Hey guys! My publishing house (Lost Island Press) has a Discord now, hosted by our team member Nora Sun! Definitely check it out if you enjoy reading/writing, I'll be fairly active there as well: lostislandpress.com/discord
What do you do about writers block? I have written some books before but I won't publish them but this is the first time I've actually got writers block. I don't get much time to write either because I get bugged every second and school doesn't help with having an okay amount of time to write.
I am a 13 year old ugandan teen with big dreams of writing a FANTASY novel.I often day dream and see myself as a director behind a camera seeing my characters come to life.i just want to write my novel and see myself in book stores signing books.i am kind of shy but it is nice to know I am not the only one.thanks for sharing everyone.
Cool! I’m rewriting a rough draft I had from last year... I think it could really go somewhere but I needed to rewrite it for that to happen. The original is full of plot holes and bad dialogue.
Arrayah Faith- yes! Comic sans actually works really well! It also helps first drafts feel more like...well, first drafts, rather than make you think “Oh, this first draft has to be perfect.”
@@MelTorrefranca I shared your link to my FB page hoping you will get more exposure. Although you already have lots of following, a Lil bit more would not hurt!
I'm 12 years old and writing my first book it is called "Until There's Light" It is about a teenager that looks back at her past from when she had cancer, she has always hidden it from friends and she finally felt like her self when she meet her lover of her life. TRUE STORY
@Julia Madera it’s about a group of kids finding a ghost boat. The two black kids are imprisoned and treated badly. The white/Asian girls are forced into the kitchen. The white boys are forced to fight. I did my take on sexism and racism but didn’t do very good so I’m going to have to make a lot of changes and make the point more visible instead of coming off sexist and racist. I wrote it in two months about a year ago.
@Julia Madera I also try to cover hating yourself with a character i named after myself and then surprise surprise an eating disorder stopped me from finishing. I didn’t even know how it wasn’t a good thing to actually hate myself so much and I used writing to vent. I now am starting to love myself. Using writing in a good way. ❤️
I'm 20 now. I've been writing since I was 8. I might have been a teen author if I had actually finished a book (rather than constantly starting new ones) or if I had kept writing every day. Now I'm much closer than I've ever been to finishing my first novel and I think its because I've found a story that I'm invested in enough to keep at it and not move on to something else, and also because I've started to push myself to write more consistently (even if I'm still not great at consistency and word count, I'm a lot better than I used to be).
I am a 14 year old freshman starting to work on my high fantasy novel geared towards older kids and younger teens. I am really happy seeing a young author that was able to publish a book. It is very inspiring.
Hey Mel, I'm tweleve and I am writing a book right now. It's called Small Town, Bigger Dreams . It's about a girl who grew up in a very small town in louisiana and feels like she doesn't fit in. When she was six years old she learned how to play the piano and wanted to become a professional pianist. Everyone, including her mother, told her it would never work out. She was bullied for having such "stupid" dreams. The whole book is basically about her overcoming a serious depression, finding out who she is, and growing into the girl she always dreamed of becoming. Does the book sound good, is there a more accurate title, and I need pen name (My real name is Abigail Elizabeth Harrell and I'm using Elizabeth A. Harrell right now but I feel like I need a better one) I would really love some tips from you.
That sounds like a great story! The only advice I can give you for the title and your pen name is to take your time and not rush through choosing. When you find the right names, you'll know ;)
@@abbeyandabbyreadandwritest2001 a good amout is about 50,000 words or more. BUt it's up to you. I'm a writer also, i've asked myself this many many times.
Try to write ever day and stay focused always plan ahead of your book before you start writing so you know what your going to write so you don't get a writers block.
Thank you! I’m writing a book about a fourteen year old girl who is upset about her appearance and is very insecure, but she meets someone as insecure as she is. They learn lessons along with their problems and complaints about people and learn that they are beautiful in every single way.
Sometimes life gets in the way or I feel tired/burn out, so I can't write every single day. My advice when you can't write is to think about writing or do something related to writing, like outlining. It's fine if you don't write every day, as long as you have a consistent and frequent schedule.
I'm a tween, and this helped a lot. Every time I think of a wonderful idea, around 7 chapters in I realise it's a stupid story and would never make the cut for being a book. I'm currently planning a story which I thought of a month ago, and I really hope it doesn't flop. After my most recent story, which I stopped writing around 3 to 4 months ago, flattered, I stopped writing. Your videos have motivated me a lot more, so thank you!
