How An Authortube Video Helped Me Win Against (Severe) Writer’s Block

I watch YouTube a lot (guilty as charged, dang) and love to learn through tutorials and how-to videos. I didn't venture into book reviews BUT Authortube caught my eye as an aspiring author myself… And I must mention Miss Kate Cavanaugh is my new obsession (Whoa! I mean in a "I'm watching all of her videos non-stop" and not like a creep, okay? Okay!)

Most importantly, she just saved my Heaven's Army: Down to Earth series with one of her methods.

How did she contribute to saving my cherished story?

And also, why do I appreciate Kate's videos so much?

I'll first list all her qualities and what makes her videos the best, in my opinion. Then, I'll introduce you to the specific video which helped me and what I realized and what I proceeded to do. Lastly, I'll explain how it works and what's new on the horizon for me and my story as well as this seemingly innocent technique. All interspersed with images and wishing Miss Cavanaugh the best (and please, do make other awesome videos so I can binge-watch them, oki-please??)

Ready?

What About That Kate Cavanaugh?

I'll be blunt here: her videos are the best and the most inspiring I've found because

* She's hilarious both in what she says and how she edits her videos

* She's so lively it's sweet and entertaining and cannot not move you into action (talk about motivational!)

* She finds different angles to tackle the eternal struggles for writers and explores various methods

* She has an amazing series where she writes like a famous author (using their own routine!) and it's both extremely funny and useful to see what works and how you can tailor it for you!

* She's honest and kind and enthusiastic

* Kate deals with writers's problems, her own progression, tips and tricks, "I tried writing like…", honest talks about writing and money (and so on), and amusing topics like "Sh*t writers thinks // Coffee Shop Edition".

If after such compliments you still don't want to take a look at her videos, you… Who the heck are you, then?! (Just joking. Nah.)

The Life-Changing Video

There is one video that affected me more than the others in terms of resounding with me and the potential technique. If there is one thing you need to know about me before I go into explanations, it's that even though I read eBooks and own three ereaders, paper is always the best (and it smells SOOOO enchanting).

So, what video am I talking about, the one that changed the course of my problems with Down to Earth and helped me beat writer's block with this story?

Well, here it is:

And the Lightbulb Was Turned On!

As for the issue with my story, I was stuck. The plotting never seemed good enough, and I’d had terrible feedback and gratuitously mean comments. So, nothing I ever did worked (plotting and character-wise), and I was pretty hurt. So, sadness took over.

I spent months working this issue over…. Okay, I’m lying. Years. But then, a week ago I watched Kate’s video and it hit me!

I have to print the goddamn story like a book (or at least, as professional-looking as I could right now)! And I did. Like she says, it doesn’t cost much (it was $32 for me at Staples) and it looks GORGEOUS what with those white spirals, protector sheet and hmmmmm all those sheets with written words on them. My words.

While it’s beautiful, do you want to know what’s best about it?

It works!

The Innocent-Looking But Powerful Technique

It might not seem much and you’ll probably go “Well,

You just had to print it to advance.’’

But nah uh! Printing it out is only half of the issue solved. What makes it work is having it look professional and not just sheets you took out from your home printer and stapled together. The answer lies in its appearance and practicality.

Okay, sure, it’s easier to do with your home printer. But it’s less striking, and most importantly, less inspiring. And that’s the trick. You need to hold your story (completely drafted or not) and feel closer to your goal. You need to look at it and go: “Wow, I did that?!’’ With the protector, colour cover and spirals, you’ll feel it’s going somewhere and, I hope, have your confidence renewed! Desire and drive to get somewhere with that story will come at your beck and call after that!

“But what did it give you honestly?’’

Well, since you asked, I’ll answer it in the next section!

I See the Horizon!(And Glimpse at What It Holds)

I envision my completed novel, at last. The feel of just-printed pages and the smell of just-fresh ink. And at last, written in big, bold letters at the very last page: "The End".

This might be in a little while, but now it's much clearer and tangible for me. I see and feel it. I *know* I will reach that vision.

And in the end, isn't it what counts?

Thank you so very much to you for reading and to Kate Cavanaugh for inspiring me with every upload. Please go and check out her channel.

What tip have you tried and loved?

Is there any you learned through Authortube?

See you next post, lovelies!

The Vault of Verona: A Book Review

(Copyrighted Catherine Girard-Veilleux, 2019)

The Literature Factory

Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 282

ISBN: 9780648127918

Format: eBook, Paperback

Publication date: July 5th, 2017

Publisher: Marissa Price (Literature Factory)

Type: Fiction, Novel (Series)

*I received this free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to BookTasters and Marissa Price!*

Introduction:

I was browsing the selection of books by BookTasters when I stumbled upon this gem: a Romeo & Juliet retelling! You have to know that it's my favorite love story, ever. And yes, I know it's not realistic (don't care) and it's a tragedy (exactly why I love it). I read the blurb and… a modern girl who goes back to 14th century Verona?! As Juliet?!

You guessed it: I chose The Vault of Verona as this month's book. Let's be honest here: I couldn't have possibly scrolled past it. Not with my love for the play, retellings, AND such a good idea with a modern girl facing the Middle Ages as one of them!

