A (weird) month in the life of a full-time writer // a vlog // manuscript editing process
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มี.ค. 2024
- I meant for this to be a one-day vlog talking about editing my upcoming novel, The Broken Queen. Instead, the month took several unexpected turns!
Review team sign-up for The Broken Queen:
forms.gle/sTSsQAxveorrLnoe8
Patreon: patreon.com/user/about?u=34222724
Substack: lidiyafoxglove.substack.com/
Instagram: / lidiyafoxglove
Read the books!
Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/stores/Lidiya-...
(also available on Apple, Google, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other retailers and libraries)
The Hidden Lands books:
The Sorcerer's Concubine: books2read.com/u/4EKz8z
Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy: books2read.com/u/bPNRBr - บันเทิง
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With how isolated we all are and how commodified life has become, I think a lot of people are deeply CRAVING just ... honesty. Being down-to-earth in a gentle and patient way. And bonus: we get to learn about writing and creative life!
I've seen a few videos suggesting there is a "trend" toward honesty, which...I hope is true (& not in the sense of a fleeting trend) because I definitely prefer watching people who just seem real and down to earth myself.
Its also about being "Authentic" as a person :)
This is so right! Exactly ❤
I’m such a fan of this: “talking to the camera as if to a friend.” I think that’s what drew me to subscribe. I felt like you were talking directly to me, not yelling your opinions with “TH-cam” intensity. You are funny, and natural, and a great vibe for us who are already stressing about finishing our stories. Thank you for being our writer friend!
I agree. These videos feel like sitting down for a chat with a good friend over a cup of tea.
I read one of your books many years ago as an example when I was trying to learn to write for the Amazon market (I failed lol). Your book stood out to me as having a distinct style among a lot of books that felt very cookie-cutter to me, and I remember feeling curious about the person who wrote it. So I was so excited when I realized that this newer channel that the YT algo was showing me had been created by you! To answer all of my curiosities!
I really appreciate your straightforwardness and self assurance. I’ve been enjoying your videos so much.
Edit: just got to the part about your cat, and I’m so sorry! I’ve been there and it’s devastating ❤
I'm glad my style stood out, even though I am not sure it helped me in indie PNR! But I have no wish to lose it...I feel ya on trying to conform to the Amazon market.
"How do I make these characters less boring?" I know Lidiya asked this a month ago and has probably already figured out the answer, but in case anyone is pondering this question, I'm going to suggest the book The Secrets of Character by Matt Bird. There's a very nice audiobook you can listen to while cleaning, or hoarding, or cleaning all the items you've hoarded. But be prepared to pause it frequently because, if you're like me, you'll get a million ideas while listening and need to take periodic breaks to scribble furiously into a notebook.
I get so excited when I see a new Cozy Creative video pop into my feed!
So I am one of the people that the mysterious TH-cam algorithm showed what might be your break out posting. I subscribed. You are interesting. I love that you have taken such control of your writing. And OMG you are reflective. Keep going. you are a fresh voice that love already
Keep uploading consistently and staying true to yourself, and I guarantee you'll grow your channel. I'm excited to cultivate this parasocial relationship (lol). I'm glad I learned English and the TH-cam algorithm showed me your channel!
Greetings from a fellow writer from Brazil!
"I'm excited to cultivate this parasocial relationship" is the funniest thing I've read all day. It tickled me. 😂
@@ThatNerdyMystica little better than "you're weird. we'll be friends" I suppose😂
I am also enjoying this wit!
"Got rhe document, got the drink, and now I'm ready to... think." This is very relateable hahaha
I’m not surprised that you are getting so many more subscribers than you expected. You are a breath of fresh air with your authenticity on full display. I hope you’ll keep at it.
I love how your videos feel like visiting with a friend. One of the things you did right was getting a good microphone. Yes, we can hear cats and a dishwasher, but most importantly we hear you loud and clear. ❤ Sorry, about Oscar…grief is always an interesting journey. It is part of why I write. I enjoy hearing about your process as I am getting back into writing as I feel I have something to share. As one of your 4,000+ friends, all the best.
