More chatty… less vlog(y)? Let me know if you like this format or if you’ll never watch me again bc I didn’t shoot an aesthetic clip of me making a coffee 😭🫶😂
Chatty is absolutely fun! Tbh, the coffee making montages are over done. I find it annoying when the vlogger makes his/her coffee exactly the same for a year or longer… It just gets repetitive & redundant, imo.
I just wanted to say that stumbling across your craft videos has been such an amazing thing for me! You have such a talent for teaching in an interesting, fun way - I've definitely learnt things from your videos that I wouldn't have ever thought of! Safe to say that whatever kind of videos you make, I'll watch them 🥰 also, because I love coming up with names for characters, my suggestion for your Achilles character would literally just be to take inspiration from the name Achilles - the different syllables, the vibe, etc. The 'chill' syllable could lead you to something like Killian, the 'ach' could lead you to something like Cormac etc. etc. these are probably bad examples but it could lead you to names you wouldn't have otherwise considered! Can't wait for your next video ☺
This is truly so kind thank you! 💗 You are the second person to say Killian and I am really digging it - I love this idea too for finding new names! thank you!!!!
In LOVE with this. I feel so validated because I am LITERALLY going through this same exact life. Worked the corporate life and was filling someone else’s cup and fulfilling their goals. I was good at it but I felt empty so I’m done with work for a while. I have MS and I push my limits for tother people so I’m going into my own season of making a true effort for my writing and personal goals. So excited to keep up with your journey ❤️
I totally understand you about “doodling” the first draft, that’s what I’m doing for my second book and It feels sooooooo good no to worry about every single detail at this stage like last names omg, I’m so glad I found out about outlining your book so early on my journey of becoming a professional author. Your book sounds really fun, I’m so excited to see your final work !!
Finally got to sit down and watch this! I love this. i just love learning more about how you're navigating your writing process. As for vlogs/writing content, you do you! i love the chatty vibes bc it feels very casual but feel free to experiment when you feel ready!
Why could I listen to you all day?! I loved learning about your background and hearing your story come to life. Good job! And I hope your health gets better and you feel amazing again
Definitely enjoyed this. I love your other videos where you're showing what you're thinking and how you're developing your novel absolutely adore that watching everyone of them! But I also like the chatty stuff you're doing a great job.❤️❤️❤️
I’ve been binging all your videos and I just want to say this is amazing. Like it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for as a writer in a very similar position- haven’t actually written in years, rusty, not sure where to start but wanting to actually finish a project. You’re doing the lords work here and I am fully tuned in and taking this journey with u 💕
Mik! I just have to let you know that you are my favourite writing channel on TH-cam. I've been struggling to find an online writing community aswell, and am SO GLAD you exist & are making such quality content. Not only are you a great teacher, I relate to you a lot. I quit my job 6 weeks ago & moved back to my home country to live with my parents at 34 to recover from burnout & related health problems. Now that I'm finally starting to feel a bit better, I've just accepted a new job that starts in 6 weeks, & have given myself that time to establish a healthy routine & finish my novel outline. We got this!! Also I can't wait to read your book, its right up my alley (cult girly here) lol.
Jessa! So lovely to have you in the live last night and then to read this comment 🤍 it means so much! Hope you can find community here 🫶 and we are in this together!
You have such a positive outlook (but with a practical mindset too). It inspires me to go and make things! This chatty format is pretty laid back and direct, I think it works really well for writing and life updates. Have a great weekend
New sub here... Love the chatty-style vlogs - It's like catching up with an old friend :) Plot is my weakest area so I LOVE deep dive writing videos where I can learn how to strip down stories and build them back up so I can learn to do that in my own stories. It takes so much guts to quit your job but good for you for prioritising your health and well-being :) Can't wait to see what's next in your life journey and I'm so glad we're along for the ride! Worked corporate for 2 decades before being let go and discovering that I can work remotely from home while writing in my spare time :) I have MANY projects but I've disciplined myself to work on only two at a time (and I've been known to fall into many a research rabbit-hole before). My current WIPs are a spooky middle grade short story collection (like Black Mirror but Caribbean and with preteens) and a YA fantasy (basically if Gossip Girl were anime). Loved your video on using Pinterest to take your story from idea phase to plotting phase! And your House of Stone project is such a cool concept :) Greetings from Trinidad & Tobago :P
thank you for subbing! it truly means so much!!! -- your projects sound AMAZING! the comps?? Gossip Girl Anime?? Black Mirror in the Caribbean?? I'm in love 💗👏 excited to do more deep dive writing videos!
