On the first point - my mom told me that when we were growing up she would always try to compliment our creative projects by saying "Wow, you worked so hard on that!" instead of "Wow, you're so talented!" to reinforce the idea that she was complimenting our effort and dedication rather than some magical quality we just 'had'. Thank you for sharing!
Studies have backed this up. It's called the 'Locus of Control'. A bunch of kids were given problems to solve. They all solved them because they weren't all that hard. Half the group were told they solved them because they were talented. The other half because they had worked hard. They gave all the kids a new set of problems to solve, this time a bit harder. The kids who believed they were talented underperformed. They basically didn't know how to raise their game other than by trusting in their talent. The 'you're a hard worker' group just knew they had to try harder. My experience growing up is kind of the opposite to yours. I was the talented musician in my family ('in my family' being the important relative term here) so I never really got that far with music. Now, I'm a passionate writer who was never given any potentially harmful encouragement. As a result, I write all the time and discover cool channels like these because I don't believe I'm 'better' than anyone, just 'unique' and dedicated to improving.
Sounds a bit lame. Our parent's praise is about the only we have any reason to expect in life. Why deny your child that. The emphasis should ofc be in encouraging the child. Maybe it's a language thing (I'm from the Netherlands) but my parents would just give an enthusiastic "That's great!" Or "Well done!" Possibly with some pointers, but usually they'd have suggested/discussed ideas for improvements in a fun way during the project. Never did they try to deflect truly qualifying the end result by either going "look at all the time you put into that😅" or by the also not so helpful extreme of implying innate talent. One devalues the end result, the other devalues the effort. Instead they were honest, but encouragingly so. They didn't have to lie to say some crappy kiddie artwork was great. It was great because they weren't comparing it adult work, but to that of my age group and specifically to my own progress.
I don't have five writing friends, and I have written and published (and sold) books. Don't let a youtube guy tell you that your career will be over for some random stuff. If you like it, you'll keep at it. If you keep at it, and keep trying to improve along the way, you will be fine. Fundamentally, the only thing you really, really, really need to listen to here is to be persistent. Keep at it. You only lose when you stop for good.
Discipline. Consistency. Deadlines. Creativity. Reflection. Repeat. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
The writing friends thing is a sticky point for me. I'd definitely like to make some if they wouldn't cancel me for being a conservative. It's truly sad that that's what's happening these days--artists trashing other artists for spite.
Reading bad books it what's made me want to write... Only one small note: don't write for your professors and other writers, but don't write for your readers - write for yourself, write the book you want to read, and think how to find your audience after...
@@ottz2506 Writing is an art and a craft. The craft has rules. The art is knowing when to apply them. You can love and enjoy a bad book, and still know you are not reading a masterpiece. If you read without thinking about the craft, a bad book is when you find it boring, or characters unlikable, or it doesn't really make sense and gets confusing or irritating... If you read that book with an editorial eye, you'll see why that is... oh, they didn't set this up... oh, that's headhopping... omg, stick to a tense! oh, they said the character is smart, but so far they were not able to follow simple instructions - show, don't tell! oh, they didn't think through the implementation of xyz...
May I add an 11th point? 11. Thinking you're stupid. In my case, I often feel that I'm not good enough to be part of a writing community or that mentors would be wasting their time on me. Low confidence can kill your incentive to work hard and learn or accept criticism just as much as thinking you're the smartest person in the room.
The moment I started telling myself that I'm a good writer was the moment I was able to take criticism seriously (with only a small amount of sadness). Because I was being encouraging of myself, I felt like the criticisms were no longer saying "why are you trying, just stop" and instead were saying "you're getting so close to amazing, this is how you can get there!"
Thanks so much for mentioning the 5 vs 10 year plan. I've had a huge struggle with impatience as the years keep ticking by, but I'm glad to hear that 10 years is a reasonable expectation...!!
I am 43 yo, and I am working on this fantasy novel for more than 10 years, and I recently find your channel, and believe me, it helped me a lot... The first and third advices are gems, thanks a lot man.
