WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.290 --> 00:00:31.869 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Alright. Hello, everybody! Welcome back to our second session of premium day with Alexis Daria. We will get started in just a second, and I hope all of you are great. It's good to see so many of you back again. And it was I've just like had the best time on our previous session, and I'm so excited for this interview with Alexis. Just to make sure everything is working again. If you could see and hear me, just let me know. In the chat. I had a total computer meltdown in the 2 00:00:31.870 --> 00:00:46.939 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: 40 min since the previous session my headphones died. My computer turned off so just wanna make sure everything is working. Hey, Mike? Hey? Hope good to see you back again. Great glad to. Glad that you could see it. Here, Cindy. Hi, Meredith! Good to see you. 3 00:00:47.470 --> 00:00:48.710 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Hi, Laura! 4 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:54.930 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Amazing! Alright! We'll give everybody a second to filter in. 5 00:00:57.210 --> 00:00:59.099 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Hi, Barbara! Hi! Waltz! 6 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:22.299 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: All right, hey, Chris? Good to see you again as well. All right. Well, we will go ahead and get started. As always. We'll run through a bit of housekeeping before I intro our interview for today. So first, in terms of accessing your replays, our replays are going to be added to the premium hub once they are done processing by zoom. 7 00:01:22.300 --> 00:01:46.130 The Thursday Monday through Thursday replays are going to be found on the original Hub replay page. And then today's replays. So the pitch workshop that we just did as well as this interview are going to be on the Hub until March first on the premium. Only Hub, and then at that point. They're going to move to the Pro writing Aid Community page in a specific premium. Only section that we'll send out a link to on March first, so just keep an eye out for that. 8 00:01:46.270 --> 00:01:51.749 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: But in interim, if you wanna watch any of the sessions, you're welcome to do them on their respective hubs. 9 00:01:52.120 --> 00:02:18.150 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: As always. If you wanna continue romance talking about romance writing, or just talking about what you've learned this week or connecting with each other. I know a lot of you have been asking for ways to keep in touch after this week is over. Please feel free to visit the community. You can find that on the hub link, or here in the chat. And then, as I mentioned on our previous session, it's really really helpful for us to get feedback on this whole week. 10 00:02:18.150 --> 00:02:39.519 I've just placed that link in the chat. We really love hosting these events, and the more feedback you can provide. It's just going to play such an important role for us, making these events happen and and getting great speakers like Alexis to come here and want to talk to you, because it shows the value that these types of events bring. So any feedback that you can provide, the link is in the chat that is super helpful. 11 00:02:40.120 --> 00:03:03.680 Okay. So reminders for this session, this is an interview with Alexis. So if you have questions for her throughout the session, please pop those into the QA. Box, so that I can keep track of them as we go, and then, if you'd like to chat with other viewers, please use the chat. I'll try to keep an eye on that as we go, but, as we all know, the chat tends to move really, really quickly, so keep an eye, or any specific questions that you'd like to have for Alexis. Drop those into the QA. 12 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:14.739 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: And then I will get through as many as we can as we get to the audience. QA. Portion of this session, and then finally again links to the offers from the speakers as well as 13 00:03:14.890 --> 00:03:20.569 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: You know any of the kind of information for the slides and everything like that, for our sessions are all found on the hub as well. 14 00:03:21.310 --> 00:03:45.719 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: All right. With that I think we are ready to get started. Today's session is with Alexis Daria, an award, winning and international bestselling author of you had me at Ola a lot like. Adios! Take the lead. What the hecks and more. Her books have been featured on best of lists from outlets like Oprah magazine entertainment, weekly entertainment weekly. Excuse me, Npr. Buzzfeed and Washington Post. 15 00:03:45.720 --> 00:04:10.709 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: and have received starred reviews from trade publications like publishers, weekly Kyrgus reviews. And Library Journal, a formal visual artist, Alexis is a lifelong New Yorker who loves Broadway musicals and pizza, and her next novel. Along came Amor will be released in January 2025, and and we've got, I think, a special, a special reveal about that or a special an upcoming reveal about that coming soon which Alexis 16 00:04:10.710 --> 00:04:16.610 and I were just chatting about so welcome, Alexis, we are so happy to have you here at romance writers week. 17 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:21.399 Alexis Daria: Hi! Thanks so much for having me. Hi, everyone! 18 00:04:21.570 --> 00:04:30.070 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Huh! Amazing! This is I. This is an unscripted question. But I was just wondering, do you have a favorite Broadway music before we get into it. 19 00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:37.130 Alexis Daria: there's so many. Ii tend to like the ones that 20 00:04:38.250 --> 00:04:50.919 Alexis Daria: like are so like weird ones to like. Okay, so I love Milan Rouge. That. And the soundtrack is just fantastic. The cast record. But I also love the ones like 21 00:04:51.320 --> 00:05:16.709 Alexis Daria: Shrek. The music musical was oddly, really great, and I sometimes still listen to that soundtrack out of the blue, not so much like the the kind of classic ones, the opera, or things like that. Great. I was at Bulan Rouge for Aaron tovates like initial last day of his last run on Broadway, and and it was just. It was 22 00:05:16.710 --> 00:05:23.150 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: like electric like the crowd was singing along, cheering. It felt like a rock concert. It was so much fun. 23 00:05:23.150 --> 00:05:47.980 Alexis Daria: the last performance. I can't remember I was definitely there that week because I needed to see him in it again. So funny, so so good. I live in the Uk. Now, and II had been living in Edinburgh, and then moved down to Brighton, and so, being closer to London, and like the West End, is is great because I grew up near Broadway, and so, being far away for musicals is hard for me to see so many different shows in castle 24 00:05:47.980 --> 00:06:11.939 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: and stuff there, too. That's wonderful. So great. It looks like we've got some musical fans in the chat as well. Okay. Sorry for the off script question, but I was just like, Oh, I'd love to chat Broadway. I'd love to start by just talking a bit about your journey as a romance author. So you transition from a visual artist kind of where did? Where did you start? Where did you get your beginnings? And how did you end up where you are now as an award winning author. 25 00:06:12.690 --> 00:06:14.270 Alexis Daria: Well. 26 00:06:14.320 --> 00:06:25.880 Alexis Daria: I have been writing for a long time. Just sort of like as a fun thing. I wrote Fan Pick in high school. I started doing Nano Rimo, which is national novel writing month 27 00:06:25.890 --> 00:06:27.460 when I was 21 28 00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:39.060 Alexis Daria: and it was just something that I always did on the side. I went to school for art. I worked as an artist and a graphic designer, and, like many different fields. And then. 29 00:06:39.280 --> 00:06:48.430 Alexis Daria: when I was 30, that's when I decided that I was gonna try writing a romance and also really try to take writing seriously. 30 00:06:48.810 --> 00:06:49.990 Alexis Daria: so 31 00:06:50.990 --> 00:07:01.789 Alexis Daria: that meant like a lot of self education and you know, trying to actually finish a manuscript instead of just starting lots of them and never finishing them. 32 00:07:02.320 --> 00:07:03.660 Alexis Daria: and 33 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:16.059 Alexis Daria: you know, II realized that romance was sort of the the thread that I was interested in the most in all of the books and all the different genres that I read. So I said, Okay, let me try writing one of these. 34 00:07:16.490 --> 00:07:21.830 Alexis Daria: yeah, what drew you to romance specifically. 35 00:07:22.530 --> 00:07:32.860 Alexis Daria: well, like, I said, that was always the thing that I was interested in. I read a lot of mystery and urban fantasy and sci-fi fantasy, and you know 36 00:07:32.960 --> 00:07:45.529 Alexis Daria: I always liked when there was a strong romance component in those books, and I sort of read romance. I read a lot of Nora Roberts. And I would kind of sneak my mom's romance novels. She had hundreds of them in the house. 