I agree that other writers are not your competition. Your competition is to be a better writer today, than you were a year ago. One thing I've learned in my writing journey is the best learning comes from reading good books. I always read a new book twice. The first time for entertainment, and the second time to pick it apart and look for tools that I can put in my writing toolbox. If a part of a book makes you feel something, try to figure out why it made you feel that way, and learn to do that in your stories. Also, never write to the market or to make money. Write the book you want to read most. If other people like it and it makes money, that's just icing on the cake.
Thank you! I've been getting lost in so much advice here on TH-cam and Reddit about what makes a good book, and I've been forgetting the alchemy that is writing a book - and writing it for myself above all else. My reason for writing, my values, and why I feel compelled to write the story that came to me are extremely personal, and I need to follow my intuition on how I can best achieve my aims.
I just clicked from a 14 year old video of yours, to this one. Time travel is real, kinda. Segue. I write to get paid and leid. I love hawaii, although I've never been there. I write to inspire readers with my Temu quality of wisdom. Segue. Let's pretend I hold the Conch representing all of your viewers, ever... On behalf of all of us, thank you for all your videos, insights, and the time you give, so that we may become better human beings. 🙏🖖
I have given up any idea of getting rich from my writing. It's all about sharing my creativity. I am retiring from the day job at the end of the week and will go full time but I can live off of my pension. I need enough sales to pay my expenses and that will satisfy me. I write middle Grade books and I love the thought that they will benefit from my books and enjoy the stories. I have several projects in the pipeline and at present I am working on my third book. The extra time that I will have to write will help in many ways. No more cramming writing into a spare hour but being able to really concentrate on it and create more. It will take some time to adjust to it at first but -With persistence I will prevail.
I've noticed the seasonal rhythms of life seem to echo my own creative muse. Nearly a decade of strife, drama, and worry all but killed my creativity. Some years passed before the vivid dreams returned, rekindling my creative spark. Thank you for sharing.
Inspirational video. Thanks for your honesty. I do have a question and it's quite broad. I do believe a lot of storytelling is innate and instinctual to a point, plus we now a plethora of help, writing courses, blogs and step by step online advice...but the majority of truly great novels, plays and classical music are from times and disparate cultures that had little if none of them. Russian novels, Shakespeare, Goethe I mean the list of cultures and periods are incredible. Without any of it. Yet their character arcs, approach to structure, plot, narrative are the source of learning the creative act. Why is that? No internet, much less travel, more isolated lives...and yet incredible works of art in writing. Just wondered what your thoughts on this are. Thanks!
This is a good question, and a topic I have always found fascinating. Ultimately, I believe the reason so many pre-modern authors, as well as so many "naturally gifted" storytellers in our own time, instinctively write solid stories that can be seen to follow the same foundational arc is that story itself is an archetype that reflects the human experience and is deeply familiar, on an intuitive level, to all of us. Frankly, sometimes all the "rules" can get in the way of that; but often, learning the rules helps us unite our conscious and logical understanding of technique with the deeper truth of the story's natural shape.
I write because I love it. Because it gives me a purpose. No matter how small or big something is, when I see something I wrote in print, I am humbled and I am like, "Who am I to receive this honor." Truth to tell, I am a hedonist when it comes to my writing. It's a hobby. Whether I earn money or not, I got something out there and I can reread it and critique it and learn from it and do better the next time. I have been a published writer for 25 years and I am going to keep on keeping on. I would like to paraphrase my mentor when she talked about being a teacher,. "Being a writer is a lot like boxing. You gotta roll with the punches."
It's so easy to become buried by the mechanics of this craft. Thanks for guiding us up the trail to a higher viewpoint. And I really want to use "the ouchy parts."
So glad to hear you mention the flat arc. The notion that there has to be an arc/transformation is political in itself. We have to know that it’s okay to just be who we are.
As one of your virtual students, each communication teaches me new paths to this praxis. I found this one, with its personal disclosure of the "gap" in your writing due to externalities, to resonate with my own experiences. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you KM. I’m writing the fourth and final book in my collection of novellas which has taken 7 years so far. I honestly believe that true writers are born to do this; called by Spirit. It explans our monumental endurance. My main lesson has been: patience!
Thank you for your excellent insights and suggestions, Katie. I've followed your advice since the beginning, and it's all been a great help to my writing. I look forward to much more. Happy Holidays!
Fantastic video, Katie. I think plot structure is the hardest thing to learn for a writer, so I appreciate you putting this #1 on your lesson plan. Most of the newly published novels I read may have wonderful explorations of theme, precise prose or memorable characters, but story, not so much.
I feel that’s a generalisation. Structure isn’t difficult and writers aren’t generally unintelligent. There are a million novels published a year…you wouldn’t read more than a few hundred a year at best.
"That's where you're wrong - I AM competing with you." 🤣 Wouldn't it be weird if another writer came up and said that? But on the other hand: so many if not most fields are *absolutely* competitive. Is there another beside writing where the participants all but fall over each other to insist it's not a competition?
Psychotherapy is one other profession where there's no competition. Basically, professions where the output is difficult to compare and depends on the beneficiaries' subjective appreciation ( readers, patients)
I agree that other writers are not your competition. Your competition is to be a better writer today, than you were a year ago. One thing I've learned in my writing journey is the best learning comes from reading good books. I always read a new book twice. The first time for entertainment, and the second time to pick it apart and look for tools that I can put in my writing toolbox. If a part of a book makes you feel something, try to figure out why it made you feel that way, and learn to do that in your stories. Also, never write to the market or to make money. Write the book you want to read most. If other people like it and it makes money, that's just icing on the cake.
