I've been a fantasy & romance novelist for 20 years // here's what I've learned
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- Опубліковано 21 бер 2024
- In 2005 I started treating writing as a full time job (while working in retail) and sold my first book in 2008. The vast majority of my income since then has been from writing books. Secondary world fantasy & world-building is my first love but I have also written many indie paranormal and fairy tale romance. (I've never written anything without a fantasy element however!) In this video I will share some of the lessons I've learned on writing books & craft & mindset.
My Patreon: patreon.com/user/about?u=34222724
My Substack: lidiyafoxglove.substack.com/
Instagram: / lidiyafoxglove
Read the books!
Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/stores/Lidiya-...
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“If you’re having trouble, just write an incredibly stupid ending.”
This advice from your friend has lifted a heavy burden from me.
I'm glad I could pass it on! She really helped me out in those early days.
I love the fact that you don't romanticize the writing life, nor do you make it seem harrowing either. You make writing as a career sound boring, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's a job. A potentially very rewarding, fun job, but it's a job. I really like that about your videos.
It's so refreshing to hear someone talk about writing who actually knows what they are talking about
This had probably the best description of “learn why the rule exists” that I’ve heard ❤️
When I first got started, I daydreamed about how great it would be to have Stephanie Meyer or Suzanne Collin success (these authors were the pinnacle of 2010s YA success). Now I would be terrified of that level of success or fame. I don't even want to go on book tours which is unheard of to admit! Just as you mentioned in the Fourth Wing's case: great success comes great scrutiny. Like you, I'd be comfortable writing what I love, making a decent income and staying under the radar. My goal is to be the bestselling author nobody has heard of
I love hearing your down to earth takes on the publishing mentality!
Exactly...my dreams have seriously mellowed out. I also had quite a few friends who went on book tours and it really did sound so tiring, a lot of being alone in hotel rooms in strange cities away from your family and travel mishaps. The only ones that sound fun are multi-author tours if you could tour with some friends.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthorI met Chris bohjalian at a writer’s conference years ago, and he confirmed the unglamorous side of book tours
I agree that the super best-selling book is probably something I can't handle at this stage of my writing career. I'd get way too wound up in trying to give readers what they want (and you can't make everyone happy), whereas, at my current level, I have a lot of freedom to just write for myself--figure out what "sparks joy" so to speak (and write books that make me happy). Maybe, ten books down the line, some viral success would be welcome, but I'm kind of glad I don't have it now.
thank you for addressing that there are people who get popular right from the start and there can be envy from observing it. i feel like not enough people acknowledge that those kinds of things happen. but it's not all fluff and "hey we're all in this together" all the time as writer. and the situation you mentioned - having a friend who does better then you - is exactly what happened to me. and i think the best you can do in that situation is remove yourself for a bit, definitely not gossip about it, but maybe talk to a friend who's not in the industry for a bit, and share what you feel with them. it may sound cringey at first saying it out loud, but i promise it helps.
I can honestly say I have almost none of those feelings now. My friend Dia Reeves died of cancer when she was only 41, for example, and she was brilliant, funny, wonderfully weird, took everything in stride. I know she had tons of stories she still wanted to tell but she was denied the chance to ever complete them. I've also gotten so much more clear on what I want from life, and it's simple stuff. Not 11 city book tours which are actually SO hectic and tiring. Stuff like polishes away jealousy over the years. But it took a while. And in my 20s, the YA author scene was quite catty, particularly among the fellow 20somethings. But no wonder, what a hotbed of emotion to take a bunch of young adults with dreams and hand some of them multi 6 figure book deals and others as little as $2000 advances!
yeah, i'm not a person that gets jealous of my friends at all. Like 99% of the time I literally do not care (im happy when they're successful though) and it does nothing for me to be envious of them.
Despite this, I somehow feel like this might change when it comes to writing. I certainly hope not. I guess it's because it's one of the few things I care about and literally my biggest dream. I only have one writer friend and she's in the same spot as me so I wouldn't know for sure. If it happens I still think it's best to use it as a sort of motivation though. Sort of a
"she's doing so well, let me work harder so I can do well too" type of thing. Wishing one someone's downfall does nothing for us in a lower position so there's no reason for that. I agree on talking to someone outside the industry too. That would definitely help.
