What Writers Should Learn From The Dark Tower (Book Spoilers)

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In this episode, I took a trip down the rabbit hole of The Dark Tower and got lost in its weird and wonderful world. Here's the big takeaways I think writers should get from the series.
Oh, and no, I didn't much like the movie either.
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[@TenTonNuke]

Stephen King's On Writing is filled with great ideas, such as "always write in the same location at the same time, so, like sleeping, your body will know when it's time to do something" and "when writing the first draft, just write everything that comes to you... later, the goal is to cut out 30% of unnecessary text." Neither of those are even close to the actual quotes, but the ideas have stuck with me. Stop trying to write a masterpiece on the first pass. Just get as much on the page as you can, then come back through and decide what's worth keeping. As Ernest Hemingway reminds us, "The first draft of anything is sh*t."

[@coreytoomey7579]

And don’t worry about the themes and symbols. They’ll come naturally and your readers will decipher them for you. Hemingway also said, “Preplanned symbols stick out like raisins in raisin bread. Raisin bread is alright, but plain bread is better.”

[@mahatmagandhiful]

"What The Dark Tower Movie Should Learn From The Dark Tower"

[@nataliagonzalez1698]

#1: Don't make The Dark Tower series a goddamn 2-hour movie in the first place.

[@mahatmagandhiful]

Not even. 90-minute runtime. Which was just as well for me, since that meant I could sooner get out of there and get on with my life.

[@Grizzlegoist]

stay the fuck away from sony

[@michaelotis223]

mahatmagandhiful what the Dark Tower should learn from Idris Elba's dark tower.....

[@JustWrite]

Distilling a complex mythology with interesting characters down to the bare bones of a generic action movie is... not a good idea. The movie is what The Lord of the Rings would have been if they had only made a single film.

[@kevinanderson215]

"The price of getting what you want is getting what you once wanted." -Desire, Sandman

[@JustWrite]

Love this quote.

[@kevinanderson215]

+Declan Mckenna Well said

[@kevinanderson215]

+Just Write thanks, love the analysis videos.

[@pjn2001]

Just sounds like a spin on 'There are only 2 great tragedies in life, the one is not getting what you want, the other is getting it'.

[@jxomxo]

Neil Gaiman strikes back

[@Borderose]

A Dark Tower in the middle of a bright desert. You keep chasing after it, but it's always there--always at the distance. Even when you think you've seen the last of it: you haven't. Holy shit. He's talking about the blinking text cursor on the word processor.

[@wilthomas]

The Dark Tower is in a field of roses (Can'Ko No Rey).

[@hey__im_a_skeleton3112]

Hakuraita shift, your right. And it holds the universe together because it is the reason they exist. That cursor or "tower" is what king needed to write all his books, his universe, if it falls, so does the universe.

[@Beefyboygo]

How high are you?

[@TheCarlosCobain]

The word processor of the gods?

[@pkattk]

And the cursor/tower itself contains infinite stories.

[@williamwatson4795]

I liked the video, it's some great stuff. But there was one oversight on the ending: in the next iteration of Roland's quest, the one in the ending, he has Cuthbert's horn, which had been lost in a battle years, perhaps centuries, before in the main series. It implies that Roland is slowly healing the universe in his cycles, slowly being restored as he restores the Beams, and perhaps, one day, ending his journey.

[@kahlzun]

It is by far the best ending of any story i have ever encountered.

[@thedudewhoabides69]

Excellent point man, I came here to write this. This in my opinion also gives a bit of a leeway to the movie adaption because it could be any one of Roland's cycles and thus it doesn't have to follow the books. Too bad it still was not as good as I thought it would be

[@gamenightmare295]

@@thedudewhoabides69 They didnt put the horn on his outfit in the movie and, Idris Alba isn't white.

[@haydem0823]

exactly what i was going to say

[@thedudewhoabides69]

@@gamenightmare295 So what? If he doesn't stumble upon it later (which could happen if they really want to surprise the readers) it still is a stand-alone story or a cycle of Roland's journey. It doesn't have to adhere to the rules and realm of the series we've read because that's just one cycle and for all we know there could've been dozens or hundreds of those and even with the book's scene and setting they probably would change over time. Same goes for ethnicity. I don't know much about the lineage of gunslingers but who knows, maybe there were black families somewhere along the cycles? One question for you my friend - Do you like some of Idris Elba's other works (Luther etc)? I was also a bit surprised they picked him but I didn't mind it since he's a good actor in my opinion.

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

Um...you've missed something. Roland is not repeating the story identically over and over and over again. He changes a tiny bit each time, the book makes this very clear. His relationship with Eddie and Susannah and Jake is different, a little bit, each time. And as the new cycle begins, the Tower gives him something--a horn. Maybe this time, THIS time, he won't have to do it all over again. Maybe. We don't know. Without this facet, the meaning in the story changes quite a bit.

[@lindenbree9188]

Thank you for that clarification! I was ready to never read the books after this video. The ending sounded absolutely horrible. Like, an ending where he fails would be more meaningful than no ending at all. What's the point if everything is reset infinitely? I'm glad to know there's implications that things might not always have to be reset in the books

[@ClockworkGearhead]

It was a metaphor for revision. Furthermore, "Art is never finished, only abandoned," if you really want to get meta.

