How important is it to have an edited,perfected version of the story before we start queering?

YESS Timestams

Thank you.

You've probably already chosen which way to go (or changed up your opening altogether!) but fwiw I liked a combo of the 2nd and 3rd lines. My dark fantasy opening line: It called itself Watcher. My memoir opening line: Mom swears she carried me eleven months; I spent half of my life in disbelief (as that would make me two months old at birth), but when I did the math I found it tracks.

I call this approach frontloading. I told students in my writing class to drive their backhoes and scoop the piles of junk - backstory or exposition - out of their opening pages! 🤣

“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”

Austin Macaulay publishers just recently sent me, Hollie, the only money they ever sent me after publishing my book for years. They did not tell me about some of the copies that I have reason to believe were sold, but even they admitted several were sold. They gave me less than 3$. I put my soul into that book. I hope they go out of business if that is all they can do. Are they trying to ruin Christmas?

Personally, I'm soaking up a LOT of good storytelling concepts from the show Arcane. I just recently re-watched season one and then, of course, season two, and there is SO much one can learn from how to do good character development, pacing, emotional connection, plot mirroring, and so much more.

Thank you, Alyssa. Your advice condensed it all down to the three most important elements of becoming a better writer. I am currently reading Winston Churchill's autobiography, My Early Years. Man, what a great a writer he was! And what an artist with taking the passive voice and making it a vibrant and effective storytelling style! That's what I'm learning from reading his own writing.

Hi Alyssa, Thank you for your videos, as always. I'm currently reading BOY PARTS by Eliza Clark. There are similarities with the novel I'm currently working on. It's motivating. I know that what I'm envisioning (the themes and the topics), can be sold; people are reading it. At the same time, some elements in BOY PARTS are great for that book, but won't work for me. That too, is valuable knowledge.

It was a bumpy ride for me since I started to write back in 2018. Completely green with no understanding whatsoever while fighting my dyslexia. During that time, I got from good advises to bad ones to really confusing ones. One saying you can't use contractions or minimize the amount of pronounce in a sentence. While I kept reading in every book the exact opposite and editors adding even more pronounce in a sentence to make it more coherent. I know I've improved a lot. Far from great but so much better than when I started. Now that I found trustworthy people, such as yourself, who finally guided me in the right direction, writing has become a joy again and not a struggle.

It's my first time trying to write a book. My first line follows 2 (introucing the protagonist), 3 (adding mystery) and 4 (describing the scene/surrounding).

I am currently reading the stardust thief and enjoying it very much. I really like the jinn character named Kadir

Good advice. A few thoughts. 1. I get best inspired by art in Different genres like painting or dance or music. 2. Most of the worst media I have consumed is BECAUSE of bad writing advice. Write what you know. ( The worst advice ever) Nothing worse than a novel about tennis by a tennis player. Overuse of Story structure. Rising action, heros journey, all the other garbage, finally prescription, never use adverbs or the word very etc. id rather read the clumsy honest writing of an amateur than someone following a formula. 3. Writing with a Market in mind. just do drop shipping instead.

Now that you say it’s so obvious, but I didn’t really notice until you said it.

Great insight, Alyssa. I agree with all three. I read both my favorite genres and genres I don't normally check out as a way to learn from both. I recently read Stephen King's 11/22/63, my first time reading a King book. I loved how well he builds up tension. He does a good job with Show, Don’t Tell. I thought the middle was a mess. I enjoyed the story while learning what I could do and what I would prefer to avoid.

Thank you! I just finished a series that sent my head spinning! I was not expecting and thoroughly shocked that this series, hit all the story genre beats and different notes like engaging characters, unexpected foreshadowing, rising stakes, ect... The gross content of Dexter, should have led to a story that I would of, and have until recently, shunned. These books by Jeff Lindsay have me hooked.

I wrote and self published (KDP) a children's book that has sold a thousand copies, how do I get it picked up by a traditional publisher?

I am not doubting the speaker on this video but I have queried 109 times and gotten two (2) responses. These queries were for two novels and four collections of short stories. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt but...two responses out of 109 queries! Out of the two responses, one indicated they were not accepting new material. Period. Dead stop. No other explanation. The second one indicated the following (quoting): "You need to read and write more to develop the skills for someone to take you seriously." I have this framed on my wall to ensure I never forget this agency and agent. This is not about the process of querying or even a criticism of the publishing industry, this is about a lack of professionalism. I wish all writers better treatment than I have received. Good luck.

is finding a literary agent very difficult? i’m writing my first book ever, it’s a memoir detailing the struggles and challenges I’ve overcome in my life delivered in a self-help format for my son. I didn’t know if there was a theme or style of book that has better chances of being noticed or if it’s just your literary ability that gets noticed more so than the theme

Whenever I see comments like, "Reading will make your story the same as all the others," in my experience, these people are just looking for excuses not to read. They aren't interested in writing as an art. They just don't have the skills to tell their story in any other medium. Writing is not unskilled, by the way. Which is why you usually don't see these people finishing theirs, either.

