All the features in Campfire Blaze are totally free!! The only limit they have is on number of entries. My personal favorite is the character sheets that can pop-up in the draft while you're working, so that you can see all your descriptions and histories directly to the side. (Since y'all know description is my kryptonite. 🙃) I discovered that at around 4:05 so hopefully you were able to get an idea for it! But as it's free, I can't recommend trying it out for yourself enough!! :) I'm still working on creating the timeline and using the Arcs feature so I can't wait to share how that goes too! www.campfireblaze.com?KC_Q1_21 ALSO! If you're into writing podcasts, the folks over there created "Around The Campfire" that I really adore bahaha. You can find their latest episode here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zdt5LPHk-4Q.html
Do you think Blaze will replace Scrivener for you? I have been using Dabble which is great for straight writing but I am finding I have to keep detailed world building elsewhere (in a notebook mostly so not great if I ever get let out of my house to write again!). I was considering Scrivener as I have the Nano winner code but it feels like it might be much too much that I end up spending more time procrastinating by tweaking the features than I do writing... Would be great if you could do a comparison video maybe?
@@deborarichesmorrison2134 I think it might! Especially since I don't currently have Scrivener on my new computer, so I'm really just working in Google Docs and Blaze for right now. I have a lot of love for Scrivener (the Mac version) but we'll see!! I'll put a comparison video on my list! :)
I'm drafting a whole 13 book series because I basically realized the same thing. I wanted to figure out the story and know what I was supposed to foreshadow in terms of character arc and plot before I actually write each book as an individual story. I've written four so far and am so glad because there are definitely things I know I need to change in the first few. I'm also discovering the world. I would hate to have something published and set in stone and then realize that it's not going the direction I thought it would.
hehehehehe. I HAD TO. I honestly thought they'd turn out better (why? why did I think this??) but it was just too funny not to use, especially in comparison with how beautiful Analisa is bahaha.
I think I squealed as much as a 32 year old woman could squeal when I saw this video pop up. I, too, am rewriting my pirate series, also using campfire (and a whole bunch of other programs & pen/paper)....Coincidence? I THINK NOT! LOL. I've always been so excited with any news of Meridian Maps. Keep at it!
I totally understand your decision to self-publish. I have similar feelings. I think it's part of the process of teaching ourselves how to be an author... for some of us. It's hard for me to know or explain what I'm writing because it just kind of grows and develops a life of its own. Also, I am still in the process of trying to figure out what kind of writer I am--the sort of things I really want to write and how I want to write them. Finishing a book and then focusing on marketing kind of derails that whole process of learning because traditional publishing is all, "You have to have a high concept... you have to do x, you have to do y, NEVER do z.... etc." And I get so uptight about whether the things I'm writing are even marketable, when at first, my main goal was to write something I'd like to read.... And writing the book you want to read really is the most rewarding part. It's just so nice to think you don't HAVE to win anyone's approval but your own. Good luck as you embark on your grand adventure!
Worth turning on the computer at 5:20 a.m.!!! Thank you for the new video!!! Sending hugs and love. Stay warn. Worried about y'all in Texas. Candles? Oh you have a fireplace, but do you have wood? You are currently colder than Reno!!!
Thankfully our house has had power the whole time (so far!). Only a few issues with pipes and water. My parents have been on alternating outages and my aunt and uncle, who are only like three miles from us, have been without power for over a day now!! Thanks Regina! 💙💜
As an aspiring graphic novel author, I usually start writing/planning in script form, then if I notice it's getting too long (like "I won't be able to fit this plot in one, maybe two, volumes" long), I try to switch to prose for that project. So graphic novels are generally standalones, and prose novels (?) are generally part of a series. I used to think that my every book should be a GN, but recently realized that I just don't have 300 years to draw those haha
Woohoo! I can't wait to read your books when you publish! The first line "The ship floated down from the sky" threw me for a loop because I was imagining these were traditional pirate ships, not airships, hahaha. But airships are waaaaay cooler.
Your process for MM has been so validating for me. Like, I know not everyone has to write the same way etc etc, but I've had too many people doubting my choices wrt going indie and wanting to get the majority of the books 0 drafted first.
The more I see you use Campfire, the more I realise I need to build a wiki up for all my writing. I love seeing how you use it. Happy revising/editing!
I think I now finally understand people saying they create story bibles!! I love calling it and thinking of it like a wiki! It makes a lot more sense to me and something I can definitely get behind. :)
It's kinda crazy, I think I've been here since about Meridian Maps 2 started, and now you're rlly in the end process of the Writing portion and like it's weird to me at this point
Awww yay! I know, it's been such a crazy journey! It's really weird to me too. Though there's a lot of excitement, the fact that I don't have much more of these characters and worlds to explore (just share) is a whole new phase that I'm not used to! Thankfully I get to linger of the final rewriting process a little longer. :) Also thank you so much for being here for so long!!! :)
Campfire Blaze is also on my radar, in fact _because_ I am a very in-depth world builder. Should be interesting to see how it meets our needs since you're trying to increase your volume on that aspect. Good luck! 🙂
I'm currently working on a fantasy trilogy that I had never intended to be one. It was going to be a stand alone book but apparently my characters had a lot more to tell and the other books just kinda happened. But campfire has been a great help in keeping my characters and fantasy world straight.
