MURDER IS HARD, ACTUALLY | I finally finished my book
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- You haven't heard a writing update from me in almost a year because I WAS WRITING THE WHOLE TIME. This book tried to kill me but now it's "done." Kind of. Almost. I'm sharing a tl;dr overview of finally finishing this darn book and why it took me so long.
Also I'm into cruises now?
00:00 Introduction
02:21 Life Update
05:32 Why this book took so long
10:19 Plot changes & compromise
13:15 Turning in 75% of a draft
14:53 Missing deadline & being bumped
18:58 Getting stuck/fixing the mess
24:20 Character work & final rewrites
31:30 Turning it in
35:48 Where TBE fits w/ my thrillers
37:25 Am I a Cruise Person now?/Conclusion
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Alexa come back already we need you!❤️
Yes! We are missing you!
Because the internet definitely needs another overweight woman with glasses the size of her ego.
Who ever said writing a book was easy.....pfft no way! Thanks for the update, Alexa. It's good to know what you've been up to, and enjoy your cruise.
No one, no one ever said that. There is a growing group of people that have never read a book but are convinced they'd be great writers because they watched a movie one time and they thought they could have done it better (and considering how shit hollywood writing is that's likely).
But yeah I've legit seen people who claim to write a book but were dreading having to actually read a book themselves..
Even harder when you or me in this case, when I am trying to write a true story. People have no idea how hard it is to write an autobiography.
Alexa! Hello, stranger. Feels like you've been gone forever. You've been missed. 🥰 And your book didn't "take so long". You're a fast writer. I remember first watching your video 3-4 years ago just getting started on my series, and I'm still writing that series, and just telling myself to "slow down" so you are going extremely fast in my humble opinion. Anyway, congrats on finishing another book. This video a reminder for me go back to reading Pretty Dead Queens. I was on chapter 5 during a hectic time in my life, really loving the book, but randomly stopped, and never went back to it even though I remember thinking, "The writing is so good in this novel." 😁
I’m thankful for the transparency on the writing and publishing process, and the specific writing things you struggled with, it helps set expectations for myself and inspires!
I miss you Alexa!
Congrats on getting through the draft! I was angsting recently over something that stalled me for an entire month-I can't imagine an entire year of that! Hope you have fun on the cruise!
I’m thrilled to bits that you’re back, Alexa! I have a full manuscript out and I’m trying to keep my mind off it by finishing the second book, which is trying to be the end of me. It feels so comforting that a professional author I really love is struggling too, and we are in it together.
I love that you’re cooking and growing herbs as well! Those are wonderful accompaniments to the writing life!
I’m so excited for your cruise! I just finished “Dragons in the Waters” by Madeleine L’Engle so I totally feel you on the murder on a cruise vibe!
As someone waiting for the edit of my second book...and writing another while I wait...well done 🙂
Congrats on finishing the draft, Alexa!! It's so good to hear what you've had going on lately - I suck at vacations too, but a cruise sounds so fun!! Very much looking forward to seeing more content from you when you have the energy and space 🫶
I was so happy to see you. Congrats on getting the thing done and have fun on the cruise!
Congratulations on finishing it! It was wonderful to hear from you again!
So good to see you back Alexa! Thank you so much for this writing update - so proud of you for getting this far!
I can't wait for your deep dive on this book! :D Also - omg, so good to hear from you! I missed your videos!
I love these updates so much! I am so excited for this book. They always come out amazing when you push yourself. You are incredible!
I'm happy to see your back!
Alexa, such a chaotic mood in this video, absolutely loved it!! Well done on finishing the draft! That's awesome!
It's so nice to hear from you! Welcome back and congratulations :D finishing a book feels so nice! i just finished my first one and sent it to 3 agencies. so excited :D keep going Alexa!
I'm so glad to see another writing video!! as always your musings always strike the right chord with me and I feel inspired to push through my own draft :)
Congratulations! I love hearing about the process. Revision is my biggest hurdle!
So glad you're back, Alexa! I've just taken up writing and been binging on your back catalogue. Well done on finishing the book!
Aaaaah, I'm so happy for you! For the cruises, for handing in your "mostly good" 2nd draft, and for writing an adult thriller soon! Such great news!
Wow that sounds like a crazy journey with your new book, but it will be worth it once it comes out! Best of luck continuing it this summer! You seem so much happier in this video and I'm happy for you. Can't wait to see more of your videos!
