I can relate. Give it to read for people you know. People you know will be honest. If they ever say something like this, keep their words somewhere and look at them whenever you feel hopeless.
I honestly don’t care if I don’t become famous. I just want to write the book I’m working on. I just wanna see it illustrated and an actual book in a store and not a bunch of paper clips and pencil drawings. And if I don’t even get my book published at all. Oh well, at least I have a hobby 😂
Honestly, I'm thinking out the characters and writing off paragraphs when I think of it because now I want to see the story, not necessarily because I want others to read it
I think an unrealistic expectation is that we will write a novel in 30 days. And then be revised, edited and published within 3 months. Nope, and I've read some self published novels that read as if they just finished NANO and hit publish on their keyboard.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I did it...just spent 12 hours a day working on it non-stop for three weeks...first draft + edits completed- but it's hard to get someone to comment on since the world's in lockdown (got a friend saying he liked it very much tho)
Easiest flaw is doing the "I'm putting this in the book because that's what everyone else is writing" on purpose; not out of love for the trope/ genre.
Well, there are successful authors whose indentity is not known in public. There aren't many, but there are. Some have blogs ratehr than vlogs, for example.
Don't believe what you hear in this video. Write what you love. Even if only a hand full of people think you are a Bright Shiny start you are. Be amazing, and don't ever let anyone steal your joy.
Something along those lines of those who do break out on their debut novel. The unicorn authors, are held to a higher standard, because their first book was so good. I personally would not want to be a unicorn author for that reason. All the rest of your books, will be held to a high standard, that most authors can crack under. Having all that pressure not just by their peers, but also by their literary agent or the publisher to write another successful book.
Yeah, that sounds absolutely terrifying to me. Obviously you want your debut to be well-received, but there’s a big difference between doing well and being an out-of-the-box smash that you’re expected to replicate over and over. I have been told by some of the heavy hitters in my genre (fantasy) that you’re always going to be judged on your first book. That’s fine. But being expected to match the success of a debut novel with everything you publish after sounds like a fantastic way to develop an anxiety disorder. I’ve already done that on my own, I don’t need extra help, lol.
I love watching Brandon Sanderson's lectures and he spent years struggling. I still expect to write my first novel, become rich, and be made supreme ruler of the known universe. I'm not unrealistic, it's not supreme ruler of the unknown universe. Stay safe.
It seems like Lady D got inspired to whiplash the freak out of everyone out there, who thinks that this scary time is their prime time to break out and shine. Ouch!
Loved this. I have occasionally given into flights of fancy about becoming a famous author, but at the end of the day the goal is really just to finish my novel and hopefully have a few people read it and like it. If anything beyond that happens that is just icing on the cake. I think people forget that often even the relatively smaller goals are massive achievements. Finishing a book is an achievement, publishing a book is an achievement, having a successful author platform is an achievement. Celebrate the smaller wins, because one you deserve it and two because each small win brings you closer to the bigger win. You have to enjoy the journey, because like you said the vast majority of people are the rule not the exception.
Gillian Flynn is another great example of a non-overnight success. Gone Girl was her *third* book, and while her first two were excellent and had some success within the crime genre, they made dust compared to the Gone Girl phenomenon. (Said phenomenon was so huge it enabled BOTH of her earlier works to get made into a film and miniseries, respectively.)
Oh my god same!! I feel like you know you’ve really made it when there’s at least one piece of fanfic or fan art for your book, because then you know it inspired at least one person
Yeah, when my debut novel came out last September, I got a lot of texts from my brother wondering how many thousands of copies I'd sold after a week or two. I definitely had to explain that that's not how any of this works, that it takes years (at least 3-5) to establish yourself, earn a fan base, and sell anywhere near that number of books, because no one knew who I was, or if my work was any good, or why they should care. That doesn't happen overnight, and I'm really glad you're making this as crystal clear as possible. Yes, you can totally build a following and yes, you can be successful, but what "success" looks like might not (almost certainly won't) meet your expectations if you're expecting to be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.
