I would say good story, not good writing. Writing itself may not always be that good actually, but if the story is very interesting then... one sticks around to finish the book. Most people read because of the story being told, true or imagined. Hardly anybody reads because of beautifully crafted sentences. If the story is boring, wonderfully written prose will not save it in most cases. The best would be to try to marry the two: great story and beautiful writing.

@@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor What you write is in fact part of the problem with our culture. Stories that sell are everything, quality subordinate.

@@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor qq1q

Ever heard of clickbait? It plays on this very fact and yet it is low quality.

@@gothxm No one does not advertise...

wonderfully put!

Thanks for the reminder

Haha!

UGH !

What a slap, thank you

I just want to know how to respectfully tear apart my classmate's bad stories so I can help them without seeming like an a-hole. (I am one, but I don't want others to know)

That's right

Very well said. GOD bless :)

Excellent observation.

Well said g.

Amen

Don't be so mean! Ha ha. This speech hasn't been edited yet for clarity.

Oooohhh. I got it. Transport readers into another world. Check.

😂😂

@@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor 🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏🥇🥇🥇

The second one 😂

😂😂 okay this got me

Thank you so much

Lmao

Thanks for saving me my time.

Absolutely. A pretty useless discussion unless you're interested in the thought processes of editors. For actionable pieces of advice on how to write it would have made more sense to gather some writers together. One of the best pieces of advice I ever found came from Maxim Gorky. A book about him said: 'He was very particular about style. In his conversations and correpondences with young writers he showed his powers of observation and criticism: 'You have used the verb "to be" seven times on the same page. This is inadmissable!'

Right, basically "have a good voice. Good luck."

thanks for the warning, though. U saved me some time.

very good point.

A more apt comparison, then, may be a ten-dollar meal from KFC and ten dollars' worth of fresh fruit, vegetables, and, I dunno, a chicken breast from the grocery store. The one is ten dollars and easy; the other is ten dollars and demands thought and consideration. Most people will buy the Colonel's Bucket because it requires little effort to purchase and even less effort to consume -- the same reasons they might choose Grisham over Salter, or Deaver over DiLillo. Either way, it's a fallacy to connect "more" to "better" - as "more" more frequently just means "easier."

Efficiency.

Gatekeeper - a meeting of giants that is a far different comparison. One is more expensive and the other is cheaper and more convenient. As for entertainment I hate to tell you but if 10 million people say something is 7/10 then it's more than likely 7/10.

Filet mignon is pretty inexpensive, and super easy to cook. Just because its name is in French, you think it's fancy and expensive. The difference is culture (because Americans just don't eat a lot of it, but there is no good reason for it), and big marketing bucks by McDonald's.

I think it may also be heartening to realize that a rejection, therefore, should have less sting. Legendary writers have received hundreds before they became acclaimed.

Yep!

Yeah maybe these editors haven't done many appearances like this? In these kinds of conversations it'd everyone's responsibility to keep it engaged and flowing, and not letting differences in opinion stop conversation.

It’s about fear of saying the truth.

Just you.

Matthew P. Garcia I was thinking the same thing! They must not understand hyperbole, idioms, similes, metaphors, and other forms of grammar and communication. I hope the folks that misunderstood her do not start writing lol

Shush now.

Boredfan Gerrude. with a gold cover

Especially if you're JK Rowling.

Ask King Midas. After your roses, your finger food, and then your daughter turn into solid gold, you'll soon make value judgements in favor of your own life.

A lot of times the first chapters are very different and not as good as the rest of the book, in my opinion.

I'll get on it

My book will hopefully be published this March, so there you go :')

There’s always a wave of popular books coming out. It’s just not as prominent these days, unless it’s a new series from a huge author like J.K Rowling or George R.R Martin. Game of thrones is still actually being written and is super popular. TV series and funny enough, comics have started to take over more and more. So, there’s that I guess haha.

Pretty much, haha. She did list some good things! Was mainly airy jargon..