Reading/writing romance will help me the most since that is my weakness. As an asexual I lack the attraction that normally compels people to act romantically and brings them together, that's why it is so hard. It is like trying to write about an emotion you do not have, nor are able to experience.
One piece of advice my father had told me (and it does apply to most things in life, but he told me it specifically in relation to writing) was: "If you find yourself wanting to just finish your book, then you must stop writing because as soon as you stop enjoying the process, you begin to put in less and less effort and ultimately you lose the passion you once had." As someone who can get impatient very quickly and is easily stressed, it definitely stuck with me and made me more conscious of how I view my work.
The bad books point was a massive thing for me. I would have never started writing had I not read bad stories. It really drove my desire to create something different than what I read.
Emotional release and to be a voice for the silent are the reasons I began writing.i have great ideas to implement but have a hard time with the actual writing portion becuz I'm too critical of work.
"Read a bad book" - this is actually a very good advise. Think about it - it is always easier to complain, right? There are hundreds, maybe thousands of ways to say and point that something sucks and why. When you criticise something, when you notice something is bad, your mind tends to immediately notice WHY it is bad. You analyse what went wrong at the very least. And at best you also think how to make it work. It basically forces you to understand the issue. But there is only comparatively few ways to say that something is great - if stuff works... it just... it just works, no reason to sugarcoat it. It needs little to no further explanation. It already works, there is little further analysis to be done and there is little creative thinking for you left - beyond mindlessly copying the working solution. Good in our minds is kind of like a axiom and a default.
Excellent advice, and your delivery is stellar and engaging. Mistakes? I think I've made all of them. Patience? I'm 75, and don't have time for patience!
Related to thinking you're smart: Don't assume you can only learn from writers who are as good or better than you. Chances are, you will always find some benefit in sharing your work with reasonably like-minded readers who will catch stylistic flops, structural issues, and other key problems in a manuscript. Unless you're far into a career, with published works at your back, even beginner-to-intermediate writers can find issues you will miss.
In some cases, it's much, *much* better to be crafting one's work alone. It forces you to be disciplined, consistent, creative, and only you can hold yourself accountable for deadlines. As for myself, I've hit all eight of my major deadlines over 2021-2024. And the same has been true of my video launches (different deadlines). Absolutely no one else is holding me to these, either. That's just how I roll, baby. 💪😎✌️ #DoTheWork 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
I don't have five friends, much less five writing friends. I sort of have an online mentor. But she's busy writing a five volume series we're waiting for her to finish. And I've been writing since I was 12. At this point, I'm not entirely sure I want more than a handful of readers. But I have two nice reviews on the six volumes that sold ...
I'm lacking the community and mentorship, that's why I'm here watching your video! =) I started writing ~5 years ago and am polishing up my first novel--took a long time to learn how to actually tell a story. I'm almost 40 yo and understand the long game: I write almost every day and need to set those 5-year etc. plans to be sure I come out of it with something to be proud of--but something at all, like a book(s) people can read!!
You are so right about reading bad books! I love reading local amateur writers who self publish. It’s so much fun finding all 10 of the “10 most common mistakes new authors make” one single book! 😂 having said that you can sometimes find an amazing story hidden in there amongst all the clunkiness.
Loved this! For #4, would you consider making a video explaining further the difference between how feedback from other writers is different from feedback from readers?
John, I've recently started watching your TH-cam videos, and I am soooo much enjoying them! Your content is excellent, your passion engaging, and your authenticity refreshing... Keep going! You're an inspiration!!! :)
I am glad I learned to take good constructive criticism when I was younger because when I was in my early twenties, my assistant manager where I worked took me aside and pointed out where I needed to improve. It wasn't until a few months after when I had implemented the changes that he came back and told me I was like a different person in the role and that I was close to being fired for not doing my job properly. If I'd dismissed him and not taken anything he said on board, it would have been a completely different ending for me.
The bad book point always stumped me though since every book is going to be someone’s “bad book”. What a bad book is seems to be subjective so I wouldn’t even know what to do with “read bad books” advice. And if the advice giver gives me some suggestions, all they’re giving me is what they think are bad books. Then there are going to be hundreds of people who would disagree and even more who say that the suggested “good books” by the advice giver are actually the bad books.