I am 13 and am writing a book. I have written 30,000 words so far and have to say that I really agree with the write every day rule. Even if it’s just a bit, it’s something and it keeps you in the habit of writing. Even if I take a small break from writing my book I write fan fiction instead just so that I can still be improving in writing. So far, I am enjoying writing my book and am finding it much less of a chore as I thought I would when I started. I like my plot and feel like I have a duty to my characters to keep writing. It’s also a good way to pass the time. I’m on my first draft and I quite honestly already know it is terrible but that’s fine because I know I’ll edit it later so I’m just enjoying the writing for now. I don’t really have an aim for how many words to write because I have no idea how long it will turn out to be, but I will try and write over 70,000 words. Just saying to anyone out there who’s considering writing a book, go for it! It doesn’t matter if you finish or not.
I’ve been trynna write a book since I was 11 and I’m finally starting mainly because of quarantine and I don’t want to do homework since it’s stupid I kinda have to find other productive things to do
I am guilty of writing too many things at once, mostly because I grew out of my first idea in only a few months. But now I'm trying my hardest to focus on only two, three stories MAX, and that's helped me a bit. If I have an idea I think I could use later, I write it on a google doc, maybe write a little idea for a plot twist, or cliffhanger, or moment, or anything, but never start a thing on it's separate google doc. That is my advice for people who basically live in their imagination, and I know that in the summer it's going to be hard to keep this up, mostly because I wont have school to distract me, even a little bit. And, my final thing, if you don't think that your story is good enough to get on the shelves, or that no one will like it, just remember that your favorite author could do it. So why can't you?
Omg thank u Sm for this advice! I’m Isabelle and I’m 14, I’m a young author (what I like to call myself) since I write short stories but every time I try to write a novel it never works and I get bored and lose the fun I had writing the story to begin with. I have many incomplete stories but I don’t know how to make them better. This advice is really helpful especially since I’ve gained two story ideas. One about black lives matter and racial profiling, and the other is about supernatural teens, I’m still working on the idea. I hope I can follow these steps that will help me complete both stories! Thank u! :)
I am 15 and I am writing a book on world war 3 and how mysterious the earth is . I , in my writing time always check RU-vid and was very concerned with teen writers . Seeing too many in the comments , I am so encouraged .
After reading this comment section my hope in the future generations has been restored. Bro, I wish I was as good with grammar as these kiddos here. I have I-impulsively-scrap-my-manuscript-syndrome, so in terms of word count I have no word count. Can you tell I’m writing this as 3am? I need sleep. Lots of sleep.
Mel you a true inspiration to me, being a teen writing a book I really look up to you, a copy of leaving wishville is coming right now and it's my favourite book!
I have been writing a book since I was 10 (I am 14 now) I always wanted to publish a book, but I told myself to wait until I was 16, which I am very glad I did (My first versions of the book were horrendous lol) The book is about a girl realizing that the academy she has been raised in, is killing the children to take away their powers. She basically makes allies during the book, finds out more information, overcomes something that handicaps her, and murders the rest of the students and staff in the academy because she believed they would drag her down. I made her an anti-villain. She will do horrible things, but it makes sense in a way. It is in first person, because I personally like it more than third person. I am having a hard time with my thoughts. I will write stuff down, like it for a few days and than hate it. My family is no help and my writing community isn't really helping. Do you have any tips for that?
Hmm. Maybe write the basic plot outline (but it seems youve already have that covered), then write a few important plot points or scenes? Or maybe just rewrite some points that you dont find fit with your current narrative? Im not sure, though, but i hope your doing okay with it now!
i'm an 11 year old writer and i've been using Werdsmith to write. It gets hard to write sometimes because i rarely have any motivation, but i've been trying to be more consistent. My friend encouraged me to start writing a while back and i would do it every day, but lately, not a lot, as i've said multiple times. These tips really helped me :)
i’ve currently written 2 books, called flourish and authentic. they’re non fiction, and i am writing a new fiction novel, and have another idea too. this video really helped me though! even though i thought i knew everything
Hello! I know this video is on the older side of the scale, but I still want to present my idea. My story would be about two girls falling in love in the 1950s. One girl would be japanese american and the other would be african american. They would have met on the bus on their way to work. This story would be about overcoming the struggle of being poc and lgbtq+ in the 1950s by keeping their love a secret and using each other to keep themselves stable. I’m nearly 11 years old and would love any feedback you have 💗☺️
I'm fourteen and hope to have my novel published by the time I leave school. I'm about 1/4 of the way done my first draft now, as I am hoping for it to be around 80 000 words when complete. Any tips for actually getting it out there i.e. publishing + editors?
