Hey Guys! This is the last video for Novel Boot Camp. I promise I will be back with more videos, but I have to catch up on my editing work and emails first. I really appreciate your support. Thanks for liking, commenting, and sharing the videos. I had a lot of fun! Let me know what videos you want to see next!
I'm a weirdo and I enjoy editing more than I enjoy writing. I think I'm better at creative problem solving than I am at being creative from scratch. I'll probably write something someday if I have an idea that I'm really bursting to share, but I don't have any immediate plans to write a novel.
Ellen Brock Writing is creative problem solving... And there's no such thing as creating from scratch, really. So there you go! Not to be contradictory just saying =) Don't let false walls close you in
0:31 1. Strengthen & Demonstrate the character arc 1:51 2. Check that the protagonist is filling their role 3:14 3. Make sure the stakes are important 3:53 4. Make sure the character has a goal 4:53 5. Clariy & Demonstrate personality traits
Thank you! These videos have been super helpful, and you've given me so much to work on. I mean, you made my work load bigger, but that can only improve my writing. Just make sure you come back to us, we need you!
Hey, aspiring fantasy writer here and I've been slowly but surely making my way through all of the videos on your channel, and they have been an immense help! This is the best channel for writing advice that I have found, bar none. One subject I would really like to see you cover is advice on how to do multiple protagonists, in the vein of GRRM or Brandon Sanderson for example. I am planning on having six main characters in the novel series I am currently outlining, one for each color of the magic system I have created for the series (which will be thematically important), and I know that if you covered from an experienced editor's perspective what works and what doesn't work when structuring a multi protagonist novel, it would be a huge boon to me and to others who aspire to structure their novels in such a way.
I second this! I also want to know about several protagonists; in my case two protagonists. They have each their own story and a story together; so how would one approach such a constellation? I hope you come back son, Ellen.
Ah, a big fan of multiple protagonists here too. Have you guys seen Aki Kaurismäki´s film from 1985, "Calamari Union"? It is an absurdist comedy with a strong kafkaesque feeling to it (it is the best kafkasque film I ever saw and best film I know about) and it has fifteen main characters, no less! Having multiple protagonists, if done well, enriches the strory and increases the stakes, among other things.
I just turned thirteen, three months ago. I have been writing since November and I finally finished last night with my story. I plan on publishing it and I just wanted to thank you for helping me with the editing process.
"The most Qualified." This is why I follow you, instead of all the "Novelist" out there, who've never actually published anything, but they have this hopefully Novel idea that will make them rich and famous some day, because they're Talented. After all, Mozart wrote an Opera, not an Operetta before he turned 20. Surely so can I, and I don't even have to add a Libretto! You're an Editor. Which means we don't have to rely on Luck, you're the most qualified to say what Publishers are looking for in a Novel, or a great idea (AKA Hook) because they run it bye you first, before they even read the final draft of the manuscript. Not that I'm planning on getting published, I'm a hobbyist. I just want my amateur writing to be better, not make me rich and famous. However, I have to cringe at all the Young Adults skipping college to become a Novelist, because they heard that short stories don't sell. Well, I hate to break it to them, but for every distopian world that has to be saved by teens from the adults that messed it up by trying to control it, there's hundreds of thousands of ideas that never even make it to the editor.
Hello Ellen, Thank you for all you do for the writing and literary world. I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate in Novel Boot Camp this year. It has helped me to become better at the craft of writing. You offer so much information at the click of a button. I look forward to hearing and seeing more from you soon. Thanks a million! Joyce.
Hi Ellen Brock. Since this is your newest video I want to tell you here that I am starting to write as a hobby and your videos are a tremendous aid. Thank you for all your help. I hope to see more of you on YT.
Again, thank you for these intelligent videos, you definitely have a talent to talk in front of the camera and come across as genuine and likeable. Best wishes from Norway:)
I truly can't express how thankful I am for your videos. I found your channel about a week ago, and your insight is powerfully inspiring. I had lost a lot of drive a couple years ago, and I tried to tell myself I just needed a hiatus. One of your videos magically appeared in my suggesteds, and wow. You lit a fire under my behind. Can't wait to get in touch and see if you can edit my work.
Hey Ellen 😍 I can't believe I haven't found your channel before now! I'm an aspiring author and I'm hardcore bingeing on your channel 😂 Once I have the time (in between studies) I'll sit down and take notes from all of your videos. They're incredibly on point, easy to understand, tidy and fun! Your work is amazing. I'm curious, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment in your work as an editor? Will you recommend some of the books you've edited? Do you do all genres or specialize in a few? I can't wait for your next upload ❤ Will you do a Q&A? I have so many questions 😊 Lots of love from Norway 🌼🙏
The information you present is so incredibly useful! I'm trying to watch 1-2 of your vids a day so I can retain everything and don't overload my brain. Thank you so much for doing this and keep up the great work! Much love.
