That part about letting people you love read your work and criticize it, and then saying that them being honest means they respect you is so well said and important, thank you :) I really needed to hear that
MAY IS POSTING YES YES YES I really hope you will post more of this sort of stuff. Like discussing weird ass movies is always fun, and I am here for music, but these chill talks are just... so nice
As a hobby writer who is currently stuck with his head against the wall, I needed this. Holy shit. I’ve been so stressed about setting deadlines and feelings of inadequacy yada yada which has made it almost impossible for me to find motivation to write. This made me realize that I am in fact doing a few things right, and that violently puking words onto a page because I really want to speak about them is probably a good thing. Writing something because I really feel that I have something to say (no matter how trivial, as long as it means something to you) has been my way of doing it, and the rest is kind of a long cleanup process. Thank you for this. You are such an inspiration
i hope this doesn't sound stupid lmao, but i'm watching 'we're all going to the world's fair' and i just saw that you're in it! and i was like "omg may leitz," and tbh i didn't know where else to say this bc i've deleted twitter lmao, but i'm so happy i got to see you in a film! i've been watching your videos for a long time! :)
I've used writing to vent out my anxieties, frustrations, and self-loathing for most of my life. The idea of being gentle and empathetic with myself in writing feels like I'm going against my nature. That might be what I needed to hear. Thank you May ❤
This is highly inspirational, a lot of trans people have been pushed into a corner, and our community does not have a lot of representation of writers or even UA-camrs, so it's great to have this in 2023. I hope the community supports you always!!!
may you literally inspired me to start writing my own book and i’m actually getting through it! thank you so much for putting your voice into the extreme horror genre!! so excited to read more of your books in the future, i LOVE your philosophical ideas on horror and gore. sm love from denver
As an aspiring writer working on a short story collection, I loved this vid sm. I hate deadlines and strict plans/rules for writing too, so I rly enjoyed figuring out a way to make sure my writing is good and authentic, thanks for the advice :)
I was so touched by your words about the “self centred” nature of art. I have always struggled with doing the things I enjoy because they don’t feel like “work” thank you for shining a new light on this for me. It really helped 💜
I've had many ideas I've wanted to write down until I get a terrible case of Art Fear. It's nice to have this video pop up on my subscription feed as a gentle reminder to just write the damn thing.
Do you have any plans of releasing the audiobook for fluids as a CD? I don't want to necessarily buy an Amazon version of an audiobook if I don't have to, because from what I understand if Amazon loses the rights to a particular property they remove it from your library, It would be super cool to have a permanant version of the audiobook uwu 🥺 I've already read the normal version of the book I would just love to hear you read it as well, That would be epic uwu
godddd I love ur content. you've been my comfort creator for so long, your content was so helpful when I was going through chemo (ive been in remission for 2 years) you have no idea how much you've done for me
I'm so glad I was one of the people to get a copy of fluids. I dont know what exactly I expected going into it but I haven't been able to put it down at so many points. your writing style is so compelling
this is the only writing advice ive ever gotten that's made writing seem possible. ive had a story in my head ive wanted to tell for years but nobody's advice has ever made me think i could even start digging into this metaphorical mountain of ideas and plotlines
I really love your advice and I have a feeling I'm going to come back to this over and over again (like I do many of your videos). I don't really think of myself as a writer, more of a visual artist and have gotten frustrated with myself because I feel that I can't actually create a story.
I love the way you talk about your process around writing and your relationship with the written word. I currently at this point in my life I don't have much time or energy for writing, but you're making me crave it 😌
May I’m so glad you posted this! There’s been a novel idea I’ve been trying to put on paper for a while and have been needed a little extra boost. This definitely helped!
I'm literally trying to self-publish maybe, hopefully, at some point this year or early next year. Could not have watched a more helpful video at a more helpful time. Thx, May.
