Sci-fi and fantasy romance writer with a degree in biology. A lover of genetics and magic systems and really good characters. Join me for writing advice, vlogs, and writing experiments!
Check out my Fiverr link for Developmental Book Critiques and Book Coaching! I also have an instagram where we talk about books, the writing process, and the life of a writer. Check out the links below :)
Writing philosophies I practice and teach: 1. Save the Cat - 4 Act Structure 2. Story Grid - Genre and Scene-Level Elements 3. Brandon Sanderson - Plot and Character Wisdom 4. Story Equation - Character Creation
Really enjoying your videos lately! Would you be able to share a list of your favorite craft books, maybe even just the ones in the pile in this video? Thanks!
Yes! Absolutely. 1. Save the Cat writes a novel - best for beginners because it outlines the absolute basics and helps put together all the essential story components before you go on to the complicated stuff. Honestly, if you never read anything more than this, you could write a pretty great story. 2. The Story Equation - this book is not at all well-known, but it had the best explanation of a character arc and how to plot it alongside plot structure I've ever seen. I have a video on this if you want the sparknotes. 3. Story Genius and Wired for Story - I actually am just reading these now so no full opinions yet, but they are great so far, and people rave about them. I'd say they're a step up from Save the Cat and dive into the brain science of how to hook and affect a reader. 4. Intuitive Editing - a great resource for a less rigid editing guide than Story Grid. Lots of helpful principles about tension and pacing. I enjoyed this one. 5. Story Grid - I recommend with some hesitation. They have some incredible principles, but they overcomplicate many things and over-simplify some CRUCIAL things. That's why it's at the bottom of the list. It's not a first resource. This should be read after you know the basics so that you can sift for yourself what is helpful and what isn't. Reading this as a first resource might have made me want to quit writing lol. But their scene structure idea is really essential and helpful. This is a tool for editing, so other resources are good for outlining. This is good once you've already written the story and want to figure out how to take it to the next level. 6. Some recs for writerly encouragement rather than technique - On Writing by Stephen King, of course. And then I found Novelist as Vocation by Murakami to be a charming and enlightening read. I wish you well on your writing craft dive!
Yes point #1 relates to the second half of the book, just as the rest of the points do as well 👍 In retrospect this point needed more context, but thanks for clarifying!
I'm not a fan of romantasy, but most of my friends are, so I'm definitely the odd one out. I'm just more into sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers. The word "flesh" should only be used in zombie stories! But I also don't like the words "moist" or "trousers." And the phrase "she spun on her heel" can fuck right off. I've hated that silly turn of phrase since I first saw it in a VC Andrews novel over 30 years ago, and YA / NA seems to have made it a requirement. Whyyyyy. Why. Nobody spins on their heel unless they are wearing wheelies or skates, and let's be real, that's not happening. Please make it stop.
Hahaha 😂 agreed about flesh being reserved for zombies. I’m on a big sci-fi kick myself right now, and the difference between it and Romantasy is staggering honestly. She spun on her heel is such a classic in YA lol, and I 100% see the lack of appeal since people don’t typically stand there and actually spin on one heel. I agree we could be finding better ways to describe promptly leaving somewhere
I remember you mentioning your Bardsy critique group a while back! Reflecting on it now, I think it was one of the things that motivated me to look for critique partners, so thank you for the inspiration :) It's sooo good for the story to get more eyes on it, even if it's not perfect.
Sounds like your process is going well and love your enthusiasm for your book it is very encouraging 🙂 thanks for sharing the website for critique partners I'm going to give it another try. I haven't had much luck in finding a good match but I'll try again. And The StoryGrid sounds like a good resource I'll check it out.
I understand not finding the right critique partner. I feel like you do really need a specific person who understands what you're going for and loves the genre. With this website, since there's so much included in the profile, I feel like matching with others who were the right fit was easy. And they found me actually! Both of them have been incredible. I hope you'll have some more luck finding a good critique partner. And story grid is a good resource, but it makes some things over-complicated. So, I try not to stress about things that seem too rigid in their method and attempt to learn from the principles that seem beneficial to me.
Thank you for the update. It sounds like you are making good progress and I can learn a lot from your process. The one thing that I am not sure I agree on is that every scene needs to be exciting. For me when I am reading it is not only about excitement but also a lot about atmosphere. Like when I read Harry Potter for example I love reading about the lessons even though this is not all exciting and important, it pulls me into this world going through normal days with Harry. Scenes with slow pace also allow the character to reflect and become aware of consequences. Of course, I am aware that the market has changed and people love fast paced books, and I also enjoyed Fourth Wing, which I think is a great example for this, but while I enjoyed that book in the moment, it did not really stay in my thoughts afterwards, I was somehow missing depth. But this could be very personal as I love philosophy and discussing meaning when other people maybe prefer to have this shown by actions without putting it into words. Just something to think about. But I am sure your book will come out great and I hope I can read it one day. I just started writing a very first draft of a story and I have so much to learn to make this an enjoyable read.