I love how real and honest you are. If i see one more lady running barefoot through a flowery meadow while simultaneously brewing coffee, tossing her flowing locks. I think i will leave TH-cam forever.😂
I like that you are your own quirky self. Please keep it up. X
Sorry about your cat, I agree that it feels impossible to push yourself to work when you feel sadness or grief. On another note, I love your outfits. Your personal style seems really cool. It's giving me eclectic Edwardian librarian. I hope that's a good description haha.
Nailed it. I am going for mid-century librarian crossed with Edwardian girl on vacation at the lake.
I love your videos. I also came across your 40 books in 4 years and now I've binged everything else. I'm so excited to be able to see you grow in real time. I watched as the numbers went up over the past few days. It's amazing!! I'm inspired to pick up my stories again.
Well obviously, you are a character and we are rooting for you.
Our lives seem to be mirrors of each other. Midlife crisis, death of pets, the business side of the writing life depresses the hell out of me, and just took a drive through the hill country (TX) because I've fallen into stasis. (Your new kitty's meows got my dog going😊). I totally understand the inability to focus. Thanks for being you and being real.
The way I immediately went to get the book about JRPGs in audiobook because I *love* JRPGs too and have started writing a novella series directly inspired from some of my favourites (Tales of Symphonia my beloved)
I'm up to my ears in a major rewrite and going through some medical stuff and this episode of Lidiya's Cozy Life both resonated with and relieved my soul. Thank you. ❤
i moved away from asheville one year ago and your biltmore footage just had me weeping. I used to take my horses riding there. i miss the mountains and the people. no wonder you feel comforting.
Biltmore is so beautiful!
Reinhard’s squeaks had me cackling.
I very much appreciate you!
Your videos are like hanging out with a friend. In fact, it's even easier (for me at least, not sure about you 😁), I don't have to put much effort into having my social hat on!
In terms of a weird parasocial-ness of it all, while I definitely want to see you succeed and grow your channel, a selfish part of me prefers to keep this intimate, community vibe going for longer 😅
Yes, I will say my favorite TH-camrs give me a decent dose of the sense of hanging out with a friend without the stressful parts of socializing! So many TH-camrs say they are super quiet introverts in real life, so perhaps this is the only space you hear this much from many of us!
Ain't that the truth. I used to help run an anime con in the early 2000s and the first two were the best, when it was small and everyone was soooo excited...
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Oh, wow, what was it like running an anime con in the early 2000?
We're the same age, btw, but I've not experienced anything as interesting, not even back then! I do hope you add this to a list of topics for a video!
@@tatli3630 Ooh, that would be a fun one. But the short answer is that it was pretty magical! I miss those early days anime cons, it just felt SO special.
That dog is just like me at my job.
There are 1,000,000 things I would like to say. I'm not gonna be able to say any of them. OK maybe 1 or 2. Thank you! I have 2 elderly cats. I dread the week You have had.
Great video to end a night with. Best wishes to you, the cats, and the work
Thank you very much!
Omg! I'm dying to see Biltmore, I am a librarian and hired an art historian to talk about Biltmore last year. You are so lucky to live near there 🤩
How interesting! Did they talk about anything in particular? It's a gorgeous place. The hall with the tapestries and the library (naturally) are my favorite as well as the conservatory/greenhouse.
Definitely added some of the books from your pile to my reading list, especially the one about JRPGs! I love this sort of friendly chat with the camera, especially when it's about the writing process. Including the lows--so sorry to hear about your beloved kitty 💜
Also, I just finished reading The Sorcerer's Concubine, and I really liked it! The exploration of Velsa's situation as a fanarlem felt really thoughtful and interesting. I own ball jointed dolls made to look like my characters, and I sometimes wonder what they would be like if they were alive 🤔!