Just finished binge-watching all of your videos and I have to say, you're one of the more professional TH-camrs out there who know their stuff. If you ever have the chance, is it okay if you did a POV on third-person objective and shed some light on it? I know modern day novels want to connect with readers through the character's thoughts, but it would be interesting to learn about nonetheless. Thanks!
Thank you for these videos! It seems, that infinite possibilities is the biggest reason of never really achieving anything. This kind of advice helps to narrow things down, so I don't suffocate in it all.
I'm going to start off by saying that I just binge watched all of your videos and they have been SO helpful. They completely changed my perception of the process of writing a novel for the better, and the information you shared pretty much got rid of my writer's block. After over a year of being stuck, now I'm back on track. I know how to move forward, I understand why I got stuck and how to solved, and it made me see where the problems where with all the scenes I've already written. I think that at this point you deserve a place in my acknowledgements once I'm done with the novel and ready to publish it! Now, I wanted to request a video. One of my POV characters is a 10 year old girl, and I'm having a lot of trouble engaging her in the action and having her be proactive. Through her eyes, I'm able to get the reader to know about the state of politics and society of the space station in which she resides (I'm writing sci-fi). She's the daughter of the emperor, so I get to inform the viewer of what's going on. It's through her also, that I'm conveying parts of the backstory, having her remember traumatic experiences from the past that are relevant to the current state of affairs in a war that's going on. But even though I do have a character arc for her, and I have plans for what she will do in the future to advance the plot, in her first chapter, which is also the first chapter of the book, she's just being carried around by adults and thinking about past events or reflecting on current events. So my question is, how do I approach introducing a child who is mostly carried around by other people without boring the reader? I feel like she does have internal conflicts with what's going on, but she is helpless at first to do anything about it. I don't want her age to cause my first chapter to lack proactive behavior by my characted, as you pointed out as a flaw in your videos. Anyways, thanks again! I hope to see you back soon, I love your videos!
thank you Ellen! I hope you hurry back and make more videos. I like your teaching style and I find the info clear and relevant to my writing in progress. These videos have been very helpful.
I wrote draft #1 of my first novel back in late 2015 and have gotten back to it earlier this year. I've never aspired to be a writer; a confluence of motivations and events converged, providing the push against my back. An _unrelenting_ push. However, my legs were a bit wobbly. Well... _more_ than a bit, actually--furtive steps carrying me deep into an abyss. Only, I wasn't aware of just how lost I was until I tried to look back at my own misplaced steps. Ugly, awful misplaced steps... just hanging there. _Uuuugh..._ they still give me a chill. I flailed into the darkness, reaching out for something... _anything_ that would give form to the shapes of my own mind... searching... searching... until I found you, EB, and Joanna Penn, Jenna Moreci, K. M. Weiland, and so many others. Amid these soothing, literary sirens, _your_ beacon of a voice provided the light I _so_ needed; your early videos were not only instructive, they helped me open my eyes to my own innate abilities, clearing the road ahead. That brilliant, wondrous, and winding literary road. Thank you, EB! I wish you great success and happiness
Oh boy, really hoping for you to return sooner than last time! so much great advice! I would appreciate a video about finding your voice and differenciating voices for different viewpoints in 3rd limited. like what to look for and how to stay consistent while still make the characters pop
This is actually particularly interesting, and something that I think I need to consider before progressing much more in my story, simply because my character has become the antithesis of a lot of your suggestions. She doesn’t have many goals because her goal is essentially “achieved” in the beginning of the book in an unorthodox manner (she wants to graduate, get the hell out of there and start a new life, but this kind of forcibly happens when she’s blamed for an attempted homicide and shipped off to Oregon). Now, her “goal” at this point is essentially knowledge and trying to make everything work from there on, which is less of a goal and more of an open ended motive. Then everything else follows suit. She’s the least efficient at solving her problems because everyone else has had 10+ years of practice over her (short of her inexplicable bursts of power, which eventually she wants to work towards controlling and utilizing, but not for awhile). What seems like her progressing as a character midway and towards the end of the book turns out to be a facade, as the other characters realizes that she’s been replaced and has been at the hands of the enemy for nearly three months. The person’s “progressions” were just a fatal flaw of her getting annoyed with “playing the part” of the protagonist and letting her personality shine through more (as a more progressive and aggressive person). Mind you, much of this was my intention, but now I’m wondering if it’s something that will, as a whole, make a compelling novel...
I just want to say this. Thank you thank you thank you so much for creating this channel!! I personally find your advice extremely helpful, and it helps me to stay motivated with my writing, even when I get stuck. I'm sure others feel the same as well. I honestly cannot express how helpful your videos are and how much I appreciate them. Thank you once again for making them :)
You are a very intelligent young lady. I love your channel. It's so helpful and informative. Please always keeping making the great videos that you do!
