Cute bat earrings, black cat, and working on "closet full of cauldrons"? Sometimes things just line up perfectly, and it is not even Halloween quarter yet.
My alpha reader is my best friend and also a writer. I have randomly written three different novellas in the last two months that are in genres she hates. It was wonderful to see her getting into a genre she didn't like because she didn't know that it was more about the tropes of the genres (that I didn't use) that were typically why she hated it. I mean, she's also biased as my best friend, lol, but she's honest with me and loves to edit/carefully read over everything. The ending of one of my stories made her cry, which was such a compliment to see her that moved by it. She was doing that thing where your voice cracks because you're still emotional and trying not to cry. I have a lot of faith in the project now, though she cursed me out for making her cry so much. XD Er, my point was just, I worry about her not liking the genre and having less fun, but so far that hasn't been the case. It's smart to just talk to them about it, make sure they understand the vibe.
What you could do is throw your manuscript into something like Atticus or Vellum (or have Scrivener generate a paperback format) & then upload it to Barnes and Noble Press and order print copies that way (it's how we do our ARCs). KDP adds an ugly bar across the top if it's not a publicly published title, which is why we don't use it.
Yesss, I've heard about that! This is just one of those things where I haven't tried it before for that purpose and, in my head, the amount of writing or margin space might not work for my needs. But something I should maybe try before dismissing it entirely! Thanks!!
@@KateCavanaugh it costs about 5-7 dollars to print each copy of one of Inimitable’s titles as an ARC. The shipping is sometimes more than the book itself, but it’s still not more than $20 for a single copy (printing and shipping)
Thanks! Kate, I love your videos. You are a real inspiration. Can you please make a video as to how a person can make a revision properly? It is just that until now, I was putting my first drafts right after proofreading on web novel sites, but for this project I really want to put in the work. Even gave myself a deadline of a year for 4 volumes (I have a day job, and during the week I don't have much time to write, so I figured more time is good.) Thank you very much for the inspirational videos. I can't spare much, but I hope you are well, and keep on writing!🙂
Congratulations on finishing your draft! You said that writing endings is addictive.... Have you ever tried to start writing from.... end? Write a super climax moment and a final scene. Complete, nicely put together scenes. And then... Like a detective deduce what could have happened before and where it all started? What characters arise from this end, who is the protagonist.... Now I'm thinking to myself that I have to try doing that.... Congratulations again!
The keyboard! I love that! Also, I've never thought to journal about the progress on project I'm working on... I'm going to try this. See if it can help me on a few I can't make headway on.
YESSSS! Let me know if you find it helpful. It's been fun to have a day/date established for when the big revelations come to me, too. And I can trace back and see all those little changes that led up to the big AHA moment. :)
I love the idea of journalling about your writing progress! For my current round of revisions I'm trying to keep a little log of what I've actually accomplished in a day rather than track by wordcount or time spent, and it's been working so well for me, I'm kind of tempted to expand the entries into a more journal-syle thing though rather than just a few bullet points. Also the Domception incident killed me 🤣🤣🤣
Wow, this is amaaaziiing! I can't even imagine how good it must feel to have finished a story! Many, many congratulations! 🥳✨🎈 So many times I want to tell myself that writing is not for me. Then I start drawing, painting, knitting; but in the back of my mind I can still hear my children's story calling me. It's such a drag and I wish I could be much more relaxed and send my bloody perfectionism off into the Andromeda galaxy! 🚀🪐🌟
Congratulations on finishing your draft! It's such a wonderful feeling. I have found that reading on a different device or in print and in a different room or location helps so much. It makes me feel more like a reader rather than the writer and I can spot things I might not otherwise find.
Great job! It's been fun following along with this project. Suggestion: a YT playlist with all videos that in some ways address the progress, even if that isn’t the only topic of the video. Could be fun to go back to.
