jealous of writer friends, perfectionism vs. procrastination, & equity on authortube // LET'S CHAT 🧁 

SHOUT-OUT TO PORSCHA SIMMONS (at 23:52 in the video)! ☀️ Her channel: ru-vid.com/show-UC88LO3M5kF5c7vGmODpoi1A Her anthology, RADICAL: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NZ77MC9/ref=ox_sc_act_image_7?

I've been "jealous" in the sense of "Man, her prose is amazing. I want to write like that." Or, "She got an agent? I'm so jealous." Or, "You sold how many books? I'm so jealous!" And yet, none of that is is true green-eyed monster jealousy. Do I wish I had the same successes? Sure. Am I upset that they achieved those things? Nope. Do I wish bad things upon them? Nope. Am I feeling bad about myself or my accomplishments? NOPE. I've never felt the ugly kind of jealousy for any other author. We need a word with no negative connotations or denotations that means, "I am impressed by what you have achieved, and I would love to achieve that too!"

Thanks so much for the shout-out. I'm fangirling that Kate Cavanaugh knows who I am. Also, this is an exceptional video as usual :-)

As a disabled writer who’s working on setting up my RU-vid channel it makes me happy to hear you talking about diverse RU-vidrs!

Sometime when I read I see the characters in animation ( 2D or 3D ) and in other books I see them in live action, in my worlds building I see my characters in animation, I know why, it’s because I appreciate the animated media more than the live action 😊

The best method to overcoming procrastination is really to just start. To overcome perfectionism though, you have to keep going. I give myself only a few seconds after writing one sentence before I force myself to write another and I never look back. Don't be like Orpheus, folks. Just keep swimming like Dory instead.

I’ve been jealous of people who seem to have an easier time networking and are super comfortable on camera. I also have major ADHD, and have struggled with finishing things. I hate that this has stopped me from starting a channel, plus sometimes it feels like RU-vid is over saturated with aspiring authors... and like, what could I bring to the table? So I haven’t really started my channel. Seeing this in writing feels ridiculously dumb, but in my head it’s been a rather enormous mental obstacle. 🤦🏼‍♀️😞

When I'm struggling with writing because of mental health, sometimes I find setting a timer and writing flash fiction for that time is helpful. It's something that's low pressure for me, and if I like it I can go back later and expand on it.

You helped me during my first Nanowrimo when I wrote and published my first book. Now working on my second, you inspire me! I didn't get to 60000 words this Nanowrimo, but got to around 80% and I'm also doing my final exams and graduating high school this month, so I'll forgive myself on that. Thanks for the inspiration!

I’ve literally been having this aphantasia conversation on my Facebook the last few days, along with people who don’t have an inner monologue. It never occurred to me that some people out there don’t have an inner monologue or that they can’t visualize pictures 🤯 when I read or write, it’s like a film playing in my head. So vivid. I also have vivid dreams. It’s so mind blowing how different our brains can process. I don’t think my brain has been quiet or picture-less for any moment in my whole life.

Omg I'm one of the writers that doesn't visualize the scene, I just write words and try to make them sound nice together haha!

- i never really thought about it much but when I’m writing it goes back and forth between animated & live action. Fantasy stories/SciFi are in animation and contemporary are live action

Terry Pratchett's books and specifically the books with his Death character are how you say, chef kiss. You should check out the movie "The Hogfather" during Christmas. Death is the main character. It's out there, but fun. Also, I tend to edit as I go. I've only ever completed one novel. But in that very recent experience, it made the final editing process seem less daunting. Which is good, because I have a love/hate relationship with editing. And this pantser is sticking with her same answer on the jealousy question - if you can outline your story, I am jealous of you. LOL. Finally, I am meeting my writer friends through AuthorTube. So different than any schooling and corporate career I've ever had. My heart belongs with writers and creatives. This community is wonderful and I am so grateful that it exists.

After watching this, I see you would make a great housewife🤩❤ being in your element at home, getting to write on your own schedule! Literally a dream

I visualize animation or live action depending on the book I'm reading, though usually it's a weird merge of the two (like those "realistic looking but still definitely drawn" artworks), especially when there's more fantastical stuff going on or if the characters/places remind of other animated ones.

