Aside from craft books and reading books in my genre, another way I enjoy learning about storytelling is through YouTube videos. There’s an entire trend of video essays teaching lessons on story structure by analyzing popular media and I eat it all up. Here are a few channels that taught me a lot and helped me learn storytelling from a different angle.
Just Write
Just Write has SO MANY great videos on writing using examples from recently released/popular movies and TV shows. His videos are often titled “What Writers Can Learn from (insert movie name).” A few of my favorites include What Writers Should Learn From Wonder Woman, What Writers Should Learn From Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender – How to Write a Compelling Backstory. In addition to teaching story craft, he also talks about how the stories we consume affect us as a person and as a society. He explains how stories can create real change and alter our history. For example, he spoke about how the last Hunger Games movie was a testament to how movements lead by groups of people instigate greater change in society than an elected “chosen one” and how the story was created to reflect that.
Nerdwriter
Unlike the other YouTube channels on this list which feature film, TV, and books as the artform of study, Nerdwriter also studies other art forms such as literal art and music. He will explain why a painting makes you feel a certain way or how a music score manages to break the rules but still sound gorgeous. So in addition to his writing lessons, you can find value on his channel from his vast collection of lessons from several different art forms.
My favorites on his channel are Pan’s Labyrinth: A Disobedient Fairytale, Inside Out: Emotional Theory Comes Alive, and Passengers, Rearranged.
Jenna Moreci
Jenna Moreci’s channel is one of the first writing YouTube channels I ever followed. As someone with three bestselling self-published books under her belt, she’s learned a thing or two about writing. Jenna doesn’t beat around the bush, she’s a straight shooter who will tell you exactly why your writing sucks and how to fix it. She has strong opinions on how to create solid characters and character arcs and teaches writing craft in a humorous and entertaining way. Jenna also has a lot of information on her channel about the business of being an author, specifically a self-published author, and how to make a career out of writing.
Abbie Emmons
Abbie’s YouTube channel is great for first-time writers. She gives a simplistic overview of what it takes to write a book, how to outline your novel and the three-act structure. Similarly to Jenna Moreci, she has a few videos on the business side of writing including videos on productivity, mindset, and goal-setting. She talked a lot about her journey self-publishing her first novel, 100 Days of Sunlight and the resources that helped her along the way. Her channel is great for female writers, specifically female contemporary writers.
Abbie doesn’t talk a lot about fantasy or sci-fi elements as much as the other channels on this list so if you mainly write in those genre’s just read a little further because there are definitely some YouTubers that do. Some of my favorite videos on Abbie’s channel are How I Prepare For Nanowrimo, How to Outline A Novel, and How to Write Theme Into Your Story.
Lessons From The Screenplay
You’ve probably noticed a theme by now, I seriously love any YouTube channel that can combine my love of film and writing into one, and Lessons from the Screenplay does this seamlessly. Unlike other channels on this list, LFTS usually focuses on critically acclaimed films and TV shows such as The Dark Knight, Get Out, Whiplash, Breaking Bad, and The Shining. He’s also recently started analyzing different video games and their form of storytelling which has been really exciting to follow.
My favorites from him include Gone Girl — Don’t Underestimate the Screenwriter, Hidden Figures — The Power of Subplots, and The Dark Knight — Creating the Ultimate Antagonist. (But who am I kidding, I love ALL of his videos!)
Hello Future Me
Similarly, to Lessons From The Screenplay, Hello Future Me creates video essays that take a deep dive into popular movies and shows. However, I recommend Hello Future me if you’re writing a Sci-Fi or Fantasy book. Some of his best videos teach valuable lessons on worldbuilding, magic systems, and the hero’s journey. To do this, he dives a lot into more fantastical movies and TV shows such as Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. His videos are also longer on average than the others on this list ranging from 20 minutes to an hour, so be prepared to learn and take notes. Also, he’s from New Zealand so he has an adorable Kiwi accent!
A few of my favorite videos from him are: On Writing: how to foreshadow [Stranger Things l LotR l Harry Potter l Game of Thrones], The Psychology of Azula l Avatar: The Last Airbender, and On Writing: final battles [ Avatar l Lord of the Rings l Star Wars l Pirates ].
Do you use YouTube as a way to learn story craft? What channel is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!