The Blurb:

Harriet Hunter, a modern Australian and teenage student, has to write a homework about Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Harriet's feminist personality doesn't like this story, nor weak Juliet much, and she draws a picture of what she'd look like if she existed. Overnight, Harriet is transported back in time to Verona with Paris, Romeo, Friar Lawrence, and other play characters… but she finds herself as Juliet! And so the race begins to try and end the play (or is this real life?) in another manner than the original and to find a way back home.

The Positive Sides:

For a start, the MC, Harriet, oozes feminism and equality as the pop references and the story itself do. This story has strong beliefs and stands up for women. I enjoyed how it paints women from earlier times just like us but without the means and rights to be who they were, as well as how other people aren't magnified, but simply human and humane (for the most of them, that is). Also, I love, love, love Harriet's feminist interventions with the ladies in Verona. It's so funny and empowering! In summary, it's undoubtedly a novel written by a woman for women and lauding their strength.

Speaking of Harriet more precisely, I loved her! She's intelligent and cultivated. She thinks quickly. All these elements are so hard to pull off. Her intelligence and the deft writing that shows it believably. I so rarely see this in books that I read—I'm just awed! FINALLY that's a smart character and not one-whose-author-tried-to-make-them-like. The three only other intelligent characters done well (in my opinion) are Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and Thomas from the Maze Runner, and Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson. So, cheers to the author for this feat! Moreover, I loved how Harriet cared about saving Juliet and the lives of those around her in the 14th century. Her gradual understanding of Juliet's character and own strength by being in her shoes is beautiful and inspiring.

On a character side note, I love the Nurse character. Her love for Juliet is clear to see and so heartwarming. I also appreciated the switch of POV to Paris and other characters we either saw very little of in the play, or not at all. It allowed us to explore their thoughts and personality as well as situations.

As for the realism of the Middle Ages, I liked the details of life in that time such as the velvety black sky with twinkling stars that is so much different from the one we see in cities nowadays. Also, the short breaths because of corsets and the very pale lights due to only the moon and a candle. Nice ones!

The friendships were on the spotlight in The Vault of Verona. I loved the talk of equality between one of the main characters and Harriet and her interest about marriage equality as well as the truth of women's equality and how it had to be fought for. It filled me with pride and hope for women and other marginalised people.

As for her writing, the vocabulary is well chosen and not childish, but often literary. Admirable. Indeed, she has good writing, mostly in metaphors and comparisons (as well as her literary words). For example, "against the hunger of the dark" (I find this beautiful, poetic and poignant.) The descriptions of her settings are precise and gripping without being overwhelming. Also, the transitions are smooth between thoughts, actions, events and chapters. The hooks at the chapter ends are awesome and make you want to find out the famous "What happens next?"

But what about the rhythm and coherence? Well, the tension and action imposed by the situation and Harriet's actions are fun and engrossing. You feel the ticking bomb. Something else that pleased me was how every little thing or mention finds meaning at some point in the story. It's beautiful. Another thoughtful thing is how the author talks about all the characters' new situations at the end. There is a real satisfying closure.

All in all, this book messes up with your expectations and there's an excellent middle plot twist!! It was a long time since I was so hooked to a book, thinking about it even when I wasn't reading, while doing banal chores (I'm looking at you dishes and showering). I had a blast!

P.S.: There is such a good hint about where she's headed next towards the end.

The Negative Sides:

Now, there were a few mistakes that I can't just toss away such as how the dialogues are a bit too revealing about information the characters should already know. Also, the Harriet's main setting (Wineglass Bay, Australia) was hard to grasp before a good thirty pages. The author gives such small crumbs of info it was hard to piece them together until she mentioned the name of the city later so I could google it. This was more annoying than a real mistake per se, mind you.

Also, I found a few spelling mistakes ("focussed", for example), but the real problem was the editing. Let me explain with examples. There is an instance where Juliet's father is called "Lord Montague" instead of "Capulet". Wrong family. Moreover, there's this part where it says "Taking a deep breath (…), she took a deep breath." in the same sentence! And such other editing issues appear throughout the book. Has this been edited? Because I'm sure an editor would have caught them and it would have made this already awesome book into a perfect one.

Lastly, Romeo doesn't seem to care about the murder of his best friend, Mercutio—he only has eyes for Juliet. And I noticed a bit of head-hopping, but it's always introduced with the name of the following head-hopped character in a sentence right before it. So this doesn't really count as a mistake, but more of a technique to improve, I think?

In Conclusion:

Seriously, this read was captivating and thrilling! Like I said, it's been a long while since I was so hooked to a book. Despite its editing flaws, I think this book is a gem in terms of historical fiction, retelling, and feminism; it makes you care. I took out a point for the editing, but I can't give The Vault of Verona any less than a rating of 4 stars out of 5 for how fun reading this book was and how many emotions it made me feel.

I'll gladly recommend this book to everyone I know, mostly if you have tastes in these genres! Also, I'll keep myself updated about the author and her books because this is certainly not the last of hers I will read! In fact, I'm staring at the second volume. I'll try to get it as a review copy (because more promotion for this great series!), but if I can't it's a sure purchase!

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site and The Literature Factory. You can also follow her on Twitter and Goodreads. You can also add The Vault of Verona to your bookshelves on Goodreads and LibraryThing.