hi hi hi! it's been soooo long since I last uploaded a video (oops!) but I'm happy to say that regular uploading might resume soon... I have 2 more writing vlogs incoming (just need to edit them) & want to chat preptober/nanowrimo sooooon so fingers crossed! anyway, what've y'all been working on? let's chat! TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - being more spontaneous in my writing process 1:39 - finishing my book & how nature reset my chaotic process 3:39 - accidentally writing a new book 6:54 - establishing a sense of place & feeling "dumb" as a writer 9:17 - using google maps to establish setting & my fear of maps 10:28 - chronic pain update & adjusting my process to my physical limits 12:35 - progress in changing states & my reasons for "pushing through" 13:32 - feeling grateful to write a project & writing on a whim 14:56 - exploring "love" & deeply empathizing w/ narrators 17:44 - peripheral grief as a driving theme 18:37 - how reading my work aloud makes my writing better 19:06 - literary fiction bad habits & embracing simplicity 20:53 - the first critique I EVER received 23:48 - outro
Yay! Another upload! I’m so glad to see it. But take your time if you need space/time between uploads. Chronic pain is a beast. Sending lots of ease and I hope you find what works for you when dealing with your pain. I love hearing you talk about your writing process and the Jeremiah character. I also saw on your Tumblr that you’re working on a new project called SUNLESS GROUNDS? Tell us about that one! How cool! Totally feeling you on the transition after finishing school/graduating. I finished my PhD in August. I also understand the writing crisis. I’ve been trying to start my new writing project (YA horror novel) since finishing my PhD dissertation script/novel (now waiting for feedback on my third draft of the novel). I do want to write something else, but my brain feels like sploosh! 😭 I know you mentioned you’re reading more YA and genre fiction recently. You actually posted this on my book birthday (October 10th), which is awesome! I have a traditionally published short story (YA thriller) in a multi-genre YA anthology called BEING ACE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF QUEER, TRANS, AND DISABLED STORIES OF ASEXUAL LOVE AND CONNECTION edited by Madeline Dyer. My story is called The Hazards of Pressing Play and my story is about an ace girl with cerebral palsy who is a wheelchair user and has 48 hours to save her ace girlfriend from an anonymous enemy. I don’t know if you read anthologies, but if you do, I hope you’ll check it out! I think it’s out in Canada as well as the US. 💜🥰
Currently taking it easy with my writing, and letting myself grow loose. I've just come off the wicked band aid of a project that had all my brain firing. So to have a project where I can write simply, that requires not much thought, and just looseness, is helping me rebuild my healthy habits with writing. I hear writing is a lot like a muscle - you can gain it daily, but change the intensity. Otherwise that muscle starts to fall apart. I'm taking that mixed interval training approach right now. Writing looser, writing badly, pretending I don't know how to do certain things, to let myself catch a break. And remind myself not envying needs to be a masterpiece. It's neat enough that it exists.
I love reading my writing out loud! It's a really helpful part of my process right now. When I stop writing a chapter part way through, the next time I come to write it I'll read out loud the chapter so far to help me get a running start into what I write next. Also, reading out loud is so helping for catching when a sentence doesn't make sense! I have stuff I need to write for uni but I've been spending a lot of evenings writing my "for fun" project. It gets me excited about the act of writing and reminds me that writing is something I enjoy, so I'm glad I'm still doing it! Regarding what you said about doing research, something I like to do to make research easier is read/watch/listen to fiction that takes place in the time and setting I want to write about. It can give me ideas of things to look into and it helps me find the vibes I want for my story.
so happy that you're back to uploading (ive been rewatching some of ur older vids when i wanted to feel a bit more motivated about writing)! i definitely relate to having a writing crisis, both in the general sense and specifically about what you said regarding feeling dumb. the fear of not being smart enough, or not being able to write something profound and meaningful CONSTANTLY haunts me. im always worried that what im writing just straight up doesn't make sense, and is meaningless, even though i know it means something to me. but yeah, i hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself
hehe omg thanks for watching the older vids!! & omg I’m happy I’m not the only one! I have a feeling a lot of writers feel that way too haha so I don’t think we’re alone!
@@rachelwritesbookswhen you were talking about how you hate to research, that was me three weeks ago when I had to buckle down and write the history of the Maryland Bay Bridge for my own story lol. I love my little state and am excited to read your excerpts!
I have the same feeling, Rachel. People go on about characters from literature, and I’m like whaaa? I suppose I just try to focus on the essence of my characters in my own books, Changing States currently for yourself. The people who wrote these big lofty novels were human. How much different can they be from our characters, in some cases besides historical context
I write sci-fantasy for the most part, kind of the space opera thing going on in some of my stuff, but there's no lightsabers, any advice for a genre writer looking to improve his craft?
I don’t write that genre so I don’t want to give advice out of turn! But I think there are a lot of general ways to improve craft because there are sooo many aspects of craft! I have a playlist for writing advice where I share things I’ve picked up so maybe that could help? But I hope others in the comments have advice!
hi hi hi! it's been soooo long since I last uploaded a video (oops!) but I'm happy to say that regular uploading might resume soon... I have 2 more writing vlogs incoming (just need to edit them) & want to chat preptober/nanowrimo sooooon so fingers crossed! anyway, what've y'all been working on? let's chat!
