FOUR MAJOR MISTAKES I MADE IN MY NOVEL // Writing mistakes // Amateur Writer Issues
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ม.ค. 2021
- I made some MAJOR mistakes while writing my most recent novel. As an amateur writer, these writer issues are a part of growing & improving. I thought I would share the writing mistakes I made so hopefully we can all avoid these in the future!
I am by no means an expert but I feel like I have a good grasp on what I have done wrong in my writing (at least after I write it lol). I am not discouraged but actually energized and excited to fix these problems and take 1837 forward!
What writing mistakes have you made? How do you approach a draft after you first read it? Have you ever reread a draft and realized it was a disaster?
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The lesson I learned as an aspiring fantasy writer, is that details are very important. Whether in the chatacters or the setting or world-building, there need to be specific details that make them unique.
The book is like a sculpture - the more time you spend with it, the less rough and sloppy it will look.
If there are parts of your novel that read foggy and vague even to yourself, spend time with them to give them a background, a meaning, a soul and shape them up. It's so important that whatever you put in your novel is carefully shaped and has a story of its own, even if it's just a building.
Absolutely! I agree specific details can really make a story! This is great advice :)
I had something similar happen where it just wasn’t working. I ended up taking 9 months off from it and reading a bunch of craft books to try to figure out the best way to fix it and it worked!
Yes! I took about that much time off this one (and read a bunch more blog posts/watched Brandon Sanderson lectures) - I'm feeling quite a bit better about it now!! So glad your novel worked out!!
You're so right about listening to your writer intuition! I've been plugging away at a story for months and was so excited at the beginning that the words were just flying out my brain and onto the page. However, something started to feel a bit off sometime last month and I realised that I was literally writing for the sake of it. I was so afraid of losing that initial enthusiasm that I tried to force my characters into a story that they really didn't belong in. Letting go of an idea is always the hardest part, but I'm hoping to use this experience as a learning curve and not be afraid of my own set-backs.
This is **so close** to the experience I had!! I love how you describe it as "writing for the sake of it." It's awesome that you have such a positive "learning" attitude about it! I think this is a challenge a lot of writers encounter! Learning to LISTEN to the writer's intuition definitely seems to be a journey :)
What you said at the start about it being necessary to write it the way that you did, I think that's a hard truth for a lot of writing. It's easier to build on something that isn't the best, than to create something great on the first attempt I guess.
I hugely respect you critiquing your own writing so that other writers can learn from it, you put some concepts into words here that made it easier for me to apply them to my own writing, thank you :)
I absolutely love writing advice that highlights a larger concept with a specific example, it just makes things so clear to me and you did a great job of that in this video.
I'd imagine (not ever having truly got there myself) that being excited to rewrite a novel and make it better is a great place to be!
Once you've rewritten it, I'd be excited to read it.
Agreed! Isn't there a saying about not being able to edit a blank page?
Thank you so much for the compliments - I'm glad the video came across semi-cogently haha!
And, hey, I will definitely be needing beta readers and would be delighted if you did read it!
@@NicoleWilbur sign me up! The story sounds good and I’d be able to learn something about a period and place I’ve no idea about while I read 😊
The kinds of mistakes you talk about are common, and it’s all part of the normal development of a novel. First drafts are always just the beginning. Keep writing, keep revising. You will get there if you don’t give up.
For sure!! And the revising is great fun!! Thank you :)
My first is a clusterwreck trainf*ck. But I enjoyed making it.
LOL! I feel the same :)
Loved hearing you dissect your book! I'm a discovery writer too, and sometimes it frustrates me the amount of writing I have to do just to find where the story is going. Thanks for going into detail -- so happy I found your channel!
Thank you so much! Lol yes so much writing needed to even start the real writing :)
So cool to hear you kind of dissect your own writing! It can be so hard to see these things at the time but hindsight is everything. I'm interested to see how you move forward and revise 😊
It's definitely hard to see them at the time!! Thank you so much - I'm super excited about it :)
I'm late to the party here. But here's what I've learned. It's surprising what evokes passion in writing. It's sometimes illogical or doesn't make sense in the big picture. A good example is what Nicole mentioned. She wanted to write a historical novel about two girls caught up in a rebellion. Yet, the circumstance and historical placement really didn't work. I have found if I am trying to bend reality too far to fit my narrative, I need to stop and course correct.
It can be heartbreaking. Removal of something you are passionate about might chain-react and destroy the entire premise of your story. I suppose that's a constant battle when writing.