Thank you so much for your wonderful content, Ellen! Your videos are the best of their kind and they have been helping me tremendously! Best wishes to you, all the way from the Czech Republic!
Hey Ellen I love your videos! At first I found you hard to listen to you because some of the stuff you said kinda hit in the heart but I realize that it was only because I did a lot of the things you were saying NOT to do. I hope your videos can help me grow as a writer. Thank you so much.
Hey Ellen, could you do a video on how to write a novel with more than one POV character? For example, should we follow your "How to Write a First Chapter" video for each individual character? Or what common mistakes we should avoid? Thanks.
Hi Ellen! Your videos are so helpful. No matter what the topic is, you present the information clearly and thoroughly. I am so thankful I found your channel. It's truly a place of learning. Thanks for making such high quality content(p.s. please give Toby a head pat for me :) he's adorable!) -Carrie
Can you make a video on how to write a crowd scene so it doesn't get boring and distractive, because you try to discribe everyone's looks and reactions? And thank you for your videos. :) They are very practical and helpful. Great job.
Can you do a video on how you used your degree to get into the publishing industry? My profs know a lot of other students in editing jobs, but not many in novel editing jobs. Also how much of your own writing are you able to do on top of a job of that nature?
You're videos are so helpful. Do you have a video on How to Write Character Arcs in a Series? If not, would you consider doing one? I'm assuming that it would be somewhat different...from a stand alone book. Thanks Ellen!
with traits I also try to make the characters try to stop characters from doing the opposite of their traits like a super brave person will try and stop someone from being cowardly a super smart person will try and stop someone from making a dumb decision
In the movie Jupiter Rising, the protagonist is a wet lettuce that doesn't really do anything and could have been replaced with a lamp. The side character though, he's the true main character that does everything but has been shoved to the side. I hate when people do that. It probably happened because they wanted to do a story with a female lead, but didn't know how, and thought that simply giving the flat meh side character more screen time would make her the MC. That didn't work.
You make great videos! I have seen only two so far, but I'm hooked. Please make many more! also... could you make a vido on how to write an anti-hero or villain as a main character? Because I'm trying to do that, and it's really hard. XD
Hi Ellen, I just wanted to say thank you for your videos. You have some of the best advice on TH-cam about all aspects of novel writing. Everything you say makes a lot of sense. Do you have any advice for creating groups of characters, like groups of friends or allies? How can you make them complementary and develop them as a group rather than just as individuals? That would be a video I'd be really interested to see.
Regarding #3, making sure that the stakes are important to the character. I would add that the stakes must be something that is symbolically important to the reader in his personal life. For example, in the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, it wasn't enough that Jason would become king if he captured the golden fleece. From the beginning of the story, it was clear that Jason was the rightful king anyway. Almost every reader has had to struggle to gain something that was rightfully his or hers.
I just discovered your channel, and I want to tell you how much I appreciate your professional attitude and genuine helpfulness. Subscribing with gusto. XD
Thanks Ellen, could you please do a video about point of view? How to detect inconsistencies and fix them. I struggle to write emotion without switching from omniscient to 3rd person restricted.
Question: I've tried my hand at writing in the past, but have put that on the back burner for now. What I really have enjoyed using your videos for is DND campaigns. What changes do I need to think about when writing a story for a group of heroes whom are all equally important?
In "the circle" there is a scene where the protagonist goes to the founder of the circle-organisation and she questions what it does to people, but only for about 5 seconds before he convinces her that the circle is actually amazing. The whole book built up to that moment and it seemed just sooo cheap. Another example is "the joke" by Milan Kundera. He actually tells a really great story and has amazing characters, however there was a female character in the story (the love-interest of the protagonist) who turns out to have been raped several times and all of a sudden I thought she sounds much more profound and interesting. I want to read about her rather than the protagonist... Thanks for the advice!
Hi Ellen. Loving the video's and I hope to see more coming soon. I have a question. In many of your videos you talk about simplifying writing, not using extraneous words, not using words you don't have to, etc. It is common advice from many writers and I totally appreciate it. Stephen King talks about it a lot. But when I read particularly fantasy novels, they have a poetic style that uses more words than are required. For example, in Patrick Rothfuss's 'The Name of the Wind' he writes "...then I made my farewells and took my leave of them." As opposed to writing "...then I made my farewells and left." It has a similar effect to passive vs active voice. My question is - how does one decide when to use more words, and not have it be "bad writing". Is it more or only accepted in some genres?
I want to write a series with two main characters, and one of them not human or even really humanoid (a lizardgirl, bipedal and all but with a head of a lizard and mannerisms). I'm afraid it's going to be hard to attract readers where for the first half of arc the main protagonist isn't a typical human/elf/dwarf or even orc)
Could you do more videos on POV? You say that's one of the biggest areas new writers struggle with and I've only seen one video on it. You said you'd one one on head hopping, did you ever record that one?
