@@ty_teynium Which is subsequently a result of how manga is produced. (Assuming anime is adapted from manga) Original anime (or anime based on heavily serialised manga) can sidestep this easily.
@@ty_teynium Anime cracks me up because regular episodes the world is changing drastically but our characters remain the same. Meanwhile the beach episode is about building a sand castle and the characters show more growth than they have in entire arcs
The college degree does have a use: should, despite all effort, the creative endeavors ultimately fail, the college degree allows you to transform into the depressed office clerk. The highest of all Purpose
it's not really the (creative field) college degree itself. it's just the connections that you can make from it that offer the actual value. still not enough to justify the cost (depending on where you live), though. getting rid of that college debt is way harder than making connections without it.
@@crediblesalamander8056to be honest I did find college invaluable to my artistic skills just because I require a trajectory and framework to follow to reach my goals. What I needed to know was probably online the whole time, but I didn't know what I needed to know. However I also graduated college completely free of debt.
I used to be very against episodic storytelling, but this video made me realize that telling stories episodically is more accurate to life. There’s isn’t a true “hero’s journey” in reality, instead just small little stories where we learn something significant, but it doesn’t exactly culminate into anything huge at the end.
This guy is by far my favorite youtuber rn, and my biggest inspiration when it comes to storytelling. The only reason I got into it, is because of this cool ass dude.
Same here honestly, this guy breaks down a story to its fundamentals and forces you to completely rethink your approach. the alien goober is truly an inspiration 😊
I’ve been working on a novel for the past two years, trying and failing to progress it in a way that feels narratively fulfilling, but then I stumbled upon your channel and everything sort of clicked in my mind. I have Autism, and the way you explain plot and themes and the crafting of characters is precise and straight to the point, which really helped me understand my own failings and how to correct them. You have singlehandedly eradicated writers block! Thank you, Local
I really appreciate that, it’s good to hear that I come across clearly. I have OCD and it has also presented challenges in the past - you’ll do great, happy writing 👽
I've got both (+ ADHD) and this comment and response from OP are so wholesome and I'm immediately subscribing even if I'm not an author. But some of it will definitely come in handy for creating characters for future ttrpg games. I've always had a hard time making a fully fleshed out character, especially if I don't know much about the setting because the DM is using one they made, but if I use your purpose/personality framework then it will be easier to figure out how they would respond in different situations and roleplay accordingly. Since TTRPGs are just episodic collaborative group storytelling. Definitely sending to the rest of my group, too!
Have you ever seen the animator Icecreamsandwich? They have the only sponsor segments that i never skip through. Humorous sponsors give an entirely new layer of enjoyment to a video eheheh
I'm someone who absolutely hates the whole "seamless transition inti ads" thing TH-camrs do But I'm somehow now really invested in that characters that you've had for 2 scenes to do your ads... How did that happen...
I feel like there's something deeply profound about saying your show either ends or gets cancelled. I also appreciate how efficient these videos are. Already 7 minutes in and you've covered a typical 20 minute video essay.
Or it's JoJo's Bizzare Adventure baybee. It's like multi-episode arcs in episodic shows, but those arcs are entire seasons, and those seasons have their own multi-episode arcs and also the arcs are sometimes not that serialized. It has the weirdest structure. It is cheating though, like all anthology(ish) shows.
I think one big benefit of episodic storytelling is that you get to have a sense of what the character is like in their average day. You get to see how they handle lower stakes problems and how they handle themselves normally. In a serialized story you’re just seeing some of the most important moments of a character’s life. But there are some sides to a character you can only appreciate if you see them how they are for most of their life. An episodic story lets you figure out “what would it be like if I got to hang out with this character for a day?”
@@ogpandamonium Even if it's just this one thread, it's nice seeing love for my favourite show, when the last few years has been rough in the way of discourse.
@@Futures_End Exactly! I think that the good thing about the show is that even if we might not enjoy certain bits, there's SO MUCH in that world that it's kinda never ending and I think that's neat. :)
You should cover, opposite of this, non-episodic shows. I find it interesting how every episode can have its own story and theme whilst still contributing to the larger plot of the series. Like The Owl House, where every episode is following a story yet they all have their own little episodic-like adventures
Well now i know why my characters were bland despite being proactive and tied to the plot. They had no core view on the world I placed them in, a view or an opinion that was purposefully written. Not a random one. Weird how some of them actually do have it, but some ended up not having one because I never focused on this aspect when I created them. Thank you, you made me gain another insight into writing. It's weird how whenever you put out a video with some advice or a discussion, I always agree and say " Duh! Of course your character needs a core belief and not just a well put together personality" but then I look at my story and scowl "Oh. I didn't actually do it, did I?"
That's all of us, at one point or another, realizing that often, what we want and what we do diverge from one another. I want a story about characters that move forward, but I never challenge that character, just their vessel. I want to challenge a character but I never wrote the story in that direction and expect that it makes perfect sense for the character to change at some integral point in their arc.
literally same, this just lifted up so much stress and honestly has helped me ro rethink future stories and how to handle all my pre-existing characters
I’ve been writing since I could read, and out of all the writing channels I’ve learned from, yours is by far the most insightful, easy to understand, and apply that I’ve EVER come across. I’ve never been happier to be humbled! I'm telling everyone I know about this channel and its wonders. Thanks for making such top-notch content and helping me, along with many others. I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors.
I love this explanation of episodic storytelling and characters, but it got me thinking about Arcane. It's a show that is serialized, and yet was entirely built to show off preexisting characters. It has 2 major themes, and many different characters embodying different parts of each theme. I really want to know what you feel on how arcane fits into this if it does at all. One thing I thought of while writing this is that they did some pretty distinct changes to the preexisting characters to make the story work, which is something you mentioned to do.
Yeah and also accepting that Viktor, for instance, isn’t LOL Viktor yet (never played, just heard that). So just taking your time to justify why a preexisting character is the way they are. Arcane is 100% serialized and created from preexisting characters, which is a staggering accomplishment. Now you got me wishing I talked about it here…
When you consider the brilliance of Arcane, you must always keep in mind that this is the second, crystal-polished version of that story (that we know of). When the author initially pitched it internally and made a test pilot, Riot didn't like it. So he went back and kept working on it against his better judgment, because it was just that important for him to pull it off. I highlight this part because it is really important - your story might end up being kinda bad even if you gave it your best and that's okay. Take some time off, then return to it later, with more experience, more things to say, or perhaps even less to say, but a very clear way to do it.
I think you would LOVE this video by a guy named schnee. It's called 'The SECRET to ARCANE's Depth...' It sounds vaguely like what you're talking about, and it suddenly made finding theme for my characters so easy. If you do give it a watch, please let me know what you thought! Not enough people have seen it
@@localscriptman Arcane is so well written you can talk about it when discussing pretty much any writing topic. And it's well-known enough that everyone can follow along. I wouldn't be surprised if mentioning it at least once in every video becomes a running gag.
Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are episodic shows I love so much , Characters are so well fleshed out and it’s their decisions and actions that keep the show moving
I love Doctor Who for this. The constant filler makes the episodes so much fun, and they do a lot of character development stuff in them. And then the finale plot revolves around that character and the other small details they threw in each episode throughout the season
I’m glad you were forced to make an already existing character work for another thing. I do it all the time but sometimes it trips me up. Also I think I’m addicted to your writing advice videos.
i think all the things you mentioned in this video are the exact reasons why adventure time stands out to me so much as my #1 favorite show of all time, especially beyond a personal level and more on how the show is designed. thank you for uploading this :)
@@localscriptman To my recall, you said you would *clears throat* "rank every episode" of this animated masterpiece...? Simon and Marcy, I remember you, or hall of egress, definitely top 5
I'm an artist who's decent at drawing but a novice at writing, so your videos help me really think about my previous approaches and why I kept most stories as WIPs. Now I'm in the process of learning and applying your advice, thank you!
