Wake up an hour early--not to write--and 10X your life? Is it possible? No, but there are some good ideas in the book, as well as some bad ideas. We'll go over them all, separating the best writing tips from the rest.
Thank you for the video, these are all excellent points. And perhaps the best advice of 2024 is ignoring the advice targeted at "middle-men" who really don't have much to offer in any domain. Brutal but true. One little thing that I would like to add is reading outside of your comfort zone. I recommend not consuming stories that are interesting and for pleasure all the time, but attempting to dive deeper into foreign areas of literature. Recently I picked up Gormenghgast by Mervyn Peake, and while the story itself is not my usual taste, the prose is quite good and so unique it changed my mind about how prose can be written. Will I attempt it in my own writing? I'm not sure. But it was definitely interesting and thought-provoking. I feel like when I first started writing I only read what I enjoyed and that limited my potential and perspective.
Yes, reading outside your comfort zone is an excellent point. Funnily enough, Gormenghast was also that for me, as fantasy is one of my least read genres, but I loved it.
Thank you very much. Happy to have you here. Do you enjoy the self-improvement book coverage? From the view count, it seems to not be pulling people in.
You're probably aware of (or read) literary agent Lucinda Halpern''s GET SIGNED. One section got me thinking: She was listing all the non-fiction self-help books with catchy titles such as HYPERFOCUS and THE PRODUCTIVITY PROJECT and their seemingly wondrous new insights and ideas, and I thought: all of these books probably have some genuinely clever ideas and perspectives, but ultimately they will have next to zero effect on any significant number of people. I've read dozens of self-help books over the years, and have probably gained some helpful tips here and there. However, I think it's extremely difficult (if not generally nearly impossible) to universalize pieces of advice. My attempt at stating such a universal for improving your writing would echo your own comment here: Live Life. At least, it certainly applies to me. LIVE LIFE MINDFULLY. I mean, take some time to reflect on things, to ask the big questions, to learn some basic philosophy, science, psychology, etc. From what I can tell, young writers would snicker at the thought of doing that. :)
That really is the key. You're right, you can come to many of the conclusions without having to learn them as unintegrated "tips" by being mindful, which then turns it into a part of a holistic approach. Very insightful point, thank you
I agree with your last statement about expanding general knowledge. Learning about fundamental physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, psychology, philosophy, etc. pays huge dividends in becoming a writer with more depth in their material and an overall better understanding of the world. I'm in my twenties and I tend to notice most writers around my age have adopted a very superficial style with a limited understanding of the fundamentals. They seemingly possess an aversion to pushing their intellect too far beyond a certain comfort zone, taking the easiest route possible, curating a Hollywood studio of particle board held together with duct tape and glue rather than building a home from materials of real substance. Of course, there are exceptions to this. What forges great writers like Steinbeck, Faulkner, Joyce and Wolfe is the fact that they had such a strong grasp of nature, both human and otherwise.
@@purpleporygon Well, you're a rarety, my friend. The good news is that with your attitude, you may write something great. The bad news - which may also apply to Alan - is that you may fight an uphill battle in the current anti-intellectual culture. But that kind of battle is part of the fun...right? :)
@@JAlanRyker Very true. The protagonist of my story is an aspiring writer who sits alone in her room all day not knowing what to write about. How interesting!
