Hi ! I really loved your video ! It was like you were speaking about me. I'm a novelist in Algeria and I worked, and still work, so hard but it worth it. I love what I do, I will die if I don't write or read. Thank you so much, great work
The most difficult stuff today was the "Embrace rejections". Hard! I fully understand its value and I am finally starting to implementing it into my life. The beautiful thing out of it is that now I can jump into something easier than a year ago and although there is fear into my head, there is also a heroic feeling into my heart that sustains me all the time!
funny thing is I traded that book in years ago, I NEVER thought that I would attempt writing a fiction novel, but being out of work and 59 I got the bug, maybe I will buy it again
I remember there were these big thick hardback books Called the writers handbook or something like that, that came out every year like "Writers Handbook 1980". And in it there were articles by writers. Stephen King would almost always have an article in it. I bet by now you could collect them and it would be enough for a book.
Great explanation, Brian. Your enthusiasm is really contagious. Thank you :) I like Stephen King a lot although I haven't read much of his books (horror and terror are not my type of literature) but he also has written non fictional stories, I like mostly the way he tells stories and the interviews he gives and despite his fame and money he keeps being humble and low profile.
Thanks for inspiring me as i logged off Facebook and I am nearly finished writing my first Cabaret theatre play. I was enjoying writing so much this morning that I lost track of time and missed my meeting with my editor!!! oops :)
Reading to learn and familiarize new techniques and styles is important and very tangibly effective, bu t I would absolutely take it further and say 'read what you /want/ to write.' If you want to write masterful literary fiction that will still be read 400 years from now (good luck) then you shouldn't be reading Stephen King or James Patterson. Not one page. But if you want to write pop fic that will sell and be fun for the sake of fun, then you probably aren't going to get nearly as much out of John Updike or Cormac McCarthy. I can't remember where I picked up this idea but I've boiled it down to a neat little mantra - 'You are what you eat, and you write what you read.'
Hi there! Steven King super mind, i've read some of his books when i was 8-9 or something, litttle scary guy! :D Hahah great video Brian, have the best day and keep on the great work you doing! :)
Very interesting topic. As always, hard work beats talent. I believe the greatest problems everyone faces, including myself, are procrastination and fear of rejection. It's so much easier wasting time than doing something productive, and no one will judge us if we fail at doing something meaningless, but it's a *_dangerous_* trap. Currently need some professional assistance getting over this. Or, you know, just getting my fat ass of the computer and actually doing something productive. xD Thanks for the video. Really loved it. P.S.: So, Brian, I'm interested in your written works. Any place we can find them?
BrokenMoonStudios hehhe. All my stuff is here: brianjohnson.me/membership/ You might also like this: th-cam.com/video/1zpL81rcsSY/w-d-xo.html Oh, and my book which we're re-stocking now! www.amazon.com/Philosophers-Notes-Creating-Authentically-Goodness/dp/0983059128
Very interesting comment: "...hard work beats talent". I remember years ago hearing or reading TV's Judge Judy saying that when she was in school (maybe law school or getting training to be a judge, I'm not sure) she wassn't smarter than the other students, "...I just studied harder".
+Mishel Fayad "Jumper cables" are used to "jump start" a car that's battery has died. Imagine putting those cables to your brain and giving yourself a huge jolt! Make more sense!? Optimize is now free! Sign up/tell your friends! www.optimize.me
+Alexander Bayley I have a friend who's a published writer, she told me they don't even read your entire manuscript. They know by the end page if they want to take you one.
encouraging people to be professional writers is like encouraging someone to join the front lines of a war, most likely they wont make it intact, I have the 6th rule for you, Luck, have lots and lots of it or nothing else will matter
The 6th rule applies to any profession. But also, no one is encouraging people to be professional writers. This is video is meant to be viewed by people already interested in writing, Stephen King or PNTV. How is "work your butt off" encouraging? Nah, this video is meant to be an overview of King's book, which is meant to be for people who want to be writers, and not to convince anyone.
I would love to start writing stories, but I haven't even read 70 books in my entire life, let alone per year. I read a lot of articles and information, but I have a very difficult time just sitting down and reading a fiction novel. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm wasting my time reading a story that doesn't exist. After I've spent 2 hours reading, all I can think of is, "I could have spent those 2 hours doing something else. Two hours, gone forever." Anybody else deal with this??