When you explain that to people, do they give you the vibe that you're just "making excuses" for not "succeeding?" I'm always afraid I won't be believed when I explain things like that to non-creative people (aka people who think artistic success happens overnight and if you don't fall into that category you're a Failure and/or must be a Crappy Artist).
Brittany Diamond I completely agree. I’d been writing, and thus talking, about what I expected to happen for years now. I figured that because I’d been talking about it for so long that other people in my family would just “get it”. And I am absolutely afraid that family and friends won’t get it, and that it’ll come across as me making excuses. It’s maddening, and I’m sure it is for you too. And there’s not an easy way to clarify it for people who don’t get what you’re doing. I tend to rely on facts like over 97% of books don’t ever sell 100 copies. Not sure if it helps but it’s a start :)
One thing that is a bummer. A friend of my got his book optioned by one of the big movie houses. They actually optioned it several times. Turns out they were just optioning to eliminate competition for the movie they eventually released. Felt bad for him.
See, I KNOW you're right...but I think we all have that teensy tiny flame of hope buried deep down inside that we will be one of those outliers. Haha! Like, part of me believes that, in the next 10 years, I can be the next Brandon Sanderson of George RR Martin. At the same time, I'm doing this because I love writing. If I don't make it, I won't be too upset.
The idea of “overnight success” is frustrating on so many levels, especially because even authors who break out with their first release still had what was likely YEARS of hard work and obstacles to overcome before that book ever hit the shelves 😅😅
This is like... really early/beginning writers, but the idea that any subsequent drafts after the first one are merely for spelling/grammar/basically copy edits and proofreading.
I think that having big expectations may help you to do everything you can to write your book the best way you can ~ of course, you better stay down to earth and keep in mind that all your wishes and dreams are not guaranteed 😚
Hey girl! I've been watching a lot of your vids since I discovered writer tube and author tube. I literally want almost all of these things for myself, I don't expect it, but I don't think we all hope for it.
1. Yeah...this is why my first reason for writing is because I like writing my stories, not because I expect to suddenly be massively rich lol 2. In all honesty I don't mind if I don't become famous. I think being famous would be my worst nightmare really 3. On the one hand I'd love that. On the other, considering how often I get pissed at adaptations getting stuff I like wrong, I dread to think what I'd think if they screwed up something I wrote myself 4. Luckily I knew from the start I was more "Fun blockbuster" than "THIS WILL BE READ BY SCHOOLCHILDREN FOR DECADES TO COME!" 5. Yeah, I started writing properly 6 years ago and still haven't done better than "It's a nice idea but not for me", so if any part of me expected to be an instant success that would've died out a LOOOONG time ago
I just want to create a new world where a handful of people get to experience. And to be able to get away from reality and write a storyline I came up with seems so much fun..
Thank you for this!! I needed to hear it because I plan on writing many many books in the future, and I shouldn't be so short-sighted with the idea that anything can happen quickly or being well-known overnight. That isn't what I want my writing to be about, I just want to learn how to finish writing a well written novel, and get published. Whatever happens next is whatever happens. :) Could you also do a video on like having a day-job and being a writer, because I don't hear many people talk about that.
