I Published Another Book! 📚 HUGE writing update and Q&A

[@therealannataylor]

Oooooooooh, that winter slog is *rough*. I live in interior Alaska and this winter has been especially long. We usually get a bit of snow in October and it’s melted by the end of the month. We get sticky snow starting late November. But this year the snow came early October and *never left*. We finally have that glimmer of sun and warmth hitting and it’s delightful. The biggest thing I realized this year is to sit with winter. Sit with the emotion and the lack and the slower season and let it be there in just the way it needs to be. Winter is a season of rest and rejuvenation and can heal you in ways that summer never will because it forces you to slow down and take a look at your life. I did *not* intend to say all that. It just kinda came out 😂 Thank you for sharing your writing and your life with us! You have been so helpful!

[@KerriB]

Writing in the morning before diving into client work for the day is a huge game changer. Taking an actual lunch break (ie NOT eating at my desk) and doing writing sprints after I eat also really helps break up the day. Kate Cavanaugh's patreon streams have been a lifesaver and remind me that it is okay to work on my writing and it is okay to take time for myself ❤

[@luisaah5707]

I am happy you found a better routine. I prefer morning writing as well❤️. I have 2 times: 7.30-8.30am and 20:00-21:00 during the week. If I miss the evening part I am not upset.

[@ericarowanarts]

Love me some chatty videos! ❤ glad to hear how you're thriving. Also, thank you for sharing your experiences with fb ads. I was thinking of using them because that's a TON of access but if it's that hard to get help only to be told "sorry can't help" in the end it doesn't seem super worth it.

[@AuthorJCCarpenter]

I was so happy to see your video pop up in my notifications! I'm glad that you and your family are doing well and I love the long video to catch up. I totally understand your dislike for social media. I hate it as well and even though I know it's something that I have to do if I actually want people to read my work, I really don't enjoy it. I actually just finished up scheduling my social media for the month while watching your video lol. I don't even look at my reviews for the very reason you just said. I know that I have a lot of struggles mental health wise and even though I get told that the reviews for my book are good I still can't go down that rabbit hole of constantly checking. It was something that I decided when I first published that I was not going to do. Although that makes for awkward conversation when someone I know reads my book and asks if I saw the review they left me lol. But they understand why I don't look. I think if you look at it as the reality that everyone isn't going to like what you write and there's nothing you as the author can do about that then it gets a little easier to understand when you get a review you don't like or don't get enough reviews. Having said that I was just saying to a friend last week that sometimes I do feel how you feel. Like I've been busting my butt for so long and here this person comes along and boom, just so easy for them, but then I have to also remember we can't see the behind the scenes of what they went through either. Sorry for the novel length comment. I was just really happy to see your video and here from you. I'm hoping one day to be able to book some formatting services with EIP but I'm not able to do that just yet but hopefully I'll be publishing for a very long time so there will be opportunity in the future. Take care of yourself Natalia and really good to hear from you! ❤️

[@woodlandlady7011]

I think those debut authors who get thousands of reviews have actually written their tenth book, but published the one that they felt was ready to be read. We all know how long it takes to learn the craft and no one publishes their very first book, or maybe some do but often they are not very good. Anyway, it is good to see you back on KZbin, and great to hear you are still writing. 💯Congratulations on almost finishing your first trilogy! 🥳🤯

[@mevia_mastropietro_author]

Loved your hair in this video! And all the tips and updates of course. Happy to see you back!

[@bychristianna]

Congrats on the new book and all the productivity. I’m so glad you still share your writing journey. And when you open up internships, I’d definitely be interested.

[@bekahkurz]

I feel the exact same way about TikTok. I made an account and tried to make one video and had such an immediate headache. I went running back to my IG comfort space 😆

[@emielou]

I'm just catching up after crazy uni time. There is a whole lot of research showing that blue light blockers don't actually help at all. However....as someone who gets eye fatigue and strain as well as light sensitivity, I say they are wrong. Lol.

[@emielou]

Just to add, I feel the same about Tiktok. I post 4 times a quarter, if that 😂

[@freedomthroughspirit]

I need book two for Pistol Daisy! Oh Whiskey City! Yay I have a name now. And it's a quartet, wow! Waiting impatiently. : ) Thank so much, really appreciate you as a KZbinr and an author. I enjoyed Song of the Dryad also! Love how diverse your books are. I'm leaning that way myself as a writer so it's fun to see you doing it. Cheers 💟

[@CelineDamsgaard]

Thank you for answering my question 😊 Looking forward to the ARC services video as I have had a hard time getting reviews for my debut. 🙈

[@VicariouslyBailey]

Your job is my dream job, one thst I am struggling very hard to obtain. Thank you for these videos and for answering questions, it's invaluable information.

[@orlandopulido2493]

Thanks for your input Natalia Leigh.

[@malayka2175]

Gosh, I've missed watching your vlogs while I'm at work or scraping away at my WIP. Glad to see you've been doing alright! ♡

[@Marci82]

Congratulations on your new release 🎉🎈🥳

[@Writing4Jesus247]

❤enjoyed this so much! Love your voice and hearing you talk about everything writing and just life😊God bless y'all!