[@lindenbree9188]

@@TheGeorgeD13 Speak for yourself, I'm pretty sure I've never gone on the same identical journey countless times. Progress and learning and change are like... things that happen!

[@lindenbree9188]

​@@TheGeorgeD13 If we're telling each other what to do, don't come back with a snide comment after 3 months. And you shouldn't lie either, take your own advice! Putting words in my mouth, tsk tsk you liar. I said "identical journey" not "repeated mistakes". A journey is a process, it happens over time. So no, I have never been through the exact same /journey/ multiple times. I make the same mistakes sometimes, but I never learn a life lesson that took a long time to come to terms with and then spontaneously forget this knowledge and act like I'm me from 10 years ago with no experience. My life isn't a TV show where the status quo gets reset every morning, sorry if yours is.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

That horn is the reason why I called BS on the movie being the "sequel" to the books. Roland didn't have the horn in the movie.

[@okieinexile]

Cervantes did this in Don Quixote. He invented the modern novel and postmodern novel in the same book.

[@JustWrite]

Was going to mention Cervantes here, but it got cut. He'll have his own video one day.

[@timy9197]

This is very true

[@charlesedward5047]

Just Write SPOILER Great analysis here. I don't think you missed it, just that you didn't have time to put it in your video: the ending line of "the man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed" is not the ending of the saga. The real ending is Browning's poem. Roland's journey is circular, but just to a certain point. The first time reading the novels, you're actually reading Roland's 99th journey, with journey number 100 being at the end of he book, and it is his last journey because he has the horn this time, which he didn't have at the beginning. We know it's his last journey because the ending of Browning's poem clearly states that Roland blows the horn and is reunited with all the people of his past who have moved on, a reward for being selfless and doing the right thing.

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

Bobby Winters Very true

[@StratEdgyProductions]

I never stare at my cursor. Staring at a blank page is the worst thing you can do. Just start writing, then cut anything that is worthless to the opening of the story later. I pretty much write 500 words and spend the rest of my hour editing those 500 words until they are perfect, but agonizing over the first sentence is what locks people into writer's block.

[@JustWrite]

Agreed. Staring at the blank page isn't helpful, but I'm pretty sure every writer does this when they're first starting.

[@River_StGrey]

I dunno, staring at the blank page can be really informative if you're tripping balls.

[@kufujitsu]

@TRAV AVIS You're right, but I remember Harlan Ellison saying many the best stories he wrote came to him when he didn't know what he was going to write next. Ray Bradbury used word association - especially when he wrote his earlier stories - to see if a story could flow, simply by imagining a word. It's good to experiment, but technically you're right.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

You can always replace the dark and stormy night with the apotheosis of all deserts later. ;)

[@stephenmandelbaum2027]

As a new writer, my motto is "just write anything". Even if it is just about the ride from your house to get a pack of cigarettes.

[@Jlnorman42]

When I read the first book in 1994 I always thought of Clint Eastwood as Roland. Christopher Walken as the man in black.

[@JustWrite]

King based Roland on Eastwood's Man With No Name, so no surprise there. Walken is an interesting choice. He can definitely do menacing, even though I think of him in more comedic roles nowadays.

[@Jlnorman42]

His older roles is more of what I am thinking of. His deadpan delivery would be spot on.

[@PierzStyx]

I thought Matthew McConaughey (sp?) did a great job with what he was given. If given more I think he could've captured Flagg's silver tongued evil perfectly.

[@ChristianNeihart]

Wrong. Willem Dafoe as the Man in Black.

[@dewayner5388]

I suggest we allow these men to spend the night together, clone Eastwood, and then the love child and clone can have the part

[@jonathanfesmiresteampunkau6983]

King isn't "writing them into existence." It's more that he's channeling their story, although there is a sort of magical link back that allows him to help them, twice, in small ways.

[@sonegeku3362]

That's just a way to write/explain it with respect to the story.When you sit to break it down,he is writing them into existence

[@GreenSabre187]

@@sonegeku3362 but i think i get what he means, its like when you have character who is wirtten out and has ambitouns and desires. He will do what he wants no matter what you think. Cause its about what the characters wants. Or must do. Same with roland, i believe king that he isnt crazy about the ending cause he felt obliged to do it cause thats the way. i kinda get it. But of course he writed them into existence cause thats what he literally does. But he also never denied that he writes xD so... yeah... it wasnt about that.

[@scottbayer92]

I read The Gunslinger in 1984 and have loved being on the path to the Dark tower with Roland and his Ka mates for over 30 years.The thing that pissed me off the most about the movie (and there is a long list of things that pissed me off about that abortion of a movie)was that they made it a revenge thing for Roland.It was never about revenge for him,it was about his sworn duty of finding and saving the tower and his own humanity.

[@kingdoc11421]

I have always said that judging the dark tower series on the movie is like judging the entire star wars universe on the 1978 Christmas special.

[@matthewwilliamlosure]

In Song of Susannah, Mia asks if Roland ever really wanted to save the Tower. From tor.com; "Mia’s next revelation concerns Roland and his quest, which has become their quest. When Susannah asks if anything can prevent the fall of the Tower, Mia says not even Roland thinks that is possible-he only hopes to slow down the process at best, to satisfy his own curiosity at worst. Has he ever SAID he was going to save the Tower? Susannah thinks not. Mia says only a return of magic can save the Tower, and Roland doesn’t deal in magic but in lead." I don't think he gives a fig about his humanity.