I think in rapidly changing images/movie scenes. I hear the words (my movies are talkies). I read once that about 10 percent of people see no images in their heads and think in words. My brother was that way. He was a genius in math and engineering, and in nursing (his second career), but he was blown away when I told him I see moving pictures in my head. In that same article, I read that people who see images are on a sliding scale. Some see still photos, others see rapidly moving images (movies), and others are somewhere in between. Fun stuff!!!

For heavy dialogue scenes, I always imagine it as a very cinematic film, making sure I visualize their expressions so I know to write them down to get the feel of the scene right. For action scenes I always tend to think of them as animated just because I love anime. Since i'm also teaching myself animation, i can visualize crazy choreography for my scenes and I think it really helps with the energy.

LOVE that you’re doing shoutouts and making active strides to increase equity on authortube!! So exciting! Lovely video as usual ❤️

while i was watching this i realized i have 10 subscribers now! something long-term i've always wanted to achieve is drafting a book to its final form, i.e. past the first draft, and I'm working on it!

I have aphantasia, the inability to picture images in your head. Just recently discovered that most other people can picture images - I always thought when they said to imagine a scene, they were speaking metaphorically. And like with your friend, it’s all about the words for me. The upside is that the expression “I can never unsee that” is meaningless to me. I can! Love your channel. Keep doing what you do. 😎

I have been jealous of other writers successes, but to get past it, I remember that they have worked hard to get where they are and I am not there yet.

I imagine scenes in live action! Not everything I write, but some key scenes - they come to me spontaneously (often in bed in the morning/evening) & they're usually a sign that my brain is super into the story. They're also extremely detailed, like a film in close third-person perspective. Your discussion of it actually makes me want to try & make it happen more deliberately, like visualizing an important scene immediately before I write it down. I wonder if that'd make the writing more vivid! And I've definitely been jealous of writer friends who are more successful or find a traditional publisher which of course is not a healthy feeling to have. Sometimes it kind of motivates me to do better though. ^^;

I imagine mostly like you, where it's live action but slightly nebulous with no facial features, but if the scene I'm writing really reminds me of anime, then I imagine it like an anime

My brain imagines everything like a movie when I read or write. I can see everything in detail, but it is usually composed like I'm the one behind the camera. I think this is because I went to film school and worked on the camera team. I imagine everything from the perspective of what it would look like if I was setting up a shot. I've literally thought in terms of "this would be the perfect moment for a close up" or "using natural light from a fireplace would make this scene feel warmer." As a reader, it's like I'm planning out an adaptation for the screen. As a writer, I try to convey the intimate feeling of a close up or the warmth of a fireplace with the words I choose. I also cast books as I'm reading, and I keep a folder of cast photos for books I'm writing. For example, I will never accept Woody Harrelson as Haymitch in Hunger Games because I pictured him as Stephen Root while reading it.

Bedroom window is amazing! I see it all in live action, and all my books so far have started with me seeing a scene before I even decide its a story I'm going to write. I get my story ideas in scenes. I don't know if that's normal, but hey, it's me.

I see my scenes in live action, but definitely less detailed than if I were to watch a movie. I can't always hear voices, shadows are less defined, and things are less 3D than if I were to watch a movie. Things almost feel... far away? As though I'm standing across the room from anything happening? That said, I don't usually see a lot of shadow or depth in my normal thoughts, either... It's interesting how we all experience thought and imagination differently, though.

Reminder creativity is never a competition, it's unique and you don't always have to follow all of the "rules" because like picasso and Bach and many other artists/ creative people they didn't always fit in

Is it rude to say that I have a crush on you? OMG, you're such an adorable, kind, intelligent, and beautiful woman-plus you love writing, which is the thing I also love the most. Keep going with your work! I love your content.