@@5Gburn but someone might say 'well this book isn't a bad book to me and doesn't deserve 3 stars' though. I'm trying to see how advice can actually be applied when what is deemed to be a bad book changes depending on the person.
@@nathanisaksson I've read tons of books. Books that have been praised as classics or given prominent awards, which still people have said are "bad books" and some who will say they're good. Books that people claim pushes misinformation and others claim it presents accurate information. It's sometimes amusing when writers themselves give this advice because, to me, it comes across as if they're saying 'read bad books because if you do, then you'll be as good as me, a writer of objectively true "good books"'.
This might be more common for webnovel circles, but one of the greatest pushes I got when I started was joining a creators discord. Interacting and connecting with other writers online was a massive help for me. But also, I have no 'in person' writer friends.
good tips I have a few to work on but I never thought of myself as smart emotions are one of the things i write well internal conflict brought on my life going wrong is at the heart of my middle grade novel
I can see the sense in trying more than one genre, but I genre-hop far too much. I started writing short stories for women's magazines. I live on a small Spanish island and I write in English, so postage was expensive and almost all my submissions were rejected. Then in the 1990s lots of SF webzines appeared. They had their submission guidelines online and you could submit by email. Terrific! So I tried that, and most of my short stories sold, although mostly for just 1-3 c/word. Then the local tourist board encouraged me to write a non-fiction guidebook to the local astronomical observatory (La Palma, the 3rd best in the world) and that sold steadily and has done for 12 years now. Then the tourist board encouraged me to write a middle grade anthology, set on the island. That sells slowly. Then I wrote a thriller set in the observatory. I think it's pretty good -(Death Under Dark Skies) and I'm looking for an agent. Then I got cancer, which interrupted my agent hunt. Now I'm writing a memoir about the cancer. I've paused between drafts to have another go at finding an agent for Death Under Dark Skies, but when the memoir's finished I have lots of ideas for other books. If I do ever get a contract, they're going to want more books similar to the one that sold, aren't they? Btw, I'd appreciate a video on networking for writers who find it hard to travel.
I gonna have to say two things, for me every time I try to make writing friends it turns out to be a toxic personality, they don't like my writing and start to say bad things about me. I saw a lot of writers being narcissist thinking they are better than the other so no it's not a red flag. When you say having a mentor you are also saying have money and this is not something that people commonly have so consider it as a bad advice of your part
What if you are in a writing group with people who are ambitious, ready to learn and even have a good network, but within that group you are one of the two most succsessful yet?
plan ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ : Year 0 ( 2024) ; finish planning + Character developing / arch stuff, ✅start work on the first draft ((doing now)) Year 1 + 2(first ish half) (2025 +2026); finish writing the first draft of my comic script Year 2 (latter half) + 3 (2027 + 2028); Refine the first draft of my comic script and start work on character designs, Hopefully finish the comic script Year 4 + 5 (2029 + 2030) ; Finish character designs, start work on the comic, hopefully finish the first third Year 6 + 7 (2031 + 2032); finish the second third of the comic Year 8 + 9 (2033 + 2034); Finish the full comic. Year 10 (2035); Try to get this abomination published; after come up with a new brainfart of a story, then rinse n repeat !!!
"these 10 mistakes will destroy your writing career." As a writer, I like big words too but to use them in a sentence you should probably know what they mean first. This is probably just your business school showing, because in that field you are doing everything right. point #1 while I do see how knowing that I am smart has made me not work hard in the past, I still know I am and I have found somewhat of a balance between self-love and working hard to achieve my goals that has left me feeling more fulfilled. hindering my ability to take criticism: I do acknowledge that taking criticism is hard, the key is to see the person who is giving it to you as a person (even if they seem less smart than yourself.) And if you need to, step away and come back to the criticism later when you've cooled down and can actually see it for what it is. hindering my drive to read: this plays into the next one so I'll be brief, while I don't read as much as I'd like to the reason isn't because I think I'm too good for it. hindering my ability to learn from others: Part of being a smart person is continuing to learn, there's a really good saying I learned from my dad. "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." There are so many things in the world and you can't be an expert in all of them, but there are experts in even the smallest of sub-genres (to use a writing term) and you can learn from those people. Not to say you can only learn from experts, idiots are some of the best teachers to learn how NOT to do stuff from. With the added bonus of having to figure out how you can do it better, oh look at that very similar to your 5th point. Sorry if this came off as condescending, that might actually be a valid flaw of mine.