@@katgreer6113 i feel like it bears mentioning that i didn't wish on anyone's downfall or for bad things happen to them. i just felt bad being in the same community for some time.
and this is not a dig at you but just in general, not saying this in argumentative way. but when i wanted to talk to someone about the feeling i had i was afraid of exactly this that people will think i'm some crazy person who wishes to backstab someone for their success.
i think we need to be more open and letting people talk their frustrations out and giving them space to do so while also helping them disengage from situations when they are harmful to them. because the only person i was hurting in that time was myself and my writing.
of course there are people like cait corrain who review bomb their perceived rivals, but there is distinction between feeling something, and acting on that feeling. and sometimes i feel like even when you dare say you feel something people will immediately jump to the conclusion that we are going to do it. which is why having those feeling, and stating them are covered in layers and layers of shame.
again not a dig at you but a general thing i feel we should be better at.
@annaofeliya
Oh. OK. Same😅
It was NOT a dig at you either and didn't assume you wanted to backstab anyone I was just speaking generally too lol. I know that there are people who sadly have feelings like that so that's why I said it. I didn't think you were crazy or anything, nothing in your comment indicated that
I can't really imagine wishing a friend would not succeed buuut I definitely think people try to gloss over their feelings when this happens and not talk about it because no one wants to be perceived as rivalrous or petty, etc. They are very normal feelings though!
I also think it can be hard on the successful person. It changes friendship dynamics in a way that can be very hard to weather. I've had a fear of success, especially really fast success, in part because of this.
Just found your channel and I love your tips and viewpoints! and as a small business owner for 9+ years and a starting writer, my best marketing tip (as someone who used to hate marketing) is to use your strengths, interests, and quirks as a marketing tool. Those weird things you like to research? Talk about them! the things you love about your plots and characters? Shout them through the rooftops! It's actually kind of what you are already doing right now. no, it's not "traditional marketing", but it's the most effective way of attracting the people who will love you and your books, much more than "Here's a discount for Mother's Day!", or "A perfect book for your teenage daughter" or whatever.
I'm thinking this is great advice, because that's what I've been trying with this channel and it's certainly going WAY better than any prior marketing effort!
I'm very glad I found your channel. In my late 30s I've decided to get back into writing to make a go of it as a career and your content has helped inspire me to do that in earnest. Thank you for that.
God, I love your transparency. I couldn't fathom having a writing career that spans multiple decades but this video showed me an idea of what that could look like. ❤
I can't believe I've made it this long honestly 😂
girl, you're so cool. i just wanted to tell you that
aw thank you!!
I really appreciate your transparency. I have a well paid engineering job and write on the side. Learning about your experiences has been really enlightening.
To expand a bit more. Writing helps my mental health a lot. And I like to share it, but a lot of this is helping me realize that publishing may not be what I dreamed it would. It won't replace my income any time soon. And while I'll find a way to share my writing and keep going, having a realistic sense of the journey is helpful.
At some point I will do a video just on how to set up your life to be a creative...but the first advice is going to be, if you can possibly stand to work a day job, DO THAT! I just only ever thought of being a writer since I was like...4 years old or something. It was hard to really consider being anything else.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor I also have wanted to be a writer my whole life. But I was good at other things and got pushed very hard to do them. I tried to find creative work in my field but keep failing. Right now I can work and write, but there have been point where the job has been soul crushing and draining, plus health problems, lead me to have little room for what I loved. Recently I was unemployed for a bit and while I wasn't able to monetize my writing, it was the happiest I've been.
I'm an author from Brazil (just meantioning that so you can feel good about your reach, hopefully); I must say that this is the most helpful video I have ever watched about writers struggles. I found your channel by accident, and I'm so glad I did. Please continue sharing your experiences and creating content similar to this video. Mainstream vlogs pale in comparison to the value you provide. Thank you. Sincerely.
I’ve just realized I’ve been in the early stages of my writing craft for 20 years.
