“Between being a caregiver and having a
mental illness, how do you manage to
‘jungles?’ ” Bleh. ‘To jungle.’ (Sings) Welcome to the
jungle!
(The sound of a pen scratching.) LOGO.
Hellooo everybody! Look, you're on camera! (Butter’s Voice) “Look, I’m raising my hands!
I’m on camera and I’m so excited!”
(Normal Voice) Many of you already know I'm available
on Patreon, which means people are
welcome to become my patron in return
for some awesome prizes! All of my
Patreon funds are reinvested directly
into my platform, so my lighting
equipment, my setup, my book artwork, all
of that is thanks to my AMAZING patrons!
I recently surpassed my first monetary
goal on Patreon and as a ‘thank you,’ I am
making a Q&A video just for my patrons!
That means they got to ask me any
questions about writing and publishing,
and I'm answering them right now! But
first, you guys know my dark fantasy
companion novel The Savior’s Sister is
available for presale right now! I've
got all the links listed below! Get on it!
Do it! You won't be sorry!
I'm also hosting a presale giveaway!
Three lucky grand prize winners are
going to receive massive TSS prize packs,
and on top of that I am choosing a
bazillion bonus winners to win a bunch
of goodies along the way! The next lucky
winner of my presale giveaway is...this
person! Congratulations! You are walking
away with a signed copy of The Helm of
Darkness by A.P. Mobley. The Helm of
Darkness is a young adult fantasy novel
that features one of my absolute
FAVORITE things - Greek mythology! Because
A. P. Mobley and I get each other! It's also
the first in her War of the Gods series.
It's awesome! I've read it! Definitely
check it out! A HUGE thank you to
everyone who pre-ordered The Savior’s
Sister thus far, and a HUGE thank you to
A. P. Mobley for supporting my presale
giveaway! You are ABSOLUTELY amazing!
Everyone, I've got her information listed
below. Get on it! If you’d like the chance
to win your own signed copy of The Helm
of Darkness,
be sure to pre-order The Savior’s Sister! I
have the
information listed below, and enter the
pre-order giveaway! And now for my writerly
Q&A. Let's get to it!
There are a lot of questions, so be
prepared. This is gonna be a long video.
Pokey Emblem asks, “What inspired you to
begin your journey as a writer?” I've
wanted to be a writer since I was six (6)
years old. Once a week, my first grade
class would write our own stories and
then bind them in construction paper, and
from that point on I was hooked! I fell
in love with the process, and I vowed that
I would become a professional author and
illustrator. I continued toward this path
for a long time. I won a ton of contests
both in writing and in art. My passion
for art eventually segwayed from a love
of CREATING art to a love of
APPRECIATING art, so I eventually put
drawing on the back burner and focused
all of my attention on writing. Elizabeth
Duvinvord asks, “What self-publishing
company or companies did you use to self
publish your first two books? Will you be
using the same platforms for the
publication of TSS?” My debut novel was
published Amazon exclusive using Amazon
KDP, as well as CreateSpace. At the time,
Amazon KDP was the platform for
publishing a Kindle book to Amazon and
CreateSpace was the platform for
publishing a paperback book to Amazon.
Since then, CreateSpace has dissolved, and
now Amazon KDP is the platform for
publishing both Kindle books and
paperback books to Amazon. For my second
novel,
I used Amazon KDP to publish the Kindle
ebooks of TSC, and then I used Ingram
Spark in order to publish the other
ebook variations, as well as the
paperback and hardback books. For TSS, I
am publishing through three platforms.
The kindle ebook will be published
through amazon KDP, again. The paperback
and hardback books will be published
through IngramSpark, and the other ebook
variations will be published through
Draft2Digital.
Stephanie Woodcook asks, “What do you do
to help you push through slumps and find
that inspiration to keep going?” To be
honest, writing is my job. My author
platform is how I make a living and
support my family. If I don't work, I
don't
paid. We don't buy groceries. Cliff
doesn't get medical treatment. We die.
