ChrisP Writing Tip #1 - What I Wish I Had Known Starting Out

Hey everyone! This is the first video for ChrisP (yes, like crispy — pun intended) writing tips that I've been thinking about for awhile. I'll post plenty more of these snack-like videos as I think of topics. Hope you find this first tip useful so you can keep your own writing crisp. Stay tuned for more!

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[solnada]

This is exactly what I needed to hear honestly. I always stop writing a story because I felt it was absolute garbage in every aspect. I know in the back of my mind I need to push through and actually have something to work with, but overcoming that mindset is a challenge unto itself.
But it is encouraging to hear these words, the story will suck but I'll have the chance to make it great once the first draft is done.
Thanks for sharing this advice 🙂👍

[ethanduncalfe]

Great advice man. I'm about to start a really large draft here, and this sort of advice is just what I need

[ramonarobot]

I actually believed when I saw movies showing writers getting the sudden inspiration and then start obsessively writing away on paper or typewriters, and then showing that first draft to someone, and that reader would be like “this is incredible!” (Example: that movie on Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein). What a dent to my confidence when I started writing that I wasn’t that great

[paolarojas]

I love the pun, use it more! It's funny

[roiroije]

Chrispy Boi: Uploads a Writing Tip.

New Writers and I, crawling outta our Writer's Block; "My precious..!"

[addamaewalker]

Okay am I the only one who wants to hear ALL the ChrisP puns? AND all other TECHNICAL advice CP has in his noggin. On a more personal note - I would love some publishing advice. Specifically what to look out for in contacts and how to own your craft?!

[JayKBishop]

As an aspiring author who is held back by anxieties and fears of messing up; This is great to hear and I look forward to other videos in this series.

[daragold]

Thank you Christopher Paolini! I am a young writer and found my passion for writing thanks to you! You paved the way for young writers to be confident in writing! I would not be so dedicated to my book and to writing if I hadn't known a 15 year old wrote one of my absolute favorite books, Eragon/ the inheritance cycle. Thank you for giving me the confidence and joy of writing, even though I am way younger than those I aspire to be like. Thank you, a thousand times thank you!

[carmenstandop]

love that you take time and effort to give us your writing wisdoms and it´s much appreciated

[BrentGalloway]

Really needed to hear this advice. Been realizing how important it is to push through and finish a draft—and let it suck—rather than scrap or abandon it every time I get burnt out/frustrated. Really appreciate you taking the time to upload this, and I look forward to more writing tips! Thanks Chris!

[eragon]

Lol, I've been getting into writing again after a big gap in motivation and this is really helpful! And who doesn't like puns?

[princessthyemis]

Thank you so much! This is so wonderful to hear. I'm a 25 year old aspiring author--my first short story was published 3 years ago and ever since then I've been weighed down by the shackles of self doubt and trying to make my new stories perfect right away. Hearing from you that it's okay to write a terrible first draft, that it's normal...it's so reassuring! I've been struggling with the first draft of several stories and this is the perfect news. Thank you so so so so much! I hope you can make more writing advice videos like this in the feature! And for what it's worth, I absolutely love the "crispy= Chris P." thing!!

[austintravioli]

can you make a video updating us on what’s going to happen with the inheritance cycle?

[LaPtaVerdad]

That first advice is so true and is a stigma that needs to dissapear. I dont mean to let mistakes slip into the final edition, but stop being unforgetful to your own manuscript because of a couple initial mistakes. This is what i believe is the bigger obstacle to any aspiring author to really start, starting to believe in yourself.

[chloelianna]

I'm a simple writer, I see a pun and I click. Great advice btw

[Schmunzelfee]

First I want to thank you, Christopher, Eragon was one of the reasons I started writing. When I bought your book I was 15. You encouraged me to write my own stories. Cause if a 15-year-old boy could write a book I also could, right? Not many people believed in me but I did because somewhere in the world was a boy as old as me who already had published a book successfully. That gave me hope to not give up. Eragon shaped me as a young author and gave me the strength to write on. Today I am 33 and managed to work on my novel 4-6 hours a day, after work. So I am very happy you had a great part in helping me to achieve this.
Second, this is a great tip. I work on my own novel series for 10 years now. I spend years and years on worldbuilding and character creating. When I started I wrote 120 pages in one month and then I stopped because the story wasn't really working. And I felt that. So I spent a lot of time trying to fix it. And today the story changed significantly. We must allow the story to change and grow like we change and grow as writers. Honestly, I thought my story was perfect at first but it wasn't. I stopped writing for a long time cause I was frustrated to not get it right the first time, to fail as an author. But not a long time ago I understood that this is not the way it works because you will never finish the first draft if you never write it.
This experience taught me that it doesn't matter how bad a chapter is the first time. You will go back and then you can fix it. This story is in my head for over ten years now and even in times when I thought I could never write it, there was a gentle voice in my head that said: Give yourself time to learn, don't give it up! Even my characters told me to not give up. So here I am, inhaling everything that I can possibly learn to become better at writing and make that book the amazing story my characters deserve.

[justaburninguser]

I loved to write little books when I was seven years old. I always had little stories that I wanted to share.
Now I'm almost fifteen and completed reading The Inheritance Cycle and even the fifth book. I must say, the books really changed my life. I felt like a part of the story and while reading them my biggest fear was actually to complete reading the series. I was like "What am I supposed to do after I'm done reading?"

I've always loved dragons and I've had an idea for a couple of years of a story about a girl and a dragon.
I got inspiration from both your books and the Tomb Raider games. And a couple of weeks ago when I completed your fifth book I thought "why not begin with my own book? I've got my old map and the planning done already, I can just begin with it right now".

And thats what I'm doing, your words are really helping me, I needed this a lot, thank you!

(I'm from Sweden so If I a made grammar mistake I apologise, I'm still learning)

[ChknLord]

Thank you very much for this video and all of the other ones after it! I'm 17 and started my book when I was 15 so I have been adding on and editing it ever since so this has motivated me to continue onward with it to get my first draft done and then go back and edit it! The Inheritance Cycle was my introduction to the depth of writing a story that I strive to try achieve every time I write. Thank you!

[garland]

Going to put these in my writing tips notebook.

[dallinwatson]

Keep the ChrisP pun for sure. I appreciate the pun and the advice. I am currently in my process of collecting "Dear Author" rejection letters from agents and I needed this. Thank you.