How to Outline Your Novel Part 1: Brainstorm Your Premise

[@AsadtheTutor]

setting antagonist lead ending start point

[@pedrogonzalezidk]

Sales

[@ginge641]

Anyone else leave these on in the background while brainstorming and become more efficient at it as a result without even listening?

[@appledough3843]

Steel Xcaliber Yep

[@richardkeenan3079]

Been “plot gardening” and doing the tasks from this video as well to mine out the initial premise of the first novel in my first Fantasy novel!

[@Life_the_game]

Its been one year. How is it going?

[@gainesdominique]

I've downloaded this and I play it a dozen times a day. I am so grateful for this wisdoms given here this save so much time. Many thanks.

[@gainesdominique]

I wrote a rough draft this year in 5 months... Thanks Chris Fox

[@richardkeenan3079]

@@gainesdominique Awesome 👏! How has your writing and publishing been going!?

[@gainesdominique]

New story begins today

[@azraelbrown9889]

Thank you so much! I am actually working on a graphic novel that will become a series soon and this helped me set up everything I needed too around the vast world i'm creating!

[@EldritchBlack]

Thanks for making new videos on the back of the 21 Day Challenge. I really appreciate your information, generosity, and hard work. Can't wait for parts two, three and four :-)

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Eldritch Black Thanks for following along, Eldritch. I'll keep the videos coming!

[@richardkeenan3079]

Guess what Chris! My 12 year old son is now learning to plan and outline his first novel! He asked me where he needed to start so now he is sitting here and I'm having him go through all your outlining and plot gardening vids etc.! I know that would so pump you up as this is what your channel is all about! Thanks buddy from a long time follower and friend!

[@ArcticBanshee]

Hi Chris- I’ve bought several of your writers’ series books and just wanted to thank you SO much for the information you are willing to share, like this plot series. My issue is always I can see scenes in my head but I don’t know how to corral them into a plot without feeling overwhelmed. I know you don’t have adhd but I do, and it’s helping me see how to break things down to the granular level. I needed this. Also, I’m going to check out your sci and fantasy books this year as well. Thanks again. 🙏

[@ttango2653]

Just subscribed and started watching your vlogs. I love that you share your actual work on the vids, not many vloggers do ! It makes your helpful tips appear much more authentic. For that reason I will keep watching and am glad I found your channel, thanks !

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Thanks! I try to remain as transparent as possile, and that includes showing my mistakes =)

[@gigartina]

I just wanted to thank you for doing these videos. Every time I start a new story, I let other craft books stew and settle in my head, and come back to these (and your books, especially Plot Gardenting). So: Thanks!

[@abdullahx4908]

Writing is like growing up You don’t pay attention at first but as you get into it you have to apply the lessons you’ve learnt

[@HistoricalRamblingsPodcast]

Thankyou! I love the way you explain things and show us how to apply them. It all just clicks with me.

[@G-Blockster]

I've listened to this video five or six times now. Just when I think I've mined everything there is, I find another nugget of information. Good stuff, Chris. I appreciate these practical applications and "best practices." Best of luck to you this coming holiday season.

[@RaymondBurton]

This is so helpful. Thank you. It's showing me why pieces of my story are not as good as they could be... and showing me how to get the second one done.

[@kathyf3656]

Some of your comments really hit home for me. I am in the process of setting up a series, goals and obstacles on the series level as well as each individual book. I had already asked one "Why" for the antagonist for the series, but I love your idea of asking a long list of whys. I can't wait to start my list of questions and slip them in to the book outlines where they belong. Thank you for the insights.

[@richardkeenan3079]

Completed the initial SALES process in this video for my first fantasy novel! Will do the first draft of synopsis tomorrow and start fleshing out some cast members tomorrow! Thanks Chris!

[@G-Blockster]

Yours is a fantastic idea coupled with a smooth presentation.

[@BlissfulBanter]

This is a tremendous help! I love the SALES technique and will use this to start my outline. Can't wait for part 2

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Kristin Alana Thanks, Kristin. I'll have Part 2 up on Friday =)

[@RandomStuff-yx4rx]

Very nice good sir! Got your 5000 words book today and while I just want to crack on with it, I thought - ah I better look at these first!

[@heyitsJULIAhere]

Wow, what a great method! This really helped me out with my outlining. Thank you! And I'm wishing you the very best with your series!