[@fuck3032]

The tower punishes Roland for his addiction to it, for which he’d killed countless and sacrificed the lives of so many friends. In the previous rotations he cared for the tower more than his friends, and in the movie rotation its the other way around: Walter has taken what he love, all he cares about now is killing him. This is the rotation Roland finally attains salvation. The movie has questionable stylistic choice and very poor characterisation, especially when you’re not substituting with your experience reading the book. But in terms of general direction of story development it makes sense.

[@archer1949]

I liked the ending of the series. People crap on the last three books, and yes, Song of Susannah was a weak link, but I loved Wolves of the Calla and was really dug the Meta stuff at the very end.

[@anthonyhenriques7654]

I loved the last book as much as I loved the first four, but I was very underwhelmed and disappointed by both Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susanna. Wolves of the Calla was so boring and underwhelming especially being preceded by Wizard and Glass which is like the apex of the series for me at least

[@lukewilliams6083]

I loved 5 and 7... 6 had it's place. Many penultimate novels suffer because they're trying to set up the end. Even Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince suffered from this (it exists to... SPOILERS... Introduce Horcruxes, the MacGuffin of the final book and kill... A very central character that pretty much everyone knows is going to die even if they haven't read the books.

[@Dangoku59]

@@anthonyhenriques7654 City of Lud/Blaine the Mono that's my favourite part. It's a whole movie right there

[@GreenSabre187]

thing i was underwhelmed with was mordreds death. After these nightmare inducing scenes with that spidermonster , roland kills him off in only one sentence.

[@Lizard____]

King's enforcement of "it's about the journey, not the destination" really explains how his stories can be somewhat convoluted, yet still enjoyable and compelling. Like in "From a Buick 8" and "Insomnia."

[@christopheryniguez825]

The journey does happen to be the best part of the story for me. I also hate endings

[@samboujaiteh3331]

You guys... are really bad at watching analysis videos, if you're complaining about spoiler alerts.

[@Zach0451]

Sambou Jaiteh Things can be analyzed with a spoiler tag put up front. And things can be analyzed in a vague manner on top of that, so your argument makes little sense

[@samboujaiteh3331]

I'm just saying. You should at least expect that in an analysis video, endings and twists are going to be touched upon. They're kinda important.

[@ChristianNeihart]

I saw the Dark Tower movie and then watched the analysis video. This got me interested in reading the series proper.

[@MattrickBT]

I've learned quite a bit from reading King over the years. Sure, his approach is unconventional, often overlong, and his writing isn't as strong as other writers out there, but what I like about his work is his ability to establish his characters with great depth and clarity so that when the story really begins to move, it can freely move, and the characters motivations and their choices require no explanation. When you think about it, the first 4 novels of The Dark Tower is basically introduction. The plot doesn't really begin until about halfway through Wolves of the Calla. First book introduces Roland and Jake, second introduces Eddie and Susannah, third book is about his ka-tet adapted to the world and bonding, fourth book goes into Roland's past, and all that build up comes to a head in Wolves. It's a concept I make sure to employ as often as possible. Do most people want to read 80 pages of character introduction? Maybe not. But chances are, they'll want to read what comes after it, which is made all the more poignant because of what came before it.

[@JustWrite]

This is one of the things I like most about the series. Every book has a very clear dramatic intent, even though it all works together as one giant novel.

[@TheJollyMisanthrope]

He and GRRM share one thing in common. The need for serious editing.

[@MattrickBT]

I just got my novel back from my editor. He says the story is structured perfectly, it's powerful and well written (aside from a few bad tendencies I didn't know I had), but there is a lot that can be parsed or told in a much quicker fashion, the sort of information or development which is necessary for the story I want to tell, but not necessary for the story people want to read. Sigh, the story exists between the netherworld of drama and horror...takes too long to get to the horror for horror fans, and is far, far too graphic and gory for those who just want to read an existential drama.

[@TheJollyMisanthrope]

Everyone says "show don't tell", yet the guy with the most popular TV adaptation based on a book series, in history, is doing a hell of a lot of telling; to the point where it drags the quality of the books down and has created a minefield of unresolved plots.

[@borjankosarac3645]

The Tv series version of that would be, arguably, Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." - the first 15 episodes of Season 1 are somewhat boring but they DO serve the purpose of establishing Team Coulson and setting up their underground enemies... THEN come 16/17. HYDRA comes out of the shadows (in correspondence with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"), S.H.I.E.L.D. is destroyed from within by their sleeper agents (one of whom WAS a member of Team Coulson!) and the rest of the show is them rebuilding and fighting the good fight ie: the real plot. But you don't appreciate what they go through as much if you don't have the team-building and context of those prior 15 episodes... OK, admittedly not the best parallel, but it does share the similarity of introducing everything before the MEAT of the story kicks in... As for GRRM, the problem isn't editing - it's that he's so in love with the mythos that when it grows all the more, it bloats. He went from a planned trilogy to (at LEAST) seven books. What was meant to be covered in the first book alone - the deaths of Ned and Robb Stark - ended up being the first 2-and-a-half (well, a little bit more) books, and that's only ONE subplot; don't get me started on how he expected the timeline to be further than it already was (for the sake of ageing-up the younger main characters), which is a key reason the series ended up delayed when he couldn't manage a large passage of time. The GOT adaptation could have fixed this, at least within its own continuity, except... we got Season 5. And then Season 6. THEN Season 7 and its "wrap up all plots and kill off everyone whose purpose is served" mentality (and of course, making Rhaegar AND Lyanna look like self-centred a-holes while INTENDING us to agree with them... somehow.)