I really love this comment! Honestly, that's exactly what happened with this project - and why I ended up putting it on the shelf - I don't think I had the right characters for the kind of story I wanted to write, even though I loved them! I hope some day I will go back, either to the idea or the characters, or both!
Really helpful to hear about your experience with this. Happy writing! :)
Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective, Nicole! I use the "Save the Cat" approach when drafting my novels-in-verse, and, after I break into each new act, I reread the previous act and make notes about what's not quite aligning in terms of character development and plot. This helps me maintain a sharp editorial eye and troubleshoot for the revision stage, but also prevents me from totally hating the entire draft when I reread it once I'm finished 😅because I've primed myself to already see the mistakes and areas for improvement. Thanks again for this great video! I love hearing other writers talk about their process!
This is so cool because I've just read Save the Cat AND on the second draft, I'm adopting a process very similar to what you described! Thank you for sharing your process with me - really gives ideas into how to improve my own :)
What a great video idea! I identified with you so strongly here - it reminds me of what I'm going through with my fantasy hot mess (potentially having the wrong hero, combining multiple stories...). I'm glad you're still excited about revisiting it, and hope the next draft goes more smoothly!
Thanks Jacqui - I think it's a problem many writers (maybe not just even newer writers) sometimes run into (the wrong hero/too many plotlines thing) but I'm glad I feel like I have an idea of what's going wrong!!
And me too lol!! :)
Such a helpful video.x
You are great--love your openness! It's helpful thinking through what I'm doing while writing.
Aww thank you so much! I find the exact same thing - that when I hear other people talk about their writing, it helps with my own! :)
I'm also a discovery writer. My basic process is to write from scene to scene with a basic idea of the direction of the plot. Hopefully, halfway, I will figure out how it ends. If not, I start to question whether the novel can be written, should be shelved for a while, or dumped altogether and maybe cannibalized for another novel. Throughout the first draft, I review my writing from the previous day before I begin writing. This is to ensure that I am still on track. If there is a problem, it will usually show up as I do my daily evaluation. During the second and third drafts is where I start to add additional information. A scene here or a scene there. Maybe add some foreshadowing. Seems to work for me. To date, there is only one novel that I had to just give up on, but I was able to take parts of it and put them in another novel. So not all was lost.
Really cool to hear about your process! Also - I love that you were able to repurpose bits of your novel, it's sweet how that works out!
The cannibalized bits actually became the novel that the protagonist (of my follow-on novel) was writing. Similar to THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. Novel inside a novel. Other parts were refurbished into scenes and bits of dialogue.@@NicoleWilbur
100k words in a month! Even if it will never see the light of day that's amazing! I totally get the storytelling issues you talk about. That's my major blockage when it comes to discovery writing. I had to gut my one novel I finished and the editing process is taking longer than writing because I'm essentially writing a new book in the framework of the old one! Anywho I think you still have a good story base. Maybe some more time to fully bake? Thanks for sharing and subscribed!
Haha it was more like 100k in 2.5 months. I am doing the exact same thing lol - writing a new book in the framework of the old one!! Thanks so much! :)
Just found this channel and i'm in love
AH! Yay so excited to hear that and to have you here!! :)
Interesting video. Mistakes are what help us develop.
Thanks! I definitely agree with you!
First drafts are meant to be bad! Now you know what to fix in revision 😊
That is super true! I came away with a good idea of how to fix it!! :)
Got some real catharsis from this, thanks
So happy to hear this! You're very welcome! :)
Why do your videos seem to show up on my TH-cam home page just when I need them? ;-) Fortunately, it was way before I wrote 100,000 words. My protagonist has plenty of motivation. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong one. It just seemed wrong as I was writing. Now I need to go back and rewrite his backstory. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Haha I can't take credit for the timing...but I'm glad the algorithm is working for you lol :) It's always good to catch challenges before hitting 100k, right? Good on you for listening to that inner "this seems wrong" voice. Best of luck and thank you for watching!!
I lingering at the stall in my manuscript. I am six chapters in and absolutely hating where it's at. I'm left with no enthusiasm to continue writing because there is so much to rework and it just feels empty. Thank you for this. I simply need to rewrite and grow now that I know what it can be.
So sorry to hear this - that's so frustrating! This blog post: susandennard.com/2013/10/21/how-i-plan-a-book-part-4-coaxing-out-the-magical-cookies/ helped me get excited about writing my story again. Maybe you'll find it useful to? Wishing you good luck & all the best! I've found rewriting and going back to make something I love is a great strategy!