1. lol'! Smart? I have a lot to learn and I need all the help I can get. 2. I've cried, laughed, became angry invested in my story. Wait? What am I doing? This is fiction? Right? 3. Writing a book isn't going to make me millions. I'd be happy with dental implants and Lasic eye surgery. 4. I write for everybody and anybody who wants to read. 5. Read bad books? OK, I know not to do that. Still, respect, we're all learning here. 6. Want to be my friend? 7. Thank you for your video mentorship much respect. Want to be? Ah, never mind. 8. I've been called "tenacious". 9. Slow and steady wins the race. 10. Same genre? That's my mistake. 😮 ooops! Thank you for your video. Your name is Brian Fox? I really like your channel! 👍💥
So I'm fucked because I don't personally know a bunch of people who who also write? That's sad. I was hoping all the online information out there would suffice. I prefer to write in English, but I can't go to conventions in Britain or the US, because I live and work in Norway, and my time is limited.
The whole “writing every single day” thing is very… not how everyone’s process is. Some days I research for 6 hours and only make notes. Some days I write SFD of half a chapter in one go. Some days I need to clean and socialize and rest. “Write every day” in a coloquial sense? Sure! Literally? Uh no that’s burn out advice lol (edited for a typo)
Crap, red flag. Writing friends? I don't even have reading friends. Would love a mentor a fellow Perthling would be best. Another problem, I struggle to find the time daily to write but I am working regularly every other day, writing, plotting, editing.
If you lack coin, connections, crews, clout, computer code, control, corporate communities, and opulent opportunities... yup, you definitely won't have "a career", lol. 😂 Granted, none of those things are relevant to proper, professional storytelling and dramatic structure. Those come from training, studying, reading, listening, learning, practice, and decades of experience. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
On the first point - my mom told me that when we were growing up she would always try to compliment our creative projects by saying "Wow, you worked so hard on that!" instead of "Wow, you're so talented!" to reinforce the idea that she was complimenting our effort and dedication rather than some magical quality we just 'had'. Thank you for sharing!
Studies have backed this up. It's called the 'Locus of Control'. A bunch of kids were given problems to solve. They all solved them because they weren't all that hard. Half the group were told they solved them because they were talented. The other half because they had worked hard. They gave all the kids a new set of problems to solve, this time a bit harder. The kids who believed they were talented underperformed. They basically didn't know how to raise their game other than by trusting in their talent. The 'you're a hard worker' group just knew they had to try harder.
My experience growing up is kind of the opposite to yours. I was the talented musician in my family ('in my family' being the important relative term here) so I never really got that far with music. Now, I'm a passionate writer who was never given any potentially harmful encouragement. As a result, I write all the time and discover cool channels like these because I don't believe I'm 'better' than anyone, just 'unique' and dedicated to improving.
Sounds a bit lame. Our parent's praise is about the only we have any reason to expect in life. Why deny your child that.
The emphasis should ofc be in encouraging the child. Maybe it's a language thing (I'm from the Netherlands) but my parents would just give an enthusiastic "That's great!" Or "Well done!" Possibly with some pointers, but usually they'd have suggested/discussed ideas for improvements in a fun way during the project.
Never did they try to deflect truly qualifying the end result by either going "look at all the time you put into that😅" or by the also not so helpful extreme of implying innate talent.
One devalues the end result, the other devalues the effort.
Instead they were honest, but encouragingly so. They didn't have to lie to say some crappy kiddie artwork was great. It was great because they weren't comparing it adult work, but to that of my age group and specifically to my own progress.
