Hellooo everybody! I'm here
to answer the one question literally every writer has asked themselves at
some point during the writing process: what if my writing sucks? A lot of people say, “Oh, stop
it. That's just the imposter syndrome talking.” And sometimes it is! But sometimes it isn't. I'm
cutting the bullshit and telling you the top 10 most blatant signs that your
writing just ain't up to snuff. Sign Number Ten (10) just so happens to be the
most important one, and I'll tell you one thing: it's gonna piss a lot of people off. Enjoy! (The sound of a pen scratching). LOGO. All right, guys! Before we get started, a quick
shout out to Edit Out Loud, who has sponsored today's video! Edit Out Loud is an easy to use
app that allows you to upload a word document, listen to it anywhere and at any time,
and then add comments along the way. If you don't already know, audio helps writers
catch errors that they missed while reading. It's also a lot more effective for noticing
redundancies, missing words, grammatical errors, or spelling issues. I upload my work in progress
to Edit Out Loud so I can listen to it while I'm at Cliff's doctor's appointments, while I'm
cooking or cleaning, while I'm walking Buttercup. And it's so much better than a basic audio program
because you can speak or type comments letting you know exactly what needs to be fixed. On top of
that, Edit Out Loud has a beta listener program where you can link your audio draft to beta
listeners and they can give you feedback on your work. You guys know I think the beta reader stage
is imperative to the writing process, so this is a huge win in my book. If you're a multitasker
like myself, I definitely recommend Edit Out Loud. It's available both on iPhone and Android.
You can try out their basic level for free, or you can get one week of their premium subscription
for free through my link below. Either way, you're walking away with some freebies, so
definitely check it out! [Disk scratch noise] Speaking of freebies, this is the last week to donate to The Trevor
Project fundraiser and giveaway. And for every monetary goal we reach in this fundraiser, one
random donor will be walking away with a prize! One of those prizes is a one-year premium
subscription to Edit Out Loud! A huge thank you to Edit Out Loud for supporting this drive. If
you want to help an amazing cause and potentially win big, you've got one more week to donate!
Even five dollars goes a long way. I've got the drive linked below. While you're here, be sure
to subscribe to my channel and ring that bell! I post videos on Wednesdays. It's awesome! We have
a good time here! You should totally subscribe! Do it! Please, for the love of God. I'm filming
while I have a sinus infection. That's how devoted I am to you! I've also got two number one
best-selling dark fantasy romance books out: The Savior's Champion and The Savior's Sister.
So why don't you pick 'em up and give them a read? You can check 'em out in ebook, paperback,
hardback, or audiobook. I have 'em all linked below! Now, let's dive in to the 10 signs that
your work in progress is a big pile of suckage! To be clear, I'm focusing on the most prominent
indicators that your manuscript is of poor quality on a writing and storytelling level. That means
either the writing itself ain't doing you any favors, or the storytelling is a hot mess. And
of course, like all my videos, I am talking about professional writing, not hobby writing. Hobbyists
can do as they please because they're just here to have fun and that's what counts. Number One (1):
You don't have a plot. You might think this goes without saying, but a lot of newbie writers don't
know what a plot is. A conflict is introduced, shenanigans ensue, the conflict reaches its peak,
and then it's resolved. This is the simplified explanation of a plot. There is an inciting
incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. A novel doesn't function without a
conflict, and a ton of writers have somehow missed this memo. If you don't have a conflict, you don't
have structure. And if you don't have structure, you don't have a plot. The easiest way to
rectify this issue is to study structure. I have two videos on this topic linked below. Another
easy way to fix this issue is to outline your novel. That way, you're not meandering through the
story. You have a plot clearly defined and you're sticking to it. Number Two (2): You researched
ABSOLUTELY nothing. I have yet to write a story that didn't involve some level of research,
whether that was researching climate and geography, or researching psychology and mental illness. You
are not all knowing. There are going to be some concepts that you are not an expert in. If you
do not research before starting your manuscript, it is going to show. It's one thing
to have one falsity here or there, but a complete lack of research is not only going
to make your novel harder to read and believe, it's also going to make it potentially offensive.