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Julz Arimah Thanks for taking the time to watch =)

[@zipitooverkill4262]

Your SALES system is such a great help for plotting a story. Somehow it never occoured to me to start with a complete synopsis of my story, including an ending. :D All I've got till now was an interesting world/magic-system and a few characters. Maybe it was the pantser in me, letting me think that everything will come together somehow while writing.

[@EmptyZach]

Really cool. Def. some things in there I hadn't thought of, like refining your synopsis that way you do.

[@AuthorMLBullock]

This was a big help! I never even thought about starting with a premise. I just dove into the outline and struggled through it. Ha! Thanks for taking the time to share this info. :)

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Monica Bullock I was exactly the same way, which is why I was convinced I could never become a plotter =)

[@365connection]

Keep em coming, Chris! Cannot wait for the other videos! I need to outline my camp nanowrimo novel by April 1st when it starts. Thanks for all you share! I've learned so much from you. 😊

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Loving Light I'll see if I can get the series done before April 1st. No promises =p

[@365connection]

+Chris Fox lol! No pressure!! Thanks again for all you share. 👏👍😊

[@davidstorm931]

Thanks for taking the time to produce these videos Chris. They are very informational as well as inspirational.

[@PanHaszaman]

Chris! Thank you again brother! You are legend sir! I honestly can't express how much your tips, tricks and instructions mean to me, and how much they help! And you doing it from pure admiration to art, which just emanates from you! Absolutely priceless stuff!

[@MooseRouse]

Really helping me out, I'm attempting to make my own book in a fantasy world of my creation. I've got a good feeling about it and your videos are helping greatly.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Are you a pen and paper gamer? D&D and such?

[@MooseRouse]

Chris Fox of course

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Being a GM provides such a massive advantage to writers =)

[@MooseRouse]

Chris Fox yea, it's helped me a lot when creating elements of the world and trying to create a story plot, but I was never really the best DM hahaha

[@PenelopesPerspective]

Fantastic! Thanks, Chris! Looking forward to more videos.

[@RevReese]

I really enjoyed this video thank you, lots of useful advice, I will definitely be 'borrowing' your SALES method! I was also pleased to discover you write my favourite genre so after watching more of these videos i will have to find time to read your books too!

[@thomasoconnor]

I didn't get to plot outlines in school yet, so this is good, also, I'm taking notes.

[@BrickautismGames]

Your book sounds so cool

[@sondraturnbull]

Excellent video. Clear and concise with helpful information. I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks for sharing your process.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Sondra Turnbull Thanks, Sondra! I'll have the next video up in an hour or so.

[@karenroy652]

Very informational ....thanks Chris

[@isolepsis]

Nice! Love the SALES structure, works for my brain. Have you considered doing some tech vids? Eg getting a cover, exporting from Scrivener, uploading to Amazon, making a CreateSpace book, etc? I know there's a ton like this out there already, but I like your style :)

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+isolepsis I'll jot these down for the list of potential videos. Thanks =)

[@dancbj-animatedreviews5253]

Thanks for the video! Sounds like a solid way to generate ideas and work them into a good story structure right from the start.

[@Zetagech]

This is a good method. I'm trying to apply it with my novel. Thanks for the video.

[@malcolmhughes4745]

Thanks Chris! This is so helpful. You're an inspiration.

[@DanAbsalonson]

Good stuff. I'm looking forward to the next video.

[@Michael3905]

Great video! Looking forward to the next one.

[@MargaretMidwood]

Great information, thank you and loved following the 21 Day Challenge too.

[@cullenclark]

Glad to know that somebody else plots books exactly like me

[@BuceGar]

Great technique, great advice.

[@williammiddleton2515]

Dope! keep up the good work my dude!

[@derekavery-patz4010]

Thanks. I like your SALES approach. I like how you model your setting after an existing. In this case a videogame. I do have one question on SALES. What if you have an ensemble cast. Take Game of Thrones for an example. The setting is a mix Shakespeare and Tolkien but there is no true protagonist but everyone is an antagonist plus a lot of grey areas. second question what do you think of discovery writing.