My story must be very untraditional, because I can't see how these tips connects with my story at all. (I describe daily life of a family where dramatic things just starts to happen, the story has no clear protagonists (also switching perspective quite often))
My story has three main protagonists, and pretty dramatic things happen to all of them, but in some cases I'm just planting seeds. I sow one character's insecurities, another one's delusions, but i have one character complete a transformation however minor throughout the course of the story, and have the other characters just take a step forward in their transformation.
Thanks so much for these videos! They have been a great help while I'm trying to write my first novel, a fantasy for children age 10 to 14. Can you, some time in the future, give some advice for how to write a good novel for this age group? (especially fantasy and mystery) Is there anything spesific we need to be aware of? Does the story need to be more fast paced, does it need more action? (sorry for my english, I'm scandinavian =p )
I have a protagonist who changes his goal throughout the novel, does anyone have any advice on how to write that in a convincing way? He starts out aiming for one goal, but throughout the plot he starts to push for two goals at once. Eventually he gets the perfect oppertunity to get close to his first goal - but his second goal is even more pressing at this point and he ends up choosing the second (even though the first goal is all he wanted for a big chunk of the book). I'm kind of stumped on how to write that convincingly, especially because the first goal is actually the well-being of a family member.
I have a question regarding framing. Most writers suggest that if a story is set in i.e the far future page one should say that outright. But what if that was a twist and non of the characters know that a society has regressed to medieval ages (following example) so what you could say is a medieval fantasy is in fact sci-fi later when the twist comes out. Is this cheating the reader? How does one handle such a twist in your view.
Why do characters need to change by the end of their arch? Why can't they resist change? If a character refuses to change, is it bad or flawed? Do I have to follow rules? Can't I make something that doesn't resonate with anyone? I guess not, because if it resonates with me, then it might resonate with someone else.
there are stories without character arcs. In these it's not about the character changing or the character changing the world it's just about the world around the character changing.
Hey Ellen, I'm writing a novel which follows many (I feel) equally important characters. I'm feeling like the story jumps around quite a bit. Can you offer some tips on how to 'contain' such a story? Thanks in advance!
So sad this was the last video! I have a question: in close third limited perspective, I'm never quite sure if I should say: "Mike turned around and *saw* Brad coming towards him, swinging a baseball bat." or "Mike turned around. Brad was coming towards him, swinging a baseball bat." The thing here is, does the use of "saw" increase the narrative distance? I have read that you should avoid sense-tags (saw, heard, felt etc.) when you want to have a very close narrative distance, which I do. Thank you!
Where is the emphasis supposed to be? If the point is to show Brad, then all that's needed is *"------ Brad came up from behind him, swinging a baseball bat."* ("Mike turned around" being unnecessary). If the emphasis is on what Mike is doing, then *"Mike turned and saw Brad coming towards him."* (move "swinging a baseball bat" somewhere into the next sentence for the sake of rhythm). BTW I am not a published writer.
It's to show that "Mike turned" has been deleted; I tried typing with the text crossed out but it seems youtube's new layout doesn't allow that anymore.
Can you do a video on how to handle multiple protagonists?
I reckon George R R Martin is the master of that. You have to look no further than A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones) to see that.
Hey Guys! This is the last video for Novel Boot Camp. I promise I will be back with more videos, but I have to catch up on my editing work and emails first. I really appreciate your support. Thanks for liking, commenting, and sharing the videos. I had a lot of fun! Let me know what videos you want to see next!
Ellen Brock
Have you considered writing your own novel?
You have some of the best content on writing out there! I'm definitely going to miss these videos. Please don't be gone to long!
I'm a weirdo and I enjoy editing more than I enjoy writing. I think I'm better at creative problem solving than I am at being creative from scratch. I'll probably write something someday if I have an idea that I'm really bursting to share, but I don't have any immediate plans to write a novel.
Ellen Brock plz can you speak about cotagonists pls
Ellen Brock Writing is creative problem solving... And there's no such thing as creating from scratch, really. So there you go! Not to be contradictory just saying =) Don't let false walls close you in
0:31 1. Strengthen & Demonstrate the character arc
1:51 2. Check that the protagonist is filling their role
3:14 3. Make sure the stakes are important
3:53 4. Make sure the character has a goal
4:53 5. Clariy & Demonstrate personality traits
Thank you! These videos have been super helpful, and you've given me so much to work on. I mean, you made my work load bigger, but that can only improve my writing.
Just make sure you come back to us, we need you!
I hope you continue making videos.
Hey, aspiring fantasy writer here and I've been slowly but surely making my way through all of the videos on your channel, and they have been an immense help! This is the best channel for writing advice that I have found, bar none.
One subject I would really like to see you cover is advice on how to do multiple protagonists, in the vein of GRRM or Brandon Sanderson for example. I am planning on having six main characters in the novel series I am currently outlining, one for each color of the magic system I have created for the series (which will be thematically important), and I know that if you covered from an experienced editor's perspective what works and what doesn't work when structuring a multi protagonist novel, it would be a huge boon to me and to others who aspire to structure their novels in such a way.