Always a pleasure to see myself in one of these 😎 Thanks for nurturing my pandemic baby into something 3-dimensional with me. The story and concept took on a new life in those months. I will always credit 208X for reminding me why I love making films.
Love your content, especially the longer bits. Idk if you’ve already touched on it yet, but red herrings would be an interesting topic. How to avoid writing yourself into a corner that specifically needs a red herring to escape, or ways to do it successfully- if any such way exists.
I tend to create my characters in clusters around a specific story and I didn’t exactly have a rhyme or reason behind how I do it, but I’m starting to realize I actually do create them with different perspectives on the theme. I’m just really bad at naming what a theme is. Like I’ve had a story for so long where the theme is loss, and the three main characters are all dealing with different losses but have kind of turned to the same coping mechanism which is what brings them together, but the ways they came to that were different. But for so long I had no idea that was what the story was about, because I write stories something like throwing big globs of clay together and then later molding it down. This video helped me realize that a bit bc I love episodic storytelling but I very rarely create anything that I don’t expect to have a narrative end.
Your focus on the value of hanging out with characters and seeing their reactions to normal things particularly stood out to me, I’ve been imagining one of my own stories as potentially-animated episodic show like Adventure Time and you summarize my feelings about the value of episodic storytelling succinctly.
I would love to be a writer, but for the most part I just watch your videos to get a better understanding of storytelling and characters so I can better critique movies, which is my main hobby. Every video is so informative
i REALLY needed this! im that person who carries like 5 different fictional worlds in my head with like 80 different characters with cool enough designs and personalities but no fleshed out story to live out, so this is a really really good way of explaining things. might actually get out of art/writers block and make the stupid comic already cuz its been in here for centuries. thank you! love your channel!
"Honestly it's just really hard creating a cohesive story from a grab-bag of fully-formed but disparate elements." Since you touched on Doctor Who, the Weeping Angels are a fantastic example of this. They first appear in the story Blink, with their various weird attributes (they can't move while you're looking at them, they feed on "time energy" which involves sending their victims back in time rather than killing them etc) basically tailored to make the plot of Blink work. Now Blink was *phenomenally* popular; it's not an uncommon opinion that it's the show's best ever episode - and remember, we're picking from over 800 episodes here. So inevitably the Weeping Angels were going to come back for more stories. But even in their second-ever story, the Time of Angels, the writers mess with the established lore of the Angels. Now they *don't* send you back in time, they just kill you; and even worse, at one point you can see them move. Basically every subsequent story rewrites the rulebook on what the Angels can and can't do. This is because the Angels were never meant to be a recurring villain; it's just that Blink was so popular the writers couldn't resist. So they end up being shoehorned into a few stories where an original villain might have worked better, before it was figured out that they're best kept for cameo appearances and their extremely specific set of traits means you can't just place them in any old story.
I don't watch many procedurals, but I've recently been watching House M.D. I really appreciate the subtle or at least slow-burn style of storytelling. Because each episode is primarily focused on an external problem, the characters don't usually go through big, dramatic changes. There are character-specific conflicts but they're low-key, and happen between/during work, so we get a really strong baseline for how these people are. But occasionally, we get a deeper glimmer- especially occasional for House himself, who's quite guarded. And it feels extra special for that.
i thought the "art is subjective" bit was interesting. something i heard a very long time ago when i was first starting to draw is that yes, art is subjective. you can make any stylistic choice you want. however, not every stylistic choice is good. it depends on your purpose. say you draw something with very detailed anatomy. sometimes this can make your art look somewhat eerie when used with specific styles of lining, colouring, whatever. it can also just look cool and realistic. if either of these are what you're going for, great. but maybe you're trying to draw something cute. do you want it to look eerie and/or cool at the same time? this is just a really basic example of course, maybe you can make it work, the point is that if you're told something that could improve your workflow and you hit it with "art is subjective" then, well, you're not going to improve your work flow. if you're told something that isn't going to improve how you work because it doesn't fit why you work, then that's fine, you don't need to prove it to anyone. from what i have seen these videos are specifically for people trying to make full stories. that's what i like doing, so these help me a lot. if you like making cool designs and writing random stuff for them because it's fun, you don't have to watch these. you can make whatever you want, for fun or for any other purpose
I stumbled across your channel a couple days ago, and since then I've been sucked in and watched all of your content. I am an English teacher and a writer. One of my classes is Creative Writing. You have completely broken down some of my fundamental understanfings about writing and built them back up again in a totally new way. You've absolutely ruined me. I will never write or teach or think about stories the same way again. It will be so much better now. Thank you, and I hope all is well.
I remember subscribing when this channel had less than 100 subscribers, and now you're on your way to 100k! Well deserved, these are some great writing tips!
Excellent job on the writing of this video, Local. The reincorporation of Kima worked not only as an example of serialized storytelling and the importance of a character's purpose, but your approach also had me wheezing. "He's literally written to not love you." 😆
PLEASE I NEED THIS VIDEO. I have this story I’ve been writing for years and the problem is that it’s not really a story, it’s just a collection of characters that I couldn’t put into a story together. I’ve always read “give your characters purpose” as advice for actually being able to make my characters interact in a meaningful way, but I never understood exactly what that meant. This video really helped me understand what a character’s purpose is and how it can actually give my characters a story. Honestly, I’m glad this video was recommended to me because, I’ve been thinking about this story for years. If I saw this sooner, I probably would have spent less years trying to figure out what this story is about.
"Consider subscribing ironically" is an amazing line. This video was very helpful for giving my story some much needed direction as I reach the tricky middle part. I'm rediscovering a love for writing after many years of putting it aside and I've learned a lot from your content.
Man, I'm not even a writer (at all, I'm a Cinematographer) yet i just can't stop watching your videos. So informative and extremely entertaining, thanks a lot!
I've read literally hundreds of books on writing theory and honestly at a certain point they all seem to be saying the same thing, to the point where I wind up in that dangerous "Well, I guess I've learned all there is to learn" trap. But I've gotten so, so much NEW and fantastic value out of this channel. You have a way of cutting to the heart of what makes a story and an arc function. Eye-opening. You helped me figure out the thing that has been bugging me about my own writing. Thank you.
I had a preexisting character that I really wanted to do something with but couldn't think of anything that really worked. This video completely addressed the problem that I didn't even know I had. Thanks! Also I hope Kima finds love.
It's very hard to overstate how unique, entertaining and useful your channel is. I write mainly for table top roleplaying and your approach helped me come up with one of the most entertaining concepts I've had yet and do all the prep in a couple afternoons. Love it and I hope you keep making stuff here
Just wanna say, you have the perfect voice for in depth explanations that I've heard so far. Soft spoken almost to the point of being asmr, fast enough that a lot of information is being said every minute but also has enough pauses to give breathing room for my brain. Not to mention you dont add any arbitrary information that I dont find interesting or insightful just so you sound smart without actually saying anything of real importance. I can tell you explain things from the heart as much as from the brain.
A thing I did was to reinstate a "beta" version of a character into my world. I first created this character, the antagonist, as a sarcastic, ironic, annoying who knew he was strong and bragged about it. Then I got hyped up by some Doom music and gave him the Doomguy treatment. But after, since I really liked his cocky personality I just put him back in the story as the in-universe beta version of the character that he once was
What am I doing here? I’m a software developer and have no intention of ever writing a screenplay. Why am I so obsessed with this channel?! Binging episodes and taking notes like my life’s work depends on it!