I look forward to seeing where your journey leads. You are truly inspiring. Whenever I want to write I can click on any video of yours and get motivated. You are doing an AMAZING job. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Your excitement this video is just infectious. Infectious I say. I need to haul my writing back out and knock the dust off. I haven't really written since December sometime. Also Yaaaay I'm glad it will be an indie publish because that means I can definitely get it! Have you ever written a series before? Gawd, I tried. I don't know what happened to my motivation to work on it. How did you go about planning the multi-book arcs? real sketchy notebook scribbles and vague placeholders, but that's kind of how all my stuff is written. How much did you know about the final book as you wrote the first book? I had the major story points and the cool climax but needed to flesh out the fiddly bits more Do you want to write a series in the future? I'm hoping I can finish this one, but also yes lol What did you find hardest and easiest about writing a series? The hardest for me is probably consistency? The easiest is um... I just don't know. OR ARE YOU TEAM STANDALONE? My standalones are all so different from each other. I think I may have a problem when it comes pen name time lol
Okay my standalones are also all over the place. Like what am I doing, have I thought nothing of branding?? Or do I just decide to say screw it and publish all the random things under 1 penname? I. Don't. Know.
THANK YOU! :) And I thought I had a name for Project Death but the more I consider it, the less I like it! Hahahaha. So for now it's still just Project Death. :)
@@KateCavanaugh I know the problem. I am struggling with naming my working project, but at least yours is cool! :) Mine is called "Beauty & The Beast in Africa" . . . for now! :)
I have a series planned but I'm not sure how to work it but I found a great video by Abbie Emmonds for planning a trilogy and I think I will use the model to start. Good luck with your project!!
Ohhh I also just got my new MacBook Pro, as my old 10 year old has just fried itself a few weeks ago. And your “I don’t know how to do things yet” - I FELT that 🤣🙈 I can’t wait to hear more about The Meridian Maps again. ☺️
I am currently working on outlining all four books in my current project, one is done and the next is partially figured out, and the step after that is drafting all four books
I admire anyone who goes out to write a series, even just a trilogy. I can barely keep all my facts straight in one book, im amazed at how people can tie things together over multiple books!
I am working on the first book of a trilogy and have a vague Idea where the other two books need to go but I need to do some MAJOR planning lol. But I writing the first book was my way of getting to know the characters and the world :)
ABSOLUTELY! I'm also someone who needs to write the stories/characters in order to get to know them. It helped me a lot to zero draft the whole series and I'm hoping that will reflect as I rewrite this first book bahaha.
Yeah, I don't trust traditional publishers with the long series I'm planning lol Also me: wants to be a hybrid author Also also me: has one agent I'm interested in querying eVeR ...this feels like not a great plan 😂
Ahh this video is so exciting! I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the whole thing 💕 I can’t wait for more Meridian maps updates! Also your drawing of the captain made me laugh so much, especially after how amazing your main character looked
Bahaha THANK YOU! :) My friend Phoebe (linked in the description from when she drew it) created Analisa which is why it's SO MUCH BETTER bahaha. The hat on the captain! It makes me laugh every time.
I also find the first opening paragraph super difficult! Even when doing short stories for assignments back in college, I would just sit there staring at a blank with our given scenario just repeating over and over in my head. I think it's one of the reasons why I didn't pursue writing later, even just as a hobby, even though both my teachers and parents liked my stories. Then again, my self-esteem in doing anything creative recently has been really low so that could be another reason.
I am a recent follower and I have been binging on your videos ever since I hit that subscribe button, and I can't help but I feel an immense pride seeing you work your way through this series! You're awesome, Kate! You've come so far! Also, I have never written an entire series but wrote a duology before during my high school days. Just wrote them all on the fly every time I feel a burst of inspiration, and I just remember it being so disjointed. I can't say I'll write a series in the future, but who knows? I might give it a try when I think I'm ready to tackle it!
Where was all that food? That looked great. Watching you open the books from your friends, awesome.Your reaction was so excited. I'm so excited to see your progress on your series. It would be amazing to read it. Can't wait until you publish it.
I love watching your videos and seeing all the excitement, nerves, and the adventures your writing takes. It gives me hope for my own current writing endeavors. I'm also writing a series and am currently in the process of redoing a detailed outline of book one. I am one hundred percent a plotter and I find it just helps to ease my writer anxiety by knowing exactly where the story is going. Originally, I thought it would be a duology but I am pretty sure at this point it will be a trilogy. There was just too much to try and fit it into a standalone book let alone a duology.
I really appreciate you sharing your passion for this huge project! It's very motivating and inspiring as I grow more and more stressed about my own projects. Best of luck to your espresso machine!!
