3 Tips for Avoiding Boring Writing and Making Your Life Easier

Whether you write fiction, scifi, romance, or fantasy; boring writing is one of the quickest ways to lose reader interest and attention. These are three writing tips to improve your writing abilities! Tell better stories, write faster, and become a great author by investing in your stories, characters, and plot.
#books #bookrecommendations #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #writingtips #authortube #fantasywriting #booktok
Check out my site: www.writing-theory.com

[@thesoupofthebrain2446]

the opening is very effective

[@lod4246]

You could say that it's super effective!

[@TheCSJones]

It actually demonstrates another way of keeping writing from getting boring, a screenwriting technique called "The Pope in the Pool." Basically, if you're going to have the characters deliver exposition, make them do something interesting or unusual while they're talking. (Named after a movie scene where a character explains a plot point to the pope as he goes swimming.)

[@deedaceopondo3520]

very, I smiled

[@badlie4858]

"you might want to delete a scene that you like if it doesn't fit in the setting and is out of place" Leo Tolstoy: let me describe this huge oak tree real quick

[@user-du3gq9mt9u]

That’s so true XD

[@x-snipo2137]

thanks for the effort of diving into snow to prove a point!

[@Writing-Theory]

I am nothing if not committed to a bit

[@BlackXSunlight]

6:51 Weirdly enough I’ve been calling this “Tell Don’t Show.” When the exposition is only relevant to orient the reader but would drag down the story if it takes center stage, it’s okay to just mention it happened. I wrote a scene of my characters sneaking into the luggage car of a train. Good scene! There’s tension, a little danger, a little magic, the effort prompts these characters to trust each other a little more, there’s a bit of magic, a sweet reveal that peels back another layer of my protagonist, some sprinkling of worldbuilding bc the protagonist’s stepfather invented the locomotive engine in this world… I did not want to write a subsequent scene of them sneaking off the train. There’s nothing new that scene could offer that the Sneaking Onto the Train scene already gives. So, I wrote them already in the city they were heading toward, and tossed in a couple lines about how the part of the tracks they rolled onto to sneak out was walled in, so this is their first time seeing this new location in full. That’s one less headache to cure for the rewrites 😩

[@Writing-Theory]

A perfect application of this! I'm glad to hear that other people are thinking about this kind of stuff. Like I said, I originally had a really hard time learning what needs to be on page vs what doesn't. It sounds like you've wrapped your head around it pretty well!

[@johnnyritenbaugh1214]

Exactly this! "Show Don't Tell" is repeated ad nauseum, giving beginner writers the impression that telling is bad. Hate to break it to ya Becky, but all writing is "telling," some parts are simply more detailed. Learn when to keep it short and direct. 😅

[@Lilitha11]

@@johnnyritenbaugh1214 Yeah, there is definitely times that telling is much more powerful than showing. Mostly because it is so efficient. If you have to write something boring, it is almost always better to summarize it and move on quickly.

[@RiverNihilation]

Hmm noted

[@theultimategodofgaming3200]

@@johnnyritenbaugh1214 A better version of this phrase that I've heard is "Demonstrate Don't Describe". It's not a universal rule, but generally helpful.

[@YanickFilipe]

Just by the intro,I could tell this video was the real deal.That's a genius way of getting people intrigued to a video just by the intro.

[@kashe7285]

the ai generated images😭 what's with writers only being against ai when it affects them, if our industry gets ruined, yours will be next!

[@jjhh320]

git gud

[@alabasterindigo]

@kashe7285 I don’t get it either and I’m glad you mentioned it before me. There have already been writers hired to provide material to train these things, they have no respect for any trade or hobby including their own which is wholly pitiable. The worst part is I don’t think they even understand the repercussions of their choices. I hope one day they do, and they change for the better. Until then, they’re not worth acknowledging. Anyone can be an illustrator, and I think writers could especially benefit from learning how to draw because illustration is a fantastic way to visually tell a story and even convey what writing cannot. Tolkien is a great example of this. It’s not commonly known, but he did water colors for his own books because he was the only person who could visualize his world the way he envisioned it, and he was quite good too. He dedicated an absurd amount of time to his world and took the time to learn to paint as well which is incredibly admirable. It genuinely doesn’t take anything more than dedication to learn how to draw, paint, etc. Hell, look how fast Pewdipie has improved in just 100 days, it’s insane how much he’s grown. Meanwhile, I don’t think this bloke even understands why using a*i was a poor choice and has in turn driven away so many viewers (myself included). The best I can wish is that he realizes his errors, moves forward, and improves.

[@VelvetAura]

The same thing applies to artists not being concerned about voices or music AI, or what about the devices we all use being unethically sourced? You couldn't make a living on digital art if it wasn't for slave labor in places like Borneo. Honestly you can boycott all ya want it's not gonna change anything. Progress is inevitable so you just gotta adapt with the times. By all means if you don't wanna use AI then don't but don't put other people down for using a tool just because your livelihood is being affected on a grand scale; he as an individual is not hurting you by doing this. AI certainly isn't stopping you from creating your own art, but it's not about the sanctity of the art, it's about the ability to profit off of something that only holds subjective value. Yours is not a principled stance in the first place, it's one based in self interest. Which is FINE, but then don't try to morally police other people on some kind of high horse. You and the other individual in this thread are just making yourselves look like you have an overinflated sense of importance. As for the second person, why would this guy care if this turned you away from his channel? I don't think he's missing out on much, I certainly wouldn't wanna deal with trying to please people who think like you anyway

[@StarGazingSpirits]

@@VelvetAura i velvet Aura’ed ur mom 👁️👄

[@Where_my_username_go]

​@alabasterindigo No matter how much you cry, throw silly tantrums or whine about ai, it'll still continue doing what it's doing. Your narrow-minded viewership won't help anyway, so feel free to leave; because soon, there'll be nowhere for you to go since ai will be everywhere. It's inevitable, no matter how much you b*tch about it. And stop talking about writers like that, when you clearly don't know anything. The reason why most of us don't whine like you're doing right now and seem unaffected, is because we write cuz we want to. You're the pitiful one, who turn away from a helpful video because of some stupid almighty self righteousness you think you have. Letting something like ai determine what you do with your passion, makes you even less worthy than the writers you just mentioned. While people are evolving themselves along with the ai you're so afraid of, people like you will shrivel away and disappear. "Not even worth acknowledging" who tf are you to acknowledge people anyway😂 Do you even matter?