What are the 'articles and information' you're reading? If they're scientific, medical, historical or anything of that ilk that still counts as reading - and may be a clue as to what sort of fictional stuff you want to write (I write sci-fi and alternative reality stuff, so I'm all over science, history and all those 'conspiracy theory' magazines.) And when it comes to reading fiction... well, I read a fiction book every morning at breakfast, for the twenty or so minutes before I have to walk my son to school. It's surprising how many books you can get through just by snatching time in short bursts. As for the writing... what worked for me in the end was to determine exactly how much time I could devote each day to writing and then commit to that time. Get yourself a calendar or a diary and mark the allotted time slots in there - treat them like you'd treat an appointment. And OWN them: show up at the designated time, let everyone else know you are otherwise engaged and that is NON-NEGOTIABLE, do the time and don't quit until your calendar says it's time to punch out (and even then, you don't have to go if you don't want to.) It doesn't matter whether your time slots are 5 hours or 20 minutes long, it doesn't matter if at first you spend the entire time allotment writing only one sentence - what you're aiming to do is create a HABIT, of showing up at the designated time each day to do the work. Once it's a habit it'll become easy - and you'll know it's become a habit when you actually feel a bit lost and weird if you miss a session. Good luck!
Maerahn Thank you for the thoughtful reply! Regarding those "articles and information" you asked about, it's almost always scientific in nature or something to do with a curiosity that I developed about something. For example, I recently got really into understanding how the twin towers fell. Was it conspiracy and bombs, or could they have really fallen due to the damage they sustained from the planes? I spent hours reading construction outlines and articles written by many civil and structural engineers, including a guy who worked on the towers. So, generally, stuff like that. For some reason I get bored with novels, even if I start out extremely fascinated or interested in it at first. Two examples of books I started to read, with great enthusiasm, but never finished was The Hobbit and The daVinci Code. There's many others, but the same usually happens to me. The story gets boring or I get sick of reading 10 pages to get what amounts to as two minutes of real-life action. Sometimes I'm just like, "CUT TO THE DAMNED CHASE ALREADY! WE'VE BEEN WALKING THROUGH THIS FOREST, ADMIRING THE GIANT TREES AND TALKING ELVES FOR 5 PAGES NOW!!!"
I loved reading since I was a child, but about 10 years ago I lost the patience to sit down with a book. Somehow similarly to you, twitching to do something else. Still I wanted to know how the stories end that I didn't have the patience to sit through. So I started listening to audio books. I simply love them. Wherever I go and whatever I do, I can still listen to interesting stories. Maybe you would be better off with books about real live events instead of made up stories or a different genre or a writer that teaches you on certain topics while entertaining you with a plot in the bargain? Anyway reading or having books read to you, which ever one prefers is never a waste of time in my opinion.
It's Me Oh God yes, I felt the same way about Lord of the Rings! (Taught me a lot about the art of skim-reading, for sure.) THIRTY-FOUR PAGES about the evolution of hobbits - and that's before the story even got going! And all those songs (which there was no music for, so it wasn't even like you could've sung along even if you were masochistic enough to want to.) It got to the point where I was thinking, "Legolas mate, I know you're super-awesome and all that, but if you sing one more song about the green green hills and the deep deep forests I'm going to have to punch your pretty pretty face..."
now that self publishing is as prevelant as ever, #1 is just outdated. Also people think if you self publish you can get it picked up by a publisher later on. Wrong. If you self publish and your book does really well that way, a publisher can come along later and offer you more money. nd the best part about it is: You aren't getting on your hands and knees begging publishers, they are coming to you!
+ethanSADTP Yes, and.... Failure still exists in the creative world and learning to put those rejections/failures up on a spike and go get better is always wise! Optimize is now free! Sign up/tell your friends! www.optimize.me
+ethanSADTP Nice speculation, but looking into any book-sales platform (such as amazon) or doing ten minutes of desk research into self-publishing, you will find that less than half a percent of self-publishers ever breaks even, let alone make a living off it. Whether you like it or not, the reading/writing world is still ruled by professional publishers and agents, that have decades of experience in getting your words to people around the globe. So, I urge you to rethink your opinion on this. Cheers.
+ethanSADTP No, it's not: Books need to be printed, and eBooks need to be downloaded from somewhere, and simply having a website with a pay- and download button won't get you sales (and, though cheap, isn't free either). You'll need to do marketing to get as much as one person to view your website or what have you at all, and whether he buys your book after that is a whole different story. This is not my opinion (as I said: look it up. Many professionals have discussed this very issue publicly), so if you want to be stubborn about it, by all means feel free. But regardless of your stance on the matter: self-publishing is hard, and those who actually sell any relevant amount of books do hard, and I mean *hard* work to get people's attention, which costs time and (thus) money. So yes, you are right: in essence it is (as good as) free, but not selling anything doesn't make that a good argument. You want your writing to be seen, and that takes effort -- an effort the traditional publishers have experience in and funds for.