37 00:07:45.840 --> 00:07:46.820 Alexis Daria: but 38 00:07:47.170 --> 00:07:58.039 Alexis Daria: I didn't quite realize that romance encompassed like all of the genres within it, and that you could really have that strong central romance 39 00:07:58.140 --> 00:08:22.669 Alexis Daria: and know that at the end you were gonna have a satisfying ending right? They were gonna end up with their one of them wasn't going to die, or, you know, leave the series, or or might happen in some of the other genres. And that was kind of a turning point for me. And I was like, Oh, this is great. Yeah, yeah, it's like, yeah, it's so funny because we do these genre weeks. So we do romance and crime and fantasy and sci-fi. And I was always saying, I 40 00:08:22.730 --> 00:08:48.120 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: I really love reading the romance novels because they're just so satisfying like you just always kind of end, like, as you say, with a happy ending. And and honestly, it reminds me a bit of fanfic. I wrote a lot of fanfic myself as well, and I feel like a lot of what fanfic is, is like taking these properties that you love, and writing the kind of satisfying endings or satisfying scenes that you missed. And, like 41 00:08:48.270 --> 00:08:59.669 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: just II love the fanfare. There's a lot of fanfic writers that I still read with. Say, like, I will never write a non happy ending, because I just want like this is about pure enjoyment. And I feel like, that's such a beautiful 42 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:01.669 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah, just such a beautiful thing. 43 00:09:01.770 --> 00:09:31.719 Alexis Daria: Yeah. And as a reader, you kind of feel taken care of like. Okay, I know that I'm not going to be blindsided by you know, some kind of plot twist that's going to really upset me about these characters that I've come to really connect with over the course of the book. I will sometimes even stop at the dark, like, right before the dark moment. If a book like is really like I'm in it, and I've been reading it for a long time, and I know the dark moment is coming. I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna stop here because I just need to sit with this, and I can't 44 00:09:31.790 --> 00:09:53.930 Alexis Daria: handle the emotions of them messing it up even for a chapter. Yeah, exactly. No, yeah, exactly. It's like, I'm just gonna stop. It's like, safe with serious, like, sometimes like television series like, I'll turn off before it gets to that like heartbreak. You know the eighth episode of the series that everything just goes crazy or things something like that before the end. 45 00:09:53.930 --> 00:10:07.550 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: so it sounds like you approached writing your first romance novel fairly fairly, systematically. Were there any particular craft, books, or or pieces that you turned to to to try to help you learn as you were approaching that. 46 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:12.449 Alexis Daria: Yeah. Let's see. I read a bunch back then 47 00:10:13.110 --> 00:10:17.349 Alexis Daria: and obviously more since then. What did I read at that point? 48 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:25.339 Alexis Daria: Kind of the first one, I think was rock your plot by Kathy Yardley, who is a romance writer. She writes some really fun books about 49 00:10:25.510 --> 00:10:32.320 Alexis Daria: characters who work in like game design and stuff like that, and do cosplay and you know, fund nerd stuff. 50 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:41.009 Alexis Daria: And she wrote a book that just really broke down the structure of a novel like 51 00:10:41.150 --> 00:10:49.140 Alexis Daria: very succinctly and concisely and then that was kind of like the the basis 52 00:10:49.230 --> 00:10:51.360 Alexis Daria: for me. 53 00:10:52.440 --> 00:11:00.470 Alexis Daria: other books like romancing the beat by Gwen Hayes. So it's so great for for writing romance. And again, it's just like very quick 54 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:07.310 Alexis Daria: and if you look at it and think about like any Romcom movie you've seen. You're like, Oh, I recognize these beats. 55 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:08.400 Alexis Daria: Yeah. 56 00:11:08.800 --> 00:11:13.010 Alexis Daria: Story genius. By Lisa Kron. I use that 57 00:11:13.510 --> 00:11:15.009 for all of my books. 58 00:11:15.260 --> 00:11:21.879 Alexis Daria: as well as twok to 10 k. By Rachel Erin. 59 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:28.200 Alexis Daria: and I can run all these in the chat, or 60 00:11:28.780 --> 00:11:31.200 Alexis Daria: That one is the one that taught me how to edit. 61 00:11:31.290 --> 00:11:49.849 Alexis Daria: She's got a chapter. I think it's like Chapter 5, and it described the editing process, the revision process. Because for me, that was the missing piece. You know. At 1 point I had written 3 manuscripts. I finally finished 3 romance manuscripts, but I couldn't revise them. I just kept getting stuck because I didn't know how. 62 00:11:50.420 --> 00:11:56.929 Alexis Daria: And then once I read that book it was, it would unlock something, and I still use that process to mistake. 63 00:11:57.080 --> 00:12:08.409 Alexis Daria: Can you talk a little bit more about like, what did you feel like you were missing? Was it just like I've got this book? I don't know how to make it better, or what was what felt like there? You know, I think. 64 00:12:08.510 --> 00:12:23.530 Alexis Daria: I think that I were glass. Quote a lot right where it's like when you start out. You think that you're terrible because you have taste, which is what drew you to the creative pursuit. In the first place. But you know that what you're doing doesn't quite match what you want it to be, and I just couldn't figure out 65 00:12:23.560 --> 00:12:27.570 Alexis Daria: how to get it there like I kept starting over at the beginning. 66 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:29.229 Alexis Daria: you know, or I would 67 00:12:30.140 --> 00:12:39.450 Alexis Daria: kind of get stuck in line edits and not really know how to tackle the entire book link story developmental edits. 68 00:12:40.180 --> 00:13:01.679 Alexis Daria: but the way that she breaks it down in the book she has, you make some kind of supplementary materials a timeline, a scene map and a revision to do list, and then from there you kind of group the things and say, Okay, if I'm going to tackle like the big stuff first, like the main characters. Motivation. These are all of the 69 00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:08.669 Alexis Daria: tasks for that. And here's where they are in the book. So you kind of just hop around and just fix that thread. 70 00:13:09.140 --> 00:13:26.069 Alexis Daria: Okay, you know everything after that, like maybe setting details. I say that because I am terrible at writing setting details, so I always leave it to like copy edit. And then I have all of those notes. One day I sit down is okay. I'm gonna finally do these setting details. And I just go through the whole thing and fill them in 71 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:37.180 Alexis Daria: instead of starting at page one, and going all the way through, and having to remember every single thing you want to change about the book as you go. It just makes it a little bit easier. 72 00:13:37.420 --> 00:13:51.219 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah. And that's such a great point, because I feel like it's really easy to just not that line. And anything is easy. But it's like easy to get into that as like, well, I'm making progress, and like I'm doing something right like I'm fixing and tightening up sentences. And I may, you know. 73 00:13:51.290 --> 00:13:55.210 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Edit, you know I'm editing, but like you say, it's 74 00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:20.329 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: it's very minute. It's looking at like the sentence level versus that kind of bigger picture level. And I feel like that bigger picture level is really challenging. And I often to like when I talk with writers, I often talk about how you should do those bigger picture edits before, because that, to be honest, you might end up cutting or changing, or really like removing things. And then, if you've line edited before that, you're kind of wasting your time because you're polishing work that you might just end up 75 00:14:20.420 --> 00:14:35.269 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: kind of completely thrown trashing or throwing out. Has that happened with you where you've just like totally thrown something out or really done a huge big structural change in some way. 76 00:14:35.520 --> 00:14:39.329 Alexis Daria: The third book in my pretty months of Power series, and 77 00:14:39.780 --> 00:14:44.669 Alexis Daria: I'm I'm so close to being done with this edit. I just had to completely rewrite 78 00:14:44.810 --> 00:14:48.920 Alexis Daria: full chapters full seams. 