10 Things I WISH I Knew Before Writing My Debut Book

This is exactly what I wish I knew before I wrote my first book! I’m talking about why outlines are important, why you should write what you want to read, how to mingle with the writing community and more. I work hard to provide you with writing advice you can trust, so if you want to learn from my experience and avoid some of the common mistakes new writers make, I’ve got you covered. Some of these points are things every new writer needs to know, so stay tuned, because #10 is incredibly important when it comes to making sure you stay on the right track. 💭

–Straight from my cold, dark heart,

Your Cyborg Queen
#JennaMoreci #CyborgQueen #CyborgArmy

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CHANNEL PLAYLISTS:

[bad_anima]

Write the book you want to read because during editing you're going to end up reading it 100 times!

[jacindacrous]

It's funny how you mentioned nobody will think you're crazy for writing a horror, as that actually happened to me. I wrote a short horror story in a creative writing class, and the teacher had me go see a doctor because of it. Happily, I was neither crazy nor depressed.

[lolbitfanfirst]

Timestamps:
2:46 - 1. Outlines Work
3:49 - 2. No one cares
4:49 - 3. Mingle
6:08 - 4. Delete ‘em
6:56 - 5. We don’t know what we don’t know
7:41 - 6. Do the research
8:42 - 7. Learn the reason
9:43 - 8. Delete filler
10:21 - 9. Do the work
11:24 - 10. The source matters
:3 yw!!

[Saurx]

Outlining your work or just having a general sense for the plot is HUGE for writing. I made the mistake of not doing this, and I encountered it's problems very early on. However, instead of going back and revising, I just pushed through and now most of what I wrote are now removed.

[misterprickly]

One bit of advice I've been given from literary professors, successful authors and even giants in the field has been "a good writer can make ANYTHING work".
That goes for filter words, purple prose, cardboard characters and even info dumps 'cause *as you know...* "a good writer can make ANYTHING work".

[ana_goncalves]

I began reading Shut Up And Write The Book and I wanna THANK YOU, Jenna ♡ I'm just in the structure part and I started visualizing my story AS I WAS READING... like I wasn't paying attention to the words because my mind was wandering like it hadn't in a long time.
It's too soon to say if I'll be able to write it, but just feeling unstuck was already worth the money

[TheMellbell]

On #2, sometimes it's best to just... not let people in your personal life read your work until it's released for this reason. Ever so often I run into someone who's thinking about scraping their manuscript because a friend or family member told them it doesn't seem like "something they'd write". That's not really feedback, it's a comment on how well that person knows the writer, and its understandably demoralizing. My mom was surprised I still write because I never talk about it, because when I do, her feedback is "why do you have to write horror/fantasy/whatever? I don't like that. Why can't you write something where everyone gets along? You know how Umbrella Academy is funny? You should write that." I've just come to accept that my friends and family are not my target audience.

[alisagorelick]

Congratulations!!! I just finished my first draft of my WIP and it felt amazing! So glad to be a part of this writing community.

[dalton]

"She was mesmerized as the dancers twirled across the stage."
"Mesmerized by the dancers twirling across the stage, she did not even notice Dona had left until the show was over."

Clearly showing she was watching them & gives you a bit of insight into how she is feeling/mindset at the same time.

[elizabethmcglothlin]

My first novel was SF. I was actually on a writer's board and one guy tried to make it personal. "Well, would YOU have sex with an alien?" With the support of other writers/reviewers, I was able to respond, "I married a man, didn't I?" Support counts.

[y-m-x]

The benefit of outlining is the biggest lesson I've learned (the hard way) in my writing journey. When you're less experienced, it feels cool to say you're a pantser and not realize that pantsers also have a deep understanding of their stories before writing them. It just manifests in a different way. To craft a good book, you have to know enough of the story before you write it. Otherwise, obviously, it's gonna be a mess.

[love_bug]

Hi I'm a new subscriber.
I'm 12 years old and I'm writing a book called Once upon a last breath.
it's a romance book about two ghosts falling in love. i have been writing this book for a while and I'm really excited to publish it. thank you for this video it's a huge help.

[TheDukeofMadness]

Within five minutes of starting your great book, I changed the start of my bogged down story. With a change of one aspect, my story is flowing freely now.

[melaniefranco]

I've been watching your videos even before you even started to promote the savior's champion. I always come to your videos when I seek guidance, I am so happy to have been here to support all of your projects. I cannot thank you enough for all your help Jenna. I will be waiting for your next book!

[HajimeAru]

Another tip I learned from experience is to write your first draft quickly and don't waste time trying to perfect anything in it. Then take some time to review and critically analyse over that first draft before rewriting a better draft. If you're passionate about the characters and the story, you'll have just as much fun writing the second draft as you did with the first, and what you produce will be much more refined and publishable.

[nosygamer]

Hi Jenna! I just had to say how much I adore you and love all your advice! I pre-ordered SUAWTB and am a little ways in and following along with the digital workbook! I also got the apple book for The Savior’s Champion yesterday and have not been able to put it down! Congratulations on all your success! Can’t wait to see more from you!

[silentwhisper]

MINE COMES IN THIS SATURDAY I CANT WAIT TO BINGE READ YOUR BOOK

[ThatBoomerDude]

Yeah. I've re-written almost my entire first act (of a Paranormal Romance) about 4 times so far.

[a.j.santiago]

This video is a perfect example of why I follow Jenna. Her emotion towards the beginning shows her passion for writing and this topic shows how much she cares about the writing community. As someone still working on my debut novel, I cannot express how valuable this information is. Thank you for all you do, Jenna!!! You rock!🤘❣❣

[Funkyfreakgirl]

I loved your debut novel! I still have it on my shelf! I remember back in my tumblr days, asking you about it & you answered so quickly and kindly!