ShaelinWrites — Channel Summaries — Page 2
AI-powered summaries of 167 videos about ShaelinWrites.
167 summaries
Why Writing Rules Don't Matter | Rules vs. Craft
Writing rules don’t matter once a writer understands craft well enough to choose techniques for the specific effect a scene needs. Rules—“do this,...
ANNOTATE A SHORT STORY WITH ME! (Los Angeles by Ling Ma) | Anatomy of a Short Story #1
“Los Angeles” by Ling Ma uses an absurd premise—an abuse survivor living with her “100 ex-boyfriends”—to make the aftermath of domestic violence feel...
How to Analyze and Use Writing Advice
Writing advice doesn’t work like a universal rulebook—its value depends on how well each specific suggestion fits the writer’s goals, style, and...
My (Long) Journey With Confidence as a Writer
Confidence as a writer didn’t arrive through a sudden inner breakthrough; it stabilized only after years of insecurity, outside validation, and a...
Why I'm Writing a Book that No One Will Ever Read | Personal Projects & Not Publishing Your Work
A shift from publication anxiety to private freedom is driving a new kind of writing project: ShaelinWrites is drafting a fantasy novel she never...
Taking 6 Years to Write a Book | Thoughts on Finishing a First Draft!
A first draft can take years—not because the writing is slow, but because the writer has to rediscover what the story actually is. ShaelinWrites...
How to Condense Your Novel (I cut 16k words with this...)
Cutting 16,000 words from a novel that had already gone through roughly a dozen drafts is less about finding one “big” problem and more about...
HOW TO WRITE IN RETROSPECTIVE POV 🕦 is it right for your story? (theory + examples)
Retrospective point of view—especially first-person retrospective—lets a character narrate events after they’ve already happened, using memory to add...
Poetry vs Purple Prose, Writing Career Plans, & Revision Process | Writing Q&A
Revision starts with diagnosing what the draft actually needs, not with chasing a universal checklist. The first step is to ask, “What do I feel my...
11 Misconceptions About Short Fiction
Short fiction doesn’t need a moral, isn’t inherently “easy,” and isn’t defined by a strict word-count ceiling—most of the common complaints about...
A Chat About Confidence and Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome shows up as a fast, decisive internal verdict: after a writer achieves something—like getting published or sending work out for...
How I Write Multiple Books at Once
Writing multiple projects at once can be a practical way to keep a writer energized, reduce burnout, and stay productive—especially for people who...
Advice for Creative Writing Students
Creative writing degrees reward students most when assignments are treated like passion projects, not chores—because workshop-heavy coursework leaves...
16 Questions to Ask When Line Editing
Line editing, in this approach, is less about catching grammar mistakes and more about tightening the prose’s style: removing stale phrasing,...
TONAL REALISM: types of logic in fiction & creating reality through tone
Tonal realism reframes “what makes a story believable” as a tone-driven problem: the emotional attitude of a narrative determines what kinds of logic...
Dealing with Rejection as a Writer
Rejection is unavoidable in writing, but it doesn’t have to function as a personal verdict. The core move is to manage rejection so it doesn’t stop...
MY REVISION PROCESS | first draft to ready for publication
Revision works best when it’s treated as a flexible system built around the specific problems in a draft—not a fixed sequence of “X drafts” or a...
Character Arcs in Short Fiction, Dealing with Rejections, and Other Short Fiction Concerns | Q&A
Short fiction works best when writers treat it as a focused instrument for change: a small, specific shift in a character’s understanding or...
5 NaNoWriMo Alternatives!
Nanowrimo’s 50,000-word-in-a-month structure doesn’t have to be the only way to get the benefits of the annual writing push—especially the community...
Wait...this book is good now? (How I Fixed It) | NaNoWriMo 2022
A months-long writing slump turned into a breakthrough when Shaylin found a workable cause-and-effect engine for her novel—then reinforced it with...
15 Questions to Ask When Revising Your Book
Revisions get easier when they’re guided by targeted questions—not vague hopes that “something will feel better.” The core takeaway is that strong...
12 Worldbuilding Details You Haven't Thought Of (+ sharing details from my fantasy project!)
Fantasy worldbuilding often gets stuck on the big-ticket items—governments, magic systems, geography—while the details that make a setting feel...
The Art of Making up Verbs | Verbing Nouns!
“Verbing nouns” turns non-verbs—often nouns or adjectives—into active verbs to make prose punchier, denser with imagery, and more vivid without...