[@deedaceopondo3520]

Just finished a second rewrite, cutting 30k words just by following this similar advice. Earned a sub

[@Writing-Theory]

Congrats on the second rewrite! 30k is a lot of words to cut and can be really tough to make yourself do!

[@oldguyinstanton]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! My YT feed offered up this video at precisely the right time. I'm a first-time novelist, and I'm writing a science fiction novel (The Voyage of the New Beginning) where I've just finished the mid-novel crisis/resolution (attack by space pirates, no less!). And I have *exactly* the problem you describe here. Your advice has helped gel my often-confused thoughts on the matter, now that I'm writing the next chapters. It has also alerted me to go back to old chapters I've written (this is a multi-year project) and look for boring scenes using the POV presented here. Again, thank you. Subscribed and upvoted. You are now my favorite writing-advice source. So, off to look at your other videos!

[@void2920]

No way you only have so few subscribers. Very high quality

[@Writing-Theory]

Aww shucks, I appreciate that!

[@jackholloway1]

I'm not a writer and have no idea how this ended up on my feed but I subbed just off the back of the intro

[@SainanAnimates]

This channel is so underrated, its insane because the quality of your vids are really good

[@Writing-Theory]

That’s really nice!! Thank you so much!

[@tahutoa]

~5:00 this duct tape gambit is also an example of "tropes are tropes for a reason" The friend _always_ picks the protagonist up after the bully whacks them. It doesn't have to be that literal - sometimes they can meet during the aftermath. Perhaps the friend notes the black eye and comes right over, thus setting framework for the friend being a compassionate person. Or, perhaps this is a fake friend or a bad one, and this is an opportunity to get in good with a pawn. Writing that made me realize there are probably many times where simplicity in itself breeds ideas. Viewing a person's actions from one character's perspective, which can't read other people's minds but only guess, can allow us the writer (who sees through those same eyes) to also imagine all sorts of ways to develop whoever they're looking at.

[@Hursimear]

This just makes perfect sense! It gives me confidence to learn these things even though I’ve never written a book before…just starting now for the first time

[@Writing-Theory]

So happy to hear that! Writing is something you can do for the rest of your life. I hope you enjoy it!

[@ricky.t.1658]

In my opinion I don’t think every scene in a book or movie has to bring important info, I think many times, in order to tie everything you have constructed to that point, you could add some Maa intention which contrary to what is expected, can relentizise the rhythm of the story if it’s too fast, gives the reader fresh air from action and can give introspection to the normal interactions, characteristics and, in general, the characters existing by themselves without a storytelling role to fill, also it can provide of the ambience and character from the world so the reader can directly enjoy it. It also can naturalize the nuances of the story that otherwise could pass under the radar. Good uses of this, in my opinion, can be found in the majority of video games where many time of it is just the player exploring and interacting with the characters. And if we wanna take an approach more audiovisual I can think of Made in Abyss where there are many Interarchs chapters dedicated to the main characters exploring the Abyss and basically having day to day experiences (Riko cooking, Reg smelling Nanachis scent, Faputa reacting to noises etc), I can also think of many sitcoms and comedies that use this technique in a more humoristic way to create that genres characteristics. In general it naturalizes the story and let’s the world exist by itself which can give a very cozy and vibrant energy, the point is knowing how to use them in moderation and, most importantly, WHERE TO PUT THEM IN THE STORY, basically bc a cozy moment like put in a bad moment can destroy your whole novel, this hapens for example in JoJo part 5: golden wind where IN THE LAST EPISODE they introduce a super random arc that destroys the rhythm, climax, cohesion and ambience of the ending (JoJofans know what I’m talking about). Oh my god I think I extended a little to much, sorry but I enjoy storytelling a bit too hard 😜

[@Mii..]

Can you give any links or websites that explain what you're talking about? I would love to read more about that specific type of writing, it sounds interesting and I think it may help with a writing problem I have.

[@ricky.t.1658]

@@Mii.. this info is not from a specific author (I think), but something I’ve learned after consuming a lot of media and writing a few things, I think you can investigate the use of ma in studio Ghibli films, there are a lot of videos in KZbin talking about it. You can also investigate about ambientation in movies which is very important to manage well this writting technique.

[@Mii..]

@@ricky.t.1658 Thanks for that. I will definitely check those out and study them a little more.

[@KaranSingh017]

Not a writer, but I loved the video on making stories interesting. Really fascinating stuff!

[@abbierose2278]

Had me with the intro ngl

[@hellopumpkin86]

Your intro felt like a fun opening similar to Bill Nye the Science Guy. 😂

[@Writing-Theory]

Highest compliment I’ve ever received

[@ab0trka78]

How I haven't heard these tips before! You earned my subscription

[@ppmaqchannel]

How can you make a video with tips for writing while using Ai art lmao

[@DraidtheSpacePirate]

Just found your channel and I'm subscribing over the intro. I can tell you care about what you're talking about and the way you approach it. ❤ Looking forward to more content from you.