[@JustWrite]

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS VIDEO. (But I don't think knowing the ending will ruin the experience of these particular books). Enjoy! Edit: I wrote this comment after seeing that people were frustrated by the absence of a warning in the video. In previous videos, I've spoiled the story without causing a stir, so I was a little surprised by the reaction here. If you were reading the books, or intend to read the books, there is plenty about the ending that is not spoiled in this video, and I think you'll enjoy the series as much as you otherwise would have whether you watch this video to the end or not. Future videos will clearly state if there are spoilers.

[@brandonjay595]

Just Write Yeah... Thanks.

[@dane.ted.]

Just Write, I would at least pin this comment, even though I didn't mind the spoiler.

[@josueamericanistarv]

It seems like most of people miss your point. It's not about the ending it's all about the journey.

[@user-nu4oy9yz7s]

Just Write you could of at least gave us a spoiler warning in the description. and it does effect the experience of the novel. thanks

[@tomimpala]

In the comments section after people have seen the video, really bro?

[@devinburton83]

But the Dark Tower doesn’t end on a loop. He goes back to the beginning yes but he goes back with the horn which is a small detail but a detail that suggest this time things will be different. #onelasttime

[@Zentagon]

I dont know why you guys wouldnt think that he wouldnt go in depth on the Dark Tower series, but oh well. Good video

[@JustWrite]

Thanks! :)

[@Cutshort]

I love it! I can't emphasize enough how important opening lines/scenes are. You can make or break your entire story based on those few words. Super glad you're making videos again this past month, some of my favorite content on this platform

[@JustWrite]

Much appreciated! I'm back for good now, so more on the way :) Should be a new video every two weeks.

[@Feroxing12]

opening lines relevance is exactly zero. no one decides whether to read the book or like the book based on first sentence. its just a myth.

[@spacelizbian3237]

Feroxing12 I think that a good opening line can be an important hook and clue the reader into the rest of the book but that a bad opening line isn't the end of the world or anything.

[@wilthomas]

Some possible conclusion is hinted at in The Dark Tower. In the Gunslinger, Roland doesn’t have the Horn of Eld, and at the conclusion of The Dark Tower, he does as he once again chases the man in black across the desert. Of course, there’s no telling how many times he has completed this journey before, or how many time he will in the future in order to complete his quest.

[@theebronks]

A major part of the ending, the coming movie and multimedia project that you over looked is that things don't go back to being exactly the same; Roland now has the horn which he left behind in the previous permutation. not sure how to tie that into the metafictional narrative or postmodernist themes but it is worth noting..

[@salladinthegreat]

Hear him!

[@pheonixrises11]

HOW TO BEAT WRITER'S BLOCK: Edit anything until it's good. Ex: wizard, scarf, ocean A man is seeking power and decides to cross the ocean to find it. Survivors of the ocean come back empty-handed(or are fishermen) admitting that nothing is out there, you eventually reach ice, and you can't survive. This man still gives up everything for dark power, driven by the death of the last of his family and the refusal to face his emotions. The scarf made by his daughter is kind of representative of a noose as well as the comfort those we love bring(and this love is what is driving him to this suicidal journey), even in cold wasteland(the scarf keeps his neck warm). The ocean is endless. He encounters a wizard(born with powers so he has jo idea how to obtain them) who helps him slowly recover from his loss and tricks him into going home. Sooooooo much easier.

[@JustWrite]

Nicely said. You're right. The trick is to just start and keep improving what you've got inch by inch.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

That'd make for an interesting story. Would love to read that.

[@johnterpack3940]

That's more or less how I work. All the advice to "not edit while you write" baffles me. I will write a paragraph, or a scene, and then spend hours tweaking it until I'm happy with it before moving on.

[@mikahjohn2809]

My take on King writing himself into his own Dark Tower novels kind of answers it's own question: The Dark Tower binds all of the infinite universes together, there ARE NO boundaries of reality; that means he himself writing his own novel isn't exempt from it. It's kind of a perfect concept for fictional metaphysics writing :)

[@shenyongo]

I think another reason people find themselves in writer's block is that they want to have the perfect story on the first draft. They don't realize that the first draft is the phase of just letting ideas flow and the later drafts are to streamline them into the 'perfect' story.

[@JustWrite]

Yup, this is something every writer needs to hear as soon as possible.

