Popular Writing Methods I Don't Use (+ alternatives to try!)

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Күн бұрын

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - method: outlining
3:41 - alternative: information outline
5:20 - alternative: nested arcs
7:26 - alternative: micro-outlining
8:02 - method: character profiles
9:26 - alternative: test scenes
10:05 - alternative: character interviews
11:23 - method: zero drafting
12:24 - alternative: slow drafting
12:48 - alternative: drafting cycle
13:32 - method: writing sprints
14:33 - alternative: romanticized drafting
15:18 - method: word count goals
15:47 - alternative: writing blocks
16:43 - alternative: scene goals
17:18 - alternative: writing frequency goals
18:26 - method: big to small editing
19:09 - alternative: chronological edits
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Пікірлер: 125

@NanaSomebody Жыл бұрын

This is the only channel I found that gives advice that isn’t EVERYWHERE. I appreciate you so much, you are a role model in a way. My writing has seen a true change ever since I started watching your videos.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

so happy i could help

@abbiepancakeeater52 Жыл бұрын

this is such a relevant video because i recently realized why i've suddenly lost all writing enjoyment and momentum is because i'd been trying other people's preferences that just don't fit me. i tried zero drafting and stuff, but found myself unable to write much and continuously rewriting the same things because how could i keep writing when i hated what i was writing and couldn't properly immerse myself in the scene? i've always written as more of a final draft and edited as i went and since i started letting myself do that again, it's so much more fun and i've written so much more. when i get bored editing, i write. when i get bored writing, i edit. it entertains my brain that prefers variety but also hates not to write chronologically (because i discover stuff as i go so skipping ahead feels like i'm missing important pieces from the previous scenes to bring the current one to life). the more i enhance what i've already written, the more excited i am to write more, and the more i get into a flow state of writing more vividly and... better? so now i realize i don't write for efficiency and trying to do so is not my thing at all. because then i hate how bare bones it is and nothing gets done. i feel like whatever writing method people naturally gravitate towards is probably the method meant for them. at least in my experience. i tried bettering my method when it was already tailored to the way my brain works and that is why there was so much resistance and frustration.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

wow the way you feel about drafting is pretty much exactly the same as me!! I also like discovery writing/writing slowly/editing as I go for those exact same reasons, and efficiency is just the least important thing to me for the same reasons as well.

@abbiepancakeeater52 Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites @ShaelinWrites yeah thats why i think i love your content so much! not only did you put into words the stuff i intuitively knew but could never express (because writing came very naturally to me and i skipped the early learning stages, which meant i had no clue how to word the things i knew instinctively-until i found your videos), but the way you write is similar to mine. nobody is pressuring me to write a lot or a certain way and you just feel very authentic and chill :) like someone experienced giving advice instead of someone making me do things their way like some other youtube writers, just a humble and reassuring energy. i may get off track for half an hour doing research for one single line to be historically accurate, but leaving it as a placeholder detail to fill in later bothers my brain too much to continue writing. it's like i know i'll dread doing it later so i'll just get it over with while i actually feel like it.

@prairiebutch Жыл бұрын

I love "romanticized drafting"! That absolutely puts to words how I try to set myself a little writing mood to get stuff done, and even though I draft so slowly, it's more enjoyable to me! Definitely going to use this term to describe my process while I work on my novel :)

@wandering_spark Жыл бұрын

There is no sound more comforting or exciting as the words "Hey guys, it's Shealin, and I'm here today with another writing video!" Puts a smile on my face ever damn time.

@portiawrites Жыл бұрын

4:59 This information outline is GREAT! I’ve been experimenting with something similar, but instead of information, I track mood/tone/feeling. As I move through the story, I know what emotional arc the character will move through, and can find/discover the best events or plot to make it real on the page.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

Ohhh this is such a cool idea!!!

@cloudyyy_0.0 Жыл бұрын

So true i have been wanting to do this

@y-m-x Жыл бұрын

I can't do zero drafts at all. I've seen writers pump out a 35k zero draft as an outline. It tires me out thinking about it. When I write, I need it to read like an actual book. I also have trouble with outlining sometimes, but pantsing leads me down rabbit holes. I've found that the more aesthetic or visual or even just conceptual my outline is, the better it works. Things like having the basic scene concept/goal and then the mood of it or an accompanying song or image that depicts the mood instead of having too many details. I love writing sprints, but I do more 1 hour ish sprints, and there's no timer, so if I'm in the zone, I'll miss the ending point, and it's fine. My writer friends and I set up 1 hour social sprints, and half the time, we forget to update word counts. That leniency makes it work. I also love word count goals, but it's a kind of toxic relationship where I understand that I'm not focusing on the right things, but it helps me be productive, stay on track, etc. I'm going to try scene goals instead.

@abbiepancakeeater52 Жыл бұрын

i'm a pantser but i often have a certain Feeling associated with what i'm writing and scenes in my head (that are more images or gifs that full scenes) that i want to play out later. so i sort of have a mental outline but i Hate outlining on paper. music can be a big inspiration source. i've sprinted before but i think focusing on how much i can write in a certain amount of time stresses me out and puts an unnecessary timer on me. i never write for a certain word count but i do like to check how much i've written every now and then for motivation (like yay i just wrote 500 words).