I second this!
I also want to know about several protagonists; in my case two protagonists. They have each their own story and a story together; so how would one approach such a constellation?
I hope you come back son, Ellen.
100% agree. The best!
Ah, a big fan of multiple protagonists here too. Have you guys seen Aki Kaurismäki´s film from 1985, "Calamari Union"? It is an absurdist comedy with a strong kafkaesque feeling to it (it is the best kafkasque film I ever saw and best film I know about) and it has fifteen main characters, no less! Having multiple protagonists, if done well, enriches the strory and increases the stakes, among other things.
I just turned thirteen, three months ago. I have been writing since November and I finally finished last night with my story. I plan on publishing it and I just wanted to thank you for helping me with the editing process.
"The most Qualified." This is why I follow you, instead of all the "Novelist" out there, who've never actually published anything, but they have this hopefully Novel idea that will make them rich and famous some day, because they're Talented. After all, Mozart wrote an Opera, not an Operetta before he turned 20. Surely so can I, and I don't even have to add a Libretto!
You're an Editor. Which means we don't have to rely on Luck, you're the most qualified to say what Publishers are looking for in a Novel, or a great idea (AKA Hook) because they run it bye you first, before they even read the final draft of the manuscript. Not that I'm planning on getting published, I'm a hobbyist. I just want my amateur writing to be better, not make me rich and famous. However, I have to cringe at all the Young Adults skipping college to become a Novelist, because they heard that short stories don't sell. Well, I hate to break it to them, but for every distopian world that has to be saved by teens from the adults that messed it up by trying to control it, there's hundreds of thousands of ideas that never even make it to the editor.
Hello Ellen, Thank you for all you do for the writing and literary world. I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate in Novel Boot Camp this year. It has helped me to become better at the craft of writing. You offer so much information at the click of a button. I look forward to hearing and seeing more from you soon. Thanks a million! Joyce.
Hi Ellen Brock. Since this is your newest video I want to tell you here that I am starting to write as a hobby and your videos are a tremendous aid.
Thank you for all your help. I hope to see more of you on YT.
these videos are priceless!! you are so awesome. we all love and appreciate you so much, Ellen! Thank you
Love your vids. They're short, punchy, and to-the-point. Keep up the good work.
Again, thank you for these intelligent videos, you definitely have a talent to talk in front of the camera and come across as genuine and likeable. Best wishes from Norway:)
I love how to the point your videos are
Thank you so much for these videos they are extremely helpful!
I'm working on my 2nd novel, and your videos have given me an epiphanies. You're so young (looking) and yet so wise. Thanks.
You know, you're super cool. I wish you posted more.
Wow you really are making me jump through burning hoops on this one.
I truly can't express how thankful I am for your videos. I found your channel about a week ago, and your insight is powerfully inspiring. I had lost a lot of drive a couple years ago, and I tried to tell myself I just needed a hiatus. One of your videos magically appeared in my suggesteds, and wow. You lit a fire under my behind. Can't wait to get in touch and see if you can edit my work.
I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THESE EDITING VIDEOS feel very fortunate to have access to such great advice. Thank you, all the best! x
Hey Ellen 😍 I can't believe I haven't found your channel before now! I'm an aspiring author and I'm hardcore bingeing on your channel 😂 Once I have the time (in between studies) I'll sit down and take notes from all of your videos. They're incredibly on point, easy to understand, tidy and fun! Your work is amazing. I'm curious, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment in your work as an editor? Will you recommend some of the books you've edited? Do you do all genres or specialize in a few? I can't wait for your next upload ❤ Will you do a Q&A? I have so many questions 😊 Lots of love from Norway 🌼🙏
The information you present is so incredibly useful! I'm trying to watch 1-2 of your vids a day so I can retain everything and don't overload my brain. Thank you so much for doing this and keep up the great work! Much love.
Excellent advice. thank you.
I love how down to earth and specific this advice is! Thanks again, Ellen!
Thanks, Ellen, wonderful job and look forward to your return!
Just finished binge-watching all of your videos and I have to say, you're one of the more professional TH-camrs out there who know their stuff. If you ever have the chance, is it okay if you did a POV on third-person objective and shed some light on it? I know modern day novels want to connect with readers through the character's thoughts, but it would be interesting to learn about nonetheless. Thanks!
Thank you for these videos! It seems, that infinite possibilities is the biggest reason of never really achieving anything. This kind of advice helps to narrow things down, so I don't suffocate in it all.
Thank you, Ellen!
I'm going to start off by saying that I just binge watched all of your videos and they have been SO helpful. They completely changed my perception of the process of writing a novel for the better, and the information you shared pretty much got rid of my writer's block. After over a year of being stuck, now I'm back on track. I know how to move forward, I understand why I got stuck and how to solved, and it made me see where the problems where with all the scenes I've already written. I think that at this point you deserve a place in my acknowledgements once I'm done with the novel and ready to publish it!