[@SultanSamet]

"I float on the smooth waves of the deep blue sea." - that is my first sentence. I wrote a novel (in german) over the span of a few years. (More as a hobby/anti stress therapy) Elements of it were fragments, i wrote almost 15 years ago (i was like 13?) and implemented it. [It is a surreal adventure with sci-fi elements] I am not a fan of Steven King, even though i enjoyed some movies based on his books. However, i found out about the Dark Tower series and picked up the first book 2-3 years ago. I only read the Introduction by King but never the story. After i finished my novel, and read Crichtons recent book, and some others, i started with "The Gunslinger" like two weeks ago.... Oh boy, i really felt what he was doing. With Kings note about "how personal it was" and how much time he spent with that particular story ... idk i just could really feel him there. I loved the story, i finally got the "sex pervert" joke from RedLetterMedias It review, i thought the introduction and set up was perfect, the mood, the characters, the "lore" ,... If you have "that picture" in your mind, and there is this story you somehow want to tell, all those personal notes and so on ... then you really start to be carefully craft that story, the characters you show, the elements you decide to have a closer look on - its quite different. And i really could feel all of it. I think the "trick" is to simply know "the core soul" of the story you want to tell and just let yourself go at some point and stop being perfect or care about "what other people would think" - in the sense of "is that too weird?" or "should i tell them what they want to hear" - its your story, its your world. Just move it forward naturally.

[@lkwwe]

I have never read a Steven King book and somehow you inspired me to read the entire Dark Tower series! Awesome work dude!

[@theentireman]

Luke W I have started this series my self 2 weeks ago. Do it! It is amazing

[@Dailysvidshit]

Luke W skip the last 3. the only good books are gunslinger, drawing of the three and wind through the keyhole.

[@JustWrite]

Thanks Luke! Happy reading!

[@santiagomacedo5061]

Angry Obama Lol what? Wizard and Glass is the best one

[@MrPobanz]

Agree, started the series myself with Wizard and Glass, glad I did. My favorite book from the series, only the 3rd comes close (love the city setting).

[@TowerJunkie]

This video is pure perfection! You’ve put words to how I feel about this series. I love it so much. It gets richer and richer each time I read it. It’s rare to meet someone who has actually read the series so those times I do, they don’t see it my way and I think that’s a shame. I’ll be bookmarking this great video! Thank you so much. Long days and pleasant nights Sai.

[@abdalaez]

Watched every single video on your channel multiple times. I'm writing a book and you have no idea how much it helped me. Please keep making them.

[@robinsonsonic]

Loved the closing on this video, "Just write". Can't think of how many times that I've had an idea in mind and have been unsure of how to get it onto paper or in text and I've just taken a stab at it and let it roll. Very good lesson, and hearing it voiced has helped me to realize how often I've done that and how much it has helped. Great channel, really enjoying the content!

[@armatey007]

Great vid! You analysis is concise but spot on and insightful. I haven't seen the movie, but I love the idea that the movie takes place AFTER the last book... thus any changes we see in the movie are easily explained by just another iteration of the quest. PERFECT meta excuse!

[@JustWrite]

Thanks Dave! That aspect of the movie is pretty clever, I will admit.

[@irockmajorly]

Book 2 was the most jarring book I've ever read tbh

[@lonewolf8271]

Idris Elba is an excellent actor, yet I pictured the Gunslinger as a Clint Eastwood type, as I read all the books.

[@ThatOneComposerGuy]

Janka Janssen Probably because King specifically describes him as looking almost exactly like Eastwood. :-/

[@FiveSigma72]

Elba is not a great actor, at all. He has done fuck all in terms of range.

[@DogratDavis]

@@ThatOneComposerGuy Bizarrely, he also describes him as looking like himself lol Hence the "Tall, Dark and Ugly" nickname

[@ThatOneComposerGuy]

josh ch Heh. Yeah, he does say that around the 5th book, but up until then, he just describes him as Eastwood. 🤷‍♂️ King’s an odd guy. Lol.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

@@FiveSigma72 There's more to acting than range. What he lacks in range, he makes up for in depth.

[@MudfaceJr]

holy crap, I just finished the books myself a few days ago, and then I find this video and channel while struggling with my own first novel. this really helps. so glad I found this channel!

[@gastondeveaux3783]

This is a brilliant review of the series. Having read the books 10 years ago, I still had questions and unresolved problems and loose ends with the books that I tried to explain to myself. You have helped greatly in that regard. Now I am very motivated to read them again, and to insert The Wind Through the Keyhole in the 4.5 position. You have a new subscriber !

[@andrewjohnston1564]

Your analysis and advise on writing is way more useful than the two other writing channels I watch. My current book has the empathy video near down pact. Thank you.

[@megangreen5044]

Congrats on 104K subs! I love your videos. I write books and I find these videos have great advice. Thank you and keep doing what you're doing. Always pursue your passions and have a great day

[@JustWrite]

Thanks Megan! I will if you will :)

[@megangreen5044]

Just Write Oh my gosh thank you! That's so nice of you to say. I'm honored that you replied at all. 😊 Thanks for the support. I'm not published yet but I'm hoping I will be soon. Looking forward to future videos!

[@maxxe2]

This video was awesome! Really love the analysis and its made me want to read the books

[@fabell6]

Made me want to read them too

[@JustWrite]

Thanks! Hope you do!

[@KathyTrithardt]

I'm choosing to believe the movie never happened, because screw script that makes Roland a side character in his own story.

[@jaysemitchells497]

And the fact that they had the gall to have it be a sequel. Him carrying the Horn is a massive middle finger.

[@anthonyhenriques7654]

Oh my God they made Roland black. That just makes no sense. I love Idris Elba, it has nothing to do with that; but even if they followed the books that would destroy the whole dynamic between Susanna and Roland. Roland is toned but light skin long hair blue eyes, blue eyes play a huge part in Roland's character. . . I don't know the movie was a total disasterous, blasphemous abomination .