Ooh, that's awesome, I dream of having BJDs of Velsa and Sorla. That is a hobby I dare not get into, but I looove looking at them.
I’m so sorry for your loss, dear.
26:18 also this top is so cute!!
I also live in Asheville. The biltmore house is always a fun trip. Its neat to see all that old stuff. I especially like the woodwork, and greenhouse. As a kid I liked all the secret passages. I guess I still like them. Im most of the way through Beauty and the Goblin King. I like how creative you are with the world building. I think Ill start on The Sorcerer's Concubine next since that takes place in your world you created. You inspired me to write. I went out to Mills river and camped in the woods for three days and just wrote the whole time. It felt good. I always wrote as a kid, and drew pictures. As a teenager I would write and dreamed of being a published writer. The trauma from childhood just caught up to me and I guess Ive been dealing with that since. I like that you mentioned that in this video. I thought of another video idea you could do. A Q and A about writing. Maybe ask everyone to list out questions they have that you could go through and answer. Im sorry about your cat, but Im glad you got some new ones.
The Biltmore is beautiful, annual passes are one of my splurge expenses. I'm glad the channel has helped spur inspiration and thank you for reading one & maybe more of my books! I am thinking of doing a Q&A for the 5000 subscriber mark, so...maybe I should.
Not really a comment about writing or literature .... But I'd like so say how fast and wonderfully your hair has grown in the last two years. The long braids look awesome on you, elegant and playful at the same time. Happy writing and happy hairgrowing to you --- and Happy Easter of course :) :)
Thank you!! I didn't even mean to do it, I just didn't get my hair cut during the pandemic, and then I realized that I really enjoyed fidgeting with braids ("a fidget spinner for your head" as I told one of my friends) so I just let them keep going. They're nearly at the length where they could tumble into the cat litter while I'm cleaning it so time for a trim soon though, haha
Regarding what you said about timelines/time jumps in romantic fantasy: Have you read the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning? It's not high fanasy or a classic romance, but has a way of getting around this issue that I think worked really well. Basically, the time that passes for the main character is sometimes much shorter than the time that passes for the rest of the world or most of the other characters. This is because time moves faster or slower in different worlds. So by the time a character (or group of characters)returns from a different world, a few months may have passed even though they spent only a few hours or days there. Since the story is told from the main character's point of view, these time jumps never happen for her own timeline and don't effect the pacing of the story or the relationships with other characters as much. Basically the time jumps never actually feel like jumps for the main character or the reader. But they do help the story to show how a series of large-scale events drastically change the world she lives in.
I haven't! That sounds interesting! Although it also sounds so inherent to the structure of that particular story.
I'm so sorry to hear about Oscar. I'm glad you took the time to grieve and process, though. That is so important. Would you consider doing a video on where to start with your current published works? I'd love to support your work, but I don't know where to start! There's so many books! ❤
Yes, I do plan to do a video that is just...all the books. The best starting points are The Sorcerer's Concubine (for my main/most beloved fantasy world), Beauty and the Goblin King (my most popular book) or for the reverse harem, start with Priestess Awakened or The Fairer Hex, both of those spin off into other series.
9:13 thats such an interesting discussion, we probably accept these things in novels because they are in fantasy so not real
I’m sooo sorry to hear about Oscar… Losing a pet is like a shockwave. Like losing any other important family member. Take all the time you need to process and heal and grieve. The writing will feel more right with time.
Also as a fellow writer it’a always refreshing to see other writers that aren’t setting crazy writing goals.
Watching your videos is like chatting with the author friend I always wanted to meet but when you brought out Buffalo Springfield you got a fan for life! 😊
My english is very poor, at least mediocre. But since I found your channel, I like to listen to you. Because you radiate passion, professionalism and honnesty.
You seem to build very deep universes and I'm very glad you share your expérience and thoughts of your creative process. When I'll had a better level in english, I hope I can read your work 💗💗
Your English is pretty good, honestly, but I understand how hard it is to feel confident with secondary languages.