Good video
Thank you ! :)
This is why I have no desire to do any organized, timed/pressured writing of anything. This was just a first draft, not at all a finished novel! You got things down that needed to come in at an earlier point but you didn’t have a system that would help you find them when going through in editing. It’s not a huge failure at all! Your read-through showed that it needed editing. You may have been disappointed to discovered it wasn’t as close to finished as you thought it might be, but give yourself credit for what you did! I think some of the things that concerned you was based on assumptions of how people “should” have been thinking back then, based on what has become normal nowadays. I doubt it would occur to them to consider most of what would have people getting arrested for today. Keep on writing… and editing!
You're so right about a first draft being messy, and that being ok! Historical is tricky...I kept getting caught up in exactly what you're saying, attitudes then vs. now. :)
@@NicoleWilbur I grew up with story telling as the normal entertainment. It is genetic and environmental. It was expected that stories would be told. My mother's dad went to sea on a 4-masted bark when he was 14, 1894. He had stories!
Great video. I feel that I would rather write 100 words in a session and pull away than keep going, knowing my story is going off the rails. But I do both, for sure. You mentioned that you're discovery writing, so it's inevitable that there will be many events that are inconsistent and not foreshadowed. As long as you are identifying these, all is well, as you can go back and fix them. Writing a novel is a messy process for most of us, and that's okay. 😀❤
I've definitely changed my approach to be more what you describe - I can go back and re-edit things as I go to get the best story, I'm less concerned with word count! It IS messy! That is so true! Thank you :)
I wrote an egregious first draft. I made the same mistakes. Write just to get it done. Thats ok. I knew I would need many drafts. I was still enthusiastic about the plot and have not gave up on it. Like you I kept what worked and changed my sub plots etc. Its not a bad thing to accept your faults and admit you made mistakes. Keep at it
Totally agree! Although I didn't like the first draft, I was like you - weirdly not discouraged but enthusiastic to dive in & fix it and make it good!!! Thank you :)
I haven’t finished watching yet. I had to make sure to let you know that there is a huge problem with close captioning. I often turn that on in order to not miss things and this came up in Vietnamese and turning it to English is SO off that it has no correlation whatsoever to what you are saying! It may be a glitch today, but this is horrible! AI rides again! LOL!
Wow - I just tested and that IS awful. I think it said 'days of auld' for when I said 'garbage'! Thank you for flagging. Let me look into it and see if I can fix this !
I would have given one of the girls a compelling reason to overthrow her family. One of my favorite characters was from the video game the Sinking City, where this one guy, Graham Carpenter, was the son of an extremely corrupt, extremely rich, high society mob boss. He had fought in WW1, lost part of his face in battle, and came back wanting to help disabled disadvantaged people like himself. So what did he want to do? Have his father killed so he could take over the family crime business and use the funds to start a bunch of charities. I loved that guy.
Haha very cool idea!! Sounds like an awesome character :)
@@NicoleWilbur of course it's your book and your freedom to write what you want, I just wanted to share that one example of a character where that approach worked haha
@@aboycalledfish yes no worries haha! I know my direction but it's really cool to hear about other approaches that worked!!
my big problem is just not plotting enough. Like I know the big parts, but getting to the big parts is tough
I have trouble with that too! Like I have the signposts - but how do I get to them? I also have trouble sometimes coming up with good details: ie "I know I need my characters need to find some bit of information" but I don't know what that information is !!
Heroes in the independence of US, and México, were not poor people, in fact, heroes like George Washington and all his partners were richer than the middle class, but they are not agreeing with taxes and other political decisions.
And in fact, to say that two rich ladies help a revolution could have sense, only you would need is to adapt those characters in your novel and find a justification. IN MY OPINION, YOUR IDEA IS GOOD.
Oh I completely agree with you that girls in a higher class certainly could help a revolution!! I do think it's a good idea, it's more the execution that I'm not happy with. That being said, with some changes, I could make it work! I just have to decide what direction I want to take the story. Thank you so much for this great insight!
Maybe you are writing about it from the wrong angle, your girls discover a plot about the rebellion and trying to stop it instead? Presumably there's a romance so the boyfriend turns out to be a rebel and your girl dresses up as a man to get him out of trouble and ends up in the rebellion on the wrong side.
Sometimes it is best to throw the book in the fire and start fresh with a clear idea of what you want.
I, too, wrote a novel, even before I finished it I knew it wasn't going to see print but finished it anyway just to see what works and how to start fresh again. I have almost finished the new approach book with just the final battle and the conclusion to do.