If you're writing about a disabled character and you've done zero research into that disability,
you are far more likely to regurgitate stereotypes and this is going to alienate a huge percentage of
your readership. This is another issue that's easy to fix. Pause your writing and do some damn
research! Google ain't hard to use. Educate yourself and your readers will thank you. Number
Three (3): Your sentences are all the same. If all your sentences–particularly the same sentences in
a row–are written using the exact same structure, it's going to come across as unnatural and
robotic. How do all of your sentences begin? How many commas do they have? How many clauses?
Are all of your sentences short? Are all of them long? If two or more sentences have the exact
same structure and they come one after the next, that is a bad pattern and it's boring to read. An
easy way to fix this is to listen to your writing. Listening to your writing helps with all kinds
of issues, like the entertainment factor, misused words, and flow. But I have found that it
is especially helpful when it comes to overused sentence structure. This is why Edit Out Loud
is so helpful! You can listen to your manuscript and hear if you're making this very common
mistake. Number Four (4): You're regurgitating. Some newbies get into the gig because they
were inspired by a book, movie, video game, or anime. It's fine to be inspired by media,
but inspiration and replication are not the same thing. This is not to be confused with a
retelling, which is where you take some well-known mythology or folklore and you give it your own
twist. Regurgitation is where you take a popular piece of media and you change a few hollow pieces,
like a couple of genders or character names, and then you publish it. If readers wanted that
content, they would just read the original piece of media or watch the original piece of media.
Yours comes across as fanfic, which is completely fine if you're a hobbyist, but not if you're
charging people for what you're claiming is an original piece of art. The easiest
way to avoid this issue is to create something yourself. And if you don't want to
do that, it's 100% okay to ask yourself, “Do I really want to be a writer, or am I just
a mega fan of this particular piece of work?” It's great to be a fan. Fangirl, or fanboy, or
fan person to your heart's content! But it's not so great to intentionally copy someone and
claim the work as your own. Number Five (5): You are telling everything. I know it gets old hearing
people talk about, "Show, don't tell." But I don't give a shit! Telling has its place, but if you are
telling your entire story rather than showing it, it's not a story. You are not creating visuals in
the reader's mind. You are not evoking emotion. You are just giving a very bland play-by-play.
The easiest way to stop telling is to learn how to differentiate between show and tell. If
you are saying things like, “He was a kind, good man,” you're telling. Instead, create
scenes where the character behaves in a kind, good manner. If you are saying things like, “She
was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom,” you are once again telling. Instead, describe her
physical appearance and craft scenes where people are fawning over her beauty. Number Six (6): You
do not take your audience into consideration. Writing is a passion project. We write because we
have a story that we want to bring to life. But other people are gonna read it, and it's imperative
that we take them into consideration. This doesn't mean we have to cater to the masses. You do not
have to chase trends or replicate what's popular. But you should be mindful of the messages you're
conveying and whether or not they are harmful. “But Jenna, I want to write about dark stuff,
like abuse.” So do I, and it's absolutely okay to write about those things. I know I do. But you
can write about a topic without glorifying it, sensationalizing it, or romanticizing it. Some
writers paint sexual assault as swoon-worthy. Some writers exploit people of color or the LGBTQ+
community in their writing. You don't wanna do this shit! The easiest way to avoid this issue
is one, be mindful of what you are writing and why you're writing it. And two, recruit readers
before publication. This includes beta readers, critique partners, and of course, sensitivity
readers. Let other people help you through this process so you can avoid hurting your audience.
On a related note, Number Seven (7): No one's read it! Critique partners are fellow writers who give
you honest feedback about your work. Beta readers are fellow readers who give you honest feedback
about your work from a reader's perspective. Sensitivity readers are professionals who let you
know whether or not you have written something that's unintentionally offensive or alienating.