[@tomaria100]

Hi, Natalia! Where is your paranormal series? Is it being published in your name?

[@rachels9368]

thanks for this! quatity seems like the route to eventually getting quality. practice makes perfect. my debut launches in june and there is so so much to do. love real videos like this

[@joshuabrath653]

Hey! I have to say, thank you for this video! I loved the part where you talked about early morning writing and the unicorns.When it comes to writing, I am struggling to find motivation after my full-time job ends for the day. I make it work, but the motivation is low. I need to try out this morning writing idea! Regarding the unicorn comment, I completely agree. Some people get reviews so fast. I am a new author. I published my first book in the Katrina Calm Series (edited by your company :D) and can’t wait to finish book 2. I do struggle with reviews at the moment. I will have to try ARC. Lastly, I have to give you one more thank you for your channel. I watched your videos in the beginning of 2020. I learned to trust you and your company. It motivated me to finish my book knowing that your work was real and trustworthy! Thank you so much. Enchanted Ink has been a major puzzle piece when it comes to putting together and finishing my first book. Have an amazing week! J. Allen

[@ivad.1341]

Thank you so much for answering 😍

[@alesswonderland]

Rewatching this. I hope you give yourself (and other EIP members) some time off in 2025 from clients. I hope that when you do return to Whiskey City, you write it for yourself and not the readers who expect something after this time. It's interesting to hear who ARC services work for and who it doesn't. I'm not sure if you answered this anywhere, but did you study English or writing in college? I have been starting with short stories and novellas to work my way up to novels, I agree about the outlining tidbit. I tend to write outlines for many stories and then getting lost in it. My successful and finished stories are the ones with a few beats to guide me for the story to flow between them.

[@craigmcmahan1315]

This is perhaps not the right place to ask this question, but I simply haven't found where these two questions are addressed. 1) How does the editing process for nonfiction vary from that of fiction? For example, what additional or different steps are involved? 2) There are several different types of editors, of course. I assume that most books pass through developmental, copy, line editing, etc. However, when one does obtain an editor, does that one person shepherd the book through all those phases or does one have to find multiple editors to do that work? I realize these are very naive and uninformed questions sparked by simple curiosity, but perhaps you could provide some enlightenment. Thanks!

[@MK_1Ultra]

Omg you cut your hair?? I just watched the hair growth journey video 😂😂😂 imagine my shock

[@coreyloucks4865]

Great Content! I can definitely empathize with you on what time is the best time to write as I am definitely a morning writer as well. Currently sick atm though, and it's been rough. Just curious, do you try to work through sickness/colds/flu or do you try to do everything you can to recover as fast as possible to get back to your healthy state of mind or would you rather try to get something done when you're sick? I've just been trying to do the easiest things that don't require too much critical thought since my mind is so foggy atm.

[@andrewmurray7052]

Hi I love your channel. Im also a morning writer I get up at 5:30 am but I usually write at 6 or 7 am. Ive a question when a chapter you write is too long do you divided it in half or do you cut things done or leave it be?

[@jessicaszpila3899]

Can you let us know the companies you are using for arc team building

[@marthawilley5512]

Glad to hear all is well with you. How do you find your paranormal romance? I’m sorry, but i was never able to locate them. Thanks.

[@e.torrey7513]

That's because she decided to keep the information private from her YT community. It's under a secret pen name.

[@marthawilley5512]

@@e.torrey7513 I remember her mentioning that. So do I look under a certain genre then to find it?

[@ThePeriwinkleWitch]

Hey, community! Quick question because I'm struggling with this, and I'm asking on this video just because the internships were mentioned and I'm interested, but I'm a little lost... Does anyone know if Coursera classes will hold weight when attempting to start your editing career? My plan so far is grammar classes, academic writing classes, creative writing classes, then editing classes. And the editing classes would be through the website that Natalia talks about a lot (Editorial Freelancers Association) because they're so credible! Then, lastly, I'll edit some books for free to get the experience and add those books to my resume while attending some seminars and studying the Chicago Manual of Style. Does anyone know if this process would work well? I have no college education. I'm second guessing EVERYTHING and I am losing motivation! :( But I'd eventually love to do an internship because it would be invaluable to me.

[@pequadcob2009]

Gosh Natalia, I am with you with TikTok. I can't stand it and don't want to use it.

[@ThaBloodWitch]

To my old millennial self, tiktok feels like the Vegas of social media platforms. It's loud and bright and you're never quite sure if you're about to lose money...

[@NataliaLeigh]

Hahaha! This is brilliant. 🤣 I'm low-key terrified of Vegas, so this sounds about right!

[@teresa-wolfsparrowcovers]

Hehe, I suggested in the comments I think a year or so ago when you were struggling to find writing time that you should put your writing first before work so you have more brain power for yourself. It's what's always worked best for me as a business owner and an author cos otherwise you'll be too tired all the time and never have space for yourself. Glad to see you're doing that now! Also, omg please schedule yourself some down time. My eyes widened so much when you said you're booked into 2025 with NO time off between. Girl, you're gonna end up in burn out town lol. I give myself a week off each quarter, usually in the last month of the quarter. What's the point in being your own boss if you give yourself no perks? 🩷