Your videos are VERY helpful. I'm an artist currently working on designing some characters for my portfolio. I had this story idea and have been actively developing them for a few weeks, now (parts of the idea have been floating around passively in my brain for a WHILE). Your videos are VERY helpful and are getting me to think about and focus on the right things. Thinking about the story in a more efficient, airtight way is only going to make my characters stronger. I even cut a number of characters after watching you talk about the functionality and role of characters in your videos. So thanks a bunch, man :)
Your videos always feel so practical. It's like a step by step guide to crafting a story, which I really appreciate. A lot of the material out there is just on things we should keep in mind while writing while not doing much in the way of explaining how to apply it. Thank you so very much for offering your perspective on writing and giving me and others something fresh to try out!
I love your videos so much man, you’re the first person to give writing advice that actively promotes writing. So much of writing advice is only small practices and perfections on the assumption that people know how to tell a story, so to have such a clear method set out is amazingly motivating
Your video helped me realize what I actually want to write is episodic stories. I relate so much to what you said about how it can suck to want to keep exploring your character but not wanting to end their story. Episodic writing is a great solution to that. Thank you for breaking this down. It helps that I’m a huge Adventure Time fan as well.
When I started writing (age 10), I had fantastic ideas, but the characters were bland and one dimensional, but by the time I was 19 I had come up with a story that I really liked and in that one the story was intrinsically tied to the character's personality and goals. I couldn't let go of him and ended up revisiting the old stories I had come up with 9 years prior and making his point the starting point. I think from there I just wanted him in everything, but as I kept writing stories I realized what I had done was create a foil with no main character to foil and it led to me just being forced to really understand what my characters were. So ever since then I've had this idea when I write that no matter how interesting the setting and plot is, if I can't take my characters, stick them in a room and still have an interesting story then I'm not trying hard enough to make them fleshed out.
Ok, so... I'm not gonna lie, I was listening to this on the background while high and that Kima bit scared the crap out of me. Great voice acting, for a second I thought I was hallucinating. 10/10, would shit my pants again.
the first video i watched of yours was the dialogue one and after the kima and Philip segment got cut off with a sponsor i laughed my ass off and subscribed inmediatly, her reapparance had me giggling, really wishing her the best
I am the opposite. I like creating worlds, plots, situations that fall into a central theme. But my characters are so dead. Im told that it's as if things are happening to the character rather than them having the agency to move in the world.
I really appreciate your approach to your content. I do not agree with all of the points that you make, but I'm pretty sure that's the point! The concepts you bring and the way you communicate them actually demonstrate *why* they are worth considering and integrating. The broadness of their application alongside examples and demonstrations really is just fucking perfect. Being able to contemplate what you've said in relation to my projects allows me a perspective with which to criticize my own work and improve it. A lot of writing tips youtube channels feel more like tips for editing your story's draft than actually helping people with the fundamental building blocks of putting a story together. I feel like so many people in the situation the video's about go and watch those and figure that removing weasel words from their prose, or what have you, will mend their ability to write! Your work is actually helpful, and might even be somewhat instrumental in fixing much of the flaws with many an aspiring writer. Oh, sorry, lemmie just... [ *Unweasels your fuckign dictionary* ] -- "Your work is helpful and leads the path to the erradication of shitty books." My partner and I have really enjoyed watching these videos. They've sparked alot of quality conversations about our joint writing project! We'd love to see another very funny and epic video about your process of turning the loose strings of vibes into proper scenes based on the theming of a story. Keep up the good fucking work, dude. Love it!
this was straight facts and well explained, also that might've been the most unexpected and best ad I've seen. I'm so glad you talked about Adventure Time & Doctor Who and how even if serialized the have immense depth and there can be several "climaxes" with the serialized storytelling
I was literally thinking earlier about watching a video of yours in the background while working on a character-theyre so inspiring to me and my writing. Seeing this video felt a little bit fateful then, and I’m proud to be here while you’re still underground; your videos are phenomenal, and I can’t wait to brag about being into you before your blow up. Keep up the amazing work man!
i really can't understate just how logical and real your insights on writing are. it's like you have this huge tangled mess that is "how to write" and you simply unravel it string by string, letting us reconstruct what you have taken apart into whatever suits our goals
This Is so helpful for my half baked TTRPG story im about to the run! I want these people to make characters that they enjoy and build so this is super helpful to helping them understand and work with them.
Your voice is so soothing. When I hear myself speak, I want to barf. Also, this episodic episode was a god send. I totally forgot that that was even an option in storytelling. I have a lot of unfinished projects because I have been trying, and failing, to get a novel done. As for the video idea, characterization and 'dialogue climax'. I don't think these are what they are really called but I've recently switched from writing action to drama. And, what I've noticed is that although drama is more of a slow-burn most of the time, the clashing dialogue between two characters (I'm thinking about better call Saul rn), is usually the highlight of the series. I tried to do it and found out that it was actually way harder than it looked, especially in staying consistent with the established character.
Your videos have always been so concise and well produced, and I especially adore your videos that go over your thoughts on writing. Great video! I get super excited when you upload.
" You have to place this character on a timeline, and no matter where you place them, you're gonna have to be forced to spend whole scenes, maybe even whole acts with a version of this character that you're unfamiliar with." ... dear gods, this hit me SO hard. No wonder my characters never "work" as I envision them... I always knew they needed to change/grow... but never thought about having it backwards... Well - thank you so much for transforming how I view my characters for the better! Also, amazing video! I'm gonna check out more.
This is ironically how I structured my DND campaign. It's a cyberpunk homebrew largely inspired by shows like Batman Beyond and games like Payday and Hotline Miami. I have a loose plot structure where I allow my players to pick from a big handful of Missions at a time which make up their "quests", but there is always a third of them that are character specific and push their individual plotlines forward while also spoonfeeding details about the main plot. It works and keeps people's intrigue. You're constantly either introducing new elements that expand the world and its scope, giving people things to chew on, while things they are familiar with are always looming over the horizon.
what i love about this channel is that vids like these are half the length of others i watch usually yet i spend double the time on them because i frequently pause and then think "how did/could I apply this to my characters/story" and it really engages my brain, they always make me want to start writing right after whether it be on a character sheet, beats, or a script, i thank you for that
On the topic of subjectivity, your example of interpretive dance is perfect to explain its uses but also its pitfalls. As someone who has way to many interests and thusly interacts with and creates as much art as possible, the concept of subjectivity comes up a lot in my life. As an artist subjectivity is a valuable tool to stop caring about what people think. Interpretive dance allows dancers to let loose and practice applying movement to their feelings and to the tone of the piece they're creating. Its a TOOL to allow them to develop that skill and use it in choreography. Its not (or at least in my opinion) its not an excuse to say, "you just didn't get it, you didn't interpret MY art correctly." That's gets into the argument about who art is for the artist or the viewer but I digress. Subjectivity is a valuable tool for artists to let go and have a vision for the art they want to create and create it, as long as you get your point across effectively, it doesn't matter how you got there. That's where the pitfall comes in. Subjectivity can help an artist let go and just create without letting anxiety control them. But today, arguably due to post modernism (once again a subjective and complicated concept), art is sometimes looked at as purely for the artist. You create art because you want to it doesn't matter how its interpreted but that's not really useful. Yes that once again can be a tool but if you're creating art that you intend to be consumed by people you have to think about how they might interpret it, especially within the medium of movies/TV. The movie Hush is a great example of that. Hush is a 2016 horror movie about a young deaf women who ends up alone in her home with a stalker trying to kill her. I saw so many women, especially disabled women saying it was a masterpiece, and so many not disabled men saying it sucked. I watched it and have to say I didn't love it. But I saw amazing potential. I think it failed for so many people because instead of telling the story in a way that allowed anyone, even perfectly abled people and men who don't already have an inherent fear of that to UNDERSTAND how that feels. A better created movie would have told the story and used the medium of horror to CREATE that fear in people who don't already have it. That's the value of movies and especially horror movies. It could be a masterpiece that allows anyone in the world to understand that fear and potentially grow and empathize more for women and disabled people. It was only scary for disabled people and women who already had that fear in them but it failed to share that effectively with most viewers. That's where we come back to subjectivity, so many people argued that the movie just wasn't for men. Art is subjective so you can't judge it because you have no idea what its like. (That is literally an argument I've seen). It wasn't scary because that's not a problem for some people in their world and that's not the movies fault. But it is the movies fault. Subjectivity can help artists loosen up but its not a good defense of art. There's my rant no one asked for, sorry its so long.