Hey Kate! I discovered you a few months ago and you've been such an inspiration for my writing projects! I even did an 8 hour writeathon with my boyfriend, lol. Just wanted to say I love your videos and how you talk about your processes. It's been a great help. 🌹❤
YES! Definitely recommend it! I don't think I would have had that "aha" about how my sleepiness was affecting the way I felt about my story otherwise. It seems obvious now, but in the moments of frustration, it wasn't as clear. It also has helped to see how I've overcome things that I've struggled with, knowing that eventually I WILL find the answer.
@@KateCavanaugh It helps hone instincts about how you write (ie the sleepiness) so that you recognize it before a writing session and can more easily address issues that are writing block adjacent. It's kinda cool because it takes some of those writing issues that are external (sleep) and makes you see that the issue is external and not a sudden issue with your brain. We're in our brains so much, it's good to have that reality check available 😅
I just got back into writing after a muse hit me hard with ideas. It's more for fun, but I have finished several short stories recently which is more than I have achieved for years, and I have had some positive feedback from those who have read them. It's a nice feeling to know my brain can still 'do the thing' ™ 😉
If it's not printed already, Lulu is an online printing service. Payment ranges from how many pages your draft has, if you print in color or not and if you do paperback or hard cover.
Aw congrats on finishing this draft! When you showed “The End” I was cheering for you! 🥳 I don’t comment very often but I love your videos so much. You truly inspire me to write and keep writing! ❤
I'm getting close to fully finishing my zero draft (and not a moment too soon because my brain is ready for summer break). Last year I put together a zine of scenes for my alpha readers and bound it myself. I'm nervous but looking forward to doing that again this year. Since that format of printing results in four pages per sheet it was cheaper than expected on the paper side of things. It was oddly easier than expected to put together but there were some fiddly bits that I experimented with last summer. So, same plan this summer so it'll be ready to ship out for the holidays 😊 Congrats on finishing your draft 🎉 and getting to switch to a different headspace for awhile.
Congrats on finishing! I just finished my latest draft myself (mostly thanks to you and cat tarot sprints [I’m vicious scribbles on twitch]), so I get it! I’m sorry you couldn’t print it out like you usually do, but I agree that that is wayyyyyyy too expensive. I also journal as I write, just sporadically. I should really write every day I write in the project, so I might try that out in my next project. I already told you my good writing news, lol, which is that I finished draft 5 of my project! I have to let it sit for a month before I tackle the level down revision approach, so I get a break from it to let my brain rest. Again, congrats on finishing!
woot woot, congrats Kate!!!!!! this is so exciting!! on the topic of printing your drafts: have you tried Lulu? i often see people using Lulu to print out book-like copies of their drafts, but they also do the office depot-style spiral binding for WAYYYY less $$$. you do have to wait a couple weeks for production and shipping, but tbh if you prefer having paper copies (and want to add to your collection!) i think it's a great deal. thanks for taking us along with you as you make these amazing achievements!!!
i very recently finished revisions on a chapter that was taking me a while to do! i feel like that's been the case for a lot of my story so far lol, but it's because the initial draft was a Mess and cleaning it up has been a lot more rewriting than i thought... it's becoming something i'm happier with though. i've almost hit 50k words on it now - just need that last 1.9k! - and i might treat myself to something nice when i do. the draft's not done by then but it's still a big number so HAHAHA a little treat. best of luck kate!! and grats on finishing the draft!
AHHHH you should DEFINITELY treat yourself to something nice for passing 50K! I totally know what you mean about a revision or second draft ending up more of a rewrite than you thought. I'm working on slowing down so that the first draft takes me longer and the second draft is a little quicker, but sometimes that first draft just explodes out of you! Good luck on your draft!! Please let me know what you do to celebrate passing 50K! :)
I love this vlog so much! I am nearing the end of my very first novel. I have tried many times in the past but never saw it to the end. You have been an inspiration to me for years on this platform and I can't wait until I can finally read one of your many stories, whether it be the Merridian Maps series or A Closet Full of Cauldrons!
