What I Learned About Writing in 2020!

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And that's a wrap on that, folks.

RELATED VIDEOS:

MY SHORT FICTION:

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:52 - I like writing slowly
2:57 - Editing isn't a punishment for writing badly
3:44 - Mistakes can make the story better
5:51 - A 'what if' idea is almost always right
7:27 - I don't have to finish everything I write
8:27 - Editing other people's work is as important as writing
10:04 - It doesn't matter if other people don't like my writing
13:04 - Writing isn't about controlling the story
16:02 - Writing can be fuelled by unknowing, not knowing

OUTRO MUSIC: "l u v t e a [acoustic]" by Autumn Keys

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serving us looks and wisdom 2021 doesn't deserve u <3 <3

rachelwritesbooks

I always found it weird when people talk about writing as if its a dragon trying to get you. My story is a confused baby that I need to teach and nurture so it can be its best self

markanderson

i think one of the things i’ve learned this year is that inspiration isn’t always a passive thing.

i’m a bit of a perfectionist, so i have a tendency to sit back and wait for the “perfect” idea to come to me (and of course it never does). but! one day i decided to write down all of the dumb little lines i thought of, just to get in the habit of writing more often. and it worked! i came up with new ideas from lines i would have just thrown away otherwise. once i made the effort to sit down and write ~something~ the rest just clicked.

also, i find that switching up where i write helps. if i’ve been writing in my notebook for a while, i’ll try typing, or some loose paper. if i’ve been working in one place for too long, i start to think of it as The Place For Good Ideas and it stops me from exploring concepts that are still messy. it’s nice to shake things up every now and then. :)

eldunari

Not having to finish everything you write is the hottest of writer hot takes ever. I learned so much this year and only want to learn more!

starlightstarbright

The most fascinating part of being human is how different our experiences are, because for me, the 'writing as hard and painful' narrative is oddly comforting! I have pretty severe depression and writing _is_ hard and painful for me. I often see people who talk about feeling like it comes naturally to them or like they can't live without it, and it always makes me feel kind of envious and like an imposter, because it's never been that way for me. The obvious question is, why do it if it's so hard, but it's a vacuum that I clearly feel in my life. I love words and I love expressing myself through words. It's also kind of the only thing i'm good at lol. It's just isn't a pleasant experience to actually do it. But my depression has already taken enough away from me, and I've long since realized taking a break won't help anything. I have to fight for the things I want to do and used to enjoy or else they will slip away forever. Maybe i'll have a different relationship with writing in the future if and when my depression lets up, but as someone who doesn't at all resonate with the 'writing is my lifeblood, I can't live without it' narrative, or with a mystical muse or the story as something living and breathing, and who kind of feels like I just have to force it a bit more than it seems a lot of people do, it can be comforting to know I'm not the only one who feels like that. That can go in clearly toxic direction, and I detest the idea of guilting myself into writing, but after having heard quite a few people say you shouldn't write at all unless you have some sort of mystical, natural, relationship with writing, it's nice to have the other side of that.

Lisa_Flowers

I think what I learned is that I will always have some kind of problem with any story I write; and that every time I come across one, there is no point in switching stories in the hope of getting rid of the problem, because I will only find another problem in the next one that will stop me again. In 2020 I started eleven stories and stopped because of 11 problems, in 2021 I want to solve at least one of them and finish it.

yurhzjx

"Editing isn't a punishment for bad writing" Is such good advice that I think could be translated to so many other things. "Critique isn't a punishment for bad art." "Coaching isn't a punishment for bad play." "Therapy isn't a punishment for being a bad person." I feel like a lot of times we culturally see recognizing room for improvement as an acceptance of prior failure, which it totally is not.

