You Can Know Your Writing is Good. Here's How!

[@geraldfrost4710]

The first draft is you telling yourself the story. You re-write it so that other people can enjoy reading it. Some famous writer said that. Sir something...

[@VelocityWriting]

"The first draft is you telling yourself the story. You re-write it so that other people can enjoy reading it." Terry Pratchett often gets credit today for this quote. But other writers have said the same or similar thing for hundreds of years. It is a fundamental truth about writing.

[@Atzael-SMN]

@@VelocityWriting Terry Pratchett the king of Absurdist Fantasy. That’s great advice. It’s just I’m more of a poet, I’m a great writer in that regards but when it comes to storytelling, my characters are below average and character development is hard. I also think that weaving that in into the plot is a bit hard, I can manage but I’m not doing it consistent because I have to think about how it’s happening for a while before I write it.

[@VelocityWriting]

With respect Gemini, the best poets have always been great storytellers. Shakespeare used a metrical pattern of unrhymed iambic pentameter, which today we call "blank verse." In contemporary times, Bob Dylan's rhyming lyrics earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature (not in guitar playing or singing). Read his lyrics and you will see each is a finely tuned story that includes characters, a plot, conflict, and resolution. If you want to learn how to expand poetic storytelling into a novel, you might look at two of my own works. My novel "Jet Pink" is largely based on, and an expansion of poems I wrote decades ago. I converted poetic kernels into prose. Years after "Jet Pink," I decided to publish a collection of some of those early poems as "Anti-Poems: Random Access to Gates and Souls." In it, you can see the poetic bones of many "Jet Pink" passages. You can compare and learn how to convert poetry into prose. Both books are available on Amazon.

[@davidfernandez8515]

@@VelocityWriting hey sir hope you dont mind me asking but I was just scrolling down the comments and I'm curious about what you make of Bob Dylan winning a Nobel prize in literature since it was quite a controversial topic

[@VelocityWriting]

Good question. Let me answer it this way. I was at the Hollywood Bowl concert when he "went electric" (a couple days after his Forrest Hills concert), and you can check out the date on that one. I have been to 7of his concerts in the US. The one when Tom Petty toured with him was my favorite. I have gone to several of his concerts in Europe, including one at the old Hammersmith Odeon in the UK. I also saw him in New Zealand. Nobel Prize? He should have received it years before he did. His lyrics were the poetry of the 60s and beyond. By the way, a Dylan-like character has a major role in my novel, "Jet Pink" by D.L. Hughes. You can find it on Amazon if you're interested.

[@seananderson7153]

YES! It took me so long to get to what this video teaches. I’m rewriting and rewriting my work, sharing it, but I never get tired of reading my story. I’m enchanted by my own work, and do my best to make it quality, Will self-publish it when it’s ready, but if I’m the only one who ever reads it, I’m happy because I finally got a story I have wanted for so long! Thanks for this video! ✨🦄✨

[@VelocityWriting]

Glad it was helpful. Yes, we need to believe in ourselves and our writing powers will grow.

[@heisenburger7044]

Thank you for making these videos, I'm 11 (almost 12) and I'm making rapid progress with my writing, you have helped me with everything!

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

I’m 41 (almost 42) and I’m getting about the same benefit from these videos. I wish I’d been encouraged when I was 11 or 12. I’d never have stopped. Now that I know I enjoy writing I don’t think I’ll ever stop.

[@strummercash5601]

Yay! It’s uplifting to see a pre-teen honing his craft. Keep it up! Peace and blessings in 2021.

[@neophyte2688]

What a way to nail such a difficult concept. I salute you Sir!

[@tracykennedy4589]

Enchanting yourself...yes!

[@knutknutsen5610]

Thank you! My wife's a former school teacher. When she reads what I have written it is very often that she comments on grammatic errors and stuff like that. I just cannot use her as a critic anymore.

[@VelocityWriting]

Sadly, that happens often with relatives and friends. Don't let it discourage you. Find someone willing to hear what you are saying, rather than just glossing over your meaning with superficial comments are grammar. Keep on writing!

[@tracykennedy4589]

Perhaps you could ask her to comment on the content and how it makes her feel...communication is key to writing 😊

[@Anouarraz]

Thank you Mr. Hughes, your episodes have the merit to enchant the watcher.

[@carmenhoman6605]

I think if you are in a good writer's group and by good I mean both skilled and honest, you'll evolve into a better writer

[@philm9593]

I agree that recruiting family members could be a problem. However, one of these who is an avid reader (me not so much) said that not only was a recent example good but that it was of a similar style to a couple of her favorite authors. Thankfully, I have both feet firmly planted as I'm simply a humble hobbyist. Nevertheless, I was appreciative of the compliment.