That’s amazing!! And I might make a video on that topic soon :) for now my best advice is to find readers online who will beta read for you. That’s always a helpful step to go through before finding an editor. Good luck!
Most of the time I write sci-fi or fantasy. Sometimes also something like a mystery. But more something with a "What Remains of Edith Finch" feel. If I ever have a writers block or something I'll write some loose poetry describing a scene in a book.
This helps me a lot since I have been wanting to be a author since I was in 3rd grade, now I'm in 6th improving my writing & learning how to take it more serious
I've always been the type of person to never finish any projects, or to ditch them for shinier ideas. I dream of being an author and a big part in that is writing fantasy, however I constantly have doubt especially since I'm young and only have been writing for a few years of my life.Thanks for the tips, Mel! :)
Hello! I am 13 and I have been really insecure about my writing this helped to inspire me the story I’m writing is kind of a mystery murder twists it’s basically kinda cliche since it’s about a 19 y/o boy who is a detective cop and has been assigned a task to find out about a serial killer who has been the reason for many murders and they know that he is behind all the murders because of how alike the murder scenes look like and our mc collects clues and thinks that he is getting closer however he can’t seem to find out who it is no matter how many times he investigates and he meets a very mysterious man and becomes aquaintance with him and they investigate together however he just suddenly becomes conscious about the truth and realizes that every thing he has been imagining and that he was the detective and the murderer basically he has an identity disorder which makes him think he is a very good person since he is helping to catch the murderer however the mysterious man that he investigated was already on to him that’s why he stayed together with the mc to get more clues and the mc realizing how many people he has hurt and killed decides to tell the truth and gets arrested I know it’s cringe and doesn’t make sense but like I will probe not write it even tho I have a bunch of dialogues in my head and I don’t even know how identity disorder works so it has a lot of plot holes and stuff so I will probably not continue it
I've had the idea for a fantasy book for over 4-5 years, and now I'm happy to say that because of this video; I've been motivated to write it and now writing the first chapter! Thank you for the wonderful advice!
@@blueflower9852 I appreciate the offer, but I sadly have to decline. I feel like I want to tackle on my first (finished) story on my own before collaborating with other people. But I wish you well on your book.
These are great tips! I definitely have to work on the "write early in the morning" part and actually finishing my book before I worry about publishing
Throughout quarantine I’ve started writing my own book - Mind Games I’ve been looking all throughout RU-vid for advise and this was honestly very helpful, as it’s coming from someone who also writes! Not my mother!!!!!
When it comes to being a part of a writing community, I struggled to find one for a while. Especially because I'm not on social media. So, I improvised, adapted, and overcame. I made a writing club on Google Docs for me and my friends. As well as their friends.
Thank you so much for the advice. I’m writing a dystopian fantasy story and this is some really good advice since I have no homework because of quarantine I’ll definitely try and put this more into play especially now.
Lol I’m addicted to writing but I do this everyday: I write about 15,000 words in about two hours, I read through, I say it sucks, and restart. I have been writing the same book for about six months and have tons of ideas, but it’s hard for me to find a title, and to be confident in my work. But when I start writing it’s like I can’t stop, it’s so much fun for me, especially because my book the main character is about the shy side of me, and introverted side of me that barley anyone sees, but I want people to be able to know and see. I also don’t want anyone in my family reading, so I end up in a corner on a laptop, writing for hours and hours. I don’t know, I’m struggling a lot, any advice on any of my problems?
I think it's natural to be shy with your writing. As for restarting, I used to do that too. I think the issue is expecting your first draft to be perfect. First drafts ALWAYS suck. Instead of rewriting them completely, I recommend highlighting the parts you love every once in a while to motivate yourself and force yourself not to scrap anything until you finish the first draft.