This is such great advice Ty may. I just moved and the creative flow has completely dried up due to stress and depression, but I think I’m actually gonna write tonight because of this vid :)
That’s really cool!! I really like that first tip to try and write just vibe words (vomit words lol) to vibe out the themes and feeling of the story! That inspires me greatly thank you!!🙏🤘🖤💀🔥
I'm collecting advice from my beloved writers like pokemon instead of actually starting the book I've had in my brain for years :3 Would you ever make a similar advice video about creating music? I'm not a musician myself but I'd love to hear about your art process
I devoured Fluids in about 4 hours (which is a miracle considering it usually takes me a month to read a book) and absolutely loved it. I can’t wait for your next book and any other writing you might do in the future!
I am really glad you are doing more writing and music! I am reading Fluids right now and it is hard to put down, I'm always wondering what is going to happen next. And I love your music, it's unique and I could dance to Seraphim all night long!
i'll have you know i _absolutely_ called for every single word in this video, so that title is factually incorrect and this advice was critically necessary thank you 💛
Sadly, I'm pretty sure it'd be entirely impossible for me to get a physical copy of Fluids in Brazil, and I can't find a link to buy the eBook directly. Would May get the proceeds from an amazon purchase?
This is so helpful! Also, I feel like it can be applied to any form of art. When I paint, the hardest part is staring at an empty canvas..then I make a really shitty draft and eventually something will come out of it :)
thank you for dropping this on us, i got a lot of motivation to not give up on my drawer of unfinished texts. as someone who less successfully tries to make music and write and do all the things while having a job and also neurodivergence, i'd be interested to know if you've had any struggles with time management or not, and if so how you managed to get into some kind of creative routine while also working to keep the lights on
Hey, May. Thank you for touching on how to navigate through heavier and controversial matters because this is the hardest thing I deal with more than being in editor mode when I'm staring at a blank page. I've been writing under all sorts of mediums for the last 15+ years, being that kid who was always writing stories (from short stories and novellas to bloated 50+ chapter bricks), poetry, songs, and essay styled reviews. By the time I entered my 20s, while I was still doing all of that, I shifted some of that focus to screenwriting. A re-occurring theme for my work for as long as I can remember had an emphasis on the darker things in life; like death, substance abuse, mental health, generational and religious trauma, violence, and so on. However, in spite of how long I've been doing this for and the positive feedback I've gotten on some of it, I find myself struggling with overcoming that hurdle to give myself permission to be vulnerable and "go there" - especially if it's a social commentary on all those issues. I try to let things play out organically, like I'm giving my characters a single sheet of paper that says "good luck" and going from there. But at some point, the brakes slam and we're stuck in the mud. At the end of the day, I know I'm not the characters in my works. It's not necessarily a reflection of me no matter how much I try to analyze them, pick their brains and see how they navigate the world. I don't know. Maybe it's being slightly unnerved or afraid of being able to face not only how far my imagination can go (even though I see my characters as separate entities and not an extension of myself) and, in turn, how shitty the world and people can be. I'll look to artists I admire and the advice they give when it comes to dealing with this sort of thing, and I struggle with processing how they just dive into the deep end of the pool as if it's second nature.
I recently got back into writing (I mean like literally a week ago) so the fact that ur posting a vid Abt it now is super rad! :3 thank uuu!! Edit: would love if u did a similar video but about music!!
Hey May! It occurred to me that I connect with you in ways that I don't with most other creators. I absolutely love my video essayists, but something feels similar here. As I was watching this one it struck me heavily that you understand your own motivation and internal feelings. You elocute your emotions in a way I'm not used to from the general public -- most people just don't care to interrogate *anything* let alone their insides, triple especially the dark parts. To wit; I do all of this. Pretty confident it's an element of my autism. So, a small cluster of questions: Are you autistic/do you know/have you considered? How does your neurodiversity, whatever it actually is, inform both your writing mechanically and conceptually? Are you comfortable with talking finances and the basic skeleton of costs and income in the experience of Fluids? If so, I'd love to hear it. Thanks much for all the content and your attention just now. I've been watching nearly everything you do for several years now.