@leolightfellow Жыл бұрын

This video is real helpful, because it has so many different outlining/drafting approaches efficiently explained in one place. To find this info elsewhere, you'd probably have to watch 10 or 20 videos from other channels, many of which would end up being repetitive or rambling on longer than necessary. I still think the best tips on your channel are "if the plan goes right, don't tell the audience the plan ahead of time - if the plan goes wrong, tell the audience the plan ahead of time" and "set up a desire to know something in the audience before expositing info to the audience." Maybe a Reedsy/ShaelinWrites greatest hits video would be good. :)

@bigbiggoblin2873 Жыл бұрын

I second this, very concise video

@annlillyjose356 Жыл бұрын

Discovery writing is what helped me work on the novel I’m currently writing. If I had outlined it through, I’d have no book right now. The suspense of what’s to come keeps me going in the draft, and that excitement is such a reward. I also don’t do character profiles because they seem very plain and generic to me. For the first time, in this book, I have characters that have distinct voices and worldview, so I’m really happy about it. You have always inspired me to not conform to the “rules” and do what works for me, and ever since I stopped trying to fit in, I’ve felt so much better about my process and voice. I am so grateful for your videos for empowering me to be myself as a writer. Without you, I would have not discovered myself as a writer.

@portiawrites Жыл бұрын

I agree! Shaelin's videos are so very empowering

@gracestowe6713 Жыл бұрын

I used the character interview for a novel I’m working on and it’s super fun. It really helped me get a sense of my character’s voice

@UdyKumra Жыл бұрын

It's really interesting to me how many writing processes we share. I think I'm a tad more outline-y than you are, and separating big/medium/small edits is a tad easier for me, but overall we have similar writing processes. I'm just trying to get back into writing now lol. 2022 was an awful year filled with stress, burnout, and proooobably a dash of depression (though I haven't gotten anything diagnosed) and it killed my writing. I finished a novel in 2020 and a novel in 2021 but in 2022, I finished nothing except a few short stories that were about the tabletop RPG game I was playing. Trying to get back into writing with some writing exercise novellas now, hopefully it goes well and I can get back to my old self

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

Good luck getting back into writing

@Lara_Ameen Жыл бұрын

I love the idea of writing test scenes for novels, novellas, and short stories! It also lets you write scenes you want to, even though they may not be in the project itself.

@tomlewis4748 Жыл бұрын

Your experience is very similar to mine. What works for you works for me. What doesn't work for you doesn't work for me. I am much closer to the pantser end of the spectrum than the plotter end of the spectrum, as apparently are you. For those of us who live in that neighborhood, there is one more really effective tool which works at the scene, sequence, and act level that I began using spontaneously and didn't even realize it. I like to think of it as 'reverse plotting', and essentially what this means is discovery writing without any outline, except that once you draft a scene or a sequence (and I also revise quite a bit as I go), you go back and evaluate it, and part of the evaluation process is possibly writing an outline, or a list of scene synopses or event synopses, or nailing down the timeline to ensure there are no logistical incontinuities. Or all of those things. Maybe that sounds crazy, but I've found it to be the best of both worlds: It allows the freedom of discovery writing which is essentially getting out of the way of your unconscious mind and letting your creativity emerge without conscious awareness getting in the way of that, and then verifying what's working and what is not working after the fact, which does exist in the domain of a conscious mind, along with revision, which also lives there. It allows you to think and write in scenes and also allows you to have the 10,000 foot view. In standard plotting, those two things are mutually exclusive. I think one reason this works is because of the double-edged sword of the fictive dream. The fictive dream is ultimately important of course, it's the immersive hypnotic state you wish to put your reader in and keep them there. That's the fun part of reading, and it's instrumental in making the pages 'turn themselves'. It's much like a real dream in that there's very little concentration on what may have happened and what might be predicted to happen. When it works the way it's supposed to, the reader is essentially mesmerized by what's happening on the page directly in front of them, and they aren't really looking at things from a wider point of view. And as a writer, it's also good to allow yourself to enter a fictive dream state, especially when you are drafting. This ensures that the fictive dream will be available for the reader, and it also spurs your creativity, which for the most part comes from your unconscious mind. But there is a problem lurking there for the writer, which is being enveloped in the fictive dream as you write makes it difficult to see things in a broader perspective. It's easy to miss those logistical incontinuities, and it's harder to hold the larger story inside your mind when in that state. We need to let our left brain and our right brain take turns, and wake ourselves from that fictive dream and put on our revision hats, and this 'reverse plotting' technique is a perfect way to do that.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

This is absolutely a GREAT strategy for discovery writers! I do this as well, I call it my 'evolving outline' and it's essentially just an outline I build while writing instead of before, and I keep track of any notes for revision there too. It's an invaluable tool!

@tomlewis4748 Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites Yes. The process is a bit more like that-I just tried to simplify the concept here. So yes, you can do this between revision passes. I used it just today on a long sequence of 35,000 words. I did a revision pass in 4 days, but something was off, so I used this tehnique and found ways to make things better. It's also good to let things percolate for a day or two before you do this.

@elizabethcoylewrites Жыл бұрын

Hey Shaelin! Your videos are always so helpful, I think I've watched them all twice lol. Would you be willing to do one on developing subplots and incorporating them into the main plot without detracting from it? That's something I've really struggled with in my own writing.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

That's a good idea! I've never done a video on subplots because I think I have a somewhat...unconventional way of looking at them lol, but maybe that perspective would be worthwhile!

@elizabethcoylewrites Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites lol I'd be open to hearing unconventional opinions!

@wordcharm2649 Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites Unconventional opinions are the best. If they're conventional, then we've heard them already. I also use subplots/character arcs in my process so I'd be VERY interested to see how your method differs.

