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This video was amazing thank you for sharing. Ive watched some other videos with tips but they are so vague. You actually go into detail with examples and it feels like a class. I can actually take these tips and utilize them.

I’m an intuitive panster studying narrative. My mind is going crazy. Hate outlining even my teachers tell me that I write better when I don’t “ think” to much about the structure. I’m struggling. I need a writing partner 😢

those examples are garbage books holy crap

I love the advice, but the examples are unnecessary, (They don't help me) and extend the length of the video far too long. I wish you had some non-example versions of this series.

This is awesome and your videos have been super helpful! Do you have any content on how to incorporate multiple plotlines and how to tie them together well?

I have never seen someone so clear on character arcs before. Watching your videos is illuminating and very very helpful! Thank you! Hoping to see a video like this about the Negative Character Arc, which is very interesting. :)

2:07 George R. R. Martin: “Six years? Hold my typewriter!”

"We don't want to be spending 50 hours on a single scene." Me: (Sometimes spending an hour to write a single sentence) Well... it's progress. I'll get there eventually. Monthly update: 31 July - 118 hours - 6,172 words

Thanks for writing me back. My problem is I have trouble turning off the TV, but I hope I can finish a book, if you have any advice, will you write me. Thanks I like your videos

This is cool

Artist and writer here. I see "rules" more like bases, how things work, you must know how they work before tweaking and altering them. Because if you don't, they will not work. The artists who "don't use the rules" or break them, got a deep grasp of how they work, a natural understanding, that they can make the whole art piece or book function "without" it. And the only way to do this is repeating the rules till they get under your skin. And how long that process is varies with each person and their own artist journey. There's no formula neither calendar to achieve it. Just doing it and progressing piece by piece

Good afternoon. Thank you Ellen. You look a beautiful person by the way?

2:18 | Movies talked about 2:24 | How long is the debate? 2:43 | Size of Status Quo & Debate 3:39 | What happens in the debate? -- 4:38 | Example: Toy Story -- 5:13 | Impossible Status Quo. Paths: Externally and Internally preferable -- 5:44 | Example: Juno

Ellen, You should not look like a teen, it detracts from the maturity of you message and you cannot sound like a cheerleader, practice bringing down your tone.

5:20 I've had a really hard time with the motivation. So recently I found out that I should organize it better. The character's internal and external conflicts and desires. Example: Internal desire love. Lie: I'm unlovable. Fear: Rejection. External: Motivation: Find the love of their life. Conflict: People think she's ugly so how could she date? Goal: Always have makeup on. Some sort Some sort of reason why she couldn't decide to just wear makeup in the first place would be interesting. Like Maybe she has severe acne and her parents cannot afford expensive skin care, extra.

These are also nice to just put in the background as I write 😊

In my previous writing group one member was head hopping. She signposted it, so it wasn't confusing, and so since it didn't cause confusion, she didn't understand why she shouldn't do it. She wanted for the reader to know what the other character was thinking. And I think this is the perfect situation for what Ellen was talking about here. She was breaking a rule without understanding why the rule exists in the first place, and she was breaking the rule to create an effect that she could have accomplished without breaking the rule. We didn't need headhopping to show what the other character was thinking (it wasn't a complex thought), but we did it anyways and now my immersion is broken because a single paragraph in this whole chapter is randomly from another POV. At the time I didn't have the understanding that I do now for what she was sacrificing when making her choice, but I think that plays into what Ellen was saying. I need to learn why the rule exists and what I sacrifice by breaking it. If I can't answer that, then I need to study up or just stick with what is orthodox.

The only method that makes sense to me is Abbie Emmon's three-act story structure. I recently just started to not rush through outlining it. Very helpful.

Naming the main character after yourself? Oh my goodness! has anyone warned George Lucas (Luke S). This might really help his writting. He could be so successful if he'd only seen this lol. Has anyone warned H.P lovecraft about number 15? lol. I think this advice, while good should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt

Honestly, I can’t tell you how helpful I find your videos and the way you explain things. I find myself nodding along to what you say, which I never notice myself doing for others. Your videos are brimming with immensely useful information! The value I’m getting from your channel is incredible, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Medium-sized eyes" made me lol

This is the first writing video that I've seen that's ever described anything even close to my style. Before, I could never really answer the question of "am I a pantser or a plotter?" but this video describes me to a T. And a ton of the advice that you're giving is stuff that I'm already doing XD and I'm definitely taking notes for the rest. I related so much to the part about draft numbers... I'm still technically on draft 1, about 70% through, even though I have edited the earlier chapters multiple times already, and have been working on this for over a year now. And I feel like when I do finish draft 1, my book's gonna be pretty damn close to query-able. And yet, everyone keeps shouting from rooftops that your first draft is supposed to suck and I'm like... 🤔 I don't think it will? So thank you, for shedding light on this type of methodology and convincing me that I'm not a weirdo! XD Also, I have ADHD, and I feel that everything you were describing about this process is so in-line with how our neurodivergent brains work 😅 I'd be curious to see how many other authors with ADHD fit into this category!