[@Delvarn]

Great video. I was so stuck with where to start with my ideas but your videos are really helping me shape my novel. Do you have any standard questions that you should ask yourself every time you write this synopsis / premise, or does it completely change everytime you write a book? Would be good have a starting point.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

I started another series on the channel called How To Plot A Novel From Scratch, which explores this question. There's a lot that goes into early idea development. I've got a book called Plot Gardening coming in a month and a half that walks through the whole process.

[@TinthiaClemant]

Would love for you to offer a series on a character-driven story regarding 'man versus self'

[@AlexRider589]

I would say that you could consider replacing the antagonist with a shadow-self version of the lead, separating the lead into their positive and negative traits. The ending is an ultimatum when they have to choose one side's traits over the other. The start point is when he is comfortably choosing the shadow side traits. Setting A shadow-self Lead Ending Start point

[@Harry-wo6vn]

very informative, thank you mate.

[@abdullahx4908]

Commander Christopher Nolan of The Endurance.

[@kyraezikeuzor]

You saved my life 😭😭

[@Twilcox785]

Loving the videos! I know there are four parts to this, how much time do you usually spend on each part?

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+TNae Wilcox Normally I'd do this part over the course of several days to a week. This is the hard part. Every day or two I'd write a new version of a premise. Once I finished, the next three parts happen back to back. It will only take me a couple hours to develop arcs, set up the three acts, and outline my chapters.

[@nickbeswick5542]

Thank you for this series, could SALES be applied to a a series of novels that span say 3 novels. The 'Main' plot or backdrop as such would all head to the 'Ending'. It would make sense to perform these on my whole story and then split the novels as needed. Or am I totally missing the point and I should do this for each of the 3 novels in the series.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

When writing a series I basically plot twice. First, I have the overarching plot that stretches between books, then I have the plot that will be resolved in each book. Readers do need a payoff in a book, or they'll grab their pitchforks =D

[@nickbeswick5542]

Chris Fox Thank you yes that's makes sense I thought it would be something like this. Keep up the great work. BTW I saw the interview with the SPF it was very good.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Thanks =)

[@nickbeswick5542]

Another question if I may. When it comes to the Antagonist, if there are more than one, Eg in GOT there are The Lanistors (depending on how you view them) and then The White walkers. And in theory a whole host of others. So would you again have the overall Antagonist then in each novel have its own? Or is it ok to have multiple Antagonists. Thank you again.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Sure, keep the questions coming! It is absolutely okay to have multiple protagonists, which offers two major advantages. Number one, it creates context. If you have three villains, Jaime, The Mountain, or a White Walker, which is the most evil? We probably hate the Mountain the most, because he's alive and aware of his actions early on. White Walkers are alien, and we don't understand their motivations. Jaime is 'evil', but we hate his less because the Mountain exists. Multiple antagonists requires more work, but gives you all sorts of interesting levers to pull as an author.

[@nyx7212]

i don’t usually comment on videos but i wanted to tell you these are very helpful!! i’m not sure if you address it in a video but if you have a couple different ideas of where the plot could go how do you decide which direction you should take? thanks!

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

I call that plot branching and it's covered in my Plot Gardening book. There are some Plot Gardening videos too, which kick off with the How To Plot Your Novel From Scratch series =)

[@migueloxamendi4284]

Thanks for the video. It's very helpful, but there are things that throw me. What you are calling a story premise I see as a summary. To me a premise is a short one or two sentence statement about the core or theme of your story, e.g., good guys finish last, or true love will find a way, or greed leads to unhappiness, etc. Second, I find it more useful to start with a protagonist and his/her story goal and then create the antagonist in opposition to that goal. That said, good video series.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+miguel oxamendi What you call a premise I know as a log line. It's interesting hearing different people use different terms for the same things. Why do you find it more useful to start with a protagonist rather than the antagonist? I'd love to hear what you think the advantages are.

[@project.protagonist]

But what if there's no antagonist? What if my main character's biggest enemy is their lack of experience and past trauma?

[@GuyAnthonyDeMarco]

Will you send a link out for the Scrivener document so we can read how you've outlined? The method I use is different but I'm always interested in new ways to do things. Thanks for posting the videos.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Guy Anthony De Marco That's a great suggestion. I'll send it out to the list when the next craft video comes out.

