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Wow this is so many ideas! Thanks

While I agree on most of what you say here, there are one or two things I disagree with. I wouldn't say the protagonist is inherently who drives the plot *forward*, rather, they are the ones who act against the antagonistic force. While in most cases, these are the same thing, if we are talking about fringe and exceptional cases for the purpose of trying to draw these lines, then I would argue that there are many characters who drive the plot forward without being the protagonist. This is especially true in stories where the protagonist and the main character are different, and the protagonist is removed before the story is completely over. It's not like The Great Gatsby ends the moment Gatsby dies, even though I would say he is the primary protagonist. It is his conflict that the story revolves around, and his actions are the ones against that conflict. However, I would say that Nick is both the main character and the character that drives the plot forward. It is Nick's actions that actually move the plot along, Nick's initiative to help Gatsby, and Nick who acts as a confidant to Gatsby and a narrator to the story that allows the story to keep moving. Similarly, I would argue that the actions of Arthur Morgan are primarily what allow the plot to keep moving in RDR2. Even ignoring the ludonarrative dissonance, it is Arthur's course of action that moves the story along. But you are correct, Dutch is the protagonist. There are large swaths of RDR2 that Dutch, either through apathy, ignorance, or active resistance, does not touch, but Arthur does, and they play as key points in the overall story of RDR2 in itself and in its role as a prequel to RDR1. Dutch, however, is the main actor against the overall conflict against the growth of civilization and its implications against those who value the older-style western life. Another thing I had a slight disagreement with was a small note near the end where you stated "Unless the author states..." that x character is x role, it's up to the audience interpretation. I would say that it is still primarily up to the audience, death of the author and all that. If Fitzgerald came back from the dead and said The Great Gatsby's main character is Myrtle, actually, very few people would agree.

Thank you for this. I was scared of just dramatically opening a scene but I think it works really well in my story

Using the first sentence of your first chapter as the last sentence of your final chapter. Is this cliché'd or can sometimes be done elegantly?

Chatting has one t, and cheating has two. Thoughts?

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." Are opening lines like that really obsolete? And if they are, isn't that more of a sad commentary on our ability to read, rather than a valid criticism of Tolkien's writing?

I treat worldbuilding as a means to create boundaries for the story I want to tell. I try to create just enough detail to establish the rules of the world, to identify the key aspects that will shape how the story is told. I don't need to write every battle that ever occurred between two countries-- all I need to do is know that those countries have had a history of conflict, so that whenever they feature in the story- say characters from either nation meet- it will determine the nature of that interaction (in this case, tense and aggressive- potentially outright violent). Even when establishing an entire world, I try to keep ideas at a paragraph at absolute most unless they are already directly involved in the story. I'm not trying to answer every possible question; I'm trying to create a framework that would allow me to answer whatever questions emerge from the narrative in a way that's internally consistent. My guiding principle is always asking "could my main characters encounter this or be influenced by it in any meaningful way?"; if the answer is "no", I don't bother writing more than a sentence or two about it for personal reference. IMHO the main focus on worldbuilding should be reducing the mental overhead of creating the actual narrative. If I don't have to think about the nuts and bolts of the world, I'm more free to follow inspiration without writing myself into a corner with paradoxes or plot holes. If I can establish some firm heuristics around the world and how it functions at a high level, I'm more free to follow a dynamic process with writing the narrative itself and focus more of my creative energy into the characters and events of the story

One minor clarification I might make. When you give the frog analogy, it's important to remember that the world building serves the story, not the other way around. The focus should always be on the character and how the world that you've created adds influence towards their change from their inciting incident state to the turning point state. When writing, it's the story that matters most. Always.

I'm learning how to write while writing..😅

Ok, any help would be appreciated for those wanting to respond, but my first scene I want to introduce my mercenary character in an exiting way. Based on your preferences would you rather read a chapter that starts right at the beginning of a battle and be taken through it or start at the aftermath of a battle and read about the main characters thoughts and emotions as he looks around and loots the bodies?

