Writers in the middle of a first draft like:

[id: a video of a white woman with brown hair wearing a blue brocade coat and holding a book with a blue flowery cover. The book is titled The Stray Spirit. The dialogue goes: “ok so while I was recording the other videos, I noticed something very unintentional and very funny, which is that I match my book!” She holds the book to her sleeve. The colors and patterns of the coat and book match. End id]

Y’all liked the coat, so here, one more reason to like the coat

vaspider:

quinnandersonwrites:

thebibliosphere:

natalieironside:

thebibliosphere:

natalieironside:

natalieironside:

The best thing u can do for an indie artist (besides buying our stuff) is to tell ppl about work you like

We do Not have advertising budgets

My marketing strategy is basically the occasional self-conscious reblog and accidentally inducing hyperfixation when someone unlocks my brain with the right question.

Word of mouth from our readers is everything.

Pretty much the only promotion I do is on Tumblr.  Facebook hides and buries outside links unless you pay them (which I wouldn’t do even if I did have the money) and Twitter just kinda sucks.

You nerds are the only thing keeping this operation solvent.

Braver than any US Marine.

If you can’t buy my books, consider telling someone about them! <3

My G-d yes please. Advertising without a massive budget and an ad agency to do it for you is basically setting piles of money on fire.

Please, please tell people about us.

Depending on the costs involved, I highly recommend fan-run giveaways! I can just about guarantee that, any book series by an independent or small press author you can think of that you love, there’s someone out there who desperately wants to read it but can’t justify a few dollars for it. Plus, independently published stuff is harder to get into the library.

Have a favorite author who wrote something you love that’s only five bucks? Have an extra fifteen bucks to throw around one week and want to support them extra? Host a giveaway for three copies! Not only will the author get the money from the sales and three people get a copy of the book when they might not otherwise be able to, a bunch of other people will see your giveaway pitch and be introduced to the author’s work that way. Win-win-win!

So, quick announcement the ebook version of my debut novel Dear Dragon ison sale from today (31st of March 2022) for about a week! The price is $0,99 in the US and £0,99 in the UK. 

It’s the cheapest I’ve put it on sale so far because I want as many people to read it before the second book comes out hopefully in summer. 

It’s a YA Fantasy featuring the introduction to a fantasy world I’ve been building since I was sixteen and characters that are, at this point, part of my family. 

If you’ve ever wanted to support me this is honestly the best way! (Not the only one, every re-blog, like and comments makes my day mind you). 

Also if you enjoy it you don’t need to wait for the second book, you can just message me and come be a beta reader! 

Anyway, link to the US amazon page and link to the UK amazon page. 

Here’s my cover by the way: 

I’m working on a couple of writing posts right now but I’ll admit during this week of promotions my attention will probably be more centered on TikTok as there is way more traffic, you can come check me out there or any other social if you’d like! 

At the end of the week I’ll probably do an update on the financial side of self-publishing as I still believe it’s important to be transparent and it gives me a good reference and timeline to go on. 

Anyway, I really hope you’re having a nice day, your writing is coming along great and your dreams are still at the forefront of everything you do. 

-Hannah

I chose to use the wording grow up without money here, because poverty is relative. I mean, so is money but words are also limited. 

To offer up context, I’m basing this of my own experience and I grew up having very limited amount of money at my disposal, but I was never lacking in food or a roof or anything like that. But there are a couple of things I’ve done my entire life, still do, and I realised, not everybody does. So let’s talk about some of those stuff for writing sake. 

1.- I am constantly comparing. When I got my first job at 16 (and I mean 16 and a week, I did not wait long), everything I wanted had to be worth the time. A computer? I would love one, a cheap but functional one is 200 euros, I earn 5 euros an hour so that’s about 40 hours of work. I’m going to use a computer for many, many hours so… worth it! I also compared things to donuts, because the four park of donuts was 1 euro so a computer would be 200 packs of donuts. 

This is something I still do. Which is problematic because my current salary is 3 euros an hour, and I need to buy food. So I’ll be in the supermarket like, yeah, that’s cheap and all, but 3 euros is one hour of my work and I don’t take long to eat it, so… ya know.

My boyfriend has to constantly remind me, that’s a stupid way to think, but it’s hard and I don’t think I’m anywhere close to being able to turn it off. 

2.- Over-analysing every single purchase. It’s okay for big things, it’s a small problem when you’re analysing phone chargers with a fifty cent price difference, the durability of face masks or watching twenty minute YouTube reviews about a cheap pack of scented candles because, going back to point one “one euro fifty is half my salary and if this candle doesn’t deliver the amount of hours it has promised I will regret it later”. 