Did you find that it had an effect on you, looking back? I’ve heard this advice given to parents, but never heard from kids that were raised this way
I don't have five writing friends, and I have written and published (and sold) books. Don't let a youtube guy tell you that your career will be over for some random stuff. If you like it, you'll keep at it. If you keep at it, and keep trying to improve along the way, you will be fine. Fundamentally, the only thing you really, really, really need to listen to here is to be persistent. Keep at it. You only lose when you stop for good.
Discipline. Consistency. Deadlines. Creativity. Reflection. Repeat.
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
The writing friends thing is a sticky point for me. I'd definitely like to make some if they wouldn't cancel me for being a conservative. It's truly sad that that's what's happening these days--artists trashing other artists for spite.
Reading bad books it what's made me want to write...
Only one small note: don't write for your professors and other writers, but don't write for your readers - write for yourself, write the book you want to read, and think how to find your audience after...
but what is a “bad book”? I’ve seen people refer to some great writers as bad writers who wrote/write bad books.
@@ottz2506 Writing is an art and a craft. The craft has rules. The art is knowing when to apply them.
You can love and enjoy a bad book, and still know you are not reading a masterpiece.
If you read without thinking about the craft, a bad book is when you find it boring, or characters unlikable, or it doesn't really make sense and gets confusing or irritating...
If you read that book with an editorial eye, you'll see why that is... oh, they didn't set this up... oh, that's headhopping... omg, stick to a tense! oh, they said the character is smart, but so far they were not able to follow simple instructions - show, don't tell! oh, they didn't think through the implementation of xyz...
May I add an 11th point?
11. Thinking you're stupid.
In my case, I often feel that I'm not good enough to be part of a writing community or that mentors would be wasting their time on me. Low confidence can kill your incentive to work hard and learn or accept criticism just as much as thinking you're the smartest person in the room.
dam homie
The moment I started telling myself that I'm a good writer was the moment I was able to take criticism seriously (with only a small amount of sadness). Because I was being encouraging of myself, I felt like the criticisms were no longer saying "why are you trying, just stop" and instead were saying "you're getting so close to amazing, this is how you can get there!"
Thanks so much for mentioning the 5 vs 10 year plan. I've had a huge struggle with impatience as the years keep ticking by, but I'm glad to hear that 10 years is a reasonable expectation...!!
I wrote a short story in the Fall of 2015. The novel length version is expected to be published in Fall 2025 😏 it can be done, just do it right!
I am 43 yo, and I am working on this fantasy novel for more than 10 years, and I recently find your channel, and believe me, it helped me a lot... The first and third advices are gems, thanks a lot man.
Reading/writing romance will help me the most since that is my weakness. As an asexual I lack the attraction that normally compels people to act romantically and brings them together, that's why it is so hard.
It is like trying to write about an emotion you do not have, nor are able to experience.
One piece of advice my father had told me (and it does apply to most things in life, but he told me it specifically in relation to writing) was:
"If you find yourself wanting to just finish your book, then you must stop writing because as soon as you stop enjoying the process, you begin to put in less and less effort and ultimately you lose the passion you once had."
As someone who can get impatient very quickly and is easily stressed, it definitely stuck with me and made me more conscious of how I view my work.
The bad books point was a massive thing for me. I would have never started writing had I not read bad stories. It really drove my desire to create something different than what I read.
Emotional release and to be a voice for the silent are the reasons I began writing.i have great ideas to implement but have a hard time with the actual writing portion becuz I'm too critical of work.
I get that. You just then have to remember you aren't writing for acclaim but to express emotion and give voice to the unacknowledged people.
As a British person I cannot understand the concept of "not" repressing emotions. You sound insane to me.
😂😂 Scottish too.
I'm not British, but i get It as well, my parents were harsh
Do you count as a writing friend? Are you our mentor? 😂
"Read a bad book" - this is actually a very good advise.
Think about it - it is always easier to complain, right? There are hundreds, maybe thousands of ways to say and point that something sucks and why.
When you criticise something, when you notice something is bad, your mind tends to immediately notice WHY it is bad. You analyse what went wrong at the very least. And at best you also think how to make it work. It basically forces you to understand the issue.