[@gainesdominique]

Thanks

[@emersonhawk]

Great video! Do all of your endings end with the protag defeating the antag? And if so, how do you keep things going for a series? Also, what if your antag is the world? I write Post-apocalyptic fiction. So it's always the "end of the world" and the goal is just to survive another day. I guess I could just keep the series going like a TV show, but I don't know that I'd want to do that.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Emerson Hawk Every ending is different. In No Such Thing As Werewolves I have the worst cliffhanger you can imagine. I do that with every book in the Deathless series. The one in Vampires Don't Sparkle was particularly mean to readers. Your antagonist shouldn't be the world in a series. The world, messed up as it is, should be the back drop. Think of the Walking Dead, for example. Zombies are a threat, but they're only the major threat in season 1-2. After that it becomes groups of other people, and the zombies become more of a background.

[@melodine707]

Chris, what was the final book title of your example here. I'd like to compare the back cover blurb.

[@captainnolan5062]

Do you start with a theme in mind as well?

[@authorstephaniemjones]

This is awesome! I really struggle with the premise part. I find that I'm pretty good at outlining and asking questions, but I've written so many first drafts that work on a structural level but are not the book I was hoping to write. Does that make any sense? For a current WIP I have 3 different first drafts and the only things they have in common is the characters/motivations and setting/worldbuilding, but they go on completely different journeys, make different choices, etc. and I'm not happy with any of them yet. I can't seem to figure out what kind of story I want to tell until I tell the wrong one a few times...

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Stephanie Jones I think you have to tell a few wrong stories before you get to the right one. As long as you keep writing, you'll get to stories you're happy with =)

[@authorstephaniemjones]

+Chris Fox True. At least this only happens to me with new series. If I already have one book written, the sequels are easier.

[@gainesdominique]

Here we are again... Rough Draft 1. 6121

[@iamcleaver6854]

So, does a story require a single antagonistic force throughout, or is it ok to keep it vague till close to the end. Also, would it be detrimental to a story if (at least for the first half) there would not be a single antagonist but a hole mess of a conflict with different POV characters fighting on different sides?

[@dirthousemc_]

What software is that? is it MAC only? It seems way more hand-tailored to authors.

[@kethet]

+SprocketPete It's Scrivener

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+SprocketPete And there is a PC version =)

[@gizomac8686]

MASS EFFECT =)

[@RobCornellWrites]

Good stuff, Chris. Are you currently drafting anything while you work on this plot? Or are you chillin' until this is done? I know for me, plotting takes me a while, so I typically prefer to do it while I'm also working on something else. "Prefer" being the operative word, as it doesn't always work out that way. :)

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

+Rob Cornell Normally I'd be writing something else, but I'm outlining Launch to Market, Exiled, and Void Wraith at the same time.

[@RobCornellWrites]

+Chris Fox Wow! An outline binge. Take it easy and don't hurt yourself. ;)

[@captainnolan5062]

Interesting that your Lead is Captain Nolan!?!

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

What an odd coincidence. I've loved the name since the TV show Defiance.

[@captainnolan5062]

@@ChrisFoxWrites He is also an historical character in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Maybe you can work something into your Captain Nolan's backstory that rings of that famous event. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Nolan

[@literaryartist1]

I'm finding difficulty distinguishing premise with theme. Initially I understood theme to be essentially a one word noun (e.g. love) and premise to be a statement exploring that theme (e.g. love is powerful). But the more Ir research the more confused I become. What I'm getting now is that the theme is what I initially understood to be premise. And that premise is more of a philosophical question. What am I missing?

[@celebiis]

As far as I know a premise is a one sentence summary of your story incorporating the protagonist and their goal and conflict. The theme is like the moral of your story the kind of psychological message you want people to take away after reading your book.

[@andi-roo9426]

A theme is like a universal idea, more general and thus generic, while the premise is quite specific in that it describes what this story is specifically about. For example, in Star Wars Ep. IV: A New Hope, an overlying theme is "Good Versus Evil" (although there are other themes, too). The premise is something like, "A farmboy with wanderlust gets more than he bargained for when he is thrust into a galactic battle between the greedy empire and the rebels fighting to maintain their freedom." Both the theme and the premise tell you what the story is about, so I can see the confusion, but one is much more specific than the other. Theme has a lot more to do with labels and lessons. Premise tells you what actually happens -- it's the one-sentence summary you find in old TV Guides, and can often serve as the Log-Line or Elevator Pitch. When a friend asks you what you're writing about, you don't give them the theme; you give them the premise.