flcon

"it doesn't matter what other people think about your writing". um. WOAH. that hit like a ton of bricks and i so needed to hear that. thank you thank you thank you <3

courtneybill

I learned that I can no longer walk through walls as a writer and that is a good thing. I come from fast paced world of film and television. A place where I would work on the type of project that I could earn a living while continuing to work on my "passion" projects in my free time. No deadline was too tight and I didn't need much sleep. In the end I lived on 5 hours of sleep for almost 4 decades. Not only did this lead to a number of health issues it had me addicted to the praise from others. A long the way I learned that I also love teaching others about writing and production. A few years back a finally started to slow down. I no longer had the legs to be a writer/director/producer and I realized my passion was storytelling or writing. Then this spring I had COVID for 28 days. I am also what they call "a long hauler" because I have many lingering issues that continue to this day. All my life I have been able to will myself to work. Not anymore there are days my energy or my brain isn't there. I have learned to breathe and let the story breathe. Taking my time is good thing and at times a better thing for the story.

Paulis

this is so inspiring omg 😭 watching these always give me confidence to continue writing my story, you are an actual role model 😭

undra

really like what you said about the value of making mistakes!

ateaseknitting

I learned that I'm my biggest critic, incentives to overhaul things should be listened to, and that I'd rather create something excellent than stress about rushing, as much as I want to get out of the day job paradigm.

JoshKnoxChinnery

Your last point really moved me, I feel the pressure of not knowing everything beforehand and it stopped me from writing last year. It wasn't like that when I was younger, but I feel like the more I learned about outlining and other people's methods, the less I knew where to start again. I'm grateful I've found your channel, it's such a safe space where I never feel any of the pressure I usually do. I hope this is the year I make my doubt work in my favor, thank you Shaelin!

It’s so interesting hearing you mention that you enjoy taking your time to immerse yourself in a story for a while—I really like that idea, and I’m the total opposite. I think it’s because after about a year give or take, I start to hate my own story no matter how much I adored it up until that point. Like if I spend too much time working on it or too long thinking about it, I eventually get burnt out and become disgusted with it from merely being exposed to it too much and losing sight of what I originally planned for it and thought of it.

To me it’s like if you ate your favorite food everyday—for the first few days it might be nice, but eventually you’re going to get completely sick of it and after eating a lifetime supply of your favorite food in a single month, you’re just so turned off by it that you’d probably be okay never eating it again. That’s exactly how it is with my writing so I don’t want to rush through it but at the same time I don’t want to go at too slow a pace because eventually I’ll get completely desensitized to it’s flaws and start to resent it.

tidyheidi

13:50 The art community is the exact same! I think it's just because when you rely on your hobby for income it's gonna become a chore instead of doing it for passion.

ChelseyFuredi

thank you for being one of my favourite youtubers in 2020! i cant wait to watch all through 2021

prospektmarches

One thing I really appreciate about your channel is that it’s really about the art of writing, the love of writing, while so many other channels are about how to be commercially successful and meeting publishing/marketing demands and deadlines, being a successful author who can make use their Siri ring to pay the bills and rent/mortgage. If you go the traditional publishing route with your story, I’d love to see if any of your views change, hopefully it will just inform your unique “love of writing- first” perspective even more. Happy 2021!

ghostdreamer

Post-grad slump sucks. After graduating more than a year ago, I focused on getting a steady job and moving out of my parent's house, and basically spent a year not using my writing brain. A couple months ago, some of my old college writing group formed an online book club, and it felt like I turned back into a different version of myself once we started discussing literature seriously and using the craft skills I'd neglected. It was difficult to recognize the changing mindset while it was happening, but when I finally got the right perspective, it was honestly frightening to realize how I'd let my initial disappointment with the post-college world separate me from something that I had considered a central part of my identity. Appreciated the video, it was very relatable.

ianturner

whoa that part about exploring your writing and letting confusion drive was really eye opening for me

bethbuckner

I think the thing I've truly understood this year is that I want to be a writer. I was super apprehensive about it because I didn't want to let people down if I was bad or if I wasn't successful, but this year I realized it was what I wanted to learn about after I graduate and what I'd like to do with the coming years of my life. I'm super excited for this year!
Also, thank you for these videos, Shaelin! You have been an inspiration to me, and your videos have helped me understand writing better and how writing works for me. I am also Canadian, so I thought it was kind of cool that my favourite YouTuber is a Canadian writer :D

Gcherry

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