The Quotidian Writer

Like everyone else, I spend a lot of my spare time procrastinating. One of my favorite sources of procrastination is to watch YouTube videos (no surprise there). I subscribe to a many--many--of YouTube channels. Why? Because those subscriptions are free of charge. 

Many of my favorite channels focus on the craft of storytelling, mainly in the visual mediums of film and television. Some do dip into the craft of writing as well (you can't make a movie or an episode of TV without a script after all), and many also go into in-depth analysis on different elements of story. Channels like Screen Prism, A.G. Writes, Tale Foundry, and Lessons from the Screenplay are all excellent and deserve their viewership. 

One of my favorites, however, which in my estimation, deserves greater recognition is a channel named The Quotidian Writer.

The channel is the brainchild of a fellow writer and all around good person, Diana Callahan. I've had the privilege of making her acquaintance through Twitter (we follow each other). If you're looking for an excellent YouTube channel that is solely focused on craft and on different aspect of writing itself, look no further. 

Of course, one of the cardinal rules of fiction writing is show, don't tell (another topic for another time). So before I gush any further, why don't I give you a sample of what you'd be in for if you were to subscribe to Callahan's channel. Below is her video on the Literary vs. Genre debate so prevalent in our culture at the moment, and I believe is showcases all the characteristics typical of her YouTuber style.

(To those who watched it, wasn't that good?) Admittedly, I know nothing about making videos. If I did, maybe I'd be a YouTuber myself instead of a blogger, but I digress. 

Callahan and her channel belong to that class of YouTubers commonly known as "Video Essayists." These are people who make videos--some regularly, some as often as they can--which explore topics in which they have a deep interest. The benefit of this style is you get to do what I do with the added advantage of having attention grabbing audio and visual elements, such as music, graphics, and narration. (If you want to see an deeper dive into what video essays are, check out Evan Puschak's--aka The Nerdwriter--TED Talk on the subject of the essay.)

The symbolic visuals and occasional usage of background music aside, one of the best aspects of Callahan's videos is her voice. She has that wonderful quality of the best talk radio presenters, like Terry Gross for instance, of sounding friendly while maintaining an air of authority. She'd make a great narrator for audiobooks and PBS documentaries, I'm sure. (To risk being cheesy, if she narrated infomercials on cable TV after midnight, the sales of whatever product she was peddling would likely triple.)

That authority of course comes from her knowledge base. Each of her videos (as you can tell from the one above) goes into such depth on a given writing topic and explores it from so many angles that by the end of it, you feel the same way as one might after listening to a lecture by a good teacher. You genuinely feel smarter. 

It's also, at least for me, her clear deep knowledge and understanding of the writing craft that makes her videos, and by proxy her channel, so engaging. Her passion for the craft of writing comes through in each video. After all, you wouldn't spend between 15-30 minutes monologuing about a topic if you had no interest in it, not taking into account all the time spent writing the script, recording your voice, cuing up and editing graphics together into a cohesive whole. 

Most important of all though, like a good teacher, Callahan's videos always carry a tone of encouragement. 

Writers everywhere, whether they're successful already or just starting up, face a constant stream of discouragement from the world. Perhaps it comes from their social circles, perhaps it comes from their lack of financial success and sales. Regardless though, it's hard being a writer because of how isolating the work is and how frequently we encounter backhanded, discouraging condescension from the world at large.

In such a world, Diana's channel is a lighthouse of hope. 

Her slogan for her channel--the phrase she utters at the end of each video--is keep writing. This is one thing, above everything else, that writers need to hear. Two simple words and a mantra for anyone who wishes to make this craft the central focus of their life. It's the only way one can truly improve. It's the only way one will eventually get published (if that's their end goal). And Diana Callahan's Quotidian Writer can and will give you the encouragement to keep going.  Check it out and give her your support.