You know even though these aren't the "cool" ad breaks that go at the end of the video, and they interrupt the content, each one still makes me laugh without fail Edit: I have now read the credits and yes please continue adding Minecraft footage to your writing advice it makes it 162% better
I've been writing this one story for a while now and always went back and edited it because the main character was just not how I wanted him to be. It took me a long time to let go and realise he would become that character, and I'm proud to say a few weeks back he made it. He's only mid arc but for once he is how I imagined and I can't wait to see where he goes from here
Honestly, people need to stop correlating and conflating the word Plot to Overarching Plotline and Serial; and Episodic to Filler. Its annoying to see an episodic drama to be called filler just because it lacked a plot
I thought about the usage of episodic storytelling for serial story, let it be a TV, comic book series, or a novel and saga (them I consider to myself as a written TV-series). Every episode or chapter is on its own, although there are character arcs going through them, and in separate episode we just stuck with this point of character development. Creating separate episode like it's own story seems really authentic to me
The brief talk about subjective vs objective reminded me of the time I went to an office nurse to get some dieting advice because I wanted to lose weight. She just told me to love myself and that there’s no shame in being fat. That there’s no ideal body shape. I wanted to shake her and say that the reason why I wanted to lose weight was because I love myself and want the best for myself. Anyway, sometimes these feel-good advice is helpful on the surface but not when you go past that 😅. So thanks for these unique and specific insights in writing as they also help in my writing and real life.
I've always had gripes with storytelling in anime. Although there are some that I consider very fruitful like AOT, most seem to doodoo all over the sort of lessons you give and mostly just try to be cool and fun. I'd love to see a video on that if you give a care.
Alot of themes are different in anime because Japanese society is more about fitting into society. This means the themes come about from the void of characters just hanging out with each other. So if the story is about friendships western stories will be about a character that actively fights to keeping his friends and learns a lesson And a Japanese story would be about characters who want to win competition , are forced to hang out with rival Tension rises between them They then realise you can be friends with a rival. This makes the themes to be less on the nose and a lot more hidden
Hmmm, I wonder how you feel about Hollywood's "Instant Prequel, Just Subtract Character Belief" model. Making characters fundamentally unrecognizable by surgically removing their core purpose, motivation, and philosophy in the story and then making me wait one or two movies or seasons to see them be... Themselves. Two examples to contrast. NBC's Hannibal had Dr. Lector meet and "befriend" his dear friends in the FBI, which is fleshing out the backstory to the "funny how i got here" position we meet him in Silence of the Lambs, which is already incarcerated. But his reason to be isn't surgically removed from him. He IS Hannibal Lector, in his prime, twisting everyone else into preztels for his own edification. Even FBI Special Agent Will Graham is himself, and his character arc isn't about gaining his sense of justice but is about gaining his sense of ruthlessness. I compare this to... So many terrible remakes and prequels that think making characters the exact opposite of who we know them to be will somehow endear us as we watch them come to forgone conclusions. "Lets make a TMNT reboot where Splinter is a lazy fat bum in a midlife crisis and after two seasons, he'll become the responsible father and sensei---oh, we were cancelled. No third season to actually see Splinter being Splinter." Let's make a "Young Character" prequel movie where iconic characters act completely different just 5-10 years before we meet them. I'm sorry, but Batman, Magneto, and Ebenezer Scrooge are the only people in history that are allowed to say that one day fundamentally changed their entire personalities. Everyone else can hop right the hell off. 😂
@@localscriptman Would love to see an example of that. XD It's always such a beautiful tragedy to have a character that you realize "Oh, he was always like that, and you all loved and enabled him." Even with Bruce Wayne, I appreciate when writers write about a little boy who already was highly anxious, a bit disconnected from reality. Why say he was "normal" before and then decided and became "abnormal"? If he's capable of making abnormal decisions after his trauma, is it too much to imagine he was also capable before it? 🤔 (I once read about old school male Batman writers who struggled with him because they could get behind the ninja in a bat costume schtick, but saying that he was nine-years-old and crying in a theater like a toddler was "too strange." That's probably when I first realized that there's really no reason to accept a story about a guy hiding from his feelings with rugged individualism and stoicism if you can't concede that probably means without those layers... He's a crybaby.) 🥺🥺
Serial: Now might be a good time to add some filler.
Episodic: That's my secret, Cap. I'm always filler.
Literally every anime ever.
@@ty_teynium Which is subsequently a result of how manga is produced. (Assuming anime is adapted from manga) Original anime (or anime based on heavily serialised manga) can sidestep this easily.
@@ty_teynium There's episodic anime too.
@@ty_teynium Anime cracks me up because regular episodes the world is changing drastically but our characters remain the same. Meanwhile the beach episode is about building a sand castle and the characters show more growth than they have in entire arcs
how did you get the dog in your profile picture to pose that way?
Kima is the type of person who could survive in another planet just by watching foraging classes on skillshare
Who?
@@alex.g7317 Rem
@Alex G - "Kima" is the character from his previous example.
The girl who was being broken up with by the space man "Matthew"
I'm here for it if the Return of Kima happens every so often :)
“And if you’re into that, consider subscribing. And if you’re not into that, consider subscribing _ironically_ “ shit he got me
The college degree does have a use: should, despite all effort, the creative endeavors ultimately fail, the college degree allows you to transform into the depressed office clerk. The highest of all Purpose
You might be onto something
it's not really the (creative field) college degree itself. it's just the connections that you can make from it that offer the actual value. still not enough to justify the cost (depending on where you live), though. getting rid of that college debt is way harder than making connections without it.
@@crediblesalamander8056to be honest I did find college invaluable to my artistic skills just because I require a trajectory and framework to follow to reach my goals. What I needed to know was probably online the whole time, but I didn't know what I needed to know. However I also graduated college completely free of debt.
@@Manticorn Yeah that's understandable, college is absolutely worth it if you can leave without any debt.
@@Manticorn how free of debt
I used to be very against episodic storytelling, but this video made me realize that telling stories episodically is more accurate to life. There’s isn’t a true “hero’s journey” in reality, instead just small little stories where we learn something significant, but it doesn’t exactly culminate into anything huge at the end.
I would call the hero's journey a hero's cycle
This guy is by far my favorite youtuber rn, and my biggest inspiration when it comes to storytelling. The only reason I got into it, is because of this cool ass dude.
Thanks dawg that means a lot 👽
Same here honestly, this guy breaks down a story to its fundamentals and forces you to completely rethink your approach. the alien goober is truly an inspiration 😊
same
SAME! he made me download scenarist, and i don't even wanna be a screenwriter! just make better stories for my shorts
@@localscriptmanbogos binted
"There are two kinds of shows,
The kind that end, and the kind that get canceled."
such an apt metaphor for life.
This is true. 😢
>local releases video
>it solves a writing problem i didn't even realize i had
>again
best channel out there, keep up the amazing content
I’ve been working on a novel for the past two years, trying and failing to progress it in a way that feels narratively fulfilling, but then I stumbled upon your channel and everything sort of clicked in my mind. I have Autism, and the way you explain plot and themes and the crafting of characters is precise and straight to the point, which really helped me understand my own failings and how to correct them. You have singlehandedly eradicated writers block!
Thank you, Local
I really appreciate that, it’s good to hear that I come across clearly. I have OCD and it has also presented challenges in the past - you’ll do great, happy writing 👽
Keep going 👍
I've got both (+ ADHD) and this comment and response from OP are so wholesome and I'm immediately subscribing even if I'm not an author.
