How To Write A Better First Draft, Faster, With One Simple Writing Hack

[@thesamsquatch2704]

This is the tip I needed like a year ago. I've saved this to my favourites so I can find it again and you're the first person I've subbed to since I did a major purge of my sub list. Thanks for this :).

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@thesamsquatch2704 wow! Thank you so much! It means a lot 😁 I hope this helps improve your writing process as much as it improved mine 😁

[@thesamsquatch2704]

@@tangentsfortalent Honestly dude, I need all the help I can get and this might just be the thing that helps me stop overthinking and stay focused on writing, so I owe you one :).

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@thesamsquatch2704 no problem! If you think of anything else you'd like help with let me know and I'll see what I can do to include it in a future video 😁

[@thesamsquatch2704]

@@tangentsfortalent Thank you, I’m sure there’s something so I’ll keep you posted ☺️.

[@devilhorn1]

Act I TK Act II TK Act III TK I just finished the first draft of my novel!

[@tangentsfortalent]

😂 the structure at least 😂

[@heirtothethrone2133]

A tip my partner told me which is similar to the TK method is to use square brackets for when you know what's going to happen in a scene but don't know exactly how or how exactly to describe it. for example, i am working on a short story in which the characters have a form of magic that allows them to create physical constructs with their mind. i want to have a unique tool for them to use but don't have it fully fledge out in my mind or i am unsure the best way to describe it's creation of visual identity so i would write: "Jim holds the fruit in his hand and [creates a tool with a sharp edge and a gauging spoon side] in his hand and begins eating." This allows me to keep my flow in my first draft but not loose the image i had in my mind. TK could be used in here too but i like having the extra detail so reference when i run through an editing draft of the scene. plus you can ctrl + f for square brackets because they are not used elsewhere in the text.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@heirtothethrone2133 that's a brilliant tip! I really like how you can vary the level of detail within the square brackets in your approach to include details on what you already know about the tool(s). Thank you for sharing! (Also, this sounds like a really fun magic system to be writing. Make sure to pop back and let me know how it turns out for you! I'd be really interested in seeing how you make it all come to life ✌🏼)

[@BrianWendt]

I use square brackets too.

[@singingsanja167]

@@BrianWendt Me too - works like a charm.

[@dmandrewsauthor]

Yup, I use square brackets too.

[@katendress6142]

#TeamSquareBrackets

[@BrianWendt]

I make placeholders/notes with square brackets. [further explanation] Than I just have to search for "[" which isn't going to show up anywhere else.

[@ElleEKay-dc1nc]

Same here! Brackets work great for me.

[@ender7278]

That's what I've always done.

[@omnipenne9101]

Same

[@notlessgrossman163]

[ concur ]

[@summerlange8113]

Kinda wild to see how many other writers use the square brackets method (even if we probably all use different versions of it). Here I thought I was being different and smart 😂 turns out we all had the same smart idea

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@summerlange8113 hey, great minds think alike! 😁 I'm glad you've found something that works well with your current writing practices! Thanks for watching

[@maidden]

TheBestNovelEverTK

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@maidden haha 😂 okay, this one got me 😂

[@thegreenfaequeen]

Same as a lot of commenters, I use the hard brackets to write in info I'll add later or an alternate idea. Combining that with a "TK" is brilliant and now I'll be able to search for these sections all at once, rather than scrolling down and risk missing something. I can't count the number of times I've needed a name for a secondary character, or a specific terminology for something, so I'll go to the internet and get distracted on my way to the answer I was looking up. I can't wait to try this tip!

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@thegreenfaequeen I'm so glad you found something to add to your writing process! 😁 I get distracted by the internet constantly too 😂

[@TonBil1]

Great tip. For years, I've used && as my easy to find back 'signal' in my writing work in progress. BTW: In Dutch, the combination TK would come up too often - in words like ontkent, uitkomst, ontkleed, vastklampen, tekortkoming, uitkijken... the list goes on and on.

[@tangentsfortalent]

That's a good point - a few other languages have this also, including many Slavic languages and someone else mentioned German also. There's a few variations to this method and a few unique character pairings that others have mentioned in these comments so have a look through and see what works for you 😁 (although, && still works great)

[@InnerProp]

What about xx?

[@TonBil1]

@@InnerProp What about: The antivaxxer doxxed for unvaxxed people who where doxxing for other antivaxxers. ;-)

[@InnerProp]

@@TonBil1 How about qq?

[@abedrayton6398]

Very useful tip, thanks! More useful than my current habit of naming characters "Mr. NAME" or "Lord Dipshit"

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@abedrayton6398 hahaha 😂 I've been there too, don't you worry 😂

[@InnerProp]

Just do [Mr. Name] or Lord [Dipshit]

[@abedrayton6398]

@@InnerProp oh, it's tempting...

[@HawkGirl0561]

I do this 😂😂😂😂 no Mr. though, more like (NAME)…

[@thorhasty484]

I use curly brackets myself. Put a note inside about what you want to do later.