[@Fig_Faerie]

The type of writing you're describing at 1:15, often referred to as "the flow state" is a flavor of maladaptive (or excessive) daydreaming. It's thought to be a coping mechanism developed (mostly) in childhood, sometimes related to trauma. For me, learning about why I tell myself the stories I do (and what I'm getting out of them) has been life-changing, especially paired with the advice in Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones.

[@DraidtheSpacePirate]

My writing has been this for me, I think it's why I take it so seriously. Thank you for putting into words what I've been dealing with my entire life. Now I can begin researching the whats and whys. ❤

[@nbucwa6621]

A flow state isn't inherently some sort of MDD although *some* people with MDD may have an easier time falling into a flow state. MDD is a disorder for a reason. Saying that any flow state that mimics a similar feel to maladaptive daydreaming is by feature some sort of MDD is kind of like saying PMS mood swings are a flavour of bipolar disorder. They are not the same. They may both involve mood swings but one is classified as a disorder for a reason. Let's not muddy the waters of actual disorders by pathologizing normal feelings and behaviors.

[@antonionotbanderas9775]

I had a writing coach that claimed nobody writes for themselves, but I always believed in your idea that my writing is telling stories to myself.

[@Fig_Faerie]

@@nbucwa6621 Am I muddying the waters about Maladaptive Daydreaming? MDD is the acronym for Major Depressive Disorder?? I do believe when writers talk about "flow" they're usually referring to that possessed/auto-writing like feeling associated with Maladaptive Daydreaming. Experiencing a maladaptive daydream is like literally being dropped into a 360 degree movie you can *usually* pause, fast-forward, and re-wind at will (though you can't always alter them). I experience them, mostly related to growing up as an undiagnosed/unsupported Autistic and ADHD girl in a "strict" household. The Celiac disease that went undiagnosed from early childhood to my twenties didn't help, either. At four, I had my own Ruby and Max/Peppa Pig-esque characters. On the bus I would look out the windows then close my eyes and get sucked into a 1-1 scene where characters from tv and/or my stories would interact with each other and me. Like, tony the tiger was my bff. I would have scary daydreams that would traumatize me, like at 7 I had one where *in reality* I was actually an asylum patient strapped to a chair just repeating all of my most embarrassing thoughts. It was so real that a part of me believed it until well into middle school. I would literally bring it up to friends and family as a "what if....?" to see if they'd prove/disprove it. Like, it reminds me a lot of the Truman Show disorder. Was horrible. 0/10. At 16 a parent urged me to quit writing when they, w/o permission read a draft of a Naruto fic I wrote at 14. So, I did. After I quit storytelling, my daydreams started manifesting as intrusive rumination, and conversation mapping. Both were almost always stressful and upsetting. I started having anxiety-based hallucinations of the people I knew calling my name (not over and over, but from varying distances). Like, I lost so many relationships, my dude, just by walking into the wrong place at the wrong time bc I thought someone called. My family had me evaluated for schizophrenia and when I didn't have it they went "you're all good!" and gave up on me. Literally lost most of my family. Like, then the celiac-caused gluten ataxia (brain damage) progressed to the point ppl with Parkinsons were telling me to get tested. But like, I couldn't get tested for years, because the slur + gait issues made all the medical staff (I mean ALL of them) think I was on something and drug-seeking. (Literally the same nurse who cruelly jabbed me really hard during a blood draw six years ago, this August was flirting with me and reassuring me all was good after I literally forgot my left from my right. Medical Bias is messed up) Toward the end (diagnosis/going gluten free) I couldn't speak in full sentences. I'd literally look at a toaster, think "toaster", but what would come out was "b-buh-b-buh-b-b-buh" Words mixed/fell out of existence as I was speaking them. Like, I was depersonalizing to the point I felt 24/7 underwater, or like this teeny little version of myself staring out my eyes as my big clunky, robot-like body I was operating went berserk on my life. It was surreal. Back then the daydreams I had before bed, if they weren't some type of rumination, were almost always like sitting under a tree with an anime character (a big tough one, like Guts), either being held warm (I was always feverish) or like sitting next to me while I lay in the sun. Bc of the abdominal pain I used to take a lot of hours long baths, and daydreaming was one of the only ways I got through (I couldn't look at my phone too much without literally losing the ability to read or getting a migraine). Like, when I am GI sick I always, always start halluci-daydreaming about being in an environment I got really GI sick in during early childhood. Like, I can feel the cool tile under my arm type experience Like, I'm really excited to yap about surviving celiac related ataxia in my book (my villain has it). I almost didn't make it, or be able to recover my mind. But like, as I've recovered (it's taking A LOT longer w/o access to the appropriate neuro-meds), I regained a lot of the confidence my parent's words and the brain damage took from me. It took another few years after going gluten free for me to be able to write again, ten years since I quit. This is the fourth year I've been back at it. Getting back into storytelling gradually retrained my daydreams to not hurt me, and in a bunch of ways saved my life. The first story I worked on had a ML recovering from a traumatic brain injury (bc I had the same level of cognitive impairment). I started daydreaming about it bc I wanted to feel lovable/worth caring for despite my disability. I think I chose to project myself into the male lead because I deconditioned down to SpongeBob muscles while sick and wanted to be as physically abled as him. Also because I was my family's provider until the illness and an eldest child. I felt like, if I couldn't provide, I'd be thrown away (like I've been before). I felt like that was more relatable through the eyes of a male character as men are by-default pushed into a provider role. When I was really sick though, I had to do a lot of research, which led to a hyperfixation on learning why my mind/and body works the way it does. Like, I love researching this. Next to writing it's probably my second biggest passion. I don't know if it was maybe my word choice that irked you. Like, it'd be messed up to say, "you think like that probably cause you were traumatized as a kid"... Idk Maladaptive Daydreaming is largely thought to be a coping mechanism caused by early childhood trauma or higher stimulation needs associated with neurodivergence (like ADHD and Autism). For me, my discovery writing is almost always a one-to-one recording of my daydreams. Like, a lot of mine include physical sensations like dampness, cold, and texture (not every person experiences this, but it is common). Like, writing this I experienced a Daydream about having a Maladaptive Daydream about the OG Strawberry Shortcake book world and literally could smell caramely chocolate chip cookies. Maladaptive Daydreams are often refferred to as "flow" because the words flow out faster than you can write them. A lot of writers aspire to find "the flow" or "the feeling" w/o knowing what it is or why it's triggered. So like, mine are triggered mostly by under stimulation and interest. I can purposefully trigger mine through several methods (prompts, standing in shower, doing dishes, reading, watching TV...), but I can't control how long I stay in, especially if I lose interest with an idea or imagined scenario. While I can trigger them, I don't always. Most just come for me. And, if something in my external environment pulls me out of one, I get spacey, often confused. Ooh, I do a bunch of odd movements throughout my daydreams too, like rocking, leaning, head tilting, face scrunching, and unconsciously mimicking character expressions. Sometimes I make little noises or talk to myself. When it was mostly rumination and mapping, I would defensively respond, often out loud. That somehow morphed into verbal/mental tics (the same ones girls are getting that Dr's are now saying are caused by tic tok- for me it's just shame 🤣) I can't stay in a daydream long while other people are around, because the way I mask my autism/ADHD is a flight or fight response. Like, I don't mean to make light of Maladaptive Daydreaming (my 3rd grade teacher used them and my staring out the window during as evidence I was "R-worded"/should be pulled from school). I'm trying to spread awareness. Maladaptive (sometimes called Excessive, because it shouldn't be so pathologized) Daydreaming is a common thing but hardly anyone knows about it.