But some of it will definitely come in handy for creating characters for future ttrpg games. I've always had a hard time making a fully fleshed out character, especially if I don't know much about the setting because the DM is using one they made, but if I use your purpose/personality framework then it will be easier to figure out how they would respond in different situations and roleplay accordingly. Since TTRPGs are just episodic collaborative group storytelling. Definitely sending to the rest of my group, too!
TL;DR
I'm also neurodivergent and look forward to using this video to get better at collaborative group storytelling in the form of TTRPGs/DnD
Your transitions into sponsorships are the literal best i have ever watched.
Have you ever seen the animator Icecreamsandwich? They have the only sponsor segments that i never skip through. Humorous sponsors give an entirely new layer of enjoyment to a video eheheh
Evan and Katelyn also make very entertaining sponsorship segments! Though Local has managed to take me off guard two times now 😂
Yeah, one of the best
I never thought that I would start to get invested in the evolving story arc of a TH-camr's sponsorship segment segues
Internet Historian too
I'm someone who absolutely hates the whole "seamless transition inti ads" thing TH-camrs do
But I'm somehow now really invested in that characters that you've had for 2 scenes to do your ads... How did that happen...
Good writing does that 🎉🎉
I feel like there's something deeply profound about saying your show either ends or gets cancelled. I also appreciate how efficient these videos are. Already 7 minutes in and you've covered a typical 20 minute video essay.
And then there´s The Simpsons
@@Thetarget1 Is that good or bad?
Or it's JoJo's Bizzare Adventure baybee. It's like multi-episode arcs in episodic shows, but those arcs are entire seasons, and those seasons have their own multi-episode arcs and also the arcs are sometimes not that serialized. It has the weirdest structure. It is cheating though, like all anthology(ish) shows.
@@crediblesalamander8056 jjba will end or get cancelled. one piece will end or get cancelled. they just haven't yet.
I think one big benefit of episodic storytelling is that you get to have a sense of what the character is like in their average day. You get to see how they handle lower stakes problems and how they handle themselves normally. In a serialized story you’re just seeing some of the most important moments of a character’s life.
But there are some sides to a character you can only appreciate if you see them how they are for most of their life. An episodic story lets you figure out “what would it be like if I got to hang out with this character for a day?”
Doctor who is actually one of my favourite shows and I’m so glad that you touched on it during this video
It touched on me first ❤️
Hopefully it was consensual both times
My favourite show ever
@@ogpandamonium Even if it's just this one thread, it's nice seeing love for my favourite show, when the last few years has been rough in the way of discourse.
@@Futures_End Exactly! I think that the good thing about the show is that even if we might not enjoy certain bits, there's SO MUCH in that world that it's kinda never ending and I think that's neat. :)
You should cover, opposite of this, non-episodic shows. I find it interesting how every episode can have its own story and theme whilst still contributing to the larger plot of the series. Like The Owl House, where every episode is following a story yet they all have their own little episodic-like adventures
Or Avatar
Okay, that Kima callback actually drew me in hard, and what a good time to put the ad in. Masterful. Bravo!
Well now i know why my characters were bland despite being proactive and tied to the plot.
They had no core view on the world I placed them in, a view or an opinion that was purposefully written. Not a random one.
Weird how some of them actually do have it, but some ended up not having one because I never focused on this aspect when I created them.
Thank you, you made me gain another insight into writing.
It's weird how whenever you put out a video with some advice or a discussion, I always agree and say " Duh! Of course your character needs a core belief and not just a well put together personality" but then I look at my story and scowl "Oh. I didn't actually do it, did I?"
That's all of us, at one point or another, realizing that often, what we want and what we do diverge from one another. I want a story about characters that move forward, but I never challenge that character, just their vessel. I want to challenge a character but I never wrote the story in that direction and expect that it makes perfect sense for the character to change at some integral point in their arc.
as an artist coming from the oc community, ive always struggled with this exact problem. your videos have solved a lot of my story writing stress ❤
Oc community? Lol
literally same, this just lifted up so much stress and honestly has helped me ro rethink future stories and how to handle all my pre-existing characters
@@lionlickers6058 why are females so mentally ill. Y’all always the ones with panic attacks 24/7
I’ve been writing since I could read, and out of all the writing channels I’ve learned from, yours is by far the most insightful, easy to understand, and apply that I’ve EVER come across.
I’ve never been happier to be humbled! I'm telling everyone I know about this channel and its wonders. Thanks for making such top-notch content and helping me, along with many others. I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors.
That means a lot, thank you for your support!
@@localscriptman I love your talks about art subjectivity at the end. Thanks, it's very helpful.
The timing of this video’s release is almost prophetic for my own writing journey. I can’t thank you enough.
Same, I was literally procrastinating to not face some of the problems this video touches.
Same here, could not have shown up at a better time for me.
I love this explanation of episodic storytelling and characters, but it got me thinking about Arcane. It's a show that is serialized, and yet was entirely built to show off preexisting characters. It has 2 major themes, and many different characters embodying different parts of each theme. I really want to know what you feel on how arcane fits into this if it does at all.
One thing I thought of while writing this is that they did some pretty distinct changes to the preexisting characters to make the story work, which is something you mentioned to do.
Yeah and also accepting that Viktor, for instance, isn’t LOL Viktor yet (never played, just heard that). So just taking your time to justify why a preexisting character is the way they are. Arcane is 100% serialized and created from preexisting characters, which is a staggering accomplishment. Now you got me wishing I talked about it here…
When you consider the brilliance of Arcane, you must always keep in mind that this is the second, crystal-polished version of that story (that we know of). When the author initially pitched it internally and made a test pilot, Riot didn't like it. So he went back and kept working on it against his better judgment, because it was just that important for him to pull it off.
I highlight this part because it is really important - your story might end up being kinda bad even if you gave it your best and that's okay. Take some time off, then return to it later, with more experience, more things to say, or perhaps even less to say, but a very clear way to do it.
@@localscriptman well.... you could still talk about it..... in another video.......
haha jk...........
unless....................?
I think you would LOVE this video by a guy named schnee. It's called 'The SECRET to ARCANE's Depth...' It sounds vaguely like what you're talking about, and it suddenly made finding theme for my characters so easy. If you do give it a watch, please let me know what you thought! Not enough people have seen it
@@localscriptman Arcane is so well written you can talk about it when discussing pretty much any writing topic. And it's well-known enough that everyone can follow along. I wouldn't be surprised if mentioning it at least once in every video becomes a running gag.
Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are episodic shows I love so much , Characters are so well fleshed out and it’s their decisions and actions that keep the show moving
Those were exactly what I thought about as soon as I saw their writing model.
The Icarus Planet character coming back only to get used again for the sponsorship segment was the one thing I did not expect lol
I love this channel
I love Doctor Who for this. The constant filler makes the episodes so much fun, and they do a lot of character development stuff in them. And then the finale plot revolves around that character and the other small details they threw in each episode throughout the season
Me: oh hey i like this guy, let's subcribe so that I don't miss any new interesting video essays
Local: **literally posts 10 minutes later**
Me: 😀
I was waiting for you 👽
Me subscribing yesterday bc im sick af and bored so binging youtube is abt the only thing i can do rn. What a win
I’m glad you were forced to make an already existing character work for another thing. I do it all the time but sometimes it trips me up.
Also I think I’m addicted to your writing advice videos.
i think all the things you mentioned in this video are the exact reasons why adventure time stands out to me so much as my #1 favorite show of all time, especially beyond a personal level and more on how the show is designed. thank you for uploading this :)
It’s definitely my favorite cartoon, a contender for favorite show. Just excellent in every regard
Same, so happy he touched on adventure time, on Puhoy nonetheless and there's so many other episodes worth dissecting
@@localscriptman To my recall, you said you would *clears throat* "rank every episode" of this animated masterpiece...?