I think you're completely right! Exciting was not the best word for what I was trying to describe. I was searching for a word to mean the opposite of "boring," but some better candidates would have been: hooking, interesting, engaging, gripping, intriguing. Basically, the idea of pulling the reader in rather than letter them lose interest. Excitement does go along with the idea of action and a fast pace, and that's not always good (though there is a trend toward having that ALL the time - like Fourth Wing). I have a ton of philosophical and conversational scenes, so mine are definitely not all exciting, but my hope is that they will all be gripping. Thanks for discussing!!
@@createwithmer I understand. It is also quite interesting to think about how the reader perceives the book as opposed to how as a writer we feel about it. Of course, they should not be bored. I am very intrigued about the philosophical scenes. I hope I get to read your story one day :)
I'm a discovery writer so this is useless for me, but I can appreciate how this could be helpful for most; Even pantsers have some order amidst the chaos. I'll give a like. Cheers!
Interestingly, Story Grid was designed to be used for editing, regardless of if a draft was discovery written or outlined at the outset. It’s more of an analysis tool of how to edit it into shape after you have the whole thing written. So in that way, it might be applicable to all types of writers. But I do think it’s highly on the analytical side, and some writers might not be into diving this deep into the mechanics, even in editing. My take is that if it helps, great! If not, no need to worry about learning the method. Thanks for watching!
@@createwithmer Thanks for the reply and break down. I've not read it so, I'm entirely in the dark on the title. I'll check it out though; I'm not beyond learning and evolving, especially if it helps our craft! Cheers!
I think this is a case where word specificity is very important for conveying meaning! The phrase that I said right in the beginning of the video (if that's the one you're quoting) was actually, "Regardless of what you think of her politics." This statement means that I'm actively addressing how controversial her opinions are (it's a fact that they do create controversy) and then letting the viewer know I won't be talking about them. So, the wording there was chosen specifically to NOT comment on her politics. If I had said the phrase you quoted "in spite of her views," it would have sounded like giving my own opinion. However, that wasn't quite what I said. Hope this helps to clear up the confusion. I wanted to just focus on her writing for this video :)
Didn't expect the word "flesh" 😁 to be a pet peeve. I didn't realize it but yes I kinda do notice repetitive words in books. I've used the female bully in one my very first story I wrote. And it kinda made sense as why I used it because I saw it everywhere. Very interesting.
I find stuff like this cropping up in my writing all the time because these books are the input I'm getting. It makes sense! What I do is notice if something that I have in my WIP comes up in 2+ other books. If so, I try to change it because it tells me that idea wasn't as original as it could have been. And yes, "flesh" is such a specific, random pet peeve of mine. It's everywhere though lol!
@@createwithmer I think I'm going to try to change the female bully trope or add a twist to it. That might be interesting how it'll work out 🤔 As always great video 👌
Thanks so much for letting me know you appreciated it. Sometimes these things should be called out, even if there's a lot of good in the genre too. I value keeping a balanced opinion, and it sounds like you do too!
How are you doing mrs mer . Iam Arabic lady subscriber to several British and American RU-vid channels. I didn’t send comments to you from long time . Thank you for your wonderful cultural literary channel. We appreciate your great efforts as foreigners subscribers as overseas students want to increase our cultural level improve our English and literature lovers too. First of all I looked up for meaning of words which appeared on screen romantasy is literary genre that combines romantic fiction with fantasy. Peeve is annoyance. Pet peeve is annoyance that nurtured like pet . I gathered main theme of book throne of glass and author biography briefly here it’s it’s genre high fantasy novel series. Plot summary story follows journey of celaena sardothien , teenage assassin in corrupt kingdom with tyrannical ruler king of Adarian . As tale progresses celaena forms unexpected bond and uncovers conspiracy amidst her adventures series concluded with eighth book in October 2018 . Sarah . J. Maas ( born in 1986) she is an American fantasy author known for her fantasy series throne of glass , court of throns and roses and crescent city . As of 2022 , she has sold over twelve million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 37 languages . Iam so sorry to be little long but reading and writing both are great ways to improve our English as none native speakers. Best wishes for you your dearest ones .
Thank you for the video. My pet peeves are: 1. The protagonist is training for a few weeks and immediately becomes a warrior. 2. A general glorification of war as long as the protagonist is on the "good" side. Of course in fiction it is simple to paint a picture of pure evil that has to be fought against, but I wonder what this does for the mindset in the real world where things are usually more complicated than that. Even in fiction one could (and some writers do) go deeper and explore the root causes of the conflict and that there is usually people with their own good reasons on both sides, which does not make the violence right at all. 3. The protagonist is royal. I have no problem with this per se, but I think it is done too often. I find this particularly strange, because these are books written by authors who live in democracies and yet romanticise the idea of kings and queens through birthright? Saying all this, I still love reading romantasy including epic battles and royal drama. I just wonder why these themes are so popular.
