When good omens 2 was announced, Neil Gaiman talked about the night he and Terry plotted out the sequel. They were sharing a hotel room while promoting good Omens and Neil went out and came back late, trying to creep in without turning on the light so as not to take Terry. Terry turns on the light and says 'what time do you call this? Your mother and I were worried sick'

"Write or Stare" is AWESOME advice! I expect too many people will overlook this gem.

I ended up sticking to handwriting for a number of reasons. The biggest two being 1) that it's easier to write to myself about the story with notes in the margins or writing a couple of synonyms next to each other so I don't get caught on one sentence for an hour trying to decided between them. It gets pretty fun to make a messy page that feels alive instead of the neatness of a computer page. And 2) I hate rereading my writing and editing. I have a bad habit of doing my editing on the first draft which slows me down and makes it way too easy for me to forget some details in early chapters as I reach the end of my story. The process of typing it up forces me to go through it again and remember all the things I like about it

I REALLY appreciated you admitting to only putting down 50 words that one day. I've been writing every day for a while now and some days I've only hit 250 words in a session. On those days I've always felt so miserable, kind of like I not only let myself down, but that I also let down all the characters I was going to write for. Your confession made me feel a little less crazy, so thank you for that.

I really love Neil Gaiman's voice. He narrated the audiobook for his Norse Mythology and it was a fantastic experience.

My goodness, Perth is flat-but beautiful. Then you sprinkled it with a little stardust and magic. I just had my first novel published and felt something of a fraud, but needing to believe that I could call myself a writer. You helped me go from being an imposter to being proud to be a writer. I write from 2am to 4am. You live writing all day every day. That is the lesson I needed. Thank you Jed.

I'm not an lit author, I'm a scientist. But Mr. Gaiman's "work ethic" as well as Mr. Terry Pratchett's have pushed me to not only work hard, but enjoy what I do for a living.

Donna Tartt writes by hand, in notebooks: any idea that ‘comes up’ incidentally, she develops as far as possible & then SHE STAPLES IT IN! It’s there - & not only as an add-on: The story can continue from there: or not.... 🙏🏻💔🙏🏽

I respect the commitment to writing and trying that approach. He easily could’ve made an excuse to not write, and he had good reason not to lol, but he stuck with it. That’s how you get it done, respect.

I'm a big fan of pen and paper for the zero draft. My bit of advice: get it digital every scene or two. For some folks, a couple hundred thousand words to transcribe can feel impossible.

I was at that 2020 talk. Good luck with your book.

Thank you so much! Loved the video! And I loved your question and Neil's answer!

Jed, you are wonderful! Great, inspiring words for us all! Keep doing what you do, we all appreciate you! ❤

I bought his master class for my 19th birthday... in March 2019. Now it's been a little over 4 years and I can't get rid of the habit of handwriting my first drafts. I'm so repulsed by that blank Word Document page and computer screens by now... But once I have a paper in front of me the sentences FLOW. It's so freeing. Takes a bit more time (I kinda see the typing down as a first minor editing stage though) but it's so worth it. Keeps me from procrastinating, worrying about wordcount etc.

Good luck mate. Keep going. I've had a constant thought that I should be writing for over a decade now....always in the back of my mind. I've written small bits that have always received praise from friends but can never quite get past the hurdle of taking it beyond my initial idea.

I like the idea of writing down ideas & scenes in a notebook, then stitching them together. More fun than slogging through from start to finish in order!

Well done. Great video. Thank you for sharing your insights and your journey.

Great job! Hope the week was enlightening and encouraging. Keep it up, and we'll all be looking forward to the book when it's finished.

This was a great video. Neil is full of so much love and wisdom

Thanks for sharing, Jed. 👍🏼

Such a great video! Very well shot and edited Jed! Loved this, definetly may have to give this a shot

Thank you for the help!!

Great video Jed, easily one of the best you have ever done! Thanks for sharing your insight and helping to spark more writing creativity. I'm really looking forward to Kingdom of Dragons!

What an interesting video! I appreciate the effort you put into it.

Great vlog Jed, you should do more of these. Looks like you had a blast hiking too!

Great to find your challenge, very inspiring for trying to slog through my own project right now. (And having just come back from a hike, too! Haha.)

One thing I would recommend to immerse yourself even more in the writing session; use a fountain pen. Believe me, you will become obsessed about handwriting when you get your first fountain pen, and you will start to collect fountain pens "new hobby" 😃

I was about to go get ready for bed but wanted to end the night watching this video and halfway through I switched over to my worldbuilding doc to keep working on it while finishing up listening to your video. I had no intention of writing tonight, but there you have it. So thank you for making these, they seriously do help and inspire.