[@DaBezzzz]

Do you always need an antagonist for a plot?

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

For genre fiction? Absolutely. That antagonist can be the setting itself (say a harsh desert island where the protagonist is trying to survive), but there's better be something generating conflict =)

[@ohoodmohammed3548]

sometimes the antagonist is nature or the protagonist own fears maybe society or death it doesn't need to be a monsters creature or been . at least thats my opinion.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

I mentioned that the antagonist can be nature, but in genre fiction you will rarely (if ever) see it be his own fears.

[@MercerSynthAI]

hello what is the best method for outlining an epic fantasy series with 6 protagonists ?

[@keejack2006]

I'd recommend the snowflake method. Look it up!

[@psammiad]

Synopsis (sing.), synopses (pl.) [sin-op-sees] ;)

[@johnshadeslayer7589]

If I'm writing a novel about a small group of teens should my lead be one member or all of them? Which makes for a better story?

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Neither path is superior. Some readers prefer multiple points of view, but almost all readers are fine with a single first person PoV. I've written using both methods, and I found using a single character much easier to write. That's probably a better starting point, but sometimes I found that I needed to show someone else's point of view, and you can't really do that if you're locked in with one character.

[@johnshadeslayer7589]

Chris Fox Thank you I'm leaning towards just one because I'm new to this and I dont want to take on more than i can handle

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

That sounds like a smart move. Honestly? I wish I'd gone first person PoV on my first book. It is an order of magnitude easier. My book Hero Born was written that way, and it almost write's itself. Feel free to keep me posted on the story!

[@johnshadeslayer7589]

Chris Fox Of course Chris and again thank you for the advice

[@torjones1701]

Other important questions need to be asked as well, "If someone was actually charged with this behavior, how would that realistically play out?" Whatever charge you're leveling at your character needs to be appropriate to get them where you want them, and in general, "you've just broken regulations, here's a ship for you to command," is never going to be a thing that happens. It just doesn't make any sense. No military is ever going to be that stupid. It's more of a "You've done well, so we're giving you your own ship, but you've embarrassed someone powerful, so the ship is less prestigious and in an undesirable location so they can't be embarrassed further." The whole "Conduct Unbecoming" thing is totally unrealistic. That only works if it's a consensual relationship, and yeah, they'd both take a fall for it, but it would be worse for whoever is the senior officer at that point, and since it's HER ship, even if they are technically the same rank, she's in charge because it's her ship. If it's NOT a consensual relationship, someone is going to jail for it as it's statutory rape if she's the instigator (because her ship) and he's blameless, or it's actual rape if she says it wasn't consensual. Either way, someone is going to Jail, not be rewarded with their own ship. If Mendez DOES want Nolan out of the way, Jail would certainly do it as far as he's concerned and so it makes sense for that to be the charge he's slapped with, it's just there's no path from "Having an unauthorized relationship with a fellow officer" to commanding a ship & crew that makes sense. If it is rape, he's more likely to be dishonorably discharged, put in jail and then dishonorably discharged, or executed (if in time of war) than to be rewarded with Command. I realize that this video is 6 years old at this point, but it's just a terrible element, and rape really does need to be removed from story elements as it is over-used and unrealistically ignored.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

It's interesting hearing this take so long after the fact. The series has earned me over a quarter million dollars at this point, and the first book has a 4.6 review, despite having this story element as a prominent part. I wouldn't change it, either. There's no rape involved. There's a mystery about misconduct, and the reader already knows Nolan too well to think he raped anyone. So they're willing to stick around to find out what happened. That's covered in the Exiled short story, which I used to add many thousands of people to my mailing list. People love it when they find out the truth about Kathryn. About the misconduct...you need to learn about genres. If you're writing Military SF, or Hard SF, then people will give you grief. If you're writing Space Opera, or Action Adventure, like Star Trek, then fans don't care. Have you watched Star Trek Discovery, Strange new Worlds, or the Orville? And you think that misconduct among flagship officers isn't going to fly in Science Fiction? Really?

