The thing about authortube (from my POV, I'm not super mired in the community but I check out some videos/vlogs sometimes) is that whether or not someone is an authortuber or not has nothing to do with their writing. It just has to do with their ability to document their writing. A decent number of them are also first-time writers who may have never written another book before, or are still figuring the process out, which can honestly take years (I've been writing most of my life and I feel like I'm still in the figuring it out phase). Compared to published books where at least a couple industry experts are going to scrutinize your work and help you edit it before publishing (the "you" being a very small percentage of the writing population in itself), the sample from authortubers might be a little messier than what readers are used to. The industry experts probably aren't as big a part of the equation, and unless the writer is very skilled and resourceful, their final work will probably end up being a bit rougher. It could be that the "lambasted" youtuber books aren't really that great. I will say that I've become a little tired of "enraged" readers ranting about how shitty a book is for 10-15 minutes instead of engaging with it a bit more honestly. I think it's important to remember that these people are doing this for "content" so it kind of behooves them to find things they don't like, because people do like that sort of stuff. But regardless of whether you're an authortuber or a regular-ol'-author, anonymous mean-spirited criticism will be a big part of the work, and even the really, really good stuff has plenty of "bad" reviews. Wish you the best of luck, though - it's more of a disadvantage being as out there as you and other tubers are, hopefully you can find a way to think about it without it discouraging you too much.
that's a really great way of looking at it! completely agree! honestly, for as long as I've been writing (most of my life as well), I still feel like a novice lol. but you're right that authortube is definitely more about the community/documenting process. and no matter what, aspiring to publish is going to come with criticism. thanks for the encouragement! :)
I would love to see you edit a subscriber's work, I think it would be really interesting! your writing vlogs are always so fun to watch and also really helpful!
Such a good chat about writers that have a presence on social media! I think all of your points are spot on. It'll be interesting to see how that changes over the next few years with trad publishing evolving (along with lots of traditional agents now looking for that social media presence from most authors) and with self-publishing losing some of the negative connotation that it previously had and becoming more accessible to people. The industry is diversifying in so many ways, and I'm hoping that what comes with that is compassion for all of the different kinds of writers that exist :)
I totally agree! I’d love to see indie publishing really take off (as it already has started to) and I’d also equally like to see trad pub continue to evolve. more compassion really is the key!! ☀️
You're reminding me of the challenge I used to have with character descriptions. I think most newer writers hit the road bump of not factoring in how their viewpoint character perceives other people, because that REALLY colors the description when done right. Sorry to hear about Act I. But if it makes you feel better, your first instinct on when your two MCs should meets is probably the right one, seeing as they're better off being developed as separate people before you explore what they're like together. (This is a guess. I haven't read your work. But I've sensed your instinct in how you talk about it.)
loved this vlog kris!! your videos are so insightful, like those character description excerpts you read from that book made me want to up my writing game so much and that’s the kind of motivation i need😂
I honestly don't understand how you can write from 10pm to 2am and then have a job in the morning? Do you like not need to sleep? HOW? I'm currently working through revisions too, and I very much relate to not knowing whether the changes you are making are good enough and second guessing everything. I hope breaking things down into smaller chunks works for you! I've also found that not working linearly has been helpful to stop myself from trying to fix everything at the same time and instead jump to the scenes that I know need work on a specific thing
i dont do that every night LOL but i also work from home so i can get away with sleeping at 2am and waking up around 9 sometimes. also non linear revision sounds like a really good idea!! i’ve never tried it before but definitely tempting
I was thinking of editing some work too!! I’d love to see you do that :) I think writing publicly somehow hurts more through TH-cam…. somehow I feel like writers on Twitter are always praised 👀👀👀 This vlog is not a fail!! Thanks for sharing :)
true! YT is a "content creation" platform so the vibes are just different here. maybe bc the algorithm creates wider reach than twitter's idk ??? LOL i'm just too anxious sometimes T___T also would love to see you do some editing videos!!! literally my favourite kind of authortube videos
Re: writing publicly on TH-cam: I think being an author/online figure IS a double edged sword bc yes, people who have a negative perception of your videos might end up having a negative perception of your book, but I think it's important to note that it goes the other way too! People who already like your videos and feel like you're their "friend" are actually predisposed to LIKE your writing, and will get more out of reading it that the average person would. There are so many books that I've read and enjoyed way more because I had a sense of who the author was from their online presence, and that fact enhanced the reading experience instead of diminishing it. Obviously following the author online is not a necessary requirement for every book I read, but it does add an interesting layer of context. Anyway, just something to think about. I love how this whole vlog you were trying to convince yourself you weren't writing a second draft XD I'd be curious to hear how breaking the revision into smaller chunks goes - Even just the thought of a big revision makes me overwhelmed, so any strategy to combat that is definitely a win! Thanks again for another great video!
that is true! i was definitely more focused on the negative aspects since i was feeling anxious that day 🥲 and i hope the “smaller chunks” revision strategy will work better for me too!!
One thing at a time does sound good! I've thought about writing a little story about a writer who worries about getting criticized... What would they do with that Wound? Big sign on my desk: I'm going to spend 20 minutes writing horrible fiction. Haha. Set the bar low.
The thing about authortube (from my POV, I'm not super mired in the community but I check out some videos/vlogs sometimes) is that whether or not someone is an authortuber or not has nothing to do with their writing. It just has to do with their ability to document their writing. A decent number of them are also first-time writers who may have never written another book before, or are still figuring the process out, which can honestly take years (I've been writing most of my life and I feel like I'm still in the figuring it out phase).