I fit most into your Methodological Pantser type. For me, it's important to edit those early scenes before I finish because i'm still new at this and need to see how it will look when polished. I don't want to build more bricks on top of an unstable one, to use your analogy. That instability just sits in my mind and I think it will cause me more work later, to fix everything that's built on it. And I also don't want to get to the end and only then start working on my polishing skills. I do think it's important to keep going, and to finish. But for me, if I don't finish at a certain level of quality, I worry that i'll give up and put it down. So a big part of it is building evidence that I CAN do this, I think. I could definitely see this changing if i'd already completed a first book, and knew more about how the process is likely to go (for me).

I love your videos

This video was great for me. Thank you! From someone who has devoured everything good that I can find on RUclips - you really seem to know your stuff. From the info and advice i've been able to find, this (by far) captured some of the main things i've been struggling to find good info about.

Great content

Super grateful for you, Ellen!

does it work for movies?

I like this too

Thank you very much for this!

lol yes please do another of this videos, not only bc it's helpful, but the comments down here made my day lol

Amazing video. Has helped me so much. Definitely going to try this with my first draft!

I think I'm intuitive. It's frustrating though because I don't have any formal training on creative writing. I've just always been able to tell a story. Writing is hard for me.

Thank you

I tried being a pantser and it was fun...for a white, I would always end up getting stuck and not completing, mainly because the story had changed too much by the time I reached halfway that my writing felt so disjointed I could no longer figure out how to continue. I also tried hardcore plotting, only to get burned out and bored by the process itself and never writing any of that story. Watching your types of writers video introduced me to the concept of the intuitive plotter which I am giving a go now and so far I find I think I like it. I am essentially doing summary plotting, and writing the story as it comes, not thinking much about structure but just what feels likes should come next and for me it seems to be a great mix of the excitement of pantsing, while also being sparse and flexible enough that if I come up with brilliant new ideas throughout the story I can very easily adjust everything else (instead of just giving up). I think it ultimately is turning into a bit of a draft 0 really. Something I found helpful for getting myself to stick to one story is to simply write down my brilliant new story ideas when I have them (as you suggested) and then telling myself I can start one of my new ideas once I finish at least the first full draft of my current story.

If you need someone to beta read critique your book, I've read over 400 novels in 3.5 years. I've written a lot of novels, but unpublished.

This is why I like your channel! You explain things very well. The “tools not rules” for achieving your creative vision is exactly what I love about writing (and art!)

Thank you. This was very helpful. I would have liked to see examples of authors who fit into these groupings.

I am so grateful for your work.. thanks a lot

This is insightful, thank you!!

When is the novel coming out?

Page channel please

You're a writer too! Amazing! 🧡🧡

Thankyou to the auther for sharing this chapter. Several points- Victoria seems max 12 which would be OK if she was meant to be. being younger, as you alluded to, the motive makes more sense. Perhaps she has few friends and wants to impress at the party in an attempt to gain more? Or she is considered silly or just "less" intelligent than her father so feels she needs to do something to be seen as smart. However these suggested motives ONLY work for a younger character. Someone else mentioned- why did she need the horse? Wasn't very far at any point. With her father being a tinkerer of sorts and her goal being to catch a "bug" (obviously a fairy), why doesn't she have a net? Seems would be easier to edit this book to be a... would you call it middle school book? unless it gets saucy later with the fairies. Once refined seems like it would be a fun sweet book.

As someone who has a lot of paragraphs I'm emotionally invested in that just don't work - some even 10yo now - I agree that creating a separate doc where you keep it, and then edit it out of the main doc is the way to go. 70% of the time I never even remember the paragraph or line. But there are times where years after I've removed it I realize it needs to be in there, so it's helpful to go back to the "Play" file and bring it back in. Esp. when upon re-read I can't help but mentally add it back in every time.

This was one of the most useful videos I've ever watched with actual immediate value. Thank you so much for being so detailed and verbose! This was absolutely fantastic!

What happens if you have a great story but you’re not a writer I’m not looking for a ghost writer. I don’t need to have my name put on a book to feel good. I feel good regardless…. how much is love to get my story into the world any suggestions?

Loved this video. A great reminder not to blindly follow "rules" and to focus on what a story or an art piece is actually trying to achieve.

Exiting lurking mode for a comment here: I've been following your channel for years, and you are one of the few people speaking about so many good topics for writers (filtering, rules, distance between reader and characters, and all the other videos). It's good to hear an impromptu video, and the quality is still there!! I look forward for more content like this one, and to hear more about your book!

Congrats 🎉🎉🎉great examples of showing and not telling. Keep up the amazing work kind regards Mr Robinson...