@greggorsag9787 Жыл бұрын

This really resonated with me right through. Discovery writing is all I’m capable of, for better or worse. The moment I try to outline, I fall asleep, watch TV, play on my phone, or-if I force it-watch my once promising story idea die a horrible, tedious death. I can only, as described early in this video, find a great (to me, at least) idea and surf on its gravitational force. I think about the motivating idea and characters a lot, but the writing process is just that thrilling surfing thing. I am often surprised by what my characters say and do. It’s incredibly cool when it’s working, but I have no idea as to whether the final product is worth anything, as I’m writing for myself only, and mostly for that experience.

@molasses3850 Жыл бұрын

I've always tried outlining, for the several years that I've done little short stories and for my big novel I'm working on. It's never really worked, I would outline, or do bullet points, then I would start writing. I always end up straying from the outline until I'm just back to the main 3-5 plot points I have in my head. The outline ends up being useless. I think the micro outlining would be a good place to start with changing my process, because I could maybe write the first chapter, then outline or bullet point the next 2-3 chapters with what information I have. Another thing I've noticed with my writing is that I get random ideas in the middle of writing and I've started trying to write those Ideas down in a separate folder or notebook and figure out later, when I'm not writing, where they belong.

@its_just_seb Жыл бұрын

finally someone who doesn't do zero/messy first drafts!! editing often feels really overwhelming for me, and i struggle with expanding things i've already written, so i write very clean first drafts. sometimes that makes me feel like i'm doing it wrong because everyone insists on having multiple really really in-depth edits where the end product barely resembles the first draft.

@abbiepancakeeater52 Жыл бұрын

i know right? i tried doing a zero draft and was so frustrated i suddenly lost my touch in writing, thinking it was linked to my dissociation and thats why i couldnt write well but NO. ITS BECAUSE I WAS ZERO DRAFTING AND THE BARE BONES SCENES JUST WERENT DOING IT FOR ME. sometimes i feel like a fraud since my final draft isnt totally different from my first draft. i usually have two drafts, not five or six.

@gloriafrimpong17 Жыл бұрын

This video is a billion times more helpful than any outlining videos I’ve watched from a certain popular authortuber

@michaelraymon111 10 ай бұрын

Whoom

@apollomoon1 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Shaelin. Your videos are so unique and helpful. Many times as I listen to your ideas, I drift into my current project and am inspired. You know so much tech that it’s easier to have you sort through the good and bad and all I have to do is listen and learn. I definitely use scene goals. I think of the scene I plan to describe and let my characters tell me what to write. I never feel that I am telling a story, I’m just the guy with the keyboard listening to my characters in my head. A method that helps me is I have a couple of close friends who are not writers but like helping me create stories. I give them an overview of the novel and talk to them about my main characters, so they get to understand them. Then it’s easy to ask them if they think a character might act or react a certain way. Or what they might do to deal with a problem or challenge. It’s fun to toss ideas around with someone besides myself. Have you done anything along this line? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks again. This was a good one!!

@personmcpersonperson2893 Жыл бұрын

You are the best writing teacher by far

@abbiepancakeeater52 Жыл бұрын

now that i got around to finishing the rest of this video, i will say i think i work from more of a broad area into the details, but still cannot zero draft comfortably. i wonder what exactly it is that makes some people's brains dislike it.

@edeedeeward Жыл бұрын

I totally understand the problem with fastdrafting/zero drafting. I physically do not own the rights to turn off my inner editor.

@BlackHermit Жыл бұрын

Slow drafting has been extremely helpful for me lately.

@iwaslikenope1070 Жыл бұрын

The character interview got me real hard! I mean, I do character interviews as well but ask only one question that either make the characters stumble on their words or get all chatty depending on their personality (and it all just comes out without me forcing anything, which is super cool!). My favorite was this one question I asked four characters, and it was "How did you end up here?" Immediately the characters began to tell their own stories, with one of them coming up with tangents and another one just going straight to the point (he even threatened me 😂). Another character got all defensive and refused to answer the question because it'll mean he has to spill a few secrets, and that one question already revealed everything about them. But of course the question is a factor too, something that has to make sense in the story, but so far it has been the most effective. Simple, meaningful questions always get them cornered quick! Interesting video, I feel like I related to all of these!

@tonyasmith1917 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! This was wonderful information! I will try your Information-Based outline for my next short story!

@feuillue9661 Жыл бұрын

Great video! To me, I would call any list or story bible an outline. It's a shame writing advice on the internet has constricted outlining to elaborate beat sheets. Imo, outlining can occur at any point of someone's writing process and be as lax as someone wants it. Discovering writing and outlining are really more on a spectrum than a binary. We all have spurs of spontaneity and we all plan a bit (if only in our heads). Anyways, great examples of what organizing your ideas can look like and I hope it gives permission to others to go their own way!

@aidenignition Жыл бұрын

I feel like you're really spot on with all of these. I think that the advice you're critiquing is what is told to novice writers because it gives them a place to start. It's like when we were told in early elementary school that we cannot start sentences with "because" because they didn't think we could grasp the concept of a dependent clause in first grade. Then later they told us we could, but it had to follow rules. Writing is too complex for these general advices to work, and especially work for *everyone*

@cloudyyy_0.0 Жыл бұрын

Love the concept of test scenes

@cjpreach Жыл бұрын

(1) Outlining (2) Zero Drafting (3) Writing Sprints. The Thumbnail caught three of my "not-so-much-me" methods.

@JRoseBooks Жыл бұрын

Added to my favorites! I especially love to hear about editing in order of chapter.

