This 1 Thing Will Fix Most of Your Writing Problems

Рет қаралды 5,934

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 36

@tomlewis4748 Жыл бұрын

You are absolutely right, Tim. This is the mindset I've had from the beginning, and it works. It's helped me immensely. The biggest challenge to a writer can sometimes be their own ego. Without this mindset you speak of, I can't imagine how writing well could be anything other than impossible. I'm proud of you for how you handled heavy criticism. That is a very hard thing to do, but those who criticize the most, and the most honestly, are who we learn the most from. A brutal crit is often a gift. A pat on the back gains you nothing on the writing journey. Sometimes heavy criticism is not really helpful, though. I wrote for a year before getting up the nerve to put something on Scribophile. My first critic was by far the worst critic I've ever had. Talk about brutal. But I knew he was wrong about everything and was just looking for someone to hurt. You can't crit on Scribophile without posting your own work, and that led to a discovery, which is those who give good criticism understand writing and are likely pretty talented, while those who criticize badly, often can't write their own way out of a wet paper bag. This has been proven to me every single time of countless times. Is that my ego speaking? No, it's just the way of the world, sadly. For example, the least-talented person in one of my writing groups responded to a chapter I submitted in this manner: "Bo-rinnng!!!" That did not feel like a gift. How good was his writing? The absolute worst I've ever seen. It gave me and everyone else in the group the douche chills. So it's important to develop a thick skin while entertaining every argument someone presents, even the ridiculous ones. Be willing to question your own authority, which is part of putting ego aside. If we get ego out of the way, the thorniest issue for a writer is having the subjective viewpoint on their work and not having the objective view of the reader. Nothing seems more difficult than trying to accurately put yourself in the reader's shoes. But working toward that goal 24/7/365 is worth it. It pays off, eventually. And the mindset you express here in this video is the secret to how.

@QuanticDreamer 5 ай бұрын

I've been in scrib for years, and I've met all kinds of good and bad. Just like in the offline world. Ultimately, it has helped me a ton - I've even met my best online friend there. My best experiences came from critique exchange groups. Getting involved in the forums might help you find your writing tribe, too. Critiquing others and seeing how others have done it afterwards can also give some interesting insights.

@tomlewis4748 5 ай бұрын

@@QuanticDreamer I was in scrib and half a dozen writing groups pre-covid. I learned a lot there. Prescriptive-what I might consider doing, as well as cautionary-what I saw as evident that others were doing that I should probably not be doing. How to write and how not to write. I put in my time. But with enough deliberate practice comes a point where you can outgrow that. Where budding writers really can't inspire you all that much anymore. When you are too busy growing and creating and writing to stop and see what others might be doing and expect value in that somehow. I still have some really terrific collaborating writers I lean on from time to time (I met my lifelong best friend on Scribophile! She can write rings around anybody, and she's contributed greatly to my own growth). But writing groups generally have significant limitations once you get to a certain level. I appreciate the suggestion. If I get stuck, which miraculously has not happened for some time, I might dip back in.

@QuanticDreamer 5 ай бұрын

@tomlewis4748 Thank you for your reply! It's interesting to see how scrib worked out for you. It's, indeed, often easier to spot the off things in our writing when we've first spotted them elsewhere. My main issue is clarity, so scrib's still valuable to me, but I do feel the reduction in inspiration you speak of. I'll keep what you said in mind. Also, it's so great that you met your best friend through writing! I wish the best to you both.

@tomlewis4748 5 ай бұрын

@@QuanticDreamer Thanks. I guess I owe that to Scribophile! I saw some talent on Scrib, no doubt. That's over about a year of me going there daily. But it's kind of rare. There were maybe 3 other writers there that I thought were really good, and who inspired me. (And I was knocked out by what my friend wrote). The same thing happened in writing groups. Out of maybe 30 people, only 3 really had something that floated my boat. And I learned from all 30, either what not to do or what to try to do in my own way. But I think what happens is once budding writers reach a certain level, they leave Scribophile behind, the same way they leave 'internet experts' behind who are not the caliber of Story Grid. Not bc Scrib isn't a good, valid platform, but bc they may have outgrown whatever worth it may have had for them. I think this is what explains why that sort of talent is rare on Scribophile. IOW, it isn't just me who has moved on, it's a lot of writers who have become better writers and see little value there anymore. (and maybe I only think I've gotten better 🤡)

@EqbalV Жыл бұрын

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing! These days, my main goal when I write a story is to create one that I'd genuinely enjoy reading. It's like a balancing act, where I aim to make it interesting for the readers while also having fun writing it.

@Lilitha11 Жыл бұрын

The golden rule of writing is you can do whatever you want, as long as it is entertaining. And who are you entertaining? Of course, it is the reader.