Were you really expecting a 1+1=2 formula?, if that were posible everyone capable would use it, but isnt posible.

Of course. Writing is an art. There is no checklist you can go through to determine if a painting or a song is good or bad. Ultimately it's simply about whether it compels you.

lol if you came here looking for a set of instructions to make your writing "good" you had already lost

It's true though... Anyone who reads massive amounts of books knows that and even if they don't agree with it, they should be able to even sort of understand where they are coming from

it's what people do. everyone has a story to tell and everybody thinks their story is better and at the end you have an infinite amount of stories for a limited amount of ears willing to actually listen.

I think it's more of a discussion than a formal interview

Victor seems to have good advice, but he's so unintentionally and unsubtly pompous, and prone to cheap language. His body language is so insecure, awkward, and reaching while pretending to be reserved and open. He seems like the kind of guy to get far and land in a good place, while deep down not knowing what he's doing, outside of what he read in a self help book or by exposure to company culture. One thing I really don't like is when he desperately drags Charlotte in when he confronts a hard question. He does it multiple times. He starts off doing it. And then used it in a way where it was very obvious when Ian used masterbation as a metaphor. It was a good metaphor. But Victor had such an awkward reaction to it. Masterbation is a strange thing, and should be kept private. But there's also an awareness that it's a thing that most people do at one point or another. I'm of the mind that sanity is a thing defined, and that the best part of society streamlines human behavior, so we can figure out what is ok and what isn't, so that we can move forward as quickly and efficiently as possible. But the weakness of society is that by trying to transcended human nature, we forget who we are way too early.

he wanted to talk about himself in the interview because he knows or knew, his role in the interview

it was a "for example" interview, and one that most good writers can do internally among their "characters", for example, in any given scene or setting.

Your advice makes sense and it's encouraging. As a novice poet, thank you so much.

How do you make sure quality is there?

@@geminiwriter8875 Beta readers and critical thinking.

You could be missing out on some good books. I at least give it a few chapters. I usually read digital books and I love that they let you read about 40 pages in the sample. If I get to the end of the sample and I'm still on the fence about whether it's worth buying, it's not the book for me. When I love a book I click "buy" straight away coz I can't wait to read the rest of the sentence. There was a book I really enjoyed but I had to skip whole sections The author died before the book was edited. So they published it as is. They could have cut about 500 pages. But I'm so glad I read it.

Charlotte Gill was the worst part about this whole presentation.

He is awful, boorish, arrogant, boring

You're a bloke and your biased

I’m a woman and completely disagree. She came off as incredibly smug. The one on the left was pretentious and the one in the middle excited to talk, but her posture and way of speaking gives off a constant smugness

They didn't say otherwise Linda.

Copy/paste, rearrange words & put their heading on it, most likely lazy tricks.

Eric Mark I was thinking that same thing. I can feel it in my chest lol

I think it's more her than anything. She thinks she's more than what she is, like I have the power to get your book published or not... very snotty.

you forgot an apostrophe in 'interterviewer's'....

@Mateus Vieira Means one liners that make people check out article?

Anyone can learn do re me fa so la tee do all over an instrument, learn the cadence beat, all theory, but what about great material, is the final product good?

Errol Michael Phillips yes since it's easier to watch a movie. had I thought about arts future. I probably would have beat out twilight series. But now that story is lost after 11 chapters

Art isn't losing ground, people are more eager than ever to consumer art. The old model is losing ground. How sustainable will the new model be? Don't know.

UKposts is a prime offender. It does not pay out properly.

Back to how it used to be. Musicians and writers weren't multimillionaires when they started out. That's a new, modern concept.

Antoine Bandele In many primitive societies, visiting musicians and storytellers would be fed and looked after. Artists need to be paid. It's that simple. We don't all need to make JK Rowling or George RR Martin style money though.

These people are not representative of the industry.

It’s very genuine in the way that it is all over the place with much to disagree to agree on.