Thank you for your kind comment. I wish you the best !
The cats fighting in the window was so funny to me 😂 I'm so glad your videos are popping off! I love your content. You really have created a cozy little space here! It's so refreshing.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
The tiny cat meows are just adorable!
Reinhard's meow is absolutely precious! And I am sorry to hear about Oscar ❤
Your videos are a breath of fresh air. As an aspiring writer, this is amazing.
I love how you showed how hard it is to concentrate on writing related task when life throws you a curveball! While I tell myself it's okay to take time for yourself when something goes wrong, I'm still stuck in a cycle of toxic productivity so it's comforting to hear your words and see you going through it.
I love the scenes from the Biltmore! We visited about 10 years ago during our honeymoon trip and it was splendid in the fall! Now I see it's equally as beautiful in the winter.
Great video! BTS footage on authors creating is my favorite thing in the world!
It IS so hard, I can feel myself wanting to get toxic in my productivity about this channel now... gyaah
Western NC is really quite pretty all year, I must say. It's not as brown in the winter as when I lived in Maryland, but it still feels wintry. We went yesterday to see the tulip gardens in bloom! SO gorgeous!
I escaped to YT to do something creative after a massive writer burnout (and to take a break from the Amazon algorithm) only to find myself in the clutches of a more demanding algorithm. 😅Now I'm at the whim of 2 algorithms Lol
Girl, I get you. 🥰@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor
I love your David Bowie shirt. And your curtains. And your kitties :). Your videos do feel calm and friendly, like being talked at by a friend who doesn't expect you to talk back too much, which is relaxing.
Haha, and in real life I am definitely the friend hoping I don't have to talk TOO much
Great video. Really loved your insights into your characters and how your storytelling evolves. Your honesty with how challenging it is to transition to vlogging is great. Your honesty and willingness to try and learn is so refreshing.
Aw, I'm sorry again about your kitty. We have an Oscar as well, though he's still a yougun at 4. It's so hard not to add more cats to the clowder, right? We are in the process of (very slowly) taming a stray who eats in our yard. She's very hesitant, but I am pretty stubborn and she deserves some love. We feed her every day and keep tabs on her. Last year she had a massive eye infection and we were sure she'd died when she disappeared for a bit, and were so happy when she came back. She has just the one eye now, but she's clearly got a strong will to live to get through that on her own!
Anyway, you probably don't really need my cat story, but there you have it! Keep on being you, you're so cool in the best geeky, weird way. I love it.
Aww, I do love a good cat story. Poor baby! I'm glad she survived it and hopefully is able to get some loving before long.
Your cat's meow is the cutest thing ever! ❤️
Just found you today and been devouring your videos! You’re adorable. Love your personality and your clothing and most of all your information. Blessings on your continued authoring.
Oh man I have so many thoughts about fantasy and being forced to be the chosen one and deconstructing that theme(? trope?) and playing with it. I can not wait for the book to come out! I'm interested to see what you do with it. Also lmao being reincarnated as a queen lifetime after lifetime and never being able to escape samsara or even become something better/worse is such, like. A horrifying thing. Also I'm so sorry about your cat :( I'm in a similar situation and it's so so so hard. Taking some time for yourself/a break is definitely the right thing to do!
This comment actually really helped some things start to click for me, so thank you!! & thank you about my cat, I'm sorry you're dealing with it too. =(
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Glad to be of service! And thank you.
I love that your real and authentic
My condolences ❤
What I enjoy the most about your content is the way you express yourself. Im a very anxious person so I often find myself speaking really fast, tripping over my own words. I admire the way you allow yourself to speak at a calm pace, pick your words. So I want to ask, is this how you have always been? You radiate such a relaxing vibe.