I have aphantasia and I wouldn't say I imagine "in words" exactly, I've heard someone describe it as their brain was a functioning computer without a monitor, but I think of it more like drawing with a black pen on black paper. Also, on a side note, I feel like I can imagine sounds, textures, and tastes better than most...so that's a thing, lol. PS If y'all are interested i think the most interesting consequence of having aphantasia is that I don't know what my parents look like unless they are physically in front of me (though I factually know, for instance, that my dad has a mole on the end of his nose, and stuff like that)

When I am reading and writing I am very visual like live action. I think this is a gift and curse for my writing lol. I can know the mood I'm setting while writing but if I get stumped it's like we're (me and my characters) chilling in current setting waiting to figure out what's happening.

I have aphantasia, I assume that’s what you’re talking about? I can still visualize scenes that I’m reading to a VERY small extent, but it’s more just like a hint of movement or a sense of place instead of actually seeing it in front of me. I’ve found that it actually makes it quite difficult to get into a new book, whereas games and movies are easier as I have something visual to go off of. I think that might be why I’ve gotten so bad about reading proper novels and tend to resort to fanfiction as I already have a slight mental image to go off of.

Thanks for answering all these questions! Your schedule organization is excellent. I have a whiteboard that I use in a similar fashion to separate must do and "If I have time" tasks. Love that you do shoutouts to smaller channels. Community support is so important.

1) Live action or animation? It really depends and is so random, some books make me go live action, some go into a cartoon/anime kind of thing, and sometimes I even have a mix of both depending of the character. 2) How to overcome perfectionism and procastination? I don't think I'm a perfectionist myself, I just let things go as they want to and if they don't feel perfect oh well, it's what I could make. Also I do procastinate a lot (I'm doing it now) so yeah...that still a problem. 3) Have you ever felt jealous of another writer and what to do about that? Yeah I guess, but it's never a thing that gets to be toxic or hurtful, I guess it's just beautiful that I get to read this talented person and I want to push myself to be better. 4) How to write when you aren't in a good moment? I usually don't force myself, I've seen forcing myself doesn't end well so it's better to just wait. But if I really want to write something then deciding for something really short and using some prompt to help my creativity seems to help. 5) Where and how to publish and get money from it? I don't make money from it and I don't feel no interest in doing so. 6) Help divercity in authortube? I don't participate in youtube as a content creator but I would love to support diverse channels. 7) Any longterm goal? Finish a multichapter work, something longer than three chapters. 8) How did you meet your writing friends? Internet, Tumblr and forums. 9) What do your first drafts usually look like? I usually edit while writing so my first drafts are pretty close to the final result.

I'm not generally a jealous writer as in I don't get jealous of a lot of fellow writers the people I tend to get jealous of are the greats who managed to capture the small details and scenes which I just never noticed in real life and that I fail to apply in writing. also I get jealous of those who have a certain musicality to their words because when I'm writing I do like to write with a certain musicality but it is quite difficult and it ends up taking a little bit longer.

I usually see scenes like in a movie, but when I'm brainstorming, etc. it's like gif's of the most important moments of the scene 😂 Weird, I know

I really like the way you described seeing things in black and white and without sound until you really get immersed and start fleshing out the scene. Totally relatable. I've only ever seen things in live action and pretty detailed, but the characters have always been sort of vague, particularly their faces. I almost feel their energy representing them more than seeing the physically details of who they are. Brene Brown has helped me a lot when it comes to perfectionism. I love her, she's the best. Her research has been super enlightening and liberating. Your zero draft thing has been so freeing for me when I first watched your video about it. It's the thing that's allowed me to finally buckle down and get to writing my first draft EVER because I've never completed a draft before out of fear of 'doing it wrong' or whatever. SO immensely helpful to think of it as the zero draft. Thanks for sharing that!!!

The scenes depends. If there is an action scene inspired by an animation, I see it as an animation and I can slow it down or speed it up. Live action, I cannot slow down or speed up just play on repeat. Stationary scenes are more like paintings.

I always see a movie that I try to describe in words. I hear sounds, I smell scents, I feel everything my characters feel, even physical pain. So it's very hard for me to write sometimes. The last time when I wrote about my protagonist's pet (who also was his best friend) death I cried for two days straight.