That part about letting people you love read your work and criticize it, and then saying that them being honest means they respect you is so well said and important, thank you :) I really needed to hear that
May talking about things that don't leave her traumatized, we love to see it
MAY IS POSTING YES YES YES
I really hope you will post more of this sort of stuff. Like discussing weird ass movies is always fun, and I am here for music, but these chill talks are just... so nice
As a hobby writer who is currently stuck with his head against the wall, I needed this. Holy shit. I’ve been so stressed about setting deadlines and feelings of inadequacy yada yada which has made it almost impossible for me to find motivation to write. This made me realize that I am in fact doing a few things right, and that violently puking words onto a page because I really want to speak about them is probably a good thing. Writing something because I really feel that I have something to say (no matter how trivial, as long as it means something to you) has been my way of doing it, and the rest is kind of a long cleanup process. Thank you for this. You are such an inspiration
i hope this doesn't sound stupid lmao, but i'm watching 'we're all going to the world's fair' and i just saw that you're in it! and i was like "omg may leitz," and tbh i didn't know where else to say this bc i've deleted twitter lmao, but i'm so happy i got to see you in a film! i've been watching your videos for a long time! :)
I've used writing to vent out my anxieties, frustrations, and self-loathing for most of my life. The idea of being gentle and empathetic with myself in writing feels like I'm going against my nature. That might be what I needed to hear. Thank you May ❤
Up to this point, I've only ever been interested in writing fanfiction.... But this video is making me want to look at my writing more seriously
This is highly inspirational, a lot of trans people have been pushed into a corner, and our community does not have a lot of representation of writers or even UA-camrs, so it's great to have this in 2023. I hope the community supports you always!!!
may you literally inspired me to start writing my own book and i’m actually getting through it! thank you so much for putting your voice into the extreme horror genre!! so excited to read more of your books in the future, i LOVE your philosophical ideas on horror and gore. sm love from denver
she's a queen
As an aspiring writer working on a short story collection, I loved this vid sm. I hate deadlines and strict plans/rules for writing too, so I rly enjoyed figuring out a way to make sure my writing is good and authentic, thanks for the advice :)
Your energy here is so much better than in the pervious videos and podcasts. I'm glad you took time for yourself you seem happier and healthier.
i am so happy to see you posting content that is healthier for you, always always excited to watch anything you create
This is genuinely some of the best writing advice I’ve ever gotten, I really hope you make more of these!
i really like may's take on reworking the pacing of a story or piece of writing and the editing process for it
I was so touched by your words about the “self centred” nature of art. I have always struggled with doing the things I enjoy because they don’t feel like “work” thank you for shining a new light on this for me. It really helped 💜
I've had many ideas I've wanted to write down until I get a terrible case of Art Fear. It's nice to have this video pop up on my subscription feed as a gentle reminder to just write the damn thing.
Book girl back!
Do you have any plans of releasing the audiobook for fluids as a CD?
I don't want to necessarily buy an Amazon version of an audiobook if I don't have to, because from what I understand if Amazon loses the rights to a particular property they remove it from your library,
It would be super cool to have a permanant version of the audiobook uwu 🥺
I've already read the normal version of the book I would just love to hear you read it as well, That would be epic uwu
godddd I love ur content. you've been my comfort creator for so long, your content was so helpful when I was going through chemo (ive been in remission for 2 years) you have no idea how much you've done for me
I'm just glad that you've found a video that will let you rest.
I think we all need a rest.
Proud to be one of the 5000, and loving the book so far! :)
Edit: also how’d you know I was writing a book?
I'm so glad I was one of the people to get a copy of fluids. I dont know what exactly I expected going into it but I haven't been able to put it down at so many points. your writing style is so compelling
May you are looking happy and healthy! I am glad you are doing so well as a writer! All the best to you!
It may have been uncalled for, but honestly I think I just heard a lot of this advice at the most important part of my life now. Thank you May! 😊
this is the only writing advice ive ever gotten that's made writing seem possible. ive had a story in my head ive wanted to tell for years but nobody's advice has ever made me think i could even start digging into this metaphorical mountain of ideas and plotlines
Ooo I already know this is going to be very interesting and helpful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I really love your advice and I have a feeling I'm going to come back to this over and over again (like I do many of your videos). I don't really think of myself as a writer, more of a visual artist and have gotten frustrated with myself because I feel that I can't actually create a story.