79 00:14:49.030 --> 00:14:50.649 Alexis Daria: because I kind of 80 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.469 Alexis Daria: you know I wrote it, and luckily 81 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.750 Alexis Daria: the entire last 82 00:14:56.570 --> 00:15:14.590 Alexis Daria: act is probably just kind of sketched out. Because II knew that I had to figure out some things before I could really right those scenes. And I worked with a writing coach to really deepen the characterization and then go back to the beginning and say, Okay, this is how it's gonna go from here. 83 00:15:14.790 --> 00:15:15.810 Alexis Daria: So 84 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.930 Alexis Daria: those scenes? What's funny is that 85 00:15:19.220 --> 00:15:25.770 Alexis Daria: the same things are happening like the same event is happening there. There's nothing right. So they're still having 86 00:15:25.970 --> 00:15:38.869 Alexis Daria: the bridal shower and the rehearsal dinner, and whatever else? Right? All of the wedding events. That's the framework. But what's happening in those scenes? And the emotional beat is completely different from when I first wrote it. 87 00:15:39.050 --> 00:15:45.409 Alexis Daria: So that's it's been a lot of rewriting. Yeah, that's so interesting. Cause I think it's like, when you were talking about 88 00:15:45.930 --> 00:16:09.670 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: like using something like romance in the beat which I feel like is such a great resource for understanding kind of what happens. But it's not necessarily like the how it happens or what the feeling is going like. You kind of know where you want to go. But, as you say, so much of the actually drawing out that emotion is in the execution of the scene itself. And so it's I hadn't thought about that before. How like the same exact thing can happen. 89 00:16:09.770 --> 00:16:27.769 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: But just be feeling completely, differently, just based on how you're kind of structuring the scene where the emotional impacts are coming. And yeah, that's yeah, it's like, it's not that you're necessarily changing what was going to happen. You're just changing how you're executing it. Basically, yeah, it's I mean, it's I learned a lot writing this book. 90 00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:31.659 Alexis Daria: I actually just thought of something that an old coworker told me 91 00:16:31.790 --> 00:16:37.949 Alexis Daria: a million years ago. I worked at a bookstore in my early twenties. And you know, I was doing Ninto then. 92 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:40.530 Alexis Daria: And one of my coworkers told me that writing was 93 00:16:42.520 --> 00:16:53.399 Alexis Daria: basically 10% drafting and 90% provision. And at the time I was like, I don't wanna hear that, you know, I wanted to do the other way around. But it really is 94 00:16:53.840 --> 00:17:00.729 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: writing is rewriting, or whatever they say. So, yeah, I think it's like one of those things that's both really heartening. And I feel like 95 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:27.789 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: it's scary, too, because I think it's great to know that your first draft doesn't have to be miraculous. And if you know, if it's not as you, I love the iron quote you were just talking about. Like, if you're you don't have a beautiful award, winning book at the end of draft one. That's okay, you're not. You're probably not supposed to like nobody does. You have to go back and fix it. But at the same time I feel like the editing process. In particular, it was really scary, because it's not just the easy. 96 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:41.060 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Oh, I'm done like I feel like when you're drafting the first draft you like, you know, you're trying to get to the end. So there's like a clear point where you have written everything you're going to write and like you can save the end, so to speak, and where whereas with editing it's like. 97 00:17:41.420 --> 00:17:57.670 Alexis Daria: who knows? You know? Who knows when this will be done? It? Could it could go on in theory forever. I do. Wanna talk about that actually that. How do you know when you're done like, how do you know when you've edited enough, and it's it's time to bring show it to people. Basically. 98 00:17:58.890 --> 00:18:01.259 Alexis Daria: so the kind of like 99 00:18:01.450 --> 00:18:05.670 Alexis Daria: silly answer is like when you're completely sick of it. 100 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:09.709 Alexis Daria: But the real answer, I think, is, when you feel like 101 00:18:10.510 --> 00:18:19.960 Alexis Daria: like you've done enough right? There's still things that you're gonna want to change and go back and add, or fix, or whatever. But you've just hit the point where you're like. You know what 102 00:18:20.170 --> 00:18:24.940 Alexis Daria: I have given this book all that I can in this moment. 103 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:37.719 Alexis Daria: and I feel complete with where it is like, where other people can read it like, maybe, and it's still maybe scary to let other people read it. But that's okay. Like, I know that I put in the work. 104 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:51.089 Alexis Daria: and in my case I write with a lot of notes to myself in the document. Like, I said. I don't write. I don't like writing details or physical description. As I go, so I'll just like, put in like. 105 00:18:51.360 --> 00:18:56.579 Alexis Daria: They walked into the room setting details in brackets or so and so 106 00:18:56.670 --> 00:19:06.239 Alexis Daria: a character walks onto the page, and I have to say what they look like physical description. But there are no more of those kind of myself in the manuscript. 107 00:19:06.800 --> 00:19:21.649 Alexis Daria: That's also a good indicator. Yeah, what do you like writing? So are you like, really into the conversations? The like, oh, connection, yeah, I love writing dialogue a lot of times. That's kind of the first way that a book comes to me is through snippets of 108 00:19:21.770 --> 00:19:34.949 Alexis Daria: dialogue, little exchanges between the main characters, and I'll jot those down on my phone. And then there, is how I kind of figure out who the characters are. And then I do a lot of character work. Using the story genius. 109 00:19:36.410 --> 00:19:41.369 Alexis Daria: sort of homework assignments. And 110 00:19:41.730 --> 00:19:47.800 Alexis Daria: yeah. So I love writing dialogue. I love writing. 111 00:19:50.380 --> 00:19:52.759 Alexis Daria: The sex scenes. 112 00:19:53.020 --> 00:20:04.850 Alexis Daria: the like. Big emotional scenes are a little bit more difficult. Arguments are really hard for me to write, but I feel like they're so important to get right. So I spend a lot of time on them. 113 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:11.209 Alexis Daria: same with the scenes with like lots of people in them. 114 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:14.270 Alexis Daria: Those can be 115 00:20:14.310 --> 00:20:18.429 Alexis Daria: just require so much like choreography. 116 00:20:18.630 --> 00:20:38.299 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: But at the end, like, I'm always like, really happy with them. Yeah, do you have any with those scenes with lots of characters in them? Do you have like? Just curious? How do you approach those like you mentioned? It's like choreography. I'm just curious. Do you do any like diagramming out of where people are moving, or what people are going or kind of, how do you structure a really complicated scene like that? 117 00:20:38.610 --> 00:20:46.560 Alexis Daria: So so I'm writing a series with a big like Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. And they 118 00:20:47.080 --> 00:20:48.400 Alexis Daria: there's always 119 00:20:48.670 --> 00:20:56.589 Alexis Daria: these moments in the books where they have anywhere from like 40 to 200 people in the place, and I have to think about 120 00:20:57.730 --> 00:21:01.299 Alexis Daria: your Pov. Character is the one who's carrying the reader through the scene. 121 00:21:01.670 --> 00:21:06.219 Alexis Daria: So who do they need to encounter and actually have like a 122 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:08.950 Alexis Daria: on page exchange with. 123 00:21:10.020 --> 00:21:15.160 Alexis Daria: and who can be kind of summarized like when they're looking around. And they're like 124 00:21:15.350 --> 00:21:32.179 Alexis Daria: Oh, you know that uncle was doing this thing that Theo was doing this other thing. This cousin is, you know, talking to somebody else. and when to include those right? Because that's part of the the setting. Right? You're setting the of what this place is. 125 00:21:32.930 --> 00:21:36.060 Alexis Daria: and I will sometimes like. I keep a notebook 126 00:21:36.530 --> 00:21:39.139 Alexis Daria: on my desk, and I'll just write down like 127 00:21:39.770 --> 00:21:45.060 Alexis Daria: what needs to be said in this scene. Right? And who needs to say it. 128 00:21:45.210 --> 00:21:49.150 Alexis Daria: so I've got one scene in my current book where 129 00:21:49.490 --> 00:21:56.940 Alexis Daria: you know I kind of had it where the the main character is talking to the main characters from the other 2 books, but I also needed to show 130 00:21:57.560 --> 00:22:04.169 Alexis Daria: this character talking to her parents, because I put the chapter where she spends with her parents. 131 00:22:04.210 --> 00:22:16.910 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Now I need to show her with them to show their dynamic, even if it's quick. So when am I going to get that in? Exactly. What are they going to say? It's going to achieve this purpose of showing what their dynamic in their relationship is like. 132 00:22:16.930 --> 00:22:19.320 Alexis Daria: So the way that I do. That is, you know. 133 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:37.370 Alexis Daria: you're never talking to all of the people at once. So as you move through the space, usually with some sort of goal in mind, even if it's just like I need to go get some chips who do you encounter, and for how long? And just bring those people in and out of your main characters. Orbit. 