So I've chosen "aspiring writer" as a new "career" goal and figured I'd need to prepare myself for what I can expect. And tbh although I believe you're talking from much experience in the field, your words hurt haha but I guess that's the game I've chosen to play. I've been writing stories for fun for about 10-15 years now but was focused on doing comics or animations, then I thought "maybe writing novels would be easier". And though i knew it would still be hard work; especially as it'll be a whole new style of writing, I want my naive hope that it could amount to something to help drive me to be marketable! I'm not insinuating you're wrong with this comment, far from it, people need the truth! But I also want to believe that there's a reason why I can't stop creating stories, characters, worlds. I may not "make it" or I may only do so 40 years from now, but that aspiration will fuel me until I physically cannot create anymore! Especially when there are some ideas out there that are imo god awful yet become successes haha
I think an unrealistic expectation for very beginners is that having an "idea" (nothing written yet) or 1 or 2 chapters as the start of an idea, means you're going to get published. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have a goal--I just think one should have humility and realize it's hard work to write a novel---especially the first one. Another unrealistic expectation--and maybe this is changing (but was my experience a few years ago)--is that just because you self-publish a book, everyone will recognize you as a published author. The first three books of my series, Annabelle of Anchony, were first published through a vanity press (I knew nothing about publishing at the time and didn't realize this was self-publishing). I then presented my first book--which had won the Catholic Arts and Letters Award in 2013--to Missouri Center for the Book, which was suppose to maintain a list of authors from the state; they would not accept my name, stating that they had to maintain a level of standard which did not include self-published books even though it had won an award from a writers guild (apparently, not enough of a standard!). Fast forward at least five years: My series has been picked up by a Catholic publisher (Marian Press) and it appears that the website for Missouri Center for the Book is no longer maintained and hasn't been for a few years. Oh, the irony of life!
I love the way you phrased that, "tug ya back down to earth; reset your expectations a little bit" it's such a gentle way to say it, cause many of us get in our heads from time to time, it's normal. The phrasing feels like a very validating nonthreatening way of saying that we are getting our hopes up and to da heck calm down lol.
Hey Alexa! Have you read all those books on your self behind you?? That’s a lot of books!! I Love to read but I stink at it and all those would take me forever 😩
Great video. Who doesn't have the book to movie type fantasies? They kind of inspire us, right? But they are dreams, not goals. Unrealistic expectations are not so healthy. 😀💖💝
@@DrVVVinK Oh, I know. I "worry" about that too, but it probably won't be an issue that presents itself, for most of us. I do know what you mean, though. I definitely think some movies seem better if you haven't read the book first...! 😀
I am writing the book I have always wanted to read. It’s not really about other people. I just want this book to exist. And if I’m being honest, I think it’s a sort of book the adult market is looking for right now. Selling the thing would be nice for the recognition
Hi Alexa, and thank you for all your videos. I may be the only one here who feels like this, but I am massively relieved because you freed me from something I don't really want to do. I was responding to others' expectations of me (a guidance counselor in grade five decided I showed promise and the teacher coached me and it was hell) - to money issues (I was kidding myself about hitting the jackpot), and to wanting someone to know what happened to me - which isn't actually fiction and I could probably get sued for slander. Even my own privacy and reputation would be at risk, and all that goes with that. If I can figure out how to write something truly nice, if I do it just for me, I still might incorporate these characters that exist in my mind, and it's kind of hard to part with them, but for now I'm hanging up the pressure and doing something I love. I also will look for a more available and immediate income source. Your video has been a life saver! Many thanks.
Gotta get in my German street cred haha. (My favorite word to say "auf Deutsch" oddly is actually Psychology b/c it's SO WEIRD in German and it took me ages to learn haha)
Alright, Alexa, is the voice of personal experience? :) I can check off 1, 2 & 3, but 4 and 5 were never my curse. I wish I understand how you made me like you so much, I turn off the world when I watch your videos. Do your videos have evil mind-control, subliminal hypno-beams aimed at the viewer, because it sure is working. :)
Thank you! It actually started as a HORRIBLE look I hated (used a brand that got all muddied boo) so I just put a TON of glitter on top and ended up really liking it. Repeating a similar look today ha.
Happy April 1st! Mah birthday is comin' up soon ☺️🥳🎉 I'm gonna be 21. Wanted to go bowling🎳 but just gonna have to settle with Wii bowling at home because of the Rona' lol! 😷 Stay safe everyone. Had to get extra groceries today because apparently the lockdown is going to be more strict for the next couple weeks!
What?! You mean "sands in summerville" won't be in the movies?🙄 No Oscars? 🙄Well now that I'm deflated😂No seriously I'm not looking to get rich or famous but I would like for people to know my name - or at the very least - seeing my book in print and a few people would've read my book. Thank you Alexa for keeping us grounded.