Simon and Marcy, I remember you, or hall of egress, definitely top 5
I'm an artist who's decent at drawing but a novice at writing, so your videos help me really think about my previous approaches and why I kept most stories as WIPs. Now I'm in the process of learning and applying your advice, thank you!
Always a pleasure to see myself in one of these 😎
Thanks for nurturing my pandemic baby into something 3-dimensional with me. The story and concept took on a new life in those months. I will always credit 208X for reminding me why I love making films.
It’s him it’s the guy from the MS paint drawing!
Local's videos are episodic with the only serialized through-line so far being a traumatized lady plugging Skillshare. I love it.
Love your content, especially the longer bits. Idk if you’ve already touched on it yet, but red herrings would be an interesting topic. How to avoid writing yourself into a corner that specifically needs a red herring to escape, or ways to do it successfully- if any such way exists.
The consulting session I did today actually had a perfect red herring. I’d just need some better examples from film/tv
Writing a novel rn and it has become so different because of these videos. For starters, it's good now.
I tend to create my characters in clusters around a specific story and I didn’t exactly have a rhyme or reason behind how I do it, but I’m starting to realize I actually do create them with different perspectives on the theme. I’m just really bad at naming what a theme is. Like I’ve had a story for so long where the theme is loss, and the three main characters are all dealing with different losses but have kind of turned to the same coping mechanism which is what brings them together, but the ways they came to that were different. But for so long I had no idea that was what the story was about, because I write stories something like throwing big globs of clay together and then later molding it down. This video helped me realize that a bit bc I love episodic storytelling but I very rarely create anything that I don’t expect to have a narrative end.
The absolute meta level of storytelling in these sponsorship transitions is god tier
Your focus on the value of hanging out with characters and seeing their reactions to normal things particularly stood out to me, I’ve been imagining one of my own stories as potentially-animated episodic show like Adventure Time and you summarize my feelings about the value of episodic storytelling succinctly.
I would love to be a writer, but for the most part I just watch your videos to get a better understanding of storytelling and characters so I can better critique movies, which is my main hobby. Every video is so informative
@@LunaticoniSolar Pare de navegar.
@@AndersonMallony-EricCF Eu não sei o que aconteceu que eu não me lembro ter postado aquela resposta de Emojis, acho que eu aportei sem querer
i REALLY needed this! im that person who carries like 5 different fictional worlds in my head with like 80 different characters with cool enough designs and personalities but no fleshed out story to live out, so this is a really really good way of explaining things. might actually get out of art/writers block and make the stupid comic already cuz its been in here for centuries. thank you! love your channel!
Same. I have some cool and interesting ideas but there's always filler and I plan whole trilogies but it never works. I hope you finish your comic.
@@shayalmighty5931 thanks! good luck to u too, im sure youll figure it out eventually
"Honestly it's just really hard creating a cohesive story from a grab-bag of fully-formed but disparate elements."
Since you touched on Doctor Who, the Weeping Angels are a fantastic example of this. They first appear in the story Blink, with their various weird attributes (they can't move while you're looking at them, they feed on "time energy" which involves sending their victims back in time rather than killing them etc) basically tailored to make the plot of Blink work.
Now Blink was *phenomenally* popular; it's not an uncommon opinion that it's the show's best ever episode - and remember, we're picking from over 800 episodes here. So inevitably the Weeping Angels were going to come back for more stories. But even in their second-ever story, the Time of Angels, the writers mess with the established lore of the Angels. Now they *don't* send you back in time, they just kill you; and even worse, at one point you can see them move. Basically every subsequent story rewrites the rulebook on what the Angels can and can't do.
This is because the Angels were never meant to be a recurring villain; it's just that Blink was so popular the writers couldn't resist. So they end up being shoehorned into a few stories where an original villain might have worked better, before it was figured out that they're best kept for cameo appearances and their extremely specific set of traits means you can't just place them in any old story.
"I dunno I was in my sword phase" I've never related so much
I don't watch many procedurals, but I've recently been watching House M.D.
I really appreciate the subtle or at least slow-burn style of storytelling. Because each episode is primarily focused on an external problem, the characters don't usually go through big, dramatic changes. There are character-specific conflicts but they're low-key, and happen between/during work, so we get a really strong baseline for how these people are. But occasionally, we get a deeper glimmer- especially occasional for House himself, who's quite guarded. And it feels extra special for that.
i thought the "art is subjective" bit was interesting. something i heard a very long time ago when i was first starting to draw is that yes, art is subjective. you can make any stylistic choice you want. however, not every stylistic choice is good. it depends on your purpose. say you draw something with very detailed anatomy. sometimes this can make your art look somewhat eerie when used with specific styles of lining, colouring, whatever. it can also just look cool and realistic. if either of these are what you're going for, great. but maybe you're trying to draw something cute. do you want it to look eerie and/or cool at the same time? this is just a really basic example of course, maybe you can make it work, the point is that if you're told something that could improve your workflow and you hit it with "art is subjective" then, well, you're not going to improve your work flow. if you're told something that isn't going to improve how you work because it doesn't fit why you work, then that's fine, you don't need to prove it to anyone. from what i have seen these videos are specifically for people trying to make full stories. that's what i like doing, so these help me a lot. if you like making cool designs and writing random stuff for them because it's fun, you don't have to watch these. you can make whatever you want, for fun or for any other purpose
Art is subjective. Good is subjective. Embrace the reality that you are an ape smearing paint on the wall of a cave.
Blud got lost 😂
I stumbled across your channel a couple days ago, and since then I've been sucked in and watched all of your content.
I am an English teacher and a writer. One of my classes is Creative Writing. You have completely broken down some of my fundamental understanfings about writing and built them back up again in a totally new way. You've absolutely ruined me. I will never write or teach or think about stories the same way again. It will be so much better now.
Thank you, and I hope all is well.
Glad I could be of service, thanks for teaching people this stuff!
I remember subscribing when this channel had less than 100 subscribers, and now you're on your way to 100k! Well deserved, these are some great writing tips!
Og alert. Thank you for your support!
Excellent job on the writing of this video, Local. The reincorporation of Kima worked not only as an example of serialized storytelling and the importance of a character's purpose, but your approach also had me wheezing. "He's literally written to not love you." 😆
PLEASE I NEED THIS VIDEO. I have this story I’ve been writing for years and the problem is that it’s not really a story, it’s just a collection of characters that I couldn’t put into a story together. I’ve always read “give your characters purpose” as advice for actually being able to make my characters interact in a meaningful way, but I never understood exactly what that meant. This video really helped me understand what a character’s purpose is and how it can actually give my characters a story. Honestly, I’m glad this video was recommended to me because, I’ve been thinking about this story for years. If I saw this sooner, I probably would have spent less years trying to figure out what this story is about.
Omg the callback to the last video. Love it haha
"Consider subscribing ironically" is an amazing line. This video was very helpful for giving my story some much needed direction as I reach the tricky middle part. I'm rediscovering a love for writing after many years of putting it aside and I've learned a lot from your content.
Man, I'm not even a writer (at all, I'm a Cinematographer) yet i just can't stop watching your videos. So informative and extremely entertaining, thanks a lot!
Always good news! Thank you for another video! ❤
Thank you for your support!
@@localscriptman TH-cam won't let me reply with a vaporwave gif of pillars here, but the intent remains with this comment. Happy to support!
I've read literally hundreds of books on writing theory and honestly at a certain point they all seem to be saying the same thing, to the point where I wind up in that dangerous "Well, I guess I've learned all there is to learn" trap. But I've gotten so, so much NEW and fantastic value out of this channel. You have a way of cutting to the heart of what makes a story and an arc function. Eye-opening. You helped me figure out the thing that has been bugging me about my own writing. Thank you.
I had a preexisting character that I really wanted to do something with but couldn't think of anything that really worked. This video completely addressed the problem that I didn't even know I had. Thanks!