Thanks for the update Alexa. Your insight and sharing your experience is appreciated - can't wait to read your adult thriller!
Thanks for sharing your process, Alexa. I really admire your dedication to your craft, and can't wait to read the finished book soon. 📙😍
As much as I missed your videos I'm so glad you took that time for you! You genuinely seem a bit more fulfilled on camera and you deserved to prioritize you. I'm super excited for your cruise Era :D I LOVED the Ivies and so I'm super excited for The Bitter End to come out!
I'm so glad you're in this space. Life sounds super exciting for you right now, which is great for my bookshelf 😁 Can't wait to read this new one, I actually don't tend to do murder mystery but anything written in your voice is a win for me. Also I know you love your day job, but I hope one day you get that tv/movie deal and have as much time to write as you want ❤
Love getting video updates from u! Can't wait to read the new book next year🎉❤
Great to see an update from you!!!!
💕💕💕
It's so great to get an update from you! I've missed your videos. They are always so full of common sense. Enjoy your cruise. You definitely deserve a vacation after all your hard work getting your draft in.
Congrats on finishing your book! Looking forward to reading it 😀
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I missed your vids so much! So glad to see you again
Thrilled to see you back
I ADORED The Ivies, the twist was so incredible. Super excited for this book!
Wonderful update. Thanks for being real about your process as someone agonizing over the 3rd act of my book I'm encouraged to see I'm not the only one that has a chaos process
One time I went on a cruise, and my fancy clothes didn't fit me anymore by the last formal dinner, so plan accordingly! So much good food...
Oh my goodness, congratulations😀 hard work pays off. So exciting!
Just finished watching and I’ve never related to content more than I did this video! Your journey with “The Bitter End” reminded me so much of my journey with “Pearl of the Stars.” I’m down to the final ten thousand words and then editing the final third of the book and I went through everything with my book that you described. Put the flashbacks in, take them out again, rewrite them, for years. Deep deep deep dive revisions on character motivations. Changing a core structural plot beat. Stuck on one scene for months. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is that this is normal and other writers are going through it too.
I will love your new book all the more for knowing what you went through to write it.
Hello Alexa! I hope that you are doing very well, you may even be on your second cruise now. I just want to say thank you for all that you have done with your writing advice videos and transparency on the book publishing process. I hope to be able to write my own one day, but I'm studying to be an electrical engineer and writing isn't my strong suit, but I consider myself to be a creative person above all and would want to share my story one day. All your content has brought positive moments in my life, and I've loved each and every book you've published. Keep doing amazing work! (Shouts a young stranger in your corner).
Enjoyed this update! Super super interesting and look forward to hearing more once you can share about plot details!
YAY, update and a new book on the horizon. I cannot wait. Although it is a shame you were bumped, but if the book needed more work then that is better than just adding filler or a quick wrap-up.
Hooray for getting the book done! And hooray for enjoying a cruise, I’ve never been on one, so I hope you report back. Looking forward to getting my hands on this book.
I just finished Pretty Dead Queens! I loved it! It was very nostalgic for me - definitely had the R.L. Stine vibes you mentioned were part of the inspiration. It is the first novel I have read written by you. I know it won't be the last 💜
I've been wondering how you were doing on this book! Glad to hear you made it! Idk how writers do it. The most complex thing that I write is a D&D campaign, and every time I add anything it changes everything else. My players don't care if it's internally consistent BUT I DO. Congratulations on finishing your first draft! It must feel great.
Have so much fun on your cruises!! My family loves them! For sure great creative space for writing.
WELCOME BACK!!!!!
Alexa! I've missed you! I'm so excited to see you back.
And now that I've said that, I can watch the video lol
ETA: Thank you so much for deep diving on this whole process. It's incredibly validating to hear someone else going through similar struggles with their writing and it's also just interesting to have this peek into how things work (or don't) for you.
I'm so glad to hear about all the other hobbies and things that you've gotten into in your time away --it's interesting how they snowball, isn't it? Cooking becomes gardening becomes canning becomes who knows what after that. I've fallen down a similar rabbithole recently.
Also yes, cruise YT is INTENSE. I'm excited to hear about your experience (if you're inclined to share). As someone whose attitude toward the whole thing sounds similar, I've been strongly considering a transatlantic on a Cunard ship, if only because they're designed to be liners rather than the giant party boats that so many of the Caribbean ones are. Then again, sometimes that's the fun.