@nintendo_oui Жыл бұрын

If beta readers are giving you (sometimes purposefully) vague advice, you could get a beta reader who is in your specific target audience. For example, if my Dad listens to me talk about a science fiction plot, he is willing to give feedback and consider features and drawbacks of different screenplay ideas. If I ask him to read a page of my comedic fantasy, it is the opposite. So I look for people to bounce off of that either have a lot of empathy for different genres and story types or are willing to hold back their need to say "but why can't there be a death star?".

@lrodriguez5545 Жыл бұрын

I picked up in the long long videos: that, SAM is The One I must please when writing✍️ thanks as always

@robertrdbrooks7658 11 ай бұрын

Listening.

@chelseyummali 4 ай бұрын

so how do you know what the reader wants?

@kevinpeoples8702 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. Kinda knocked me on my ass, but I needed it.

@tomorrowkiddo Жыл бұрын

Very helpful, thanks.

@jynx2950 Жыл бұрын

While I see your points, I can't help thinking that you might be trading your way of doing something for someone else's. We are all human, there is no guarantee that your friend has a better way of writing the book than you. At this point you are going to change your book for an audience, but that audience will be the person who gave you feedback. To truly put the audience first is impossible, as ten people will tell you ten different things - many that contradict each other. This has been my experience. Also, writing for an audience is what has sunk many recent movies. George Lucas, by his own admission, wrote Star Wars for himself. Same with James Cameron and The Abyss. They weren't concerned with what an audience would want, but creating their own vision. The process created huge amounts of friction in their industry, and they had to fight to get their way. Cameron is still doing that now. They made great movies and the audience showed up. Pre-screening might help some projects, but they have been the death of others. While I understand taking feedback from designated readers is essential, I believe that in the end it is the author who must stay true to the vision, as the vision is solely his or hers and cannot be fully understood by critics. While I do believe that writing for an audience can work, I don't think it will produce the great works of our time. I truly don't believe J.K. Rowling or J.R.R. Tolkien worried what the audience would want, they just wanted to tell great stories. "It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." - Steve Jobs

@brothermichael1521 Жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree with you more. I think that true artists make art and let like-minded people find and appreciate.

@therealmaizing5328 Жыл бұрын

I agree. I write stories that *I* want to read. My target audience are readers who like what *I* like. If I didn't *personally* enjoy my stories, it wouldn't be fun to write them. If it isn't fun to write, I lose my motivation to write.

@brothermichael1521 Жыл бұрын

You just gave me a new mantra: "If I don't personally enjoy my stories, it won't be fun or easy to write them." Thanks!

@NameNotAChannel Жыл бұрын

The ENTIRE reason I stay with writing, is because books that I want to read do not exist in the world. If I do not write this different thing for myself, nobody else will. I am NOT writing for the reader. I am writing for me. I am doing this as a passion project, not as a profession and money-making endeavor. I do no need to care about being popular. I think others like myself exist in the world, so an audience exists that is mostly ignored currently. It may not be a big audience, but I don't need to care about that, again. (This is the downfall of big studio productions catering to smaller niche audiences, but giving them budgets that require mainstream appeal... thus they fail, big time. I am not allocating major resources to this, and need no return on that investment to make it happen.) (I like science fantasy, utopian future, no magic, characters that do not change, but rather change those around them, settings that are more important than the characters involved... straight-forward dialog that is not mired in subtext and body language... the autism in me coming through...)

@verbane Жыл бұрын

I think you're right in that staking everything on generic "audience appeal" is a mistake. Audiences can smell a cash grab. Media targeted at teenagers and young adults is particularly obnoxious in that respect. Not all young people are stupid, have short attention spans, or suffer panic attacks without access to social media. Some of us do want more intelligent content. Maybe it's because I'm also a writer, and I want to know that being passionate about one's work and one's own ideas isn't necessarily a recipe for obscurity and starvation. That being said, commitment to their own vision is probably not the only factor in the success of the writers you've mentioned. In many cases, they were in the right place at the right time. Star Wars coincided with a big leap forward in film-making technology. Tolkien wrote escapist comfort entertainment for the generation devastated by the World Wars, as did C. S. Lewis. In another video, Tim suggests Tolkien wrote The Hobbit for his grandchildren, and more generally the younger generation about to enter WWII. So, there was still an audience in mind, even though Tolkien was largely driven by an independent vision. As for J. K. Rowling, I would tentatively suggest the Satanic Panic controversy was, ironically, a factor in her success. Notoriety can be great promotion. I'm endlessly passionate about my work as a writer. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life. But I'm also a chronic daydreamer/perpetual worldbuilder. It's easy for me to come up with sprawling epic stories in my head, much harder to put pen to paper. Without some kind of constraint on my imagination, I can't work. I've found Story Grid's advice about writing for a specific person to be immensely helpful. I may not be able to predict what a generic "audience" will like, but I know my friends and the things they like. If my friend enjoys my story, chances are the many thousands or millions of people who are like my friend will enjoy it, too. And with my inner fantasy world being so large, it's pretty easy to pick out something that appeals both to me and my chosen reader. I don't think "writing for an audience" and "writing the story you, personally, want to see written" are mutually exclusive. Bear in mind that Story Grid, like all KZbin guru channels, is hustling for money. They want you to believe you will fail without their guidance so you'll buy their books and sign up for their expensive courses. That doesn't necessarily mean their advice is useless. On the contrary, I'm very interested in their ideas. But don't let them talk you into thinking their way is the only way. That's just capitalism talking.