[@lampario2862]

I am done fighting my fight today, ladies and gents. I do not have it in me any more. Take this as my final time ever correcting someone from saying “eck cetera” and saying it’s actually “et cetera.” If someone making a video HIGHLIGHTING THE LETTER ORDER OF “TC” in “ETC” still says “ECK cetera,” there is no hope. I have lost this fight. (All jokes, great video, cheers man)

[@atella394]

I use the term 'lollipop' for this - I don't remember why I picked it specifically but I do know that I've never needed the word lollipop in manuscript so it's easy to search.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Haha, great choice 😁 a few comments have mentioned the word 'elephant' as theirs. I can't say I've ever needed lollipop or elephant either come to think of it 🤔

[@john80944]

The way I do it is using bracket like 【】. Because I write in Mandarin, and in traditional Mandarin writing format, the bold bracket doesn't really exist, so while I just shooting out ideas, I will just write down what I need or what I want in the bracket. And I only need to search the former half of the bracket.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@john80944 that's a great use for special characters. I think this will be a great workaround for other languages that have 'TK' together a lot too, such as Russian and other Slavic languages :) thanks for sharing that!

[@steveg1961]

For writing fiction, square brackets are almost never used anyway, in English. However, I have in the past used double square bracket ([[...]]) as a kind of "internal notes to myself." In computer programming, one form of internal comments goes like this: /*...*/ There are many, many different ways to do this kind of thing, as long as it works for you. The idea is simply to have a special "symbol" that is unique, to make your internal notes to yourself, that you can easily call up using just a basic text search. And if you come up with a "descriptor category" table using abbreviations or acronyms (e.g. CHAR for character description, ENV for adding in some environment description, RES for where you need to do some more research to figure out how to make this thing you're using in your story that you're not familiar enough with to do a good job of using it in your story, and so on; what I'm using here specifically is irrelevant, since you make up your own categories and letter-codes for how you want to use them in your own work), as some examples of given of in the video, then in combination with the special symbol, with table descriptors added, you can make your basic search more sophisticated.

[@emilyrln]

People writing by hand can use highlighters. For extra help finding, put a sticky tab on the page edge and highlight the term. You can also tear into the corner or side of the page and fold it up so it sticks out beyond the page. Costs nothing.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@emilyrln these are some great ideas! Thanks for sharing, I'm sure this will help someone improve their process 😁

[@schoo9256]

Oh cheers, great idea! Thanks!

[@emilyrln]

@@schoo9256 You're welcome! :)

[@KSugarMoon]

Ooooh!! I believe this will save lots of time for me. In the first draft, I also feel "lazy" when I need to write description because I simply want to write all the events from start to finish - so, this "laziness" may make me postpone writing a scene in a chapter because I need to first go through description. Obviously, I don't go into details with description in the first draft, but just a general feel of where the character is, the environment, etc. Your tip is immensely helpful. 🙏 I have already written my first draft, 😭 but I will definitely implement this in my second book! Thank you very much!

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@KSugarMoon you're welcome! If there's anything else I can help with please let me know and I'll see about doing a video on it in the future! I still use the TK even in my revision if I'm honest! I find that inspiration doesn't strike me in chronological order so when I'm stuck on, say, a description in chapter 2 I'll leave (or add in the TK) and continue on to chapters 3, 4, 5 etc and often times get better results from filling those details in and revisiting chapter 2 again :) any hurdles you can eliminate is another barrier removed between you and success!

[@antanowrites]

Damnnn. I've been using the word blub for years instead of tk haha. Definitely changing that. Thanks!

[@tangentsfortalent]

A few people have been using random words also! I've seen elephant, hippocampus, and giraffe in these comments. I think blurb has a possibility of popping up so this one may be a bit more likely to be accidentally removed but have a flick through some of the recommended placeholders in these comments to see what suits your new process the most! Some people use [, /, {, and a host of other unique symbols. As long as it's fast, unique/searchable, consistent, and helps to stop those disruptions, then it's a great placeholder for you! (I like TK the most because it's less than a second to type out and very easy to spot when editing, even when printed out) Thanks for watching and commenting 😁

[@6thhistory]

Wish I'd known of this before completely tanking my Master's dissertation with 'many interesting thoughts that just aren't fully realised'.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@6thhistory oof 😣 I used something similar to you in my dissertation on non-linear narratives at BSc level so I know that feeling 😅 lots of 'find a reference to justify this' scattered throughout

[@6thhistory]

@@tangentsfortalent 'Find a reference to justify this' I always hated that. Isn't it somehow more impressive if I came up with it on my own? Do you not have enough faith in yourself as a professor to decide whether my own ideas have any merit simply as ideas I have formed and not ideas I have assimilated? Bizarre stuff.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@6thhistory 😂😂😂

[@sabiha.sayeed]

Finally found a writing advice video that's actually actionable rather than some abstract concept!

