CLARITY: how to find, fix, and prevent clarity issues in your writing

[@Mynamenikki]

You’re in your masterclass era and I’m here for it

[@ShaelinWrites]

Haha thank you! I've been really proud of my content recently so I'm really happy it's been helping!

[@t0dd000]

I had this exact same thought over the last handful of videos. She has leveled up.

[@LockPickingCuber]

Great video. "Clarity is invisible" is a perfect way to put it. I'm reading Murakami's 1Q84 at the moment, and it's almost weirdly clear, and is making me realise how annoying it is when writers prioritise things being flowery and "cool" rather than clear, and how effective and artistically worthwhile very clear writing can be.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Murakami is a great example of a writer with excellent clarity in his style!!

[@carlajenkins1990]

George Orwell. "Clear thinking leads to clear writing."

[@prof.toussaintosborne474]

This is the careful balancing act between 'show don't tell', 'purple prose' and 'on the nose dialogue'. Too often those topics are discussed separately instead of showing that they are on a continuum.

[@billyalarie929]

It’s so often I don’t think I’ve EVER heard anyone talk, in depth, about the balancing act between the two.

[@tomlewis4748]

I watch all your videos. I agree with nearly everything you say. I think you are very well-spoken, and I think what you say is well planned. You are quite knowledgeable regarding the art and technique of writing fiction. Everything you say here today is just fine. But as long as we are speaking about clarity, that could help you in how professional these videos are recorded. I think they are pretty well done, but I also think there is room for improvement, and it's really easy as pie to do. The first thing is to get the mic closer to you. The room you are in is pretty reflective. There are quite a lot of early reflections, and the closer you are to the mic, the more that will minimize them. A lavalier might be the answer. Another thing would be to sound-treat the room, also not difficult or expensive, but simply decreasing the distance between you and the mic would likely fix the issue. It doesn't sound like a tiled bathroom, but it could be a little better. And that can greatly increase clarity. Another thing you might consider is adding vocal compression. There are good, inexpensive ways to do this. Even something like GarageBand has decent compressors built into it. Maybe run your audio through that either as you record or as you edit and post-produce. I think Final Cut Pro also has these things built in. There are lots of options. You can even do this when recording video on an iPhone. The reason this would help with clarity is because of how you speak. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have a natural tendency to have more peaks and valleys than many others, and this would tame things into a better, more-consistent level, and that would be clearer to the viewer and would sound more professional, while allowing you to naturally continue to be you (that's important). Your videos are already more professional than most, but level control could make them even better. As an example, take a listen to this video at the 12-minute mark. Notice that the word 'adds' said at 12:13 is significantly louder than the words around it. It sounds a bit harsh. The reflective environment only aggravates that. A compressor can tame that sort of thing while allowing you to continue to speak naturally. The reason it sounds harsh is not bc your voice is harsh. Your voice is just fine. It may have something to do with the level set for the recording. Certain louder words are distorting a bit (directly in the video, not in how we play it back). A compressor also minimizes this issue, but a limiter (also included in most recording platforms) could improve this even a bit more, by allowing a consistent, robust level while keeping the peaks from distorting. I don't notice this quite as much on the Reedsy recordings, but they may be using someone who has these techniques mastered. You can do that, too. YT is your métier. You're darned good at it. This is how you could be even better, and you can do it without having to really learn anything. Once you make these two simple little changes, one-time set-it-and-forget-it things, your videos will be much more professional sounding, and your message will be perceived unconsciously by the viewers as more credible. Speaking as a veteran recording engineer, I'm confident that you can take that to the bank.

[@shawnraborn6637]

"Clarity should be the foundation of artfulness." Such a great quote. I find myself engineering sentences for hours on end, creating something that I find beautiful, only to realize it's lost on whoever actually reads it. Such a struggle lol

[@Drudenfusz]

If you say a green apple then this will NOT be the same for everyone, some might think of a Golden Delicious and others might think of a Granny Smith, that is a huge difference!

[@mom2many166]

LOL, she was proud of that Titanic analogy. Cute.