Thank you so much for helping me finally understand what - honestly I’ve heard before, but - I’ve never fully grasped WHY those rules are more guidelines than anything. You just got me there.
Thank you so much for this.
Love your advice. I’m an indie author who is in my rapid release era so it’s great to hear from someone who has been in the trenches. ❤❤
Really loving the channel! Im not really a writer but watching this really brought me back to when i was ~11 and really wanted to be. Maybe I'll finally give it a go!
There is a local YA fantasy author here, Cinda Williams Chima, who only really got going after she retired & is quite successful. She's awesome and I love meeting older ladies who only got going later in life. It's a good reminder that I could still aim for, say, an art career if I wanted to mix it up.
I like your honesty and the humor in your voice. Your videos are very engaging.
I love your honesty. It's refreshing. I'm obssesed now, you're so authentic
jep, that`s exactly what I thought watching her videos I just found popping on my suggestions this morning!
Found your channel a few days ago. Really enjoy your content. You give me hope that I can be a writer too! I started seriously considering writing some last year and worked on a couple different book ideas casually throughout the year, but this year I’ve decided to focus on one idea and just finish the damn thing because hopping around too much is definitely my issue. Your advice is super practical and not overwhelming! Thanks :)
Thank you, I'm so glad to hear it!
i had to pause for that slamming Knight's Tale quote LOL
Man do I love that glorious ridiculous movie
It still makes me cry when he Returns to his father.
I love this video so much. This is my 10th year as a published author and I think I've gone through everything you talked about!
I'm glad it felt universal! It's been quite a ride. I can't believe you've only been publishing for ten years, I feel like I've known you for ages!
That outtake at the end sums up my year so far. 🤣🤣🤣
I just wanna tell you, this video was the very top of my UA-cam feed 👍🏻
Your advice is so down to earth and achievable for newbies, thank you so much! I don't feel like I'm looking up at an insurmountable rockface
That's awesome, thank you for telling me! The algorithm gods have been kind!! (Speaking of insurmountable rockfaces...!)
I'm so happy for you! ❤
Your videos are so helpful and informative. Quickly becoming one of my favorite channels!
Marvelous.
I feel so privileged to have found your channel early - it looks like the YoubTube gods have favored you and this pivot is really taking off. I saw on another video that you just got monetized - congrats!
I really love watching your videos. I'm finally writing in my late thirties after trying to do "sensible" jobs my whole life and it's so scary but you make it seem possible in a real way. Thank you for sharing your journey and being real about the hurdles whilst staying encouraging. Off to write my first book. It will be crap but it will be finished.
Just found your channel. I just started getting deep into writing (actually finishing books) I have written three books so far. The first one is to flawed to fix, but I'm currently enhancing the secind and third book.
It is so crazy to be in this stage. One learns new stuff about the craft every day.
Listening to your perspective actually helps a lot :)
the part about being in your 20s and feeling like you have to do everything right, resonated with me so much. I didn't expect to hear those encouraging words, I really needed to hear... Thank you so much.
I love the outtakes hahaha🤣
100% agree on the prologue.
I just found your channel, and if not for the lateness of the hour, I would be binging every video you've made. I truly appreciate your advice, its so comforting as an aspiring writer. I am subscribed and looking forward to watching all your other videos! I would be fascinated to know the challenges of switching between genres during your 40 books in 4 years phase.
I don't think I had a huge problem with it because they all fell under a broad fantasy romance category. If any of them had been contemporary or sci-fi or something, that probably would have been much harder.
I love the prologue from The City of Ember, I think it’s a good example of when it can work and flow well
I remember liking that book, so it must have worked!
I loved this video! It was realistic and comforting at the same time. Thank you :)
NICE WARM COZY PLACE TO TRAUMATIZE MY CHARACTERS 😂
Love hearing about your pivots, and your creativity challenges. It is both grounding and uplifting to me.