134 00:22:37.400 --> 00:23:01.319 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, that's so interesting. It's such a good tip, too, of like there are. You can get in such short snippets of dialogue or sort snippets of interaction like how different characters interact with those relationships are like it doesn't have to necessarily be pages of backstory. It can. It can be shown quickly and the like. You say in this kind of quick interactions. I really loved what you're saying. It sounds like you kind of approach a lot of the pre 135 00:23:01.490 --> 00:23:18.330 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: pre work of the not of writing as almost as like homework assignments with, like the story, genius, exercise. Do you have any other kind of tips for? Your approach for kind of crafting, believable and compelling romantic relationships? Because I feel like, obviously, that's the heart of the romance novel. So yeah, what do you do to 136 00:23:18.670 --> 00:23:20.630 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: craft that central relationship? 137 00:23:21.090 --> 00:23:41.129 Alexis Daria: So I do. This story. Genius exercises even when I don't feel like it. I resist them a lot. Sometimes I'm like, don't really need to write this whole scene like I know what's gonna happen. But no, I do. So that book kind of takes you through figuring out certain key points in the characters past. And then I actually write those scenes in first person. 138 00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:44.939 Alexis Daria: And so much comes out through doing that. 139 00:23:45.070 --> 00:23:51.049 Alexis Daria: But for me, what it comes down to is figuring out the underlying limiting beliefs 140 00:23:51.170 --> 00:23:54.619 Alexis Daria: for these characters. Which are usually kind of 141 00:23:55.600 --> 00:23:57.500 Alexis Daria: somewhat universal. 142 00:23:58.510 --> 00:24:06.649 Alexis Daria: relatable thoughts like, I'm worthy or I'm lovable, or, you know, whatever the the basis is 143 00:24:07.290 --> 00:24:09.659 Alexis Daria: for the character that 144 00:24:10.050 --> 00:24:11.819 Alexis Daria: is driving them 145 00:24:11.870 --> 00:24:22.379 Alexis Daria: up to the point of this, the beginning of the story, and then the over the course of the story. They're kind of uprooting those thoughts and planting new ones. 146 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:29.969 Alexis Daria: and they do enough of that over the course of the book. That's my job, as the author is to to guide them through 147 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:39.650 Alexis Daria: enough of that journey, so that by the end they can enter a healthy and lasting relationship. While also acknowledging that this is the work of a lifetime. Yeah. 148 00:24:39.710 --> 00:24:58.019 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah, like, it's not just that. There's not the happy ending like there is the happy ending. But there's not just like, you know, I'm healed completely. Exactly, I guess. I think. Is it? Is it romancing? The beat that talks about kind of the whole hearted concept where it's like you're you're healed enough to like 149 00:24:58.020 --> 00:25:10.589 Alexis Daria: come together in the relationship and move forward. But, as you say, it's not like any human ever. It's just like, well, no, I'm perfect and ready to move forward. Yeah. And then, yeah. And it's, you know, for romance. It's figuring out what 150 00:25:10.610 --> 00:25:24.249 Alexis Daria: what their blocks are against love. In kind of all arenas. So I always look at it as there's the romantic relationship. But there's also their like, their personal relationship with themselves. And 151 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:30.440 Alexis Daria: you know the work that they're doing in the world like what professionally how have they leveled up by the end of the book. 152 00:25:30.630 --> 00:25:50.689 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well, I was just gonna ask that kind of how do you balance like the captivating plot, like the external kind of pieces that are moving forward with also the deep emotional connections that are kind of resonating with readers like, how do you make sure you're both moving forward. 153 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:57.169 Alexis Daria: I'm a character driven writer, and those are the stories that I prefer to read. 154 00:25:58.490 --> 00:26:00.220 Alexis Daria: you know. I think 155 00:26:02.490 --> 00:26:08.300 Alexis Daria: like a good example of a plot driven book. I just read this with I'm a tutor. 156 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:11.269 Alexis Daria: And I read this one with one of my 15 year old students. 157 00:26:11.690 --> 00:26:12.819 Jurassic Park 158 00:26:12.840 --> 00:26:28.639 Alexis Daria: is a plot driven book. The plot drives the story. but with romances the emotions and the characters are really what drives a story. So that is always the priority for me. Because that's the part that has to be believable. 159 00:26:29.040 --> 00:26:30.159 Alexis Daria: Right? Like. 160 00:26:31.580 --> 00:26:42.600 Alexis Daria: you know, I've had books where it's like, oh, they need to buy a house. And wow! They just like bought that house really quickly, like, Okay, fine. That's probably not believable, but have enough money to make it work. But 161 00:26:42.990 --> 00:26:52.869 Alexis Daria: you know it's okay if that kind of happens as like the quick wrap up at the end. But the the emotional journey needs to resonate, because otherwise you're not gonna follow these characters. 162 00:26:53.050 --> 00:26:56.360 Alexis Daria: So I always try to keep sight of that and 163 00:26:57.160 --> 00:27:13.619 Alexis Daria: think about the framework of the book. So I've written 2 books that take place. During the filming of a television show. So that provides the external framework right? The episodes. How many of them are there? And then what's happening to the characters over the course of that season? 164 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:16.990 Alexis Daria: i. 165 00:27:17.130 --> 00:27:23.010 Alexis Daria: A ticking clock is always a good thing. 3 days until 3 weeks until 166 00:27:23.470 --> 00:27:26.289 and then that kind of puts 167 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:29.720 Alexis Daria: some a sense of urgency, but also 168 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:39.009 Alexis Daria: again gives you the framework. It gives you the plot. Okay, if I've got 3 dates or 3 days until the wedding. Then here's what needs to happen. 169 00:27:39.530 --> 00:28:04.509 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, that's such great advice. And I something that I feel like you hear a lot in crime novels, but not necessarily. I haven't heard it about it in romance as well, but it's such great advice like, I feel like in crime. It's typically like, you know, you've got to catch the killer you need to like. It's one day since the murder, you know, or whatever where there's that like. All right, I have gotta catch this person before this bomb goes off, or something like that. There's kind of that like very real external ticking clock and crime. But it's so smart to use it. 170 00:28:04.510 --> 00:28:15.630 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Romance as well, because, like you say, I think it's great advice that it just gives the framework for, like well, what could happen in the space of this amount of time? How much closeness do I need to develop 171 00:28:15.630 --> 00:28:29.529 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: between the characters at like what stages, and I can see how you could kind of backwards plan from that. It's like, well, if at the end of this event they have to leave, having at least had their like climactic moment together. We need to have enough things building up 172 00:28:29.590 --> 00:28:33.270 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: before that to make that climax like feel 173 00:28:33.420 --> 00:28:35.449 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: resonant. I guess if that makes sense. 174 00:28:35.650 --> 00:28:41.059 Alexis Daria: yeah, and it also can help you develop the characters from there like. 175 00:28:41.930 --> 00:28:46.760 Alexis Daria: And I mean a lot of romance is forced proximity. So the ticking clock, or the 176 00:28:46.980 --> 00:28:59.450 Alexis Daria: however many days, weeks, months, framework, gives you that forced proximity as well. So. for example, if I'm writing something. I wrote a novella that took place over 3 days, right? It was 3 days until the wedding. 177 00:28:59.820 --> 00:29:01.610 Alexis Daria: 3 days is 178 00:29:02.800 --> 00:29:05.200 Alexis Daria: in real life, perhaps very quick 179 00:29:05.260 --> 00:29:18.130 Alexis Daria: for people to fall in love. But not if they were also like high school rivals, and have known each other like their whole lives right? And it's like a slightly different thing. 