One somewhat common bit of writing advice I come across is to avoid editing as you go. I have written four novels averaging 90k words each, all within a period of a few months using this method; HOWEVER, the amount of major revisions required as I reread them critically is too much for me to want to bother with. Consequently, I may not ever release them. My current WIP is going painstakingly slowly (I consider it a good week if I get a chapter done), but I have found that I think much more clearly knowing that everything behind is pretty much 90% locked in. I have also found that editing multiple times en route helps me to figure out my characters a lot better, and they are speaking more uniquely on the page. My WIP is in the paranormal thriller genre. I'm currently reading a lot of old Latin and German texts (Old Testament, Seneca, Virgil) and nonfiction like Malcolm Gladwell, Carl Jung, and Josh Weltman. I like the poetry and logic of the Latin in German, particularly because three of my main characters-subarctic wolves-speak like Chaucer or Goethe. A TV series that I have been drawing a lot of inspiration from is SONS OF ANARCHY, partly due to its accessible Hamlet themes and grittiness, but also because I didn't like how it lost sight of a lot of its dark humor and twisted lightness. My WIP has the potential to get too heady and grim.

Thank you! I think many writers will be relieved to hear you say this. Bad advice, put forward as the uttermost advice, makes writers doubt themselves because it does not resonate with their genuine way of expressing their art. Thus, this video was indeed necessary. If I ever scratch my head, being stuck in my writing, I go to your channel (I advise people to subscribe to her newsletters and pay the low fee like I did. What you get in return is very helpful). Thank you, Alyssa. You're a gem!

I've been wondering, when authors write their first drafts of a sequel belonging to a series that's been acquired by a publisher, how bad is that first draft allowed to be? Not only when it comes to grammar but the sentence structure, repetition of words (like "walk", "laugh", "smile", etc.), the plot itself (if the ideas fit the story well)...

Watching "From" and "Silo" these days, pretty good. Recommended.

Sometimes I watch horrible flicks as a masterclass on "How not to do it".

The "bait and switch" thing isn't true if there are chapters that go from character situation to another and then back. It's a classic strategy that great writers like Tom Wolfe and Steinbeck used. There is no simpleton formula for keeping the 'reader invested.'

Everyone should write according to their own circadian rhythms. How we burn fuel and how we maintain our biological homeostasis, while keeping ourselves at a cognitive equallibrium is the real challenge. Hormonal and emotional balance are necessary to have, when writing a book. Maybe it's just me but there is a phenomenology to writing a book.💯

One writer I knew insisted that if you didn't write at least 2000 words a day, you weren't "serious." "It's a job. And you don't go to work only when you want to. You do it every day." Well, I don't work 7 days a week. In fact, I only work four days a week at my "real" job. And I've written dozens of books without writing 2000 words a day. I love your advice to find what works for you. And to evaluate feedback with both acceptance and skepticism. Some readers give great advice, some give mediocre advice, some give both. But even the mediocre advice, if we examine it, can make us reevaluate what we've written and see if there are any ways to improve it, if evaluating that advice helps us come up with something the reader didn't tell us and that we didn't think of earlier.

I appreciate your helpful advice. I have been querying my literary fiction for a couple of weeks now, and have been trying two versions. One is conventional and the other is more creative (although still containing all of the important elements). Is it your opinion that I should stick to the conventional format and drop the creative one? Or are there exceptions?

When I need inspiration I go to the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest website and scroll through the winners and my shoulders relax.

Max Hunter is a private eye in San Diego during 1979. When two runaways rob the son of a known mobster, Max must find the two teenage girls before the mob finds the runaways and puts Max on ice permanently!

For the last one, is that okay to directly identify - 'Megan was shocked and relieved.' Or should it be showing signs, like: Megan felt her heartbeat slowing down as relief washed over her. She flexed her fingers trying to pump blood back to her bloodstream. <italics> He's gone. He's gone. We're safe now. Anywhoo: thanks for this vid! This is super helpful. Wishing to find a community to get feedback.

For the 1st example, is it okay if its: Casey nibbled on his bottomlip as he kept casting side glances at her. (I didnt want to keep starting off from Megan. Is this okay? It is still what Megan noticed in her POV - OR should it really have to start from Megan --- like "Megan couldnt help but notice Casey nibbling his bottom lip.... "

Another good source is watching some of the special features/Writer's commentary on DVD's/BluRays. They can explain why they made a plot choice or why they used a specific character. Furthermore, they can usually explain things that you may not have picked up. My writing started becoming very multi-layered when I did this. Also don't stick to one format. If you write novels... yes read novels... but you are 100% right... look to WELL WRITTEN movies and tv shows. Even graphic novels and comics, not everything translate over... but it can give you some different ideas for plot devices and storytelling.