i also fall down the rabbit hole of research far too often. i’m writing a psychopath/serial killer and i could literally research forever. there’s so much out there 😅
oo have you read Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian? its not a serial killer book but all the main characters are psychopaths, & it's actually a pretty fun ride haha
Loving the Now or Never approach!! Male names are the WORST and that's from a writer who rarely has male perspectives so I don't name a lot of them very thoughtfully 😆 The more I'm learning about your story, the more I really want to read it some day! 2000 words is a lofty goal, but not impossible. You can do this!
omg not the NXIVM pop up 😂 loved this chatty vlog, Mik! and so good for you to be taking this time to really assess what your priorities are and take care of your health 💖 we're all cheering you on!
This popped up in my recommended and I found it super interesting!! I also watched twisters this week and LOVED it, and part of the reason was that the characters felt really real. I really believed all the characters lived those lives, particularly the TH-camr characters - it would be so easy for them to have turned into a caricature like you’re describing but they did it really well in my opinion
Hearing that you quit your job and are focusing on your creativity / yourself... made me feel SO SEEN!! I also quit my job recently, and am really trying to work on my writing. Every video you post inspires me to keep on keeping on! Thank you!
So happy for you in this "now or never" era of your life. (Maybe I will get there some day! lol) Love me a chatty vlog where writers take the time to just breathe and be real for a moment. It makes me feel like I'm sitting down and chatting with a friend about life, and it is so comforting! Can't wait to go live with you tonight and learn more about your story and your process! :)
Omg, not only was I a trainer in a corporate setting, but I also have PCOS! It was so stressful. I'm so glad you're finding more peace!! Also I love this chatty update
Lovely, "real" catch-up, Mik. I don't mind a chatty video over a vlog. I'm also the person who forgets to take photos of things and leaves my phone in another room. I don't think you have to force yourself to always be splitting your attention between what you're ACTUALLY doing and trying to film it so that it looks pretty for TH-cam. I find the flat characters and lack of depth in the initial stab at writing something so, so relatable! I absolutely struggle with this too - but like we were saying in the comments on a previous video, the richness, depth and nuance of a story can come with editing. First drafts are just the primer on your canvas ❤
Yes! I am all about adding things in in the editing process it takes off a lot of pressure in the beginning! Thanks for always being so active - it doesn't go unnoticed! 💗
I do love vlogs but you do you. Make the format that works best for you and I will enjoy your videos. About drafting yes I feel you, I usually can only write in order it will be in the book. Well lest week I got stuck writing a teaching lesson so I just wrote and continued. It was hard to just skip but it worked and I can now continue zero drafting without being completely stuck. The draft is just placeholders of where the plot is going to be when
@@mikwrites it is still hard for me to write in placeholder style cause I am a bit of a perfectionist but it’s good practice to let go of the: perfect chapter right from the start thinking that I would love to have
I listen to 90% of my YT content rather than sit and watch. This means I get the bath cleaned or the garden weeded AND I get great insights and info while I'm doing it. I can still recall exactly what I was listening to as I painted my hall way two years ago, or built a stone path last spring. It makes the information stick somehow, so the chatty style is a win for me. Edit: if you're stuck on Achilles then maybe look into Greek names, names beginning with A, names with three syllables, names that sound like Achilles ie: Killian, Billy etc. I assume your initial name choices were inspired by Achilles and Helen (of Troy) so maybe look into some other myths and legends and see what you find.
I am totally the same yay - I treat a lot of videos like podcasts 😂 - also Killian has been on my maybe list so you saying this gives me a lot more reassurance. Love the idea of looking into the Achilles story for more name inspirations
I VASTLY prefer chatty to vloggy!!!! Honestly I am a volunteer for a nonprofit and I handle their social media and always having to capture the perfect aesthetic moments can drain some of the enjoyment from those moments…. And can be exhausting, it turns out. Not an equal tradeoff. Chatty is great! 😊
I am so impressed to hear the origins of your channel. Your videos seem like you’ve been at this for years! I love getting any and all updates in any form.