Sometimes the title doesn’t have to be about the book in general, so here are some suggestions: Chief Salts Happy Hearts Club Band Jana’s Jewels Freedoms Treehouse Die and death
Ive been trying to write a horror book for ages, maybe a few years, i always have writers block, or lose motivation. This video has really helped im really far in the book now. Thanks so much😊
I have been writing since I was probably 6😅. I would make little stories and read them to my dad. I just stopped because I got older but now its my dream to become an author. I'm 11 now and writing as much as I can so thank you soooo much for these tips!❤
17 here. I dabbed into writing semi-seriously when I was 13. Managed to get 100k words of content pushed out then. Probably 160k worth of stuff in total rn. I regret not having wrote more when I was younger. Been having cognitive issues with brain these recent years which demotivated me from writing, especially when I look back at my old notes and see how much I pushed my imagination. Writing still means a lot to me, and this video helps so much! Ive been wanting these words recently First novel draft I finished was Festive Hive Party. I kinda pushed myself to finish it though, which I’m glad because I really want to make a draft that better captures the first idea I had of it that I abandoned. It talks about all the bizarre events that happen leading up to the Festive Hive Party, which is a school halloween party. Told through the perspective of 4 students, and each one has something obviously twisted about them on the inside while looking normal to other people. But some of their actions leads to the murder of one of the students.
I am 12 years old stuck in quarantine I really love Astronomy so I wanted to write a book about difficult topics in Astronomy and explain it in a simple way and thank you very much this helped me a lot
TYSM! I'm 14 year old writer from England and this really helped me grow and develop my ideas. Currently, i'm working on my new book, ''The Whirlpools of Solitude''. Hope for promising results. Have a FANTASTIC day!!!
Thanks Mel for sharing.Already startred getting ideas for my book and will soon put them down on paper.There are always going to be haters but thanks for being such an inspiration.
Hi, I'm new to the channel, but just recently I decided I want to start writing so I can finish an unfinished fanfic that has meant the world to me for many years (The author gave permission for fans to continue it) and I wanted to learn to write better since I want to do it justice but I've hardly ever written anything. Your videos are very helpful and I thank you a lot!
I'm writing a novel, hopefully in just a year. It's called survivor, and I think it's really good so far. These tips helped me write better and more in it
its my dream to write books for a living and making other people enjoy reading and letting people be transported into another world full of imagination i love making charcters and writing back stoory i love drawing and writing i really want to be a teen writer ive been working on my first book for the past 2 years i have rewriting it so many times but its always worth it when i get home after a long day i always make sure to write even a little writng is my escape its something that no one can controle no one can deside what i write about and i love that feeling of been incontrole i may not be able to control other things but this i can and when i finish writing a chpater its the greatist feeling in the world been a writer is hard and some times i stress about if i can maing it but its something i love and if i want it i need to work for it so i will work as hard as i can any free time i have in my day i use to write or design charcters or researching stuff about publishing you channel has helped me allot when ever i need advice about writing i go to your channel
I am Avy (My artist name). I am currently holding a notebook of a chaos. Its the draft for my story/ book ,,Bloomed Away". It's a girl love story and is about the journey of an author and artist. Its German, sadly. I've been giving the notebook to some people I trust, its really nice to hear opinions on it but as I said it is too messy and such. And because of that I tend to give up to easily. But you gave something that people I trusted never said. You said to take time and shouldnt overthink the future. I just hope I will learn more and grow. You are one of my motivations :) Loved the video by the way. Have a nice day! Lovely wishes, - Avy
I have been thinking about getting back into writing (I took a break for exam prep last year and went without working on my novel ever since) and this video really helped me get motivated. Thankyouu 💖
I really love your energy, I wish to be like you one day and help others in their story writing journey, I cannot express how happy I am to not be the only one who wants to be a young author, you REALLY motivated me 😭😭 Edit: 2:10 OMG THAT IS ME EVERYTIME I COME UP WITH A PLAN AND NEVER FINISH LOL
imagine in the future, a famous writer walks into the interview show and the host asked "who's your inspiration?" and they said "well, mel torrefranca 😊"
Thank you. This really helped me. I am currently 12 years old and I really enjoy writing but I'm not as creative and I don't get motivated as much so this really helped me
Have a writer schedule, time to write like before a bus comes, on break, at lunch, before bedtime etc Or you should get into a habit of writing like every other day etc. No need to do everyday if you do maybe a few words daily really makes sense haha. Some days you may have a party, a cool creative zoom call, a self care day, a super long work day etc so don't beat yourself up. Keep reading watch movies teens and write on gorgeous or handsome 😃
These are awesome tips! I've been doing all of them except for scrivener, but I did recently try out dabble, and I really liked it. Anyway, awesome video!