I've heard some people (not writers) say that one-book-per-year authors 'write for a few days and then spend the rest of the year relaxing and reaping the profits'. Um... no??
Actually, being authors isn't the most difficult way to earn money. The same goes for other artists: painterד, sculptor, actors. But for all the things you mentioned... I think people hope for it to come true rather than beliving it. I still doubt I'll be able to publish mine.. In neither of the ways (the optimism...). Talking about realism: it's not that I have Impostor syndrome, I think what I wrote was good. It still needs work but good. Not the best in the world. Is there a way to overcome the fear of if I can publish it? In the USA everything is so easy, where I live. It's so much harder. Are there tips to help you make those first steps? (It's still too early, I'm just in my second edit, but still)
If you have a market for the type of book you write, where you live, then you can go for traditional publishing. I write sci-fi/fantasy and while that does have a market in India (which is where I live) it's a small market mostly dominated by mythological retellings. So I decided to self publish after gaining little traction with traditional publishing. Since I don't have the budget to spend much money on publishing, I started out by publishing just in ebook format and on sites like Wattpad (to gain an audience). No matter where you live, it's never easy. But we now have access to a global market, which probably makes this the best time ever to be an amateur author, especially if you're writing in a widely spoken language like English. Web novels are flourishing in other parts of the world too. Chinese ones are VERY popular. So if you're not in America and don't have a huge local market for your writing, harnessing the power of the internet is your best bet. It requires lots of patience and hard work but very little upfront investment. You can spend as much or as little money as you can afford and still have a shot. Definitely worth a try, in my opinion.
@@zetaforever4953 Well, no doubt, I have no market at home for what I write. It is a drama fantasy, a genre just doesn't sell... at all... maybe for urban fantasy. Publishing in English is an optiom, but good luck for me translateing everything... And then you need al the connection stuff... Sounds so tiring.
@@sharonefee1426 if you don't mind, may I ask which country you're from and what language you write in? There's a large online market for almost all major languages...Chinese English Spanish and the like. My mother tongue is Bengali, which has a pretty niche readership in India and Bangladesh, and none for my genre. So I find it more beneficial to write in English. That may not be the case for you depending on where you are and in what language you write.
But hold on a second. What if I'm a brilliant genius Shakespeare reincarnate who has this awesome "pride and prejudice meats turd unicorns revolutionary idea that will create a genre on its own" idea...come on, that's gotta be millionz of dollarz right there, I mean... amiright?
I don't think I've ever had those unrealistic expectations. :D I mean, every now and then the thought kind pops up, but I never expect that to really happen. I mean... no likely. XD Bit IF it did, it'd be cool. I wanna be rich, yes? But that's not gonna happen. Haha! XD
@@Dracocetus I'm gonna do my best to write good books and sell them. And promote them. That's all. I'm not gonna lay down and die freely. :P Then if it happens it happens, you know. Even if that's not likely.
Not sure what the intended outcome is in a video aimed at“resetting expectations”. In my experience, most aspiring writers will keep working towards their goals and hopes, regardless of most of the points here, only they might write with a little less enthusiasm.
Well as stated early on, this one is for mostly outliers (word of the day!) who do legitimately think these things. I see them on Reddit all the time. If that's not you, just enjoy this as an amusement! Most of us love writing so much we never had these expectations, and they're not our reason for writing anyway.
@@AlexaDonne I also see it through the anger in most comments on other authortuber videos. People being angry about the reality, of how hard it is to get an agent. The funny thing I find is most of the grammar in those comments is so bad, I know right away why they can't get an agent. Thanks Alexa for giving some of these kids a reality check.
I really want to turn writing into a career and know I'll still have to work a day job. There is still hope deep down that things will be just me writing someday but I'll be realistic no matter what. My question is what about authors like Tomi Adeyami that explode on their debut. How does that work?
If you haven't already, could you do a video talking about reversals? I've heard you talk about them and I understand the basics, but I want to know more in depth about how to pull off an effective reversal and when/what situations they can be applied too.