These are fantastic additions!! I especially relate to #3. Royals is really overdone right now. It's a fun idea to read about the life of something that us commoners will never be, but I think there are fun stories to tell among the working class too. And #1 happens so often when in reality it takes YEARS to gain proficiency at the kinds of skills these protagonists pick up in weeks. The genre is so full of tropes and funny quirks like this, but it's still a fun time overall. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video :)
I could have sworn I remember him having some command over darkness/night as the Lord of the Night Court. But it's definitely a fair point that Azriel is the Shadowsinger. Even if you take that away though, they look like a cut and paste xD
As an editor, italicized thoughts bother me. If you’re writing stream of consciousness effectively, then everything is the character’s thoughts. Trying to choose which ones count as thoughts is a nightmare. If it’s easy, you’re writing a shallow point of view.
Are there any spoilers in that video because I have never read this book yet. Nobody talked about it in the Middle East. I wish that nothing was unseemly.
Hi! Yes, there are lots of spoilers. I’m breaking down the entire book’s structure, so I talk about everything that happens. I’m sorry about that! I’ve seen a bunch of other videos that are spoiler-free, so those would be a better place to hear more about the book if you haven’t read it
In December, I retire from the day job. Then I begin to write full time. I have turned a back bedroom into an office and that is my writing space. I intend to start at 830am and finish at 330pm. With a lunch break at 12pm no longer than 45mi minutes maximum. I have a kettle for drinks of Redbush tea in my office so that I won't have to go downstairs to make tea. I will have snacks to hand so there will be no excuses for stopping. It will be hard initially but it has to be done and I will get used to it. Planning out a routine is so important.
This sounds like a fantastic plan. Congratulations on your retirement and being able to write full time at the end of the year! That’s an exciting new step. I wish I had the freedom to turn the work day into a writing day, so I’m jealous! Good luck on starting a new routine. I hope all goes well
I am so happy I found your account. This is the content I am ALWAYS searching for and can never find! I love seeing the technicalities of writing overlayed with already-finished pieces. I can't wait to watch more!
Oh yay!! It made my day that my channel reached just the right person who was looking for it. Thanks so much for your enthusiasm. It’s a big motivator to keep making videos like this :)
Haha! You have a point there, but I didn’t want to follow the routine to the point where my productivity suffers. But if you wanted to follow this to a whole new level, you could certain use pen and paper!
Getting critiques on your writing always feels more vulnerable than actually writing. Very exciting to begin the next "phase" of your work! Also, Reedsy is great, I used to do some editing on their platform!
Okay by my calculations that would about 1000 words per hour for all 120 hours of those 5 days. In short, that would be the death of me 😆😆 hilarious misread though
I’ve never heard of Bardsy but I will 100% check it out. After this class is over, I want to keep doing critiques, so that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi there! If you write out a scene outline, that gives you a very good idea of your major plot points (inciting incident, premise, midpoint, dark night of the soul, finale). There are lots of different ways to structure a synopsis, but knowing your major story beats is a good way to begin. Once you know those things from writing the entire scene outline, you can easily summarize them in a few paragraphs to create the synopsis. Let me know if there’s a specific synopsis you had in mind, but hopefully that helps!
@@createwithmer The synopsis I have in mind is the one I'm trying to write for my science fiction novel, "The Voyage of the New Beginning." I understand that the accepted limit on a synopsis is 2,000 words, but (at the rate I'm going) it's going to be far longer. And the accepted limit on an SF novel is supposed to be 60,000 to 90,000 words. LOL, I'm at 152,900 and counting. I'm about 80% done. I expect the final count will be, maybe, 180,000 words. The problem is obviously with my novel length and complexity. The book uses a "framed" structure (i.e.: told from inside another story; cf: Princess Bride), in two timelines. The framing timeline plot is a quiet invasion of Earth by an alien Artificial Intelligence, The Presence, and the response to that invasion by the ex-lawyer woman CEO of an R&D firm that he is trying to recruit to help him peacefully conquer Earth. The framed timeline is the story of how an initial abduction raid by a starship from that alien culture came to be, as told to that CEO by The Presence. There are nine alternating parts for each timeline and plot. There are two bookends: a 975-word Prologue and a 64-word Epilogue. It's a complicated story, with several protagonists, all of whom may or may not be bad guys (depending on your perspective).. So, basically, I'm trying to do a Synopsis for TWO plots.
I like the algorithm approach to development of story. You have demonstrated the algorithm VERY WELL. I can't fix a meal until I have the ingredients and then I follow the instructions of the recipe to create the meal. Meal Prep Dogma makes a good meal. The "Snow Flake Method" is a recipe for creation of an outline (recipe) to develop a delicious story, a meal to be consumed. Great video.
That’s a great way to describe the Snowflake method process. For those of us who enjoy building a story methodically, I think it’s a great tool! I’m glad you found the video useful :)