Love the vibe of the video. You seem so focussed and productive but without all the hustle? Also always love to see your coffee and drink concoctions 😊
Love the video. I’ve heard that for printing it can be cheaper to look up homeschool printing companies - homeschoolers use them to print out materials, I’ve never used one but heard it is a lot cheaper but takes about 2 weeks to get it. The one I’ve heard of is literally called the homeschool printing company
Oooooh that's so interesting!! Thanks for letting me know, I'll search it up. I really do prefer having a printed out copy where I can write in the margins, so I'll keep my fingers crossed I can find something that works that's relatively affordable! :)
I woke up late because I couldn't fall asleep until 4:30 am so this was uploaded during my first sprint of the day. I'm doing a 24hr writeathon to hopefully get closer to finishing up a few things! Journaling after to assess your progress and to be able to look back on moments that made you laugh or feel something sounds really fun! PS: I sent you a message on discord when you're ready for betas on A Closet Full of Cauldrons.
Oooh, thank you! I'll go check Discord and def let you know when I'm ready for betas! :) I gave my alphas until mid-May to give me feedback, so I'm tentatively hoping to be ready for betas in July, but I'll keep you posted! And ahhhh, good luck on you 24hr writeathon! I think you've completed the most out of anyone I know bahaha. Hopefully you'll feel so accomplished (and exhausted) by the end of it that falling asleep won't be an issue for next time.
Most people never finish a draft, publishing is even harder to me, out of 11,000 manuscripts, only two ever get published (Yikes). But I keep working on mine anyway...I learned a lot this year studying other novels and writers etc... about 7 years into to this working on the craft. The trick to all this is vignette and monologue development.
WE DO and it is incredible!!! They actually used to have just one, but now have three! (2 for books, one for other media.) I really love it, even though I almost always go inside after so I can look at more books bahaha. AND THANK YOU!
When me and my mum print out our books so my dad can read and edit, I realise the worth of my printer😂 He also does the binding in his office, case we all love reading and jotting down thoughts on paper.
Hi Kate. I'm working on a fanfiction, but it will be a duology. I started it in September. I have bad headaches these months, so I am going to do some medical stuff to know what the problem is. I also have depression and anxiety and panic attacks, so writing is not always easy. Friday I got ill. I have a flu, and my mom also does, but today I feel a little better and I wrote a short story. This year I would like to finish the first and second draft of my first fanfiction. Could you do a video, or more videos, in which you describe how you revise and edit a story?
Cute bat earrings, black cat, and working on "closet full of cauldrons"? Sometimes things just line up perfectly, and it is not even Halloween quarter yet.
THANK YOUUUUU! 💜🦇 Genuinely can't wait for the halfway to Halloween so I can celebrate even more lol.
My alpha reader is my best friend and also a writer. I have randomly written three different novellas in the last two months that are in genres she hates. It was wonderful to see her getting into a genre she didn't like because she didn't know that it was more about the tropes of the genres (that I didn't use) that were typically why she hated it. I mean, she's also biased as my best friend, lol, but she's honest with me and loves to edit/carefully read over everything. The ending of one of my stories made her cry, which was such a compliment to see her that moved by it. She was doing that thing where your voice cracks because you're still emotional and trying not to cry. I have a lot of faith in the project now, though she cursed me out for making her cry so much. XD
Er, my point was just, I worry about her not liking the genre and having less fun, but so far that hasn't been the case. It's smart to just talk to them about it, make sure they understand the vibe.
What you could do is throw your manuscript into something like Atticus or Vellum (or have Scrivener generate a paperback format) & then upload it to Barnes and Noble Press and order print copies that way (it's how we do our ARCs). KDP adds an ugly bar across the top if it's not a publicly published title, which is why we don't use it.
Yesss, I've heard about that! This is just one of those things where I haven't tried it before for that purpose and, in my head, the amount of writing or margin space might not work for my needs. But something I should maybe try before dismissing it entirely! Thanks!!
@@KateCavanaugh it costs about 5-7 dollars to print each copy of one of Inimitable’s titles as an ARC. The shipping is sometimes more than the book itself, but it’s still not more than $20 for a single copy (printing and shipping)
Thanks!