@AdamFishkin Жыл бұрын

Your microphone is much better today. :) I like your idea of test scenes. There's an immediate sense of life to that approach; I think of Jim Carrey doing makeup tests for the Count Olaf disguises and how his improv informed both the character on its own and the "backstories" of the characters made up *by* the character. If you as an author can make characters "act" as themselves, that's brain magic. I find that drafting cycles happen very naturally. Whenever I work on a single thing for too long, I get hella bored. Even though page counts are less accurate before you reach a publisher, I tend to rely on them more than word counts. This because of my work in theatre, where I use a very consistent font that equates to 1 minute of stage time per page. Similarly, my brain struggles to wrap around your definition of "scene goals" since scenes will come out at wildly different lengths (one could be a few paragraphs, another could be 45 pages) when you're finding the rhythm of the scenes stacked beside each other.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

Usually before I write a scene, I have a general sense of how long it will be based on what it needs to accomplish, so set scene my goals accordingly. But, it's not my most common way of setting goals, I just threw it in as an option.

@AdamFishkin Жыл бұрын

Okay that makes sense.

@user-mr1qw2bl6w Жыл бұрын

Ironically, I've found that writing a scene with a loose idea of what needs to happen (I need to introduce x character, reveal x information, etc) feels more constricting than knowing exactly what happens in the scene. I think it's because it's hard for me to make a scene feel organic if I'm too aware it's serving a specific purpose. I figure out how to integrate that purpose into the scene before I start writing, so that way when I write I can just focus on making it fun and interesting, and know it contributes to the narrative as a whole. Also, I love doing test scenes. Most of my ideas for characters come in the form of backstory, and I typically discover my characters' arcs via writing scenes that eventually reveal their flaws to me. Nine times out of ten, my response is "that makes sense, given your history" 😂

@loganberry30 Жыл бұрын

This is unbelievably validating.

@squidboyrad3565 Жыл бұрын

Finding your process really is important. There isn't only the process of writing a book, but also the process of finding your process. For me, I went from discovery writing to outlining and somehow it really liberated me, despite being a person who never plans anything in real life.

@kit888 Жыл бұрын

The key to understanding discovery writers (plot and character) is to realize that our characters and events change, or develop, as we write a scene. It's only when we have a completed scene that we can visualize the story. That's why outlining doesn't work well for us but some of us outline as much as we can and update the outline as we write.

@HahaGirly1212 Жыл бұрын

Yay im so happy you posted, I really needed this today. I’d love to see a video about how to write a background without writing an entire other book. I have great writing ideas and I always wanna get to the best parts, I know that without backgrounds or backstory’s they book would be very confusing but I don’t want to write a whole other book. The backstory is necessary but I wouldn’t have fun writing that part of my story. I know this may be confusing. I love ur videos so much.❤❤❤

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

That's a great idea!

@elaylamoore Жыл бұрын

This video is helpful. Thanks to your videos I found out that common writing methods don't work for me and stress me out. 😊 Especially Character profiles and fixed outline methods. 😅 I always felt bad because I didn't wrote many novels (the last novel I wrote was in 2019), but then I noticed that I simply enjoy writing short fiction, poetry and songs more than long projects. I also noticed that I need to work on more than one project at a time. If I don't allow myself to experiment and play around, I get burned out. 🙈

@ariwrites3014 Жыл бұрын

Your videos have helped me so much throughout the years, specially with my ADHD at times getting in between me and my love for writing, all the love!

@gamewriteeye769 Жыл бұрын

For the first strategy involving scenes and stuff, that's why I'm outlining as I go, so there always leaves room for that creativity, given how I work best and generate material too when I'm in the writing process and working the scenes out in my own head, as opposed to completely outlining their every detail across the entire thing. That'd feel too overwhelming and I break it down into parts, scenes, everything bite-sized so it encourages me to keep going, as each scene I have written (skeleton scenes) serve a basic percentage for how complete it is, and what still needs fixing through the outlining process. This is what I call a “Linear Visual Timeline” and it does extreme detail on each scenes and plot points. I find this microscopic lens type of outline allows me the freedom to try ideas and see what works, while still knowing my endgoal, how the story is going to end. This lens is my overview after developing the character voice for each pov so they can work out the details in their own way and how I picture a scene happening. Your second strategy which I am writing a current novel (also which blew up with a lot of ideas) since the story had been in my head for so long, I organized that into what I call “fact sheets” with parts and links like my own miniature Lore-building Bible, but-I restricted it to just the scope of the story so far, and leave breadcrumb trails along for any future stories that revolve around it as a potential series. The third method I tried, and the zero drafting I did about five of them incomplete, and it's useful for generating material to work from, but other than that, yeah, I don't really like that strategy as much anymore. I'd rather write one clean first draft so I learned a lesson there! Strategy four does not work for me. I'll completely forget what I'm working on if I leave it untouched, and writing sprints isn't my style either. Writing is a deep focus exercise and requires significant preparation for before going into it. Strategy five-I'm sorry, what word count? Oh yeah, that's a final draft thing. I work by scenes. Strategy six, frequent writing, have no comment. Strategy seven, editing big and small, is something I do Intuitively as I'm working through the draft. Those are my thoughts and what I have to say about these. How do you write?

@yohomie4098 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Doing character interviews sounds so fun and it really feels like a targeted yet natural way to understand characters. I'm definitely going to be trying this

@woodlandlady7011 Жыл бұрын

This is interesting! My discovery process is so similar to yours! I can't outline otherwise it ends up flat too. Writing organically lends to a deeper more developed character and story. Thanks for another great video!