That said,
say we ignore that point entirely, I
worked for a long time in corporate
America and I HATED it with every fiber
of my being.
It was soul sucking and dream crushing
and absolutely miserable. There are a
million cons to being a career writer,
but I will take them all ten times over
before I ever go back to being a
nameless cog in some corporate machine. I
am SO grateful to be doing what I love
as a career, and THAT keeps me inspired.
Not everyone gets to do what they love
as a career, and I feel immensely HONORED
and PRIVILEGED. Megan Badger asks, “What
are the ten (10) questions you wish people
would stop asking you?” This is a fun one!
Number One (1): “I'm a writer. Got any advice?”
Yes, I do. In fact, I have an entire
channel filled with advice! Check it out.
Number Two (2): “Will you beta read my book?”
I'm not a beta reader.
I suck at beta reading. I won't even beta
read my friend’s books, so no. Number Three (3):
“Will you critique my book?” If I critiqued
every book that someone sent to me
unsolicited, I would be doing LITERALLY
nothing else. No eating. No sleeping. No
writing my own books, just critiquing
other people's books for free. Number
Four (4): “Will you review my book on your
channel?” Have I EVER reviewed a book on
this channel? (Crickets.) Number Five (5): “When did you
quit your job to become a writer?” I
DIDN’T quit my job to become a writer. I
quit my job because my fiance broke his
spine, and I signed on to be his
caregiver. Number Six (6): Any question about
plotting versus pantsing. It's not that
these are bad questions, I just hate the
word ‘pantser,’ ‘cause it sounds dumb. Call
yourself literally ANYTHING else, for
your own good. Number Seven (7): “What's your
outlining process?” I’ve already got videos
breaking this down in INTRICATE detail,
and they're funny! Check ‘em out! I
linked ‘em below. Number Eight (8): “What writer
or book inspired you to become a writer?”
Not all writers decided to become a
writer because of another
writer. I wanted to become a writer
because I love storytelling! I wanted to
build worlds and characters. I love
adventure and romance. I'm a fan of other
writers, but they are NOT the reason I
chose this career. Stop asking. Number
Nine (9): “Here's what my book is about. Does
it have potential?” I understand wanting
reassurance, but ideas are meaningless
unless you put them into action. I can't
tell you if your idea has potential. All
ideas have potential, if they're executed
well. I don't know if you're gonna
execute it well, ‘cause I don't know you.
If you believe in the story, write it. Do
the work, and after you're all done,
you'll see if it has potential. And
Number Ten (10): Any question about the
Savior’s uterus. “Can the Savior have sons?”
No. “Can the Savior have more than one kid?”
No. “But can the Savior have a daughter
AND a son?” I said no, bitch! You guys, it's
LITERALLY in the first chapter of TSC!
You don't even have to buy the book. The
first three chapters are available for
free on my website! The Savior is a
magical being who can only produce ONE
heir, and that heir is female. Stop trying
to make a male Savior happen. It ain't
gonna happen! If you want to read about a
male Savior, look for literally any other
book in fantasy fiction. I got you
covered.
Candy Wilder asks, “How do you attend to
all the facets of your platform, like
recording videos, live streams on Patreon,
designing merch, writing newsletters,
updating your website, posting on social
media, etc.? Do you have a schedule or
designated days for each component?” While
I recommend creating designated days for
certain tasks, I myself can't do that
because I am a caregiver.
Cliff's disability is very fickle. One
day he'll be doing great, the next day
he'll be doing horribly, so my schedule
needs to be extremely flexible. In order
to manage my caregiver tasks, as well as
my business, I keep a lot of very
detailed lists. I have quarterly goals I
follow that dictate the sort of tasks I
need to complete within that quarter, and
then I plan my time around those
specific tasks. I also plan my time in
weekly chunks, and I try to keep it
flexible enough so that I can move the
day's around depending on how Cliff is
feeling. Deidre Dolan asks, “What was
something you wished you knew when you
were starting to be a writer?” Filter
words suck! Stop using them.