I knew about that book because of this video. This is meant to be an overview of the book. Of course you will learn more from reading the whole book, but who said otherwise?
I read this book. It's incredible and offers insight about the man behind the books.
Valuable advice. I loved "On Writing", it got me started on Stephen King's books.
Hi ! I really loved your video ! It was like you were speaking about me. I'm a novelist in Algeria and I worked, and still work, so hard but it worth it. I love what I do, I will die if I don't write or read. Thank you so much, great work
The most difficult stuff today was the "Embrace rejections". Hard! I fully understand its value and I am finally starting to implementing it into my life. The beautiful thing out of it is that now I can jump into something easier than a year ago and although there is fear into my head, there is also a heroic feeling into my heart that sustains me all the time!
elenafissa Love it! :)
"well a lot of my critics are dead now" ~Stephen King
Love the jumper cables reference ... I know to well about this ...
funny thing is I traded that book in years ago, I NEVER thought that I would attempt writing a fiction novel, but being out of work and 59 I got the bug, maybe I will buy it again
Ed this was written three years ago, but I really hope you bought the book and wrote something great!
I wish you had traded or just go and read it now
Great advice on inspiration and showing up to do the work!
Thanks! -Zak | Team Optimize
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I remember there were these big thick hardback books Called the writers handbook or something like that, that came out every year like "Writers Handbook 1980". And in it there were articles by writers. Stephen King would almost always have an article in it. I bet by now you could collect them and it would be enough for a book.
This helped a lot, especially the jumper cables explanation , appreciate it
6. Time is GOLD. I just saved tens of hours and a few dollars.
Thanks
:) Zak | Team Optimize
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Great explanation, Brian. Your enthusiasm is really contagious. Thank you :)
I like Stephen King a lot although I haven't read much of his books (horror and terror are not my type of literature) but he also has written non fictional stories, I like mostly the way he tells stories and the interviews he gives and despite his fame and money he keeps being humble and low profile.
Eliza Izz Thank you for your kind words, Eliza! And amen to all of the rest. Me, too!! :)
Thanks for inspiring me as i logged off Facebook and I am nearly finished writing my first Cabaret theatre play. I was enjoying writing so much this morning that I lost track of time and missed my meeting with my editor!!! oops :)
Lauren Cukierman AWESOME!! :)
Growth mindset. Brilliant, thank you for sharing Brian.
***** Right on and my pleasure and thanks!
Great stuff - READ and WRITE!!
+beyondcinema Thanks and YES!!
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I appreciate the fervor; not only to pursue knowledge, but to share.
Lyndon Apostol Thank you, Lyndon!
A year ago, I met you at market in Calabasas, hope you're well!
You too! - Zak from team Optimize
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Hey Brian, new to your TH-cam channel, but love what you have to offer. Keep doing your thing!
Claire Myers Thank you, Claire!! I appreciate your kind words and I'm excited to share all that's in store! :)
Reading to learn and familiarize new techniques and styles is important and very tangibly effective, bu t I would absolutely take it further and say 'read what you /want/ to write.' If you want to write masterful literary fiction that will still be read 400 years from now (good luck) then you shouldn't be reading Stephen King or James Patterson. Not one page.
But if you want to write pop fic that will sell and be fun for the sake of fun, then you probably aren't going to get nearly as much out of John Updike or Cormac McCarthy. I can't remember where I picked up this idea but I've boiled it down to a neat little mantra - 'You are what you eat, and you write what you read.'
Nice video and nice book you choose to talk about ... great work!
Excellent summary; still going to read it.
thanks a zillion times for what you are doing ... i love ur videos
Shreeja Mohata Jhawar Thank you, Shreeja!
thank you Brian, this is great... I love your channel!
+Rebecca Moore Thx!!
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Thank you, every point you covered was useful 👏
So nice of you - Zak from team Optimize
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Such inspiration Much Love 💜🎶🌝
Love your channel - I have just got the benefit of 5 books in the space of 30 mins... THANK YOU - I hope one day you can review my book :D
hehe and awesome!!! Thanks for your note, Juliet! :)
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VERY WELL DEMONSTRATED IMPRESSIVE
70 to 80 books a year, and here I am setting my good reads goal to 12.
That was awesome dude....👍
Thanks 👍
Zak | Team Optimize
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Hi there! Steven King super mind, i've read some of his books when i was 8-9 or something, litttle scary guy! :D Hahah great video Brian, have the best day and keep on the great work you doing! :)
Awesome!