@hannahnames2239 Жыл бұрын

I LOVE the idea of an informational outline. I have a story I've been thinking of for years and there is so much information in my brain that doesn't need to be in the story (at least on the surface) so I'm definitely going to keep that in mind when and if I draft it. Thanks for all the good suggestions:)

@Ebony.B 2 ай бұрын

I thank God he created you 😂 this is literally my process. It’s very intuitive but I’ve internalised general story structure. Love the tips 🤍

@vidyasagar3624 Жыл бұрын

I needed this! I've worked with what I call nested sequences(Term that I got from Premiere Pro, video editing software). Basically I start a draft and work with it very slowly because that's going to be the only draft that I write and I'll edit as I discover more about the story. I have the idea/the overall story and then they are further split into scenes/sequences, which are further elaborated as beats that I should hit. And basically I write the bridge between the beats and then see if they all make sense for the scene, if they do then my overall story will stay intact. Great video as always! Keep rocking Shaelin.

@lancefullmoon Жыл бұрын

The idea of character's interview it's great, making an actual interview, like a Netflix one or a Ming Hunter style thing sounds like a lot of fun! Can't wait to try it out :)

@toyloliSpare Жыл бұрын

I like to use mind=bubbles, like a conspiracy theory board. I come up with a list of things I like to accomplish, check through them as I write, as elements of the story hook up I link them together. This ties back to my research phase, where I can string all the pieces up, then let the natural flow be informed by their presence. Sometimes being able to see the pieces when they start fitting together as spur of the moment decisions move the strings around makes it more obvious the correct order to put things in and it also allows to to seperately track things happening independent of the main plot!

@hatezis Жыл бұрын

useful and inspirational at the same time :)

@voidsword8095 Жыл бұрын

very helpful video as always.

@Leonard1977ful Жыл бұрын

Shaelin, thanks for the suggestions. I might have to try to a test write instead with the characters to see how I can make them come more alive that way. I've been working on the first draft on my novel, off and on, mainly due to distractions, and I really like working on it slowly.

@berryXjerry216 Жыл бұрын

I'll try using some of these methods you mentioned because as a pantser I hate having my whole story figured out (in my case fanfictions)

@lakeshagadson357 Жыл бұрын

your videos are helpful I wish I could have the staff show the class your videos on screen if my peers are Interested in anything you talking about

@shaelynminugh9818 Жыл бұрын

I have to agree with you on a lot of these thing - I did the alternatives your talking about subconsciously and now have a name for them (: One thing I do to get my brain juices flowing is a having a writing journal. It's kind of simlar to 'writing sprints' but there's no timer and it doesn't have to be about your story. I just write. I try to think about a goal I want to do for my writing session (usually around 2 hours but in can go futher if I'm still writing). It can be "write 1k words" or something specific like "write this scence or moment." It expecially helps when I hit a road block. It's kinda like talking to a friend really. An example of this is yesterday I was procrastinating writing chapter 8 out of my story. I was scard because I know what I WANTED to do but didn't know HOW to put it on paper. I wrote in my journal: at first I just wrote about my day, then complained about my story, well I was complaining I realized a part of my story was messy and I spent my whole writing block fixing that. (I made a calendar like thing to put things I want to happen and when, though not exact dates. Like early-july character A dies.) When I finished that I had an idea on what to do for chapter 8 and got new motovation. I just thought I would share this. My journal is probably the most important thing to me: it has my stories, struggles, daily life, random obsessions/interests, things I'm working on, reminders, ect. Overall, having one is great and might be useful for people that like exploration writing.

@rachelthompson9324 Жыл бұрын

Every writer must understand structure no matter how you develop and pants-write the concept. Stories aren't stories without it.

@rossdaniels3519 Жыл бұрын

I've found I do well writing on my half hour break at work. It's good for me to quit writing while I still have the fountain of inspiration running. If I write til I hit a block or can't think of anything, it's hard to pick it up the next time. But if I stop while the words are still flowing, I can jump right back into it.

@CitrianSnailBY Жыл бұрын

I *LOVE* your Character Interview idea!! Just gave one to *my Most Adorable Character: ❤❤❤Yullie❤❤❤ (❤❤❤Yulianna❤❤❤).* 😍😍😍

@rumpelstiltskin1121 9 ай бұрын

oh for characters always start with like, a few specific traits and thoughts about how they handle their situations and then i just. become them. but test scenes are a good idea to get in character!

@btmomberry359 Жыл бұрын

This is a tip I heard for studying, but it works well for writing too. If you are doing writing sprints, use a sandtimer. You still get the benefit of sprints, but they end quietly, so they are less disruptive when you get into a flow state. It also is great to set a timer on my phone because it's distracting.

@AJDunnReadsandWrites Жыл бұрын

I'm a plotter and outliner, but I keep it very loose. If I have any ideas for a story I write them down on post-it notes (which can be a months long process), then go through them and organize them into scenes. I take these groupings and put them on 3 x 5 cards so all my scenes are on these cards. Then I organize those and plot using them. BUT! I keep it very loose. There is always room to add scenes/characters/dialogue/story elements and I always allow changes of any/all of these things. So...I know a lot of things about the story and the plot, but there is a ton of room for surprise.

@JAKKBAKER Жыл бұрын

Great video!