But there is only comparatively few ways to say that something is great - if stuff works... it just... it just works, no reason to sugarcoat it. It needs little to no further explanation. It already works, there is little further analysis to be done and there is little creative thinking for you left - beyond mindlessly copying the working solution.
Good in our minds is kind of like a axiom and a default.
Excellent advice, and your delivery is stellar and engaging.
Mistakes? I think I've made all of them.
Patience? I'm 75, and don't have time for patience!
Related to thinking you're smart: Don't assume you can only learn from writers who are as good or better than you. Chances are, you will always find some benefit in sharing your work with reasonably like-minded readers who will catch stylistic flops, structural issues, and other key problems in a manuscript. Unless you're far into a career, with published works at your back, even beginner-to-intermediate writers can find issues you will miss.
Great point. Because people are always better readers than they are writers, so you can always learn from an outside perspective.
I don't have any writing friends 🚩
Same here! So hard to find. Let’s buddy up
What do you write?
That's rough, buddy.
I have Discord.
In some cases, it's much, *much* better to be crafting one's work alone. It forces you to be disciplined, consistent, creative, and only you can hold yourself accountable for deadlines.
As for myself, I've hit all eight of my major deadlines over 2021-2024. And the same has been true of my video launches (different deadlines). Absolutely no one else is holding me to these, either. That's just how I roll, baby. 💪😎✌️ #DoTheWork
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
This was aces. Pleeeease make a video on creating a 5-year writing plan? 🙏
I second that. Also how to add 5 hours to my workdays. 😂
Yeah this would be amazing! What does a 5 year plan look like? A 10 year plan?
Excellent advice. Thank you.
Be smart enough to realize you don't know everything, and act accordingly.
"The only true wisdom comes in knowing that you know nothing, So Crates"
"Dude... that's us!"
@@TheDevinMT Party time! Excellent!
@@TheDevinMThad I a senior quote in high school, this would’ve been it.
I don't have five friends, much less five writing friends. I sort of have an online mentor. But she's busy writing a five volume series we're waiting for her to finish. And I've been writing since I was 12. At this point, I'm not entirely sure I want more than a handful of readers. But I have two nice reviews on the six volumes that sold ...
Bro, I don't even have five friends.
😂😂😂 same
I'm lacking the community and mentorship, that's why I'm here watching your video! =)
I started writing ~5 years ago and am polishing up my first novel--took a long time to learn how to actually tell a story. I'm almost 40 yo and understand the long game: I write almost every day and need to set those 5-year etc. plans to be sure I come out of it with something to be proud of--but something at all, like a book(s) people can read!!
Are you me?
You are so right about reading bad books! I love reading local amateur writers who self publish. It’s so much fun finding all 10 of the “10 most common mistakes new authors make” one single book! 😂 having said that you can sometimes find an amazing story hidden in there amongst all the clunkiness.
Loved this! For #4, would you consider making a video explaining further the difference between how feedback from other writers is different from feedback from readers?
...I need a writing group! And to read a bad book!
Me too
John, I've recently started watching your TH-cam videos, and I am soooo much enjoying them! Your content is excellent, your passion engaging, and your authenticity refreshing... Keep going! You're an inspiration!!! :)
You are such a wonderful mentor ❤❤
Your my mentor John Matthew Fox
I am glad I learned to take good constructive criticism when I was younger because when I was in my early twenties, my assistant manager where I worked took me aside and pointed out where I needed to improve. It wasn't until a few months after when I had implemented the changes that he came back and told me I was like a different person in the role and that I was close to being fired for not doing my job properly. If I'd dismissed him and not taken anything he said on board, it would have been a completely different ending for me.
The bad book point always stumped me though since every book is going to be someone’s “bad book”. What a bad book is seems to be subjective so I wouldn’t even know what to do with “read bad books” advice. And if the advice giver gives me some suggestions, all they’re giving me is what they think are bad books. Then there are going to be hundreds of people who would disagree and even more who say that the suggested “good books” by the advice giver are actually the bad books.
You might try books that average 3 stars. There's bound to be some "bad book"-ism in there somewhere.