Kari Broome asks, “Did you ever struggle
with feeling like you were failing when
you started building your platform? If so,
how did you keep pushing through to
become as successful as you are today?”
Failures are going to happen throughout
the writing process, and through EVERY
process in life. How many failed
relationships do people go through
before finding their soul mate? How many
times do you suck at a sport before you
get good at it? That's how life works!
‘Failing at something’ means that you
sucked at it at ONE point in time. Being
‘a failure‘ means you sucked at something,
and then you sat down in that suckage
and said, “I think I'm just gonna stay
here for a while.” If you want your
failures to be a part of your PAST, you
HAVE to LEARN from them. See what you're
doing wrong, and do better next time...and
the time after that. This is how you turn
your failures into success, and how you
stop seeing failing as the end of the
world.
Rohan Elliot asks, “What's the hardest
part about breaking into the writing
industry?” I think the hardest part for
most people is standing out from the
crowd. There are millions of creators
trying to make a name for themselves, and
it's very hard to stand out from the
shuffle. That's why SO many writers don't
sell books. Fortunately, I have a class
all about how to grow your author
platform! It's linked below, check it out!
Dez asks, “What is the most important
lesson you've learned with each new book
you self-publish?” I don't really think
there's one MAJOR lesson you learn with
each book. I think it's more so a bunch
of mini lessons. With each book, the
industry changes and your craft evolves,
so it's kinda hard to pinpoint each
specific change because it's such an
ongoing process. It's kinda like
growing taller; unless you hit this
massive growth spurt, you don't notice
every new millimeter, you just kind of
see it once it's all done. Christina
Krantz asks, “What advice would you give
as far as doing research for fiction to
gain inspiration?”
I don't research to gain INSPIRATION. I
research to gain INFORMATION. Inspiration
for me comes from music, art, daydreaming,
and above all else, my own imagination.
Research is something I do to fill in
the holes, like adding realism to my
world building, trying to understand the
biology behind a species, or learning how
to effectively pull an arrow out of a
human body. I guess if I gave advice
about this, it would be: find inspiration
from within yourself and your own ideas.
Research can ABSOLUTELY help you fact
check, but it's not even on my radar in
terms of inspiration. City Folk Ferrell
asks, “On your first live YouTube session,
you mentioned you had experiences with
shadow people when you were younger. How
did those experiences shape you as a
person?” For those who aren't aware, shadow
figures are these shadowy, human shaped
patches that people sometimes see when
they experience night terrors or sleep
paralysis. (Sarcastically) So much fun. (Normal Voice) I've always had a
very weird relationship with sleeping
and dreaming. If I told you the kinds of
dreams I've had, you'd probably think I
was full of shit.
I wouldn’t say shadow figures have ‘shaped’
me as a person, but I would say that I am
a lot more open-minded to bizarre ideas
or far-fetched concepts than most people
I know. When you've had a number of
strange experiences in your life, it
opens you up to the possibility that the
world is probably NOT as black and white
as people believe, and maybe there are a
lot of things about this universe that
we just don't know. Timothy Lyon asks, “How
did your approach change in regard to
hiring freelancers between Eve: The
Awakening and The Savior's Champion?” I
don't get references from mansplainers
anymore. I had a friend,
bless his heart, who tried to steer me
throughout the hiring process of my
debut novel. I should NOT have listened
to him, because he is not a writer, but I
did and I had a HORRIBLE experience with
everyone I hired. Now I will only take
references from experienced writers and
authors.
I know this sounds like a given, but
you'd be surprised how many newbies take
advice from people who have NO
experience within the industry. I've done
it. Many of my friends have done it. It's
a thing. Don't do it! Get references from
credible writers, not dummies who want to
feel smart.
Eli Quake asks, “What is your number one
tip for learning to write prose?” Stop
trying to force poetry. Not every line
needs to be a flowery bouquet of purple
prose. If you're trying to sound like a
bard,
the reader is gonna notice and cringe.
This is not to say that you shouldn't
write anything artistic, but there's a
difference between beautiful, thoughtful
prose and a rambling paragraph about
nothing. It just looks like you're
jerking yourself off, and no one wants to
see that.