[@Fig_Faerie]

@@nbucwa6621 I'm confused. MDD is the current acronym for Major Depressive Disorder and Maladaptive Daydreaming on its own can be a symptom, but is also a normal behaviour (especially if autistic or ADHD bc of sensory seeking behaviour and higher stimulation needs). I didn't say Maladaptive Daydreams are always the flow state, but that often, that's what writers mean when they refer to "flow." I started maladaptive daydreaming in early childhood because I was under-stimulated/undiagnosed auADHD. Like, I'm not trying to make light of it, or pathologize it further. Researching this type of psychological phenomena is one of my hyperfixations and I often info-dump about Maladaptive Daydreaming as a way to spread awareness. A lot of ppl write the same way I do with NO clue why they do it. When I stopped actively channeling my daydreams toward storytelling/fantasization (during a ten year hiatus) they began mostly manifesting as intrusive thoughts, rumination and conversation mapping. Like, storytelling saves my life everyday. Figuring out what I was getting out of the maladaptive daydreams I was having was absolutely life changing in terms of my productivity and overall writing quality. Like, I have celiac that went undiagnosed/untreated from early childhood until my twenties. The gut damage progressed to neurological damage (gluten ataxia). When I was my sickest, slurring and unable to walk straight (brain damaged), no Doctor would treat me because they thought I was drunk or on something. One time a nurse intentionally jabbed me really hard to like, punish me for coming in? At that point, I'd never met him before in my life. Before he did it, I cracked a joke about being afraid of needles and he just stared at me stone faced. (6 years later, now that my hair’s grown back and I'm healthy-ish, he flirted with me in-office and laughed at all my dad jokes. He was so kind I didn't recognize him until I was walking home. It was so messed up.) While sick and unable to self advocate I did heaps of research which finally got my Dr on-board. After I went gluten free I started recovering. But, *really slowly*. Like, It's been five years and my brain is still healing. Early on into recovery, I took up writing as a way to regain some of my vocabulary (I could no longer speak aloud in complete sentences without mix-matching every other word). The first story-oriented maladaptive daydream I got sucked into was a romance featuring a ML with a traumatic brain injury. I never finished the story (though I will pick it up again after I've finished my current book). Later, upon learning about maladaptive daydreaming, I realized why I told myself that story. I was projecting myself into the ML because my muscles had deconditioned down to SpongeBob and I wanted to feel strong again. The ML suffered a mild traumatic brain injury at the start of the story bc it's the same level of cognitive impairment I was suffering. My brain was telling me I was lovable in spite of my disability (helping me overcome the internalized ableism standing in the way of my grieving process). Like, the reason the MC was the one recovering- I was my family's provider before I fell sick and I think relaying the story through the eyes of someone pushed into the provider role by default (a man) made it easier for me to process. I didn't want to feel like my value was tied to my ability to provide. His love interest was a nurse, a compilation of all the medical research I had to do while sick. She was the caregiver role I didn't have anyone around that could step into. And like, also a ghost of the caregiver I've had to be in the past. Like my brain was literally spamming that story at me as a way of coping with my diagnosis and I didn't finish it at the time because I had no clue that was happening. Many writers' writing stems from maladaptive daydreaming, especially the writers who start in early childhood- they start, often, bc they're recording daydreams. Like my first stories were wordless comics about a cat and dog sibling/best friend duo. At the time I was an oddball only child w no friends and undiagnosed auADHD. The main characters' names were literally Kit and Kat, like KitKat. I came up with them because I wanted to felt understood and a sense of belonging. I started doing fanfiction because I couldn't stop daydreaming about my favorite characters. While Maladaptive Daydreaming can be a disordered behavior, it's currently not being diagnosed as its own disorder. It's secondary name “Excessive Daydreaming” is meant to be less pathologizing. I'm sorry if my word choice offended you.