@@5Gburn but someone might say 'well this book isn't a bad book to me and doesn't deserve 3 stars' though. I'm trying to see how advice can actually be applied when what is deemed to be a bad book changes depending on the person.
@@ottz2506If you read a ton of books-which you absolutely should do-your instincts about what works and what doesn’t will kick in.
@@nathanisaksson I've read tons of books. Books that have been praised as classics or given prominent awards, which still people have said are "bad books" and some who will say they're good. Books that people claim pushes misinformation and others claim it presents accurate information.
It's sometimes amusing when writers themselves give this advice because, to me, it comes across as if they're saying 'read bad books because if you do, then you'll be as good as me, a writer of objectively true "good books"'.
@@ottz2506 All I can say to that is figure out which books you think are bad, then write a good one.
Sharing my work with others, and getting fired from my job
Who the hell has writing friends?
*raises hand*
who the hell has friends?
Writers
This might be more common for webnovel circles, but one of the greatest pushes I got when I started was joining a creators discord. Interacting and connecting with other writers online was a massive help for me.
But also, I have no 'in person' writer friends.
Only the wealthy, influential, popular, powerful ones. The other 99% are on their own.
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Have you read Agincourt from Cornwell? A beautiful bad book
good tips I have a few to work on but I never thought of myself as smart emotions are one of the things i write well internal conflict brought on my life going wrong is at the heart of my middle grade novel
Should you have the write friends or the right friends?
The rite friends.
I can see the sense in trying more than one genre, but I genre-hop far too much. I started writing short stories for women's magazines. I live on a small Spanish island and I write in English, so postage was expensive and almost all my submissions were rejected. Then in the 1990s lots of SF webzines appeared. They had their submission guidelines online and you could submit by email. Terrific! So I tried that, and most of my short stories sold, although mostly for just 1-3 c/word. Then the local tourist board encouraged me to write a non-fiction guidebook to the local astronomical observatory (La Palma, the 3rd best in the world) and that sold steadily and has done for 12 years now. Then the tourist board encouraged me to write a middle grade anthology, set on the island. That sells slowly. Then I wrote a thriller set in the observatory. I think it's pretty good -(Death Under Dark Skies) and I'm looking for an agent. Then I got cancer, which interrupted my agent hunt. Now I'm writing a memoir about the cancer. I've paused between drafts to have another go at finding an agent for Death Under Dark Skies, but when the memoir's finished I have lots of ideas for other books.
If I do ever get a contract, they're going to want more books similar to the one that sold, aren't they?
Btw, I'd appreciate a video on networking for writers who find it hard to travel.
I gonna have to say two things, for me every time I try to make writing friends it turns out to be a toxic personality, they don't like my writing and start to say bad things about me.
I saw a lot of writers being narcissist thinking they are better than the other so no it's not a red flag.
When you say having a mentor you are also saying have money and this is not something that people commonly have so consider it as a bad advice of your part
What if you are in a writing group with people who are ambitious, ready to learn and even have a good network, but within that group you are one of the two most succsessful yet?
plan ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
Year 0 ( 2024) ; finish planning + Character developing / arch stuff, ✅start work on the first draft ((doing now))
Year 1 + 2(first ish half) (2025 +2026); finish writing the first draft of my comic script
Year 2 (latter half) + 3 (2027 + 2028); Refine the first draft of my comic script and start work on character designs, Hopefully finish the comic script
Year 4 + 5 (2029 + 2030) ; Finish character designs, start work on the comic, hopefully finish the first third
Year 6 + 7 (2031 + 2032); finish the second third of the comic
Year 8 + 9 (2033 + 2034); Finish the full comic.
Year 10 (2035); Try to get this abomination published; after come up with a new brainfart of a story, then rinse n repeat !!!
What does a 5 year plan or 10 year plan look like? I'm sure it's not just a list of stuff to write? Like what does it actually contain?
How do you get 5 writing friends?