[@rlst.andrews7625]

Thanks for your consistently helpful and motivating advice.

[@VelocityWriting]

Thank you for your encouragement.

[@captaincanuck4576]

Okay I'm only two minutes in and I'm already agreeing with a lot. In school I hated English,didn't pay attention,didn't want to learn,so my overall grades were so-so. I write a passionate essay or commentary,and I would get mid 80s to high 90s on the writing pieces. Plus whenever I would write a critical piece in IB history I would literally ace every writing assignment because I was able to to craft an easily readable,well thought out,and entertaining piece. The history teacher didn't care about grammar and sentence structure. They all cared about us making our thinking and opinions easy to read,and easy to agree with.

[@kthor2271]

Excellent advice. THANK YOU

[@VelocityWriting]

Glad it was helpful!

[@livanun]

you are so wholesome and your content is great!

[@richaverma23]

Thank you so much for the great advice, it was very helpful!

[@bennobenny750]

Thank you very much for this video

[@cjpreach]

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Obviously, I think this video is excellent because Mr Hughes agrees with me. hehehe Seriously, we can't let anyone drag us down (especially ourselves), and we need to continue developing as writers. Keep working at it, and sooner or later we will capture the magic and make our readers feel something.

[@HaydenPerno]

I've stumbled upon your videos before, but only just subscribed! Thanks so much for your videos. They really are helpful

[@VelocityWriting]

Awesome, thank you!

[@akshaylakhani7898]

Your videos are fantastic. Very inspiring and encouraging. Thank you for sharing your wisdom :)

[@maxabramson4781]

Public school teachers are often forced to teach according to the tests and lesson plans set by federal and state bureaucrats. Teachers in charter schools, private schools, and online schools don't suffer under that regimen and are free to open up the mind of a child to some of the great literary work of our time.

[@loujones5388]

Thanks, this was helpful. I had the novice ideas you mentioned about how my writing should go and I quit writing. Understanding the rough draft is essential,as you mentioned, because I labored under the myth of “one and done.” I am now ready to take another crack at it.

[@VelocityWriting]

Glad it was helpful!

[@josephcusumano2885]

Diamond in the rough; great analogy.

[@ryhluen9311]

Thanks for the tips

[@k.d.5786]

I’ve been fortunate enough in my life, from a very, very young age, to have had a lot of adventures out there in the world. I have often thought of writing about them.

[@freeatlast1963]

This man is gifted @ explaining, his analogies are excellent.

[@LailuRosa_studios]

I been writing for 3 years and this was helpful

[@apolinary29]

just came across your website (you tube) i am enjoying your videos. you are a great teacher. thanx.

[@gargdye1924]

I struggle with this. I'll write a piece and critique it into the ground. No matter how good I feel about it to start, eventually I'll find a way to turn it into trash in my mind. In this way, I'm always restarting -never really finishing anything. Great video!

[@VelocityWriting]

Thank you for your kind remark. I don't know you and can't say for sure, but based on my experience mentoring writers, I'd say you may be suffering from a case of Perfectionism. Let me perhaps change your life forever by telling you this now: You are not perfect and never will be. Perfection is an illusion. I am fond of the quote by American football coach Vince Lombardi. He said, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." Garg, your negative self-talk will cripple you creatively. Stop it. Show yourself some dignity by telling yourself that what you have written is good but you see things that you can improve in your next story. Also, it is a bad habit to restart. Just keep moving ahead. Review your work only after you have finished it completely. That is the proper time for revision. You may never complete anything if you continue to use your hyper-critical piecemeal approach. I hope these suggestions are an encouragement to you. Keep on writing!

[@gargdye1924]

@@VelocityWriting Thank you for the reply, and the advice. I think you're absolutely correct in your assessment.

[@mariogreen2213]

I would like to thank you very much. Keep doing what you’re. I’ve watched hundreds of writing videos and only you and 3 others have caught my attention. You present valuable information in a concise and usable format.

[@VelocityWriting]

Thank you for your kind remarks. I appreciate the encouragement.

[@dietsfreedietkitchen]

you said what I want to hear, thank you very much for your advice 🙏

[@chrisbriswrites]

Thank you. I luved your LITMUS TEST OF GOOD WRITING. Does it enchant YOU? And does it enchant your neighbour? A great insight! Yes, when I think about that - that's the one thread of good writers - I suppose that's why science-fiction and even dystopian novels are so popular because they transport us to another world - it may answer why one novel or novella, which, when I read it, I wasn't particularly impressed with it, but it enchanted me, because it transports me to another world, namely the world of ninety-eighty-four.