180 00:29:19.510 --> 00:29:20.900 Alexis Daria: whereas 181 00:29:21.580 --> 00:29:32.499 Alexis Daria: take the lead takes place over season of television. It's like 3 months or something like that. So then it's fine. The characters have never met before, but they are spending literally every single day together for 3 months, so 182 00:29:33.030 --> 00:29:44.229 Alexis Daria: you know, and then I have to really draw it out more right. They can't like kind of. They both kind of have to have reservations, whereas in a 20,000 word novella that takes place on 3 days. 183 00:29:45.530 --> 00:29:55.690 Alexis Daria: for something like that. It's easier to have one of the characters like already, be into the other person right and be like, I'm ready. I'm ready to go with this relationship whenever you are 184 00:29:55.970 --> 00:30:19.059 Alexis Daria: and then have the other. One kind of have some realizations, and like some changes in themselves. And then by the end be like, okay, I think that you know, we can come ready for this. Yeah, that's that's such a great, that's such great advice to think about, like what's realistic within the framework of the ticking clock. And I feel like that helps like, just as you say, that helps to find what would be a realistic relationship for the characters as well. So it's like. 185 00:30:19.060 --> 00:30:39.329 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: what's sticking them together. What do they need to overcome. And what is realistic to overcome within, like the space of this time, I feel like that's put up like pregnancy or unplanned pregnancy. Trope is often common in romance, and I feel like that's also like you get the 9 months to have them like, have this accidental, pregnant pregnancy, and then fall in love over like the course of that time. And 186 00:30:39.500 --> 00:30:56.310 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah, I feel like the more I think about it. I'm like there's just so many tick good ticking clocks within all of Roma's, because of that kind of force proximity, that kind of keeps them close together, which is yeah, great. And you know I mean workplace. Romance is great for that. Or if they're working on some kind of project together, or if it's like. 187 00:30:56.550 --> 00:31:12.259 Alexis Daria: you know, marriage of convenience for romance reasons right like. Oh, you've got to be married for 2 months before you can inherit whatever right, you know, just figuring out some sort of framework that's going to keep the characters together, and then also give you your external structure. 188 00:31:12.390 --> 00:31:39.630 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, that makes sense before we move on. Jalen Ed had a question about writing emotional scenes. So yeah, said this happens to me a lot when I have so many details, scenes, or at least ideas as well as the emotion in them. It can be really draining to have kind of all of this come together like the emotional scenes, are very draining. Does this happen to you? And if so, or if it doesn't, what's your advice to prevent writing those emotional scenes from getting to be too emotionally and and mentally exhausting. 189 00:31:41.360 --> 00:31:50.790 Alexis Daria: I think giving yourself a lot of time to work on those scenes and knowing that you are not going to get it right the first time. 190 00:31:50.800 --> 00:32:01.929 Alexis Daria: because, you know, the the fact is, if you want your reader to really feel something when they read it. 191 00:32:02.290 --> 00:32:10.509 Alexis Daria: you are really feeling something when you write it. And yeah, that's draining. It is draining to put yourself through all of the emotions of the characters. 192 00:32:11.020 --> 00:32:20.690 Alexis Daria: when I approach those scenes. They always take longer than I think they will. And even when I think I've gotten it done, I'm like, Oh, no, I actually don't have to go back over again. 193 00:32:21.170 --> 00:32:23.830 Alexis Daria: from a technique perspective. I print them out. 194 00:32:24.540 --> 00:32:27.850 Alexis Daria: You know, cause sometimes I 195 00:32:28.100 --> 00:32:42.439 Alexis Daria: we'll have like a bunch of different versions of the scene, or just like different blocks of dialogue, and I just kind of can't figure out what order they should go in, or how they should fit together. So then I print it out and actually mark up the page because it just uses like a different part of your brain, I guess 196 00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:46.810 Alexis Daria: And then sometimes you just have to ask for help. 197 00:32:46.890 --> 00:32:52.820 Alexis Daria: and you just have to ask something else to take a look at it and help you walk through it. One thing that one of my 198 00:32:52.900 --> 00:33:04.019 Alexis Daria: past editors did with me during like a problematic scene. Actually, in this book, that one a lot like Audios. There's like a big argument that they have at the end of Act One. 199 00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:07.739 Alexis Daria: and I must have rewritten the scene like 30 times. 200 00:33:07.930 --> 00:33:18.040 Alexis Daria: and I narrowed it down to like 6 different options and sent them to the editor. And what we did was map the emotional progression of the Pov character in the scene. 201 00:33:18.050 --> 00:33:22.699 Alexis Daria: like at the beginning. She feels this, and then from there she feels this. 202 00:33:22.850 --> 00:33:30.450 Alexis Daria: And then what emotion are we trying to get them to at the end. And what is like a smooth progression there. 203 00:33:31.050 --> 00:33:32.590 And that helped a lot. 204 00:33:32.690 --> 00:33:49.740 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, that's super useful, I think, to think about. Yeah, where am I going? And again it comes back to. There's often going to be just many ways that you can do the same scene. I'm curious with that one. Did you end up with one of the 6 scenes that you had written? Or was it kind of an amalgamation of all of those at the end. 205 00:33:50.500 --> 00:34:08.069 Alexis Daria: Yeah, it was probably an amalgamation cause. They weren't like all that different but just like sort of the again, like the same thing is happening, but sort of the way it's happening. It's like, how angry are they in the scene, or how long to stay angry. You know. Another book. Recommendation 206 00:34:08.190 --> 00:34:11.320 Alexis Daria: is, oh, good! I'm glad that was helpful. 207 00:34:11.739 --> 00:34:15.590 Alexis Daria: The emotional craft of fiction. By Donald. Mass. 208 00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:21.820 Alexis Daria: I've had to read that book like 3 times, because it is actually 209 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:24.469 so 210 00:34:24.940 --> 00:34:26.370 Alexis Daria: like dense 211 00:34:26.600 --> 00:34:36.830 Alexis Daria: that each time I read it I get something different out of it. But one of the things. That was a takeaway for me was thinking about deeper level emotions. So 212 00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:43.349 Alexis Daria: okay, I'll use another tutoring analogy. I've worked a lot with elementary Middle school, aged boys. 213 00:34:43.469 --> 00:34:48.330 Alexis Daria: So we'll be reading something. And I'll say, Okay, what is the character thinking? And they're like 214 00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:55.180 Alexis Daria: mad, bad or sad, like? What are they feeling bad, bad, or sad? Kind of the 215 00:34:55.370 --> 00:35:00.329 Alexis Daria: the basic? Yeah. I say, okay. What else? 216 00:35:00.370 --> 00:35:11.780 Alexis Daria: Right? What else is under that emotion? Right? Are they feeling guilty? Are they feeling disappointed? Are they feeling resigned? You know. And then. 217 00:35:12.560 --> 00:35:22.959 Alexis Daria: in your own writing, taking those moments where you can say, what's the deeper level of motion here and then is there something that's surprising about what they're feeling, or that 218 00:35:23.570 --> 00:35:42.629 Alexis Daria: they feel surprised by, or they even feel judgmental like. Feel happy in this moment, right? Like, maybe something bad happens to somebody, and they're like, Oh, I should feel really bad about this, but I don't, and then how to judge themselves for it. If they do so, those are things that can also really deepen a scene 219 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:58.260 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: that's fascinating. So Mary had a question as she said, you used you mentioned that you use Lisa Crohn's technique to find the character wounds before you write and that you use tips as you're revising as well from. I think it's 2 to 10 k. So are you a person who has like a very 220 00:35:58.260 --> 00:36:13.089 Alexis Daria: strict outline before you start? Or are you just kind of going through exercises and then applying them? Or do you really have, like a big, strong scene by scene breakdown and shout out to hope in the chat, who's dropping all of the links to the books you're mentioning, which is great. 