Now, I wanted to request a video. One of my POV characters is a 10 year old girl, and I'm having a lot of trouble engaging her in the action and having her be proactive. Through her eyes, I'm able to get the reader to know about the state of politics and society of the space station in which she resides (I'm writing sci-fi). She's the daughter of the emperor, so I get to inform the viewer of what's going on. It's through her also, that I'm conveying parts of the backstory, having her remember traumatic experiences from the past that are relevant to the current state of affairs in a war that's going on. But even though I do have a character arc for her, and I have plans for what she will do in the future to advance the plot, in her first chapter, which is also the first chapter of the book, she's just being carried around by adults and thinking about past events or reflecting on current events.
So my question is, how do I approach introducing a child who is mostly carried around by other people without boring the reader? I feel like she does have internal conflicts with what's going on, but she is helpless at first to do anything about it. I don't want her age to cause my first chapter to lack proactive behavior by my characted, as you pointed out as a flaw in your videos.
Anyways, thanks again! I hope to see you back soon, I love your videos!
I know its irrelevant to content, but your eyecolor with your hair ...fantastic!:-D
Your channel is a thing of beauty. I'm so glad i found it.
Your videos are great. Thanks for taking the time to make these.
thank you Ellen! I hope you hurry back and make more videos. I like your teaching style and I find the info clear and relevant to my writing in progress. These videos have been very helpful.
Really great tips thank you!
I wrote draft #1 of my first novel back in late 2015 and have gotten back to it earlier this year. I've never aspired to be a writer; a confluence of motivations and events converged, providing the push against my back. An _unrelenting_ push. However, my legs were a bit wobbly. Well... _more_ than a bit, actually--furtive steps carrying me deep into an abyss. Only, I wasn't aware of just how lost I was until I tried to look back at my own misplaced steps. Ugly, awful misplaced steps... just hanging there. _Uuuugh..._ they still give me a chill.
I flailed into the darkness, reaching out for something... _anything_ that would give form to the shapes of my own mind... searching... searching... until I found you, EB, and Joanna Penn, Jenna Moreci, K. M. Weiland, and so many others.
Amid these soothing, literary sirens, _your_ beacon of a voice provided the light I _so_ needed; your early videos were not only instructive, they helped me open my eyes to my own innate abilities, clearing the road ahead. That brilliant, wondrous, and winding literary road.
Thank you, EB! I wish you great success and happiness
Oh boy, really hoping for you to return sooner than last time! so much great advice!
I would appreciate a video about finding your voice and differenciating voices for different viewpoints in 3rd limited. like what to look for and how to stay consistent while still make the characters pop
This is actually particularly interesting, and something that I think I need to consider before progressing much more in my story, simply because my character has become the antithesis of a lot of your suggestions. She doesn’t have many goals because her goal is essentially “achieved” in the beginning of the book in an unorthodox manner (she wants to graduate, get the hell out of there and start a new life, but this kind of forcibly happens when she’s blamed for an attempted homicide and shipped off to Oregon). Now, her “goal” at this point is essentially knowledge and trying to make everything work from there on, which is less of a goal and more of an open ended motive.
Then everything else follows suit. She’s the least efficient at solving her problems because everyone else has had 10+ years of practice over her (short of her inexplicable bursts of power, which eventually she wants to work towards controlling and utilizing, but not for awhile). What seems like her progressing as a character midway and towards the end of the book turns out to be a facade, as the other characters realizes that she’s been replaced and has been at the hands of the enemy for nearly three months. The person’s “progressions” were just a fatal flaw of her getting annoyed with “playing the part” of the protagonist and letting her personality shine through more (as a more progressive and aggressive person).
Mind you, much of this was my intention, but now I’m wondering if it’s something that will, as a whole, make a compelling novel...
Thank you for taking the time to make these videos! I've learned so much from them and am looking forward to seeing more in the future :)
I just want to say this. Thank you thank you thank you so much for creating this channel!! I personally find your advice extremely helpful, and it helps me to stay motivated with my writing, even when I get stuck. I'm sure others feel the same as well. I honestly cannot express how helpful your videos are and how much I appreciate them. Thank you once again for making them :)
You are a very intelligent young lady. I love your channel. It's so helpful and informative. Please always keeping making the great videos that you do!
Thanks for helping us :D
Good luck with your work & emails :P
Thank you so much for your wonderful content, Ellen! Your videos are the best of their kind and they have been helping me tremendously! Best wishes to you, all the way from the Czech Republic!
Hey Ellen I love your videos! At first I found you hard to listen to you because some of the stuff you said kinda hit in the heart but I realize that it was only because I did a lot of the things you were saying NOT to do. I hope your videos can help me grow as a writer. Thank you so much.