Yayy love the Traveler cameo! I love mine. Cool video, thanks for sharing.

Wholesome video man, good job.

I enjoyed this Jed, well edited and put together. Interesting subject as well as I'm always looking at ways I should write and often find excuses not to!

New viewer here. I really enjoyed this video and was even happier to see that this was a writing video by someone with actual books out. I look forward to seeing more of you in the future!

all the best with your book !

Beautiful relaxing and interesting video. Thank you for sharing

This is my favorite writing video. I'm really gald it worked for you, and it made me feel better about my process and mindset on my own projects.

This was great advice! I'm an aspiring writer, just about to graduate from college, and I'm looking forward to implementing this advice into my own routine as I start my career. Thanks!

Hi Jed, loved this video man. I'm a massive Gaiman fan and have found his advice to be massively helpful. The writing by hand for first drafts probably the most. I would love to know what three audio clips of Neil's you used for daily inspo/motivation!

Love the video mate. As you know from our chat on Patreon, I struggle with this too… so I’m happy that helped you along :) Can’t wait to see your next amazing book.

Thank you for putting this out there. I have been struggling so much with two stories in the works that i just couldnt get traction on that ive considered stopping altogether. But i think i need to give it at least one last good week... Neil Gaiman style. Thanks

Sounds good. I like the write or stare into space. I bet that staring ( thinking time) will help come up with ideas for the writing, too

this was such a nice video! thanks for sharing your thoughts and inspiring me for the upcoming nanowrimo :)

i have been using a handwriting the first draft of the story while working on my first book. and it is incredibly helpful. it really turns on that specific part of the brain that just helps the flow coming and ideas to appear naturally

UPDATE: Kingdom of Dragons is done! (The first draft, at least). You can now read the opening five chapters (for free) here: jedherne.com/kingdom

Cool video dude! I find my mind feels different when I’m having blue-light hitting my eyes or not. That’s one of multiple things I like about using paper. Wearing blue-light blockers is one thing to do as well.

Thanks for a video on one of the best contemporary writers

Thank you for your insights and inspiration. I genuinely appreciate your candor. I'm bookmarking this video to watch again.

Thank You for the encouragement to get back into it

I’ve always handwritten my draft 1, (zero?) with a different color for each day. I’m just sitting here feeling cool because one of my favorite writers does the same. Pro tip: fountain pens are great for hand fatigue!

Lovely video! Truly inspiring..! Made me excited to work on a new story idea I have :P

Very insightful Jed, thank you for the inspiration. I somehow go back to pen and paper when I feel I need to reconnect with what brings me alive in getting thoughts down. Journaling daily is a good discipline to develop all round creativity, regardless of the intended end or genre of one's writing. Good stuff, I wish you every success!

This came up in my recommended and I absolutely loved it Your content is brilliant and I’ve got some great tips for my own work 😁 keep up the awesome work 💪🏼👏🏼

beautiful vid! really great inspiration

Here for the journey. Fantastic editing. It surprised me.

I had the same experience with music while drafting. Very dangerous if the emotion of the sound track convinces you of feelings that aren't present in the words alone.

Not sure how I feel about handwriting, but I will give it a shot. Writing every day and just showing up is huge. Good for you! Great video.

What a lovely, inspirational video, thank you! So glad to have found your channel this way and am definitely subscribing :)

Thank you for an inspiring and revealing insight into why my writing is sometimes stuck. :)))

Kingdom of Dragons (the book I was writing in this video) is out now! Check it out here: bit.ly/kingdom-of-dragons

This kind of writing experience is something that sounds like a dream from an alternate reality for me. My writing habit loop starts with going live but I do have a couple of days over the new year that we're going to disconnect on a camping trip, so I'm gonna see if I can try for line edits/proofing then! Might only get the first hour or two of sunrise before the kids wake up but I'll take what I can get. (I say this with total optimism as I'm struggling through the back third of my current novel 😭so who knows, I might not be up to line edits at that point in time yet 😅)

Thanks for all the love on this video, folks! If you want to see how Kingdom of Dragons turns out ... I'll be sharing the opening scenes exclusively on my newsletter in a couple of weeks. Sign up here: jedherne.com/news . Plus, when you sign up, you'll get 3 free fantasy short stories (by yours truly) that you can't find anywhere else.

Well done, Keep going sir..your a great inspiration..thank you.

