After writing 35 novels and spending thousands of hours alone I can confirm that it’s a stubborn persistence that gets me through my work. Some books are easy. Some hard. Some 180k words, others 280k. I don’t have a choice. I write down what the voices tell me. lol (great video. Nice to meet you Kieren) 😀
Your videos always come just at the right moment. I read a great quote from Dorothy Parker: 'I would write a book, or short story at least three times - once to understand it, the second time to improve the prose, and the third time to compel it to say what it still must say' The idea that the first draft is simply the means of getting to understand the story you are writing is a very useful and practical way of thinking about the writing process.
Great stuff. I find so many ‘advice’ videos on here whether they’re about writing or playing an instrument or making any kind of art take a ‘you’re doing this wrong’ approach, without taking into consideration how different people think and/or work. The key take away from this video for me is there is no right or wrong way, whatever gets results is the right way. If you spend several hours a day writing good for you, if you only write once a week good for you. Also I feel many people don’t realise that any creative pursuit often involves just as much time thinking as it does doing.
I'm really glad that's coming across, that's absolutely my aim! Learning to write is learning how YOU write, not how everyone else might. That's a really valuable thing to know in my opinion.
Relating to reviews, the best mindset I finally embraced is that reviews are NOT for the author. They're for other readers. So, if it's not for me, I have more time to do other things... like write another book.
Not enjoying writing but still being compelled to do it is something I struggle with so much. I always think that if I'm not enjoying doing it, or if I have days where I can't be bothered with it because it's a pain, then it means I'm not "cut out" for it. But if I always come back to it, maybe I am.
I know what you mean. I've felt like that too. The thing I've come to realise is that nobody's cut out for anything really. None of us are meant to do anything, in that way. So, we have to decide if we want to do it, and if we do, we stick at it one way or the other and that sounds like exactly what you're doing :)
Your videos are always appreciated, Kieren. I'm not sure where you fare from, but I could listen to you read the phone directory and feel wiser for it! If/When you create the bestseller, and you want to make an audio book from it, YOU need to narrate it. Keep the videos coming, friend!
Oh. My. Goodness. This is sooo good. I confess the gremlins of social media memes continually erode at my belief in my story and sense of worthiness. Thanks for this post.
@@KierenWestwoodWriting My favorite was Sphere. I’ve read his non-fiction works too where he journaled his extensive travels and days at Harvard Medical School. The guy was a true scientist/genius. At one point in his career he had the number one selling book (Rising Sun) the number one TV series (ER) and the number one selling movie (Jurassic Park) all hit at the same time. No one will ever accomplish such a statistic. When I write my novels I always try to leave the reader with a curiosity and hunger for more. I literally call it the “Crichton Effect”
@@mmedeuxchevaux In a weird way, his books should be read in the timeline he wrote them. Start with the early works-Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man, Congo, Sphere, Eaters of the Dead. Then move to his middle works-Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, Airframe, Timeline. His last series read more technical and less plot/character. The best of these would be Prey. All of this is just my opinion.
It's a lot of repetition that gets books written and ready. I always finish the first draft and then don't look at it for a very long time (I have a massive backlog so I can do this) and then come back and be like oh thats what happens? 😅
Thanks for sharing this, Kieran. I really appreciate your videos because I feel as if they always break down my insecurities in ways that give me hope. It would be amazing to participate in a livestream where we could all just write and send in our 300 word writing sprints, and just enjoy you reading the submissions and giving you general thoughts and feedback. I feel like this kind of community experience is really missing on TH-cam and could be a great way of celebrating/encouraging subscribers who want to practice writing while also engaging with you in a fun and personalized way.
That's always my aim with the videos I make! I'd like to put together something like that in the future, or some form of useful live content, I'm working on getting there.
You are right Kieren to stress individual working style. Stephen King has one method, Ernest Hemingway, etc. We can learn from successful writers even if just that their approach doesn’t work for us.
Great sharing. I recognize myself in most of it, but it seems that my goals make me more robust when it comes to criticism and stamina with the editing. My goal is to write a good book, so I am eager to hear negative feedback so I can adress my flaws. I also don't despair when I'm still not satisfied efter round four of editing, because my goal is to make something good. I'd rather do another round in the treadmill than to publish someting I'm not happy with. I too change words in the third round and change them back in the fourth, but it doesn't make me want to quit, because I know from experience that it always turn out okay in the end.
It is interesting how different advice might work for different people . Its quite common in japan to give advice that says not to focus on yourself (dont write for yourself) focus in what your audience wants .
Hi Kieren I registered with your Discord but was asked to "claim my account." I entered my email address, but the NEXT button is greyed out. Are you no longer accepting new members? I could not find any other way of contacting you.