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - being more spontaneous in my writing process
1:39 - finishing my book & how nature reset my chaotic process
3:39 - accidentally writing a new book
6:54 - establishing a sense of place & feeling "dumb" as a writer
9:17 - using google maps to establish setting & my fear of maps
10:28 - chronic pain update & adjusting my process to my physical limits
12:35 - progress in changing states & my reasons for "pushing through"
13:32 - feeling grateful to write a project & writing on a whim
14:56 - exploring "love" & deeply empathizing w/ narrators
17:44 - peripheral grief as a driving theme
18:37 - how reading my work aloud makes my writing better
19:06 - literary fiction bad habits & embracing simplicity
20:53 - the first critique I EVER received
23:48 - outro
Yay! Another upload! I’m so glad to see it. But take your time if you need space/time between uploads. Chronic pain is a beast. Sending lots of ease and I hope you find what works for you when dealing with your pain. I love hearing you talk about your writing process and the Jeremiah character. I also saw on your Tumblr that you’re working on a new project called SUNLESS GROUNDS? Tell us about that one! How cool!
Totally feeling you on the transition after finishing school/graduating. I finished my PhD in August. I also understand the writing crisis. I’ve been trying to start my new writing project (YA horror novel) since finishing my PhD dissertation script/novel (now waiting for feedback on my third draft of the novel). I do want to write something else, but my brain feels like sploosh! 😭
I know you mentioned you’re reading more YA and genre fiction recently. You actually posted this on my book birthday (October 10th), which is awesome! I have a traditionally published short story (YA thriller) in a multi-genre YA anthology called BEING ACE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF QUEER, TRANS, AND DISABLED STORIES OF ASEXUAL LOVE AND CONNECTION edited by Madeline Dyer. My story is called The Hazards of Pressing Play and my story is about an ace girl with cerebral palsy who is a wheelchair user and has 48 hours to save her ace girlfriend from an anonymous enemy. I don’t know if you read anthologies, but if you do, I hope you’ll check it out! I think it’s out in Canada as well as the US. 💜🥰
rachel: i love him i hope he finds love, happiness and peace
also rachel: i tried to drown him and he was surprisingly calm about it
literally me to lonan one fateful day in June 2020
Currently taking it easy with my writing, and letting myself grow loose. I've just come off the wicked band aid of a project that had all my brain firing. So to have a project where I can write simply, that requires not much thought, and just looseness, is helping me rebuild my healthy habits with writing. I hear writing is a lot like a muscle - you can gain it daily, but change the intensity. Otherwise that muscle starts to fall apart. I'm taking that mixed interval training approach right now. Writing looser, writing badly, pretending I don't know how to do certain things, to let myself catch a break. And remind myself not envying needs to be a masterpiece. It's neat enough that it exists.
I love reading my writing out loud! It's a really helpful part of my process right now. When I stop writing a chapter part way through, the next time I come to write it I'll read out loud the chapter so far to help me get a running start into what I write next. Also, reading out loud is so helping for catching when a sentence doesn't make sense!
I have stuff I need to write for uni but I've been spending a lot of evenings writing my "for fun" project. It gets me excited about the act of writing and reminds me that writing is something I enjoy, so I'm glad I'm still doing it!
Regarding what you said about doing research, something I like to do to make research easier is read/watch/listen to fiction that takes place in the time and setting I want to write about. It can give me ideas of things to look into and it helps me find the vibes I want for my story.
always exciting to see a new upload from you!
Hehe thanks for watching! 💖
so happy that you're back to uploading (ive been rewatching some of ur older vids when i wanted to feel a bit more motivated about writing)! i definitely relate to having a writing crisis, both in the general sense and specifically about what you said regarding feeling dumb. the fear of not being smart enough, or not being able to write something profound and meaningful CONSTANTLY haunts me. im always worried that what im writing just straight up doesn't make sense, and is meaningless, even though i know it means something to me. but yeah, i hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself
hehe omg thanks for watching the older vids!! & omg I’m happy I’m not the only one! I have a feeling a lot of writers feel that way too haha so I don’t think we’re alone!
Yoooo uploads from you are always a joy for me. I’ve been writing again lately so seeing this just ties in a lot for me rn. Lots of love from here! ❤️
ahhh that’s amazing you’re writing! thanks for watching! 💜💜
As a Marylander and former Baltimore resident, I am pleased with the setting of Changing States lol.
hehe Maryland matters SO much to me!!! happy to hopefully do it as much justice as I can (even tho I am a self-proclaimed setting noob lol)
@@rachelwritesbookswhen you were talking about how you hate to research, that was me three weeks ago when I had to buckle down and write the history of the Maryland Bay Bridge for my own story lol. I love my little state and am excited to read your excerpts!
I have the same feeling, Rachel. People go on about characters from literature, and I’m like whaaa? I suppose I just try to focus on the essence of my characters in my own books, Changing States currently for yourself. The people who wrote these big lofty novels were human. How much different can they be from our characters, in some cases besides historical context
I write sci-fantasy for the most part, kind of the space opera thing going on in some of my stuff, but there's no lightsabers, any advice for a genre writer looking to improve his craft?
I don’t write that genre so I don’t want to give advice out of turn! But I think there are a lot of general ways to improve craft because there are sooo many aspects of craft! I have a playlist for writing advice where I share things I’ve picked up so maybe that could help? But I hope others in the comments have advice!
Jeremiah 🎉