[@RurikDankil]

Advice I certainly needed. Thank you.

[@richardglady3009]

Thank you for the great advice and for sharing of your experience. It makes the lessons that more effective.

[@Iotuseater]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@TephraAshenclaw]

Thank you for your generous tips, they’ve been really helpful. It’s a refreshing and relieving feeling to know that i’ve already been applying all these strategies “narrative chunks” already in my writing all this time. I’ve never heard of phrase like “kill my darling” before but i understand the necessity of letting go parts to make the story flow better

[@RYDERBENABOUD]

This is cool and all... but that snow dive is *chef's kiss*

[@RedWizardFox]

I agree, but sometimes I like the fluff. Character development is the most important, but I do agree that sometimes a 6 page thing could simply be a page or 2.

[@pilky_boooi]

This is actually also really good advice for dming a D&D campaign, thanks!

[@Writing-Theory]

There’s a surprising amount of crossover between writing and dnd! Check out my video on world building to see what I mean!

[@pilky_boooi]

@@Writing-Theory will certainly do

[@thirstiergrub5730]

Thanks for great tips!

[@Jed_Herne]

Loved this opening, great creativity

[@sk3tch_gaming]

WAIT JED HERNE??

[@xcyan_lilyx5788]

I like describing scenery, but the description needs to have a double meaning or foreshadow a twist later in the story. It can become easy to fall into the boring scene trap if they aren't written carefully.

[@BlackCROWN011]

I already knew I can trust your words since seeing your thumbnail because the split face was kinda hilarious, and thank you for making this video!

[@changed9084]

thanks for the thought-provoking video. really puts the emphasize on efficiency and efficiency is great man.

[@Bearedbearbeer-be2hb]

such a underrated channel. what are you doing here? you deserve 10k subscribers!

[@KatSchlitz]

Great teaching! Active scene illustrated. Side note on your channel settings: when I go to look at your video list, only four videos show, and this one does not show. But the YT info on the channel says even more videos published that don’t show in that short list. So perhaps the settings aren’t uniform when publishing. I would like to watch all your videos but it seems not available. I also regularly look for playlists that are available, and I love it when a channel makes a playlist of the entire channel videos, so that I can watch the entire channel when I have time, without babysitting what YT delivers next. Looking forward to more! Thank you for great content/ teaching.

[@Writing-Theory]

Hello Kat! Thanks for letting me know. Good news and bad news: Good news is that I have created a playlist now for all channel videos! I never would have done it if I hadn't see your comment, so thank you for letting me know. Bad news is that you may only be seeing four videos because I just started the channel! If I had to guess, the "videos published" includes some shorts that I put out as well.

[@bladez2027]

I was just looking for this! I started writing recently, but I can't help feel like it's only engaging because it's my own work. Thanks!

[@Writing-Theory]

That feeling almost never goes away! Don't give up hope! Sometimes you, as the writer, get so used to the plot and the characters and the world that it stops being a cool, new experience. It's just you with the book. It's all a mind game and it can be tough sometimes

[@acrellama]

Are you using ai images as a creative?

[@freeforall2069]

He is ☹️

[@hydralily1646]

Quite sad

[@user-us1vx3yy5j]

Who cares?

[@acrellama]

@@user-us1vx3yy5j the leaked list of thousands of artists whose work was scraped without their consent

[@acrellama]

@@user-us1vx3yy5j thousands of artists whose work has been scraped without consent, according to a leaked list and chat wherein midjourney CEO can't care less when they talk about "laundering"

[@myrrysmiasi4866]

Earned a like before the 30 second mark! Good job!

[@Writing-Theory]

Worth the sacrifice 🤘

[@jenny6609]

HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 774 SUBS? DANG YOU UNDERRATED!

[@Writing-Theory]

We’re taking this thing to the moon! Hop on!

[@j.f.fisher5318]

This. Writer's block is your friend.

[@ComicPower]

Great advice i appreciate it

[@Drudenfusz]

Like on the story triangle, the bar is for me the theme. Does what I have written contribute to the theme I am going for, the it has relevance to be on page, if it is just vanity that adds nothing to the theme, then it can be pushed off page.

[@3choblast3r4]

Themes are overrated. Rules are overrated. Write what fits best in your story or vision. Also, do you mean plot or actually "theme" .. because theme doesn't even make sense, you can't have every conversation and or sentence be a comment on or related to your theme. That would make for an extremely boring read.

[@Drudenfusz]

@@3choblast3r4 I mean theme, you can also call it leitmotif or premise if you like, and no, I do not mean plot. Also, it is funny that you call something overrated that you clearly seem not to grasp at all.

[@3choblast3r4]

@@Drudenfusz A premise and theme are two completely different things my friend. Have a nice one though

[@Drudenfusz]

@@3choblast3r4 If you would have said they are not identical, then I would have agreed with you, but completely different?

[@nox4298]

@@Drudenfusz wouldn’t expect an idiot like that to understand much of anything, really. Clearly doesn’t understand how theme and premise are inexorably linked somewhere in the process.

[@TracksOnSnow]

Nice! Subscribed!

[@SodaPopBot]

Damn that sledding looked fun

[@diego0299]

Great vid!

[@tell-me-a-story-]

Good thing writing is so fun. I love putting to paper the things I imagine. ❤❤❤❤❤ I’m so lucky to get to do it. So many people just don’t have the time.