Bahaha! My espresso machine greatly appreciates you. It's going to get a whole lot of love/use. :) And thank you so much, good luck on your projects too!!!
I also had to replace my mac this week. The speakers sounded like they were underwater. 😅 Can't wait for the books to be published, you've hooked me good 😂
Ok ok ok, very off topic, but I am so happy for you getting a new computer! Also, OMG?! I am so excited to hear some more news about The Meridian Maps!
I just started my second novel! Its a historical fiction standalone and I'm very excited! Would love to write a fantasy series but it sounds intimidating 😳 love your videos!
Bahaha THANK YOU!! And stay warm and stay safe!! We've been lucky here but lots of my friends and family have been without power and water for a while! Keeping you in my thoughts.
I wish you luck, lol! I'm currently doing a major edit/rewrite of my original werewolf book that I never completed and I'm stuck on chapter two... from a month ago. I plan to rework it as a completely different book, as well, so I'm kinda doing a two in one thing. I really need to work on it, lol. I guess I'll do that now, lol. I'm behind on my writing goal for the year (half milwordy) by 15k words.😂 Edit: Completely unrelated but I just stepped on a toothpick and now there's a hole in my foot and my foot hurts asdghasgkjhaslkdgjhasidgjh
You make campfire sound so great... every time you talk about it, I want to buy it! But I'm saving for a new computer (and I want a kickass-top-shelf one), so I'm trying not to make any unnecessary purchases at the moment. :( When I put my big fantasy world on paper, I did it with a couple of friends and we sort of formatted it so we could play RPG games using it... so it wasn't so bad. Still, I might buy campfire blaze just to dump all of that info there (it's currently sitting on my Dropbox as a gigantic .doc file.).
Blaze is free! It just limits your number of entries. :) But I definitely understand wanting to save up. After my computer purchase, I'm back to save-everything-I-can mode!! Hope you get a wonderful new computer soon!!! :)
The wonderful feeling of an empty storage... I had to move so much stuff recently, because I couldn't update my laptop, it's a nightmare. Especially when you find out that imovie has tons of data lying around in folders.... 😩
I have never written a series. I find it daunting. I would love to write a trilogy at some point. I have one book that could potentially be a series. I left it slightly open ended. It is The Treasure Hunter Chronicles, so, that might be the perfect one to turn into a series. At least a trilogy. Not sure yet. :)
I feel like the title alone already works so well for a series, if you decide to try it out! :) Also omg love the idea of treasure hunters, that's my jam. I totally understand finding it daunting! It HAS been daunting for me and I've never attempted a series before this one. (Or, at least, I've never actually WRITTEN the follow-up books before!)
It's BlackBoard BBQ! It's up in Sisterdale, so a bit of a drive depending one where you are in SA but SO worth it. Apparently one of the owners or chefs was on MasterChef and that's how we found out about it! Bahaah. But I really can't recommend it enough! Plus the outside seating is spaced crazy far apart so we felt safe enough to eat there!
Thank you!!! And Twitch is usually Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday but with the outages here in Texas, I'm not sure when it will be! I'm hoping to do another one on RU-vid soonish, depending on internet! :)
YES! I've been super lucky so far. I have family and friends who have been without power for days now. :( We've been checking - safely - on each other and have had a couple come over for hot showers.
I've found that I need the same kind of time in between stories or how that works. I want to know more about writing and submitting short stories. I know that I've seen you writing them before, and talking about writing them, but where are you submitting them? Are you getting money from short story writing? I would love to do short stories, but I also need to have at least a little bit of income from this. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
How can you be bad at naming characters and named your main character Analisa which sounds like the most badass name ever. Who came up with this name for you? Where did you find it? to be totally honest though, maybe that is just a state of mind like I always thought I was bad at writing dialogue but then my beta readers thought my dialogue was rich and evocative. maybe it's the same thing with names for you, maybe you just need to start thinking to yourself, I am good at choosing names for characters and just be more decisive about it. or be okay with changing the name. both of those are okay options. I named a character Aria and that was going to be her name it was always her name but then my beta reads said that it was too close to the main character's name Amila and that they kept confusing the two so I changed it. don't be afraid to be wrong.
Almost the entire queendom/realm (including the queen, king, princess, and my main character's family! So all the characters I write about from Monsoria) are black but this is a really excellent question and exactly why I'll be hiring sensitivity readers! I'm sorry for not making that clear in this video too. Thank you for asking!!
Not if you buy it via the Mac App Store. And I think you can deactivate it on a previous computer then enter the activation code on the new computer (for people who bought directly from Literature & Latte)
@@KateCavanaugh I’ve done both methods so unless they’ve changed the system, you shouldn’t have to buy it again. I got it from the Mac App Store so I wouldn’t have to worry about updates (downloading from the website) or the changing computers thing, but it’s not necessary at all.
You don't have to buy it more than once for Windows either. If you don't remember your license, you can just email them and they'll send you the downlod.