That's strange! The Discord is still up and running (albeit a mostly quiet place). We're always open for new members. Maybe try the browser-base Discord if you're on the app, or the app if you're trying browser-based? Beyond that, I'm not sure what's happening there. Must be some general Discord error.
I think your interpretation of number 4 may be a bit off. I don't think he's saying all his stories are entirely plot driven. I think he's just saying he starts with a premise (what would happen if geneticists brought back dinosaurs via cloning?), addresses it (promoters would turn it into a theme park, corporatists would try to monetize it, and paleontologists would be out of a job), then he builds a rough story around those themes by adding characters to these roles. Once the characters are in place, they turn out to have minds of their own and take over. Crichton's work tends to be very character driven. That's just not where he starts. In the novel first draft I just completed, I started with a premise: In a future dystopian corporatocracy, what would happen if an advanced artificial intelligence gained sentience? My answer: A corporation would try to harness it to gain world dominance, anti-capitalist terrorists would try use it to topple the system, and the AI would do whatever was necessary to survive. Then I created the characters and set their story arcs in motion. They took the story in completely different directions than I had originally imagined.
I've read Jurrasic Park, Prey, and Eaters of the Dead. They all suffer from having endings that lacked thematic resonance. Popcorn reads for me. Fun but filler.
@@KierenWestwoodWriting Sure, Michael has a great narrative voice and a knack to make the bizarre believable. Its a little frustrating though because its the first time I could say Jurrasic Park the movie is better than the book both in theme and prose.
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After writing 35 novels and spending thousands of hours alone I can confirm that it’s a stubborn persistence that gets me through my work. Some books are easy. Some hard. Some 180k words, others 280k. I don’t have a choice. I write down what the voices tell me. lol (great video. Nice to meet you Kieren) 😀
I know what you mean! I'm nowhere near those numbers, but it feels very similar to me. Great to meet you too!
Writing for yourself is where its at ,def agree ,I write about parallel versions of me living my wildest dreams ,done it for years 😮
Your videos always come just at the right moment.
I read a great quote from Dorothy Parker:
'I would write a book, or short story at least three times - once to understand it, the second time to improve the prose, and the third time to compel it to say what it still must say'
The idea that the first draft is simply the means of getting to understand the story you are writing is a very useful and practical way of thinking about the writing process.
That's a great way too look at it I think!
Great stuff. I find so many ‘advice’ videos on here whether they’re about writing or playing an instrument or making any kind of art take a ‘you’re doing this wrong’ approach, without taking into consideration how different people think and/or work. The key take away from this video for me is there is no right or wrong way, whatever gets results is the right way. If you spend several hours a day writing good for you, if you only write once a week good for you. Also I feel many people don’t realise that any creative pursuit often involves just as much time thinking as it does doing.
I'm really glad that's coming across, that's absolutely my aim!
Learning to write is learning how YOU write, not how everyone else might. That's a really valuable thing to know in my opinion.
I have mad respect for Michael Chrichton! Excellent author. ❤
Until Prey. Then he came out with his climate change denial shit, and my jaw fell off.
@@stephenlogsdon8266 I happen to agree with him on that.
These writing advice videos are some of the most enjoyable and valuable videos on the YT for me.
That's so kind of you, thank you ☺️
Relating to reviews, the best mindset I finally embraced is that reviews are NOT for the author. They're for other readers. So, if it's not for me, I have more time to do other things... like write another book.
I think that's a great way to look at it. I'm going to try and adopt that mindset too, thank you.
And I just finished reading Rising Sun, too!
Great timing!
Editing is my weakness. I wrote a novella for the sole purpose and forcing myself to see through the entire editing process.
Not enjoying writing but still being compelled to do it is something I struggle with so much. I always think that if I'm not enjoying doing it, or if I have days where I can't be bothered with it because it's a pain, then it means I'm not "cut out" for it. But if I always come back to it, maybe I am.
I know what you mean. I've felt like that too.
The thing I've come to realise is that nobody's cut out for anything really. None of us are meant to do anything, in that way. So, we have to decide if we want to do it, and if we do, we stick at it one way or the other and that sounds like exactly what you're doing :)
Your videos are always appreciated, Kieren. I'm not sure where you fare from, but I could listen to you read the phone directory and feel wiser for it!
If/When you create the bestseller, and you want to make an audio book from it, YOU need to narrate it.
Keep the videos coming, friend!
Thanks so much Ted! I've always thought I've have a somewhat muddy and monotone voice, so I appreciate the compliment!
Oh. My. Goodness. This is sooo good.
I confess the gremlins of social media memes continually erode at my belief in my story and sense of worthiness.