I'm 8 minutes in and couldn't agree more. Elitism at its finest. Many writers have come from different educational backgrounds. Some were started off as hobbiest. Some put their entire lifes work into writing. The two are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but have accomplished the same. Everyone is not afforded the same opportunities in life. Most are capable of putting the time in to write though. The elitism is disgusting. Not encouraging at all.

That might be true of readers, but for editors who have to wade through a lot of manuscripts - they need to become adept at making the call that quickly.

Maybe not 8 lines but I agree that you can tell quickly if the writer is good and worth reading through very quickly. Doesn't matter if your story gets good 4 chapters in, you have to give an indication from the beginning that you are a writer worth reading.

The first 8 lines tells you if the writer is good, not the story.

@@mattiOTX Like JK Rowling? Rejected loads of times. Was she really a bad writer? Was the story unimportant? On the other hand, if stylish writing is really so important, why was Lord of the Flies rejected so many times?

another 5 minutes and 20 seconds and we've already gone through conflict that pulls at a philosophical conflict of someone set in their "older ways" when he challenges the general concept of clickbait or sponsored content. they are jousting with ideals, carrying the weight of the perspectives they hold to be the highest priority. the lady seems not as eager to engage, but she seems interested in witnessing the two exchange their beliefs. fascinating. incredible to watch really smart people who are experts... just being honest. if we got just one talk per american election like this... i think a lot of the bs would be thrown out. sunlight is the best disinfectant. ... but, i guess, for politicians or political analysts to hold a candid conversation without massive interests, which are already propped up by private donors both domestic and foreign... that would be a very bad business decision. because that's what we are too afraid to talk about in american politics, right? how it is a business? or, at least, a tool to conduct business? and the political structure just leads to gridlock instead because the right palms aren't being greased... instead of being there to discuss their ideas about what a country that symbolizes freedom should actually be. ... we, the people? more like, we, the corporate titans. who shepherd us into their neat, little pens of consumerism. we, as humans, are so smart. but we spend that energy to crush and kill each other instead. really weird. how we all live on a glass floor in this modern world. it could shatter at any time.

I've read a lot of trash from submission. Yes, oh God yes you can figure out.

Yeah, the artistry of the writer/author will be doomed because of them. Sad life!

Check out my books :) Mine might be so unique they are utter shit or go full circle back to gold; depends on the person :P www.amazon.com/author/bridgetchase

Hold my beer…

Uniqueness doesn't come from other people's reaction, it comes from your experience.

@@urorazbojnik5678 THANK YOU!

"You're a white male!"

where can I hide from them? They're everywhere! Oh snap, there's one in the mirror!!!

"Diversity" a code word for Racisim against white folks.

I can't get away from you nitwits, even on a Banff Centre of the Arts video. In nature monoculture makes life forms vulnerable to destruction. I don't know if that applies to society but I am keeping my mind open.

Time to open your eyes...the natural world is full of diversity.....and diversity isn't just colour..

I know. The way they kept getting side-tracked complaining about monetization and "sponsored content" annoyed me. Yes, the old ways are passing away and that's been catastrophic in terms of overall quality. But I would have much preferred if they had stayed focused on _why_ it hurts quality rather than bemoaning that it exists at all. Because wasn't the question about how to tell good writing from bad writing?

+ Devin Reese -- that's a bit of an unfair characterization. I've seen plenty of other panels with publishers and editors and they all say the same thing. They didn't come to the current practices out of thin air. Easily 99% of published fiction books will never turn a profit. It also doesn't help that after hundreds of years of publishing no company has ever developed a formula to tell which book is going to catch on in the public's imagination. So publishers tend to follow trends and sales figures to try and predict the _one_ book that will pay their bills for the next two years. _Some sad truths:_ People who buy their own books tens to stick to authors they already know and like. Bringing up a new author is often less profitable unless they've already finished a four or five book series because that limits the risk that the author in question is a one-trick pony. Plus, libraries are much more likely to stock authors people are actually asking for. Meaning that people are more likely to find authors that are already popular than unknown authors that are almost out of print. You'd think e-books and self-publishing would level the playing field but instead it makes the books of established authors _even more competitive_ because collecting the rest of an author's back catalog has never been easier. Likewise, many libraries don't stock self-published work so they're less likely to be "rediscovered" decades later. Publishers are just reflecting and amplifying existing bias among readers. Hell, the last time there was a push to get people to read new authors the big publishers just shelved the books by the big authors until the "new author craze" was over. You have to write because you want to. Because you love it. Because you can't stop. You need to be obsessed. Because yeah, only a very small fraction of writers are ever going to get noticed no matter how good they are. Like Steven King says, write for an audience of one person. After that, who gives a shit?