Also I hope Kima finds love.
It's very hard to overstate how unique, entertaining and useful your channel is. I write mainly for table top roleplaying and your approach helped me come up with one of the most entertaining concepts I've had yet and do all the prep in a couple afternoons. Love it and I hope you keep making stuff here
Just wanna say, you have the perfect voice for in depth explanations that I've heard so far. Soft spoken almost to the point of being asmr, fast enough that a lot of information is being said every minute but also has enough pauses to give breathing room for my brain. Not to mention you dont add any arbitrary information that I dont find interesting or insightful just so you sound smart without actually saying anything of real importance.
I can tell you explain things from the heart as much as from the brain.
A thing I did was to reinstate a "beta" version of a character into my world.
I first created this character, the antagonist, as a sarcastic, ironic, annoying who knew he was strong and bragged about it.
Then I got hyped up by some Doom music and gave him the Doomguy treatment.
But after, since I really liked his cocky personality I just put him back in the story as the in-universe beta version of the character that he once was
What am I doing here? I’m a software developer and have no intention of ever writing a screenplay. Why am I so obsessed with this channel?! Binging episodes and taking notes like my life’s work depends on it!
Your videos are VERY helpful.
I'm an artist currently working on designing some characters for my portfolio. I had this story idea and have been actively developing them for a few weeks, now (parts of the idea have been floating around passively in my brain for a WHILE). Your videos are VERY helpful and are getting me to think about and focus on the right things.
Thinking about the story in a more efficient, airtight way is only going to make my characters stronger. I even cut a number of characters after watching you talk about the functionality and role of characters in your videos.
So thanks a bunch, man :)
Your videos always feel so practical. It's like a step by step guide to crafting a story, which I really appreciate. A lot of the material out there is just on things we should keep in mind while writing while not doing much in the way of explaining how to apply it. Thank you so very much for offering your perspective on writing and giving me and others something fresh to try out!
I love your videos so much man, you’re the first person to give writing advice that actively promotes writing. So much of writing advice is only small practices and perfections on the assumption that people know how to tell a story, so to have such a clear method set out is amazingly motivating
i'm literally in love with everything you put out you don't understand
also you're so based for using adventure time
Love adventure time, and thanks for the support 👽
Your video helped me realize what I actually want to write is episodic stories. I relate so much to what you said about how it can suck to want to keep exploring your character but not wanting to end their story. Episodic writing is a great solution to that. Thank you for breaking this down. It helps that I’m a huge Adventure Time fan as well.
When I started writing (age 10), I had fantastic ideas, but the characters were bland and one dimensional, but by the time I was 19 I had come up with a story that I really liked and in that one the story was intrinsically tied to the character's personality and goals. I couldn't let go of him and ended up revisiting the old stories I had come up with 9 years prior and making his point the starting point. I think from there I just wanted him in everything, but as I kept writing stories I realized what I had done was create a foil with no main character to foil and it led to me just being forced to really understand what my characters were. So ever since then I've had this idea when I write that no matter how interesting the setting and plot is, if I can't take my characters, stick them in a room and still have an interesting story then I'm not trying hard enough to make them fleshed out.
Ok, so... I'm not gonna lie, I was listening to this on the background while high and that Kima bit scared the crap out of me. Great voice acting, for a second I thought I was hallucinating. 10/10, would shit my pants again.
Damn, I didn’t get anything out of this that will actually help me since I have never written a single thing, but it is a good video.
the first video i watched of yours was the dialogue one and after the kima and Philip segment got cut off with a sponsor i laughed my ass off and subscribed inmediatly, her reapparance had me giggling, really wishing her the best
David Tennant is the easiest way to make a thumbnail solely make a video worth watching.
I am the opposite. I like creating worlds, plots, situations that fall into a central theme. But my characters are so dead. Im told that it's as if things are happening to the character rather than them having the agency to move in the world.
I really appreciate your approach to your content. I do not agree with all of the points that you make, but I'm pretty sure that's the point! The concepts you bring and the way you communicate them actually demonstrate *why* they are worth considering and integrating. The broadness of their application alongside examples and demonstrations really is just fucking perfect. Being able to contemplate what you've said in relation to my projects allows me a perspective with which to criticize my own work and improve it.
A lot of writing tips youtube channels feel more like tips for editing your story's draft than actually helping people with the fundamental building blocks of putting a story together. I feel like so many people in the situation the video's about go and watch those and figure that removing weasel words from their prose, or what have you, will mend their ability to write! Your work is actually helpful, and might even be somewhat instrumental in fixing much of the flaws with many an aspiring writer.
Oh, sorry, lemmie just... [ *Unweasels your fuckign dictionary* ] -- "Your work is helpful and leads the path to the erradication of shitty books."
My partner and I have really enjoyed watching these videos. They've sparked alot of quality conversations about our joint writing project! We'd love to see another very funny and epic video about your process of turning the loose strings of vibes into proper scenes based on the theming of a story. Keep up the good fucking work, dude. Love it!
this was straight facts and well explained, also that might've been the most unexpected and best ad I've seen.
I'm so glad you talked about Adventure Time & Doctor Who and how even if serialized the have immense depth and there can be several "climaxes" with the serialized storytelling
Love that you talked about Puhoy. I think about the episode a lot and it was interesting to hear your take.
dude the stuff you say just makes so much sense, you're genuinely great at giving advice
I was literally thinking earlier about watching a video of yours in the background while working on a character-theyre so inspiring to me and my writing. Seeing this video felt a little bit fateful then, and I’m proud to be here while you’re still underground; your videos are phenomenal, and I can’t wait to brag about being into you before your blow up. Keep up the amazing work man!
holy crap some of the most solid writing advice I've ever heard in just the first two minutes
I like the xylophone James Bond theme in the background
i really can't understate just how logical and real your insights on writing are. it's like you have this huge tangled mess that is "how to write" and you simply unravel it string by string, letting us reconstruct what you have taken apart into whatever suits our goals
As someone named Leon, with long hair and beard, I say ,with immense ego and bias, that your character is very cool
Wow this dude understands how skills work fucking amazing
Oh dude youre talking about doctor who, fuck yeah!
Impossible planet/the satan pit is one of my favourites.
Epic two parter I must say
@@localscriptman the doctor fights the devil what a badass idea
This Is so helpful for my half baked TTRPG story im about to the run! I want these people to make characters that they enjoy and build so this is super helpful to helping them understand and work with them.
I am so happy with the growth your channel has seen recently, i love your video man, dont stop!
Your voice is so soothing. When I hear myself speak, I want to barf.
Also, this episodic episode was a god send. I totally forgot that that was even an option in storytelling. I have a lot of unfinished projects because I have been trying, and failing, to get a novel done.
As for the video idea, characterization and 'dialogue climax'.
I don't think these are what they are really called but I've recently switched from writing action to drama. And, what I've noticed is that although drama is more of a slow-burn most of the time, the clashing dialogue between two characters (I'm thinking about better call Saul rn), is usually the highlight of the series. I tried to do it and found out that it was actually way harder than it looked, especially in staying consistent with the established character.
Your videos have always been so concise and well produced, and I especially adore your videos that go over your thoughts on writing. Great video! I get super excited when you upload.
" You have to place this character on a timeline, and no matter where you place them, you're gonna have to be forced to spend whole scenes, maybe even whole acts with a version of this character that you're unfamiliar with." ... dear gods, this hit me SO hard.
No wonder my characters never "work" as I envision them... I always knew they needed to change/grow... but never thought about having it backwards...
Well - thank you so much for transforming how I view my characters for the better!
Also, amazing video! I'm gonna check out more.
Cowboy Bebop ❤
👽👽👽
This is ironically how I structured my DND campaign.
It's a cyberpunk homebrew largely inspired by shows like Batman Beyond and games like Payday and Hotline Miami.