I rlllly neeeded this rn ur amazing slayed
I love the way you talk about your process around writing and your relationship with the written word. I currently at this point in my life I don't have much time or energy for writing, but you're making me crave it 😌
was literally just about to sit down and work more of the draft I've been bashing my head against for weeks, your timing is impeccable
May I’m so glad you posted this! There’s been a novel idea I’ve been trying to put on paper for a while and have been needed a little extra boost. This definitely helped!
I'm literally trying to self-publish maybe, hopefully, at some point this year or early next year. Could not have watched a more helpful video at a more helpful time. Thx, May.
Proud to be one of the 5000 😤❤️
As a fellow writer I really love this video! Thank you for sharing your process, this is sick content :)
10.15. This is very valuable advice. A lot of authors do this. It makes it fresh and easier to criticise and fix things.
I didn’t ask for this advice but I will graciously take it thank you.
May... Your book is fantastic. I await the day you release more.
please make more videos like these!! youre a very interesting person, is really fun to hear you talk.
This is such great advice Ty may. I just moved and the creative flow has completely dried up due to stress and depression, but I think I’m actually gonna write tonight because of this vid :)
5,000 is nothing to sneeze at. That's awesome!
(Also, Fluids was a wild ride. Thank you for putting it out there.)
That’s really cool!! I really like that first tip to try and write just vibe words (vomit words lol) to vibe out the themes and feeling of the story! That inspires me greatly thank you!!🙏🤘🖤💀🔥
Keep bloomin' Mae, we're rooting for you.
its good to see you’re doing well
thank you for making this video! I'm very interested in learning how to write more efficiently so I'm happy you made this video to give your tips!
Take your time I'm glad you are happy and I hope to purchase your book soon!!
I'm collecting advice from my beloved writers like pokemon instead of actually starting the book I've had in my brain for years :3
Would you ever make a similar advice video about creating music? I'm not a musician myself but I'd love to hear about your art process
Thanks so much! I am writing my first book and this is literally the best advice I have ever heard.
I devoured Fluids in about 4 hours (which is a miracle considering it usually takes me a month to read a book) and absolutely loved it. I can’t wait for your next book and any other writing you might do in the future!
Omg I was just binging your vids over the past couple days! Great to see you post a talkie video again
Thank you so much for this, May! The advice in this video gave me the much-needed niche to continue working on my creative project
Thank you for this. I have bits and pieces of a story and this really inspired me to keep trucking
insanely good to hear you're doing well
I am really glad you are doing more writing and music! I am reading Fluids right now and it is hard to put down, I'm always wondering what is going to happen next. And I love your music, it's unique and I could dance to Seraphim all night long!
Girl you had me at Bloodborne. That's my favorite game and has inspired some aspects of the story I've been writing.
I'm finally starting to write my first book, so this is absolutely called for writing advice. Thank you!
Thank you for this, I have a book out and am working on my 2nd. The struggle is real.
This is great because I'm working on my rough draft for a 2 week late essay!
I for one would be super interested in a video like this about your music.
i'll have you know i _absolutely_ called for every single word in this video, so that title is factually incorrect and this advice was critically necessary thank you 💛
Congratulations on the sales! Really interested in it from what I’ve heard
Sadly, I'm pretty sure it'd be entirely impossible for me to get a physical copy of Fluids in Brazil, and I can't find a link to buy the eBook directly. Would May get the proceeds from an amazon purchase?
Ooo writing advice,I'm always up for this stuff.Hope you are doing well.
As of late I've been reading a lot more and have been wanting to start writing again so I'm very thankful for this video, May is such an inspiration
As an aspiring writer, this is very much appreciated. Thanks for imparting your wisdom, May!
Audiobook version?? I will buy the physical probably but I can listen to stuff at work more than I can read a book right now
There’s an audiobook on bandcamp
This was incredibly helpful, thank you so much :) hope you have a great day
I’m so hype for the new book- Fluids was the best book I read last year, and I’ve been Ready for whatever comes next since then
I love this. Thank you, May
I was really into writing as a hobby in highschool but got out of it in college. I wanted to start again and this was great advice.
this video came into my life at the perfect time. i hope u continue to make stuff like this!
This is so helpful! Also, I feel like it can be applied to any form of art. When I paint, the hardest part is staring at an empty canvas..then I make a really shitty draft and eventually something will come out of it :)
I love May so much more now. You make me feel like writing a book!