Reestablishing a writing habit isn't easy. I'm glad you are giving yourself grace. Your goal of 2k a day is lofty for building a long-term writing routine, but it's not impossible. We are all rooting for you!
fantasy name generators is your best friend when it comes to naming things!! . and I get the whole changing thing- suddenly today I decided my MC will be adopting an orphan......where did this kid come from....i saw a picture and thought.. let's add more trauma! AHHHH
ahh I feel u on the the mental exhaustion of working in corporate office. my 9-5 before my current one drained me mentally and physically. It came to a point where I would have a bad dream about working there, but I am now in a good job that actually gives me a work-life balance. Good luck on zero drafting! u got this!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
For some reason names have never been an issue for me. But when one doesn't come to me, I name by simply picking a character from something else I like (usually a soup opera or teen drama ex. Passions, General Hospital, One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars) and I start writing as if it were that character in the story. I usually mix and match so not two characters from the same show. Then I either change the name if I find a better one or, more often than not, I end up changing the character so much they’re not the same anymore and keep the name. Also, I love chatty videos over vlogs any day.
I don't know if this happens to everyone but my writing week I am also working on zero draft of my second book which will be a trilogy romantic suspense. I'm editing my first book which was also a romantic suspense, but a standalone novel writer here feeling super insecure about my abilities, but my wanting to do this definitely overpowers my insecurity, but it's sometimes find it hard to sit down and do the writing, but I have to say what happens to me is that I'm constantly thinking about the book so that all kinds of ideas are going through my head so that when I sit down to write I already have these scenes in my head. I don't know if that happens to anybody else, the procrastination is killing me!!! I think I have a fear failure. I'm not sure why I do this, but maybe you can talk about that in a video if anybody else suffers from the same thing.
Are you using any resources to help with your love story plot writing? I'm so apprehensive about writing that plotline in my novel too! So new to me. Love watching your process, thank you!!
Ooooof what a loaded question lol - I am horrible at love story B plots. I have doing some studying and put it on my list of videos to make to share some of the resources I found so - coming soon!!!! 💖
I highly recommend Gilded Needles by Michael McDowell for a really well written, odd, super NOT ordinary but still realistic organized crime family 🌟 6K words 🎉 🙀🥳
I feel you. I'm starting a new manuscript myself ans draft zero is something. I wonder, does anyone want to be accountability partners? I have an unused discord server set up for a writting group (with a sprint bot) of anyone is interested. It would be a nice way to share and create a tight group community 😊
More chatty… less vlog(y)? Let me know if you like this format or if you’ll never watch me again bc I didn’t shoot an aesthetic clip of me making a coffee 😭🫶😂
Chatty is absolutely fun! Tbh, the coffee making montages are over done. I find it annoying when the vlogger makes his/her coffee exactly the same for a year or longer… It just gets repetitive & redundant, imo.
I just wanted to say that stumbling across your craft videos has been such an amazing thing for me! You have such a talent for teaching in an interesting, fun way - I've definitely learnt things from your videos that I wouldn't have ever thought of! Safe to say that whatever kind of videos you make, I'll watch them 🥰 also, because I love coming up with names for characters, my suggestion for your Achilles character would literally just be to take inspiration from the name Achilles - the different syllables, the vibe, etc. The 'chill' syllable could lead you to something like Killian, the 'ach' could lead you to something like Cormac etc. etc. these are probably bad examples but it could lead you to names you wouldn't have otherwise considered! Can't wait for your next video ☺
Oooh, that's a great tip on finding new names from a name you like but that isn't quite right!❤
This is truly so kind thank you! 💗 You are the second person to say Killian and I am really digging it - I love this idea too for finding new names! thank you!!!!