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@sabiha.sayeed I really appreciate that! I'm glad I could help 😁 if there's anything else you'd like some actionable advice on just let me know and I'll see what I can do

[@sabiha.sayeed]

@@tangentsfortalent Thanks. I appreciate your commitment!

[@jessealexander8135]

This is rad. I’ve been doing variations on this throughout my career but never with this level of specificity. It’s so great to have this codified into a clear process. Thanks for teaching this old dog a new trick.🎉

[@JinbaHGS]

If I'm feeling very productive, but have to stop for the day, I always add 5-10 bullet points of what I would've written next. Helps regain the flow later. I also try not to stop in the midst of a difficult scene, because I know it'll still be difficult when I come back, and kill my momentum. I'll try this method to break past those tough spots, and see if it helps. Nice video!

[@rbowdenscipio3408]

I've always used an asterisk mark. Sometimes it sits alone (e.g. as a stand-in for a name,) and other times I'll use it at the beginning of a sentence with brainstorm/scrap work. Very helpful.

[@akaczism]

Will have to give this a shot. I love writing descriptive scenes but I have also realised I might be letting the compulsive need to make sure everything is vividly and exactly described get in the way of actually going somewhere with the narrative.

[@tangentsfortalent]

I've definitely been there. I've noticed letting these compulsions win out in me ended up in poor description and action that was often over directed. It really affected the pace in some of my scenes 😅 Once I started using placeholders like TK and revisiting, I noticed I would have better refined descriptions and actions simply because I was in the best mindset for that scene. It helps to be able to write a scene at your own pace, rather than feel that urgency to get through it so you don't lose your thoughts on what's to follow. Let me know if you end up picking this placeholder technique up! I'd love to see how you employ it in your creative writing 😁

[@Irrlichtwinter]

That's [] for me. The square brackets are my best friend. Like another commenter said, just look for "[" and, since prose doesn't usually use square brackets, it's an easy way to navigate through 'needs fixing' parts of the draft.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Brill 😁 I'm glad you've found a version that works best for your process. Quite a few commenters have adopted a similar approach to placeholders so it's cool to see what's emerging and useful for people at various stages of writing 😁

[@monsterwerksvideo]

I'll give it a try. I've been changing font color to bright green, which isn't searchable. This TK method sounds better. Thanks!

[@tangentsfortalent]

You're welcome 😁

[@jenweatherwax7113]

This is great. I was just putting things in BOLD but this will make it even easier to find

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@jenweatherwax7113 I'm glad I could help 😁 good luck with your future writing goals

[@Baamthe25th]

I already did something similar, but writing TK is so much more efficient. And the ctrl+f-ness of it all is excellent System adopted ! And you earned a sub

[@muzickman76]

Positive comment tk

[@mhw0508]

😂 Brilliant

[@claireteillet3033]

Finally a writing tip that is actually helping ! Thanks a lot :)

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@claireteillet3033 you're welcome! If there is anything else you need help with please let me know and I will see what I can do in the future to make a video on it 😁

[@moshecallen]

I am a hard core outlier for anything longer than a page or two. This should help me be able to address the multiple goals of a scene while dealing with the goals separately.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Ooo, yes! I love a good outline 😁 thanks for watching. Best of luck with your scene goals!

[@samanthagomme2272]

Hey Ben, thanks for the great tip. I'm going to be able to use it for lots of things that will really help me finish my first draft sooner. I still need some names, some song lyrics and finer details that often keep me stuck and frustrated and I'm looking forward to using this. I write my first draft by hand but I will still do it as I can repeat the process when tying the second draft or go into more detail there and then. I've subscribed to your channel to learn more.

[@TomTennisco]

I don't know how many times I'll be blasting away at a great pace only to have the Flintstones' feet cram into the street stopping my stone aged car in its tracks (woah, I should've TK'd that reference and given a better one!). This is so insanely simple yet so helpful. Thank-you!

[@futurestoryteller]

This encourages disinterest and short term laziness. I love it.

[@Kurtisie]

I do this already, never knew it was a technique. I use a plus sign though, then search plus sign and it works amazingly.

[@steveg1961]

Don't get stuck on the specific implementation of the concept. The concept is great - use a unique symbol you can use to give yourself brief indicators of things you want to revisit to "fill in" more information about later. Any unique symbol will do. It could be double asterisks, it could be double left square brackets, it could be double carets (^^) - it could be anything that you find is useful for you to use as a search indicator for these kinds of notes you're making to yourself in the process of writing your story. If "TK" works for you, use it. If you prefer some other indicator, then use that.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Absolutely! You've definitely taken the right thing away from the video here 😁 regardless of which indicator or placeholder you choose, the main thing is that you're implementing something that helps mitigate those disruptions to your writing. This way, you're more likely to have more successful writing sessions and in turn are more likely to finish that first draft. Any consistent and searchable term will work in theory. Thanks for your input 😁 appreciated

[@justinevanblair]

Thank you so much this is a HUGE tip for me! I write very descriptively but I don’t get to write everyday. So I rarely get a full story done because I spend so much time on descriptors. This will allow me get the story done and told and then come back later and describe it in the detail I want.