"conversation" is a more appropriate description.

Unfortunately, there's no bullet-point formula for what makes good writing. Once you get past the basics of sentence, paragraph and story structures, it does become subjective to an extent.

Kind of like politicians

There are some books that I think I don't really like but I'm glad I stuck with it. I love that you can read a sample before buying a digital book. If I don't want to buy the book after reading the sample I doubt I would enjoy the book. When you read a great book sample you click buy straight away because you can't wait to read the next sentence.

Me too, cause summing up what makes a book make you say it's so good are many things as well as hard to describe mood evoked?

Books I absolutely love, other people would hate, and vice and versa. It's definitely important to send your work to lots of different people. Editors must have a personal preference of the kind of characters and writing they like. There are so many stories of authors getting their book rejected 100 times. When it finally does get published it becomes a best seller.

He’s just relaying a story and her own experience

That must be the golden paragraph!

Artists often think of themselves as intellectuals. Maintaining that illusion can be hard.

The more I watched the video the more I came to the same realization as you. These people...

I get pretentiousness when reading your comment, not from the video.

A one line answer. "The simple fact is that writers want to 'engage readers quickly' and then 'sustain that engagement'".

I don't know what it is about that guy in the middle but he bugs the heck out of me. Out of the three, the one who's opinion I am most interested in on stage has to be the older gentleman on the left especially when he brings up personal experiences from his past. I think the best thing from videos like this are hearing long term experiences in the field. The guy in the middle, on the other hand, feels more like a typical BuzzFeed era... I don't know... Fake? He feels so out of place with many of his responses and points he talks about. I know a lot of people, looking over the comments, are mentioning that this interview is all over the place and I feel he contributes a lot to that. The older man on the left and the woman on the right seem to give far more interesting responses where as the younger man in the middle just feels like he is trying to give "correct" responses. Feels real modern internet era, clickbaity, no integrity levels of how he conducts himself through tone, posture, etc. as well in general what he says. Eh, but that is just my opinion.

You're all just jealous of his resume and most of all his net worth. Stephen king has more talent in his little finger than all three "writers" up there.

...except that King's books are formulaic templates, IMHO...much like a Mad Lib at this point. (Not saying I could do better, just that there are so many amazing authors out there but everyone always mentions Stephen King as the go-to example for our "modern/contemporary" successful, talented writer. I am not knocking him, just saying...even his own son (writing under the nom-de-plume Joe Hill, and good for him) far surpasses his father, again, just my humble opinion. :)

There*

Usama Sohail King is a good writer. No one is arguing against that. The problem is that his stories tend to be the same story in disguise. 1. The story is set in Maine. 2. There is unknown evil entity. 3. There is the alchoholic. 4. There is the insecure writer. 5. There is a man who beats his wife. 6. There is the drug addict. 7. And most of all thid tendecy with King to describe everything. And yes.... I mean everything. I read IT. And I did not only learn about the kids lives but their parents and the *whole* history of Derry.

Good luck with book!

I read a random place in the middle, usually, of a book. I don’t have to be grabbed by a carefully crafted opening to know whether the interior life of the protagonist interests me.

@@suzannefarrington4143 I read the jacket, copy right date, preferring 70's novels, but reading the sample paragraph on first page review, sometimes works for me.

Correct. Any bum can be an author if they possess the gift of celebrity.