I need to thank you, Michelle. I first watched this video three or four years ago, and now I make a matchlist and a scratchlist for everything I write. I even used them for my thesis! The matchlist especially retains its function all the way into those middle edits, when the manuscript really starts to taste like wood. Also, the scratchlist is always ten times as long as the matchlist 😂 I don't know where I would be without these two lists! Thank you!

My daughter found this video hilarious. This was a wonderful and engaging explanation.

Very interesting & informative - liked your challenge to try the voice of a new character.

I’ve only just found your channel today, and omg I love you. Everything you said in the first 3 mins was exactly what I’ve been experiencing these past several weeks - getting so caught up on whether I can get the world out of my head and onto the page flawlessly, I cringe over every sentence I write. And it’s only the first draft!! I feel very validated that this is a common experience.

This was so helpful. I have been getting stuck recently on descriptions - trying to not info dump, not put cliches but not skip it completely. And worrying “what if my first draft is the best I’ll ever come up with” But this helped so much - I just need to keep moving and it’s ok that I fix these later.

This video was super helpful as someone who's getting started in this type of work. Quick question, what do you do if someone you're working for asks you to go back and edit/make changes to work you've already submitted to them? Do you do the work and charge them a reduced rate? Do you not charge them at all? Do you not do edits on work you've ghost written? I normally do at least a couple drafts of a work and expect edits to be a part of the process, so how does that fit into pricing?

Any chance of a full-on Scrivener workflow rundown? I'm curious how you set yours up. :)

because…"it's all coded Marxist brainwashing solely designed to poison the minds of our youth with your authoritarian communist filth"?

Should be cheaper than buying firewood. Please publish more, it's cold outside.

Worst advice: Write what you know. REASON: Who has been to Mars, walked on its terrain and tested to find if its elements match ours/our periodic table? Who has been through a wormhole? Yet, the same people who wrote about such will turn around to tell you write what you know. But thats even too 'far out there.' So, lemme bring it back down to earth (pun intended). A lot of writers aren't worldly in terms of traveling. Yet there they are writing about some place they've never been to (Africa, Asia, Antarctica ...), nor would recognize if they were suddenly dropped off there. Thats why I tell folks, write whatever tugs at you, even if it's something you're not familiar with. And now, you have a weapon called the internet to bring your vision to "authentic" life.

What software are you using to make the timeline and all the sticky notes

Been thinking of writing a novel with three POVs. Are there any books to read that do more than two POVS that are done well?

So, the big question, what is the reason given for the ban?

I watched one where there were multiple, povs, however it started with one protagonist and ended with the same one (allies is the title of the book)

2025, the year traditional publishing finds out. Good riddance.

I'm glad I'm writing non-serialized(?) series. Different stories (think of Goosebumps as an example). My goal is to finish all books prior to self-publishing. This way, I can put the publish date of each future book. Tolkien, Martin, Jordan all struggled with their main series. As a horror writer, I love stand-alone stories (along with films, unless James Wan is involved. He can be trusted).

This made me feel less overwhelmed when it came to understanding my characters. Other writers I've seen love creating their characters sheet and I just listen to their advice. Maybe it's good for them but not for me.

I have a somewhat different experience. I am a male writer and all of my lead characters tend to be female. I mainly write ya like the hunger games with a fairly strong focus on deep and all consuming friendships. I had about a 70 percent female readership based on a survey of my online readers. A creative writing teacher suggested I gender swap my lead into a boy to get a more balanced readership. Well, it backfired tremendously. Almost all of my male readership dropped my book instantly and I was left with a 95 percent female readership. Apparently, my male readers were much more willing to read about a girl who acts like a girl than a boy who fills the exact same role, so gender roles seem to have just as much to do with it as gender itself

Great video

I am glad you are posting again Michelle. 😊

As a male I can confirm that no man I have ever met is interested in reading about girls.

I didn’t even get banned……. It’s just more of the hyperbolic phrasing and misleading narratives that lost the left the election.

The videos are very educative.

Hello all. I have a question. I have a manuscript that I'm roughly halfway done with and I had a thought for the story in which the main character actually turns out to be the villain. The thing is, that wasn't my original plan and though it would be a very surprising twist, I just feel sick to my stomach when I think about it. As if I'm somehow betraying my character and or the story as a whole . A lot of people like the idea but I just don't know that I want to employ that particular twist. How do I know if this is something that I should do (and tell myself to stop being mellow-dramatic) or something that I should trust my gut on and say no to. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Oh I already do this! Except I prefer it in my actual document instead of a separate one

Ok, just so you know, four years later this is still GOLD!!! Theodora Taylor recommended this video for outlining. I'm a pantser, but I recognize I can write faster with an outline, even if it's just a bare bones one. I found this information super helpful! Thank you!