[@jaclynroth1440]

Great advice. I’ve been worrying about the descriptions I want to add and now I realize I should just finish the end of my story and go back later.

[@johndescy7904]

Bonus tip from me: the search function can be case-sensitive if you tell it to. Learn your search function (which usually also includes a replace function). It's awesome.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@johndescy7904 brilliant! Thanks for sharing this! A further note on the replacement function is to make sure you're only replacing what you're intending to. I've heard a couple of stories where people have found and replaced all of one term with another, only to find it's also changed bits of other words. One that stuck in my head is hearing someone change 'pants' to 'trousers' for a UK audience and it ended up also changing 'participants' to 'particitrousers' 😂 But personally, one of my favourite uses for the find and replace is finding double spaces and replacing them with a single space. It's always funny to see how many times I must accidentally strike that space bar twice 😂

[@johndescy7904]

@@tangentsfortalent Those replace functions often have a confirm feature, which goes through all the changes and lets you confirm or skip each replacement. Furthermore, there should be a checkbox for only finding or replacing whole words.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@johndescy7904 Absolutely. well said 😁

[@AwesomeTingle]

I'm a programmer, and this is very similar to what we do for section of undeveloped code. We instead use the term TODO. It's a good way to mark unfinished work

[@SpiritedHeart94]

Interesting, my usual go-tos were the acronyms “TBD” (To be decided) and TBW (to be written), but I like this method too.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@SpiritedHeart94 These are also very useful I must admit. I used to opt for 'TBC' (to be continued) myself, however I remember a couple of these sneaking through my revisions and landing in my lecturer's inbox when I was getting formative feedback on assignments. (Luckily it never happened on an actual hand in! 😅)

[@CelineDamsgaard]

I've been doing this in my writing for a while, only my placeholder is a hashtag, as I don't otherwise use that in my work 😊

[@AmanCreatesArt]

Concise and actionable video. Love it ! 👏🏾

[@hornbeam7131]

Definitely going to try this. It will go well with one of my current techniques which is when I come to review what I have written, I don't correct contradictions and plot holes or anything I am less than happy with, I add a bullet point to a list of notes I make through out the writing the first draft process. On starting the second draft I address each of these points by correcting the problem or kick it down the road onto my second draft notes. The TK method will allow me to incorporate descriptions and other non-plot related components into this and I can see how could streamline the process still further. What you said about foreshadowing is a great point.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Ooo, I love this! I feel like reviewing these contradictions in this way may help characters stay more faithful to the decisions they'd actually make, as opposed to feel like they've been forced by the writing to something the audience doesn't expect of them. Do you find this?

[@hornbeam7131]

@@tangentsfortalent Yes. And often the right answer does not reveal itself to you till you have the whole picture of the complete novel.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@hornbeam7131 incredible, thank you so much for sharing this. I'll definitely be working this into my own process 😁

[@schoo9256]

I used to do this but without the bulletpoints. Guess how well that worked out. Thank you!!

[@raina4732]

I’ve heard this before but at the time I said NOOOO I’m writing the entire thing all details first go around! 😅 a year later the universe forced my to watch your video and try this method.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@raina4732 haha 😂 it has a funny way of doing that. I had the same mindset as you in the past. Right up until I had an amazing idea for my next scene and completely lost it because I got stuck on describing a copper lined corridor 😭 Since then I've prioritised getting the ideas out before perfecting my descriptions and it's made a world of difference. I hope you enjoyed the video! Hopefully there'll be a few more videos on my channel that can help too 😁

[@Xaglacionn]

I finished my novel in August and the way I got through it one day at a time was pretty much to just keep going and not get bogged down in details. I didn't know about the TK method. What I would do is just summarize what I had in mind and move on. As I rewrite now, I see those brief summaries and I just expand them fully. Same thing, it's just that I go by memory instead of making those sections ctrl-f-able. But this is a good video. Don't blunt force the process, flow where your attention and energy takes you. You'll fill the gaps later.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Absolutely, I find many people give up on their writing because they get stuck on a single line or description. Many really just want to move on to that one bit that sparked inspiration and made them WANT to write that book in the first place. It's difficult for those first time writers to know if they're allowed to 'skip' and come back later, so having this in their toolbox (or a similar placeholder like yours) might mean more manuscripts get completed! (And, as a bonus side effect, more of those manuscripts actually get revised too!) I'm glad you've got a process that works for you 😁 'flow where your attention and energy takes you' is a brilliant way to put it.

[@thephoenixwars]

This is brilliant! I am going to try this out next time!

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@thephoenixwars thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video 😁 if there's anything else you'd like to see from the channel just let me know and I'll see what I can do

[@nanochan1168]

Yeah this would be the way to go about it. First draft focuses on character and plot development, and story structure while description and small details will remain TK till the second draft in shaa Allah 😄

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@nanochan1168 absolutely. Especially if you're writing a character driven manuscript! Sometimes skipping the setting details in favour of prioritising structure and character development in the first draft can be invaluable. Thanks for watching!