[@elfistudy]

You look like someone whose paper trembles from sarcasm. Love it.

[@mysticmouse7261]

Kill your darlings is Stephen King's first recommendation. I find no 'darlings' in his writing just stale non-literary descriptions slogging through trivia of what everyone is wearing, furniture scenery etc. I find his novels deadly dull.

[@biologyrules]

Ps, your opening was both surprising and funny LOL

[@Spancer-hy8hj]

Sounds accurate to me btw thx for help sir 🙏

[@pfikurum]

My basis for making a story is: "What's usual, is what's mundane, and most people are already experiencing it, so it's nothing new." Hint: People desire novelty (feeling excited about novelty, something to explore and know about a new world, or experience they've never experienced before).

[@killerbait8240]

My hardest struggle are both with me not being a native english speaker or more like im not someone whose good at speaking whati have in mind. I have a movie played out in my head, but im having a hard time expressing it

[@ameliaroseillustrations]

Not only did you teach me how to write interesting stories….but also how to make an interesting intro 😂😂

[@AnbaLen]

He almost sacrificed his back for this 😭

[@Zero0Zero0000]

Off-topic: But the chibi arts are so cute! Who made them?

[@novelle.27]

It’s not art. unfortunately they’re just AI generated images. I liked this video but found the AI images really off putting

[@Zero0Zero0000]

@@novelle.27 Yes, I know it's AI art, it's so obvious it's painful to watch (hence I didn't watch the vid, just from the thumbnail it was glaringly obvious). Tl;dr: I was trying to bait out, if possible, the idea that as a writer would he be okay if people used his books for AI learning and stuff. I understand the AI bros being douchebags and using it, but creative workers (writers, designers, etc.) using it is such a huge--- Point is, it's almost impossible to trust anyone willingly stealing content from others using AI. The advice might sound "good" but the same advice will and have come from others who commission artists instead, or use free assets. In fact, how can we believe he did research and didn't just ask ChatGPT or whatever system to write the entire script for this video?

[@StarGazingSpirits]

Hey, How can I trust your advice when you use AI art? If you can’t respect one art form how do I know you’ll respect another? Sincerely, an artist that’s learning to write.

[@uglyluffy7815]

Gotta sub just for that intro

[@CURLYYWURLYYY]

This video gives really good advice, but please dont use ai art😭😭

[@antonionotbanderas9775]

So it's not so much "kill your darlings." It's more like "get your darlings in shape."

[@Writing-Theory]

Very well said!

[@chuckwieser7622]

I agree with all 3 points or ways to 'deal' with your darlings (whether killing or not). However, it seems like the 'darlings' are inherently one of the most interesting and not boring part to the writer. So I'm not sure if I see how the philosophy of 'have fun and be bored, so your writing is better' works with 'kill your darlings so the story is more interesting for the reader'.

[@kanchanbharati5762]

And thanks

[@user-nv9vn8fm1d]

Since your thumbail uses AI art, do you incorporate AI into your writing?

[@Writing-Theory]

A great question and probably a topic for an entire video. Short answer is that I’ve found generative AI to not be fantastic at most creative storytelling uses. I have found generative AI to be helpful in naming characters, places, and generating images to inspire my stories. Any fiction-writing AI tool that I’ve researched into has been lackluster so far

[@user-nv9vn8fm1d]

@@Writing-Theory I've felt that way too. Works fine for pieces of of inspiration. But it doesn't add any conflict or humanity in practice. I feel like the same applies to AI paintings too. There's something empty about both. And if people can't see it, I start to doubt their advice on other stuff too. Feels like taking advice about construction from someone who uses duct tape to seal their pipes or something. Bit silly. Anyways, thanks for the tips.

[@bobsquid9070]

@@Writing-Theorywould you use ai in your writing if it was good enough?

[@Writing-Theory]

I have a video that I’m working on that explores AI tools marketed for writers. Short answer right now is that I don’t think the big AI models have made it economically viable. I’ve tried to get writing output from AI but every time it has been lackluster. Just like you can tell AI art, you can tell AI writing and, once you know that you’re looking at AI, it’s easy to see where it fails. I don’t think we’re at the point where AI writing in long form content is good enough for reading. I think if you are really trying to force text generative AI into your writing process, it’s best used as a super advanced writing prompt. Having it generate story beats, chapter summaries, characters that you can then modify and write from can be a feasible approach. But it can’t yet be used as a straight from AI to published work kind of tool.

[@bobsquid9070]

@@Writing-Theorybut if it could, would you use it?

[@kanchanbharati5762]

Nice

[@crimsonmask3819]

6:58 Lord of The Rings _could_ have been pared down a lot. Can you imagine Tom Bambadil making the cut with a modern-day editor, for instance? Not meaning to undermine your point, which is great, but just saying that's a _terrible_ example, regardless of its popularity.