"these 10 mistakes will destroy your writing career." As a writer, I like big words too but to use them in a sentence you should probably know what they mean first. This is probably just your business school showing, because in that field you are doing everything right.
point #1 while I do see how knowing that I am smart has made me not work hard in the past, I still know I am and I have found somewhat of a balance between self-love and working hard to achieve my goals that has left me feeling more fulfilled.
hindering my ability to take criticism: I do acknowledge that taking criticism is hard, the key is to see the person who is giving it to you as a person (even if they seem less smart than yourself.) And if you need to, step away and come back to the criticism later when you've cooled down and can actually see it for what it is.
hindering my drive to read: this plays into the next one so I'll be brief, while I don't read as much as I'd like to the reason isn't because I think I'm too good for it.
hindering my ability to learn from others: Part of being a smart person is continuing to learn, there's a really good saying I learned from my dad. "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." There are so many things in the world and you can't be an expert in all of them, but there are experts in even the smallest of sub-genres (to use a writing term) and you can learn from those people. Not to say you can only learn from experts, idiots are some of the best teachers to learn how NOT to do stuff from. With the added bonus of having to figure out how you can do it better, oh look at that very similar to your 5th point.
Sorry if this came off as condescending, that might actually be a valid flaw of mine.
Paul Auster died recently. So sad. But which book were you talking about? I really liked 4321.
1. lol'! Smart? I have a lot to learn and I need all the help I can get. 2. I've cried, laughed, became angry invested in my story. Wait? What am I doing? This is fiction? Right? 3. Writing a book isn't going to make me millions. I'd be happy with dental implants and Lasic eye surgery. 4. I write for everybody and anybody who wants to read. 5. Read bad books? OK, I know not to do that. Still, respect, we're all learning here. 6. Want to be my friend? 7. Thank you for your video mentorship much respect. Want to be? Ah, never mind. 8. I've been called "tenacious". 9. Slow and steady wins the race. 10. Same genre? That's my mistake. 😮 ooops! Thank you for your video. Your name is Brian Fox? I really like your channel!
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I respect the lack of outro.
So I'm fucked because I don't personally know a bunch of people who who also write? That's sad. I was hoping all the online information out there would suffice. I prefer to write in English, but I can't go to conventions in Britain or the US, because I live and work in Norway, and my time is limited.
What is the worst Paul Auster book you can recommend?
I really liked the New York Trilogy, but really disliked Sunset Park.
I live in a tiny village in South Africa, so five writing friends not gonna work😂
The whole “writing every single day” thing is very… not how everyone’s process is. Some days I research for 6 hours and only make notes. Some days I write SFD of half a chapter in one go. Some days I need to clean and socialize and rest. “Write every day” in a coloquial sense? Sure! Literally? Uh no that’s burn out advice lol (edited for a typo)
Comment what mistake you've made? I dont make mistakes bucko
Jesus, you are right. I'm gonna abandon my dream. I dont have the time nor the endurance to do it
True thing: readers are smart.
haha i have no friends so i have no writer friends......i will work on that lol
Crap, red flag. Writing friends? I don't even have reading friends. Would love a mentor a fellow Perthling would be best.
Another problem, I struggle to find the time daily to write but I am working regularly every other day, writing, plotting, editing.
1. I am smart, not going to listen further
Any suggestions on bad books to read?
Guy N Smith!
Twilight lol
@bookfox put mistakes list in your video so I can skip to parts of video I find interesting. Not going through 7 minutes. Like your content otherwise.
Anyone wanna be my writing friend? 👀
F your red flag
Right bro nobody told me I'd have to talk to people fuck all that noise
I have no friends. I don't have to be emotional. I don't write for fame. I don't write for others. I love to share my work, but I write for me.
If you lack coin, connections, crews, clout, computer code, control, corporate communities, and opulent opportunities... yup, you definitely won't have "a career", lol. 😂 Granted, none of those things are relevant to proper, professional storytelling and dramatic structure. Those come from training, studying, reading, listening, learning, practice, and decades of experience.
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You talk too fast.
Compared to many other TH-camrs he's a real slow talker.
If you click the Settings on the video, you can slow the playback speed down...!
@@Fyrsiel Thanks!
I love your videos, they are so helpful. Great work