[@RazuTales]

This is a REALLY good tip. Definitely going to start using that. I always get stuck on "Oh I should do some more description here" and then can sit and stare at it for hours even though I do know what will happen in the next chapter and I could be writing that. Thanks! I've subscribed :-)

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@RazuTales thank you! I'm glad you found something useful for your process! I'd love to hear how you get along using it in the future 😁

[@The3dge]

Brilliant. I’m embarrassed I didn’t think to do this years ago🤦‍♂️. I always get bogged down with descriptions and word smithing.

[@daysandwords]

Wow, great video. Honestly was not expecting it to be. Subscribed.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@daysandwords thank you! I appreciate the support 😁

[@MidnightBlueOwl]

Thanks for this great tip! 🤓 I had already come up with a similar method on my own, but it's way less organized than what you've presented here. I'll definitely be going back through the first half of my manuscript to swap my system for this one. I have a feeling it'll help me write the second half of it much faster now. 💪 Thanks again for sharing! Just subscribed to your channel! 👍

[@ArtArtisian]

Fascinating. In technical writing I would just insert a macro, something with a \ , and it'll get replaced later (alternatively use a macro definition to test several versions quickly)

[@tangentsfortalent]

A macro definition? 🤔 Could you talk me through this a little more please? It sounds really interesting and it could be really useful for the others in the comments who also take on technical writing 😁

[@ArtArtisian]

@@tangentsfortalent My work gets done in LaTeX, a markdown language, where the user can define new commands and macros using ' ewcommand{cmd}{what to write instead}', which can be updated at just that one line to change every use of \cmd in the document. If you don't have a typesetting language, or are using something like word, I guess the suggestion is the put '\cmd-tempword', eg '\protagonistName-Jim' and then replace all uses of this with, say, '\protagonistName-Jess' to try different choices. That said, there are plenty of lightweight text editors and languages that *should* have macros (though it seems that, for eg, word does not)

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@ArtArtisian that's absolutely incredible! Fair play, thanks for following up on this for me 😁 I'll definitely have to have a try and see where I can get with it all 😁

[@emilyrln]

Nice! I already use ALL CAPS or [brackets] to indicate stuff that needs changing, but I love the searchable term to make finding them easier. Will definitely use this or something similar (maybe !!!! instead).

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@emilyrln brilliant! A few other people in the comments use [brackets] and search for the square brackets themselves so this might be a viable solution for your new process! But I also quite like the idea of '!!!' 😁 it'd definitely draw my attention each time once I'm ready to revise my writing 😁

[@emilyrln]

@@tangentsfortalent Thanks! I've already started implementing !! in my outline (not working on the draft yet, but it's something I'd never write in prose, so easy to search for). It makes me grin every time I see something like BECAUSE PLOT CONTRIVANCE FIX IN POST!! 😂

[@PatJSchreiber]

You have definitely improved my writing with this one. Subscribed!

[@wolfblaide]

I use square brackets if typing. Or, as someone who works in IT and programs, I am so used to typing TODO everywhere,mthat I use that also. Either works. The idea is to have searchable words or characters that can be found later. Sometimes you want a few different ones.

[@roblmurphy4135]

Excellent hack. I've been 'leaving the description for later', but I had no reliable marker to return to. So it left me with the anxiety of knowing I'd have to do a 'fill it in' edit blind. This will work for a lot of details that might slow the flow. Thanks. Like and subscribe.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Thank you! I appreciate your support 😁 as many have mentioned, you can also use '[ ]', however at a glance it's glaringly obvious that the '___TK' should not be present, whereas someone skimming through may read square brackets and think it's supposed to be there. Either way works great, especially if it's for your own records 😁 it comes down to which one works best with your own writing flow

[@SlickMusicMedia]

Just poping in here to say you can use "Tc", just make sure to enable "Match Whole Words" in whatever writing software you use, that way any word that has tc inside of it will never be highlighted when using ctrl + f

[@quartkneek3670]

As others have mentioned, the square brackets are a good alternative. I saw a tip suggesting them years ago and with software like Scrivener, it's super easy to search to find them as it's not a symbol used in fiction and doesn't require a shift key to use [needs a name] - Things like TK or && or ** could also be helpful to collate these in-line notes to yourself for things like settings issues or character related items.