My guy refers to me as a "slow talker" so I'd say yes 😂 Though I can get fast and loud when I'm very excited or nervous
Loved the vlog! You’ve inspired me to keep writing 💪🏽
Seriously, I am *so impressed* with how quickly you came out. You just went for it and it worked out. I love when that happens! My channel is still under 500 after being here for 4 ish years (with major breaks in between), but I don’t think I could handle more than that mentally right now 😂
Congrats on all the huge milestones! The are well deserved! I’ve appreciated each and every one of your videos!
That first worldbuilding video sent me into a world building spiral that i desperately needed ty, congrats on 4k!
That afternoon walk was absolutely gorgeous!
"I can't be friends with 4000 people." Not with that attitude. :P
🤣
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor So one thing I ran into a 'problem' with was I started writing a story, just posting it on Royal Road (it's a web fiction site if you haven't heard of it.) and then just one day I realized I had 100+ people reading my story as it updated and I felt like a fake. I did finish that book. (though publishing online has made editing weird) but it's been hard to start 2nd one, because I have more people than I ever thought would read my stuff, waiting for me to continue and I just feel like such a fraud as a writer, that there's no way I can keep them entertained for an entire 2nd book. I don't even know why they liked the 1st one.
Sorry for the ramble. Haha 😅
@@Kit_Osix I’ve never published anything online like that, so take this with a grain of salt. I’ve helped myself through moments like what you’re describing (wanting to write well / be entertaining) by thinking about *who* I’m writing for. Am I writing this piece to further my own knowledge, stretch my creativity, flex my craft, and have fun while doing it? Or am I trying to be entertaining to people whom I’ve never met and will probably be let down (at least partly) regardless? It’s not an easy question to answer when the latter seems more pressing than the former, especially when, in such a public forum, one poorly received piece could affect viewership of the next one. Tl;dr, my advice is to attempt to get some perspective on what you want to do with your writing in the way that works best for you. I feel you. ❤
@@Kit_Osix I definitely know of Royal Road. Congratulations on the success!! And I feel you on the sudden anxiety. I can see that it was a VERY good decision for me to focus on a different platform, that it's felt like moving from a city where you didn't fit in and you thought it was just you to a city where the culture is different and everything clicks. But at the same time, it's panic inducing, I thought I'd have like 300 subscribers for months and I could just practice without anyone paying attention... Does Royal Road have any place where you can ask what they liked about the first one? Although sometimes readers don't REALLY know what they liked either.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthorEvery chapter has an open comments section, and some people do give me feedback on the chapters as I post them. I wouldn't call it the greatest forum for feedback, though people do occasionally tell me what they like (or more often didn't) but it's also pointing out grammatical mistakes or just discussing the story amongst themselves. There is a forum I could go to and request people to read with an eye towards feedback, but that's nerve wracking in itself because I'm likely to bring in a bunch of people who don't like what I'm doing, and my story would then be at the mercy of the reviews/ratings of the people I invited to critique my work.
So basically I want feedback, but I don't want feedback. xD
To be honest I love Royal Road on the whole. I read quite a few stories that are posted there, the genres I write for and enjoy are widely popular and I've met a lot of cool people. I guess I'm just anxious over my limited success. A lot of people I've read never manage more than a few dozen followers, and I never expected more than that myself.
Another great video. Sorry you lost Oscar. The new kitties are adorable 😻😻
Man, I gotta get out to Biltmore again soon...
I just adore your content ❤
Your kettle that you have in the background of your kitchen is so cute. I am sorry about the loss of your cat
Thank you!! I actually bought that kettle at the antique mall as a gift to myself on the first day that I made $100 in one day as an indie writer (& with The Sorcerer's Concubine, a book of my heart) so it's really special to me, as well as being so cute!
Congratulations! And thank you for the lovely stroll with Sate. 👍
I listened to that piece so many times writing my first novel Magic Under Glass...!
Really sorry about your cat❤
LOL Poofy Cat at the beginning made me LOL. This was great, thanks for sharing. I'm thinking about making the jump to indie publishing, and it's...well, scary. Esp since I'm doing science fiction now and it seems like traditional pub is not interested AT ALL in that genre right now. Will indie be different? Who knows! But I value your insights into the process and I appreciate your camaraderie!