Hey Alexa, any advice on writing short stories or novellas and their popularity or lack there of in publishing? I find my writing style is better when short and succinct then when I try to write a full 100k book. I am writing adult fiction but would love your advice. Thanks!
Luck and being a celebrity. Celebrity X's guide to how to cut your toenails, Celebrity Y's guide to how to cook Pasta, when all the actual celebrity knows is to push a button on the microwave.
Pretty much like saying you want to become a professional athlete. You'd have to work your ass off for years just to get a contract in a minor team. Big teams, piles of money, awards, hall of fame, that's not for everyone.
Serious video request. Fun discussion/review of classic novels that have a theme of plague. I tried to read The White Plague a long time ago by Frank Herbert. It started OK. But it lost its way to me. After 100 pages I gave up. I know that it was nominated for awards. Has there ever been a novel that tried to predict what a real plague/virus would do to society, as now, and got it right? In my opinion The White Plague failed to do that.
I was a game developer for a few years. Same thing. People thought I played ping pong all day and had catered lunches and was making bank. No. Most games are sold for pennies and earn nothing. None of our games broke into the mainstream. I was working 18-hour days in a small room with three other guys. Left the industry.
Imagine having this expectations while not being an american author. I mean, non-american or non-english authors are not as widely read throughout the world, not even in their natal countries. I'm mexican, and plenty of american authors have more success here than us! So yeah, better abandon those expectations and write for the love of it instead of vanity.
Hi, Alexa! It's been weeks since I started subscribing to your channel and learning from you based on the pieces of advice you share in your videos. And I am happy that I learned also to apply some of your tips already since while in self-quarantine, I decided to start writing a story and more poems and publishing them on Booknet/Litnet (I learned about the app when their ad showed att the end of your video haha). Anyway, thank you, thank you for doing what you do (I follow you and that iWriterly author here on RU-vid). If I may suggest, could you talk about tips on how to deal with potential copyright disputes or cyberpirates stealing from people's works especially those who self-publish online using platforms like Wattpad, Amazon, and Booknet/Litnet? If you have discussed this in your prior videos, disregard it but I ask for the link. ^_^ Again, thank you! Regards from the Philippines. - Aeoald Serne Reuel (my pen name, which I created after watching your vid on pen names haha)
Serious question here. In an age of feminism am I allowed to say this anymore? The world has such a black and white view; any complement that a guy makes about a woman's appearance is sexist, or even harassment with an eye to the big house. As a guy that is why I cannot class myself as a feminist. But I agree, Alexa, your hair looks great. Mine looks like a "1980's mullet" [millennials look up mullet hairstyle] because in the days of plague my hair takes a back seat. But out of concern for anyone who has to see it, I will be getting a pair of scissors and doing it all myself very soon. Hopefully such self-styled style doesn't produce a hair outcome that is even worse for me.
1 fast cash: I never got confused about this one: have to pay first and may / may not get some trickling in over time 2 famous? I actually worry more about infamy 3 the movie: that's off my radar - it would be out of my creative control anyway 4 evergreen: who knows 5 overnight success: not me hahaha
Hi Alexa, can you please talk about what makes a newbie writer a ‘newbie’ writer. I’ve been writing since 2013, but still haven’t published my first book, does this mean that I’m a newbie writer? And can you please talk about how can I trust a beta reader with sending them my novel. Not saying theyre going to publish it themselves. But for them to just put it online. Thanks.
Why not try going even shorter and deliberately writing short stories? Not everyone writing fiction has to be a novelist, and plenty of novelists have also published short fiction. You might consider both trying to flesh out your writing and paring it back to short stories and see which works better for you.
It doesn't but my brain wants to add more to this character😍, that one scene that one event I glossed over from a new pov character that would only get that one chapter 🤪, so I have too many pages and nothing to connect them🤣. I get to the middle blank 😶. The book I'm working on has a broken time line giving little bits off the plot as it goes but is way too character driven. I probably have 4 light novels for side characters 🤣😭🤣. The mains are though to write they get under my skin but the have to be for character development to happen. I'll probably have to toss half my pages out to clean out the clutter, or page count.