3.- Over-purchasing things on sale. It’s counterproductive to the goal, but I mean, come on, if the donuts cost 50 cents instead of a euro, how can I not buy it? What do you mean I don’t eat donuts? That’s because they’re expensive, so I best buy seven packs while they’re cheap. You do not need to know the amount of canned goods I have accumulated through sales. And yes, they last for ever. But yes, they also occupy space in my tiny kitchen. 

4.- Anxiety from throwing things away. Literally anything, I have to find a use for it, I have boxes of literal rubbish, which, yes, I do use in crafts. I have food in my fridge (in closed containers obviously) that went out of date long ago but throwing it out causes so much anxiety that I just leave it there until my boyfriend can come up and get rid of it for me. 

If I get free headphones with anything, do I need them? Not at all, will I hold on to them as though they were the best thing to ever enter my house? Yes. 

5.- If you get the chance to get something for free, but it requires a choice, expect a lot of analysing. Even if it’s a stupidly small amount of money. I had a couple of euros in Google credit from doing surveys and I don’t know how many hours I spent analysing the PlayStore for the best choice of games. (I got the game threes for a euro, honestly, good investment, very enjoyable). 

6.- Free is free. Are Google Surveys worth my time for the credit they give me? Yeah, actually, I’d recommend it if you are an android user. But I’ve also written 10k word stories on a subject I did not like for 4 dollars, not even euros. I’d say this was a low point, but I fear I’d still take the job today. I don’t actually have more money coming in then I do going out. Which is normal because I’m a student and my income comes from an internship that I do part time for practically no salary. I know it’s normal and I can make up for it later, but I feel as though if I don’t do the work I am offered, even if it’s not fair, by turning down any money, I become culpable of my situation. So, any offer for money, I’ll take. Even if that goes against my morals (minimum wage), against my health (waitressing jobs in the summer that push me to my limits) or just plain common sense. 

I know a lot of people are like this. And, I have to point out you should value your time. But, if you can’t, if you need to do the job, at the very least, try not to feel guilty if you didn’t do that good of a job. That writing job for 10k, they asked me to rewrite it, claiming my quality wasn’t high enough (I’d already done several revisions and there was open communication, however the deal was for a first draft which is never going to be the highest quality). And I put my foot down, I explained that I was earning less then 50 cents an hour and I wasn’t going to put more hours into it. Thankfully they still paid my my well earned four dollars, but I think the ability to put foot down was more valuable than the money this time. 

7.- When something breaks it can easily cause burn-out or emotional breakdowns. I’m living in an emotional breakdown this year, and part of that is because my ipad (which I am super proud of because I bought second hand years ago for next to nothing) is struggling. It’s very old now, the battery is on the way out, updates are done, and it has several glitches. I depend on my ipad for taking digital notes for university and I don’t think I could go back to using a pen and paper. But the idea of buying a new one is absolutely terrifying. To the point where if I actually stop to think about it, and realise it’s like a year of my income, well, I get physically ill. 

In fact, money is probably the biggest cause of mental breakdowns for me. Even when I’m doing well financially. Because I know what it’s like to eat less than recommended portion sizes in an attempt to save a couple of coins. I know what it’s like to track every single cent. 

8.- The fear of having nothing never really goes away. The fear that if I make the wrong financial decision, I will lose everything and somehow end up homeless or unable to buy food… it’s a stupid fear. It’s pretty much impossible because I have family, I have friends. But… it’s something I cannot shake. It’s fear that follows me everywhere. And I can’t say that this fear will never go away, because I’m a student, I have never truly grasped financial stability. But I can’t imagine a life without it. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to go to the supermarket without flinching at the prices, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly be at peace with money. 

You know the expression: Money won’t buy happiness? Of course you do. Did you know studied have actually been done and it’s kind of true? It’s true over a certain point of money. Which, makes sense, obviously. But I always think about this expression, because people say it to me when I’m obsessing, and I get angry with them. Because I’ve always been beneath that line, more money has always meant more happiness, because it’s always meant further stability. 

But it’s a stupid thing to be angry about. Because yes, they are being ignorant, but the truth is, people who say this, probably have never lived bellow that line. And that’s good. I think it’s good that there are people out there who get to grow up without that stress. 

And it’s important to realise in today’s society, there are a lot of people who are rich in a way that is wrong. But there are also a lot of people who may feel rich to us (us being the people who are bellow this line), but they aren’t really the problem. The middle class isn’t the problem, even if they are comfortable. And if I truly start going on about financial inequality… well, we’d have a couple more posts because I study finances and am specialising in ethical finances including inequality, so, I’m going to leave it here. 