Lessons from Finishing a Book (from almost giving up to thriving)
A novel draft that stalled for months ultimately turned into a fast, “effortless” write once momentum finally clicked—after a brutal stretch where...
As I Write #26: My Experience Writing a TV Pilot [Literary Adaptation]
A first attempt at writing a cute, conflict-light web series collapsed under the basic demands of story structure—no tension, goals, stakes, or...
Writing Q&A 💬 writing "bad" queer characters, being on submission, writing litfic vs fantasy, etc.
Editing “Honey Vinegar” forced a careful juggling act: the story runs on two interlocked tracks—a tangible, physical plot unfolding in a town and a...
Promoting Equality in Your Writing
Equality in writing isn’t a short-lived trend—it’s a responsibility that should outlast the news cycle. With Black Lives Matter dominating social...
WRITING CRAFT Q&A🗯️best/worst advice, complex character psychology, subplots, etc!
Writing craft advice that sticks, character psychology that feels real, and revision strategies that reduce panic all come down to one recurring...
Learning to Let Projects Go | As I Write #28
Letting writing projects go isn’t about losing interest—it’s about changing what “completion” means. After years of juggling a massive backlog of...
a casual chat about writing, publishing, & grad school 🌱 (while I repot my plants)
A long stretch of publishing setbacks has left ShaelinWrites stuck between hope and dread—yet still chasing the next submission, while also wrestling...
HOW TO WRITE A CRITIQUE (from a writer & editor’s POV) 🖋️with full example!
A strong critique isn’t defined by how “brutal” it sounds—it’s defined by whether it comes from an engaged, respectful reading that helps a writer...
Recent Reads #36 | Sci-fi, good poetry, & a lot of mixed feelings
A recurring theme across these ten reads is how form shapes feeling: several books deliver sharp emotional or intellectual impact through restraint,...
WRITING MY NOVEL📘 | chill + cozy writing vlog
A long-running struggle with a novel draft has turned into momentum: after months away and a health-related pause, Jalen is back on “Saltbirds,” now...
a week in my life as an MFA student 🖋️WRITING VLOG
An MFA student’s first semester runs on a tight, three-course schedule—workshop, teaching skills, and an undergrad elective—while a major funding...
Writing Q&A🌻thoughts on AI, writing & mental health, theme & intention
Aspiring writers don’t need to be “good enough” before they start—practice is what builds skill, and the real antidote to embarrassment is writing...
The never-ending editing draft...(this took five months🫠) | WRITING VLOG
Revisions for ShaelinWrites’ animal-sense manuscript (formerly Salt Birds) are entering a long, multi-draft stretch—driven less by plot mechanics...
all my writing projects🌛litfic, horror, historical, fantasy & magical realism🌜| 2025 WRITING UPDATE
A major 2025 pivot in ShaelinWrites’ writing life is that one long-gestating novel—previously far from publishable—has been pushed into...
THE BEST WRITING DAY OF MY LIFE + 10K WEEKEND✍️ | writing vlog
A writing sprint is turning into a genuine breakthrough for ShaelinWrites’ novel Saltbirds: after months of slow progress and pacing worries, the...
recommending you the *perfect* book to become a better writer | the writer's syllabus ep. 2
A writing-class syllabus built from reader-submitted prompts turns into a fast, curated set of book recommendations—each chosen to model a specific...
A JUICY MFA Q&A: funding, thesis, application tips, acceptance stats, & more!
An MFA in writing is less about learning “new” writing concepts and more about getting paid time, structured mentorship, and an academic environment...
Writing Update! | short stories, publications, & my new novel
After nearly a year of burnout-driven writing stagnation, ShaelinWrites says her creative momentum has returned—starting in spring—alongside a busy...
How to Read More (How I Read 70+ Books a Year!)
Reading more isn’t about finding a magic number of books—it’s about rebuilding focus, removing friction, and making sure the books you pick actually...
Recent Reads #34 (Okay I finally read The Secret History)
A standout theme across these recent reads is how authors use “high-concept” premises—queering classics, turning motherhood into literal...
Recent Reads #39 | A book I love and a book I hate
A quietly devastating mother–daughter travel story and a fiercely polarizing horror classic bookend a reading streak that swings from lyrical wonder...
2021 Writing Wrap-Up + 2022 Writing Goals (except I have none oops)
2021 ended up being a year of writing “stasis” for ShaelinWrites—less about producing new work and more about editing, burnout recovery, and managing...