Christina Krantz asks, “How do you make
sure your fictional person, place, or
organization is different enough from
the real one so you don't get sued?” I'm
not a lawyer, so please don't come to me
for legal advice. I highly recommend the
Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook by Helen
Sedwick. I have it linked below. That said,
the easiest trick is to NOT base a
fictional person, place, or organization
off of a real one. Additionally, be aware
that using a real person's name or a
real organization’s name can open you up
to liability. Especially if you use their
name in a negative light. That said, if
you're writing fiction, please remember
that your FICTION should be FICTIONAL.
Nine times out of ten, you don't NEED
inspiration from real people, places, or
organizations. You can invent your own.
Kiley asks, “Do you have any advice for
being productive when depression is kind
of making it impossible?” Wow, can I relate!
Sometimes you need to listen to your
body. If you're THAT exhausted, maybe you
need a day off. If I'm so depressed to
the point where it's making it
impossible for me to be productive, I
will allow myself a day to be a
worthless pile of shit. The next day I
usually feel a LOT better, and I can get
back to work. Tory asks, “What is the
biggest obstacle you've run into so far?”
Honestly, the biggest obstacle for me has
been the invasiveness of having a
popular platform.
Shit gets as intense as people sending
me rape threats and death threats, but I
also get emails from people who are
upset because I don't like the same TV
show they like, I cuss too much, or they
disagree with my advice, or I should have
given a character a different face. These
things on their own don't bother me, it's
just the constancy of it. It's kind of
like getting poked with a fork. One to ten
times ain't bad, but after the thousandth
time, you kind of want to break the fork
in half.
Mostly, I'm pretty used to it, but every
once in a while it gets to me, and I feel
like I can't do anything without some
complete stranger on the internet
dissecting me. Eli Quake asks, “What is
your number one tip for writing snappy
dialogue?” My favorite!
It's like farting. If you have to force
it, it's probably shit. This is just my
personal opinion, but the snappiest
one-liners usually have one of three
qualities. Number One (1): It's to the point.
Brevity is your friend!
Sometimes the snappiest line is only one
word. Number Two (2): It's honest. People often
try to create really clever, complex
lines, but they don't carry as much of a
punch as the flat-out, bold, transparent
truth. Number Three (3): It's random as hell. A
lot of the most memorable lines in
fiction are the lines that are so random,
they're funny. It still needs to make
sense to the story, but if you want to
write dialogue that tickles your reader,
think about the most ridiculous thing
that could be said in that moment, and
write it. Kyle Tunnicliffe asks, “Do you
feel that earning official degrees and
qualifications concerning writing,
creative or otherwise, offers a greater
benefit in terms of writing quality?” No, I
don't. If I elaborate, I'll probably
offend someone, so I'll just end things
here.
Dennis Myers asks, “My first book has been
submitted and the sequel is ready for
betas. How much value do you think there
is in having readers look at the second
book without having read the first?” I
think it's certainly more meaningful to
have betas who have read the first book
and are going into the second. However,
writers gotta take what they can get. If
no one's read book one, then you gotta
enlist betas who are going brand new
into the sequel. That said, some readers -
mostly crazy ones - do start with the
sequel before reading the first book, so
it's not exactly a bad thing to at least
have a few betas who are starting off
with the sequel. Tegan Perry asks, “When
was the moment you went from ‘I really
want to be an author,’ to ‘holy crap, I'm an
author!’ ” The moment I published my debut
novel! I'm a very logic-oriented person.
You are not technically an author until
you sell your writing for revenue, so
once that happens, I claim the title.
May Bank
asks, “What is one thing you wish you knew
when you first started your YouTube
channel?” Don't be afraid of the block
button! No one's gonna give a shit if you
block the trolls. It'll save you a lot of
time and MOST of your sanity. Quinelle
de Garlis asks, “What's your favorite and
least favorite part of being an author?”