[@torjones1701]

@@ChrisFoxWrites Being successful in all other regards does not imply it would not have been better had that element not been there. It's a 4.6 after all and not a 5.0. I am well aware of the differences in genre, having differences in genre however should not be an excuse to lazy writing. One of the interesting things about Orville is that such a relationship is NOT "Misconduct" in their setting. It's acceptable behavior, along with smoking MJ and several other more libertarian policies that our current military would frown upon. Just because it's misconduct for the current real world is no reason that it has to be for the one we are writing about. If it's allowed, it's not misconduct. If it is misconduct, you don't get rewarded for it. And yes, that's why I stopped watching STD, There is a long history of what kind of behavior is acceptable from first officers in Starfleet, and the audience who has watched the show before knows this was extreme behavior, and it was irrational behavior according to that universe's established norms. Not even Chakote, the next most fractious first officer, would have attacked Janeway and taken over the ship to start a war. Even when Kirk disobeyed orders with the whole Star Trek 2, 3, 4 series, he was punished for disobeying orders by being busted from Admiral to Captain. You use the term "Flagship" like you do not really know what it means. The USS Enterprise was the Federation Flagship not because it was "just another big ship" but because it was their "shining beacon on the hill." It was the most prestigious assignment in the fleet. Even Star Wars uses the term correctly and applies it only to Chimera, Admiral Thrawn's Flag Ship, and Executor, Vader's Flagship. I'm sure there are others, but those are the two most well known, but the term is correctly used and Star Wars is about the furthest you can get from Hard Sci-fi. A setting's lack of hardness is no excuse for lack of internal consistency, incorrect word usage, or not using good grammar.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

You have a very abrasive tone. I've sold literally millions of books. Have you? What have you contributed to SF&F as a genre beyond your own derision and scorn? You can't tell me that making your changes would have made my story better, or more palatable to anyone except yourself. You only speak for yourself. Each person who leaves a review has exactly the same voice as you. No more, and no less. Some people loved those books, 5 star no question. Others felt they were derivative. The difference between us is that I tested my hypothesis, and applied a lifetime worth to my craft. I'm not done learning and growing, but I stand by my work. Let's see you do it better. It definitely can be done. Consider this a gauntlet thrown down. I wrote Destroyer in 3 weeks, on camera. I had almost no time to synthesize a compelling universe, and I pulled it off well enough to make a career of it for many years. As for Flagship? There are two definitions: Definition of flagship 1: the ship that carries the commander of a fleet or subdivision of a fleet and flies the commander's flag 2: the finest, largest, or most important one of a group of things (such as products, stores, etc.) -often used before another noun I am referring, properly, to the first when I say flagship officer. In this case an Admiral. I make mistakes all the time in my writing, and I learn, and I grow. Enough that I'm fairly comfortable going to rest of my life without being further lectured by you.

[@torjones1701]

​@@ChrisFoxWrites I might have been somewhat abrasive, and normally I'd apologize for it, I try to keep such out of my criticism. This time, I don't think I will because this is twice now that you've basically told me because I haven't sold 5 million books, my opinion doesn't count. Good to know I guess. Fortunately for me and my opinion, that wasn't advice that I just pulled out of my backside, that's advice given by such authors as Steven King in numerous interviews on the subject who has sold 400 million plus books and Brandon Sanderson who has sold 7 million plus books and the college course he teaches on how to be a better writer. And those weren't indie books, those were books that had to be approved by an editor and a publisher. Under your own logic, their opinion has weight, and yours does not as both have sold more books. I really didn't want to go there. I was just trying to give some help to someone who might find it useful. My mistake I guess. You are also not the first author I've written to offer criticism. Others, including David Weber who often and regularly engages with fans, thank people who criticize their work for caring enough about the things that they've read and spent their money on in order to potentially make the next work they produce better. I guess gratitude and humility are also not your bag. Obviously I only speak for myself, never claimed otherwise. It stands to reason however that in any work that is not perfect, there is room for improvement. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that people consider the ramifications of what they write and the realism that it portrays. Going back to those authors who have given their opinions and suggestions that actually count because they've sold more books than you, "You get one unrealistic thing in your book for free from your audience. The rest, you've got to work for." And yes, that even counts in fantasy stories about magic and FTL. People will ignore that unrealistic thing, if it's consistently that way. Orville did that really well, even with as fantastic as their story lines were, everything was consistent with the rules they established for their universe. Fraternization between officers is accepted? That's cool. It's actually a fairly common aspect of civilizations depicted to be our future. Star Trek did that too. Star Wars had that too, until Disney took over with the Rule of Cool. Before I saw these two videos, I had no idea who you were beyond someone offering to explain how to outline a novel. Since you also did a video on Dan Harmon's Story Circle, I decided to watch a few of your other videos hoping for more of the same. I'm trying to fix my perceived inability to get from midpoint to ending. Writing for technical journals is certainly easier than writing fiction, or at least it is for me. I can write, and write well, however I have fatal flaws and am looking for tools to fix those flaws. I've only got 70k words of fan-fiction published, but have received positive reviews almost exclusively. When people have offered me criticism, I thanked them for their time. I didn't take their advice as they had pointed out decisions I deliberately made, but I did thank them, even though some were VERY rude about it, not merely "abrasive." If you want to write, you have to read. This has been advice from successful authors for centuries, as far back as Mary Shelly and Jules Verne. I took it to heart and read everything I could get my hands on, good, bad, and mediocre. I've read a lot of how to type books, but I'm still looking for the presentation that trips that switch in my head to understand how to fix my biggest writing flaw. The thing about advice, is that you don't have to take it. You could have simply said "Thanks for the feedback" instead of getting butt hurt over it. All you've done here is ensure that I have no desire to read any of your work. Not exactly good advertising. Since you're not partial to my "lecturing" maybe Sanderson's would be more to your liking. He'd have a lot more to say about all this than I do, so I doubt you'd respond well to that either. Nearly everything I've said has basically come from him. Well, and Warren Buffet, but that's the how to interact with customers thing, not the writing thing. YMMV.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