[@TheGeorgeD13]

@@anthonyhenriques7654 Not really. It's WAY more interesting if both are black with different points of view on race. Way more interesting than the extremely dull way King did it.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Saw it, hated it, forgot what the fuck even happened in it in the first place. Thank god it didn't leave a lasting impression.

[@NickWright]

My favorite book series.

[@donvitocorleone8220]

"abowt", "howse". Canadian confirmed.

[@atomicdancer]

"Howse!" You Canadians have a different word for everything!

[@nickcandy1874]

It would be "Aboot" and "Hoose" if he was canadian.

[@JustWrite]

Indeed, I am :)

[@andrewvillalobos5686]

Keep up the good work. Just Write is one of my favorite video essay destinations.

[@JustWrite]

Thanks Andrew! That's incredible to hear :)

[@SevenBlades]

You're a blessing man. Great video essay. A writers journey takes so many detours, your words reignite some of that old flame. Keep it up!

[@JustWrite]

Thanks!

[@breezy3392]

"Just start"...Best advice I could get right now. Thank you

[@XellossBoi]

So spot on! I'm really happy to see you posting regularly again, but the content has gotten even better. I look forward to more. Almost ravenously, I'd say.

[@JustWrite]

Thank you! I've got more on the way. Should be every two weeks now.

[@jorgeddls]

This video encouraged me to read all the books, I've alway wanted but this spoilers are all I needed to start. Btw, I love your videos man, I watched them all in a single night.

[@VaggelisIosifidis]

Your channel is just amazing. I'm glad you got the success you deserve and keep counting. I hope you never stop chasing your personal Dark Tower.

[@dewayner5388]

I found the idea of the story coming to him interesting. Tolkien often said similar things, like how he was as shocked to write about Tom Bombadil as the hobbits were to meet him

[@camerongrow6426]

I really need to get writing and I should probably read the Dark Tower books.

[@spookyattitude1852]

Amazing analysis and an even better message. I was first drawn in by your Wonder Woman video a few weeks back and showed a few of my friends who also write. Keep it up! Happy to see this channel growing

[@JustWrite]

THANKS! More on the way :)

[@melisaclaudio6331]

Excelent, man!! I remember reading "The Gunslinger" in 1994 and that opening line has always struck me as brilliant....nice to know that this is a shared opinion.

[@happyron]

Thank you for this video and all the videos you make, I've been going through a bit of slump in my songwriting and this has helped me sort out some of the reasons (as opposed to just giving me a pump me up). Thanks and keep writing (and making videos)

[@Clovence]

This short video has guided me in more ways than most writing books I've read.I love you Just Write... no homo.

[@unwolfmelightox]

This was well thought out and put together. Thanks.

[@infamcus]

The more I watch you're videos the more I realize my books and writings need improvement... although that is a bad thing, it's more of a good thing! Keep up the good work!

[@JustWrite]

Corey Mandell, a screenwriting coach, often says that the problem many writers face is that, as they write, their strengths get stronger, and their weaknesses get weaker. So learning your weaknesses and working on them should be at the top of a writer's list, I think. After all, there is always room for improvement. No one gets it right the first time.

[@marcelsf23br]

Awesome series of videos! I watched almost all of them and subscribed. Can't wait to see more from you!

[@nirbhaysharma1214]

I hadn't noticed the metafiction or the looped heroes journey. This just made me love the story so much more. so much more. thank you so much

[@JustWrite]

Hey! I'm glad that this video helped enrich the story for you a little bit. That's one of my biggest goals here :)

[@brewxx]

Awesome analysis! I've finished the The Dark Tower series a few months ago, the end couldn't be better, never in my life I felt more inspired. (my english isn't very good haha) Greetings from Argentina! Great channel!!

[@omarkayal5336]

Congrats man! Love your vids. This one gave me shivers of realization.

[@IlyaKralinsky]

This is the first video of yours I've seen. You do a fantastic job, and you definitely have a new subscriber. Concise, heartfelt, highly literate -- wonderful work you have here.

[@iamlevlc]

I'm part of the last wave of subscribers that helped you to get to the 100K subscribers, and I'm super excited when I see a new video of you. Your channel, or more precisely the new turn you made (from what I've heard with the old video you took off) is pure gold in writing analysis. I know internet comments are not where you usually get the positive feedback but... thank you. Thank you for making me think about what writing is. Just thank you for your excellent work.

[@JustWrite]

Welcome to the channel! Crossing that 100k mark was a huge life moment for me, so thank you for being part of that :) Really glad you're enjoying the channel as much as you are. More videos are on the way!

[@GreenSabre187]

I love it so much how rolands loop represents the reader reading the book. Everytimy we read it again we actively put roland back at the beginning of his journey.

[@stonekidman2306]

I find that very reassuring because I often write what I see, it's like a tv in my head and I just write like play by play of how it goes

[@Mr587098]

Man you look so young, JW. Ever since I found your channel, not only inspired me to push myself further to work on my writing but also gives me advice I could never find since I don't usually find good writers in real life.