I hope these eight observations are useful to your writing, or just interesting in general. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

Also, if you find yourself lacking in money and don’t think you’re spending that much, please keep track of your money? Excel is a great tool and you will surprised! 

If, money causes you a huge amount fo anxiety like me and you do not too much financial trouble, please stop keeping track of your money and just occasionally check your bank balance because the obsessive control is causing you more harm than good at this point. 

Love you all and have a great day! 

How was your new year’s eve? I knows it’s been a weird year but I hope even if it was just close family or a few friends it was great for you! 

For me, and many others, the new year is a bit unsettling. Not for any other reason than school. The school year being different to actual years always feels weird. Everybody is like “new chapter!” and I’m in that strange in between space where I’ve finished classes but need to remember everything for exams. 

But something I can measure in actual normal years is reading and writing because that goes on my time. 

2021 was a very busy year for me. I published my first ever book! Dear Dragon was an amazing experience. It was the first time I was brave enough to truly put my work into the world. 

I also did a lot of writing for the second book in the series. Wrote the entire first draft of the third book. I finished Out of Body Experience this year. Started a couple of short stories on Wattpad that aren’t finished. Plus an still working on the second draft to “The King, his Knight and his Mage” (title not definitive). 

The only thing is… I’d be lying if I said this was a good year. 

I wrote most of this during the summer while I had no work or school. Plus I was at a high point having newly published the first book. 

Dear Dragon took me four whole years to write. 

With this in mind and being more busy than ever with work and school, what would I like to get done in 2022? 

Well first, I want to finish and publish the second book in Dear Dragon this summer. That way it will only be on year apart. And this series really is my passion. The problem is, when I published the first book my biggest fear was nobody would read it. And although that isn’t exactly what happened, I did sell less than twenty copies. So, I’m a little scared the second book being a second book and very few people having read the first, will sell literally zero copies and it will affect my confidence. 

I know I need to write for myself and nobody else, it’s what I always say to others, but the truth is, editing, beta reading, re-writing, a lot of that is so that others can enjoy my craft. I’d be happy with a rough first draft. This is the reason I already have the first draft for book three, that way if book two sells zero I’m more likely to keep going anyway. 

The second thing I’d like is to get the second draft for book three done. Plain and simple, so it can be out int he summer of 2023. 

I’d really like to finish the first draft of “The King, his Knight and his Mage”. I’m less passionate about it then Dear Dragon but at the same time it’s been living in my head rent free for far too long and I’d really like to publish a proper standalone book for a change. 

Talking of standalones and publishing, I’d also love to re-write Out of Body Experience and publish that. There are parts of it I love and parts I find meh but I feel with enough polish I could really get it to be a quality product. 

Plus, I have figured out that published books (even self-published on amazon) get way more attention than stories on wattpad (I seriously need to find a writing website that caters to my writing style but for the life of me I can’t seem to track one down, any recommendations are hugely apreciated!)

I’d also love to get back into Oppida Institue for Reformation. It’s a story I love and just had to put on hiatus due to University but it bothers me every day that it’s not moving forward. It happens in the same universe as Dear Dragon, it’s a prequel following one of the side-characters but it’s not got any major spoilers and is up for free on wattpad. 

So, those are my unrealistic goals for 2022. If I remember maybe next year I’ll do a post about how they went, but with my memory that’s very optimistic. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

What are your writing goals for 2022? Are they realistic? 

It’s currently eight pm where I live, 31st of December. I’m going to get up and cook in a moment for a nice dinner with my roommates to say goodbye to 2021 and say hello to 2022. So, apologies for any typos because I am rushing it here a bit. 

2021 was… well, it was a thing. Still a pandemic going on, can’t say life has been easy, but 2021 is still, always going to be the year I finally put my story into the world. 

2021 is the year I self-published the first book in “Dear Dragon”. It’s the year I decided I was going to work on my shyness and started TikTok, forcing myself to talk to a camera and not be so self-conscious about how I sound or how I look. 

It’s the year I came back to Tumblr, wrote 110 posts, most of which are about writing. I now have 341 followers on here, which is absolutely insane to me. 

I’ve sold in total 18 books. 18 people though my book was worth paying to have, be that physical or digital, be that on sale or not. 

And I know 18 isn’t a huge number, but it’s kinda huge to me. 

Before this year, before 2021, all my stories were either only mine, or published on some place like Wattpad where they got two views if I was lucky. 

This year, has been an amazing year. 

But, it’s also been complicated. I have a job, it’s my last year at university, so time had been scarce. It’s also been the first full year without my dad around, and… well, that hits hard. 