Compared to published books where at least a couple industry experts are going to scrutinize your work and help you edit it before publishing (the "you" being a very small percentage of the writing population in itself), the sample from authortubers might be a little messier than what readers are used to. The industry experts probably aren't as big a part of the equation, and unless the writer is very skilled and resourceful, their final work will probably end up being a bit rougher.
It could be that the "lambasted" youtuber books aren't really that great. I will say that I've become a little tired of "enraged" readers ranting about how shitty a book is for 10-15 minutes instead of engaging with it a bit more honestly. I think it's important to remember that these people are doing this for "content" so it kind of behooves them to find things they don't like, because people do like that sort of stuff.
But regardless of whether you're an authortuber or a regular-ol'-author, anonymous mean-spirited criticism will be a big part of the work, and even the really, really good stuff has plenty of "bad" reviews. Wish you the best of luck, though - it's more of a disadvantage being as out there as you and other tubers are, hopefully you can find a way to think about it without it discouraging you too much.
that's a really great way of looking at it! completely agree! honestly, for as long as I've been writing (most of my life as well), I still feel like a novice lol. but you're right that authortube is definitely more about the community/documenting process. and no matter what, aspiring to publish is going to come with criticism. thanks for the encouragement! :)
I would love to see you edit a subscriber's work, I think it would be really interesting! your writing vlogs are always so fun to watch and also really helpful!
thank you so much !!
You never need to apologise about the quality of your vlogs - they are all great and I really enjoy your insights into your process and writing.
I love the idea of you editing/ beta reading subscribers submissions! That would be so much fun to watch
ME too!!!
15:30 I love how you provided excerpts of the book you’re reading
Thanks for the content! I enjoyed it! ❤
Such a good chat about writers that have a presence on social media! I think all of your points are spot on.
It'll be interesting to see how that changes over the next few years with trad publishing evolving (along with lots of traditional agents now looking for that social media presence from most authors) and with self-publishing losing some of the negative connotation that it previously had and becoming more accessible to people. The industry is diversifying in so many ways, and I'm hoping that what comes with that is compassion for all of the different kinds of writers that exist :)
I totally agree! I’d love to see indie publishing really take off (as it already has started to) and I’d also equally like to see trad pub continue to evolve. more compassion really is the key!! ☀️
binge watching your vids while i do my work because it makes me feel more productive 🙌
HAHA ty Jordine !!! 💛
You're reminding me of the challenge I used to have with character descriptions. I think most newer writers hit the road bump of not factoring in how their viewpoint character perceives other people, because that REALLY colors the description when done right.
Sorry to hear about Act I. But if it makes you feel better, your first instinct on when your two MCs should meets is probably the right one, seeing as they're better off being developed as separate people before you explore what they're like together. (This is a guess. I haven't read your work. But I've sensed your instinct in how you talk about it.)
I'm so glad I found your channel, loving your videos.x
loved this vlog kris!! your videos are so insightful, like those character description excerpts you read from that book made me want to up my writing game so much and that’s the kind of motivation i need😂
ahh thank you vee !!! ☺️✨
I honestly don't understand how you can write from 10pm to 2am and then have a job in the morning? Do you like not need to sleep? HOW?
I'm currently working through revisions too, and I very much relate to not knowing whether the changes you are making are good enough and second guessing everything. I hope breaking things down into smaller chunks works for you! I've also found that not working linearly has been helpful to stop myself from trying to fix everything at the same time and instead jump to the scenes that I know need work on a specific thing
i dont do that every night LOL but i also work from home so i can get away with sleeping at 2am and waking up around 9 sometimes. also non linear revision sounds like a really good idea!! i’ve never tried it before but definitely tempting
I was thinking of editing some work too!! I’d love to see you do that :) I think writing publicly somehow hurts more through TH-cam…. somehow I feel like writers on Twitter are always praised 👀👀👀 This vlog is not a fail!! Thanks for sharing :)
true! YT is a "content creation" platform so the vibes are just different here. maybe bc the algorithm creates wider reach than twitter's idk ??? LOL i'm just too anxious sometimes T___T also would love to see you do some editing videos!!! literally my favourite kind of authortube videos
Re: writing publicly on TH-cam: I think being an author/online figure IS a double edged sword bc yes, people who have a negative perception of your videos might end up having a negative perception of your book, but I think it's important to note that it goes the other way too! People who already like your videos and feel like you're their "friend" are actually predisposed to LIKE your writing, and will get more out of reading it that the average person would. There are so many books that I've read and enjoyed way more because I had a sense of who the author was from their online presence, and that fact enhanced the reading experience instead of diminishing it. Obviously following the author online is not a necessary requirement for every book I read, but it does add an interesting layer of context. Anyway, just something to think about.
I love how this whole vlog you were trying to convince yourself you weren't writing a second draft XD I'd be curious to hear how breaking the revision into smaller chunks goes - Even just the thought of a big revision makes me overwhelmed, so any strategy to combat that is definitely a win! Thanks again for another great video!
that is true! i was definitely more focused on the negative aspects since i was feeling anxious that day 🥲 and i hope the “smaller chunks” revision strategy will work better for me too!!
One thing at a time does sound good! I've thought about writing a little story about a writer who worries about getting criticized... What would they do with that Wound? Big sign on my desk: I'm going to spend 20 minutes writing horrible fiction. Haha. Set the bar low.
do it!! 99% of writing is just trying out a bunch of ideas until you get it right :D