At any rate, excited for you! I hope that you'll be back slightly more often, but I also understand that the point of life is to live it, and that gets difficult when you're also trying to do the social media thing. In the end, the former is always more important than the latter.
I really enjoyed The Ivies so I'm excited for this one!
Great to see an update video! You've been on my mind - this is all so exciting!!! I am hoping to go on a cruise (my first) for my 37th birthday since 37 is my lucky number. I can't wait to see your vlog! Will you vlog the mini 3-day one, too?
Re: books set on cruises... the most recent Lady Sherlock book (#8?) is set on a (historical equiv.) of a cruise ship. Also, Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age starts off on a cruise ship. It's REALLY good. Highly recommend that one. Oh, and Mary Robinette Kowal's The Spare Man is set on a cruise ship in space.
I got so excited when this video popped up in my feed. 😊
"I have a friend who's really into cruising" Alexa.....phrasing. 😂
The fact that Alexa is talking about going on her first vacation in years and it’s a cruise at the same exact moment *I* am on a cruise, vacationing for the first time in years-
What cruiseline are you on? I have a friend on RC Navigator RN!
Cruising is great, I hope you enjoy your retreat! I haven't been on one in ages but now I'm thinking maybe I should book one and use it as a way to escape life and just work on my new fantasy book draft. Also yay third person, it is the best!
You have been a wonderful source of info and encouragement on my writing journey. And I finished a solid draft of my first novel! Three and a half years of writing and rewriting, and I've just taken 8 weeks away from it while my beta readers go through the manuscript. Then I will head into revisions, and then into.....ahhhhh, the query trenches!
Hi Alexa! I actually started writing my first novel on my first cruise from the UK to Norway, and then I found and started watching your videos for all the advice I needed to get through it (I'm a slow "meticulous" writer with a full-time job, so I'm still only about 3/4 done!)
I LOVE cruises and I can't recommend them enough. I have a video on my channel of the trip to Norway if you want to get a sense of what they're like. I hope your holiday is splendid, and gives you all the inspiration you need! I'm sure it will x
I love your excitement for this book that I'm convinced I want to read it 🤩. I can't wait to read it.
Haven’t read any of your books. Don’t know if I will but love watching your vlogs/videos talking about writing/books in general. Hope for more consistent videos in the future
Congratulations, Alexa!
nice to see you again, Alexa!
Love your honesty
I have been wondering and thinking about you recently, as you haven;t been about. I was worried, and anyway welcome back
Alexa, you’re the best. Also i just read a book called the night it ended and it sounds like something you’d love. Its a boarding school book!
The best work is done in silence. Hustle in silence is real. It’s okay to unplug, and I’m so glad you found some new hobbies. It’s all great for the creative well.😊 And take more vacations! You deserve it! It refills the well too and you should celebrate yourself! 🥳👏🏻
I decided on a whim to write a book this week! Your videos have been very helpful! Been watching a couple a day since I started writing a few days ago x
I've got the basic skeleton along with what I want each scene to convey! Got a few chunks done as well here and there x
I dunno if im gonna actually do anything with it cause I dunno if the genre is interesting to anyone else except for me and maybe kids xD!
Im also an artist so I've been able to work on character designs too
I don't usually start crazy big projects like this on a whim but who knows!
Anyway, thanks for the videos!
I have watched and listened to your videos for years. You have inspired me to be a better writer. AND look I am a published YA author. Thank you for everything that you talk about on your channel. I am working on Book 3 of a book 4 series-- Betrayal In the First Degree 3rd Dumplin. This was originally a standalone book (Betrayal in the First Degree), but I love your tips and encouragement. I hve oo many books that I am willing or wanting to write--- ALLL with time...
i love cruises! they are the best because someone else handles all the details
I can't wait for The Bitter End. I will be pre-ordering this as soon as possible.
Also I noticed that you linked to book depository for a couple of your books in the description box. That being said it has closed down if you're looking for an internationally friendly site I would look into blackwells and betterworld books.
Looking forward to reading these thrillers. ❤
I'm in a pretty similar situation myself. I've been working on my, hopefully, debut novel for years now. I picked it back up a few months ago and got really serious about getting it finished. It has a present timeline revolving around the main mystery, a journal from the past, and then it's foreshadowing the future because it's going to be a three book series. Did I mention it kind of does a genre flip? It starts off like a small town mystery and then it turns into a science fiction/fantasy situation. The journal entries are really messing up my writing flow, because I'm having a hard time incorporating them in the book, not to mention I'm having a hard time writing through the pov of that character. And I've got a handful of characters all with different agendas, who know different things about the world, and basically it's just a hot dang mess. So yeah, I completely felt that.