It's expensive, tons and tons of work, and requires a whole team of people you have to pay. And you probibly need sponsorship or contracts to get picked up by a company or show/movie industry.
Alexa! I just watched your video about 'filing off the serial numbers' and i'm doing that myself right now - but I have a question! When it comes to publication of these fanfictions-turned-original, what's the deal with the first rights of publication? How will this effect my chances of getting the work traditionally published - am I destined to only self publishing it? Thank you!
Writing isn't a quick cash business, that's for sure, THAT SAID, you can definitely make quick cash writing erotic shorts. I can type a 3k to 4K erotic short story with a basic formula in one day, and using the right tags/keywords you can make 80 bucks off one short! You make more money if you publish one every single day, so if you can slam a bunch of them out in a rush, you can make good cash. I did this throughout high school and would make decent money. You can at least consecutively make around minimum wage if you learn what works and doesn't. I can't do it anymore because it was zapping my creativity and I wasn't proud of those stories, I wanted to write M/M fantasy and I was stuck writing whichever porn tropes/genres were relevant, and the stories don't sell for long, they've got a lucrative shelf life of like four to five days tops, then they die. You can repackage them but it's exhausting. So you can money quick but it's an annoying/frustrating way to do it at times.
Writers have it bad? I compose music. 100% self taught. Been doing this for nearly 5 years. I don't want to make money. I don't want to be famous. Because I don't play piano, I just want someone, anyone, to play one of my compositions. I don't mean with an audience. I don't mean in a concert hall. I just mean to play it. Yes, I would PAY someone else to play it if necessary. Every composing forum I have left because the classical music "community" is the most negative, nasty, snob-ridden swamp. Before anyone says get on Facebook etc, I would rather have both legs cut off then use Facebook. Gen X, hate social media. Hate it. I closed my Facebook account in 2010 when the TOS said that your photos can be used for ANYTHING without ever telling you. I am resigned to the fact that I will go to the grave like Lovecraft, having created an enormous amount of stuff that took superhuman work and time, yet none of it having got anywhere,
@@uui219 That is called the trap of functionalism: the fallacy that if someone wants to do X they can do X. You remind me of my university where every arts student was required to learn to touch type. If I could ever touch type I would join The Moonies.
I don't expect any of those things... I would love them to happen lol everyone should dream a little... But I don't expect it. My book as a movie wouldn't happen. Its a choose your own destiny adventure romance that involves polyamory lol soooo not likely
(Can't tell if you're joking?? So consider this reply directed at the folks who say that kind of thing seriously.) Title is "Unrealistic Expectations" ≠ never. A vanishingly small pool of outliers and exceptions exist, but they're not aspirational, they were lucky. Between 2010-2020 around 4Million English books were published. How many got popular and got movie deals? Pretty sure it's >20 in a decade. Those are not good odds, not the kind of thing you should expect. Hence "unrealistic expectation".
Alexa Donne, I have Noticed the books with original ideas sell well. Also, you've bumped your head if you think Stephen King and JK Rowling didn't write for money. Stephen King started a career in writing to make money. JK was basically homeless and had a prophetic moment that literally said she'd be a big deal with wealth. Your video honestly sounds like you are disappointed in yourself, and projecting onto others. Please stop. Stop being a negative Nelly, and killing the dreams of new writers. So what if they dream big. Shooting for the stars and landing on the moon, is still a big deal. I'm certainly glad a young Jane Austen wasn't around to hear you say such things to aspiring authors. I wish you all the best, in the future.
You didn't watch her video on author worries that dont matter did you. She stated that ideas are cheap. There are no original ideas, execution is everything. Anyone can have the same idea for a story but the way you Express it or interpret it in writing is what matters. I see where your coming from though. It's easy to look at these famous and wealthy authors who's books and characters are iconic in pop culture and media and think they are just origonal. But the truth is every story has influence from other stories as far as ideas and concepts. The original ideas thing I think is just an illusion.