Thanks Mel I've always loved reading and now I'm writing my first chapter book! These tips helped me so muchhh!!!!! And the morning one is true guys its also better for you, and info will stay in your heads and you will benefit from it. :))))
When I'm off school or when it's weekend, I usually write a thousand words every morning during break from 6 to 8 am but during school, I prefer to go over stuff for exams at school.
This really helped me as during quarantine I have started two stories and I have been really motivated! I just need to work on the whole ‘write in the morning’ thing! 😅
Hi! I'm seventeen, and I'm writing a an epic fantasy called We the Brazen. It's about a sweet, autistic diplomat who befriends an emotionally constipated warrior accountant who's a few breaths away from being a full on sociopath. He's pretty much the only person stopping her from being a full on villain. Together, they uncover a mystery in their Guild -- it involves octopus-like shapeshifts, a poisoned Queen, and some good ol' treason. Oh, and they're both alien mermaids.
I'm 18 and trying to write my first novel as I type this! It's so nice seeing an author who's a similar age - I feel like so many people on authortube are, well, proper adults & it makes me feel like I don't know what I'm doing. In reality, we've got this, no matter our age!!
I can tell you when you said don't worry about publishing I already know what to do for publishing next year but I do need to stop fantasizing about publishing as that my #1 distraction
Ive loved writing and drawing since I was little, I daydream 24/7 and get new ideas and new stories almost every couple days, and once I get a good idea I like, I write about it and build a story, and continue to daydream and think about it until I’m done with it. I would like it to be published but my main goal right now is just writing out what I would like to read, I’d like to have all of it to myself because I’d love to see others write it, but I’d also like others to see it. (I’m 15, I’ve been writing/making comics/drawing since I was around 4)
I am writing a book right now called Destroyed its a dystopian novel and writing every day and taking notes every time i think of an idea has really helped me
Thanks so much for this video! I'll definitely have to look into your book! I'm new to your channel and just subscribed! I'm a freshman in college, writing my first novel (YA Fantasy) that was based on an idea that I've had for a while. This has given me so much inspiration to continue writing it! I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos!
The 'write in the morning' one really doesnt work for me - I just can't get into the flow in the morning. I feel the tip should better be called 'set away a certain time every day' bcs I always just write for 45 minutes after dinner and that what works perfectly for me💞
I am a fourteen year old author who is in the process of rewriting and editing my book. Right now, I'm not even worried about the writing part, because after struggling for a year with writing, I am slowly getting the hang of it. I'm just worried about publishing (we have a few connections, but I'm still worried) and marketing, because I really want my book to reach people.
Hi I’m about to turn 13 this year and I’ve been working on writing a book I’m very excited and tend to jump ahead sometimes so this video really helped. Thanks!
This was super motivating! I was struggling with my novel idea until today, when everything finally clicked together. I'll be sure to use these tips when I start the first draft :)
I’m a 12 year old person and I just need a hobby I just realised I’ve become a slob . And I really just watch your channel to get inspired from you and I just love coming home to watch your videos . Thx for inspiring me I’m starting a book rn it’s actually going pretty well just on the editing the first draft rn.
Thank you for this advice! Im 12 and a book idea has been on my mind for ages so I finally want to write it down! The plot is a little complicated and to keep this comment short and not an essay long Ill leave it out.
@@MelTorrefranca thank you! Ive taken your advice and even though im supposed to go somewhere tomorrow (im not in the us) ive been sitting on my ass in bed at half 12 at night reading a lot of instagram posts on writing and its seriously motivated me to actually begin writing! ❤️
I recently turned 14 and I’ve been wanting to make and publish a book for a few years, but after I read over my stories I just give up. You’ve given me much motivation and I will try my hardest to write more and more again. Quick question, is it better to create a title before or after writing?
I’m 14 and writing my second big project, people say I’m good at writing and I think I’m trash. You’re being hard on yourself. Also don’t rely on motivation, it comes eventually. I’m 12 k words deep into my story and started five days ago. Hope that’s some motivation.
I've recently started to crave creating a emotional story of modern fresno California I hope everyone here gets their books written you have the power good luck fellow young authors
#6 is really important be a purist of creative fiction, eliminate all luck, be hardcore and take no prisoners. You are superior, you are the best in the world, and you vaporize thoughts of failure to the point that they have no ashes to resurrect from. You are a writer.
I have been writing almost everyday for the past two years and before that I was writing at least two times a week for the past 3 years. And man oh man has my writing evolved like a Pokémon