Where were you when I was creating a story for my project?

I think the first advice is good, but it does depend on a few things. Most of the time introducing the conflict in the beginning can be compelling, but sometimes (most notably in the horror genre) buildup is more important than an instant hook. A good way to remedy this whole still introducing a conflict is to have the first page be separate from the main character, and introduce the villain or conflict first without them. Idk tho, to me introducing the conflict immediately doesn't feel like necessary advice, as plenty of good books don't do it

I think one of the best pieces of advice I've been given in writing is that “no chapter should end like it began.” In other words, something should have happened in the chapter that pushes you onto the next, no matter how small that thing is.

Im kind of tired of stories opening the way youre describing and want something different. I get what youre talking about but isnt there a way to build up (not everything just enough) before revealing some kind of conflict/secret your character has in opening chapter beyond "Dream Sequence" I cant emphasize enough how boring i find stories who just mindlessly opening on something because it seems action-y or dramatic. Im just tired of the "i bet youre wondering how i got here?" opening when i dont even know a smidge about the character which just turns me off from the story instead (which can even lead into drops). I understand why, it just feels backwards..

me watching this while currently in the middle of creating a massive world with history, lineage, ancient lost civilizations, and extreme environments all while taking inspiration from ASOIAF 👁️👄👁️

I love the irony that Jaime Lannister changed for the better (in one of the strongest redemptive arcs I've ever read) but actually received less acceptance on returning, and never found it among another set of characters. It was just so great how Martin played with tropes, and every single time he subverted our expectations is another moment in the history of literary badassery.

It’s interesting pace because you have like pacing also manifest from different story structures that are connected to different cultures. Like 3 act structures and then Japanese manga have completely differing structure that isnt 3 acts and it interesting seeing the divergence.

Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot of 2 syllable names and they're so confusing to me as I'm already quite bad at remembering normal names ><"

BOOK 1 of my trilogy: Though mischance, my main character has been left as an infant with a family who know nothings about him. He will begin to develop certain mental powers at a very young age which, over time, will affect his siblings. No one knows what is happening or even that anything particularly unusual is happening until the effects become problematic. At which point it is too late. The true conflict in book 1 is between the main character and this mental power he has been saddled with. It ultimately leads to the suicide of his youngest sibling and nearly destroys his family. My problem: a. The conflict sneaks up on the MC. b. My story is told through more than one 1st person viewpoint. No one really knows what is going on at first; yet I need to show this. Any hints?

One of my favorite theme is from spec ops: the line. Throughout the game, if you take your time, you realize how human the enemies are. I remember this one part where there are two guys talking, one asked for gum and how he likes to sits down in the middle of the night, listening to the wind, reminds him of peace. But these are the enemy and you can't progress without killing them. And throughout the game, your squadmate keeps telling you to stop, not the main character to stop, but you as a player to stop. These people you're killing would still be alive if you just stop. I never finished the game.

19:16 so basically what Peter asks for in Office Space

This video was very helpful. Thank you. Pacing is something i struggle with. Sometimes it feels like the low point of the wave feels like fillers, so I'll be working on that.

Static Love is amazing wow

To anyone reading this, please repent and believe the gospel! There is a loving God who wants to know you and save you. Jesus died on the cross and resurrected so we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved. Please consider the state of your soul. Believe in Jesus and follow Him so you may have salvation. Life is short, please make the right choice today!

My and my best friend have always had the dream of making a fantasy story so this should be able to help

It’s funny, because when I came across critiques of it, it kind of rocked my world. The trope is actually…kind of horrible. The “family of choice” almost never focused on the actual families left behind. More often than not, the family of choice often arrives from terrible people seeking out persons who will accept them. That’s been subverted to position the terrible people as the good guys actually.