In LOVE with this. I feel so validated because I am LITERALLY going through this same exact life. Worked the corporate life and was filling someone else’s cup and fulfilling their goals. I was good at it but I felt empty so I’m done with work for a while. I have MS and I push my limits for tother people so I’m going into my own season of making a true effort for my writing and personal goals. So excited to keep up with your journey ❤️
It's time to start doing things for you!! I love that you are going to start focusing on your own personal and writing goals 💗
I totally understand you about “doodling” the first draft, that’s what I’m doing for my second book and It feels sooooooo good no to worry about every single detail at this stage like last names omg, I’m so glad I found out about outlining your book so early on my journey of becoming a professional author. Your book sounds really fun, I’m so excited to see your final work !!
Last names are the death of me as well! I have plenty of placeholders in my WIP 😂
Yes!! Definitely doodling over here 😂- and thank you for following along! 💗
Finally got to sit down and watch this! I love this. i just love learning more about how you're navigating your writing process. As for vlogs/writing content, you do you! i love the chatty vibes bc it feels very casual but feel free to experiment when you feel ready!
Thanks for watching Becca!! And I also love chatty bc it feels like talking to friends 😋
Why could I listen to you all day?! I loved learning about your background and hearing your story come to life. Good job! And I hope your health gets better and you feel amazing again
thank you so much!! 💗
Definitely enjoyed this. I love your other videos where you're showing what you're thinking and how you're developing your novel absolutely adore that watching everyone of them! But I also like the chatty stuff you're doing a great job.❤️❤️❤️
Thanks so much for watching 💗🤗
I’ve been binging all your videos and I just want to say this is amazing. Like it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for as a writer in a very similar position- haven’t actually written in years, rusty, not sure where to start but wanting to actually finish a project. You’re doing the lords work here and I am fully tuned in and taking this journey with u 💕
Wow thank you for following me in this journey!!! and you got this too! it can feel daunting but the first step is to just take that step 💕
Mik! I just have to let you know that you are my favourite writing channel on TH-cam. I've been struggling to find an online writing community aswell, and am SO GLAD you exist & are making such quality content. Not only are you a great teacher, I relate to you a lot. I quit my job 6 weeks ago & moved back to my home country to live with my parents at 34 to recover from burnout & related health problems. Now that I'm finally starting to feel a bit better, I've just accepted a new job that starts in 6 weeks, & have given myself that time to establish a healthy routine & finish my novel outline. We got this!! Also I can't wait to read your book, its right up my alley (cult girly here) lol.
Jessa! So lovely to have you in the live last night and then to read this comment 🤍 it means so much! Hope you can find community here 🫶 and we are in this together!
You have such a positive outlook (but with a practical mindset too). It inspires me to go and make things! This chatty format is pretty laid back and direct, I think it works really well for writing and life updates. Have a great weekend
Wow, thank you! We can do this!! 👏💗
New sub here... Love the chatty-style vlogs - It's like catching up with an old friend :) Plot is my weakest area so I LOVE deep dive writing videos where I can learn how to strip down stories and build them back up so I can learn to do that in my own stories.
It takes so much guts to quit your job but good for you for prioritising your health and well-being :) Can't wait to see what's next in your life journey and I'm so glad we're along for the ride! Worked corporate for 2 decades before being let go and discovering that I can work remotely from home while writing in my spare time :)
I have MANY projects but I've disciplined myself to work on only two at a time (and I've been known to fall into many a research rabbit-hole before). My current WIPs are a spooky middle grade short story collection (like Black Mirror but Caribbean and with preteens) and a YA fantasy (basically if Gossip Girl were anime).
Loved your video on using Pinterest to take your story from idea phase to plotting phase! And your House of Stone project is such a cool concept :) Greetings from Trinidad & Tobago :P
thank you for subbing! it truly means so much!!! -- your projects sound AMAZING! the comps?? Gossip Girl Anime?? Black Mirror in the Caribbean?? I'm in love 💗👏 excited to do more deep dive writing videos!
congratulations!! what an exciting chapter for your writing 🤍📖
Thank you so much! It is truly an exciting time! 💗
i also fall down the rabbit hole of research far too often. i’m writing a psychopath/serial killer and i could literally research forever. there’s so much out there 😅
oo have you read Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian? its not a serial killer book but all the main characters are psychopaths, & it's actually a pretty fun ride haha
@@sentient_space_trash omg no i haven’t! thank you for the recommendation 👀 i will most definitely be reading that!