Thank you

I badly needed this. I know it's been out for a while now but I can't tell you how this hit the spot.

Earlier this year I challenged myself to get up at 5am to write. I discovered that while I can force myself to get up and sit down in front of the computer, I can't actually make my brain work that early in the morning.

Before publishing crashed in the early 90s, publishers took risks. They no longer take risks

Thank you for this one!! Your video gave me so much to consider -- I used cards but I didn't know how to use them effectively. And I've tried the timeline without instruction and I'll have to review your process again (and again)! This isn't just for multi-pov novels, but since mine is I'm glad I found it and your channel.

I’m still in school, in y11. I’m trying to write a book, and I’ve got so many ideas, but it’s difficult to find the time to write, so it’s difficult to stay motivated and to find the time to write. As I’m writing, I’m trying to write to the best quality as I can as quickly as I can, so I can get it written as quickly as possible and have to spend as little time editing as possible. How can I speed up my writing process further when I often only have a ten-minute pocket of time to write before I have other things I have to do or I have to go to bed? I really want to write my book but the time frame I’m working with is an absolute nightmare!

You are think agents ghosting is something unique to writers? Please apply to an office job and see how fast you get ghosted by HR or management or any of the thousands of agencies and their agents. It’s common and not fun.

Boys don’t want to read about Love! Full stop! I’ve got a fantasy novel coming out very soon my main character is female. On the front cover that I designed, theres a woman in her wedding dress talking to a character in a robe. Would a boy pick this book up? I don’t know? but they’ll be missing out on a cracking story.

Rosa is the star of the video with her pink nose ❤.

I dont mean to be a complete contrarian but the media-genic portion shouldn't be so controversial. People buy books for all sorts of reasons. Fantastic video❤

Hey Ceave, I like the story telling in your videos, especially the Zelda ones, I really like those ones. The Wind Waker one is so good I might re watch it lol. They are some of the best video essays I’ve seen. But if I could give one criticism, is that sometimes the mysteries you set up to keep the viewers engaged don’t really give us any clues to the result, and I know that for a good mystery the answer should be kept from the audience until the final reveal, but I feel like there also needs to be clues, so we can come to our own conclusions before the big reveal. If that makes sense lol? What I mean is that I sometimes feel like your mysteries (whilst still intriguing) tend to just lead me on without me having a single idea of what the outcome would be so I just kind of wait there until you give the secret, this might just be a me problem, but I feel like if you put some clues and hints to how things are connected then us listening to the buildup to the reveals would be more interesting especially when they go on for a while without any answers. I hope that makes sense, in short I just think it would be more engaging if we had a bit of a clearer idea of where things where leading before you get to the reveal. But I may be wrong. Also, please consider this gospel message that I post! To anyone reading this, please repent and believe the gospel! There is a loving God who wants to save you. And because He loves us, He (Jesus) died on the cross and resurrected 3 days later so we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved. Please think about the state of your soul, don't let this chance pass you by. Believe in Jesus and follow Him so you may have salvation. Life is short, please make the right choice today before its too late. Jesus loves you. Edit: and just to say again, this might just be a me problem lol, maybe I wasn’t smart enough to pick up on hints that where there 😅

Why this is came to me just now and not 3 years ago??

I got a question, you may be busy but If I got Theme, Character arc, plot, world building, voice (Greatest to least) how would I start writing that? To get all the Theme, Arcs, etc don't I have to have dialogue and stuff, so you want me to just not put that much work into what I am bad as in which my case is Dialogue and world building? Another question, I am making each chapter 12,000 words (27,000 left to spare so I can add extra stuff for those big introspective moments) long for 19 chapters do I need to reach that threshold or even need to come close to the amount needed?

I'm a panster by heart and I have to say I've always found outlining daunting but I feel like I've finally found a process that makes sense to me! My notecards are on the ready! Thanks! PS. Found this video via Theodora Taylor. I'm subscribed and looking forward to watching your other videos!

Why is the name thing such a focus? It's so obvious. What about how the current emotions change how the character describes stuff? What about what words characters would use in general?

I write far better than Dan Brown.

I can't complain when my favorite author KZbinrs are too busy writing to film. I'll just have to spend more time writing.

