7 Highly Underrated YouTube Channels Every Amateur Writer Needs in Their Lives
In this article, I promise to provide a lot of resources that allowed me to start my writing career.
For a long time, writing was a hobby.
I started a lot of stories, I finished very few. Many untold tales exist in my brain. I offer to you a poem written by Langston Hughes titled Harlem. My commentary will be in bold parentheticals.
What happens to a dream deferred? (It haunts you. Perhaps even gives you depression. Not a doctor, but I’m happier when I write.)
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun? (I definitely lament the wasted “juice” from what I’ve named The Untold.)
Or fester like a sore —
And then run? (It runs out of you in the perpetual misery and insecurity that you’re never happy doing anything that’s unrelated to your creativity.)
Does it stink like rotten meat? (My attitude definitely stunk. I mean it was stanky. )
Or crust and sugar over —
like a syrupy sweet? (The longer you don’t write the harder it is to find your sweet writing nirvana spot again.)
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load. (It is a load. It weighs on your mind as you age. You wonder if you’ll ever be able to accomplish your dreams.)
Or does it explode? (Man, I hope not. That wouldn’t be good for my brain.)
When I went to University in 2002, I chose to be engineer.
Calculus I hated me and I hated Calculus I, and I just knew Calculus was going to be a son of a bitch too.
So, I said good bye to the College of Engineering. It was simple for me then. I majored in Asian Studies with a Concentration in International Business.
In 2016, I moved to Japan. I wanted to get a job working for the government because that is what upstanding citizens do. I felt too old for basic training. Even though, I’m in good shape.
I found conquering Japanese grammar so stressful. I hate writing Kanji over ten strokes and I just knew the rest of those sons of bitches characters would hate me too. So, I stopped studying Japanese for my profession. I just learn words and speech patterns necessary to live.
Besides, who wants to wear a suit and tie to work everyday? Not me.
Master the Art of the Side Quest
I should have never stopped gaming. That one apartment fire that caused me to give away my Playstation 2 caused me to stop thinking about roleplaying games. Roleplaying games teach you about goal setting.
While starting a writing career, you need to learn the art of the “Side Quest”. If you’re unfamiliar with roleplaying games, I’ll walk you through the concept. I game on my PC now, but things have not changed.
Set Your Goals
In the game, you have a main quest. The main quest is your end goal. Understanding why you write is as important as knowing how to do it. Knowing why you write, helps you finish. Set your end goal. Your big goal.
Now, the roleplaying game takes you on a journey. It gives you objectives to accomplish. You must accomplish these objectives before you can get to the end game.
YouTube Novel Writing Guides for all your Side Quest Needs
If your end goal is to publish a novel, your side quests will include beta readers, editors and a lot of rejections…if you query agents that is. I am writing a novel. Check out these authors that will guide you:
The urban fantasy master Mr. Michael La Ronn is kind of insane in his prolific daily word count goals. I wish I had 1% of his beast mode. The man has published scores of books. His website is Author Level Up.
The next author is our good young adult fiction dude Derek Murphy. He also has an interesting professional history. He walks you through it, step by step. His website is The Creative Indie. He achieved financial freedom writing novels. He is a very giving person. There are so many freebies on his site.
Next is my fiction ex-agent Auntie Alexa Donne. I love watching her. She is so practical and every video is just nugget after nugget of writing wisdom.
The dainty voiced diva Diane Callahan. Her voice is made for ASMR. Get into it. This channel, I feel is perfect for beginners. It’s straight forward, visual and well produced.
Screenwriting Guides
Screenwriting is a different beast. You are writing for a visual medium. I’m not a Hollywood insider, but I’ve learned a thing or to from many You Tube guides.
What do I call him, Daddy Dominic? Daddy Dominic Morgan has worked in Hollywood and gives advice people pay a lot of money to learn. He’s giving it away for FREE. You need to know all about the Scriptfella, folks. He’s the real deal, straight talking, and DETAILED.
Our good side of the family at Film Courage is invaluable. They interview people that have been where you want to be. Experienced individuals answering questions about the filmmaking industry. They’re just giving away this information, for FREE, y’all. If you don’t know, now you know.
Last but not least is, Our Boy Alex Ferrari at Bulletproof Screenwriting.
The series with Karl Iglesias is CRAZY good. You MUST hear the good words of Mr. Iglesias if you want to level up your Screenwriting abilities. Mr. Igelsias is a among other things a professional script reader. I think this series is over nine hours long. He did a lecture and this info has been made available…for FREE.
The Results for Me
I recently gave a pilot screenplay for my unfinished novel to an Executive Producer at Netflix and his notes indicated that my screenplay had some very good elements. Of course there are things that must be changed, but he didn’t can it. I’m rewriting.
I haven’t been to film school. I learned the fundamentals from these YouTube guides. I hope and pray that you’ll find them worthy of your time as well. I decided to start this journey less than twelve months ago. Dig in. Ass in the chair.
Write on, y’all.