[@robinsprung207]

Great content! Just discovered your channel and really like what you are doing!

[@VelocityWriting]

Glad you enjoy it! Did you subscribe and click the bell icon below the video so you get notices when I upload new videos? I have at least one per week scheduled, and I hope they will encourage you and other writers.

[@GeorgeSPAMTindle]

Thanks for yet another excellent and educational video, your work is much appreciated. File management is important when writing anything from a single paragraph to a full book. Write it, save it in a unique folder, then copy the files into a sub-folder of 'Edit 1', do your first edit, then copy those files into a sub-folder of 'Edit 2', and repeat this until you can make a folder of the finished work. This saves you the pain of making your writing worse by over-editing it and then not having an original copy to refer back to. If you want to get a truly unbiased opinion of your work try approaching a complete stranger in a book store or library, preferably when they are looking at books in the same genre as which you have written. If your target audience is children approach their accompanying adult, not the child directly. Some people might think that you are some sort of screwball when you do this, but if you weren't a screwball you wouldn't be writing books so do not let such attitudes bother you.

[@VelocityWriting]

Thank you for your kind comment. I think you offer a good idea about file management. That's the way I do it. Sorry, I'm not sure walking up to strangers in a bookstore and asking them to read your book is a good idea. I've always liked this quote: "Don't take criticism from people you would never go to for advice." I have always thought that getting feedback from your mom, friends, old teachers, "beta readers" you met on a Facebook group, or other strangers is a bad thing to do. I have offered professional feedback for decades here. velocitywriting.com/developmental-editing/ When you invest your life in writing your book, you want the most professional analysis possible.

[@GeorgeSPAMTindle]

​@@VelocityWriting To earn a living I do Technical Authoring, which is a very different style of writing to creative writing, and getting that stuff reviewed can be a nightmare. I have been in writers' groups before and find that other writers often read work with a view of how they would have written it, rather than reading it as the author has written it, this does not result in beneficial reviews. I might have been guilty of doing this myself, but I try not to now. Sycophantic or spiteful reviews are equally useless, so never ask your mum or your jealous sibling to review your work. Self-editing is not a good idea either as you will not see your own mistakes. The best way to advance is to use professional services, such as the ones offered by Velocity Writing. Your fees are very reasonable, when compared to the cost of using a 'vanity publisher' they are a positive bargain. $1,000 for a well edited book of 65,000 words is a much better investment that spending $5,000 to have an unedited version of your book printed and distributed only for it to receive criticism for being badly written. If you want to avoid the bother and costs of editing you can always write poetry.

[@VelocityWriting]

I did technical writing for a few years. Tech manuals, procedural manuals, installation manuals, and software guides/online help. It's a tough game. I found getting feedback was fairly easy. I worked with manufacturers/engineers on one hand and consumers on the other, so I could produce helpful docs. I always felt like I was an interpreter--translating complex data into simple procedures. It paid great, but it can get pretty boring writing about steps in a process (insert Tab A in Slot B) or the keystrokes to do something in a software program. However, it's writing, and if it pays the bills, then keep at it.

[@dirksawyer5667]

Excellent advice. Clear, concise and very encouraging. Thank you. Have subscribed

[@VelocityWriting]

Thanks and welcome.

[@bonniebeingbonnie001]

Really enjoyed this video.

[@VelocityWriting]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@adistalk1146]

I was on hunt for a good guide and guidence now I think I got one Thank u sir.

[@vishnus1107]

Insightful, true to life observation that is a sure shot way of testing if my writing is good enough.

[@bagotoetags801]

Another very good video especially the 'enchantment' part.

[@aljunevergoso6738]

Thank you so much sir! kudos for all your works!

[@raintelefilm]

Thanks

[@DuaneHHLyon]

Thanks ....Duane Henry Hoefer Lyon

[@pilarguerrero12874]

I have enjoyed your video, thanks a lot for putting good writing into perspective. Have a good day, you, too :)

[@ajmore]

thank so much!

[@lisaverweij8806]

I wrote a little scene today with an expected word count in mind, and as I was writing it, it got away from me. It was just fingers clicking the keys and after I got to the 'wnd', I scimmed it and tweaked a word choice or two, and read it again. And I said 'damn!!!' Not sure about the book as a whole, but I know I don't want to touch that scene again, i liked it so much.

[@ahmeat5494]

Thank you!!!

[@Sherlockarim]

oh! thanks sir.