Keep it real!

Oh that's good. I have to write in short bursts. Busy job, 3 year old and a newborn takes much if my time or energy. I do end up going over what I've already written and editing, rather than enjoying the thrill of writing new chapters. The scratch list is such a simple solution to that problem!

Thank you. I loved this

Quick question…Would there be any issue going from 3rd limited to sprinkling in a little omniscient commentary to add a bit of humor, then clearly go back to the actual story with 3rd Ltd? Don't want to confuse peeps, but I would like to add some humoristic takes on things that transpire. Thanks for all you do for us, Michelle!

Great video. Can you help me understand how I should pitch my book? I definitely took your fist bit of advice and wrote exactly the book I wanted to write without thinking about the market. TLDR: my book is about an aimless recent college graduate in the late 90's. With no better plan, he ends up working in a sheltered workshop for the blind. He also deals with his child of divorce issues and mistakes/regrets he's made. It's comedy-drama. And despite its disability theme, it reads much more like a confession than a sermon. I would say definitely a flawed, contradictory 3 dimensional character who isn't merely there to inspire the other characters. It's all his character arc.I'm legally blind myself and the story is semi-autobiographical so I felt assured I was the right person to tell this story. In fact I wrote it in large part because I was pretty sure if I didn't tell this story, absolutely no one else was going to--whether that's for better or worse. Should I pitch it as New Adult? (A term I only learned from Googling a week ago.) Should all my comp titles be New Adult books? Or does the fact that it's a Gen X story negate that? Thanks for any advice you can offer!

The irony of how the end of my latest chapter matches up with your ”not every scene needs to end in a car crash.” Long story short, my protagonist were in a car crash earlier on, and made it. She’s currently supporting a friend by joining his tour. They have had a fight, due to her putting herself in danger for him, and are about to leave in two different cars. Last time they split up without resolving their issue, she got in an accident. He doesn’t want them to end the conversation on a bad note, scared of history repeating itself. She’s fairly bitter at the moment, and says she won’t end up in a car crash again. I found it so hilarious that they were sort of discussing what you talked about - not every moment will be, or should be, treated as one that potentially ends in disaster 😂 For the past year, I’ve tried to rewrite chapters 39 - 45 over and over. So many times that my document surpassed 1000 word pages. The story in itself is only 280 out of those. That says something. I’ve tried so many different angles that I’m having problems deciding on what to cut and include. The most affective method recently, has been to choose bold options, throwing everything I’ve already tried out the window. It has helped a lot. I’ve gotten from chapters 39-42 now. So, I’m currently trying to work out chapter 43 and so forth. I’m trying to use the saying k*ll your darlings. But there are certain things I’m not sure I want to cut. While it might not serve a good purpose. The main thing I need is to establish something that has meaning, isn’t confusing and helps progress the story. I am working toward a major happening, but everything before that is one giant mess. But! I will say that I’m proud of myself for not giving up. I’ve tried taking countless times off from writing, so that isn’t the solution. That has helped my perspective at certain times, but in general, leaving my manuscript has been a major issue over the past year. I often struggle with not getting distracted, because I’m so so afraid of failing, that I try to look elsewhere. KZbin shorts, reactions, and everything in between has been another way for me to escape writing. I can sometimes only concentrate for three minutes while writing, until the crippling fear takes over. I’ve been a lot more consistent lately, though. I’ve seen your video many times over the past year, and it always helps me. But, I still have a way to go. I love my story and where it will eventually lead, so giving up is not an option. This is also the second book in a series, so book one is already out in the world, online. That is another thing that pushes me to work on my story, but it also stresses me out. I feel like I owe it to my readers to be quick. While, when I was writing the first book, it was just me and my story, on my own, with no time limit. The first manuscript of book one took only about two months to complete (then another year to edit.) I startet writing book two while editing book 1, while it also got posted online. When I wrote book one, even for how little time it took, it was so giving and an amazing experience. I told my self the book would get done when it was done, with no pressure at all, because I enjoyed every second of writing it. The goal was purely to write, tell the story how I wanted it to be told. With book two, all of that is still present - but I’m trying to rush it, always a step ahead of where I actually am in the book. I don’t know how to let the pressure of completing the book go. What I enjoy about writing isn’t really completing the book, it’s the writing itself. Living through each chapter as it unfolds. This was a lot … But, if anyone has experience with this, please tell me your story ☺️

Agents normally do NOT TELL authors WHY they are uninterested.