@@torjones1701 Tone matters. I've met Brandon. I worked a signing with him in 2009, and then I intensely studied his lectures and learned a ton in the process. I owe a lot to him. We all do. You can't invoke his name, or Stephen King, to lend yourself more credibility. You are parroting information you've studied, but barely employed. 70 thousand words? We are not on the same level. I've done the work. Sanderson has done the work. King has done the work. I have over 40 novels in print. You lecturing me about being gracious is amusing. The customer isn't always right. Not everyone cares about your opinion. Humility goes a long way. I'd recommend Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People. You've offered your opinions as fact, when my direct experience contradicts you. Even as arrogant as you are surely on some level you are able to recognize that I have a LOT more experience than you do. I'm not the best. But I am 40 books ahead of you. I walk the walk. Go back and study Sanderson's material again. Read more. Study more. Read Plot Gardening. Read The Snowflake Method. Read Joseph Campbell. Read biographies. Study history. I will never stop doing those things, and always trying to improve. I've been called out on mistakes, and admitted it many times. If you watch more of my videos and read the comments you'll see that. But I will not say I made a mistake when I don't feel I did so, and readers agree with me. My fan base > your amateur opinion. I don't care about offending you. I am responding in the same tone of your initial comment, no better, and no worse.

[@katgray8405]

what writing program do you use?

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Scrivener. They have frequent sales, so you should be able to pick it up for $20. You can also download a free 30 day trial to see if you like it. Definitely worth a look, IMO.

[@newperspective2352]

You look a lot like Christian Bale

[@ReservedAtDorsia]

I was going to comment this exact thing.

[@arithmetikmilitantpoetry9548]

holy shit your baddies are badass indeed

[@ModernSurvivor]

what if your story doesn't have an antagonist

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

A story needs conflict. Your protagonist must have conflict with something, and that is the "antagonist". In Castaway, for example, the antagonist is the island.

[@ModernSurvivor]

fair enough

[@ancapftw9113]

The only issue I have with this system is that it works best for military stories. The story im writing will be solved via stealth and sabotage, not direct confrontation. The main problem was caused by the antagonist making a mistake and refusing to accept that it causes problems, and the protagonist(s) don't want to kill people for something that wasn't done with malace.

[@ChrisFoxWrites]

Take a peek at my How To Plot A Novel From Scratch series. I recorded it more recently, and the story is much closer to what you're describing. I didn't start with an epic ending, I started with setting and character. Might be more helpful =)

[@ancapftw9113]

Chris Fox thanks. I'll look into that.

[@Toffnm]

Inner 5 year old, haha! Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

[@gatsuyatsu]

Toffnm ???

[@HasekuraIsuna]

VR = Void wRaith?

[@HistoricalRamblingsPodcast]

Thankyou! I love the way you explain things and show us how to apply them. It all just clicks with me.