I find how I imagine my book depends on what I'm writting! I kinda have 3 wips, 2 of which I see them in manga/animr style animation due to the genre/base of their stories (both are Asian isc) while the other which i haven't worked on really but is live action in my mind as it's a scifi

Yes, lol, Kate I'm the same way. If it's a really good book it creates a movie in my head and I no longer see the words on the page just watch the movie unfold in my head.

I think that Anne Lamott talks about this in a chapter. Thanks for the information Kate!

I've never thought about seeing things in animation! That's such an interesting concept and I wish I read/saw in animation, I'm jealous of that! I guess this would work better for particular genres?

something i've been doing a few times every week is time tracking my day, logging everything i do and how long it takes me to do it. it's truly terrifying to realize how much of my time is untracked, i.e., how much NOTHING i do every day hahaha

It depends. I see my book depending on the type of book it is. But generally rule of thumb is if it's an emotionally intense scene it's in live action.

Thank you, Kate. I feel so seen! As an Indie author, I definitely feel the comparisonitis and jealousy as regards others being able to afford ads and better marketing strategies. I do what I can with social media and word of mouth, but it really isn't going anywhere. And then there's the classic, "Ohhhh. You're **self** published?" distain in people when they ask about my work. Like I'm not a real author because I'm not traditionally published.

I’m pretty sure I have aphantasia - and so I’m often drawn to books with beautiful writing styles, and I resonate most with metaphors to describe people or places. I’d describe my experience of getting in the flow of reading as like there’s a magnifying glass over the words - the world around me falls away, I also stop being aware of turning the pages, and I’m experiencing all the emotions of the book hardcore, but I only ever see the words. On the plus side, though I can’t stomach movie horror, I can read horror and have it be a fun spooky time and then close the book and I’m good :)

Nice scheduling I've been doing what I know is an easy/simple task first to help me do more on my to-do list.

I never even thought about people imagining in animation style!

i'm determined to publish my book for under 2000, which i know i can do whether i self publish or go traditional route. and so far so good. ty fiverr

What's a long term writing goal that you've always wanted to achieve? As creative people, I imagine writers will have all sorts of fanciful answers to this question. For me, the dream would be to have my book used/taught in schools. Like all the famous, brilliant literature the teachers told my classmates and I to read and we didn't. Does that mean my long term goal is one of rejection? Have you ever been jealous of another writer and how do you get past comparisonitis? I find I don't get jealous so much as inspired. What's the secret to getting up and writing when your mental health is at an all-time low? Yeah, what Kate said but I'd add, watching Kate for her enthusiasm. Oh and the dogs obvs.

This is a really interesting question. I usually imagine settings and landscapes as live action, but my characters sometimes are more reminiscent of a motion comic, than actual animation. Definitely not consistently live action. I would love to hear a psychologist analyze what this says about all our brains.

Perfect timing Kate! It’s lunch break time!

Aaaah Porscha and Sid!! :D This makes me so happy!

Waiting for Kate..... your advice is amazing.... methods of beating perfectionism.... excellent job......holds all the BEST people back!!!

I've been getting into Louisa May Alcott lately. Little Women is a great book to read.

You’re the best! So honest! And it’s so motivating. 💗

I see vague live action. Like, not blurry, but I can see things happening but without much detail. So I can't really picture faces as I read but I can see like, their outlines or maybe outfit if it's described. Kind of like if someone flashes you a photo real fast and then takes it away. You get a vague idea of what was on the photo, but wouldn't be able to give details.

Oh yeah, I definitely see things, both when I read and when I write. Also when I’m trying to fall asleep. Lol

When I am writing the scene for the first time I don't see it, but when I am editing, then I see it in live action.

this could not have appeared at a better time, thank you, Kate! (A new Scary Fairy Godmother video AND Kate's video - what a great day for me!)