Your channel has been the most relatable one to listen to out of all the others I've found. You're really uplifting too while still being realistic, so it's easier to take your advice to heart. As a self-published author getting ready to publish my third book, I've been feeling really down and struggling quite a bit despite having books that are generally pretty liked. I haven't sold a lot, I'm still in the beginning of my journey of course, but it was nice to get a little dose of reality that was also positive. I've seen myself go from 'excited new author engaging in everything and hopeful' to 'wow I'm extremely depressed and this is not what it once was.' Especially while going through the envy. I made some really good friends who got big and started publishing houses and I barely exist to them now. I've watched others just start their journey and before they even had a book out, only a cover to show, they were already a best-seller. I'd spent two years on a book at the time, and I spent so much money and marketed like crazy only to sell a couple. It's rough out there and nothing is certain, but re-centering on realistic expectations is so important.
The short answer is practice, it took me years to write that fast! The long answer, maybe I'll do a video on it sometime. I need to think if I actually know how I do what I do, haha
THANK you for being so freaking reasonable about writing rules. It drives me insane when people are hugely anti-writing rules and it's like no! You don't understand the rule itself AND you don't understand the purpose! This is why your book is poorly written!
I'm glad that came across. There are a few rules I also followed too strictly for a long while. But my writing would be just abysmal if I'd never bothered with them at all.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthoryeah! Every rule has its place and time and strict adherence to them isn't any better than throwing them out entirely. I'm currently on a Mission to get people to understand "show don't tell" is actually freaking amazing advice when applied as I (believe) it was meant: with the important/big character traits/motivations of your main characters. Like, for example, you can tell me that an assassin character is a ghost all you want but when you show him blowing up a buncha stuff in the middle of the street and causing chaos, it sure does put that telling me into doubt because you're showing me he's not very subtle at all! And this current trend of hating on that advice specifically is ridic!!
You are darling. Thank you for the tips.
I loved this video and just subscribed. I’m an indie author planning to publish my first fantasy book this year, if I manage to find the right copy editor. I hate all this things not related to writing itself and find editors is high on my list.
It is really tricky to find the right editor, I think. Good luck!
@@anival9576Thanks. I just found one. Now let’s see if she is the right one. 😊
Great video, thanks for sharing
I really like your videos! Thank you for making them
This is a really amazing channel and I really value your advice. Because it is so human and earthy and applicable. I also respect the heck out of you. Writers, that can just churn stuff out. I only have a handful of ideas.
What book do you most recommend for writing craft? What was most useful for you?
Some that I really got a lot out of when I was in the deepest craft trenches were Self-Editing for Fiction Writers and Writing the Breakout Novel. Word Painting for making your writing more richly descriptive, Take Off Your Pants really helped me improve at outlines, and 7 Figure Fiction is great for anyone writing commercial/genre fiction.
One of the things that helped me finish my drafts and not abandon on change the stories is write them by hand. I have 3 notebooks minimum per project. One that i write the actual story in. One to write notes, character bios, future plans, what I want to change in the next draft etc. One that I will write out short prompts to character build, future things I would like to do with the story and not forget or write out multiple versions of the next chapter to decide where I want to go. Just enough to make a decision without stalling the main story. Wanting to be able to read everything from start to finish in that notebook keeps me going. On the computer its just to easy to change everything while working on that first draft.
All hail the pivots!
Thanks for the pep talk and inspiration!
New subscriber I really like your content!
This was so helpful to watch! It really showed me that what I am experiencing is quite normal! It put things in perspective and inspires me to keep going on!
You should write a fiction story based off of the experiences and feelings you had with your over-successful friend...and all the other characters you've gotten to know through your writing career. I think it would come naturally to you.
I needed every single word of this. Appreciate your wisdom and insight!
“Time to take out the trash!” 💪
How do you finish books/stories so fast? Show us, mere mortals, thy ways, blessed story teller.🙏
Great!
I love the vibe of these videos so much! your attitude is something I aspire to as a beginner, to focus on the work and accept that nothing else is in your control. thank you for the advice!
Thank you for this video. I love how thorough you are with your advice and how you don't just repeat the same thing others say, but really dig into remember the actual lessons of your very unique journey. Anyway, love this content. You're awesome.