@irmaosporescolha-brothersb6068 6 ай бұрын

Maybe there’s a balance between both scenarios. If you just listen to everyone you might loose your original authentic voice.

@billyalarie929 Жыл бұрын

I wonder if the reason why I’m not finishing a first draft is bc I’m thinking about the reader before my version comes out onto the page, first. So like, I wonder if this advice is best suited to a later place than where I’m at. Which is not even a complete first draft.

@SoyaroNightmare 3 ай бұрын

"write drunken, edit sober" is a common tip that is not to be taken literal (pretty much like "read a lot, write a lot" which has an own video on story grid). it says the same thing as this quote: "you can always edit a badly written page, but you can't edit an empty page". Just dump your thoughts onto the page, it doesn't matter how messed up the result is. Worst case is you're not writing your first draft but a very detailed outlining which at least gives you a goal and helps you finishing the first draft faster. I'm basically doing that myself right now. After I found this channel I declared my current work "outlining" instead of "first draft", because I have to rewrite everything anyway to reach the quality I think I'm capable of thanks to story grid. The example in the video clearly was during editing, not during drafting. I'd say don't worry, write what you want and don't start editing before you're done writing. And you'll most likely edit it for yourself before getting beta readers, and before you got those you won't have any feedback anyway, so don't bother worrying about their opinion before you're there.

@PhoenixCrown Жыл бұрын

I learned this lesson early in business. Especially in marketing, you must consider your audience. Then I learned to do that in my personal life too. Not sure why I never thought very hard about this in my fantasy. I was probably being a bit selfish--give me a break, I'm a good Dad at least =P Thanks for the video!

@JohneCook Жыл бұрын

Hey, Tim - where can I buy a Story Grid tumbler?

@NoMastersNoMistress Жыл бұрын

No. Just. No. It's what the work needs that matters. And some version of that mindset has been proposed by so many giants, and not just novelists, but also poets like Baudelaire, musicians like Bowie (who said outright don't play to the gallery) , Beethoven, Scriabin, Varese, Zappa, and painters like Picasso and Cezanne. You go to the Mountain. The Mountain doesn't come to you. We have enough entertainment in this world. Fuck entertainment. What we need is truth. This is partially in line with the notion of focusing on the reader, but it's more in line with reflecting on the materials and philosophy at work in the final product. Repeat value gained from going back to the work and finding something new because the work is challenging and works on many levels isn't something I hear anyone on YT discuss.

@jose11032 Жыл бұрын

but how do you know that your feedbacker is right and not just ... "not getting it?" what if the main audience is YA girls, and the writer friend is a middle aged man? I mean ... how do you know that the change is legit better, or not just another opinion? Wouldn't you think that what is best for the reader is what YOU really enjoyed writing? I REALLY WONDER, please comment if you have any tips.

@Iron-Bridge Жыл бұрын

Don't know if this applies but I think it has merit. Actor- director - producer once said in an interview that you should listen to the audience when they tell you they didn't like something. But ... don't listen to them when they advise you about how to fix it.

@DawnMK2023 Жыл бұрын

Advice that contains an "I feel" or "I think" can be opinion. If the advice contains "I'm confused why this happened" or "this part seems out of character" etc, its more likely critique. There are great free writer's workshops online. They can be a big help.

@EqbalV Жыл бұрын

For me, as long as you enjoy your own story, I think it's good enough to publish. When it comes to feedback, be it plot or character, it really depends on how you feel. Other than fixing grammar or plot holes, everything else is a suggestion.

@dcle944 Жыл бұрын

If your audience is YA girls, why do you get feedback from a middle aged man? In any case, a middle aged man and YA girls do have something in common. They’re both humans. Take the feedback on the human aspect and not the gender or age related feedback.