[@AndreaA113]

Agreed. Plus, LOTR IS a billion pages long

[@biologyrules]

Tysm for the tips, they do sound like they'd help my writing be more engaging fr!! And your video style is also pretty nice, you definitely deserve more subscribers. However, id suggest maybe using free of copyright images from the web instead of AI generated ones. From a youtuber standpoint, the entirety of your targeted audience are creatives, and the general opinion of AI art in that community is very negative.... for valid reasons. There are currently no ethical ways to use ai art in your products, whether they be youtube videos or others. This is because ai gathers art from unwilling, unconsenting artists and is very unfair to them. Ai is good for inspiration, sure, but to use it for anything else isnt nice. Im pretty sure a good chunk of potential viewers spotted the ai in your thumbnail and decided not to watch your video because of it. You could've gathered some papers and books and such to create a good thumbnail using your own images, or even hired an artisit to help. Seriously though, other than the ai, this was a good video and i appreciate the tips lol

[@Aelda69]

If what the characters are talking about or referencing is setting up future events in the story, it shouldn't happen off-page, otherwise the reader will be confused. I have a scene in a book I am currently working on, wherein one character is explaining something to another. Not in any great detail, but enough to give a basic understanding. Though the scene is treated as a flashback, it is actually a retelling of that character's experience (with some of it being not true and other parts being completely omitted purposely by the character herself), so at that time, they didn't understand, so why should the reader be expected to without context? The two characters are Master and Trainee, and the scene is being told from an outward perspective (the reader looking in) of both characters, but the Master acts as the Trainee perceives her to, as it is, after all, a regalement (the retelling fits the definition of regalement as it is being told to entertain another character who is being told about these past events. But instead of the character spending 20 pages telling this story, it is rather a regaled flashback of selective memory relegated to an entire chapter).

[@T---xg2pj]

wheres the drawing on the thumbnail from?

[@TheRulerRoderickSutton]

Treat your writings like EMPLOYEES, but children. If they are not working, fire them!

[@Stalliere]

One tip to avoid boring thumbnails: don't use AI art

[@OfficeDuck-]

But its not boring? It brought both me and you here unless the thumbnail didnt load or something like that?

[@elokin300]

@@OfficeDuck-i clicked because it looked off to me, as much of ai art does

[@OfficeDuck-]

@@elokin300 oh, well i think i need to learn the difference then 😂😅

[@johnnyrico707]

Why? It looks great

[@platlia7785]

If you want respect from the industry, perhaps change your thumbnail instead of using AI art 💀 incredibly disappointing to see from someone into the creative industry.

[@That_one_weird_kiddqwq]

Seems like youtube wants me to actually write my storys 200 that i will never share

[@warrioroflight6122]

Like watching a movie - exacly !

[@Writing-Theory]

You know, I always thought this was the norm, but the more people I talk to, the more people tell me that they write differently!

[@warrioroflight6122]

@@Writing-Theory Yes, I can definitely relate to that...

[@xynged]

A world is a house, the story is the window an outsider can use to peer inside. Too small or no windows and its impossible to discern anything important. If the house was a greenhouse then there's too much minutiae that gets in the way, also a bit creepy. The selectivity bar is how large the window you build on this house.

[@johnnyritenbaugh1214]

For me, these are travel scenes. I hate reading them, and hate writing them even more. This is compounded when there are animals involved. Keep your horses away from me. I don't care about Starbright and Honey, how much feed they need, or how much mud is in their hooves. I've outlawed travel scenes in my writing unless there is an attack, a character epiphany, or a discovery involved. 🐴🦄🦓

[@Writing-Theory]

Hear! Hear!

[@lukebonser4899]

It’s always so ironic seeing creatives use AI-generated images which inherently plagiarise the work of actual artists. Just hire a real artist, dude. It’s more ethical, it looks nicer, and gives you more integrity as someone who creates art in written form. How would you feel if someone fed your work to an AI to recreate your style and sold it as their own? Because that’s exactly what you’re doing when you use AI.

[@TWDub]

You don't know the definition of plagiarism, do you? Here, let me help: "The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own." As an artist, I understand where you're coming from. And I'm adamantly against AI art in certain spaces and under certain criteria. But in this case, I have to disagree with every point you made for several reasons including the following: 1) You don't even know if the generator used was trained with artwork that was acquired with the permission of other artists. Despite what you and so many other people think, not all AI art generators use stolen artwork. If the generator is using artwork with artist permission, where does the "plagiarism" fit in when the art was freely given up? Pro tip on life in general: If you don't know, don't speak up. 2) Regardless of how it was trained, AI art is non-copyrightable and largely free to access. When you're a KZbinr with a video upload schedule to keep why would you commission an artist who cannot guarantee that the art you need for your video project will be ready by the upload deadline when an AI generator can give you something that's good enough to illustrate your point for free and in less than 30 seconds? The point isn't even to be artistic or display "good" art. It's to give the audience a visual that helps break the monotony of you staring into the camera to talk for several minutes straight because doing so would destroy the viewer's interest over time and make them less likely to stick around for the entire video. 3) What this KZbinr is doing is NOT the same as what you tried to outline in your final point. What he's doing is talking about an entirely different medium of creativity, and doing so in an educational format with Ai art used as a backdrop for visual variation. Artwork is artwork, and almost entirely meant for personal pleasure or profit. The two are not even remotely the same thing. Is this channel monetized? Almost certainly. But what's the actual focus of the channel? Writing, and information about writing. If this was an art channel and he were displaying that art as if it were some sort of beacon of information in and of itself, then we'd be having a more serious conversation about the morality and ethics of what he's doing. But here, where the art is just a casual backdrop for visual contrast and variation, it's not worth mentioning. ----- Bottom line, I get you. I really do. The last thing I, as an artist, would want is for my art to be stolen and used to fuel an AI generator without my permission. But in this case we don't even know where the art came from and whether or not the generator in question uses artwork with permission from artists. Assuming it doesn't use art with permission is not justifiable grounds for trying to flame a content creator for its use when the point of the video is education about an entirely different medium. Like I said before, if you don't know, don't speak up. If you want to b*tch about AI art, go b*tch AT the creators of AI art generators since, ya know, they're the ones actually MAKING the damn things. Don't b*tch at content creators who have no say in the matter and are only trying to do what's easiest and best for their channels and community with the content they're trying to make. Just because AI art was used doesn't in any way mean the content in question is actively harming anyone, nor is it in any way actively causing an issue in and of itself. Especially the content has nothing to do with art. And no. As an artist who's also aspiring to be a writer, I will not accept any arguments about "writing is art." They're not the same. Period. Art is art. Writing is writing. They're both CREATIVE endeavors. And many people consider writing to be a form of art. But that personal feeling of the two being equal doesn't make them equal.