Thanks for this post.
I know what you mean about those gremlins!
Favorite author! Thank you for this video
Thanks for watching! What's his best book, what would be your recommendation as someone who knows his work well?
I've read Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain. What are some favorites of yours? I want to read more.
@@KierenWestwoodWriting
My favorite was Sphere.
I’ve read his non-fiction works too where he journaled his extensive travels and days at Harvard Medical School. The guy was a true scientist/genius.
At one point in his career he had the number one selling book (Rising Sun) the number one TV series (ER) and the number one selling movie (Jurassic Park) all hit at the same time. No one will ever accomplish such a statistic.
When I write my novels I always try to leave the reader with a curiosity and hunger for more. I literally call it the “Crichton Effect”
@@mmedeuxchevaux
In a weird way, his books should be read in the timeline he wrote them. Start with the early works-Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man, Congo, Sphere, Eaters of the Dead. Then move to his middle works-Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, Airframe, Timeline.
His last series read more technical and less plot/character. The best of these would be Prey.
All of this is just my opinion.
@@pscheibmeir thank you kindly!
It's a lot of repetition that gets books written and ready. I always finish the first draft and then don't look at it for a very long time (I have a massive backlog so I can do this) and then come back and be like oh thats what happens? 😅
This is what works for me as well, the distance is essential I think. It's the only way I can see what's actually there, not what I think is there.
Thanks for sharing this, Kieran. I really appreciate your videos because I feel as if they always break down my insecurities in ways that give me hope. It would be amazing to participate in a livestream where we could all just write and send in our 300 word writing sprints, and just enjoy you reading the submissions and giving you general thoughts and feedback. I feel like this kind of community experience is really missing on TH-cam and could be a great way of celebrating/encouraging subscribers who want to practice writing while also engaging with you in a fun and personalized way.
That's always my aim with the videos I make!
I'd like to put together something like that in the future, or some form of useful live content, I'm working on getting there.
@@KierenWestwoodWriting thank you. Please take all the time you need to nurture your ideas, I’ll be enjoying all your other content in the meantime 🙏🏽
You are right Kieren to stress individual working style. Stephen King has one method, Ernest Hemingway, etc. We can learn from successful writers even if just that their approach doesn’t work for us.
4:34 My god did I need to hear this, I am so self conscious about it too hahaha
Great sharing. I recognize myself in most of it, but it seems that my goals make me more robust when it comes to criticism and stamina with the editing. My goal is to write a good book, so I am eager to hear negative feedback so I can adress my flaws. I also don't despair when I'm still not satisfied efter round four of editing, because my goal is to make something good. I'd rather do another round in the treadmill than to publish someting I'm not happy with. I too change words in the third round and change them back in the fourth, but it doesn't make me want to quit, because I know from experience that it always turn out okay in the end.
It is interesting how different advice might work for different people .
Its quite common in japan to give advice that says not to focus on yourself (dont write for yourself) focus in what your audience wants .
Hi Kieren
I registered with your Discord but was asked to "claim my account." I entered my email address, but the NEXT button is greyed out. Are you no longer accepting new members?
I could not find any other way of contacting you.
That's strange! The Discord is still up and running (albeit a mostly quiet place). We're always open for new members.
Maybe try the browser-base Discord if you're on the app, or the app if you're trying browser-based?
Beyond that, I'm not sure what's happening there. Must be some general Discord error.
I think your interpretation of number 4 may be a bit off. I don't think he's saying all his stories are entirely plot driven. I think he's just saying he starts with a premise (what would happen if geneticists brought back dinosaurs via cloning?), addresses it (promoters would turn it into a theme park, corporatists would try to monetize it, and paleontologists would be out of a job), then he builds a rough story around those themes by adding characters to these roles. Once the characters are in place, they turn out to have minds of their own and take over. Crichton's work tends to be very character driven. That's just not where he starts. In the novel first draft I just completed, I started with a premise: In a future dystopian corporatocracy, what would happen if an advanced artificial intelligence gained sentience? My answer: A corporation would try to harness it to gain world dominance, anti-capitalist terrorists would try use it to topple the system, and the AI would do whatever was necessary to survive. Then I created the characters and set their story arcs in motion. They took the story in completely different directions than I had originally imagined.
I've read Jurrasic Park, Prey, and Eaters of the Dead. They all suffer from having endings that lacked thematic resonance. Popcorn reads for me. Fun but filler.
That's alright though isn't it. Sometimes that's exactly what you're looking for.
@@KierenWestwoodWriting Sure, Michael has a great narrative voice and a knack to make the bizarre believable. Its a little frustrating though because its the first time I could say Jurrasic Park the movie is better than the book both in theme and prose.