Frogs are smart enough to leave a pot of water that's too hot, no matter how slowly it heats up

As a new writer, I find writing in the first person challenging. My story is told from the main character’s point of view, but I struggle to effectively convey the ideas and developments of other characters within this perspective. Additionally, I often receive feedback on issues with pacing. While I see gradual improvement in this area, I am keen to understand the key elements to mastering pacing in my writing.

bro, turn down the background music

I'm so glad I stumbled upon your channel, this is solid content right here! Really helpful, ex-specially for beginner writers like myself 😅

Flat arc sounds uninteresting at first, but one of the main things that can make a character with a flat arc still very interesting is their interaction with characters with a not flat(?) arc, and they can also have their believes be put to the test, or maybe even changed temporarily, just to switch back to the starting point in the end.

Thank you for your time. Great video.

This video is excellent. Thank you.

Originality is an essence of art, its an objective criteria that distinguishes the purpose of art from the propose of product. Discovery is only contained withing exploration of something new and the point of art is to explore themes by finding unique, complex connections between ideas & perspectives. If art is a form of self-expression then how can artists prove that they are indeed expressing themselves and not being a proxy of another artist's agenda that influenced them at some point? Only by being original. It's a huge and an extremely underrated topic, but ultimately it's not just about having 1 or 2 unique gimmicks to a story, but creating enough nuance to have originality in themes.

Pacing isn't so mysterious. It was can fast or slow; but if the story doesn't keep moving, then you have a pacing problem. It's rare that the pace is too fast, because it means you are skipping things.

A couple of years ago I wrote the outline for an indie RPG campaign, then played it with a group of friends. I told them in advance to think of a "Norse" name for their character and they all went like "really, are we doing some Viking stuff again?" And I was like "wait and see". And when the session started they realized it was about Vikings using airships to travel between floating islands in the sky, and make war with their ships in the sky. And I sent the party on a quest in search for one of the horns of Odin's dragon that had fallen in battle and that had been turned into a battle-horn that could raise the dead. They loved it and are still talking about it today.

Hey man! Got some good nuggets out of this. Thanks for sharing. I like the long form content idea you have here but I felt this video become quite repetitive. I feel like it could benefit from a tighter script and edit. Just an offer. Feel free to ignore! But congrats on the video and thanks again!

Might consider PTA most of the movies

I love writing, but I really struggle with writing block. I know I want to write, I love to write, but for some reason, I cannot sit down to write so often, even on summer break. Does someone have any tips for this?

great video thank you

Planning a child-YA short novel centered around a praying mantis on an existential quest, I plan to start it with the young male mantises training for their big day which (unknown to all, except later the MC) will lead to their certain deaths. It will be a blissful training montage that will be more of the coach being a dick to the younglings. I hope I caught your attention, dear reader.

Especially* not exspecially lmao

This rule could be broken if you know what you doing

Is the problem with the pacing that it remains the same throughout the story, changes too much throughout the story, or is not overall consistent (like the wavelength picture you showed)? I don't tend to notice pacing issues unless it's EXTREMELY slow or fast for long periods of time, so I was just wondering.

I am a writer and a DND Dungeon Master. I have a homebrew world that i have both written in and ran dnd in for 15 years. I started the world when i was 13 and it shows. Oh my god does it show. The world is so childish and you can tell that as i grew up i tried to 'adultify' the world and make it more interesting. My players have loved it but its time to put her to bed and start a new world. Thats how i ended up on this video. I said all that to say yea... we learn so much from our first world and the stories born of that world.

How about using this trope not for the protagonists, but for the antagonists?

I immediately thought of "supernatural" and a conversation between dean winchester and crowley (and a famous quote from bobby) D: "What is it, huh? Why're you letting mommy dearest tie you into knots?" C: "because we're family. We're blood" *D: "That's not the same thing. A wise man once told me 'Family don't end in blood' but it doesn't start there, either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them. Family's there; through the good, bad, all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts. That's family!"* (D: "That sound like your mother?")

"A fate worse than a fate worse than death? That's pretty bad." - Edmund Blackadder

what an amazing train of thought. it really clicked with me! thank you so much, and i look forward to your future content :)

Will you do a video on the short story/film Also, great information You're a pretty good teacher