Thank you for the gentle and funny video! Acknowledging the ugly (like feelings of jealousy) while also being encouraging: very nice to hear :)
I'm contemplating a probably deeply unwise pivot away from stable employment into full time writing. I write while having my job, albeit incredibly slowly. My brain is constantly burned out. But I feel like if I could concentrate 100% on writing, I could create something really good, and have a great time doing it. As another commenter said, you make writing sound boring/like a job. That is the job I want.
That's exciting, best of luck! If you have built some sort of financial cushion or circumstances that let you give it a go, I say do it, "unwise" or not. Sometimes it doesn't work out quite as hoped, other times it does, either way, life is short.
Best wishes to you.
Hey, I just discovered you. Your content is very helpful for writers and writing newbys like me :) Off topic but I am curious: I adore your clothing style. Where do you get your blouses?
Thrift stores and vintage clothing stores (esp. the ones in antique mall booths, they seem cheaper oftentimes) mostly! The old bowling shirt in this video was bought at a country auction of all things.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthorThank you!
Omg L.M. Montgomery is also my fave :) with Emily of New Moon far surpassing Anne of Green Gables right! even though I did still read all of them. Hahaha
Emily was my GIRL, I talk about her a little in my next video... LMM is the only (prolific) writer where I've read every novel she's written, except Magic for Marigold, which I do have on my shelf. I want to do a mega-LMM reread video at some point...
Oh my goodness that envy example sounds very real to you 😢
Oh it was. There were a lot of VERY big advances in YA in those boom years. And then...you know...a lot of normal ones. And I came into that world right out of a retail job where I made $7 an hour to this world where friends were getting million dollar advances on debut novels; it was honestly a lot to process
Love your content, and how you kept it real. Please make a video on how to outline a romance fantasy if possible. Thank you for sharing your tips ❤
I will add it to the list although...do I know how to outline a romance fantasy? Every time I'm about to start one I think the answer is no for a while 😂
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor lmao, that's a common experience.
I am loving your videos! I also have had several pivots in my life and career and it's so true that listening to your gut is so important. I'm sorry to hear about your cat! My partner and I lost both of our fur babies during the pandemic two years apart but since we couldn't travel together because of their health for so many years, we are waiting to adopt new babies until we get some travel together again. I would love to hear your advice on using your real name vs a chosen name as this is something I have struggled with for years. Thanks again for sharing!
I definitely understand that, it's pretty impossible to travel with this crew. I used my real name for YA, and after that, when I moved into adult I didn't want to mix books with sex scenes with my YA. Plus when I first started out writing romance I kept it secret for a long time. Other reasons to choose a pen name are just to keep genres separate, or because your name is extremely common or hard to spell or shared with another famous person.
Great advice. I do worry that my name is hard to say or remember. I'm curious if you can talk about if you were marketing under both names at any point and how that worked. I'm wondering if I could keep my name for some creative projects and use a pen name for my writing. But my face would be applied to both so wondering how that works. @@lidiyafoxgloveauthor
@@KitchenTableChatsENM I never really managed both at once. One is hard enough for me to be honest! If it's not a secret though you could probably keep one mailing list, social media profiles, etc., at least while you are finding your footing.
❤
Do you have any advise on Pseudonyms? I want to write a variety of genres and styles, but have been advised by friends that if I'm going to do that I should link each genre to a different name. I get my friends advise, but they're all roughly in the same boat as me when it comes to actual experience, so I figured I'd ask you your thoughts on it, if you have any. No worries if you don't! Loved the vid.
If the genres have a decent amount of crossover audience, I would keep them all together. If they are very different audiences, OR age or heat levels (like middle grade sci-fi vs sci-fi with adult characters swearing a lot), definitely different names. I adopted a pen name as soon as I started putting any sex in my books as I didn't want to have that with my YA, but ever since then I've kept it all together.
Appreciate ya~
Has anyone read the book Steven Demogorgon?
How is no one questioning the span of years here? You honestly look like you could be in your 20's... 😅 Your wisdom speaks otherwise though 😊
I swear it's all about to catch up with me. All the gray hairs and wrinkles are right on the brink of becoming more obvious. Then again my Grandma still BASICALLY looks the same as she did in 1958