221 00:36:13.090 --> 00:36:20.729 Alexis Daria: Yes, I do a lot about lining first. I really need to have a strong sense of the book and the characters before I can start writing 222 00:36:20.780 --> 00:36:29.319 Alexis Daria: because otherwise. You know, like we said before, I feel like I just end up doing the work over. 223 00:36:29.450 --> 00:36:35.550 Alexis Daria: And that was for me a big part of kind of why I wrote for so long. 224 00:36:35.930 --> 00:36:39.100 Alexis Daria: without really going anywhere with it. Because I wish 225 00:36:39.320 --> 00:36:47.190 Alexis Daria: being a pancer. Right? We talk about Panzer and fodder. And I'm just sit down, and I would write, and it was fun. But like the story didn't go anywhere or 226 00:36:47.630 --> 00:36:52.040 Alexis Daria: it would be too difficult to revise. And once I started 227 00:36:54.510 --> 00:36:57.479 Alexis Daria: really doing a lot of the the pre-writing work. 228 00:36:57.640 --> 00:37:21.069 Alexis Daria: That made a difference in how my books turned out. Although sometimes, you know you do all that work the book I'm working on right now. I'm so late with it. But part of it is because I started it over 3 times, you know, and I would do all of that outlining and all that character work, and then I would get stuck somewhere, and then, and that would kind of show me. Like, you know, there's just something here that's not right. It's just not working 229 00:37:21.460 --> 00:37:34.759 Alexis Daria: and the second time I you know, I think I wrote like the first 4 chapters, and I go back and I read them sometimes, and I'm like this is not a bad book. I would read this book. but I didn't want to write this book, and 230 00:37:35.780 --> 00:37:39.960 Alexis Daria: I'm glad I figured that out at least before I had written 231 00:37:40.010 --> 00:38:04.020 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: well, and that's a great distinction, too. That's like, sometimes you can throw something away or not want to finish the path, and it doesn't have to. It doesn't mean that it's bad book, or that you've like failed, or anything like that. It could just not be the book that you want to write, and maybe it's not the book you want to write right now, and later it will be, or but it's just. It's not that that failure which I feel like a lot of us associate with not finishing a project or not following through with 232 00:38:04.020 --> 00:38:20.889 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: with what we're thinking. I'm curious to the same kind of question of like. When do you know when you're done editing? When do you know when you're done outlining? Because I feel like that is such a? It's really easy to just outline forever and like, try to get that perfect even before you start drafting. 233 00:38:21.150 --> 00:38:34.059 Alexis Daria: it's sort of sort of the same answer, like I know when I feel ready, because sometimes I try to tell myself like, Okay, you gotta get started. Not ready yet. 234 00:38:34.190 --> 00:38:37.410 Alexis Daria: If I were ready I could do it, and I can't. 235 00:38:37.690 --> 00:38:41.860 Alexis Daria: And then I hit a point where I'm like, Oh, yeah, I'm ready now, like, I'm ready to write this book. 236 00:38:42.110 --> 00:38:54.789 Alexis Daria: and it's you know it's not even about having like the entire thing perfectly outlined, because II do scene cards and some of my scene cards are just like 237 00:38:55.140 --> 00:38:56.719 Alexis Daria: they have an argument here. 238 00:38:56.730 --> 00:39:05.699 Alexis Daria: and then, of course, I get to that scene when I'm drafting it, and I'm like, thanks a lot, Alexis. 239 00:39:06.180 --> 00:39:08.070 Alexis Daria: And then I have to figure it out, but 240 00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:26.910 Alexis Daria: you know, so not. Everything needs to be like completely broken down, whereas some are some are like. And then he says this, and she says this, and then I can just kind of look at that scene card and almost like copy. Paste it into the book around it. But it really is. I think at this point a feeling of readiness. 241 00:39:27.010 --> 00:39:29.720 Alexis Daria: and 242 00:39:35.170 --> 00:39:37.819 Alexis Daria: yeah, just sort of feeling like, I have enough. 243 00:39:38.020 --> 00:39:50.170 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, I'm curious. Do you write in sequential order? Do you take those scene cards and kind of see? Oh, this is what I feel like writing today. After you have that 244 00:39:50.370 --> 00:39:54.560 Alexis Daria: sort of both. 245 00:39:54.630 --> 00:39:56.880 Alexis Daria: Sometimes, when scenes come to me. 246 00:39:56.970 --> 00:40:11.819 Alexis Daria: Usually when I'm about to fall asleep at night, break it down on my phone and at some point I have to collect all of those phone notes and figure out where they're gonna go. I use prisoner to write to draft, at least, so I keep 247 00:40:12.540 --> 00:40:15.269 Alexis Daria: you know, a sort of very. 248 00:40:15.310 --> 00:40:21.879 Alexis Daria: Some parts of it are very organized, and then some parts of it are total mess in the binder section on the left side of the screen. 249 00:40:22.310 --> 00:40:23.760 Alexis Daria: that. 250 00:40:24.200 --> 00:40:37.810 Alexis Daria: all of those phone notes go into. It's just sort of like phone note date. So when those come to me, I write them down and then I sort of figure out where they have to go, but otherwise 251 00:40:38.060 --> 00:40:43.099 Alexis Daria: I write the book in order. I do write the Aha moment at the end. 252 00:40:44.170 --> 00:40:45.479 Alexis Daria: with a 253 00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:53.710 Alexis Daria: Lisa chrome talks about that. I write that whenever she says to write it, and I never want to. But then I'm always glad I did once I get to that point. 254 00:40:55.060 --> 00:41:17.730 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah. So mostly in order. Yeah. Makes sense. I'm curious. How do you take or support, or twist, or make kind of traditional romance? Tropes feel fresh for your readers, because I feel like tropes are such a big part of the romance genre, and something that readers expect. But at the same time we want to make sure that they it's not just the same story over and over again, if that makes sense. 255 00:41:18.390 --> 00:41:24.360 Alexis Daria: I mean, I think tropes are kind of shorthand. They let people know. 256 00:41:24.920 --> 00:41:33.050 Alexis Daria: Oh, sorry. I'm just gonna answer the question here. Phone notes. I mean, like, I actually am writing the note on my phone. And then I copy, paste it out of the notes app 257 00:41:33.080 --> 00:41:55.450 Alexis Daria: into scrivener as a phone note. That's just yeah. Very, very technical here. I was also one of those like computer artists who had a lot of like layers named like, final final 2. Okay, sorry tropes. 258 00:41:55.970 --> 00:42:10.440 Alexis Daria: yeah. So troops are kind of a shorthand. I wish that I thought more about them at the beginning to say, like, Okay, this is book. This book's going to have these tropes, and therefore it will be much easier to explain it to people and market it. I don't do that too often. 259 00:42:10.730 --> 00:42:17.970 Alexis Daria: usually I like to try to mash things together. Where it's like. 260 00:42:18.550 --> 00:42:21.739 Alexis Daria: how many of these things can I fit together in one thing? 261 00:42:22.080 --> 00:42:23.270 Alexis Daria: or 262 00:42:24.290 --> 00:42:27.569 Alexis Daria: in terms of subvert in terms of subverting? 263 00:42:29.030 --> 00:42:35.700 Alexis Daria: I was thinking about this question earlier. I think that reading widely helps, too. 264 00:42:37.250 --> 00:42:39.120 Alexis Daria: because, let's say. 265 00:42:39.230 --> 00:42:55.180 Alexis Daria: whatever you want to write, whether it's like enemies, lovers or whatever. If you've only read like 3 enemies to lovers, romances, that's all you kind of have to draw, whereas if you read like 30 of them. And you take a tiny little bit of inspiration from each one. You're coming up with something really original. 266 00:42:55.230 --> 00:43:03.440 Alexis Daria: And you have sort of the knowledge base to say, I know what the expectation is. So I'm gonna do this part differently. 267 00:43:03.520 --> 00:43:07.620 Alexis Daria: Yeah, which is harder if you've only read like a handful 268 00:43:07.740 --> 00:43:19.789 Alexis Daria: so I think, reading widely in whatever you are trying to write. But then also just reading widely in general. Because then you're gonna be able to make those connections 269 00:43:19.880 --> 00:43:23.709 Alexis Daria: from so many different sources, and that will also help 270 00:43:23.730 --> 00:43:24.830 Alexis Daria: make it fresh. 271 00:43:24.930 --> 00:43:51.759 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah, that's such great advice, because a lot of these tropes, our tropes in the romance genre. But there are enemies in every type of fiction. And so it's like you can find things that like make the enemy relationship spicier or like ratchet up the tension just how you know in terms of how it's done somewhere else. And yeah, I just completely agree with you. And then what Kathleen say in the chat, reading widely. I feel like it's just the best tool, because you're learning all the time, and I feel like 272 00:43:51.760 --> 00:44:09.690 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: as I've gotten serious, more serious about writing, that's I'll return to my favorite books, or just kind of approach new books and like, Oh, it's really cool. How they did this one thing like I love, how they've like taken this and turned it on its head. Or I just feel like this is a really eloquent way of doing XY, and Z. And 273 00:44:09.800 --> 00:44:20.980 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: I actually also speaking of the notes app, I have a lot of notes of my own. That is like really great job doing this, or something like that. That's like. Then I can kind of return. And return to that. 274 00:44:21.160 --> 00:44:23.080 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: I would love to 275 00:44:23.230 --> 00:44:30.560 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: think about or excuse me before I go to that question. I do. You have any like favorite tropes that you really love to, to write, or to read, or both. 276 00:44:31.060 --> 00:44:44.299 Alexis Daria: so II like reading enemies, lovers, but I am not great at writing it. 277 00:44:45.030 --> 00:44:45.960 Alexis Daria: But 278 00:44:46.490 --> 00:44:58.090 Alexis Daria: I love writing the roommates trope, and not necessarily like that. They are actual roommates who live together, but just like they have to live together for romance reasons for some period of time. 279 00:44:58.130 --> 00:45:01.470 Alexis Daria: And I've written that twice, and those are both like my favorite 280 00:45:01.490 --> 00:45:15.960 Alexis Daria: writing experiences. Because there's just like so much tension. Especially like if they both know that they are into each other, but are trying not to be like it just becomes so much fun. 281 00:45:18.070 --> 00:45:20.539 Alexis Daria: yeah, so that one's a favorite. 