My favorite part of being an author is
two things. First, writing my own stories
and getting paid for it. I've wanted to
write my ENTIRE life, and not only do I
get to do that - I make money from it! It's
crazy! I get to write about bloodshed and
romance and stabbing and screwing and
ain't no one gonna stop me! The other
thing is the amazing feedback I get from
readers. When readers tell me that they
love my book, or that I'm their favorite
author,
I wrote their favorite book, I wrote
their favorite character, or that I
inspired them. It's really rewarding to
know that something you're doing is
having a positive effect on other people.
My least favorite part, like I already
mentioned, is the lack of privacy. People
feel like they're entitled to my time
and attention and personal information,
and when I set up boundaries, I'm the
asshole. This career requires a thick
skin, especially if you are a writer as
well as a YouTuber, so it's something
that you kinda have to adjust to.
Theo K asks, “What's your favorite and
least favorite part of writing,
publishing, or marketing?” My favorite part
is writing, specifically writing snappy
dialogue or romantic moments. My least
favorite part is probably the actual
publishing process. Uploading the
documents to IngramSpark, choosing the
keywords, approving the proof copy, all
that good stuff. I just find that shit to
be the least creative part of the
process, plus there's a lot of worry
involved. What if the proof copy isn't
good? What if I pick the wrong keywords?
It's just not nearly as fun as writing,
editing, or marketing, and I genuinely
have a really good time doing all that.
Rosie Griffith asks, “Between being a
caregiver and having a mental illness,
how do you manage to juggle so many
things at once without becoming
overwhelmed or having a meltdown?” Magic!
Honestly, I know this isn't the answer
you want to hear, but I CAN’T have a
meltdown. At the end of the day, I'm a
caregiver. I have people and a business
that depend on me, so if I falter,
EVERYTHING goes to shit.
That means I HAVE to be strong. I HAVE to
be diligent, and I DON’T have the
privilege of breaking down. Do I have
days where I feel completely overwhelmed
and say, “Fuck it, I need a break?”
Absolutely! But that happens maybe
once every month or two? When a ton of
responsibility is hoisted onto your
shoulders, you kinda have to decide
whether or not you're going to rise to
the occasion, and that requires steeling
yourself.
People call me ‘Cyborg’ for a reason.
Lastly, Sophie Bradshaw asks, “Some writers
feel they should avoid reading the genre
they're writing to avoid direct
influence, while others encourage reading
the genre you are writing for
inspiration. Where do YOU stand on the
issue?” I've NEVER heard ANYONE recommend
reading the genre you're writing for
inspiration. That sounds a whole lot like,
“Hey, read the genre so you can copy.” But I
HAVE heard people say that you should
read the genre you're writing so you
could understand the norms within the
genre. You can understand reader
expectations, and the genre’s current
place in the industry, and I ABSOLUTELY
agree with that. Reading the genre you
like gives you an idea of flow and
pacing. It lets you know what you like
and dislike. It shows you kind of how the
dynamics are between readers and writers
in the industry. It's VERY important. But
I also think writers should be
well-versed in many genres, so please
don't exclusively read your own genre.
That will limit yourself and that is
never a good thing. So that's all I got for
you today! A HUGE thank you to my amazing
patrons! If you would like access to TONS
of rewards, check me out on Patreon! We've
got an exclusive writing group over on
Discord. You get early access to videos.
There's a monthly live stream! You can
suggest video topics, and of course, there
is signed merch available! All that is
available on my Patreon platform! Again,
it is linked below. Don't forget to
subscribe to my channel! I post new
videos on Wednesdays, as well as a few
bonus videos on Mondays! So if you want
to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring
that bell! The Savior’s Sister is
available for presale right now, and I
also have a massive presale giveaway
going on! There are over thirty (30) prizes
available to win, all you have to do is
pre-order The Savior’s Sister and enter
the giveaway! I have the information
available in the description! Get on it!
And be sure to follow me on social media!
I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook - and of
course, you can tweet me at @JennaMoreci! Bye! (Male Voice) You've read Tobias's story.
Now it's time for Leila's! The Savior’s
Sister, coming soon...