@user-yu4rh6zj9x Жыл бұрын

Ohh thank g-d i found someone else who don't like writing sprints, i always felt so left out from the online writing community bc of this 😭 by the end of 20 minutes the writing is starting to flow and become exciting, aaand time's over.... also i get anxious imagining the seconds passing lol

@cloudyyy_0.0 Жыл бұрын

Why is this so same with me I'm glad you exist

@kotrena Жыл бұрын

I can't do without outlining, but I don't like following any structure and making detailed outlines. Outlining helps me not to get lost in the dark, yet leaves me enough creative freedom

@Nate1975 10 ай бұрын

Writing is both - outlining and discovery writing. Stories always change as characters come alive and begin to tell their own stories

@wordcharm2649 Жыл бұрын

Any chance you can make an entire video on chronological editing? Never heard of it, kind of blowing my mind (in a good way), but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it, especially how you then follow chronological edits, with big picture edits, micro edits, etc. Like my brain feels like it's going to fall out of my head when I think about this because it's so different. LOL Would love a slow video where you explain the logic and process in detail. Being that 99.999% of the editing advice is "big to small" as you said, I don't think I'm alone in saying this would be IMMENSELY helpful. And if you have any other resources you can point my way to how you developed this method (or where you learned it), I'd love to just read more on it, too. Thanks, Shaelin. Really happy I clicked on this video. 🥰🥰🥰

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

I plan to make a video on my editing process in the nearish future, so will go into detail on this!

@wordcharm2649 Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites Thank you, Shaelin. You are the best!

@VideoGameRoom32 Жыл бұрын

I like to character profiling. Otherwise, I am a pantser but write a quick summary what my book is about.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

Quick summaries are also a great alternative to solidify your concept and then pants the story!

@kelb6073 10 ай бұрын

After many years, ive realized i need to do a mix of outlining and pantsing. I have to know the arcs and such, but the details get written in the draft. Im working on writing my first book, so im not sure how fixing the first draft will go, but i will worry about that later lol If i know too much info, it rarely works for me.

@wrigleyextra11 Жыл бұрын

Hi Shae! in the previous video you spoke about "comping" - I have a similar process (I think), could you expand on it further please? What exactly is to comp?

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

If you're thinking of what I think you're thinking of, that usually means finding similar work to your own! This is usually done to pitch your book (so agents/editors have an idea of the target audience), but personally I look for comps in the planning and writing stage to find inspiration and see how other authors have handled themes, techniques, or even settings I'm aiming to explore, since I think it's so valuable to learn from other work. But, if you know which video I talked about this, I can pinpoint specifically what I was referring to!

@wrigleyextra11 Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites Yes! This is the process! For me personally I call it finding "touchstones" or "talismans" to be collected as inspiration for a project. It was in the *writing playlist + tbr spotlight* section of your Falling In Love with My Book vlog. I just have never heard the word comps and thought it was a proper industry term/process.

@damianmiller4026 Жыл бұрын

I love to write but scared to Share my work from books Songs and Poetry but I feel to escape reality into my thought to act of writing frees my soul but I don't have many friends so I see my writing us apart of my life I am grateful for your videos they help me learn about my self

@dhalikamrul2271 Жыл бұрын

জনপ্রিয় লেখার ধরণ,,শেয়ার করার জন্য ধন্যবাদ। প্রত্যেক লেখকেরই লিখার নিজস্ব ধরণ থাকে,যা তার লিখাকে অসাধারণ করে। তবে সাধারণ পাঠক বুঝতে পারে,এমন লিখার ধরণ লেখকের অনুসরণ করা উচিত।

@werelemur1138 Жыл бұрын

I tried so hard to be a plotter. A lot of times even if I don't have a formal outline, I'll write down a lot of what could happening, just longform journaling, and let my subconscious sort through the options while I'm working my way to that point of the story.

@JonBaldie Жыл бұрын

I used to be a “smug outliner” until I properly got into my first novel. Discovery writing and micro-outlining work way better for me than outlining everything at the outset!

@munafruit Жыл бұрын

i love the "romanticised drafting" idea like go on a date with my book? yes okayy 💘💞 also genuinely tho like i have adhd and pda so i do need to do everything possible to facilitate my focus... doing that with the mindset of maximising the *enjoyment* for me is almost certainly going to work better than feeling like im trying to force myself to do something bc "it's time to do the thing and time is running out!!" etc. it seems obvious to me now lol. ive always been dreadful with time pressure! in school when we'd have to do practice essays we'd have 40mins on the clock and when time was up i'd be crying on a blank sheet of paper 😅 but everyone talks about writing sprints like they're so useful! so i keep trying and failing to implement them hahahaaaa... silly me. anyways THANKS AS ALWAYS ❤

@yapdog Жыл бұрын

*I have a question for you, Shaelin:* Do you feel that your characters are real as you write, where they seem to do things you didn't plan? I ask because in a recent Jenna Moreci video she ridiculed those who say that their characters take over and do what they want. _"They're not real!"_ I'd replied that it _does_ happen, and that it happened to me. The result is that I got a number of replies implying that I'm insane. 🤨 For me, I *must* see my characters as real people, so I don't write bios/profiles. I just get the "people" in a room and just let them interact and move the story forward--I'm just taking dictation. The situations are fluid. The dialogue is natural. The story flows well. So, do your characters seem to take over sometimes?