Thank you! I've been getting lost in so much advice here on TH-cam and Reddit about what makes a good book, and I've been forgetting the alchemy that is writing a book - and writing it for myself above all else. My reason for writing, my values, and why I feel compelled to write the story that came to me are extremely personal, and I need to follow my intuition on how I can best achieve my aims.
I just clicked from a 14 year old video of yours, to this one. Time travel is real, kinda.
Segue.
I write to get paid and leid. I love hawaii, although I've never been there. I write to inspire readers with my Temu quality of wisdom.
Segue.
Let's pretend I hold the Conch representing all of your viewers, ever...
On behalf of all of us, thank you for all your videos, insights, and the time you give, so that we may become better human beings.
🙏🖖
I have given up any idea of getting rich from my writing. It's all about sharing my creativity. I am retiring from the day job at the end of the week and will go full time but I can live off of my pension. I need enough sales to pay my expenses and that will satisfy me. I write middle Grade books and I love the thought that they will benefit from my books and enjoy the stories. I have several projects in the pipeline and at present I am working on my third book. The extra time that I will have to write will help in many ways. No more cramming writing into a spare hour but being able to really concentrate on it and create more. It will take some time to adjust to it at first but -With persistence I will prevail.
So thoughtful and fully realized! Thanks so much! I love your channel.
I've noticed the seasonal rhythms of life seem to echo my own creative muse. Nearly a decade of strife, drama, and worry all but killed my creativity. Some years passed before the vivid dreams returned, rekindling my creative spark.
Thank you for sharing.
Great lessons. Thank you very much. I am startingm my first novel over here in UK.
Inspirational video. Thanks for your honesty. I do have a question and it's quite broad. I do believe a lot of storytelling is innate and instinctual to a point, plus we now a plethora of help, writing courses, blogs and step by step online advice...but the majority of truly great novels, plays and classical music are from times and disparate cultures that had little if none of them. Russian novels, Shakespeare, Goethe I mean the list of cultures and periods are incredible. Without any of it. Yet their character arcs, approach to structure, plot, narrative are the source of learning the creative act. Why is that? No internet, much less travel, more isolated lives...and yet incredible works of art in writing. Just wondered what your thoughts on this are. Thanks!
This is a good question, and a topic I have always found fascinating. Ultimately, I believe the reason so many pre-modern authors, as well as so many "naturally gifted" storytellers in our own time, instinctively write solid stories that can be seen to follow the same foundational arc is that story itself is an archetype that reflects the human experience and is deeply familiar, on an intuitive level, to all of us. Frankly, sometimes all the "rules" can get in the way of that; but often, learning the rules helps us unite our conscious and logical understanding of technique with the deeper truth of the story's natural shape.
I write because I love it. Because it gives me a purpose. No matter how small or big something is, when I see something I wrote in print, I am humbled and I am like, "Who am I to receive this honor." Truth to tell, I am a hedonist when it comes to my writing. It's a hobby. Whether I earn money or not, I got something out there and I can reread it and critique it and learn from it and do better the next time. I have been a published writer for 25 years and I am going to keep on keeping on. I would like to paraphrase my mentor when she talked about being a teacher,. "Being a writer is a lot like boxing. You gotta roll with the punches."
It's so easy to become buried by the mechanics of this craft. Thanks for guiding us up the trail to a higher viewpoint. And I really want to use "the ouchy parts."
This was very valuable, thank you
So glad to hear you mention the flat arc. The notion that there has to be an arc/transformation is political in itself. We have to know that it’s okay to just be who we are.
Great lessons here for all creative/artistic pursuits. Thank you for sharing so openly.
As one of your virtual students, each communication teaches me new paths to this praxis. I found this one, with its personal disclosure of the "gap" in your writing due to externalities, to resonate with my own experiences. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I very much resonate. Appreciate it
Thank you KM. I’m writing the fourth and final book in my collection of novellas which has taken 7 years so far. I honestly believe that true writers are born to do this; called by Spirit.
It explans our monumental endurance. My main lesson has been: patience!
I appreciate all that you give.
Yeah, i always struggle with the ouchy parts :)
Perfect timing to watch this!
It's great to see your books being mentioned by other channels such as Studiobinder.
Great video!
I was greatly inspired by the depth of intuitive consideration infused within this video. Thank you!
Very helpful. I subscribed. Thank you for sharing those points with us.
Thank you for your excellent insights and suggestions, Katie. I've followed your advice since the beginning, and it's all been a great help to my writing. I look forward to much more. Happy Holidays!
Amazing 🙌
Fantastic video, Katie. I think plot structure is the hardest thing to learn for a writer, so I appreciate you putting this #1 on your lesson plan. Most of the newly published novels I read may have wonderful explorations of theme, precise prose or memorable characters, but story, not so much.
I feel that’s a generalisation. Structure isn’t difficult and writers aren’t generally unintelligent.
There are a million novels published a year…you wouldn’t read more than a few hundred a year at best.
"That's where you're wrong - I AM competing with you."
🤣
Wouldn't it be weird if another writer came up and said that?
But on the other hand: so many if not most fields are *absolutely* competitive. Is there another beside writing where the participants all but fall over each other to insist it's not a competition?
Psychotherapy is one other profession where there's no competition. Basically, professions where the output is difficult to compare and depends on the beneficiaries' subjective appreciation ( readers, patients)
Were you on a writer's block journey?
you should consider getting an editor to pare down the ramblings.