As always, awesome video. Very relatable and encouraging.
Thank you so much! 🤗❤
Loving the Now or Never approach!!
Male names are the WORST and that's from a writer who rarely has male perspectives so I don't name a lot of them very thoughtfully 😆 The more I'm learning about your story, the more I really want to read it some day! 2000 words is a lofty goal, but not impossible. You can do this!
Yes!! Now or Never club 👏👏
omg not the NXIVM pop up 😂 loved this chatty vlog, Mik! and so good for you to be taking this time to really assess what your priorities are and take care of your health 💖 we're all cheering you on!
i know a jump scare... hahah I cannot get enough of Sarah Edmondson's story once she blew the whistle! & thank you 😍💗
This popped up in my recommended and I found it super interesting!! I also watched twisters this week and LOVED it, and part of the reason was that the characters felt really real. I really believed all the characters lived those lives, particularly the TH-camr characters - it would be so easy for them to have turned into a caricature like you’re describing but they did it really well in my opinion
YES! Exactly - the characters all felt super believable and I just didn't think I'd love it like I do 😂
Hearing that you quit your job and are focusing on your creativity / yourself... made me feel SO SEEN!! I also quit my job recently, and am really trying to work on my writing. Every video you post inspires me to keep on keeping on! Thank you!
Congratulations!!! and yes we got this! It is the year of creativity!!! 🤗👏
So happy for you in this "now or never" era of your life. (Maybe I will get there some day! lol) Love me a chatty vlog where writers take the time to just breathe and be real for a moment. It makes me feel like I'm sitting down and chatting with a friend about life, and it is so comforting! Can't wait to go live with you tonight and learn more about your story and your process! :)
Yes that was the goal! We're all friends here 💗🤗
Omg, not only was I a trainer in a corporate setting, but I also have PCOS! It was so stressful. I'm so glad you're finding more peace!! Also I love this chatty update
Twins! - corporate training is so fun but yes so stressful and so is PCOS... lol 😅 but thank you! peace is definitely the goal 💗
I have PCOS, too. 😭
But it’s good that you’re taking care of your health! 💚
Ugh, you get it!! and yes health comes first - thanks for watching! 💗
Lovely, "real" catch-up, Mik. I don't mind a chatty video over a vlog. I'm also the person who forgets to take photos of things and leaves my phone in another room. I don't think you have to force yourself to always be splitting your attention between what you're ACTUALLY doing and trying to film it so that it looks pretty for TH-cam.
I find the flat characters and lack of depth in the initial stab at writing something so, so relatable! I absolutely struggle with this too - but like we were saying in the comments on a previous video, the richness, depth and nuance of a story can come with editing. First drafts are just the primer on your canvas ❤
Yes! I am all about adding things in in the editing process it takes off a lot of pressure in the beginning! Thanks for always being so active - it doesn't go unnoticed! 💗
I do love vlogs but you do you. Make the format that works best for you and I will enjoy your videos.
About drafting yes I feel you, I usually can only write in order it will be in the book. Well lest week I got stuck writing a teaching lesson so I just wrote and continued. It was hard to just skip but it worked and I can now continue zero drafting without being completely stuck. The draft is just placeholders of where the plot is going to be when
Yes!! That is what I'm doing too just placeholders of where the plot is going to be - thanks for watching! 💙
@@mikwrites it is still hard for me to write in placeholder style cause I am a bit of a perfectionist but it’s good practice to let go of the: perfect chapter right from the start thinking that I would love to have
I listen to 90% of my YT content rather than sit and watch. This means I get the bath cleaned or the garden weeded AND I get great insights and info while I'm doing it.
I can still recall exactly what I was listening to as I painted my hall way two years ago, or built a stone path last spring. It makes the information stick somehow, so the chatty style is a win for me.
Edit: if you're stuck on Achilles then maybe look into Greek names, names beginning with A, names with three syllables, names that sound like Achilles ie: Killian, Billy etc. I assume your initial name choices were inspired by Achilles and Helen (of Troy) so maybe look into some other myths and legends and see what you find.