Really good video. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this video. I'm in writing slump for over 2 years, and this is after putting 85,000 words into my novel. I'm stuck in the plot, and going back to it scares me that I might not be able to unravel what happens next and might give up on the book. This scared me, and for 2 years, I haven't gone back.. but the thought of the unfinished work weighs on me every single day. I'm trying to get out of this slump. I haven't gone back to the Novel and also haven't written anything else, other than few Goodreads book reviews. This video inspired me, I will also try this method for a week, for a short story that I have been thinking for the past few days, and see if this would help me out... Thanks again..Good luck in your writing project. Subscribed to your channel... Have a blessed day

Thank you for sharing. I’m currently struggling to get back into writing and I am going to try doing this.

Magical. I went a picked up Good Omens from my bookshelf the other day just to give the first page a read. I want to try try this soon too.

Super helpful and inspiring. Thank you!

This was a really amazing video. Feels like it made me feel more inspired to work on my own script (all be it a script talking about the movie underdog but a script nonetheless) Loved the atmosphere created and the feeling this video gave. Really gave of the vibes that everything is alright and it had this aura of calmness to it.

I really loved this video. I found it really refreshing and inspirational Thanks Jed! (Subscribed btw 👍😇)

Thanks for the video. I tried the technique of either writing or staring and it worked.

Just listened to this again, and it is even richer 2nd time around. Thank you.

Wow. Thank you so much for this ... I was feeling depressed and detached from my writing and told my older sister, who is working on her own first novel. She had watched this video, was inspired by it and sent me the link just today. I am 71, started my novel 28 years ago and then would put it away for years at a time, pull it out, work on it, put it away. Same cycle. Over the years it has become a very different book than the one I started, but I've been working on it enthusiastically for a couple of months, happy with the changes as they evolved; but for some reason, I just lost my confidence. As soon as I leave this comment, I am going to shut down my laptop and put pen to paper and write some of a scene I have in my head. I am going to do the 7 day thing. I feel excited and happy. Again, thank you.

Cheers for this video! I may have to try this for my next novel.

This is such a great video . Thank you so much

Nice video. Thanks for sharing. The part where you were talking about Terry Pratchett and Good Omens is funny because the background noise sounds like you have a camera man munching a bag of chips. 😂

This video really touched me -- thank you!

Awesome vid!

i'm a screenwriter and i met neil gaiman during his book signing in manila. i cut my classes just to see him and i told him that. he asked me if my deed to see him was worth it. i said, YES. cut to 2020, i did neil gaiman's masterclass workbook as a working material for the last film i was writing. i like the exercise where he tasks the writers to write one of the character's struggle but in their perspective. i was writing a psycho thriller story and i had to talk to a therapist to get myself grounded. it was a creepy yet rewarding experience. my character had motivation and depth, the producers liked it. we're in post-production currently. if any of my films ever hits global fame, i will not hesitate to mention that neil gaiman was and will forever be my major influence in my writing career. i will tell him missing those classes way back in college was worth it just to see him.

One of the things I love about handwriting is how portable it is. I constantly carry a pen and small notebook with me for when I have down time in public transport or a few minutes to just jot an idea down. You don't always have wifi access, but you do always have access to a pen and paper.

I've been using Neil Gaiman's writing routine all along without knowing it! I encourage more writers to go back to pen and paper!

Thank you very much. I needed to watch your video

I found using my Alphasmart was the closest thing to the experience of using pen and paper. Enjoyed the video!

The pen and paper method is great. I began to use the pen and paper method a long time ago thanks to the death of my computer tower. I have found this method useful because it is distraction free. Good luck with your writing. :)

that is a beautiful story)I really enjoyed it)

Make sure that you make backups of those manuscripts :)

When I was younger, I did a lot more writing, but I'm not much of a writer these days. Writing was more of a part-time interest and not a major facet of my daily needs for expression, and I've since moved on to other interests and responsibilities. From my little, historic bit of experience with writing, I've always felt that pen and paper allowed me to flow easier, and I'm glad you're experiencing the same thing. I believe there's research out there indicating that the physical act of writing triggers the "artistic" parts of your brain, because of the art of writing itself (drawing characters that don't intrinsically have meaning but that we've given a meaning and value), that it just naturally allows you to be more creative as you're writing. When I wrote, I would have music playing low volume in the background, though. Usually classical (Bach, Vivaldi, Beethovan, etc), which doesn't have words or distracting movements as today's music often has. Interesting video. I enjoyed it. Thanks!

Thank you 💚

I love your author emulation videos. very insightful

I'm never bored of staring off into space! Lol Nice video.