[@tangentsfortalent]

These are all great notes 😁 I have to admit, I still flip flop between Google docs, Word, and Scrivener but I really love some of the features Scriv has to offer and the versatility it offers to setting up your own work space. Hope you enjoyed the video 😁

[@sillypuppy5940]

One method I've worked out is what I call "getting on with it". That might sound obvious, even ridiculous. But here's how it goes. First of all I only work Monday to Friday unless I have a bad week. I set a weekly quota, then I go in hard Monday and Tuesday, easing up from then on. Wednesday is usually the worst, because I'm a bit tired and I've not eased up that much. But then by Friday things are OK. The most important thing is to have a week's break in the middle of the project, because otherwise the weekly slog gets too much. Take advantage of any quiet time when family are out of the house, and be prepared to push the accelerator pedal in the last week or two.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@sillypuppy5940 I love this! Definitely a mind over matter tactic and we all need that from time to time! One of the worst things a writer can do (besides murder and such 😂) is 'only write when inspiration hits.' This tends to lead to short bursts of enthusiasm and then a gradual decline until the task is left incomplete and unrevised. Self accountability and setting yourself short term targets, in combination with some form of structure such as yours, sillypuppy, will be GREATLY beneficial for many creatures here! Thanks for sharing 😁

[@mEmory______]

Thanks so much. I've been trying to come up with a strategy like this. Your video helps a lot 👍

[@naomijohns4334]

I've actually used the TK method before but instead, I write [HIPPOCAMPUS] (formatted just like that) because I know it's a word I'm NEVER going to use in my novel and when it's in all caps it's easy to see! I generally use it as a placeholder name for an unnamed person or place

[@tangentsfortalent]

Brill 😁 seems like you've found the placeholder that works the best for you! For me, I would personally misspell it or take too long and lose my train of thought with HIPPOCAMPUS, however if you've been using it and implementing it already then it must work great for you! Thanks for sharing and commenting! I'm sure someone will see this and adopt your spin on it for themselves 😁

[@jkirkland3189]

I loved these tips I guess it's that feeling of threading the needle what keeps you on edge as you are writing. If you are sebsitive enough tha very novel will guide you in a certain direction ONLY IF YOU LISTEN CLOSELY AND CRITICALLY TO IT. Ask yourself if each sentence is adding value, be it by creating beauty or advancing the plot or both. You got this. Write.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@jkirkland3189 I love this outlook! 100% agree, your novel should always make the reader feel like they're progressing. They might be learning something new about a character or a setting, or perhaps seeing new events unfold or pieces of the bigger puzzle reveal themselves. The main thing that leads to a DNF (did not finish) in my opinion is stagnation. Thanks for watching! I can't wait to see what you put out into the world 😁

[@tonytoo9999]

Similar to other commenters, I’ve been using for my non-fiction and technical writing, without realising I was using the TK technique for the reasons you eloquently explained.

[@Madidahoan]

Oooo, you could even format the TK bits as different headings, so they show up in the table of contents along with any chapter headings. That way you can see a list of things you know you need to go back and do.... generating your own to-do list for later

[@waypay1]

Great idea! I just write myself notes and highlight them. Then when I scroll through, I see exactly what needs work and what work it needs. Some are just "gardener still needs a name!" and "insert gardener's name", but a bunch are "add to this" or "finish this!" with details on what I need to add or the result of the finish. 😁

[@kiwilemontea4622]

I'd vaguely heard of this before, but not in so much detail. All I'd really heard was "leave a note to yourself to come back to this later." I had trouble implementing that, since it was difficult to a find a consistent way to indicate to myself which parts I needed to come back to.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@kiwilemontea4622 that's pretty much what it comes down to 😁 whichever way works best for you really. I quite like having details in my notes to come back to, however you can just leave it as 'TK' and that's searchable in of itself. Or, as many commenters have suggested, you could pop any ideas for the section you're leaving for later in [square brackets] and then just search for those :) when it all comes down to it, whichever system you can find that is quick, consistent, and searchable will be the best one to implement for you 😁 let me know how you get on with trying this (or if you end up preferring a variation of this more!)

[@Savapine]

With this ill write harder, better, faster and feel stronger.

[@almost_harmless]

This is similar to how I approach writing, though I did not know about the TK part. I just skip parts to keep the writing inspiration flowing and revisit later, just leaving a small synopsis of what I want to happen in that paragraph or chapter. I like that you can search for it for easier access.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@almost_harmless absolutely 😁 the searchability is a huge draw for me too. I also like that i can just ctrl+F and go back to any 'TK' I'd like whenever a bit if inspiration hits me and I either want to fill in, or just add details points to, a previous scene. Glad you liked the video 😁

[@constancecampbell4610]

Not impossible for writers who work by hand. Post Its. Of course, your way is more in keeping with most writers these days.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Oh, this is a great comment! Thank you 😁 although I do a lot of my planning and prep notes by hand, I always write my full drafts digitally. Your comment will really help others that take on the 'hands on' approach to writing and it even filled in a knowledge gap for me so thanks for this :)

[@duncan-carter]

Love this tip, thank you!

[@rchriswells]

I use TK when I write too! Thanks!

[@tangentsfortalent]

That's great! 😁 Thanks for watching I really appreciate it!

[@ChristopherPolack]

This TK tip was GOLD! Thanks!