But congratulations on being most of the way there! Also, I'd love to read an adult book released by you!
I've only ever been on two cruises, and they were very different. The first, I got VERY sick on, which was a little 5day Caribbean cruise from Florida. The second was a 16day cruise from UK to and around Greece, and it was one of the greatest vacations of my life. The Mediterranean is so smooth and calm I forgot I was even on a ship half the time. I only got sick for 2 days (passing the Bay of Biscay both times, it's very rough water). And I get the rabbit hole of cruise vloggers. I've been feeling the itch again.
I've missed your videos!! Welcome back! I am wanting to read some cruise theme books. The ones on my list are:
The Cruise by Catherine Cooper
The Last Passenger by Will Dean
Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban
Midnight by Amy McCulloch
Lost by K. Lucas
A Stranger on Board by Cameron Ward
Blood Cruise by Mats Strandberg (more horror I think)
Congrats on giving in a first draft! I'm SCREAMING at my MS at the moment. It's' on its 2nd rewrite.
Congratulations!!!
Good for you Alexa for taking a vacation just to have a vacation (but not really because it’s book research, but anyway, it’s still vacation!)
Good to hear from you, but it’s also okay to not hear from you if you are living your life!
I share your pain about your book. I just decided to start again after nearly 20k works. As you say, some can be salvaged, but knowing I can do this helps keep me going. Enjoy the cruise!
Unscripted chaos is the best. 😂
Can’t wait until the Bitter End comes out!
Hey Alexa! ☺️ Congratulations on getting another one done! 🎉 I'm looking forward to seeing your take on some of what Agatha Christie did for And Then There Was None. Such a great, creepy read (or listen) 📚 🎧
'Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard - thriller aboard a cruise ship - an entertaining light read. I've done a Royal Caribbean cruise around the islands of the Caribbean - hopping on and off about 5 islands - loved it. Starting from Ireland was a bit of a palaver to get to the kick off point (flight from Ireland to pick up flight from Atlanta to Puerto Rico) but the islands were a great experience.
Have another Mediterranean one booked for next summer.
Enjoy the cruise - you won't be seasick - it's very smooth, unless you encounter wild storms. Unlikely.
Nice to hear back from you...
Q: Any updates on Author Mentor Match? Is ok if it isn't but I would love to know. 🙏🏼
Hey congrats and thanks for the tips!
Ms. Alexa Donne! I discovered you while looking for YA Horror and YA Thriller reads. Listening to "Pretty Dead Queens" on Audible and loving it. I added it to my Goodreads (followed you of course) and found you on instagram (followed you of course). Then noticed that you are on the Tube (you know what goes here). In the last couple of days I have listened to so many of your videos and since I am a first time writer of fiction (or anything for that matter) the Backwards Plotting video was such great help. Until this point I have not been able to find anyone who provides guidance for a horror/thriller book. I pantsed my very first discovery draft during NaNoWriMo this past November (50k crappy words lol). Since then I have been taking classes, including STC - which I am not fond of but am trying to work in the beats. I struggle with the perfect outline... I am noticing that I would rather have a general outline and discover the rest while writing. Anyway, thank you and I look forward to reading all your books.
Hello Alexa! Thank you so much for putting out these videos! They have been instrumental in my writing journey and have kept me motivated while I am writing the first book of my series and I am very close to the finish line!! I was wondering if you had any advice about social media platforms/ things that can entice publishers/agents. I have heard so many mixed things about debut authors needing large social media platforms/followers (even as fiction writers)-- only since you're a debut author there isn't much to post about? Obviously the more followers the better but if I don't have a social media platform does that mean I am doomed in the querying process before I even start? Thank you so much!
hi alexa!! recently found your channel and currently binge watching all your vids!! so helpful, so fantastic, thank you to much ahhh
i actually really want to read your books now, which one would you recommend to start with? for a person who hasn't really been reading thrillers or sci-fi before... im more into lit fic and contemporary and romance and dystopian... are they all thrillers?
also, do you have a mic that you use for your videos? im currently looking for one, would you recommend ?
have a very very good day :)
Regarding murders set on cruises, I can't remember if you like cozies, but this was a good one: Under the Cover of Murder by Lauren Elliott, it actually takes place on a moored yacht, but no one is permitted to leave so it's got that isolated, closed-door vibe,
Congrats. I wrote a mystery novel on a cruise ship (Medicinal Martini), but it was set in 1961. And I self-published on ammy and made no attempt to market it. I'm retired and just like to write. Being old, I'd rather spend my time creating and not marketing, aside from having my website. Anyway, I liked the idea of a contained environment. I also like the challenge of writing in the past (being old now, some stuff I still remember from childhood, and that's fun). I also like not having the immediacy of modern communication technology. Good luck with your cruise book. Good luck with all your books.