Pen and paper systems are actually very good for keeping information in the brain as well. I always do some rough draft work for any writing. Be it my to-do list, blog, scripts, stories anything. Otherwise my brain doesn't work.

Very inspirational.

I've been writing for a long time, trying my hand at most things including novels. I mostly write for magazines and websites about film these days, on a laptop as you'd expect. When I started many years ago, I had a ritual which was to buy an Oxford Black 'n Red A4 notepad. A beautiful object. I would write novels long hand for the first draft. I haven't done that in at least fifteen years. Until now. Last month I had a great idea for a novel. I started outlining it on my phone, with the intent to progress onto my laptop. Then I saw the very same video you mention in yours, about how Neil writes long hand. So last week I decided to go back to my roots and ordered a Black 'n Red. It arrived today. Good luck with your novel, Jed.

Great video! Neil Gaiman has been a big inspiration for my writing as well. I have three main authors that are my all-time favorites (currently) that really have inspired me. The author who will always have the number one spot for me is Clive Barker; he, to me, writes the perfect blend fantasy and horror. Neil Gaiman does this really well also. Why Barker and Gaiman are up at my top influences is especially because of the beautiful way they can blend eroticism into the work (Love this especially in American Gods, Barker does it with everything). My third favorite author is Joe Hill; I just love his writing and stories. Keep writing! I like what I see from you more than the other indie authors I've seen here on UKposts. I might have to get Across the Broken Stars and read it!

Great video bud. I am currently writing my first short story (aiming for 80,000 words) and I came across your advice (being lazy watching UKposts instead of writing lol). While I don't have it in my capacity to write as you do right now, in January I am doing a 4 week solo road trip where I plan to do this challenge. Here's hoping I get that first draft finalised by the time I get back.

Great video. Subscribed. Liked. BOOM-BADDA-BOOM.

Awesome video Jed. This makes me want to try writing something on paper as a side project. Re: your story about seeing Neil live, was that an Evening With Neil Gaiman event? My wife and I went to one of those this past May and it was wonderful!

Kind of an older video but it was very interesting to watch, and I have a few things to say about it. Using pen and paper, I think, it's something that would not work for me because one of my issues is that I feel very insecure with my craft, so adding a layer of complexity to it and removing the freedom of erasing and rewriting at will would probably discourage me from continuing on (which would be a shame since I usually don't need to get into it. Writing is a pleasure to me, not a chore. I do it every day, at least for two hours, and when I have enough time, this can expand to...well, essentially the whole day. My writing sessions can last more than 10 hours, at times, and while I usually feel exhausted at the end, I'm always happy doing it. Definitely not a chore, and I will do it again, as many times as necessary). Also, I very rarely write my chapters in order. Before I start writing, I check my outline, think about what's gonna happen in the chapter I'm approaching, and then, let my mind run wild. The problem is, that I have a very convoluted mind, that doesn't always start with the beginning of the chapter, so, usually, I imagine pieces of the scene that put together make a whole chapter, but they don't come out in chronological order (not always). Writing with pen and paper, while totally feasible with this method, would kind of result in a mess that's pretty difficult to put in order. And I know it because when a great idea crosses my mind at work. I actually take notes on a (or several) sheet(s) of paper, but it usually ends up being quite a chore to put back together afterward, so the idea of writing the whole book like this kinda makes my head spin. For the rest, it's actually similar to my personal method. I do have a dedicated place to write, though, just like you, I listen to music when I write. To me, music is very important to stimulate my creativity, but I make sure not to listen to new tracks that I recently discovered for my writing sessions (I keep those for my reading sessions, instead) because I don't want to be checking the playlist wondering what a title is and save it into my playlist if like it particularly. I want to stay focused on my craft and do nothing else when I do (just like in Neil's method. That part too is in my personal process).

Really nice video ❤️

I may try this myself. I used to write ONLY pen and pad so... yeah... feels like it ma be refreshing!

Thanks brother

11:47 This for me was the heart and soul of this video. This beautiful little anecdote of your journey, of crossing paths with that distant mentor, of reaching towards him, seeming to miss, but him catching you, nodding to you, seeing that you see him, see one of his special defining moments as a human being--his bond with one of fantasy's greats--and he raising high his torch, his beacon, and telling you, everyone there, it's good to go on, it's dangerous, but it's good, that the journey, though vague, has a way of sorting itself, of things coming together in an unforeseen way, of taking on its own life and joining hands with you, its author, and finding that terminus together. Thank you for sharing this powerful moment of your journey as a writer. It's beautiful and moving. Beyond this, I am curious which method you felt was the best for you, the Stephen King method, or the Neil Gaiman method?