He didn’t die of Covid, he dies of cancer, but I just want to say to all of you who lost family or friends during this pandemic, I know how you feel. I know what it’s like to not be allowed to be with your loved one in the hospital because of the pandemic. I know what it’s like to argue with the police over the phone whether you’re allowed to go see them despite the quarantine. 

I also know what it’s like to rush finish a book because I had the hopes he could read it before his passing. 

I know the slow realisation that he isn’t going to read it because he isn’t well enough. 

I know what it’s like to stand in the hospital room and tell him about how in 2021 I’m going to publish it no matter what. 

I started the year seeking out an agent and trying to traditionally publish. 

In summer I published it myself so as to not be a liar. 

And, it took four year to get to that point. And if you’re one of those 18 people who bought it, just let me say, thank you, you’ve made 2021 one of the best years of my life because, you’ve made my passion something that is shared with others. 

I can’t wait to continue writing my books, my stories, I can’t wait to write more posts here, I cannot express how much I cannot wait for this pandemic to end! 

But, all of those things are going to have to wait for 2022. 

So, to everybody, I hope you have an amazing new year! 

I know things aren’t always easy, but, if we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, I’m certain we can find things to be excited for. 

I love you all. Thank you so much and I’ll see you all next year! 

Signed, Hannah. 

There are a ton of cool ways to do this! 

Want to show a caring character? Show them loving their pet, show them helping a fallen bird. 

Want to show a character being evil? Kick a puppy. 

Both super obvious. Let’s check out some more. 

Want to show a character as stern but caring? Have a very loyal dog or horse that show no sign of fear. 

Want to show a character’s patience? Show them training an animal such as a puppy or a horse. This takes a lot of discipline and patience. 

Want to show their bravery and compassion? Show them capturing and releasing a wild and dangerous animal from a location they are not safe at. 

If they have pets, say for example a cat, how that cat behaves also says a lot about the owner. Are they allowed on the furniture? If they are allowed on the furniture, is it because the owner agrees with animals on furniture, or do they constantly complain about it? Telling us they aren’t good at being in charge. Does the cat always ask to be fed at the same time? That would tell us the owner is good at keeping a constant schedule. 

Do they have books about animal care? Or do they instead claim to have learnt what they know from their parents? 

Where did the cat come from? Adopted, bought? Was it sought out or did it just wonder in one day and stick around? 

Also, all my posts are mostly directed at writing young adult fantasy, and something you often see in fantasy that doesn’t necessarily coincide with real world is that animals will behave like their owners. This is an obvious way to show a character of through an animal. 

But even funner is to show an animal being nothing like their owner and forcing the owner to do things they are visibly uncomfortable with. I absolutely adore the typical serious all business character with his head on his palm while his other hand bounces some string around to help their daughter’s kitten burn of some energy. 

Or a hyperactive child coming to terms with the fact their fish just isn’t going to do much. (Be careful with these kind of stuff, make sure to research. Children aren’t usually fit for taking care of animals, if you do have children in your story taking care of animals either express that they are an exemptions, who parents being involved or make sure it’s obvious this is a bad move, I’m sure everyone already knows this but I feel like I have to add it anyway). 

Also, on that note, careful what animals you show as pets. I know it’s fantasy but if an animal isn’t a good pet irl you can have influence and cause trouble. An off-hand comment about, “oh, that animal usually isn’t friendly, it must be attracted to your magical power”, can communicate to a reader, hey, this is fantasy. Remember that. 

Also, emotional support or service animals! Another great thing to include that can speak a lot about a person. Different people require different support and will have different support animals because of this. I have to recommend doing a lot of research into this though as I have never had a service animales and do not feel qualified to truly explain them. (Also, emotional support animal and service animals are two different things, look it up if you didn’t know, it’s quite interesting!) 

Extra: 

Here’s something I’ve seen a lot in media. Showing a character as being scared of say a dog as a way of showing them as being evil. Please don’t do this. 

I get the theory behind it. Dogs are loyal caring animals and anybody who is scared of them clearly lacks empathy and understanding for the innocent animal that just wants to play! 

Except, dogs are still animals, and although rare, they can be dangerous. A lot of people are scared of dogs. Yes, I’m scared of dogs. I love dogs, if I know them. But when I was about four years old, one Easter, sitting in London park with my new Barbie doll, this dog three times my size ran over and jumped on me, took my Barbie and broke it. 

It terrified me. 

The owner just laughed and called the dog off. I wasn’t hurt or anything but it’s a memory that remains close to me. And whenever I see an unfamiliar dog I may take a couple of steps to the side in an attempt to keep my distance. 

I don’t feel attacked when I see fear of dogs used as a villain trope or anything. It just makes me roll my eyes at how people don’t understand the deepness of fears.

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

Do you have a pet? What is it? What are they like?