[@caseyzx]

great video but if you could get a microphone closer (like a xm8500 or shure mv7 or sm7b) it would help a lot with audio quality

[@richardallen4912]

To enhance clarity please find a way to minimize the echo in your sound quality. I find it hard to understand what you're saying unless I'm in a quiet room. Thanks

[@icipher6730]

But what if one subset of people who give you feedback do understand all of what you intended really well, down to minute details, and praise you for not hammering theme or plot violently into their heads, but other people complain that they don't understand things like motivations of your characters? I don't think there much middle ground or compromise to be found here, something like "make it more clear for people who couldn't understand but keep things uncertain and ambiguous enough so that the first group who is already happy with your work stays satisfied". Any work of fiction is more than the total sum of its parts, so changing and even making something mechanically "better" won't necessarily result in a story that is same but better; it will most certainly result in a story what will be *qualitatively different* compared what you made initially. I don't think that one can write something that will satisfy two vastly different types of readers who may or may not want different things out of their reading experience. What matters is that people who understood you and your work do exist. It mean that you were able to find your audience.

[@lakeshagadson357]

she need to get together with someone like her who does the same thing she does

[@ChocolatexCherries3]

12:20 there can be no subtext without a text to refer to

[@thestockimagequeen]

Love this video, I often have clarity issues haha. Random request: would you ever make a video on how to describe action? Not fighting necessarily, but actions within conversation (“he glared at me,” “he looked at the floor” etc). I always find it super difficult not to repeat certain gestures a million times, and I’d LOVE to hear your insight. Love your stuff!

[@oxxoblonde]

damn shaelin this last months you are coming up with banger after banger, all the good topics. greetings from Chile

[@nessie968]

"Subtext has to be the shadow that needs a body." Wow, what a great way to put it!

[@t0dd000]

I loved this quote. And since I wanted to save it for posterity … Here's the precise quote: "Subtext is like the shadow: there needs to be a body."

[@personmcpersonperson2893]

Best writing teacher on youtube by far

[@maisiebeckett6945]

Shaelin your advice has helped me so much over the years! I really don’t think I’d be the writer I am today without it. I’m going to be applying to MFA programmes soon and I wondered if you could do a video on your advice for that process, putting together your writing sample, the personal essay etc ? ❤

[@KSCdd]

You and Brandon Sanderson are the writing advice goats👌

[@Thegirlwiththebooks-]

Hey Shaelin! Love your videos on writing! Btw, have you read the Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood? I’m reading it right now and I think you’d love it! It has this beautiful, clear but very artsy prose and it’s soooo good

[@rk4lr4oj4x]

This came exactly at the right time. I was struggling to decide whether the story I'm writing needs to be a satire or a parody. I looked up a good many differences between the two on internet but it's still not clicking. Would you make a video about breaking down the differences between the two and also talk about the ways/approaches to write each? I love your content. You are very articulate when it comes atomizing complex writing topics. Keep up the good work❤. PS: English isn't my first language which is another obstacle to my writing.

[@Min-ei5jj]

I remember when I realized I had clarity issues in my writing . . . I was still in high school, and I'd gotten a couple reviews where someone just had the completely opposite take on my fanfiction than what I'd thought I'd written, and I'd just been like, "Whatever, that person's an idiot." And then I got a third review that did the same thing TT_TT And I realized I was was the problem. Thanks so much for this video!

[@billyalarie929]

9:12 is what I was wondering about. So thank you for that. And I suspected that was the case. Thank you for confirming that.

[@bethanycamille5379]

I like clear, straightforward prose with a clever simile or metaphor every now and then. But if I can see the authors artistry glaring on the page, I’m almost always turned off lol especially when the book is told from first person POV, and the main protagonist has a lyrical voice that doesn’t match who they actually are as a person or where they come from. I like prose that fits the story/character it tells, not prose that shows the authors poetic inclination. Lol

[@znp_kl]

Girl i dont have clarity even in real life pls-

[@ShaelinWrites]

omfgggg real

[@zsoro9300]

I really like the advice of erring on the side of OVER-explaining, because the feedback you will get from that will be more workable (pare it back) - rather than starting out with UNDER-explaning and then the reader misunderstands the story or scene. Harder to fix the latter, easier to fix the former.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Haha I really learned this sone from experience so I'm glad it resonated!!

[@PaulRWorthington]

Very helpful video essay - Thanks!

[@5starseolarsystem]

You always come out with writing videos i didn't know i needed

[@beanmachine3867]

Amazing video as always!! ❤

[@AdamFishkin]

"Clarity should come before art"? I think David Lynch would disagree with you. LOL. I totally get what you're saying though, and beta readers' requests for me to clarify things are always one of the main things I take seriously. Those concerns have gotten less frequent with time, but sometimes I wish the things I wrote made more sense to me. There are times when I will confuse myself ... it happens more when I speak verbally, due to my train of thought assembling most sentences out of sequence right before I open my mouth. What ends up happening is that I'll switch to a completely different sentence in the middle of the first one, and a merciful 60% of the time I'm lucky enough that no one is present, I eventually realize I was imagining the future scenario where the conversation was going to take place.

