7 Writing Techniques so Good they should be Illegal

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[orianaborselli]

It's funny to me how people criticize Howl for being "Dramatic" when having a meltdown over his "ruined" appearance when, at least in the movies (I haven't read the books yet but I've heard about them and want to) he is fighting in a war, being stalked by a crazy witch, persecuted by the goverment, and already has a mess of a life, like... of course he is gonna explode the moment one thing gets out of his control!

[timhouser]

7 Writing Techniques
1. Double-up technique
Each scene should do double duty.
2. Tell the reader about the farmers.
The farmers are ready to shoot the fox at any moment. Now the scene is suspenseful instead of boring.
3. No half measures.
Tell the story behind why the half measure didn't work out.
4. Delayed emotions.
Instead of displaying immediate emotions have them seem to be doing well, only to be triggered, later, by something small.
5. Funky emotions.
Tell a story about your characters reacting in unusual (compared to everyone else) ways.
Lifting weights during the apocalypse. Let them worry out why they think he's doing it.
6. Gold Coin writing technique.
Periodically place rewards (character, story, new info, ...) to keep the reader reading.
7. Lean away from the happy ending.
Convince the reader the win cannot happen.

[duckdialectics]

The brilliant part about that story Mike tells is that he is again in the exact same situation with Walter, he is picking a half measure with Walter. Mike hasn't learnt the lesson of the story he is telling, and he pays dearly for that, which makes the whole arc super ironic.

[jurikase]

Delayed emotions sometimes don't fit the character sometimes, but sometimes its also about the situation the character is in.

[FCSchaefer]

"Lean away" seems to be perfect antidote to the "subvert expectations" trope that ruins so many stories.

[trikebeatstrexnodiff]

I went through one of the worst 'funky emotions' in the recent years. Throughout my whole school life I thought our grades we had during our elementary, middle and high-school years would count when applying for a uni. In my last high-school year (when I had decided to not study for the last 2 years that much since all my grades were top), I saw my classmates working their 🍑 off. Our teachers were BEGGING us to solve tests and they would even allow us to solve tests during PE and art-music lessons. I couldnt believe it. There was going to be one test- ( three if you apply for more chances to be there) which we would enter a uni based on the results of that test which mostly would consist of questions based on the curriculum of the last 2 high-school subjects. My brain refused to believe that. I didnt even study. My friends, relatives and teachers even asked what was wrong with me since I have always been a nerd studying for the past years. I still 'lose it' if that makes sense when thinking about it. It was unfair. Even if I hadnt decided on not to study, I still would not give my best effort since even physically my body refused to believe it. I never cried for it, my body and mind would switch their gears into a frozen state actually. It was weird to go through that stage of 'emotions' not quite matching with what was happening. I failed hard at two of the three uni entrance tests as a result, though my family was more shocked than being disappointed. And I was disappointed at everyone and everything for not informing us that our grades would simply... not matter. I would live my childhood doing childish things instead of always studying, and I would actually study at the end years instead of doing nothing in a frozen state of mind and body which were unfairly fooled by the system...

[rquiem.]

I have been obsessed with your videos for the last few days. Your channel deserves more love. Keep it up.

[FactOrbitz]

7 Writing Techniques


1. Double-up technique:
Each scene should do double duty. Such as: action and information
(1. A car chase to get hold of some documents.
‘Car chase’ - action, ‘get hold of some documents’ - information
2. A shootout to save a hostage from death.
‘Shootout’ - action, ‘save a hostage’ - most probably to get some information)

2. Tell the reader about the farmers:
Add suspense to some information.
Ex - A fox is excellent at crawling out of its hole and stealing. 3 farmers are there, with rifles to ambush the fox. The farmers are ready to shoot the fox at any moment. Now the scene is suspenseful instead of boring.
If it would have been only written that the fox can easily crawl out of its hole, and steal quickly, then the scene would have been boring. The chance of an ambush makes the scene interesting and creates suspense.

3. No half measures:
Tell the story behind why the half measure didn't work out.
This means that if a task had to be done, and if the character did not complete it fully, left it half the way, at some point in the story the reason should be given as to why the character did not complete the full task. The reason should not be left behind.

