I finished my second novel about 5 months ago, and a lot of what you discussed here resonates with much of what concerns me about the novel. I am horrible at reading my own material though. I did a complete revision for grammatical purposes and tried to integrate some content editing along the way, but I know it was not as thorough as it could be. The feedback I did get from my beta readers was positive and did not indicate any issue with the storyline or pacing, but I know there is room for improvement. In many ways, it is good to hear the niggling thoughts in the back of my mind said by someone else. It was a helpful video, thanks.
First off, congrats on finishing your SECOND novel. That alone is an accomplishment. As far as getting feedback and approaching revisions, it takes time to vet your own work critically. With practice and overtime you will get better at it. It sounds like you’re on the right path though, seeing as you’re getting beta readers and looking for critique/how to identify problems with your writing. Also, thank you for watching! I’m glad it was helpful!
I think flavor text can be used to describe the "ambiguous storytelling" better than just saying "ambiguous". Flavor texts can be extremely clear, but their subjects often were hidden in the logical extensions of theses of the texts, or the logical origins of ideas within the texts.
I completely agree with you! Flavor text can add a whole new layer of depth to storytelling and provide a more nuanced understanding of the subject matter. Ambiguity I often associate with deliberately withholding some bits of information or leaving something up to interpretation.
Thank you for the video! I’ve never heard of the term “purple prose” before (I’m not originally from an English-speaking country). Turns out there are other terms like that with other colors, like “beige prose”, which is the opposite of purple prose. Interesting! Subscribed to your channel! :)
Thank you for watching! And well said, and to go off that, some “classics” I have a hard time reading because of the prose and end up either DNFing or finding the audiobook.
@@wrestlingwithwords Same. I DNF'ed Frankenstein because I couldn't handle the prose. And that was supposed to be one of the books I had to read before I died. 🤷♂
I can relate to the first few drafts being just getting the story out and working through how I want to say something. Trying to decide when to give a draft to a beta is tricky. I'll need input before I make all the changes I know I need to make. It's good to let your beta know what you're looking for. I'll be coming back to this video for reminders before I write my later drafts!
Instantly loved your video--even before you began content delivery. As videographer-turned-writer, those "shadows" you deemed worthy of an apology, touched my video soul: the term is cookaloris, using light filters to add texture. Secondly, you have a professional mic! Hence, velvety-smooth audio. With just these factors, I have subscribed. My gut tells me a man who cares enough to produce aa quality video will have content which will enrich my writing ability. Doesn't hurt that you're easy on the eyes...
First off, thank you for watching and for your comment! Having a big window that faces the sun is great!.... Except when it is not... I'm still learning a lot about the videographer/production side of things, but man do I kick myself for waiting too long to get a good/better mic. Thanks again for watching!
Great video! If I'm worried that my writing isn't very clear- would you have any tips on improving that? How would you define "clear writing"? How can I tell if my writing is unclear? And what can make unclear writing clearer?
Typically "clear" writing has to do with if the reader understands what you are saying or describing. This can be the use of pronouns and character names (if you have 3 male characters and only ever refer to them as "he", the reader likely will not know who is saying or doing what). It can also be the delivery and pace of a scene, or even the metaphors, and whatnot. The best way to see if your writing is clear is to have others read your work and get honest critique and feedback.
11:47 PS: You did not disappoint. Especially related to the purple prose point. My memoir's Prologue could easily have gone that route, and I instantly recognized the danger. After writing up a doc on possible solutions, I remembered how Brits handle this: with understatement. The less purple a dramatic scene is delivered, the more powerful the punch. I'm soon to be seeking an editor/formatter. Do you offer such services? Cheers, Preston PPS: Your vocabulary speaks volumes--good ones at that.
Feel free to send me an email and I'd love to see if I can help! (Or you can go to my website and submit a query through the online submission form). Thank you again for watching and for your comments.
Am interested in the topic, so was interested in the video. Intro dragged, dealbreaker was "apologizing for missing an upload because I was sick" I cannot fathom why RU-vidrs do this. Drop the slow intros, drop the apologies, drop talking about any "other channel news". We don't care. Just get to the point of the current video. I'll get called a troll but idc.
I appreciate the comment, sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the video. I haven't been doing this long, so any sort of feedback is always worth considering.
This was good as a sense of framing, but I think some examples are necessary to elucidate. What is an example of purple prose? Poor sentence variability? And how would you go about editing it? Authortube is rife with different schemas on approaching writing problems but devoid of actual example work. Seeing these ideas in practice is where the value is
Thank you for your feedback! I completely understand the need for examples to better illustrate the concepts. I'll definitely keep that in mind for future videos and make sure to include examples to make the information more relatable and practical for everyone. I do try to showcase my own writing as a way to show that I do try and practice what I teach. Thank you for commenting! Your feedback is really helpful!
Not at all! I appreciate it nonetheless. I want to be as helpful as possible. Providing examples has always been a part of my content that I have wanted to get better at. :)
Do you think it is true that a story should start more or less immediately with some form of conflict that is apparent towards the protagonist? I hear that publishers are always looking for a 'hook' and can disregard a manuscript within the first ten seconds, apparently as browers in a shop may also do. Do this not make every novel follow a generic starting structure? Im sure ive read many books that world build before getting into the meat, as such,not that i can think of an example right now. Lol. Id love a video from you on the subject. Really good vid btw, gained a new sub from an amateur! Lol.
This is an excellent question. The short answer is yes! (sort of...) Conflict at the start (and the necessity of the hook) is important, now more than ever. However, with that being said, it does not need to happen on the first page. Every story is different, but the first pages should make the reader invested in the character(s), plot, or story in general. I would say this is more important because even if you have a ton of conflict at the very start if we don't care about the characters on the page (or the story in general), the reader won't care about all that conflict. I might go into more detail about this in a video! Thank you for subscribing, and thank you for the question!
For new writers: First and foremost, you should write as much Purple or Beige Prose as needed to deliver your story as you want. As long as your grammatical and spelling errors are minimal, and voice and tense are consistent-so reading your work is not jarring-you'll be good to go on the writing side. Once you hook a reader, you pretty much have the freedom to be as purply or beige as you wish.
Yep. This is good advice. New writers should write and write and write. Most of the time I’ve repaired purple prose for other writers (and myself at times) during revisions. Also, you’ll find a balance and your own style/voice. Some will be more purple than others and that is ok, especially if you keep your audience reading.
