeare and unless you were number 1 on amazon's best sellers list they won't even consider you.
Keep an eye on the mole on the right side of your neck. It looks as if it has begun to develop a geographic border.
Oh cheers for the heads up, maybe I should get that looked at haha
This is a garbage video given the title. There are more lessons in every section of Mckee's books alone.