And if none of these people have read your work, I can pretty much guarantee it sucks. Writers
can be blind to issues in their content because they're too close to the story. You're so
invested in your plot points and characters that sometimes you don't see the flaws. That's
why it's imperative to recruit people so they can give you their honest opinions. And if you have
recruited people and no one's finished the book, that's feedback in itself. It ain't good! The
easiest way to rectify this issue is, of course, to recruit readers. If you need some help, Edit
Out Loud has a beta listener program where you can recruit beta listeners to go through your
manuscript via their app. Beta listeners can't copy or download your files, so your manuscript
is secure. Number Eight (8): You don't understand the nuts and bolts. If your writing is filled
with grammar issues, punctuation mess-ups, and spelling errors, it's going to be difficult
to read. And writing that's difficult to read...is sucky writing. Some writers think grammar
errors aren't that big of a deal because they don't notice them, but other people do. It's
like walking through a minefield. Your writing takes care and effort to get through, and that's
not exactly an enjoyable reading experience. I know you just 'don't get commas,’ but you chose
to become a writer, so you're gonna have to figure that out eventually. It's like becoming a surgeon,
but you ‘don't get biology.’ What?! Easy ways to work on this are, first and foremost, educate
yourself. There are free grammar, punctuation, and spelling resources all over the internet.
Utilize them! You can also download a program that'll help point out repeat errors in your
manuscript. You can recruit beta readers and critique partners who are great in that area and
can maybe point out what you're doing wrong. And, of course, you can listen to your writing through
Edit Out Loud because, as I've already mentioned, it is a lot easier to notice mistakes when you're
listening to your work rather than reading it. Number Nine (9): Your characters aren't likable.
Your characters don't have to be moral or good, but they should at least be likable. A lot of
writers get into the gig and try to write perfect self-inserts; characters who are gorgeous and
geniuses and have perfect fighting technique and can do no wrong. These characters are not likable.
Sure, your characters should have great qualities, but they absolutely cannot be perfect. Likewise,
characters that are a 100% filth with no redeeming qualities whatsoever are not enjoyable to read, as
well. Every single person, no matter how amazing or how far gone, has both positive and negative
qualities. That's just the human experience. And it's this complexity that makes characters
relatable and likable. The easiest way to overcome this issue is, first of all, observe. People
watching and mingling is so helpful to the writing process. It gives you a better understanding
of communication and representation. And two, recruit people to read your story and give their
honest opinions. And last but certainly not least, Number Ten (10): You didn't edit
it. Every book, no matter the topic, requires two types of edits. A self-edit,
which is where you edit the book yourself, and a professional edit, which is where one or
more professional editors combs through the book. If you do one of these edits but not the other, I
can almost guarantee your book sucks. If you skip both of these edits, I can definitely guarantee
your book sucks! It doesn't matter how talented you are, no one person is great at every, single
aspect of the writing process. This is why you need eyes on your work. You are not infallible
and the editing process is NOT optional. And please don't confuse an edit with a proofread.
The editing process covers character arcs, world building. It covers story structure. It
covers grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It covers so many facets of your novel. A proofread
is just a quick check for spelling and punctuation errors. If you do not edit your work, sure, it may
be good for a first draft, but it will not pass as a finished book. Don't let your ego fool you; a
published novel without an edit is gonna suck. So that's all I got for you today! A huge thank you
to Edit Out Loud for sponsoring today's video! If you want to listen to your manuscript on the
go while being able to speak or type out comments in the exact spot where you have made mistakes,
you should definitely check out this app. It is so helpful for writers! You can use their basic
platform absolutely for free, or you can get one week of their premium platform for free by
clicking the link below. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays,
and if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell! The Savior’s Sister is available
in audiobook right now, so if you want to check out my number one bestselling dark fantasy
romance in audiobook format, it's available! Get to it! And even better, if you're new to
Audible you can listen to it for free! I've got it linked below. And be sure to follow me on
social media! I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and of course, you can tweet me @JennaMoreci!
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