Thank you for the tips!!
Hey Ellen, could you do a video on how to write a novel with more than one POV character? For example, should we follow your "How to Write a First Chapter" video for each individual character? Or what common mistakes we should avoid?
Thanks.
Thank you so much for this series, Ellen. It started just as I was starting a new project and it has given me so much to think about!
thanks a lot for all your videos.
Hi Ellen! Your videos are so helpful. No matter what the topic is, you present the information clearly and thoroughly. I am so thankful I found your channel. It's truly a place of learning. Thanks for making such high quality content(p.s. please give Toby a head pat for me :) he's adorable!) -Carrie
Thanks for these videos. I look forward to them each year and I have learnt a tremendous amount from them.
Love the work you do, Ellen, thank you!
Thank you for the latest series of videos.
Thanks Ellen
Can you make a video on how to write a crowd scene so it doesn't get boring and distractive, because you try to discribe everyone's looks and reactions? And thank you for your videos. :) They are very practical and helpful. Great job.
Can you do a video on how you used your degree to get into the publishing industry? My profs know a lot of other students in editing jobs, but not many in novel editing jobs. Also how much of your own writing are you able to do on top of a job of that nature?
You're videos are so helpful. Do you have a video on How to Write Character Arcs in a Series? If not, would you consider doing one? I'm assuming that it would be somewhat different...from a stand alone book. Thanks Ellen!
with traits I also try to make the characters try to stop characters from doing the opposite of their traits
like a super brave person will try and stop someone from being cowardly
a super smart person will try and stop someone from making a dumb decision
In the movie Jupiter Rising, the protagonist is a wet lettuce that doesn't really do anything and could have been replaced with a lamp. The side character though, he's the true main character that does everything but has been shoved to the side. I hate when people do that. It probably happened because they wanted to do a story with a female lead, but didn't know how, and thought that simply giving the flat meh side character more screen time would make her the MC. That didn't work.
You make great videos! I have seen only two so far, but I'm hooked. Please make many more! also... could you make a vido on how to write an anti-hero or villain as a main character? Because I'm trying to do that, and it's really hard. XD
I hope you're doing alright and look forward to your return! Great videos!
Hi Ellen, I just wanted to say thank you for your videos. You have some of the best advice on TH-cam about all aspects of novel writing. Everything you say makes a lot of sense. Do you have any advice for creating groups of characters, like groups of friends or allies? How can you make them complementary and develop them as a group rather than just as individuals? That would be a video I'd be really interested to see.
Ellen.
We need more videos.
Please come back!
Regarding #3, making sure that the stakes are important to the character. I would add that the stakes must be something that is symbolically important to the reader in his personal life. For example, in the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, it wasn't enough that Jason would become king if he captured the golden fleece. From the beginning of the story, it was clear that Jason was the rightful king anyway. Almost every reader has had to struggle to gain something that was rightfully his or hers.
Come back Ellen! You;re awesome. Hope things are going well for you.
I'll be back in August with a new series of writing videos! Thanks for your support!
Ellen Brock oh wonderful! Thanks for replying! Your videos helped me so much while building my outline for my first draft!
I just discovered your channel, and I want to tell you how much I appreciate your professional attitude and genuine helpfulness. Subscribing with gusto. XD
Thank you for this!!!!
Thanks Ellen, could you please do a video about point of view? How to detect inconsistencies and fix them. I struggle to write emotion without switching from omniscient to 3rd person restricted.
Can you please post a video about how to decide on a title for your novel?
"Fashion comes back. Just love that Grannie Dress you're wearing!"
Question: I've tried my hand at writing in the past, but have put that on the back burner for now. What I really have enjoyed using your videos for is DND campaigns. What changes do I need to think about when writing a story for a group of heroes whom are all equally important?
Thank you
In "the circle" there is a scene where the protagonist goes to the founder of the circle-organisation and she questions what it does to people, but only for about 5 seconds before he convinces her that the circle is actually amazing. The whole book built up to that moment and it seemed just sooo cheap.
Another example is "the joke" by Milan Kundera. He actually tells a really great story and has amazing characters, however there was a female character in the story (the love-interest of the protagonist) who turns out to have been raped several times and all of a sudden I thought she sounds much more profound and interesting. I want to read about her rather than the protagonist...
Thanks for the advice!
Hi Ellen. Loving the video's and I hope to see more coming soon. I have a question. In many of your videos you talk about simplifying writing, not using extraneous words, not using words you don't have to, etc. It is common advice from many writers and I totally appreciate it. Stephen King talks about it a lot. But when I read particularly fantasy novels, they have a poetic style that uses more words than are required. For example, in Patrick Rothfuss's 'The Name of the Wind' he writes "...then I made my farewells and took my leave of them." As opposed to writing "...then I made my farewells and left." It has a similar effect to passive vs active voice. My question is - how does one decide when to use more words, and not have it be "bad writing". Is it more or only accepted in some genres?