[@JustWrite]

Welcome! I think connecting with other writers is one of the most important -- and most difficult -- parts about becoming a writer. I'm glad you're finding some sense of that here :)

[@hughem1416]

This is tangential to the point of the video and a little nitpickey but anyway... Roland doesn't end up exactly where he started, with all of his journey undone/reset. He has Cuthbert's horn, which he didn't possess in the timeline that the reader has just finished. And he felt like he needed it when he got to the tower and he didn't have it. But now he has it, promising that this iteration of the loop could deviate from the events/choices of the last and presenting the possibility that it may actually be his final iteration of the loop. It also presented a brilliant opportunity for an adaptation to pick up at this point, still following the broader path of the original plot, but deviating from it (initially in small details) to reach a different conclusion. But, oh well...

[@a.geniusproduction4883]

Hugh Em it was always Roland's horn, Cuthbert just had it when he died.

[@michaelmeyers4843]

Thanks for the videos! I have only written a couple fanfictions myself but I love reading and watching movies, therefore your videos have been helpful to me in better understanding story analysis. You're one of only a very few channels that are more than just a "reaction" or "my opinion is..." channel; your essays are actually educational, with literary background and history and real storytelling experience. You better believe I'm taking copious notes!

[@JustWrite]

Thanks Michael! Yeah, one of my biggest goals here is to do more than comment on pop culture, but to use each book or movie as a jumping off point to talk about other subjects. So I'm glad you're enjoying that aspect of it. :)

[@LainWest]

I've liked you and your videos a lot, but this video made me LOVE them. Thank you :D The Dark Tower books are so well done

[@AmericanActionReport]

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (one of the Four Great Novels of the Ming Dynasty) ends as it begins. The English translation of the beginning/ending is, "Empires wax and wane; states are rent asunder and coalesce." Literally, it's, "Long united must divide; long divided must unite." Virtually every Chinese speaker knows that quote.

[@Undone545]

You're killing it with these videos love your work.

[@JustWrite]

Thanks! :)

[@ricardonichols6109]

Congrats. Great content as always. After watching one of your videos, I was hooked. Keep it up.

[@JustWrite]

Thanks Ricardo! :)

[@MichaelKilmanAuthor]

This was excellent! As a huge fan of the Dark Tower and a writer, this was very useful!

[@Leniofonte]

Dude, AMAZING videos. Subscribed, and hope you keep enjoying your work. It shows. Good luck and keep it up man!

[@melissabybee4405]

I think I was the one that pushed you to 100,000. :) Seriously, thank you for your videos. More, please!

[@JustWrite]

Thanks so much Melissa! Welcome to the channel. More on the way :)

[@ameerhamid89]

As much as the movie broke my heart, I'm glad it was so terrible that it killed any idea of sequel. Maybe one day we'll see another adaptation that will give the books the time and love that they so richly deserve.

[@TheBlidget]

I've re-read this series multiple times and I'm working my way through it again and there is something I'd like to bring up about the ending. And blurring the lines between reader and story. MOST SERIOUS OF SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVENT READ THE FULL SERIES. The end of book 7 when Roland is facing down the Crimson King you slowly go through the process of becoming Roland. The Tower gives an irresistible call to Roland just as you the reader wish to see the conclusion of this almost 4000 page epic. We even share in Roland's disappointment when he is not the one to slay the Crimson King. But like him we accept any option that will defeat the evil in the tower. The irresistible pull of the tower that Roland experiences is very similar to that feverish reading you do seeking the conclusion of the story and the well earned reward for staying with Roland through all his adventures. As Roland calls out the names of his comrades we share in his triumph. I remember the overflow of emotions I felt when I read the lines "I am Roland of Gilead and I come as myself and you will open to me!" Immediately after Roland paid homage to his fallen Ka-tet members. Then the doors close behind him. King gives you an option. Accept the happy ending or see what Roland finds in the tower. We cant help ourselves, we've become too invested in this adventure. We must continue our quest inside of the tower, we have to read this story to its absolute finish even if it we must sacrifice the happy ending to do so. We have become exactly like Roland letting Jake fall in our search for the truth that lays at the the top of the tower. And it is that reason that we share Roland's fate. That we too are thrusted back to the beginning of the journey.

[@kissmyasthma3155]

Hope you do a video detailing your entire book collection. Towards the end of the video i see a giant stack of books behind you and I was wondering what are the books that inspire your video essays and writings in general. Thanks

[@JustWrite]

Great idea! I'll definitely keep this in mind :)

[@tuber00009]

Thanks man, a writer needs to hear a positive message like this.

[@Craw1011]

Please do another video like this one. I love your takes on writing in books and I think this video was one of your bests. If you're looking for suggestions I think that doing on Phillip K Dick's books (specifically Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep because of the popularity of Blade Runner) would give you a lot to talk about.

[@ablaze1989]

HAHA did the video just auto replay, nice touch XD. I am a new sub and a new/learning writer and your channel has been such a great find. Please keep up the content.

[@gutemberg7946]

If you're complaining about the spoilers you didn't get the message well. What matters is the journey, not how it ends.

[@mck7646]

An ending to a series is pretty damn important.

[@redeamed19]

I really like how King wrote the approach to the ending of the story. Prompting the reader to just close the book, call it done, you don't want or need to see what is inside the tower. I stopped reading for about a day at this point just to give it a window in which I took that advice

[@GunjerSpinners]

greatest journey i have ever read, man if i could go back to the first time i started reading it.

[@klabboy13]

Very good as always Sage! Keep it up!