Totally just insta-bought Fight Magic Items because you said the magic word of Final Fantasy and I knew I had to have it. I'm so sorry about Oscar. 💙
I am so excited to get back to that one... I never touched a book again in March because I started spending my evenings answering TH-cam comments and oops I'm doing it again
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor I had to give myself admin days with set hours so I could answer all the things like answering TH-cam comments without feeling guilty about not doing other things.
26:44 this made me laugh so much
I am so sorry about your cat. 😢
I assume you live near the Biltmore. We live on the other side of the Smokies in east Tennesse. I think this is a wonderful place to live. Ashville is a particularly artistic city. So sorry to hear about your cat. We have had cats most of our married life. I hope the new cats adjust quickly. Cheers
Another really nice video. Thank you.
I don’t know if only patrons can make video wishes, but I wondered if you’d like to share your process of making a series. Like do you plan it out start to finish or do you just write one volume after the other?
Also my condolences for your cat.
I don't have any sort of tier for who can ask for videos at the moment...I'll add anything to the list and then just selfishly make them in the order I want to make them in, lol...but yes I will add that to the list!
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor thank you so much
Oooo satie gymnopedie 😊❤
(english is not my native lenguage, so sorry for any mistakes) Be careful Lidiya Foxglove (cool name btw), sometimes TH-cam gets buggy and premiere videos aren't recommended like others. It's not 100% sure that it will actually happen, but it's cool to keep an eye on it.
I'm not sure what you mean...how do you keep an eye on it?
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor That's the tricky part. You can see if a video has fewer views than usual, perhaps because the premiere had a bug or because subscribers didn't receive notification. Turning on notifications is very important. But don't worry too much about it. It's something very rare to happen. TH-cam is something that no one really knows how it works lol
I'm so sorry 😔
Thank you
5:54 pure kino pun-zoom
I'm also working on a "book" about someone trying to reject their fate - but was going down the route that fate is just a guide to help you find your own path bla bla... XD
I have a question I wanted to ask you though, in relation to your 40 books in 4 years vid, can you go into more detail about how you went about producing books quickly? what the processes of rapid release were for you? -In case a new novellist wanted to try it :3
Also, I want to read one/some of your books but i have anxiety about explicit content - are any of your books "Safe for work" lets say?
"The writing will return" - i hope you feel better soon, I'm glad you are going easy on yourself
I have had a few requests for that video and I will do one although honestly for me it took a LOT of experience to get to that point. I don't think there is any way I could have written 10 books a year early on. Although some people do, but...I don't know how!
All of my YA under Jaclyn Dolamore are safe. Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy is the mildest of my books under Lidiya Foxglove, it has one or like maybe one and half sex scenes that have some detail but are sweet and not meant to be like, SPICY. So...depends how sensitive you are to it.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor thank you so much for the reply 😁
Hello, love your videos. :)
Sometimes the audio comes just from one channel so when listening trough headphones it's just in one ear.
Yeah, that was a problem on older footage. Should be fixed now, but this video was taken both before and after our tech troubleshooting evening...
I'd love to be in your discord server if you decided to open one
Awesome! That would definitely be fun & is something to look into!
Same!
Which Final Fantasy is your favorite? :D
IV, because it was my first & has an extremely powerful nostalgia factor. It's a comfort game for me so I've played it a ridiculous amount of times. It is also a great game, nostalgia aside! But objectively I think VI is the best one.
Questions for your substack. What camera and what microphone do you use for your you tube channel? Thanks.
you can also take snippets from your youtube videos and create tiktoks based on that! i wsih i could be your assistant ill work for free hahah
You are very homely, I love your style
And do you play Genshin Impact? 😂
I'm sure I'd love it, but I don't dare! It's hard enough squeezing in my JRPG back catalog...