These 10 YouTube Videos Will Help You Up Your Writing Game

No matter how long you’ve been a writer, and even if you’re already a published author, sometimes it’s good to revisit the basics. As I’ve been out of the habit of writing, I thought a review would be a good way to start 2023.

12 Ways to Write Better Sentences for Creative Writers

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1. Avoid confusingly complex sentences
2. Set the tone with word choices
3. Avoid passive voice
4. Remove filtering
5. Set the pace with sentence length
6. Avoid body parts taking action
7. Reduce “was -ing” construction
8. Keep the wording natural
9. Cut unnecessary similies
10. Use vocabulary level strategically
11. Avoid starting actions
12. Cut out unnecessary words

10 Writing Tips from Stephen King for Writers and Screenwriters

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1. If you don’t succeed, get a bigger nail
2. Write 6 pages a day
3. Go where the story leads you
4. The good ideas will stay with you
5. First, you read and copy other writers, then little by little you develop your own style
6. Writing is self hypnosis; you need to have a routine
7. Start with short stories and let them develop into novels or screenplays
8. Learn to write for different mediums
9. Look for ideas that you would really enjoy writing for longer periods
10. Get immersed in your writing process until the outside world is gone

How I Plotted a Book in One Day

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1. Open a document in your chosen word processor
2. Create a table with two columns for Chapter and About
3. Keep the points simple; create a separate document to expand upon details
4. Plot out potential settings below the table to help us visualize as we plot
5. Easier to do if you’ve already had the idea for a long while

What to Write About When You Have NO IDEAS

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1. Can you steal from other writers?
2. Make a list of your four favorite stories
3. Make a list of four story elements
4. A note about short stories
5. You’re not writing a retelling
6. Famous stories that stole from other stories
7. Watch me brainstorm stories in real time

Improve Your Academic Writing | 7 Useful Tips to Become a Better Writer

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1. Be concise
2. Organize your paper
3. Avoid contractions, idioms and colloquial expressions
4. Vary your sentence structure
5. Use the active voice
6. Avoid repetition
7. Proofread your writing

10 Worst Ways to Destroy the Chemistry Between Your Characters

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1. All tell, no show; give some details
2. No dialogue; say something; anything
3. Instalove: this doesn’t exist
4. “The danglin’ carrot; DNF territory
5. The “dishrag” main character; sounds like a personal problem
6. Adorakble; just a dork
7. They’re hot – that’s it; boring
8. Low stakes; sounds fake
9. Inappropriate age differences; call the police
10. No effort; did you even try?

Harsh Writing Advice (mostly for newer writers)

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1. First drafts suck; write anyway
2. You’re not original; deal with it
3. No one cares as much as you
4. Your life story isn’t that interesting
5. Excuses [to not write] are bulls****. Write
6. Traditional publishing isn’t the enemy
7. Rejection is healthy; process it
8. Brainstorming/interneting isn’t writing
9. Writing is lonely, thankless, disappointing
10. Find the thing you love and pursue it

First Chapter Mistakes New Writers Make

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1. Don’t start with exposition
2. Don’t save the good stuff
3. Don’t start with a character we’ll never see again
4. Don’t overwhelm the reader with names
5. Don’t start with a boring day-in-the-life
6. Do start with internal conflict
7. Do reveal enough for us to care
8. Do start with your MC waking up to something new
9. Do use the first 5 minutes to introduce your MC

Ten Weird Writing Tips That Actually Work

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1. If you have a character that you like too much or hate too much, temporarily replace their names
2. Cut the last thing you wrote
3. Stop writing before you run out of ideas
4. Print your manuscript for proofreading
5. Keep sentence-long summaries of your scenes
6. Consistent idea generation
7. Keep a “problems list” as you write first draft
8. Summarize problem paragraphs
9. Swap scenes with a writing partner
10. Try getting into your character’s head

My Top 12 Writing Tips | Advice That Changed How I Write

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1. Skip scenes the reader can imagine
2. Use strong verbs
3. Avoid “ing” and “to be” verbs
4. Describe, don’t explain
5. If your story is boring, slow it down
6. Be specific
7. The push and pull of hope and despair
8. Character yearning
9. Character contradictions
10. Use the fewest words possible
11. Artistic congruity
12. How can this be more interesting?

Well now, I gotta say that I am very impressed that there’s very little crossover with all the advice given within these ten videos. And, if something is similar, they put their own unique take on it. So from Stephen King to ShaelinWrites, there’s enough advice to keep you busy for at least a couple of months! Happy writing, y’all!