4. Delayed emotions:
Instead of displaying immediate emotions have them seem to be doing well, only to be triggered, later, by something small.
For example: Suppose a loved one of the character dies. Then we must not show the character have emotional changes IMMEDIATELY, we must wait. In this case, we should just depict the character be quite, and sort of calm, not dissolve into tears, not start drinking, etc. etc. Later, we should show the emotions in a blast over small problems, such as stubbing a toe, or waking up late in the morning. Due to these small problems, the character must burst out all the emotions he/she was bottling up all this time by keeping quite, meaning that the character could break stuff in anger, or cry for hours, or have panic attacks, etc. etc.

5. Funky emotions:
Tell a story about your characters reacting in unusual (compared to everyone else) ways.
For example: Suppose that a great earthquake happened killing hundreds of thousands of people. The character, on hearing about this, should do something weird, like lifting weights at the gym, or partying. The character should do something unusual, something that normal people wouldn’t do in the similar situation.

6. Gold Coin writing technique:
Periodically place rewards (character, story, new info, ...) to keep the reader reading.
In-depth explanation: Introduce new characters with different traits, make a major plot twist, introduce new objects that may have a large impact on the character’s life. Basically, try to give more dopamine hits every so often to the reader.
Important: Space out the ‘gold coins’. Do not include them all at once, and do not make a big gap between them.

7. Lean away:
Lean away from a happy ending. Convince the reader the win cannot happen.
Try to make the reader think that a bad ending for the character is inevitable, he/she cannot win. The character has many hurdles, obstacles in the path. This way, when he character finally overcomes them, it is more satisfying for the readers.


Pls pin 📌 this comment! This took a lot of time.

[robmaxwell]

These are my favourite kind of videos - the random techniques, some of which I've never heard of

[JustABitAlien]

The delayed reaction advice just solved a pacing issue I was tripping on. Fantastic videos! Thank you.

[Ruwach]

A rare video on writing that has solid tips and wastes no time. Very nice! I'll be checking out your channel.

[marikothecheetah]

Delaying the reaction to a traumatic event is such a powerful thing. With delayed reaction the impact is so much bigger because the person has been bottling up those emotions for so long.

Also, weird reactions to something that brain considers absurd are very common. The most common reaction is to laugh hysterically when faced with a tragedy we never expected and it's legit. Brain is falling apart when met with something that contradicts everything it experienced - it's an advanced defence mechanism.

Gold coin/gold nuggets technique - this is THE basis of good writing. Readers live for these.

Lean away - great thing to keep suspense. if you want a great story with lots of great cliff hangers, suspensions and turning points read manhwa Wind Breaker by Yongseok Jo. I've read it twice (it's still ongoing) and this dude is a master of story telling.

[incog.nyto.]

The double scene is my favorite I think, it's such a cool way to have unique scenes happen! It also really works in establishing a character, your examples with James Bond convey this really well: he's a seductive secret agent and can do his crazy stunts while holding a conversation on the phone

[SpanishEclectic]

Dude! I love the finesse of these techniques. Not the same old same old, which having read thousands of books in my life, gets boring quick. I like surprises in a story; not usually silly or crazy ones for extreme shock value, but something that make sense on a deeper level and is unexpected. Great stuff, and I like the pace in your presentations. After all, we need to get back to writing! :)

[geordiejones]

Personal anecdote about delayed emotion. I was feeling extreme guilt for my lack of support toward the person who would eventually become my wife, but it hadn't risen to the surface. We were in this in between place where it could have gone either way (split forever or stick together). I was over at her house and I broke a bottle of some oil she used for her hair. I broke down in tears, and ended up having a very raw coversation with her about my shame for who I was, and what I wanted to be. It didnt happen immediately, and I still have a long way to go to be the man that I can be proud of, but that moment was a turning point in our relationship for the better.

[NuclearSnailStudios]

literally never heard most of these tips anywhere yet - and boy have i been procrastinating actually writing in favor of watching tips all over youtube! :D anyway, good stuff, love your channel!

[SzaboB]

This video was so information dense I needed to rewind at every new tip because my mind just went on a journey on how to use the tip in my book :D

This was a compliment btw, I love your videos ;D

[elchiponr]

As to the point of characters reactions to situations, there is a personality system called enneagram, that can be really helpful to figure out a characters main driving forces, strengths, fears and weaknesses. Once you have figured out the personality type of the character, this system is great to use along with your intuition.

[august]

1. Double up
2. Tell the reader about the farmers
3. No half measures
4. Delayed emotions
5. Funky emotions
6. The Gold Coin
7. Lean away

[leouvarov]

Among dozens of similar videos I have watched, this is the best.
Thank you for that amount of actually useful information)