I’m so glad that you are taking time to yourself and stuff! I hope your projects go well : D
welcome back
I am not a writer, but I think these advice are valuable for anyone who is creative.
I love unsolicited advice!
Love your channel so much. You’re such an inspiration
Can’t wait for Girl Flesh! How cool
Fluids was sosososo good! I'm super excited for your next book!♥♥
This reminded me that I need to buy May's book when I get paid again
thank you for dropping this on us, i got a lot of motivation to not give up on my drawer of unfinished texts. as someone who less successfully tries to make music and write and do all the things while having a job and also neurodivergence, i'd be interested to know if you've had any struggles with time management or not, and if so how you managed to get into some kind of creative routine while also working to keep the lights on
i cannot fuckin WAIT to watch this
it was based of you to drop this right as I'm struggling with my writing today, thank you May god bless
5,000 copies! I remember when you were closing in on 100 and you were excited about THAT. (Which anybody would be, but 5,000!)
So glad to see ya!
I wish I had more thoughtful comment, but I love hearing your thoughts
The best thing in the world for my dyslexic ass was Microsoft Word’s text to speech reader. I use it to hear what I wrote read back to me
Hey, May. Thank you for touching on how to navigate through heavier and controversial matters because this is the hardest thing I deal with more than being in editor mode when I'm staring at a blank page.
I've been writing under all sorts of mediums for the last 15+ years, being that kid who was always writing stories (from short stories and novellas to bloated 50+ chapter bricks), poetry, songs, and essay styled reviews. By the time I entered my 20s, while I was still doing all of that, I shifted some of that focus to screenwriting. A re-occurring theme for my work for as long as I can remember had an emphasis on the darker things in life; like death, substance abuse, mental health, generational and religious trauma, violence, and so on. However, in spite of how long I've been doing this for and the positive feedback I've gotten on some of it, I find myself struggling with overcoming that hurdle to give myself permission to be vulnerable and "go there" - especially if it's a social commentary on all those issues. I try to let things play out organically, like I'm giving my characters a single sheet of paper that says "good luck" and going from there. But at some point, the brakes slam and we're stuck in the mud.
At the end of the day, I know I'm not the characters in my works. It's not necessarily a reflection of me no matter how much I try to analyze them, pick their brains and see how they navigate the world. I don't know. Maybe it's being slightly unnerved or afraid of being able to face not only how far my imagination can go (even though I see my characters as separate entities and not an extension of myself) and, in turn, how shitty the world and people can be. I'll look to artists I admire and the advice they give when it comes to dealing with this sort of thing, and I struggle with processing how they just dive into the deep end of the pool as if it's second nature.
well yes!
This isn't uncalled for I'd want your advice on anything any day
I recently got back into writing (I mean like literally a week ago) so the fact that ur posting a vid Abt it now is super rad! :3 thank uuu!!
Edit: would love if u did a similar video but about music!!
U look so healthy 💜 could be the lighting
Nyx, thank you so much for this video. I would love to know what books do you read during the year or wich ones do you recommend!
Hey May!
It occurred to me that I connect with you in ways that I don't with most other creators. I absolutely love my video essayists, but something feels similar here. As I was watching this one it struck me heavily that you understand your own motivation and internal feelings. You elocute your emotions in a way I'm not used to from the general public -- most people just don't care to interrogate *anything* let alone their insides, triple especially the dark parts.
To wit; I do all of this. Pretty confident it's an element of my autism.
So, a small cluster of questions:
Are you autistic/do you know/have you considered?
How does your neurodiversity, whatever it actually is, inform both your writing mechanically and conceptually?
Are you comfortable with talking finances and the basic skeleton of costs and income in the experience of Fluids? If so, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks much for all the content and your attention just now. I've been watching nearly everything you do for several years now.
This is sounding suspiciously like an advertisement for Big Girlfriend™️. I’m onto you…
This is the kinda shit I'm here for.
Need our May fix
I WANNA READ THE BOOK REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Fluids does to drinking water what Bye Bye Man did to saying goodbye to people.
It's a good book May