I want to write a series with two main characters, and one of them not human or even really humanoid (a lizardgirl, bipedal and all but with a head of a lizard and mannerisms). I'm afraid it's going to be hard to attract readers where for the first half of arc the main protagonist isn't a typical human/elf/dwarf or even orc)
Are you doing a workshop we can join? Where we get feedback on our own stories? 🤗😄🤓
I hope so 🙏
"That Straight from the Shower Look' Does a lot for my Char4acter, Ellen."
Could you do more videos on POV? You say that's one of the biggest areas new writers struggle with and I've only seen one video on it. You said you'd one one on head hopping, did you ever record that one?
👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you!
Can you give tips on how the character will solve a scene conflict in contest of where they are in the story?
Wait this is the last video? I just subbed O_O
good video.
My story must be very untraditional, because I can't see how these tips connects with my story at all. (I describe daily life of a family where dramatic things just starts to happen, the story has no clear protagonists (also switching perspective quite often))
My story has three main protagonists, and pretty dramatic things happen to all of them, but in some cases I'm just planting seeds. I sow one character's insecurities, another one's delusions, but i have one character complete a transformation however minor throughout the course of the story, and have the other characters just take a step forward in their transformation.
Grammar/Knowledge=Who/What/Where/When=Logic/Understanding=Why=Rhetoric/Wisdom=How.
Thanks so much for these videos! They have been a great help while I'm trying to write my first novel, a fantasy for children age 10 to 14. Can you, some time in the future, give some advice for how to write a good novel for this age group? (especially fantasy and mystery) Is there anything spesific we need to be aware of? Does the story need to be more fast paced, does it need more action? (sorry for my english, I'm scandinavian =p )
I have a protagonist who changes his goal throughout the novel, does anyone have any advice on how to write that in a convincing way?
He starts out aiming for one goal, but throughout the plot he starts to push for two goals at once. Eventually he gets the perfect oppertunity to get close to his first goal - but his second goal is even more pressing at this point and he ends up choosing the second (even though the first goal is all he wanted for a big chunk of the book).
I'm kind of stumped on how to write that convincingly, especially because the first goal is actually the well-being of a family member.
I have a question regarding framing. Most writers suggest that if a story is set in i.e the far future page one should say that outright. But what if that was a twist and non of the characters know that a society has regressed to medieval ages (following example) so what you could say is a medieval fantasy is in fact sci-fi later when the twist comes out. Is this cheating the reader? How does one handle such a twist in your view.
Awesome stuff!! Don't cut your hair, it's beautiful :)
Hello Ellen, I was wondering if you could recommend me some books with great writing tips.
"What would be the 'Diet my Character Ellen would choose for her daily Variety of meals, to look so good?
Why do characters need to change by the end of their arch? Why can't they resist change? If a character refuses to change, is it bad or flawed? Do I have to follow rules? Can't I make something that doesn't resonate with anyone? I guess not, because if it resonates with me, then it might resonate with someone else.
there are stories without character arcs. In these it's not about the character changing or the character changing the world it's just about the world around the character changing.
So I have two main characters. Both have a different path that ends up meeting at the end. So idk how to go about that one.
What about books where the "non-protagonist" steals the show and drives the plot, like in The Great Gatsby?
Ellen! You liking my last comment tells me you keep check of the comment sections. Will you come out with a new video any time soon?
How might one go about things when there is no define MC?
Hey Ellen, I'm writing a novel which follows many (I feel) equally important characters. I'm feeling like the story jumps around quite a bit. Can you offer some tips on how to 'contain' such a story? Thanks in advance!
Have you made a video on theme
Hi Ellen can you please help me write a good supporting chapter for my story's
So sad this was the last video! I have a question: in close third limited perspective, I'm never quite sure if I should say:
"Mike turned around and *saw* Brad coming towards him, swinging a baseball bat."
or
"Mike turned around. Brad was coming towards him, swinging a baseball bat."
The thing here is, does the use of "saw" increase the narrative distance? I have read that you should avoid sense-tags (saw, heard, felt etc.) when you want to have a very close narrative distance, which I do.
Thank you!
Where is the emphasis supposed to be? If the point is to show Brad, then all that's needed is *"------ Brad came up from behind him, swinging a baseball bat."* ("Mike turned around" being unnecessary). If the emphasis is on what Mike is doing, then *"Mike turned and saw Brad coming towards him."* (move "swinging a baseball bat" somewhere into the next sentence for the sake of rhythm). BTW I am not a published writer.
Thanks for the advice! What are the "-------" before "Brad" representing?
It's to show that "Mike turned" has been deleted; I tried typing with the text crossed out but it seems youtube's new layout doesn't allow that anymore.
Ah yeah, didn't get that.
How can I make sure each character get enough attention?
I suppose the character could be trying to PREVENT something