Kate, I love your videos. You are a real inspiration. Can you please make a video as to how a person can make a revision properly?
It is just that until now, I was putting my first drafts right after proofreading on web novel sites, but for this project I really want to put in the work.
Even gave myself a deadline of a year for 4 volumes (I have a day job, and during the week I don't have much time to write, so I figured more time is good.)
Thank you very much for the inspirational videos. I can't spare much, but I hope you are well, and keep on writing!🙂
Printing Manuscripts - The only benefit of working in an office 😂😂. Congrats to getting to this stage.
Lolol that's such a good point! Use all that printer ink while you can! :) And thank you!
For printing, your library might have a more reasonable printing price. It just won't be bound.
Ooooh, that's a great suggestion!! I visit my library all the time, I'll ask! :) THANK YOu.
Congratulations on finishing your draft! You said that writing endings is addictive.... Have you ever tried to start writing from.... end? Write a super climax moment and a final scene. Complete, nicely put together scenes. And then... Like a detective deduce what could have happened before and where it all started? What characters arise from this end, who is the protagonist.... Now I'm thinking to myself that I have to try doing that....
Congratulations again!
The keyboard! I love that! Also, I've never thought to journal about the progress on project I'm working on... I'm going to try this. See if it can help me on a few I can't make headway on.
YESSSS! Let me know if you find it helpful. It's been fun to have a day/date established for when the big revelations come to me, too. And I can trace back and see all those little changes that led up to the big AHA moment. :)
I love the idea of journalling about your writing progress! For my current round of revisions I'm trying to keep a little log of what I've actually accomplished in a day rather than track by wordcount or time spent, and it's been working so well for me, I'm kind of tempted to expand the entries into a more journal-syle thing though rather than just a few bullet points.
Also the Domception incident killed me 🤣🤣🤣
Congrats! Finishing a draft is a great feeling! I'm about to finish a draft #2 on my regency mystery. :)
AHHH HOORAY! Also regency mystery sounds like SUCH a fun genre mash-up!
@@KateCavanaugh It is! It’s more like a thriller, I guess but it has a mystery in it. 🙂
Wow, this is amaaaziiing! I can't even imagine how good it must feel to have finished a story! Many, many congratulations! 🥳✨🎈
So many times I want to tell myself that writing is not for me. Then I start drawing, painting, knitting; but in the back of my mind I can still hear my children's story calling me. It's such a drag and I wish I could be much more relaxed and send my bloody perfectionism off into the Andromeda galaxy! 🚀🪐🌟
Congratulations on finishing your draft! It's such a wonderful feeling.
I have found that reading on a different device or in print and in a different room or location helps so much. It makes me feel more like a reader rather than the writer and I can spot things I might not otherwise find.
Great job! It's been fun following along with this project. Suggestion: a YT playlist with all videos that in some ways address the progress, even if that isn’t the only topic of the video. Could be fun to go back to.
That is such a great suggestion!!! I just need to find time to sit down and sort through all of the videos but I do LOVE that. Will get on it! :)
Ive been a subscriber for over five years now and its always nice seeing you upload growing as an author!
Awww thank you so much!! And omg five years. Happy to have you sticking around! :)
Hey Kate! I discovered you a few months ago and you've been such an inspiration for my writing projects! I even did an 8 hour writeathon with my boyfriend, lol. Just wanted to say I love your videos and how you talk about your processes. It's been a great help. 🌹❤
OMG NO WAY. That's so fun that y'all tried that out as a couple!! How did it go?? And thank you so much.
@@KateCavanaugh It went so well thanks! I wrote 8,000 words and he hand wrote 20 pages. 😂 Good luck with your projects!
KATE!! Congratulations! Such an exciting accomplishment. I am so thrilled CFoC has made it to a finished draft stage!
Yay for finishing! Ooh and I'm intrigued with the idea of journaling while editing. Perhaps I should try it.
YES! Definitely recommend it! I don't think I would have had that "aha" about how my sleepiness was affecting the way I felt about my story otherwise. It seems obvious now, but in the moments of frustration, it wasn't as clear. It also has helped to see how I've overcome things that I've struggled with, knowing that eventually I WILL find the answer.