I am totally the same yay - I treat a lot of videos like podcasts 😂 - also Killian has been on my maybe list so you saying this gives me a lot more reassurance. Love the idea of looking into the Achilles story for more name inspirations
Was not expecting this video to be so timely hahaha you mentioned the tech outage and I really did a mental double take on what day it is lol
ohhh yess my other videos take so long but these writing updates are speedy!
I VASTLY prefer chatty to vloggy!!!! Honestly I am a volunteer for a nonprofit and I handle their social media and always having to capture the perfect aesthetic moments can drain some of the enjoyment from those moments…. And can be exhausting, it turns out. Not an equal tradeoff. Chatty is great! 😊
Capturing the aesthetic moment is very exhausting lol - thank you!!! ❤
I am so impressed to hear the origins of your channel. Your videos seem like you’ve been at this for years! I love getting any and all updates in any form.
Reestablishing a writing habit isn't easy. I'm glad you are giving yourself grace. Your goal of 2k a day is lofty for building a long-term writing routine, but it's not impossible. We are all rooting for you!
It is so lofty - starting to rethink it!!!!!! 😭 but thank you! that means so much
fantasy name generators is your best friend when it comes to naming things!! . and I get the whole changing thing- suddenly today I decided my MC will be adopting an orphan......where did this kid come from....i saw a picture and thought.. let's add more trauma! AHHHH
Isn’t it always “let’s add more trauma” 😂😂😂😂
@@mikwrites 🤪
This is the first day I've been writing my project again since two weeks. I finally have time to go back to my silly dystopian world.
All the good male names are takennnn
I know right?! 😭
I feel you on male names!! I don’t know the full vibe of your book but maybe Conrad or Alec could work?
Love both of these! Except I always think of Alec Lightwood 😂😅 - yes boy names are the worst lol
Hi Mik, I love the chatty but also love the writing vlogs so please do both for us?
I will definitely try! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll remember to film when I'm out and about 😅
ahh I feel u on the the mental exhaustion of working in corporate office. my 9-5 before my current one drained me mentally and physically. It came to a point where I would have a bad dream about working there, but I am now in a good job that actually gives me a work-life balance. Good luck on zero drafting! u got this!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
For some reason names have never been an issue for me. But when one doesn't come to me, I name by simply picking a character from something else I like (usually a soup opera or teen drama ex. Passions, General Hospital, One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars) and I start writing as if it were that character in the story.
I usually mix and match so not two characters from the same show. Then I either change the name if I find a better one or, more often than not, I end up changing the character so much they’re not the same anymore and keep the name.
Also, I love chatty videos over vlogs any day.
I love that idea!! Thank you for watching 💙
I don't know if this happens to everyone but my writing week I am also working on zero draft of my second book which will be a trilogy romantic suspense. I'm editing my first book which was also a romantic suspense, but a standalone novel writer here feeling super insecure about my abilities, but my wanting to do this definitely overpowers my insecurity, but it's sometimes find it hard to sit down and do the writing, but I have to say what happens to me is that I'm constantly thinking about the book so that all kinds of ideas are going through my head so that when I sit down to write I already have these scenes in my head. I don't know if that happens to anybody else, the procrastination is killing me!!! I think I have a fear failure. I'm not sure why I do this, but maybe you can talk about that in a video if anybody else suffers from the same thing.
Honestly this was me lol my newest update caused me to go back to the drawing board a bit and prep more before writing and it has helped A LOT!!
Are you using any resources to help with your love story plot writing? I'm so apprehensive about writing that plotline in my novel too! So new to me.
Love watching your process, thank you!!
Ooooof what a loaded question lol - I am horrible at love story B plots. I have doing some studying and put it on my list of videos to make to share some of the resources I found so - coming soon!!!! 💖
I highly recommend Gilded Needles by Michael McDowell for a really well written, odd, super NOT ordinary but still realistic organized crime family 🌟
6K words 🎉 🙀🥳
ooooooh thank you for this recc! definitely checking this out! 💗
I feel you. I'm starting a new manuscript myself ans draft zero is something.
I wonder, does anyone want to be accountability partners? I have an unused discord server set up for a writting group (with a sprint bot) of anyone is interested. It would be a nice way to share and create a tight group community 😊