Christopher Tobe Okolo :)
Very interesting topic. As always, hard work beats talent.
I believe the greatest problems everyone faces, including myself, are procrastination and fear of rejection.
It's so much easier wasting time than doing something productive, and no one will judge us if we fail at doing something meaningless, but it's a *_dangerous_* trap.
Currently need some professional assistance getting over this. Or, you know, just getting my fat ass of the computer and actually doing something productive. xD
Thanks for the video. Really loved it.
P.S.: So, Brian, I'm interested in your written works. Any place we can find them?
BrokenMoonStudios hehhe. All my stuff is here: brianjohnson.me/membership/
You might also like this: th-cam.com/video/1zpL81rcsSY/w-d-xo.html
Oh, and my book which we're re-stocking now! www.amazon.com/Philosophers-Notes-Creating-Authentically-Goodness/dp/0983059128
Very interesting comment: "...hard work beats talent". I remember years ago hearing or reading TV's Judge Judy saying that when she was in school (maybe law school or getting training to be a judge, I'm not sure) she wassn't smarter than the other students, "...I just studied harder".
~~**Happy Birthday**~~
great stuff
Stephen King sells books, not because of his literary talent, but because of the content. It is why 50 Shades of Grey was so popular as well.
Thanks for sharing!
Lissy Poo My pleasure and thanks, Lissy!
Great reveiw brian! thanx :)
Excellent video Brian! Now how about: On Writing by Ernest Hemingway :)
Łukasz Zielonka Thank you for the kind words and rec, Łukasz! Just got it. Excited to share my favorite Ideas soon. Here's to mastering our crafts!
What does the "mind on jumper cables" mean? Sorry I don't have such an expression in my language!
+Mishel Fayad "Jumper cables" are used to "jump start" a car that's battery has died. Imagine putting those cables to your brain and giving yourself a huge jolt! Make more sense!?
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Wow that sounds painful!
+Mishel Fayad :)
it's starting up your brain when you get writer's block. jumper cables are used to help jump start your car when the battery is dead.
What do you mean by jumper cables?
Do you have podcasts elsewhere besides iTunes? I don't have an Apple. Thanks, Gary
How do I get rejected if I don't finish my book?
+nishantabraham send it in not finished......
+MrJohnnyASee Can you even do that??
Why not??
+Alexander Bayley I have a friend who's a published writer, she told me they don't even read your entire manuscript. They know by the end page if they want to take you one.
great video.. i would suggest to try animations and music which will draw more viewers so that many people can benefit
+Sugeeban Sundar Thanks! That's all in the works for 2016! :)
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+Sugeeban Sundar I really like the school board actually.
I have jumper cables problem a lot I need to throw all my iPhones and iPad they're such a distraction to my reading.
My advice: Do not read a lot to improve your writing. Listen to your own vices and read Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones.
Thanks! Zak | Team Optimize
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encouraging people to be professional writers is like encouraging someone to join the front lines of a war, most likely they wont make it intact, I have the 6th rule for you, Luck, have lots and lots of it or nothing else will matter
The 6th rule applies to any profession. But also, no one is encouraging people to be professional writers. This is video is meant to be viewed by people already interested in writing, Stephen King or PNTV.
How is "work your butt off" encouraging? Nah, this video is meant to be an overview of King's book, which is meant to be for people who want to be writers, and not to convince anyone.
I would love to start writing stories, but I haven't even read 70 books in my entire life, let alone per year. I read a lot of articles and information, but I have a very difficult time just sitting down and reading a fiction novel. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm wasting my time reading a story that doesn't exist. After I've spent 2 hours reading, all I can think of is, "I could have spent those 2 hours doing something else. Two hours, gone forever." Anybody else deal with this??
well. then go and write. maybe you can't sit down and read those stories cause you want to do your own
What are the 'articles and information' you're reading? If they're scientific, medical, historical or anything of that ilk that still counts as reading - and may be a clue as to what sort of fictional stuff you want to write (I write sci-fi and alternative reality stuff, so I'm all over science, history and all those 'conspiracy theory' magazines.) And when it comes to reading fiction... well, I read a fiction book every morning at breakfast, for the twenty or so minutes before I have to walk my son to school. It's surprising how many books you can get through just by snatching time in short bursts.