Great job of coordinating questions and vlog--and all your tasks!! My impression of Medium is that it is no longer viable nor consistent since they changed their subscription/profit-sharing model :/

Love this! Thanks Kate

My imagination is very odd. Almost always it's at more of a dreamlike level. Even when I focus really hard pictures in my head are never as clear, detailed, or vibrant as real life. Even my memories have a dream-like quality to them and aren't as sharp or clear as I know they were when they happened. (The longer ago a memory is the less details and more dreamlike it seems). I don't know if it's like this for everyone or if I have some sort of halfway aphasia.... It's interesting. And maybe I'm just lazy, so I only imagine the bare minimum when I'm reading. If I really work at it, I can make it clearer and more detailed, but it's definitely challenging to get really clear images. I'm also fascinated by people who don't have an inner monologue when they think. I'd say I think in a combination of ideas/images and in words and an inner monologue. But for people who can't think in words... that just blows my mind!

I use Scrivener to write the story and then export to Word to edit with Track Changes on.

When I visualize my writing or any work really it's most likely in animations. It probably comes from me loving the medium and hoping I one day can make a Cartoon or an animated feature.

I don't know if I could stop seeing scenes. I don't know if I could write a scene I wasn't actively looking at.

Esto es un poco difícil de describir en inglés, así que lo haré en español y espero que uses el traductor. Veo mis escenas normalmente como un live action que es un poco animado, no hay otra forma de explicarlo. Al principio era sólo animado porque veo mucho anime, pero luego se volvió más como live action. A veces es completamente live action, otras veces no.

Scenes: so I don't like to put detail of the character's face or major physical features on paper because I want the reader to see themselves as one of these people. For minor characters I did have other actors in mind for like body types and sense of humor and stuff...but I would never give anyone a full on description down to how many chin hairs they had, ya know? When I do a scene it's very much like a white room, with white blocks that can be molded into anything, I give them sets. I put the characters in and say what I'd like to happen and really they either do it all, some of it or none of it in which I then get to write some all or none of it. There was a scene that made me blush to write and one of the characters was the worst for humor (he wanted to make jokes that would have spoiled the scene and I kept telling him no)...the guy waited till the end of the scene and I couldn't not write it. Do I realize it's all in my head and I'm fighting with myself? yes am I ok with that? also yes

I see my stories in live-action but, since I have a certain degree of prosopagnosia (face blindness), I never see facial features and always have to go back and use a photo of an actor/actress or model if I want to describe someone's face. I mean, I literally can't remember what MY face looks like unless I'm looking in a mirror or at a current photo!

Woo-hoo! A new video!!! After the fun stream this morning, this is like a bonus gift!!! :D Love you!!!

I can’t see scenes at all, I only hear them. Sometimes I see splashes of colors but no forms. For procrastination, I have a running weekly task list but I don’t decide on a daily to do. That way I can pull tasks as I’m able to work on them rather than feel pressured to stick to the list. Jealous is a strong word, but I do envy a few writers’ abilities to plot. Plotting has always been my weak spot.

I'm kind of exceptionally weird with how I visual stuff. Its like a scrap book collage of animation and live action with characters from my favorite series serving as stand-ins for my characters until I can finally get the final, "official" look for them.

I know this is an old video but my friends and I have had the discussion about imagining scenes too. I don’t imagine scenes in “pictures” really, not when I read and maybe sometimes when I write and I’m not sure if it’s similar to your friend or if it’s more to do with my visual impairment. I have Retinitis Pigmentosa (aka tunnel vision) so my visual field is very limited and IRL I see the world in chunks and fragments and that’s how my brain sort of imagine things too. So if a book were to describe a whole room I wouldn’t be able to picture the room as a whole but I could sort of understand in theory where the door is and the chair etc etc because that’s how I see the world in my own life, for example I’m very familiar with my own home but I don’t know what it looks like as a whole space. I know where the chair is and the lounge because of my memory and I know not to run into it but I don’t actually “see” it when I’m walking around. Does that make sense ?

I loved this video, I usually see scenes visually it's actually kind of hard for me to put certain scene in words

Okay as someone who does not visualize basically at all, it honestly hadn't occurred to me that other people do?? I mostly just think through the emotions of a scene and then build out from there. Which might be some of its so hard for me to write action tbh.

i see scenes in live-action!

I SEE SCENES IN ANIMATION I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE

I love these vlogs

I edit as I write (line edit as I write the line), but I also got 6,000+ for the first time yesterday🤔. I think it gets it done faster for me because I’m not thinking about how bad things I’ve already written are.