@@KateCavanaugh It helps hone instincts about how you write (ie the sleepiness) so that you recognize it before a writing session and can more easily address issues that are writing block adjacent.
It's kinda cool because it takes some of those writing issues that are external (sleep) and makes you see that the issue is external and not a sudden issue with your brain.
We're in our brains so much, it's good to have that reality check available 😅
I just got back into writing after a muse hit me hard with ideas. It's more for fun, but I have finished several short stories recently which is more than I have achieved for years, and I have had some positive feedback from those who have read them. It's a nice feeling to know my brain can still 'do the thing' ™ 😉
Congratulations on finishing your draft, Kate! That’s huge! I’ve been following your channel since 2018, I think. I’m so happy for you! 🥳
AHHH THANK YOU! And thanks for sticking with me.
If it's not printed already, Lulu is an online printing service. Payment ranges from how many pages your draft has, if you print in color or not and if you do paperback or hard cover.
It's always a great feeling finishing a draft! Congrats Kate!
Aw congrats on finishing this draft! When you showed “The End” I was cheering for you! 🥳 I don’t comment very often but I love your videos so much. You truly inspire me to write and keep writing! ❤
I'm getting close to fully finishing my zero draft (and not a moment too soon because my brain is ready for summer break).
Last year I put together a zine of scenes for my alpha readers and bound it myself. I'm nervous but looking forward to doing that again this year. Since that format of printing results in four pages per sheet it was cheaper than expected on the paper side of things. It was oddly easier than expected to put together but there were some fiddly bits that I experimented with last summer.
So, same plan this summer so it'll be ready to ship out for the holidays 😊
Congrats on finishing your draft 🎉 and getting to switch to a different headspace for awhile.
Congrats on finishing! I just finished my latest draft myself (mostly thanks to you and cat tarot sprints [I’m vicious scribbles on twitch]), so I get it! I’m sorry you couldn’t print it out like you usually do, but I agree that that is wayyyyyyy too expensive. I also journal as I write, just sporadically. I should really write every day I write in the project, so I might try that out in my next project. I already told you my good writing news, lol, which is that I finished draft 5 of my project! I have to let it sit for a month before I tackle the level down revision approach, so I get a break from it to let my brain rest. Again, congrats on finishing!
woot woot, congrats Kate!!!!!! this is so exciting!!
on the topic of printing your drafts: have you tried Lulu? i often see people using Lulu to print out book-like copies of their drafts, but they also do the office depot-style spiral binding for WAYYYY less $$$. you do have to wait a couple weeks for production and shipping, but tbh if you prefer having paper copies (and want to add to your collection!) i think it's a great deal.
thanks for taking us along with you as you make these amazing achievements!!!
i very recently finished revisions on a chapter that was taking me a while to do! i feel like that's been the case for a lot of my story so far lol, but it's because the initial draft was a Mess and cleaning it up has been a lot more rewriting than i thought... it's becoming something i'm happier with though. i've almost hit 50k words on it now - just need that last 1.9k! - and i might treat myself to something nice when i do. the draft's not done by then but it's still a big number so HAHAHA a little treat. best of luck kate!! and grats on finishing the draft!
AHHHH you should DEFINITELY treat yourself to something nice for passing 50K! I totally know what you mean about a revision or second draft ending up more of a rewrite than you thought. I'm working on slowing down so that the first draft takes me longer and the second draft is a little quicker, but sometimes that first draft just explodes out of you!
Good luck on your draft!! Please let me know what you do to celebrate passing 50K! :)
Happy for you, Kate!!
Yay!!! So excited for you, such an amazing accomplishment and it’s just going to get better from here on up! You are such an inspiration!
I love this vlog so much! I am nearing the end of my very first novel. I have tried many times in the past but never saw it to the end. You have been an inspiration to me for years on this platform and I can't wait until I can finally read one of your many stories, whether it be the Merridian Maps series or A Closet Full of Cauldrons!