FINISHING MY BOOK📖 | writing vlog
A six-part novel draft is finished—clocking in just under 75,000 words—and the writer is now shifting from drafting momentum to a careful, layered...
Recent Reads #37 | Internet novels & plotless beauty
Book ratings in this “Recent Reads” episode come with a clear philosophy: enjoyment and craft assessments are treated as personal, not as a verdict...
Recent Reads #30
“Recent Reads #30” is a rapid-fire set of book reactions that keeps circling one craft obsession: how writers create emotional force through...
Recent Reads #38 (while a kitten is climbing on me)
A month of reading delivered a clear pattern: many of these books impressed most at the sentence level—voice, form, and atmosphere—while emotional...
Recent Reads #43 | I read a bunch of sapphic books and it healed me
Sapphic fiction became a kind of emotional reset for ShaelinWrites, and the reading streak in “Recent Reads #43” is less about plot mechanics than...
Did I Meet My 2023 Writing Goals? 🪴 Publications, Projects, & 2024 Writing Plans!
Jaylen’s 2023 writing wrap-up lands on a clear pattern: steady creative momentum, heavier editing than drafting, and a publication year that was...
It's my MFA summer semester and I'm locked in 🍃 | WRITING VLOG
A summer MFA sprint is colliding with a looming debut-novel revision, and the result is a tightly managed writing schedule built around finishing a...
Analyzing an experimental short story! [+ sharing your responses] UNITY OF FORM AND CONCEPT
An experimental horror story built as “excerpts from an annotated bibliography” turns academic citation into a weapon: it uses the cold authority of...
absurdist fiction + why is no one talking about this incredible sapphic novel? | Recent Reads #63
A string of recent reads leans hard into tonal weirdness and emotional precision—yet several books stumble on structure, leaving big conflicts...
Recent Reads #45 | The good, the bad, and the ugly
A sharp split emerges across these October reads: several books win praise for language, form, and emotional precision, while others are criticized...
A bit of MFA life | thesis writing, classes, and snowstorm days ❄️ WRITING VLOG
MFA life gets derailed by a snowstorm—but the week’s real throughline is how one writer keeps thesis momentum using tight word-count systems,...
reacting to the flash fiction I wrote as a teenager😬
Teen flash fiction from grades six through nine is less about plot and more about atmosphere—black skies, trapped characters, and high-drama...
Recent Reads #56 | The perfect fall folk horror book, meta-fiction, surrealism!
A standout theme across these 20 “Recent Reads” is how experimental or meta storytelling can still land emotionally—when the structure serves the...
Recent Reads #52 | Complicated queerness + supporting Palestinian authors
A standout theme across these recent reads is complicated queerness—messy, lived-in, and often funny—paired with writing that treats identity as...
WRITING MY FANTASY BOOK WHILE TRAVELLING [Vietnam & Indonesia🇻🇳🇮🇩]
A travel-heavy writing sprint in Vietnam and Indonesia is turning into a real drafting breakthrough: after finishing multiple chapters of a new...
Recent Reads #47 | In which everything is just pretty good
A standout thread across these recent reads is how “pretty good” can still mean sharply different things: some novels land with voice and emotional...
Recent Reads #58 | ghosts, fairytales, & a book I bet you've never heard of
A run of recent reads leans hard into a single, recurring idea: books can be “valuable” even when they don’t land the same way for every reader....
Recent Reads #60 | experimental fiction, horror, & hidden gems
A run of experimental and genre-bending fiction left the reader most impressed by books that make form do the emotional work—especially works that...
Recent Reads #57 | moody post-apocalyptic fiction & accessible philosophy
A string of recent reads leans hard into slow-burn apocalypse, cultish communities, and experimental ideas—but the standout throughline is how...
Recent Reads #55 | weird girl fiction & translated books
A standout theme across these recent reads is how sharply some short, translated, or formally inventive books can compress emotion—while other titles...
my new favourite bildungsroman + gothic vignette novel | Recent Reads #62
A run of recent reads leans hard into literary strangeness—witch trials, dream-fairy tales, cult paranoia, grief monsters—yet the strongest...
I'm obsessed with this book about a queer mountain lion + small press books | recent reads 64
A queer mountain lion narrates “Open Throat” in blunt, punctuation-free fragments—an animal voice that feels uncannily accurate even as it flirts...