When I'm rereading books I like to get back into the worlds as I view them, that's why I never watched the Lord of the Ring movies. 😅

I used to imagine things more in live action but now that I’m watching anime so much it starts to become a mix of the two for some reason

The first question I see in animation why? I don’t know. Its most because then I can see the emotions more clear . Sometimes I hate that I have that because for me my characters are real people because some of them excists since 2005 so yeah. The other weird thing is that I hear The conversation in english (I am dutch) probably because I read a lot of english books but its hard because most of the time it sounds better in english then in dutch hahahaha 😂

I write better when I see it visually and live action in my mind. Until the live action starts I tend to write filler scenes (reallly choppy and vague) to get me through to the live action.

my 1st person novel isn't that hard for me to write. though it's probably cos The Viral Assassin takes place in Southeast London, and I live in Southeast London, so....... could be chatting nonsense, but whatever. works for me. ;)

Quick question, (I’m new to your channel so sorry if I missed a video talking about this or if you already answered this) but I found a video from a year ago about a thing called project purple and I just want to know if it will ever be published or if there is a more recent video talking about it.

Sorry for the really long post, but I wanted to answer these questions. Also I left out some of the questions because I simply couldn't answer them like the one about equity on RU-vid or making revenue off of writing because I'm not there in the process yet so I don't know. Question 1: Do you see things in live action or animation when you write? For me I see it in live action but it's very much like if everything was being filmed like a movie, but in nothing except close up shots until I get more details and can kind of pull away to reveal more and more- like the room, what other people are doing, etc. Question 2: How do you overcome perfectionism and procrastination? I can't answer this one at the moment, because I'm currently in the thick of a huge perfectionism problem that started a few days ago. And I don't necessarily have a bullshit proof plan yet on how to overcome these things. Hopefully I can figure it out at some point and let you guys know. Question 3: Have you ever been jealous of another writer? And how do you overcome it? Yes, and I actually like this question because I feel like the way I feel isn't really talked about all that much. Often times when people think of this problem it's usually on the basis of "my writing isn't as good as [insert author here]" which is a valid feeling- we've all been there at some point or another to some degree or another. But with me it's often times a thing of feeling under accomplished compared to other people. There are people out there who are twenty and already beginning to publish full series that are highly praised and it often times makes me feel like I'm trying my hardest, but that it's not good enough. I just have to keep in mind that my time will come when it does and that just because these are busybody ideas my parents have instilled in me since I was a kid- doesn't make them true. Just because you chose to walk across the finish line doesn't mean you're any less accomplished than the person who decided to run. 14:40 Aww

personally I see my characters in live action too.

I love new videos

I like to say that I'm mentally blind, meaning that I can't daydream or visualize anything. Makes it kinda difficult when I'm writing.

I really lose motivation to be consistent with my work, can't lie to you. but at least i don't go a week without working on a creative project.

Wonderful to hear an American talk about watching European RU-vid channels.

*When you're imagining your scenes, do you see them in animation or live action?* I generally see things in live action (though always more in a TV show style then movie). like Kate, depending on how clear I am on whats happening I wil l get little snippits or vauge images over a very clear visual and unless a scene is very clear I tend to have a bit of white room syndrome everything is happenig in a dark space with littel detail. That being said, if I watch a animated story, (disney, anime, "adult" animation etc.) or even a very specific genre, there will be a brief period of time where if I try to think of scenes in my book it will play out like it would in thr visual medium/ style ( not just in visual style but also with th same quirks ssocaited with that style/show). basically, my brain is very influence by the latest thing I watched. lol

Where's the link to the zero draft that's available for us to read? I can't find it anywhere! 😩

Hey new writer here! Do you all have any music I should listen too while writing?

I see them in both

I'm literally struggling with the rewrite of my first draft and it's got me kinda down.

Been watching your videos for a while but stupid question do you have stories or published work we can read been checking amazon you using pen name

since you were talking about family books, how is your dad doing on his book?

Hubpages has a similar setup to Medium

3:16 hey look it's me, "Southern Joke" :)