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

Cool but please don’t use those dang AI images

[@SamaroLiato]

this didn't make my life easier :[ anyway great video ngl

[@JoeFajita]

The AI art isn't very appealing.

[@ichasedacrow2]

hey you know what would've been cool? if you would've hired an actual artist or at least gotten permission to use a real drawing in your thumbnail. this kinda shit is why artists are losing jobs

[@bobsquid9070]

This use of ai art shows that you do not respect your fellow creatives. I will not take advice from someone who cares so little about artistry..

[@Spookatz.]

I agree with the opposition to generative AI being used for the creation of videos in such a manner, i will also, however, say that it doesn't immediately discredit the advice he has to give. He is 100% in the wrong for using it, considering the predatory systems of collection that have been used for most, if not all AI image generators, however.

[@bobsquid9070]

@@Spookatz.lol maybe you’re right, i just get very frustrated when I see it. I still don’t think I will be subscribing

[@zekken8227]

:)

[@herb2110]

Cringe AI art

[@homosapien7316]

I was gonna subscribe but then I saw the ai art. Good advice, not good ethics

[@MC-qm5jn]

they are 5 second shots on a free youtube video. ease up on the righteousness bro

[@meowththethird]

pogger

[@bakerstreetdoctor978]

Thumbs down for AI art

[@tomatoorphan6166]

Damn.. now I am just disappointed now.

[@TWDub]

Thumbs down for the dumb*ss comment. As an artist myself I honestly don't care about the use of it in this video where the art isn't even the point. The writing is. In the case of a KZbinr like this who has a schedule to keep it doesn't make sense to commission an artist and wait days, weeks, or even months if they're really booked on requests. Find an AI generator to make something simple that helps illustrate your point and use it to fill the gap.

[@synaa3p]

Boring ai generated image

[@VelvetAura]

this is all you care about huh

[@StarGazingSpirits]

@@VelvetAurai only care about velvet aura-ing ur mom through my jorts

[@TWDub]

You gonna leave a comment with some substance, or is this all you have?

[@notcha8080]

ai art on a writing tips vid is crazy.. good advice though

[@amazing444]

You are using A.I. generated art in a video for creative writing? You do realize that when you use A.I. aside from the plagiarism that's baked in to all generative A.I. and the harm it does to working artists, you are actually authoring the demise of creative writing, yes? When you use A.I. for art like this, you are harming the livelihoods of professional artists. Look at it this way, a year from now, people could easily be using A.I. to do all their WRITING because of the expanded use of Chat GPT and the like, and you'd have no audience for your videos. Please think about this and have a good day.

[@ragde8904]

Finally someone who adresses this...

[@hellopumpkin86]

This is so true.

[@eureka5635]

We already have a bunch of competition, so while it'll probably make it harder to get your stories read, I don't think it will change that much. AI will create a bunch of mediocre to crappy stories just like people do, and there will be some good stories. They'll just be more of a mire for readers and authors to sift through to get to the gold. When AI gets better I'll use it for editing and getting ideas, I'll use it as a tool like artists should. I don't think were going to be able to stop AI, so I see it as a challenge to get better as a writer so I'm not bogged down by AI. Maybe people will feed my works into a Dataset and copy my style, oh well, I'll just have to get better and better. I think people will deliberately try to buy human made stories like people buy handcrafted furniture. And honestly, the whole problem really boils down to money and capitalism, even without AI, making money with the arts is hard. We should really be advocating for more robust social welfare and UBI's. Especially if anybody wants to survive the Automation/AI revolution if it happens. The only real advice I can give to Artists, Writers, etc. Is to make works people will want to buy from you, or as gamers say, Get Gud. Adapt, use all the tools at your disposable, persevere, practice.

[@notimportant1659]

Though I wouldn't go that far into the subject, yes, AI art is demeaning for the creative type, like myself. My main issue though is not the use of it but people claiming that the work is theirs and placing themselves over actual creative types. What he did here was probably a time saver and a cheaper alternative, because a really good artist could be expensive and people don't usually have that kind of money to spare and videos, especially ones with more grandiose editing tends to eat at a deadline. I don't fault him for his choice primarily because he doesn't put others down or claim it as his own, but I do understand how others could feel how you do.

[@amazing444]

​@@notimportant1659 I understand your point, but saying it's a "cheaper alternative" is excusing it. Of course it's a cheaper (let's just say free) and faster option, but AI is not offering a solution to a problem that people struggled with or held them back- People have been managing to create graphics for their videos for years before now and weren't desperately looking for a solution. It would be more accuate to say that suddenly all this ability to create graphics has been dumped at everyone's feet, even though they didn't ask for it, and everyone is going hogwild with it and not asking where it came from. It's like getting a truckload of cupcakes delivered to your door one day- it's not good for you, but it's fun and free. Meanwhile AI harms the very creatives, like this youtuber, who use it. So I do fault him for his choice, not out of creative ego or that he's claiming artistic authorship of the images, but out of the shortsightedness, bordering on hypocricy.

[@MC-qm5jn]

Y’all need to chill on the ai art. Art is expensive and time-consuming and this is a small youtube channel giving out information for free. He could opt to make ms paint drawings like LocalScriptMan but then he’d be copying his videos. Give this guy some options. I can’t write for shit but if you can’t put yourself in his shoes, then how are you gonna write characters?