I have a loose plot structure where I allow my players to pick from a big handful of Missions at a time which make up their "quests", but there is always a third of them that are character specific and push their individual plotlines forward while also spoonfeeding details about the main plot.
It works and keeps people's intrigue. You're constantly either introducing new elements that expand the world and its scope, giving people things to chew on, while things they are familiar with are always looming over the horizon.
I learn so much with your videos. Thank you so much for sharing 😭
Np
what i love about this channel is that vids like these are half the length of others i watch usually yet i spend double the time on them because i frequently pause and then think "how did/could I apply this to my characters/story" and it really engages my brain, they always make me want to start writing right after whether it be on a character sheet, beats, or a script, i thank you for that
that skillshare twist
I’m off my rocker
@@localscriptman the fact ppl from the Great Lakes area sound like Kermit the frog kind of threw me in for a loop
On the topic of subjectivity, your example of interpretive dance is perfect to explain its uses but also its pitfalls. As someone who has way to many interests and thusly interacts with and creates as much art as possible, the concept of subjectivity comes up a lot in my life. As an artist subjectivity is a valuable tool to stop caring about what people think. Interpretive dance allows dancers to let loose and practice applying movement to their feelings and to the tone of the piece they're creating. Its a TOOL to allow them to develop that skill and use it in choreography. Its not (or at least in my opinion) its not an excuse to say, "you just didn't get it, you didn't interpret MY art correctly." That's gets into the argument about who art is for the artist or the viewer but I digress. Subjectivity is a valuable tool for artists to let go and have a vision for the art they want to create and create it, as long as you get your point across effectively, it doesn't matter how you got there. That's where the pitfall comes in. Subjectivity can help an artist let go and just create without letting anxiety control them. But today, arguably due to post modernism (once again a subjective and complicated concept), art is sometimes looked at as purely for the artist. You create art because you want to it doesn't matter how its interpreted but that's not really useful. Yes that once again can be a tool but if you're creating art that you intend to be consumed by people you have to think about how they might interpret it, especially within the medium of movies/TV. The movie Hush is a great example of that. Hush is a 2016 horror movie about a young deaf women who ends up alone in her home with a stalker trying to kill her. I saw so many women, especially disabled women saying it was a masterpiece, and so many not disabled men saying it sucked. I watched it and have to say I didn't love it. But I saw amazing potential. I think it failed for so many people because instead of telling the story in a way that allowed anyone, even perfectly abled people and men who don't already have an inherent fear of that to UNDERSTAND how that feels. A better created movie would have told the story and used the medium of horror to CREATE that fear in people who don't already have it. That's the value of movies and especially horror movies. It could be a masterpiece that allows anyone in the world to understand that fear and potentially grow and empathize more for women and disabled people. It was only scary for disabled people and women who already had that fear in them but it failed to share that effectively with most viewers. That's where we come back to subjectivity, so many people argued that the movie just wasn't for men. Art is subjective so you can't judge it because you have no idea what its like. (That is literally an argument I've seen). It wasn't scary because that's not a problem for some people in their world and that's not the movies fault. But it is the movies fault. Subjectivity can help artists loosen up but its not a good defense of art. There's my rant no one asked for, sorry its so long.
You know even though these aren't the "cool" ad breaks that go at the end of the video, and they interrupt the content, each one still makes me laugh without fail
Edit: I have now read the credits and yes please continue adding Minecraft footage to your writing advice it makes it 162% better
Thank you for making this video. That part about taking something like depression and re-contextualizing it into a belief will really help me out.
A channel so nice I had to subscribe twice. Always excited for your uploads boss!
I've been writing this one story for a while now and always went back and edited it because the main character was just not how I wanted him to be. It took me a long time to let go and realise he would become that character, and I'm proud to say a few weeks back he made it. He's only mid arc but for once he is how I imagined and I can't wait to see where he goes from here
That ad break shook me
Honestly, people need to stop correlating and conflating the word Plot to Overarching Plotline and Serial; and Episodic to Filler. Its annoying to see an episodic drama to be called filler just because it lacked a plot
I thought about the usage of episodic storytelling for serial story, let it be a TV, comic book series, or a novel and saga (them I consider to myself as a written TV-series).
Every episode or chapter is on its own, although there are character arcs going through them, and in separate episode we just stuck with this point of character development. Creating separate episode like it's own story seems really authentic to me
I am so invested in Kima's arc now let's gooooo
The brief talk about subjective vs objective reminded me of the time I went to an office nurse to get some dieting advice because I wanted to lose weight. She just told me to love myself and that there’s no shame in being fat. That there’s no ideal body shape. I wanted to shake her and say that the reason why I wanted to lose weight was because I love myself and want the best for myself.
Anyway, sometimes these feel-good advice is helpful on the surface but not when you go past that 😅. So thanks for these unique and specific insights in writing as they also help in my writing and real life.
I've always had gripes with storytelling in anime. Although there are some that I consider very fruitful like AOT, most seem to doodoo all over the sort of lessons you give and mostly just try to be cool and fun. I'd love to see a video on that if you give a care.
One piece still so good
Alot of themes are different in anime because Japanese society is more about fitting into society.
This means the themes come about from the void of characters just hanging out with each other.
So if the story is about friendships western stories will be about a character that actively fights to keeping his friends and learns a lesson
And a Japanese story would be about characters who want to win competition ,
are forced to hang out with rival
Tension rises between them
They then realise you can be friends with a rival.
This makes the themes to be less on the nose and a lot more hidden
"Hi! do you wish that you that you want you wish you had skills?" is one of my favorite lines of all time now. thank you for this gift
Hmmm, I wonder how you feel about Hollywood's "Instant Prequel, Just Subtract Character Belief" model. Making characters fundamentally unrecognizable by surgically removing their core purpose, motivation, and philosophy in the story and then making me wait one or two movies or seasons to see them be... Themselves.
Two examples to contrast. NBC's Hannibal had Dr. Lector meet and "befriend" his dear friends in the FBI, which is fleshing out the backstory to the "funny how i got here" position we meet him in Silence of the Lambs, which is already incarcerated. But his reason to be isn't surgically removed from him. He IS Hannibal Lector, in his prime, twisting everyone else into preztels for his own edification. Even FBI Special Agent Will Graham is himself, and his character arc isn't about gaining his sense of justice but is about gaining his sense of ruthlessness.
I compare this to... So many terrible remakes and prequels that think making characters the exact opposite of who we know them to be will somehow endear us as we watch them come to forgone conclusions. "Lets make a TMNT reboot where Splinter is a lazy fat bum in a midlife crisis and after two seasons, he'll become the responsible father and sensei---oh, we were cancelled. No third season to actually see Splinter being Splinter."
Let's make a "Young Character" prequel movie where iconic characters act completely different just 5-10 years before we meet them. I'm sorry, but Batman, Magneto, and Ebenezer Scrooge are the only people in history that are allowed to say that one day fundamentally changed their entire personalities. Everyone else can hop right the hell off. 😂
Yeah you got a point. And honestly I don’t mind as long as it’s handled well
@@localscriptman Would love to see an example of that. XD
It's always such a beautiful tragedy to have a character that you realize "Oh, he was always like that, and you all loved and enabled him." Even with Bruce Wayne, I appreciate when writers write about a little boy who already was highly anxious, a bit disconnected from reality. Why say he was "normal" before and then decided and became "abnormal"? If he's capable of making abnormal decisions after his trauma, is it too much to imagine he was also capable before it? 🤔
(I once read about old school male Batman writers who struggled with him because they could get behind the ninja in a bat costume schtick, but saying that he was nine-years-old and crying in a theater like a toddler was "too strange." That's probably when I first realized that there's really no reason to accept a story about a guy hiding from his feelings with rugged individualism and stoicism if you can't concede that probably means without those layers... He's a crybaby.) 🥺🥺