[@antoniodossantos5960]

I just try to be authentic..& write about what really matters to...me

[@christianmeyer4054]

Thank you for your encouragement. So the best judge about my writing is..... me?

[@VelocityWriting]

Well, Christian, yes and no. Yes, because the more you write, the more you get a sense of knowing about your work. Have you ever walked into your kitchen after a party and seen the stacked dirty dishes and huge mess? You dig in, and in a hour or so everything is clean and in order. You look at your kitchen with a sense of satisfaction. You are happy with your work. The same applies to writing, as I have tried to say in this video. You have sense of knowing that you did well. On the other hand, many aspiring writers need expert help. They are still in the learning stage and do not have the discernment they need to know good from bad. That's when they hire a Developmental editor to get the feedback they need, and learn through the process. In recent years, I have been doing 3-4 times more Developmental editing in the last few years than I ever did before. That's because newer writers (and even some seasoned ones) want a professional perspective on their work before they do their final draft. See: velocitywriting.com/developmental-editing/

[@christianmeyer4054]

@@VelocityWriting Thank you. I am pretty much in this stage. How I understand you- simplified- it's like Hemingway in Paris giving his draft to Gertrude Stein, which made him better eventually.

[@VelocityWriting]

Yes, exactly. Sadly, many writers seek "beta-readers" on the internet. That is the blind leading the blind in almost all cases. It is better to pay for competent, formally trained, experienced Developmental editing, which is beta reading on steroids.

[@christianmeyer4054]

@@VelocityWriting I hear you. Where did the writers of great literature of all ages go for mentorship? Did they all have mentors? Don't we want to make money, instead of spending it? Maybe we forget the readers here to provide the best input for a writer. Let them decide and we grow from our mistakes. Perfectionism kills good writing...could be good advice. I think every manuscript, no matter how perfect it is, carries its own risk. Doesn't that really make writing exciting?

[@VelocityWriting]

You have some great questions here. I'm going to do a complete video on this topic. Watch for it soon- "How Great Writers Learned to Write."

[@cynthiagaudino9272]

you're AWESOME!

[@Atzael-SMN]

What if you’re a good writer but a bad storyteller?

[@VelocityWriting]

Interesting question. Personally, I'd say a good writer is a good storyteller. Storytelling ability is what defines a good writer. The only thing that could define a writer without storytelling is a mastery of grammar. However, as we know, grammar is the servant of storytelling, not its master.

[@Atzael-SMN]

@@VelocityWriting I think what I mean is writing good immersive scenes but not being able to created a narrative story around it.

[@VelocityWriting]

Creating a narrative story (a plot) around scenes is easy. Most people have the hardest time with scenes, so that is good for you. I advise you to steal a plot from any book, movie, or pay that you happen to like. Change the name of the characters and the scenes within the narrative, but leave the plot development as is. Writers have been doing this since the dawn of time. For example, films like "West Side Story (1961)" use Shakespeare's original "Romeo and Juliet"(1595) plot. Remember, even Shakespeare ripped off the plot of "Romeo and Juliet" from Arthur Brooke's 1562 poem entitled “The Tragical History of Romeo and Juliet.” That narrative came from a true story about two young people who lived in Verona, Italy in 1303. You can do this too. No one can copyright or plagiarize an idea. Remix an existing narrative and make it unique with your own time in history, characters, and dialogue.

[@georgeluna5845]

A lot of my writing makes me cry. Your thoughts?

[@VelocityWriting]

Tears of sadness or tears of joy? Crying alone is not enough for self-validation. You have to understand what's causing it.

[@lucymiller6616]

They don't have kids read books in school anymore... That's why we homeschool...

[@joenavanodo3780]

My family tells me “You have a gift,” then the publisher rips my piece to shreds.

[@ErikaFaithWarriorForChrist]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@nelsonx5326]

I can't show family or friends what I wrote. For some parts I deserve a slap.

[@Toporshik]

I'm quite prone to self-doubt when it comes to the quality of my work. I have found the only way to relieve my worry for good is to have in-depth critique of my work by professional literary workers. If a professional editor gives a review, I can be sure that it's both fresh eyes and necessary competence.

[@VelocityWriting]

You are correct. You can't depend on your mom or your friends to give you an objective assessment of your work. Writers need an experienced professional who will help you see the strengths and weaknesses of their manuscript. I have helped many hundreds of writers by offering this service. velocitywriting.com/developmental-editing/

[@Bushcraft242]

I have to write an exam but do you notice those .,!’” Not good in a letter just one long sentence

[@tommyjones8490]

If I am crying as I write....I know that I have done "it".....having created that "thing" bringing forth an emotional response within my reader's heart and a question to their soul.