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

I would say that absolutely my characters feel real to me! In fact, I'd say that not only is my characters feeling real essential to my writing process, but it's also why I write in the first place. Feeling like the characters are real people, who have their own lives/thoughts/inner worlds, is so important for realistic character writing for me. Most often, when I have a moment in the story that's awkward or out of place or doesn't work for whatever reason, it's because I haven't taken a step back to observe the characters and let them do what they would do - it's because I tried to orchestrate it somehow, rather than just letting them *live* on the page. Once a character has 'clicked' for me (aka they feel wholly real), writing them becomes incredibly easy, effortless even, because I'm just an observer to their story and it feels like they just live independently and I don't even have to think about it, I can just observe and write the story as it happens. Most of my best writing has happened when I can just let a character take over and reveal the story to me as a write, so I'd say that not only do they sometimes take over, but that's my ideal scenario and it means the character is fully developed, And that's so exciting to write, it's the real fun of writing to me! It's also another reason plotting doesn't really work for me, I write best when I can just let the characters act as they would act, and write down what I see in my mind, but planning it in advance doesn't work because I end up shoehorning the characters into situations that don't feel organic with how they've developed. I think that if you truly view your character as a real person, that means that yes, sometimes they will 'take over' and honestly I think that's kind of a gift and should be listened to, because it's telling you what is realistic and natural for the story, and not listening to it will likely result in some jumbled or stilted plotting/character writing - so tbh I'm shocked that apparently so many people find this cringey? I feel like that ability is, honestly, a sign of aware and thoughtful character writing, and writing what is true to the character, rather than just what might be convenient for the plot. That's to say, I'm totally with you, and you're absolutely not insane for feeling that way! And, tbh, anyone who says so needs to get off their high horse and not have a superiority complex over other people's joy or writing process. Maybe those people would find this cringey, but the bond I have with my characters is one of the most precious things to me, and it's because they feel so real, so I have a real love for them, rather than just seeing them as tools or something I created for a story. I really wouldn't trade that for anything, and again this might sound cringey to some, but that bond with my characters has gotten me through very difficult times in my life. I believe that caring about your characters shows on the page, and allows the reader to empathize with the character because you the author empathize with them fully as well. They may not be technically real, but if they feel real to you, I think that translates to writing them with more care, more humanity, and readers will feel that. After all, the goal with creating characters is for the reader to believe that these are real people, so saying as the author 'nah, they're not real and I refuse to see them as such!' is kind of weird to me. I don't really see how readers will believe a character is real if the author doesn't? Maybe some people can write successfully that way, but I certainly don't.

@yapdog Жыл бұрын

@@ShaelinWrites I’m not at all surprised that you, too, experience “disobedient” characters, but hadn’t realized just how in sync we really are. I mean, there isn’t a single concept in this entire video on which we’re not already aligned. This is oddly validating since I’ve never taken any courses (I’m self-taught), often feeling like I’m speaking a different language to other more-learned/accomplished writers... making me feel like I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. On a more personal note, I’m an early sub to your channel; been here for years. You may not remember me since I don’t often post, but I’ve always appreciated the information you share and how you share it. This reply, however, really made my day! Thanx, Shaelin ❤

@saritaschaffter2133 Жыл бұрын

I’m a plotser. I outline my story using Notion except the drafting stage. Then I outline using save the cat.

@Martionize Жыл бұрын

I don't know if I'm currently doing a first draft or a zero draft, but it doesn't have all of the descriptions the places of where the characters are doing stuff and what they are wearing etc, but I know if I include that and stop just writing whats happening for now, I'll just never get to the end lol

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

That method works for a lot of people!!

@rev6215 Жыл бұрын

First! Reclaiming my mantel XD

@yonathanasefaw9001 Жыл бұрын

Shaelin do you write any stage plays and would consider writing one if you haven't?

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

I don't! I wrote one in university and I didn't really enjoy it haha, I don't have a theatre background so as a result I don't have much interest in writing for stage

@thebuzzkiller69 7 ай бұрын

I am curious about discovery writing but I've never been able to finish anything without an outline. I personally find having it all mapped out just makes the writing process more fun to me. I might try discovery writing with an experimental piece though. I think William S. Burroughs did a lot of discovery writing, I think the Beats did that in general. Are you a fan of that movement?

@sarafreitas6988 Жыл бұрын

For me the zero draft is the full manuscript as I write it the first time. It's very unpolished and it's just the first version. And the I usually use that draft to establish ideas and understand better how the story fits together. And then, I start a new manuscript from scratch, having that first manuscript ready. Am I too extra?

@johnhaggerty4396 Жыл бұрын

Discovery writing applied to an overdeveloped concept made me think of extra-dimension theory in physics. Experimental data. Our four dimensional universe may be like one floor of a building. Other universes could be like other floors. Maybe an infinite number ... Gavin Hesketh writes about 'the unbelievable unlikeliness of the universe', Page 254 of *The Particle Zoo* paperback 2017. Discovery indeed !

@johnhaggerty4396 Жыл бұрын

*Quantum mechanics is unexpected, and in many ways unsatisfying, but it is a realistic description of nature. We can't tell nature how to behave, only learn how it does behave. And it seems to behave randomly.* Page 25 of The Particle Zoo. Gavin Hesketh quotes Einstein, 'God does not play dice' and then Niels Bohr, 'Stop telling God what to do !'

@aidenignition Жыл бұрын

For me, waiting to revise everything at the end has made it nearly impossible for me to finish revising my book. I've made it about 60% of the way, but the rest of the book needs significant re-writes and I just cannot do it. Funny enough, I discovery wrote the first half of the book, and I love it. I tried to plot the second half and it is unreadable.