I paused it to write a short story about an internet monster I only just discovered called Siren Head. Just a short, simple, to the point short story.
I mean, that may or may not be very close to the plot I've moved towards lol :)
I felt very motivated after making this video to start fresh and I feel a lot better about where I am with the book now! I've written a few drafts of other stories before, which is partially why I think I found this mess so frustrating but it's all part of the journey and it's definitely about learning.
Congratulations on your novel!! That's so exciting to be so close to the end -cheering you on with all the amazing stuff you're writing!
@@NicoleWilbur Not even close to 'finishing' it, once done it is time for second draft/first edit. If I'm lucky, it is just editing, if I'm not, a complete re-write. However, I know a large segment of the first third needs seeing too, but otherwise just editing. I am a slow writer because I only use one hand but think too fast for it, so many sentences needs one or more words to make the sentence complete.
After that, go back and edit it again and again until you are happy with it.
A famous author, I forget who, once said, 'books are never completed, just abandoned'. The trick is to abandon it at that the right moment.
A final thought to all would-be authors, if you are finding writing a book is easy, you are doing something wrong.
Nicole, would you desire to be part of the rebellion yourself? If that doesn’t excite you, dear, how are you going to engage your readers? I’m only at 8-minutes into the video, but when my dad sat on B-52 alerts throughout the 1970s while we were in Upper Michigan, I don’t think he ever really wanted to take off and head over Canada toward the USSR. But he’d sworn an oath the defend his country. If an intercontinental missile with multiple warheads was headed toward our side of the globe he would not have liked leaving us behind to face incineration, but he and the rest of the USAF would have taken of like bats out of hell! Now maybe you’re thinking your two protagonists should be salivating to fight in the rebellion. But I’d wager you most anything, like you said, due to their affluent accommodations, they would want to pass, too. And that’s where you as a writer say, “You know what ladies? Nobody who is devoted to either side wants to do battle in such climates very long!” And that’s where you open the proverbial door of the threshold and strip from them of their fancy clothes, housing, men, land, and shoes and whatever else, and dig deeper to find out what they would do. My suggestion is to throw as much as you may at them and let them find out what they’re made of for themselves. Have you read Kristin Hanna’s The Nightingale? You seem like you’re on a similar path, just 60 years earlier and on a different continent but still with those of French-Canadian bloodlines. Don’t let that uniqueness go for naught. You have a wonderful set up. Let the fight begin!! -Donny
Thank you for this thoughtful comment! I'm definitely not giving up the rebellion plot - I love my setup :) I think a lot of the work I had to do is rooted in what you pointed out here: give them a compelling reason to be involved. And thank you for the recommendation - I actually just bought Nightingale and am now even more excited to read it!
@@NicoleWilbur My program director from The Writer's Path at Southen Methodist University (the program ended two years ago now) still tells me when I check in that "You're on a journey. Learning how to write a novel isn't easy. It is a process loosely based on the Hero's Journey, as it takes the initial call to action, something of a refusal that includes dealing with self-doubt, e.g "How the hell am I going to write a 90,000-word novel?!" A visit with your mentor to encourage you to go and how to forward (Obiwan Kenobi giving Luke his lightsaber is an excellent example.) Crossing that proverbial threshold, and running into Tests, Allies, and Enemies, before you find the right materials, storyline, etc. a time where you have and continually find new resources to get you into the inner-most cave, (A writer's imagination, a place to gather one's deepest thoughts, [My advisor called those who are still writing their debuts or the practice novels before one gets published as divulging "Full-Frontal Nudity of the Soul" in their writings.]) And there is even a Supreme Ordeal--where it feels like the story has knocked you on your butt. When all feels lost, but the knock-out punch lets you awaken with ideas that help you form your plans. (Suzanne called the Reward stage, "The only time when Indiana Jones gets laid.) You take the road back by suiting up with your writing sword and head back into the closed room to take on the story with a fresh and experienced understanding of you, the writing process, and an infusion of energy. You kill some of the demons in your own mind by putting them onto the page. And then you have something of a report to make to other writers, much as I'm doing presently. And then do you know what, Nicole? You're now wiser, more informed, skilled, and better at writing than you were when you first got the concept of your story. I will also say you are a changed person. You can report to others and yourself what you learned about the human condition as it applies to the HJ. Then you start the journey once again and repeat it, fix things, grow more knowledgeable. So take comfort, most every writer is on the same journey. We all begin from different places, a different bedrock of experiences, ideas, and resolve. And it's really a small community of people. All of us, as Fitzgerald wrote at the end of Gatsby, beating on, "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."