Same info. Just in vlog style. Pick your poison.
I’m doing a tag I wasn’t tagged in. What’s new? It’s the only tag I’ve done on my channel, just the updated version. I’m doing a blog post to correlate with the vlog because I think the blogging community would still appreciate the tag. I hope y’all get to know me a bit more and find it interesting.
What’s your book’s pitch? If you have multiple works, choose your favorite!
My favorite project is my short story “The Trial of a Goldfish Killer”. A lifeguard tries to save a man from a mermaid. That’s the pitch, just that one line.
I love this story so much. It’s my first short story I’ve taken seriously in years. I’m planning to publish this story through my school newspaper so it should be out this year. I’m so excited to share it with you all. I love the characters and the setting. Ahhh, I’m so excited.
If you were a book, how would you pitch yourself?
A teen writer who is also a femme lesbian shares her writing journey.
What do you usually write?
I’ve always written stories that have a magical element, ranging from high fantasy to magical realism. I am always working on a big project like a novel. Then I write a bunch of short fiction on the side because I need a break. I’m polyamorous with my writing projects.
What’s something you’ll NEVER write?
This is super weird but I firmly believe I will never write scientific non-fiction. I have never been super math oriented, science minded. I am very much a creative mind and that’s where I feel comfortable.
I can not read a scientific non-fiction article to save my life. I will never be the person to write a peer reviewed article about something incredibly obscure.
The only way I can imagine myself writing for a scientific magazine is if it is about sci-fi and dystopia. That’s the most that I will ever write that.
Whats your goal for starting an AuthorTube channel?
I’ll be honest, I first started my channel for marketing purposes exclusively. I do not recommend that way of thinking at all. It’s a trip to start a channel for the express purpose of selling a product-not to mention I don’t even have a product to sell.
I’ve learned over time to lower my expectations and that has helped me so much. Now, I’m just here on authortube to make new friends and share my writing journey. I almost treat it like a diary or documentary of my life.
What made you want to start writing?
I’ve always loved writing when I was a kid. I’d make picture books and I still have a lot of those old books. There’s a reason I grew up to be a writer and not an illustrator.
In fifth grade, I wrote creative short stories for English class. I just fell in love writing in sixth grade. I worked on the first short story I was super passionate about. I got a poem published and I read Legend by Marie Lu, a former favorite book.
I was twelve when I sat down at my laptop and decided to write a novel. And I did. I spend months writing a three novels, each 80k words or above. Little me didn’t even realize what I was even doing. I just wrote for fun. Those few years really taught me how writing could be fun.
What’s your publishing path? (Self publish, traditional publish, hybrid, haven’t decided yet, or just write for fun?)
When I first started my channel, I was dead set on self publishing. Now I lean towards traditional publishing or a hybrid.
Here’s the thing though, I’m a teenager. I’m too young to worry about publishing. I’m only seventeen and am currently worrying about college admissions. I don’t need to worry about my career for a long time and I don’t want to stress myself out about the future.
What content do you bring to the AuthorTube table?
I make some advice videos, but I think I’ve found my niche. I just want to share my own experience with learning how to write. I love learning and I want to teach but also share what I’ve learned. If you want to see a young person learn about writing, then this is the place. I hope we can grow together.
What’s your biggest writing struggle?
I have a hard time balancing my life. I’m a teenager. My life doesn’t just revolve around writing. I have family and friends. I have volleyball and robotics. I am very involved in my church and school. That takes up so much time.
A double edged sword is that I always get my writing done. It’s mostly because writing is the one release where I can just have fun. Although sometimes I focus too much on my writing that I neglect other parts of my life. I forget about going to the gym. I don’t hang out with my friends.
It’s not a good thing, but I hope I can learn time management skills. I’ve gotten better at it. I love writing and I will never stop, but I can’t abandon my life to do so.
What’s your best writing skill?
I am uncomfortable when bragging about myself. I do think the one thing I am skilled at is characterization. I love making literal people out of nothing. I know I put a lot of time creating characters.
My characters aren’t just characters to me. They are actual people who have a past and have good and bad qualities. I put way too much time into making real characters. I make sure to add little details to add to a character’s personality.
The small things like someone’s jewelry or favorite drink, I consider the choice. I love learning about people so I love learning about characters. I cut off pieces of my soul and give those pieces names.
Choose between questions 11 and 12!
If you’ve been on YouTube for a while, what’s your best AuthorTube tip? If you’re new to AuthorTube, what is your biggest AuthorTube question?
I’m going to the first question because I’ve been on authortube for a year and a half. My biggest tip is to be authentic and patient.
I don’t think I was authentic in the beginning of my channel. I look back on my vlogs now and I don’t recognize the person on the screen. I felt like I had to be super preppy and upbeat all the time.
Now, I’ve definitely toned down a lot. When I’m excited in a vlog, I am genuinely excited. I’ve made more authortube friends since I started bieng myself.
For the patient part, it took me a long time to learn to balance authortube and my non-writing life. I still haven’t gotten the hang of it and I don’t think I ever will.
It’s taken me forever to feel comfortable with scripting and editing, but now I can feel myself learning. I can see myself improving. I am a very small channel. I have thirty-eight subscribers after a year and a half. I compare my success to others, but having low expectations and patience is a blessing.
Are you looking for any new channels to follow, betas, CPs, or other types of writer buddies? If so, tell us who you’re looking for and connect with them in the comments!
I love talking to people online. I’m always looking for more authortubers to follow. More particularly, I’d love to make more writing buddies that write short fiction. I’m new to short fiction and would love to talk about it with someone else.
What are you most excited for during this new, fresh start on AuthorTube?
I am most excited to make new friends. I don’t have any writing friends in real life so I rely a lot through the internet. I love writing so much and I love talking to people who are just as passionate.
I tag:
Ellis Clay
Thank you so much for reading.
Thank you Jenna Streety for the original tag.