[@tangentsfortalent]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it and I'm glad I could help 😁

[@akwashington]

I usually use the bracket method when I need to keep moving while writing, but I do like this idea as well. But what I'm really wondering is how I've never thought to just skip all of the descriptions and worldbuilding while writing the first draft. That always slows me down because I'm trying to make sure I describe the "right" things so that I can do all of the things that are "supposed" to be done with descriptions. But I can't really do that clearly in the first draft, when I'm still getting to know the characters and themes. I wonder how I should consider this when it comes to word count, though -- how will I determine if I'm going to hit an acceptable word count if I've skipped such a big chunk of the words? Definitely something to think about.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@akwashington oh absolutely, this can speed up the first draft so much. Remember, the first draft isn't supposed to be perfect so we don't need every description in place, we just need enough to help us keep going until we've concluded our plot(s). First drafts will always be messy and that's absolutely fine :) With regards to hitting critical junctures in your book, yes this can definitely throw off word counts in the end and you may need to revise and refine to get your pacing perfect between these scenes. However, you may also find that, when you're looking at the skeleton of your story, it's easier to identify subplots that need rearranging, holes that need covering, and storylines that should simply be removed all together. In your first full read-through you'll also be able to see patterns in your work that may have gone unnoticed before because of those descriptions. For me, it's often over directing my characters in the slower moments. Once I'd eliminated some descriptions with the TK method, I realised I was putting way too much detail into EXACTLY what my characters were doing as they worked their way through an environment. I'd never noticed it before. By adjusting those moments I was able to improve the pacing of my scene so much more before I'd even included any establishing setting descriptions! If you use it on your next work in progress, I'd love to hear how you get on with it and if it made your revision process easier / harder 😁

[@chrislrob]

Whoa. I've used TK for years, but never knew why you didn't use "TC"!

[@tufrpggaming8972]

thank you, I'm going to use this

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@tufrpggaming8972 you're welcome 😁

[@LittleV179]

Me sat here like a dinosaur with my physical notebook full of messy paragraphs and scribbles....😅

[@tangentsfortalent]

​@@LittleV179 hey now, a notebook is nothing to be ashamed of! 😂 I have a video coming out in a week or two where I actually praise them over computers for a few things (most notably stopping people getting distracted by going back and editing and tweaking huge chunks 😁 in theory that is haha)

[@LittleV179]

@@tangentsfortalent don't get me wrong I love my PC but the notebook is the best for just pouring ideas out onto the page with zero distractions, write-ups and edits can come later 😅

[@drippingblueink1335]

This tip is very tikay! It means okay in Hindi 😅 I've been using brackets and temporary names but going to fully dive into the tk method now. Although one of the languages I created for my novel often has t's and k's together, but will see how it goes...

[@VHS.2000]

I use brackets [ ] instead of TK. I write in the brackets a summary of what’s to come. Sometimes I just write […] if I have no idea what to write.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@VHS.2000 I like this! Even if you're completely stuck on what details to placeholder it with this still allows you to carry on with minimal disruption to your writing flow. Thanks for sharing 😁

[@DampeS8N]

I get the feeling that I'm a rarity in that I write a bunch of detailed but rough worldbuilding notes, then an outline that solves both the plot and the answers to the things you'd typically use TK for in a draft, and then expand that outline into chapters. So, I really don't get stuck on things when writing the draft that would need to be TKed. I don't think I could finish something without having that plan because the kinds of things that would derail me would do so because they threaten to knock over the plot.

[@anthonymiller4389]

Great advice, thank you!

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@anthonymiller4389 you're so welcome 😁 if there's anything else you'd like advice with then feel free to drop a comment and I might be able to make a video on it in future

[@theastralwanderer]

My current WIP has some important bits that need more worldbuilding setup. Trouble is finding space in previous chapters where those kind of subtle revelations would fit, so I'm thinking this method can help me mark chapters where there's room for that.

[@luisaah5707]

I write XX when I don't know a person's name, location or description. I write the scenery later, because that disrupts my thoughts. When I have an unrelated idea I have a notebook for rough ideas only.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@luisaah5707 sounds like you've found a really good system that works synergistically with your thought process! I'm the same as you. I like to leave the scenery later too and minimise anything that's going to take me out of my flow

[@francescagreetham1804]

This was such a good video

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@francescagreetham1804 thank you! I really appreciate that and I hope you found some great value in it 😁

[@francescagreetham1804]

@@tangentsfortalent Absolutely! It seems so obvious now you've said it but I never would have thought about doing that. And so many uses too! Thank you for sharing

[@c.sloanlewis]

Love these tips! Thanks!!

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@c.sloanlewis you're welcome! I hope you enjoyed the video 😁

[@bobbyg1068]

Outkick, latke, takt time, catkin 🤓 No but this is great advice, thank you!

[@nataliejaneshields]

Thank you for the tip! I first learned this from Savannah Gilbo on her podcast too 😊

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@nataliejaneshields her podcast is absolutely incredible! It's on in my car for most journeys nowadays 😂

[@nataliejaneshields]

@@tangentsfortalent it really is one of the best writing podcasts I've listened to! She's so generous with her free advice, so I can only imagine that her paid services are amazing... if I ever have the budget, I would completely trust her with my manuscript!