As for the writing... what worked for me in the end was to determine exactly how much time I could devote each day to writing and then commit to that time. Get yourself a calendar or a diary and mark the allotted time slots in there - treat them like you'd treat an appointment. And OWN them: show up at the designated time, let everyone else know you are otherwise engaged and that is NON-NEGOTIABLE, do the time and don't quit until your calendar says it's time to punch out (and even then, you don't have to go if you don't want to.) It doesn't matter whether your time slots are 5 hours or 20 minutes long, it doesn't matter if at first you spend the entire time allotment writing only one sentence - what you're aiming to do is create a HABIT, of showing up at the designated time each day to do the work. Once it's a habit it'll become easy - and you'll know it's become a habit when you actually feel a bit lost and weird if you miss a session.
Good luck!
Maerahn Thank you for the thoughtful reply!
Regarding those "articles and information" you asked about, it's almost always scientific in nature or something to do with a curiosity that I developed about something. For example, I recently got really into understanding how the twin towers fell. Was it conspiracy and bombs, or could they have really fallen due to the damage they sustained from the planes?
I spent hours reading construction outlines and articles written by many civil and structural engineers, including a guy who worked on the towers.
So, generally, stuff like that. For some reason I get bored with novels, even if I start out extremely fascinated or interested in it at first.
Two examples of books I started to read, with great enthusiasm, but never finished was The Hobbit and The daVinci Code. There's many others, but the same usually happens to me. The story gets boring or I get sick of reading 10 pages to get what amounts to as two minutes of real-life action. Sometimes I'm just like, "CUT TO THE DAMNED CHASE ALREADY! WE'VE BEEN WALKING THROUGH THIS FOREST, ADMIRING THE GIANT TREES AND TALKING ELVES FOR 5 PAGES NOW!!!"
I loved reading since I was a child, but about 10 years ago I lost the patience to sit down with a book. Somehow similarly to you, twitching to do something else. Still I wanted to know how the stories end that I didn't have the patience to sit through. So I started listening to audio books. I simply love them. Wherever I go and whatever I do, I can still listen to interesting stories.
Maybe you would be better off with books about real live events instead of made up stories or a different genre or a writer that teaches you on certain topics while entertaining you with a plot in the bargain?
Anyway reading or having books read to you, which ever one prefers is never a waste of time in my opinion.
It's Me Oh God yes, I felt the same way about Lord of the Rings! (Taught me a lot about the art of skim-reading, for sure.) THIRTY-FOUR PAGES about the evolution of hobbits - and that's before the story even got going! And all those songs (which there was no music for, so it wasn't even like you could've sung along even if you were masochistic enough to want to.) It got to the point where I was thinking, "Legolas mate, I know you're super-awesome and all that, but if you sing one more song about the green green hills and the deep deep forests I'm going to have to punch your pretty pretty face..."
now that self publishing is as prevelant as ever, #1 is just outdated. Also people think if you self publish you can get it picked up by a publisher later on. Wrong. If you self publish and your book does really well that way, a publisher can come along later and offer you more money. nd the best part about it is: You aren't getting on your hands and knees begging publishers, they are coming to you!
+ethanSADTP Yes, and.... Failure still exists in the creative world and learning to put those rejections/failures up on a spike and go get better is always wise!
Optimize is now free! Sign up/tell your friends! www.optimize.me
+ethanSADTP Nice speculation, but looking into any book-sales platform (such as amazon) or doing ten minutes of desk research into self-publishing, you will find that less than half a percent of self-publishers ever breaks even, let alone make a living off it. Whether you like it or not, the reading/writing world is still ruled by professional publishers and agents, that have decades of experience in getting your words to people around the globe.
So, I urge you to rethink your opinion on this. Cheers.
Victor Kyrg breaks even? It's free.
+ethanSADTP No, it's not: Books need to be printed, and eBooks need to be downloaded from somewhere, and simply having a website with a pay- and download button won't get you sales (and, though cheap, isn't free either). You'll need to do marketing to get as much as one person to view your website or what have you at all, and whether he buys your book after that is a whole different story.
This is not my opinion (as I said: look it up. Many professionals have discussed this very issue publicly), so if you want to be stubborn about it, by all means feel free. But regardless of your stance on the matter: self-publishing is hard, and those who actually sell any relevant amount of books do hard, and I mean *hard* work to get people's attention, which costs time and (thus) money.
So yes, you are right: in essence it is (as good as) free, but not selling anything doesn't make that a good argument. You want your writing to be seen, and that takes effort -- an effort the traditional publishers have experience in and funds for.
Victor Kyrg marketing is free, and self publishing is free.
Viewers would be much better off just reading King's book rather than wasting 10 x mins watching this video!
I knew about that book because of this video. This is meant to be an overview of the book. Of course you will learn more from reading the whole book, but who said otherwise?
man-muse? No woman-muse how about one or the other or both.
70 to 80 books a year, and here I am setting my good reads goal to 12.