[@mikahjohn2809]

"A writer writes, always!" -Larry Donner (1987)

[@notsoaveragejoe7275]

Can you do a writing lesson on Martin McDonagh, the writer and director of In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths?

[@JustWrite]

It's on the list!

[@notsoaveragejoe7275]

Just Write Sweet! Big fan btw

[@mophead_xu]

Heyy congratulations on 100 thousand subscribers! Proud to be one of them. :-) And I hope you'll stay talking about writing. IMO it's pretty hard to find a decent writing channel on KZbin. (Which makes sense, actually ... writers write, and most of them/us only write, not make videos.)

[@hdervish2497]

It is implied that Roland does a little better by his Ka-tet, and gets a little closer, each cycle. Horn of Eld's appearance and all.

[@antonhansen5854]

Hey Sage So glad that you have reached a hundred thousand subscribes. You deserve at least 100 thousand more. You're one of the best youtubers on the site. I have been following you since your hobbit video series, and I just wanna say; thank you so much for all vidioes you have put out over the years. Before watching the hobbit vidoes, I didn't know a thing about writing, and they opened me up to things, I would never have learned on my own. Without you, I would stil be writing terrible 1st chapters of novels, that I would never finish, beacuse I though they where terrible. Now Im almost done making my own comic book, and I don't plan to stop there. So Sage, from the buttom of my heart: Thank you. PS: please keep making videos. Don't do those long periodes where you don't do anything. Those are the worst :)

[@JustWrite]

Hello Anton! This comment is really amazing. With how much the channel has changed over the years, it's incredible to me that there are people here who were there from day one, and I can't thank you enough with sticking with this. Best of luck with your comic book! I hope it takes off! :) And no more breaks. I'm here for good now!

[@KimsLantern]

I know this video is a bit old, but thanks for this. Loved this video. :D

[@JonathanByron]

As a writer I find your videos invaluable. Thank you :)

[@nkanyisoinnocentkhwane3752]

*Your Last Airbender Trilogy was the most fantastic series of videos ever* I didn't get a chance to say that before but that was better than watching a film, I can't wait to see what's next

[@JustWrite]

Thank you! Pretty proud of those videos too. Glad you enjoyed them! :)

[@codeypendent1899]

Digging the crap out of this channel, dude. Never stop it coming!

[@PlainclothesBandit]

I really need to read these books. I only read the first one, and that was a while ago.

[@JustWrite]

Book 2 is a lot of fun!

[@only1tacynne]

This video on a loop for hours before I sit down to write? Yes!

[@KagedCreations08XX]

I didn’t love the ending but he’s also not right back where he started. He has the Horn this time indicating that he’s walked a different path and can potentially change it further.

[@cesarhernandez7108]

Great video. Im subscribing. Thanks for the work.

[@robgucci7663]

just subbed, your content is great. keep it up. id love to see you cover a video about what writers can learn from a manga or anime

[@memicoot]

Nice video! I know a lot of folks hated how King wrote himself in, but I enjoyed it. Like you said, I think it added a certain weight to the story. It also helps that King is very sincere in portraying his relationship to the series - he writes himself in as a character who grasps the momentous importance of the Dark Tower, and I believe these feelings were very real to King himself. It adds a true sense of supernatural.

[@JustWrite]

It's definitely a polarizing move, and wouldn't work in every story, but with how weird The Dark Tower world already was before this happened, I'm in the "why not?" camp.

[@blakewilliams3666]

you started this very well I barely noticed I was watching a yt video

[@aprilrhoden116]

Yes! 100%, you hit the nail on the head. Just keep writing, or painting, or musicing (that's not a word, but I stand by it,) or whatever it is you do, you will get better at it with practice. I also think the ending to The Dark Tower saga is perfect just the way it is. Roland's primary nemesis, The Man in Black is also called Randall Flagg, among a number of other aliases, the same Randall Flagg that appears in The Stand. At the end of the unabridged version of The Stand, after the blast in Vegas, Flagg wakes up on a remote island, surrounded by natives. He rises, ready to take his place as their god. Roland's ending in The Dark Tower and Flagg's ending in The Stand are very similar. Both of them come to what they believe to be the end of their respective journeys, only to wake up finding themselves back at the beginning. Neither is really sure of where they are, how they got there, or where they were before, only to carry on as though nothing happened. By coming to the end of their stories, and waking up right back at the beginning, they both seem to be immortal. They are like mirror images of one another, Flagg fighting to destroy civilizations, Roland fighting to help them survive, both by any means necessary. The movie is already meta for two reasons. First, it's not a direct adaptation of the story, but a sequel or different version of the story after having already gone through the tower at least once, a nod to the ending in the books. Second, The Dark Tower movie is a piece of pop culture that exists separately from, yet dependant upon the source material, much like The Dark Tower saga itself and it's mad variety of pop culture references. These two things together make the movie part of the book's universe and a universe of its own, meta.

[@JustWrite]

That's a really cool parallel between Roland and Flagg. Haven't read The Stand yet, although I know I gotta!

[@aprilrhoden116]

Yes, it's worth the read for sure. I also recommend The Talisman, if it's not in MidWorld, it's right next door.

[@PierzStyx]

The sequel, "The Black House" does connect directly to MidWorld.

[@greent26tube]

Lovely video. Thanks so much!

[@DungeonFreak79]

Awesome video essay. Thank you!

[@JustWrite]

Many thanks!