[@nataliejaneshields]

Read that back and it definitely sounds like an ad... #notsponsored haha 😂

[@bradb9635]

If youre worried about matching words like “pocketknife”, then add a special character to your TK’s. For example @TK, $TK, or #TK, etc.

[@tangentsfortalent]

How do you make sure you're staying on track with your writing?

[@makeupandmusicgirl]

I’ve seen this tip used in a slightly different way. Instead of using TK they used a random word that probably isn’t in their story, like “elephant” or “giraffe.” I like the TK method though, because you can add whatever details or shorthand like you explained. I guess you could do both too! “Elephant: add emo scene between Will and Kim”

[@valicetra]

Hey, a tip I've never heard before. Thank you!

[@tangentsfortalent]

Happy to help! 😁

[@profpurge]

Thanks! Neat trick.

[@tangentsfortalent]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching 😁 if there's any questions you want answers to let me know and I'll see what I can do to answer them in the future 😁

[@faithfaraday]

Writing advice that I will actually use! Thank you!

[@tangentsfortalent]

I'm glad to hear it! 😁

[@AliakseiHaravy]

Muscle memory kicked in and I almost skipped forward when he said "50% off"

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@AliakseiHaravy 😂😂😂

[@fabrizioaiello]

interesting technique, I can see that being useful. I'll try it out on my next short story and see how it flows. Good video!

[@tangentsfortalent]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video 😁

[@day0cartoon]

Witty insightful comment TK

[@rene.rodriguez]

Good video. Liked and sub’d. One piece of advice: reduce your background track to -30db so that it doesn’t compete with your vocal audio. You can use “ducking” techniques for times where you’re not talking, if you want. (Plenty of video tutorials online on how to duck audio.)

[@tangentsfortalent]

Thank you 😁 I appreciate this feedback. I'm still exploring how I want my final deliverables to be on this channel so this is something that will help me going forwards. (Also, if I'm completely honest, I messed up my sound levels BADLY when recording this, so a lot of my focus was reducing that noise floor, recovering and balancing out my voice, and finishing with a hard limiter and parametric EQ. The music levels were very much neglected on this one 😅) Thank you for subscribing 😁 I hope you enjoy the content I'll be making in this space

[@harrysolas2802]

TBD To be determined. However, TK saves a letter so a letter saved is a second earned. Thanks.

[@rachelhetrick]

I typically use three asterisks *** and then type whatever I was supposed to add that I was too lazy to write in all caps. I.e. ***WRITE A FIGHT SCENE HERE THAT IS EPIC. GOOD LUCK FUTURE RACHEL.

[@stephenlogsdon8266]

Personally, I use comas ,,, or ,,,, or ,,,,,. No confusions with the find there. ,,,char name, ,,,world building. Oh, when you do do a search, with your TK, use a space after it. Find will look for spaces just as easily. But for characters, to those individuals who need names, I have a list on my phone. It grows and grows. Whenever or wherever I spot them, it goes on the list. Also, I don’t write from page one on, I create a document for each POV character. When I run out of steam on one, I jump to another. If they’re interacting, I put different symbols (-->character name), and when I come back (character name-->). Stitching them together at the end is a breeze, because there is an understanding in how these different docs play in the overall picture, as there is a process to my madness.

[@tangentsfortalent]

Thank you for sharing your take on this technique! It's great to see what people have come up with in order to ensure they're always able to keep creating 😁

[@deadmanthehekatonkheire994]

Bro, I've been using this method forever. Except, instead of TK, I type ??? whenever I'm stuck on something. Glad to see I'm not a weirdo... Well, no more than what’s expected of a reclusive writer.

[@asquirrelplays]

Innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnteresting. If the letters are solely for a search reference, I'd probably use something like "zz", because unless you're writing a biography about ZZ Top, I can't imagine where that'd be a thing you used. Or as others have mentioned already, brackets would do the trick too. But in the end it's whatever works I guess.

[@tangentsfortalent]

@@asquirrelplays Benjamin Dreyer, copy chief of Random House, noted TK to be a visually arresting pairing of letters, especially when capitalised (or used back to back ie: TKTK). It allows you to easily spot the placeholder at any stage of the writing/editing process. So it's often used in journalism to ensure nothing goes to print when items are absent :) and it was much more popular when copy-editing prior to modern software shortcuts. BUT, with all that said, I still 100% agree with you! Any placeholder will do and square brackets are incredibly effective, especially in modern processes where we have access to ctrl+F 😁 I like the idea of using zz, albeit as you say for a ZZ Top biography or possibly works that contain pizza 😁 thank you for watching!

[@asquirrelplays]

@@tangentsfortalent dang I didn't even consider pizza, which is kinda odd considering I always want some. Still, super interesting stuff.