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 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.

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. :)

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)

Totally agree with the outlining advice. That was huge for me as well.

These are some of the most valuable writing tips I've seen on the platform so far.

Super helpful, especially the outline/structure.

thanks man! enjoyed it and got a tons of value from it.

A very timely video for me. Thank you.

Thanks so much for sharing, absolutely love your videos

Excellent video!! I’m about to start my fourth book and these are amazing things to keep in mind. Thanks!

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. :)

Yes, please a course will be super useful!!

Great video!

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!

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

Great advice! Thank you!

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!)

yes reading is the key...good point

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.

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 👍

Thank you. This helped

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.

Excellent video. Yes i'd like the course on outlining 💯💯

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.

Theirs a lot of advise on writing. Few people have realistic facts and advise like you. Thanks

hmmm the outline...I like that idea.

Inspiring

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

I’d be interested in an outlining course.

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.

Perfect.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

I absolutely love this! Subscribed! What were your favorite outlining books?

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'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".

Detailed course for outlining would be extremely helpful.

It’s a long journey and process but it’s worth it in the end

Haven't published anything but I've always outlined

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....

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.

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.

I wish you can get to go to my program to teach the same thing you talking about now

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?

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

What books did you read?

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.

Brother, do you write with your hand or type?

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.

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.

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 always do a rough outline.

Is there a good and efficient way to figure out what the market wants before you actually begin to write?

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.

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.

Did you take lots of notes on these books?

As a dylexic ADHDer I try to write but its a mess, but I expect the most important reason for planning would be peppering the story with foreshadowing, easter eggs and prophetic stuff like Martin does so well in Game of thrones. in speaking of Martin it seems to me that people who write stories need to use real people and events because life always springs shit on us, the things that happen in real life seem so odd that it seems unlileky that it could be invented or made up.

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

There's something so funny about being like "It's not about selling out, it's about making money!" 💀🤣

But there are 36 book covers there. The last one is repeated xD

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!?"

I think people are scared to let go of their ideas

Write to Market is there twice

Tell us the name of those 37 books man ...

If your characters can't exist outside of the plot then you're a plot person. Or just mentally stable idk

That's 36 books.

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?

37 books to learn 3 lessons..... that sounds quite inefficient!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

This is a garbage video given the title. There are more lessons in every section of Mckee's books alone.