282 00:45:23.130 --> 00:45:39.909 Alexis Daria: dating is always fun. Yeah, yeah, there's so much intimacy in the room based. But that's always like one of my favorites to both read, and then I feel like it's really popular in fanfic as well. There's like so much good fanfic about like, oh, these 2 characters are now roommates, and it's it's great, because there's so much of that 283 00:45:39.910 --> 00:46:04.110 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: like intimacy by proximity, where it's like you can kind of like you can hear what somebody's doing, and you can like you're just seeing each other. And like all of these kind of vulnerable states when you live with someone that, you wouldn't necessarily do. I mean, you can make that intimacy in any setting. And romance authors are so great at that. But like living in the home, there's something just so like, Oh, they're going to sleep in their or their pajamas, you know, like all of those like tiny moments. 284 00:46:04.130 --> 00:46:09.170 Alexis Daria: it's hard to maintain the mask that you show the world 285 00:46:09.230 --> 00:46:13.479 Alexis Daria: 24, 7 right and home. You want to be able to 286 00:46:13.800 --> 00:46:27.660 Alexis Daria: take off the mask. Take off the makeup like, put on your ratty old pajamas like, and that's kind of the the physical representation of like what's happening emotionally. So if you then have these 2 people where there's some sort of tension between them. 287 00:46:27.930 --> 00:46:32.570 Alexis Daria: like they just can't uphold the masks forever. 288 00:46:32.820 --> 00:46:57.600 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: You know, at some point somebody's gonna break. And then and there's that like just delicious anticipation of the reader. Where you're just like, what's gonna be the thing? Where are they gonna break? What's gonna what's gonna cause them like as they've got this like tight grip on their you know their external presentation. Before we get to some of the audience questions, I'm curious. How do you approach doing kind of meaningful diversity and representation in your books? 289 00:46:58.860 --> 00:47:06.729 Alexis Daria: I mean, I think it's just like any other kind of world building. The way that the care that you take with 290 00:47:07.380 --> 00:47:21.179 Alexis Daria: setting? Or you know the characters, Job, if it's not the same job that you have like those are. That's the level of care that you should be bringing and the level of thought that you should be bringing to creating a world that is 291 00:47:21.350 --> 00:47:25.720 Alexis Daria: diverse and respectful and realistic. 292 00:47:26.430 --> 00:47:27.330 Alexis Daria: I, 293 00:47:28.690 --> 00:47:37.999 Alexis Daria: you know, with with my stories like I always like. I never run out of details to include about like my characters in their lives and their families. 294 00:47:38.330 --> 00:47:43.560 Alexis Daria: And like. Sometimes I'll be like, Oh, I can't believe I haven't mentioned that thing yet in a book. 295 00:47:44.080 --> 00:47:45.080 Alexis Daria: or 296 00:47:46.420 --> 00:47:47.430 Alexis Daria: you know it's 297 00:47:47.700 --> 00:47:54.490 Alexis Daria: you. You do it in the same way, like you're sprinkling in the details in a way that builds this full world. 298 00:47:54.560 --> 00:48:03.829 Alexis Daria: The same that the same way that you do like where they live, or you know anything else that they're doing. It's just part of it. 299 00:48:04.520 --> 00:48:05.280 and 300 00:48:06.820 --> 00:48:09.270 Alexis Daria: you just bring that level of attention and care 301 00:48:09.340 --> 00:48:10.470 Alexis Daria: to that. Yeah. 302 00:48:10.870 --> 00:48:47.609 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah, I think it makes so much sense, because I feel like there's This is a question we've talked about a lot this week, and I feel like there's maybe the temptation to make it not necessarily bigger or more important that it is because I think diversity and representation is incredibly important. But to books, but maybe to make it harder, or something that you have to think about more, because I think exactly as you're saying. There are so many moments that you can imbue diversity of perspective and diversity of like background, and just like, for instance, how what characters choose to eat for dinner, or like what their home interaction is, or like what their home life is set up with set up as and those did. Those details 303 00:48:47.670 --> 00:49:01.889 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: will appear in any type of book with any type of character. But how you choose, like what they choose to eat or how they choose to interact at dinner, like where they're going or where they're shopping, or things like that can can show a lot about the characters, and can kind of 304 00:49:02.210 --> 00:49:11.789 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: portray that diversity without having to say like, Well, this is the diversity, or like this is like the back story. Like, as you say, it could be dripped in through the details. And not necessarily. 305 00:49:11.970 --> 00:49:21.269 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah. Built in through like a huge back story of like this chapter we're going to focus on like the backs. You know, the diverse backstory of this character. 306 00:49:21.500 --> 00:49:22.670 Alexis Daria: Yeah. And 307 00:49:22.860 --> 00:49:30.999 Alexis Daria: you know, I think also, just in terms of how you populate your world is another way to do that. Like just being intentional about it. 308 00:49:31.820 --> 00:49:32.780 Alexis Daria: and 309 00:49:34.010 --> 00:49:57.250 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: and where? It's not an afterthought. Yeah, yeah, it's not something that you're doing later. It's II think it's really great to think about it kind of. However, anyone approaches that pre work like. It's something that you are intentionally doing the same way. You would intentionally think about the relationship building like it's just it's there because you've set the the intention to have those details as part of yeah, as part of the world of the story. 310 00:49:57.780 --> 00:50:11.850 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Amazing. Okay, well, we're almost out of time. So I'm gonna run through a couple of the quick questions we've had from the audience. And so you mentioned Scrivener hope asks, what writing tools do you use? Is there anything else? Scribner notes app that you use in your process? 311 00:50:11.970 --> 00:50:15.629 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Sounds like index cards as well. 312 00:50:15.880 --> 00:50:18.929 Alexis Daria: Yeah, I do. Well, I do the same cards. 313 00:50:19.410 --> 00:50:20.910 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: to Zimmet and Scribner. 314 00:50:21.080 --> 00:50:28.260 Alexis Daria: Yeah, I actually made a template in Microsoft word. And then I just copy, paste it into Scribner. And then I just like 315 00:50:28.650 --> 00:50:32.039 Alexis Daria: duplicate it. Yeah. 316 00:50:32.840 --> 00:50:33.860 Alexis Daria: I 317 00:50:35.270 --> 00:50:37.130 Alexis Daria: yeah. Scribner notes app. 318 00:50:37.420 --> 00:50:41.539 Alexis Daria: I do keep like I have when Hayes 319 00:50:41.740 --> 00:50:52.289 Alexis Daria: like print it out. They were in my planner, which is why they have the punch on the side. I keep those on my table. Here. 320 00:50:52.460 --> 00:51:01.020 Alexis Daria: A notebook. Yeah. Sometimes you just have to leave. Think on paper. and I'll just like, make a little list. 321 00:51:01.150 --> 00:51:17.370 Alexis Daria: Oh, yeah, I use notebooks for a lot of the storage stuff actually, like. I'll have a designated notebook, and I'll go through, and I'll do all of the assignments there until it's time to write kind of longer scenes, and then sometimes I'll bring those into the computer. But sometimes I just write them in the notebook, too, because 322 00:51:18.030 --> 00:51:19.070 Alexis Daria: again, it's 323 00:51:19.840 --> 00:51:22.820 Alexis Daria: it's kind of forcing me to think differently, and just keep 324 00:51:22.920 --> 00:51:34.899 Alexis Daria: right. Not get stuck on a chat on a paragraph or rewriting a sentence, or anything like that. And I read in pen yeah, 325 00:51:34.980 --> 00:51:37.459 Alexis Daria: those are kind of the main things. 326 00:51:39.440 --> 00:51:50.190 Alexis Daria: yeah, I mean, I love brainstorming. Which I think is just a meeting. So I do a lot of brainstorming with other people like over Zoom or Google hangouts like, 327 00:51:50.460 --> 00:51:51.880 Alexis Daria: I write with friends 328 00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:54.269 Alexis Daria: in the mornings. 329 00:51:55.090 --> 00:51:56.649 Alexis Daria: and that that helps 330 00:51:56.690 --> 00:52:17.140 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: and if I can't get anybody I put on like the Lofi girl, yeah, on Youtube, just so that it looks like somebody else is working that body doubling is so helpful, it's so helpful like II was always like, why am I so much more productive at a cafe than I am just in my office at home. It's like something about the energy of other people really helps to just motivate me when I'm feeling stuck. 