Love the vibe of the video. You seem so focussed and productive but without all the hustle? Also always love to see your coffee and drink concoctions 😊
Aww, thanks so much! I'm happy to hear that! (Also cheers 🥂 lolol.)
Love the video. I’ve heard that for printing it can be cheaper to look up homeschool printing companies - homeschoolers use them to print out materials, I’ve never used one but heard it is a lot cheaper but takes about 2 weeks to get it. The one I’ve heard of is literally called the homeschool printing company
Oooooh that's so interesting!! Thanks for letting me know, I'll search it up. I really do prefer having a printed out copy where I can write in the margins, so I'll keep my fingers crossed I can find something that works that's relatively affordable! :)
Congrats on completing the draft :D thats amazing!!!
I love all of your videos! Congrats on getting here!
Ahhh, thank you so much!
I woke up late because I couldn't fall asleep until 4:30 am so this was uploaded during my first sprint of the day. I'm doing a 24hr writeathon to hopefully get closer to finishing up a few things! Journaling after to assess your progress and to be able to look back on moments that made you laugh or feel something sounds really fun!
PS: I sent you a message on discord when you're ready for betas on A Closet Full of Cauldrons.
Oooh, thank you! I'll go check Discord and def let you know when I'm ready for betas! :) I gave my alphas until mid-May to give me feedback, so I'm tentatively hoping to be ready for betas in July, but I'll keep you posted!
And ahhhh, good luck on you 24hr writeathon! I think you've completed the most out of anyone I know bahaha. Hopefully you'll feel so accomplished (and exhausted) by the end of it that falling asleep won't be an issue for next time.
Most people never finish a draft, publishing is even harder to me, out of 11,000 manuscripts, only two ever get published (Yikes). But I keep working on mine anyway...I learned a lot this year studying other novels and writers etc... about 7 years into to this working on the craft. The trick to all this is vignette and monologue development.
OOoooo exciting! I can't wait to read this when it's released! Also, have you tried KDP? I've heard some authors use it to print proofs.
Congratulations! Also, do you have a drive thru library drop off box?😮
WE DO and it is incredible!!! They actually used to have just one, but now have three! (2 for books, one for other media.) I really love it, even though I almost always go inside after so I can look at more books bahaha.
AND THANK YOU!
So very proud of you. Congratulations! ❤️
Thank youuuuu! :) Very happy to have it finished and sent off!
Congratulations Kate ❤🎉
THANK YOU! :)
When me and my mum print out our books so my dad can read and edit, I realise the worth of my printer😂
He also does the binding in his office, case we all love reading and jotting down thoughts on paper.
I love your keyboard, what is the brand? :) And congrats on "The End"!
THANK YOU! :) It's a Glorious keyboard with the Pudding keycaps, I thinK!!
Congrats on finishing your draft!! What an achievement :)
THANK YOU! :)
Congrats on finishing the draft!
THANK YOUUU!
So cool! What was your process like with the second draft?
Congratulations!!! Fantastic video!!! I'm so happy for you! You did it!!!!
THANKS REGINA! 💜💜💜
Hi Kate. I'm working on a fanfiction, but it will be a duology. I started it in September. I have bad headaches these months, so I am going to do some medical stuff to know what the problem is. I also have depression and anxiety and panic attacks, so writing is not always easy. Friday I got ill. I have a flu, and my mom also does, but today I feel a little better and I wrote a short story.
This year I would like to finish the first and second draft of my first fanfiction. Could you do a video, or more videos, in which you describe how you revise and edit a story?
Hello im a new subscriber love your channel, 😊
Awww, hi, welcome!
Whats the program being used to break down the book like that?
WE MISS THE CHAOS. And Kate! 😂
Office Depot make sure you put the color in black and white , if you didn’t
I did, double-sided too, and it was still so expensive! 😭 Maybe it's just my area.
Not related to writing, but only a true queen wears shorts and rain boots to garden 👑
LOLOL.
👏
How did you find your alpha readers?
❤
💜💙
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
💜🦇💜🦇💜