I am obsessed with cruising! I actually read Pretty Dead Queens on my most recent one!
Hope you have fun!
All sounds very exciting, Alexa! I love cruises, and I have a sci-fi story about cruises that was just published in Utopia Science Fiction magazine. It’s about a luxury residential cruise ship that travels to parallel worlds.
Hope Alexa enjoys her vacation! She deserves it!
Wow I remember watching your last update when I started writing my book! Congrats on finishing it, i'm still going with mine and I am at 130k! I just need to edit it and clean it up
I am traditional published writer. One published book.
Just found your channel. Had to wait two years for my book to be published by St. Anthony Messenger Press.
Enjoy your cruise.
@alexa I have a question or maybe an ask for some UA-cam content when you have a chance to record it … how do you go about research for a book? Do you have a writing process and is it different for each project ? I am learning so much from your videos and appreciate the way you share honestly and with all the snark and humor!
Hi Alexa! I find your videos super helpful and figured you might have some advice to give concerning something I'm debating: I have been thinking about signing up and participating on a writing platform that allows writers to publish their novels chapter-by-chapter and receive feedback. However, I plan to attempt to traditionally publish the novel I'm currently working on and am not sure whether posting my work on a platform like that would affect my chances of being traditionally published. Do agents and publishers look at that sort of thing? Any information you might have about this would be great :)
You had to do what was right for you, which was taking that year off from youtube. As a general note, and this might sound contradictory, but I really do mean this as a general statement: I really wish writers struggling with a book wouldn't just go MIA until that difficult book is done, because it gives the impression that if you're not having an easy time writing a book, you're doing it wrong. I see writers literally quit youtube because they can't finish a book or one of them kept switching books. And, IMO, that's part of the process. I really value people like Michelle Shusterman who stay on youtube even while losing agents, then getting new agents, and allowing us to see the struggle, the doubt, the renewed hope, etc. Again, NOT saying you, Alexa, or anyone else should have done this. If your mental health is at risk, you need a break, wahtever alongside struggling with your book, it's clear the answer is to take a break. I commend that. A year is long time, but you put yourself first. I just feel that generally, when writers take breaks, it's usually when they burn out or are struggling (not with mental health) with their books and don't want to show the downside of writing. It would be nice if authortubers could take breaks even when they are feeling good (to stay balanced), and then stick around even when they are struggling with writing (but their mental health is alright). I hope that makes sense and isn't too contradictory. There was a point in here, I swear. LOL
The thing about being on UA-cam while struggling with a book, I imagine, is that the constant questions about how the book is going, when it's coming out, why isn't it finished etc. have gotta be hard on the mental health. (Not to mention making it even harder to finish the book.) I always assume authors are taking UA-cam breaks for self-preservation, mostly. Or to focus on the writing rather than trying to figure out what kind of video to post.
Congratulations on completing your book. I love cruises but have never read a story set on one. Please tell us once you get back how you liked it?
Gumbo! Cook up some gumbo! It can be as simple or as complicated as you like, and it's sooooo delicious! It's perfect for a dutch oven. You won't be sorry.
Not exactly a thriller but my favorite murder mystery on a boat is Death On Deck by Verity Bright.
It’s a Historical Cozy Mystery where they are trying to figure out how this 1 person died, but other people also start dying mysteriously.
“Can they solve it before it’s too late?” 😁
Can't wait for next analysis video! I suggest reading Agatha Christie.
Looking gorgeous Alexa 😍
SO EXCITED!!
I know it's not fun to hear, but i didn't want to read your 2nd book because i thought the first was underdeveloped, now hearing you talk about The Bitter End, makes me wanna read it so bad
So, wow. I think we might be twins. Even doing other things like gardening…and the book. Many of the exact same troubles on the same timeline, though I squeezed it out at the end of January though it nearly killed me. But we literally went into copyedits WITHOUT THE END WRITTEN. Oh, my poor, sainted editor.