[@PaulRWorthington]

As a big Lynch fan I'd argue that Lynch has the inherent clarity of the medium: with film you can (almost always) see what is happening: it is Character in This Location doing These Things. What that means, why the character is doing it, etc, these are things Lynch often leaves open to interpretation, and that's a big part of his Art. Most of what Shaelin is addressing here are the things that can get lost in text. Which character is speaking? Where are they? Did they move? I hate it when my readers can't comment on or understand what my characters are experiencing... because I failed to clearly convey that.

[@icipher6730]

>There are times when I will confuse myself ... it happens more when I speak verbally, due to my train of thought assembling most sentences out of sequence right before I open my mouth. More common in people than you'd think. A LOT more common.

[@gao1812]

I consider myself someone who has a very good grasp of storytelling, and yet here I am, learning new things from your videos. Thank you so much ❤

[@billyalarie929]

When the convey not conveying

[@elisabethcuningham3526]

Hi! Brand new to you channel and loving the few videos so far. I was wondering if you could (or maybe you already have?) make a video on publishing sites online? I’m a hobby writer so I’m not worried about officially publishing a book someday, but I’d like to get it out there for people to read, so I’m interested in these sites like Wattpad, Quotev, Archive of our Own etc. I don’t really know anything about them though and which one to choose so maybe you could make a breakdown video? Doesn’t seem like there’s a lot on KZbin so might be a good video idea? Thanks! Anyone else’s opinions/advice is welcome too!

[@ShaelinWrites]

Hi! I don't, because I actually don't really have any experience with these kinds of sites myself, so unfortunately I don't think I'd be able to speak to the topic!

[@MargaretPinard]

Difficult issue, and well handled. 👏 Oh THAT's why I felt defensive...!

[@Caerulean]

This one hits a lot 'cause I'm also one for 'artful' prose, and it began with not wanting to 'tell', as you mentioned. @ o @ It's a battle between clarity and style and intention, and it doesn't help that I'm also going for a nearly archaic-ish style. (Since you'd mentioned being into artsier prose in the past, I'd always kinda wanted to share my draft with you if possible 😅 to take a glance at, but then I worry that you'll see all the issues, haha. The genre is Epic Fantasy, if anyone's interested. It's barely written and only has 2-3 chapters. lol! Been through a good bit of editing, though.) Thanks for this video! Though I've put a hold on writing, it's quite timely still 'cause I recently encountered some clarity issues in a book I've been reading, and it's in a very straightforward writing style. It's a tiny bit interesting 'cause, though I've wanted more from the prose, it's not really had clarity issues until those maybe two action-heavier chapters that felt quite rushed. idk

[@holly_gmTwb]

Yes. I do that often enough in my everyday life, I try to catch myself. There is an assumption that if it's in my head, it's in 'theirs.' It had carried over to my writing. Thankfully, I have a very honest friend who knows me well enough to know this about me _AND_ loves reading my novels as I write. I hope everyone has a friend this awesome. I've gotten better, but she still finds these things for me. She is my person. I really should pay her as an editor. ❤😂

[@garyhayes3630]

Address

[@znp_kl]

You're like the best writing teacher ive ever seen and i dont even write books in english

[@billyalarie929]

THAT “IF ALL OF IT IS UNDER THE SURFACE” LINE THO (and yes I genuinely feel like that would be a spoiler to give away the punchline)

[@o_o-lj1ym]

Shaelin’s prose videos are my favourite

[@lakeshagadson357]

why you don't do cursive writing

[@VideoGameRoom32]

Some authors leave things open for interpretation.

[@aidenignition]

12:38 in my first book, I thought I was using subtext well. Really all I did was complete state everything that SHOULD be subtextual because I was so excited about it, and then the concrete part that should’ve been clearly stated is what ended up being treated as subtext. 😂

[@aidenignition]

I think clarity is so important because I’ve been completely immersed in a story and then come across an awkwardly worded sentence that I had to re-read like 3 times to understand. I know that you are speaking about clarity as a feature of storytelling rather than grammar, but I think this highlights how a lack of clarity confuses the reader and makes them leave your story.