331 00:52:17.440 --> 00:52:20.619 Alexis Daria: Yeah, I also I make playlists 332 00:52:21.080 --> 00:52:35.699 Alexis Daria: and then listening to those can help me like get in the mindset of the story right? It kind of becomes a mental queue and I'll make like a private pinterest board, and then sometimes I'll even just take a few pictures from that, and sort of make a collage 333 00:52:35.800 --> 00:52:43.509 Alexis Daria: and then print it out and put it over my desk. So again, it's just another mental queue like I look at it, and I think of the book. I listen to the play list, and I think of the book. 334 00:52:43.740 --> 00:53:02.020 Alexis Daria: So really, just all of these tricks like really does feel like I've signed up to do homework for the rest of my life. Yeah, but I think, like you're kind of II feel like I've been inspired to redo to actually rethink about it as homework, and like, in in a way that's 335 00:53:02.580 --> 00:53:17.780 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: feels motivating and not frustrated like, it's kind of like, oh, it's a nice return to like, yeah, I just think about it as homework, and set myself some deadlines and things. This is just what I need to do to pass my pass my exam, Shannon, I use the heart breathing sprints, too. 336 00:53:18.010 --> 00:53:31.890 Alexis Daria: On Youtube. So yeah, if you go on Youtube and just type writing sprints into the search bar and then click, live at any given time you'll find. Probably at least one person is running time to sprint, and you can just like kind of pop into their chat and work alongside them. 337 00:53:32.320 --> 00:53:37.139 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: So great. Okay, what a next question is, do you get a say in your book covers. 338 00:53:37.730 --> 00:53:50.849 Alexis Daria: I do because I am a pest also because I have a degree in in art, in, in graphic design. So I think they give me a lot more leeway than they normally would. 339 00:53:51.630 --> 00:53:52.480 Alexis Daria: and 340 00:53:52.610 --> 00:54:02.779 Alexis Daria: it is the hill that I will die on. So I am very specific about what artists I want what the covers are gonna look like. 341 00:54:02.790 --> 00:54:12.280 Alexis Daria: I'm definitely open to seeing, you know other options and listening to feedback, of course. But I just always want them to be as like amazing as they can be. 342 00:54:12.390 --> 00:54:19.530 Alexis Daria: Within whatever constraints we're working with, right? Sometimes it's like who's available, or how quickly do we get this done? 343 00:54:19.870 --> 00:54:22.750 so I have been really lucky. 344 00:54:22.760 --> 00:54:24.400 Alexis Daria: With, 345 00:54:25.010 --> 00:54:30.440 Alexis Daria: you know, being able to choose ultimately, who we end up with for my cover designs. 346 00:54:32.260 --> 00:54:34.110 Alexis Daria: just love how they come out 347 00:54:34.640 --> 00:54:42.710 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: perfect. Okay, we've time for a couple of more. So next one is for debut authors. Do you think agents prefer your real name instead of a pen name? 348 00:54:42.820 --> 00:54:44.130 Alexis Daria: I don't think it matters at all. 349 00:54:44.320 --> 00:54:53.960 Alexis Daria: Not at all. You know you can query with your real name, and then, when it comes time to sell the book, or publish the book, or whatever you want to, you know. 350 00:54:54.320 --> 00:54:57.210 Alexis Daria: at any point you can say I would actually like to use a different name. 351 00:54:57.470 --> 00:55:05.780 Alexis Daria: or you can start off with the pen name, and that's what you use in all of your communications with them. It really doesn't matter. It's up to you and what makes sense for you. 352 00:55:06.820 --> 00:55:09.140 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: All right? Last question. 353 00:55:09.290 --> 00:55:19.359 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: 2 parts. Do you give yourself a full 40 h work week? Or do you have a specific writing pattern and goals for how you allot your hours? And then. 354 00:55:19.470 --> 00:55:33.000 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: yeah, the second part of that is like, because writing is important to me. I schedule time, but sometimes I feel like my! I'm burning my creativity by declaring that I have to do a minimum of a certain hours of a week. How often do you give yourself a pass for like the specific set that you have 355 00:55:34.710 --> 00:55:51.569 Alexis Daria: so I have always wish that I could be a person who just sits down and says, okay, I'm just gonna write for 2 h and write my, you know, 1,000 words and then be done for the day. And do that every single day, and then, in however many months have a book, I am not one of those people. I am one of those people who instead is like, Okay, my. 356 00:55:51.770 --> 00:55:58.550 Alexis Daria: we're gonna do it a month. I'm gonna work every single second. every waking moment. Until the deadline 357 00:55:58.950 --> 00:56:01.850 Alexis Daria: and live and breathe the book. 358 00:56:02.260 --> 00:56:06.780 Alexis Daria: And I have had to just accept that that is 359 00:56:07.880 --> 00:56:12.150 Alexis Daria: my process. And 360 00:56:12.790 --> 00:56:16.929 Alexis Daria: build in time after that to recover from it. 361 00:56:17.010 --> 00:56:19.140 Alexis Daria: I know you had Sasha black 362 00:56:19.200 --> 00:56:24.230 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: this week. So we've talked about it. And we call it the Phoenix. Burn 363 00:56:24.470 --> 00:56:27.980 Alexis Daria: and it's like, okay, this is this, is it like 364 00:56:28.440 --> 00:56:42.109 Alexis Daria: for this set weeks or months. I'm just gonna go all in and not do anything else like, I'm not gonna see my friends. I'm not gonna watch any TV. I'm gonna eat the same few things every day. So I don't have to think about what else I'm having. 365 00:56:42.490 --> 00:56:44.850 Alexis Daria: you know, just live and breathe the book 366 00:56:45.100 --> 00:56:47.959 Alexis Daria: to get it done. However. 367 00:56:48.100 --> 00:56:54.300 Alexis Daria: I have a 9 month old baby now. and that does not work anymore. 368 00:56:54.600 --> 00:57:00.789 Alexis Daria: So now, a lot of these last few months have been figuring out. 369 00:57:00.890 --> 00:57:04.949 Alexis Daria: What does my writing process look like now that I've had a change in my life, and 370 00:57:05.090 --> 00:57:15.379 Alexis Daria: this is so far the biggest change I've ever had in my life. But I think we all undergo some changes right? Whether your work changes or your 371 00:57:15.710 --> 00:57:28.109 Alexis Daria: energy levels change for health reasons like that's happened to me, too. So you have to figure out like what works for you. and don't burn yourself out. 372 00:57:28.790 --> 00:57:38.680 Alexis Daria: or if you are going to burn yourself out, do it intentionally, and then build in time at the end to recover. So now I try to get to my desk every day. 373 00:57:38.860 --> 00:57:44.649 Alexis Daria: My baby's been sick this week, and I just had to say, Okay, I'm not getting any work done. 374 00:57:45.180 --> 00:57:51.259 Alexis Daria: I kind of rely on my in-laws for help with child care which has almost made it easier 375 00:57:51.300 --> 00:58:05.140 Alexis Daria: because it's like, Okay, they're going to be here this day. And these are the hours that they're here. So I need to make the most of it, instead of sitting at my desk all day long and like messing around and like watching K dramas and 376 00:58:05.290 --> 00:58:07.670 Alexis Daria: now, it's like, Oh, I've got 3 h. 377 00:58:08.030 --> 00:58:32.929 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: Yeah. Ticking clock right well, Alex, this has been absolutely amazing. As everyone is saying, the chat. There's just been so much good advice. I'm like leaving this interview. I'm like we could go to buy story genius, and I'm gonna go by notebook to go approach my scene to make it like homework. So thank you so much for 378 00:58:32.930 --> 00:58:53.359 Alexis Daria: taking the time to chat with us. I'm gonna put your website in the chat. You said that there is an exciting reveal happening tomorrow. If people want to sign up for your newsletter. Do you want to talk a bit about that? Yeah. Next week I'm going to be revealing the third cover in my video as a power series. It's the book that comes after you had me at Ola, and a lot like Adios! It's called. Along came a more 379 00:58:53.370 --> 00:59:05.609 Alexis Daria: so next week I will be sending the cover to my newsletter subscribers first. They will see it the day before I drop it on social media. So go to Alexis aria.com. There's a newsletter 380 00:59:05.950 --> 00:59:09.089 Alexis Daria: tab in the navigation bar where you can sign up. 381 00:59:09.340 --> 00:59:16.180 Alexis Daria: and you'll get to see them. You'll get to cover there. And then the next day I'll be putting it on Instagram. 382 00:59:16.240 --> 00:59:22.360 Alexis Daria: Okay, and the books out. January 2025. Is that right? It's actually February 2025. But we don't have 383 00:59:22.440 --> 00:59:24.710 Alexis Daria: like a day date yet. 384 00:59:24.890 --> 00:59:37.520 Alexis Daria: coming soon, and then you can find all of the Lexis novels and novellas I'm assuming on your website as well if you want to check out anything that's previously published or existing. Published. 385 00:59:37.530 --> 00:59:47.440 Hayley @ ProWritingAid: amazing, awesome. Well, thank you again so much. This has been so great it has been so good to see all of you in the chat as well. And yes, have a great rest of your day. Everyone 386 00:59:47.510 --> 00:59:52.029 Alexis Daria: great thanks. So much for being here, everyone, and thanks for your questions. Good luck!