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

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The best tips for someone who wants to become a great writer are: 1. Seek advice from experts in the field, who are (surprise) great writers. Read great books by great authors. We live in a time of exponential oversaturation. Life is too short to read average books by average authors 2. Be original. This world doesn't need another copy in a row 3. Write what you know. And even if you write fantasy, there is a way to wrap the mundane story you know in the shell of fantasy. So, live, gain new experiences, "steal" human destinies, historical events, absorb cultures and traditions, environments, feelings. Make stories more compelling

So I am reading Book 2 of the X-wing Series "Wedge's Gamble" - This particular book involves a lot of spy craft and covert operations as the Rogues work to help with the upcoming task of routing the Empire from Coruscant. In reading it, I have come to realize how similarly I write to Michael Stackpole (the guy who started the X-wing series) and how much he's influenced my desire to be a writer. I love the moving parts he's setting up, the different characters, conflicts, and foreshadowing. I've also been watching "The Shield" series again. It's raw and edgy, sometimes stressful. Rife with conflict as Vic Mackey and the rest of the Farmgington District precinct deal with each other, their problems, and of course dealing with the public. I can't exactly put my finger on what draws me in so much, other than the writing is so good with so many hooks and the actors are so good and believable.

Reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and re-reading The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. Both have books with "immortal" protagonists and I'm researching for my own novel in progress. Happy writing, everyone!

Can anyone here do a few examples of unexpected statement? What does it mean? 😮

The number of times I've seen authors on Threads try to argue against "read in your genre" is astounding! It's always the "I don't have time" excuse. I think it was Stephen King who said that if you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write. (It might not have been King. I'm 70% sure it was.) That's a writing rule that I live by. I just finished Hannah Whitten's Hemlock Queen last night, and I am adding it to my comp titles. I loved it. Enough that I'm reading her For the Wolf/For the Throne duology now.

This is so true! I completely changed my writing routine beginning Nov/Dec 2023 and everything transformed for me by just finding my own routine in the last year. All the pieces of advice you mentioned are some of the best things out there. I've read what's recent, what I hate, and what I love, and all of those books have helped me find my way more. Using my English composition peer response group for fiction feedback has been very enlightening to me, too - they even opened my eyes to the notion that I might actually be good at romance writing (something I never imagined was possible)! And even before all that, writing consistently has really shown me how important it is to just keep working. I've learned so much about my strengths and weaknesses through writing flash fiction, short stories, and starting a couple more novels. While I still have a long way to go, I understand my writing and storytelling style well enough that I know where to push myself and where I'm doing well. It's at least easier to know what to focus on in revision. On the subject of books recently read, I thoroughly enjoyed Roshani Chokshi's The Last Tale of the Flower Bride last month. The combination of lush prose with gripping pacing (on top of alternating POVs) made it such a transformational work for me and pushed my ideas of what was possible within a Gothic storytelling context. It's one of those stories that hasn't left my mind since I finished reading it!

I once read a writing advice on romantic storyarcs that the characters should push each other to overcome their fatal flaws. It was so difficult to write that I said alone in my appartment: "It would be simpler if humans had mating seasons." Later thanks to reading texts by psychologists, I now write according to the principle that the lovers shall have qualities each other want. To accept influence is a part of a relationship, but being pushed into change is not a relationship in itself.

Thank you! Perfect!!

The only way you find your process is by working. This isn't surgery where getting "creative" is highly inadvisable. Sitting on Reddit all day asking the same questions won't beat picking up a difficult book from a master and reading it and using what you learned.

Not a book but a great story to enjoy right now is Arcane, with its last season just out. While the series show incredibly beautiful visual and has incredible characters and moving scenes (every episode is a work of art), the last season has pacing issues and inconsistencies that I (ironically) learned from as a writer. Still worth watching though!

Excellent advice! This year I've approached my writing in a much different way. I now read/listen to anywhere from 15-20 books a month, and I've taken the step to hire an Editorial Assessment Editor (BEST choice ever!). My book is now very different from where it started. Yet, due to all of the outside influences, my story has become so much more than I had dreamed in the beginning. THANK YOU, Alyssa, for everything you do to help those striving to become the best writers we can be.

Thank you for your actionable advice. Finished reading The Terminal List by Jack Carr. Loved the pacing in his novel. Currently reading Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton. Wow what exceptional prose. Awesome descriptive writing. Cheers.

Yes, the problem is that we are all different and what works for one, may not (probably will not) work for everyone. Stop trying to stuff us into your box.