@aidenignition Жыл бұрын

Outlining allowed me to "just write the scenes" in the later part of my book when I was complete burnt out from work. I had a plot point, I would write with the goal of satisfying that simple plot point I had written down for myself and then called it done. 😭

@roanfarnum Жыл бұрын

"Overdeveloped Concept Syndrome" is very real as a discovery writer lol

@zigaudrey 2 ай бұрын

For the character-profile alternative, what if we write the quote that define the character and explore the story upon this? I hate words count, it limits creativity. The story has to be as long as needed. This is why I remove the word count in my software. I admit I use the Drabble format (while breaking the 100-word rule) to various scenes *to write the essential*. Yes, I write draft on a notebook and then turn it into Drabble but this is for draft purpose. The goal is to tell a story! Writing is a vehicle as much as drawing. The same idea works on every medium. I wouldn't call them writer, I would call the story teller!

@katarzynatkaczyk Жыл бұрын

Maybe it's not advice that hasn't worked for me, but I realised that I can't: 1. Work during the day - I just can't; my concentration is low, immersion is gone, I'm tired and easily distracted. But when it's dark outside... Poof! My brain starts working :D 2. Write when I know I have something to do. I know a lot of people wake up early, work for an hour or two and then go to work/school/whatever, but... I just can't. The only thing I can plan after writing is reading. I just need to know that I have potentially unlimited time to write - because if I know I only have a few hours, even if it's a lot of time, like 3-4 hours, I'm too stressed with the deadline to concentrate and flow with the writing. And I'm grateful that I'm lucky enough to be able to combine it with work (also creative; I write text for games

@wordcharm2649 Жыл бұрын

My initial question: Do you start with an editing outline/game plan that already has the listed changes big-medium-small for EVERY chapter and then you dive into the big-medium-small for chapter 1, big-medium-small for chapter 2, and so on. OR do you start with no plan, and just go to chapter 1, read it, outline the changes, order them (big-med-small) and then tackle them all and only THEN move to chapter 2 and repeat that whole process again? I really love this idea but I'm not able to grasp all the finer details.

@ShaelinWrites Жыл бұрын

I make a plan with all my planned edits (except for line edits of course) for the whole book, then start at chapter one, then chapter two, etc. so yes all the edits are planned in advance, and so I can just start implementing them chronologically!

@cloudyyy_0.0 Жыл бұрын

I have to write enough so I can have 40% of the plot before I write and so when I sit at writing i can make up the other sixty person 60% . If i outline i will always end up breaking is and that makes the plot better.

@Seekarr Жыл бұрын

Outline as a story plan is popular with people who teach writing and children's authors, like RL Stine and JK Rowling. But, do authors outline in practice? I don't think many do. It's more of an editor's tool so they can understand the story in a more condensed form. But, IMO, it leads to bad formulaic and predictable structure and contrived storytelling - again, it's OK to be contrived if you're RL Stine, JK Rowling, or a Star Wars novella - most of those audiences won't scrutinize you for it. There are more literary authors like Bret Easton Ellis who uses a version of outlining which is basically a rough draft that he translates into an outline for his second draft - although, unlike most people who talk about outlining, Ellis does not use his outlining as a means to inject structure - his books are notorious for having no plot structure... In my opinion, a structure isn't necessary to think too much about when writing. A good story will rise like a cake into a good structure - look at what your structure is after the story, and it might not necessarily have any structure (like American Psycho or Less than Zero) but is about character portraits. A story that is planned to fit a structure will most likely end up being a bad story which fits a textbook plot structure. But yeah, when someone says "all stories fit X structure" they're BSing you. Someone tried to say that all novels fit the three act structure because they have a beginning a middle and an end... (face palm + shaking head).

@vinayvashisht1307 Жыл бұрын

Hey Shaelin! Will fiction writing survive the rise of AI like ChatGPT? What is your take on it?

@Toasty_Britches 10 ай бұрын

I have to Fast Draft because if I don't I forget a lot of what I'm trying to convey so I have to just CRANK out scenes and expound on details after the fact. That way I can actually establish a framework to attach details to. ADHD is a bitch lmao

@unikumvakuuma Жыл бұрын

Красавица

@JC.Denton. Жыл бұрын

What's the OF ?

@lindenstromberg6859 2 ай бұрын

I feel like outlining a book before even having a rough draft is ass backwards. Structurally, how do you know how to structure it before even knowing the story or what the characters are doing? Scenes, how do you connect the scenes? Characters, how do you write the characters without having their every motivation and action sounding contrived? While contrived characters and motivations work in most films, with books it's a little different; while contrived characters are barely noticeable in film, they stick out like a rotten piece of trash in a book. Even in books where the POV is distant from the characters. "Outlining as you go" - seems like it should be alright, I mean, I'm guessing writers usually have a bunch of ideas of what they're writing in their head for that day, and that would be a good way to settling for your work session. But I feel that if you go too far then you'll be too much on the contrived/on-rails story, rather than having something that feels authentic and emotionally satisfying. The problem with these outlined novels, and they're easy to tell, is that the characters don't feel real, they feel like robots or cogs in the plot, rather than actual human beings. And this is true no matter how well they're disguised. It's kind of why I don't enjoy a lot of modern fantasy, it reads so plasticky.

@cloudyyy_0.0 Жыл бұрын

Sometimes it feels like I copy you, God we even have the same hairstyle ofc i can only wish to write as good as you someday

@kennethmatthew9638 Жыл бұрын

I outline while I panse. I make notes I think it's easier for me since outlining limits the story. I can spend all day world building but it forms must not must do in my story. Outline in your notes