How to write a classic bestselling novel that everyone will read in 200 years
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- In which I have a minor existential crisis and ponder that Jane Austen was unaware she was Jane Austen.
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200 years from now people will watch this video and say "this was Lidiya Foxglove before she was Lidiya Foxglove"
What a cute comment! Made me smile :)
I like the concept of "fan-fic writer for myself" Sometimes I feel like that about myself and my writing. But I'm ok with it. I didn't set out writing to become a full-time this is how I support myself writer but rather to express a story laying heavy on my soul. "Circle of the Lantern" was not a commercial success, but in every other was it did succeed.
It's so important just to have that conversation with ourselves and write what "weighs on our soul" (I know just what you mean)
A cozy environment to get lost in or having a new sexy monster-guy to have a crush on is actually so meaningful in life! I get so much joy and have a richer inner life because of the stories I read. Authors, keep doing your thing! We need all your stories.
Two of my favorite quotes from The Fault in Our Stars are relevant here I think;
"There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever..."
"Maybe she wasn't loved widely, but she was loved deeply. Isn't that more than most of us get?"
That reminds me of the "End of Everything" song by Noah Cyrus too. Very haunting.
I remember reading an article or something about rock bands hating their most popular songs. For example: Nirvana with Smells Like Teen Spirit, or Guns and Roses with Sweet Child of Mine.
After reading about that, I realized I could write what I think is my best work, but other people might latch onto something else entirely.
So I guess you should just write whatever you want since in the end your least favorite things might end up resonating most with people.
Yeah, Dade and I talk about this with music too. There are also the bands that end up being remembered for just one song, regardless of whether they hate the song I imagine it must be aggravating, especially if it's kind of a goofy outlier song in your catalog.
I love this! As an artist, I learned that the only thing that makes me successful is making art. If I get too caught up in making a “good” painting or a “successful” painting, I feel horrible when it is finished and it doesn’t meet that expectation. That makes it far harder to go into my studio and do it again and again. Instead, I’ve learned to focus completely on the process, to love creating rather than making “good” art - that way I’m excited to jump back into it every day. Writing, for me at least, works the same way. If I love the process and focus on that rather than the end result, I’m going to want to keep going regardless of what happens.
Watching this video made me kind of emotional - I just finished watching a documentary about Jane Austen's life and it is truly tragic how she never realised what her work would mean to millions of people all over the world in the future. I'm also torn over the idea of writing to market vs writing a classic, this is a wonderful video full of musings on the nature of artistic creation. Thank you for making such a valuable contribution to the discourse xo
Yes, I just read a book that was basically all about the popularity of her work from her lifetime to now and it was interesting but it made me so sad thinking about it. And her life was so short. What would we have if she lived to be 80? Tragic all around.
I've ACTUALLY escaped a war zone (and still live in Ukraine), and yet, I prefer to write my romantasy fanfics😅 Maybe it's me thing, but all of my all-time favorite books/series are sci-fi and fantasy, and not all are critically acclaimed; some, even, - indie-published books. I, personally, dream of writing something like Stormlight Archive one day. It's my biggest goal.
Wow-- what an eye-opening point. I've never heard of any of the titles on the 1924 bestseller list. (And I work in a literary field.)
I essentially think you should write what you want to read. When I read a book, I want to go into their world, their dreams. Writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Philip K. Dick, or Patricia Highsmith had kind of a limited subject matter and themes that they stuck to. But no one else could have written those books. It's like music: playing the right notes isn't the same as playing with passion and feeling.
Thanks for the encouragement to write what we're drawn to 😄 My main series is odd and very non-commercial, it'll never sell a ton--but I've gotten a few heartfelt emails and messages about it from readers and that always makes all the "What am I doing? Should I write stuff that's more sellable?" quiet down. Also, the sort of books that are fun and trendy are often what I (and lots of others) turn to for comfort in hard times! There's just something so soothing at times about reading a tropey fae or dragon or vampire book 🥰
Thanks for verbalizing this internal loopdeeloop. It's very familiar and hard to exit. 😢
Thank you for another great video. I think about this topic and idea constantly, to the point of existential angst 😂I really appreciated hearing you say "write what you love, write what you need to." It's really as simple as that isn't it!!!
I love the conclusion you arrived at: write the books you feel called to write! The books you love writing. I would only add that "well-written", while an undefinable shape-shifting target, is timeless. And it is a great joy to "write well," when you really nail a sentence or an idea. So in addition to writing what you love to write... you can always work on practicing the craft itself, revision, seeing your works' flaws and strengths and working on them, etc, regardless of topic/genre/expected longevity. As always, a brilliant and insightful video. Thank you for offering your wisdom and patience to the world.
There's a cool video about Jane Austen and the sales and profit she made broken down with each run of her books while she was alive. She was an indie publisher for most of her career and made the equivalent of 8-10k a year today from writing. It's an absolute travesty.
I will write my silly stories with the passion of a fanfic writer and hold my head up high, certain that I will be remembered as a Jane Austin. In 100 years, the fanfics works of the century past will certainly be celebrated as wish-fulfilling romance in the highest form. 🌹✨
This is how to do clickbait properly 😄
Totally agree about the discrepancy between how culture accepts male stories vs female stories. Why stories of revenge, conquering, etc. are perceived as superior to stories of romance, relationships, etc. seems more a reflection of many generations of prioritizing the masculine perspective.
I'm currently reading Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention and the author does a nice job breaking down which 'creators' stand the test of time. A lot of it comes down to whether or not people with status in the artistic domain judge its quality. Cultural relevance seems to be about a mixture of talent and popularity among the "right" people.
Zoe Bee's video "Is classic literature dead?" explores why a text may or may not remain "culturally relevant".
I think its way more possible with short stories. As long as a short story is entertaining and interesting, people will go back to them. Theres so many sci fi and horror stories on youtube that are almost a hundred years old and they are so entertaining to listen to.
To actually add something relevant to the conversation now that I've gushed about your hair, I can't say whether or not you work or mine adds anything for the literary canon, but I think if you work touches people in make your life and theirs better, That's pretty aspirational
This is the 2nd video in two days where the creator says to write a saffic cozy pet-adoption story. Yesterday was a mention of two women building a coop and raising a flock of egg hens and today, you’re saying dragon adoption agency… write it, please. I’d read those all day long. If Legends & Lattes has taught us one thing, it’s that sometimes you need that slice-of-life novella to read while drinking coffee for a quick 5 minute unwind.
That makes sense, I haven't really wanted to write anything too dark or stressful ever since the pandemic and the tense political situation in the US. If I dealt with anything like the situation in Ukraine I imagine I'd be even more into the comfort reads. Sometimes that's exactly what you need!! I really need to read the Stormlight Archive, I've heard such good things.
This holds true for visual artists, too. When I make a piece, I'm hoping for a Starry Night or a Mona Lisa, but there's no way to know how it will be received in the future. What makes a picture great? Is it composition, color scheme, subject matter? Excellent food for thought whatever your creative endeavor might be!
I also feel devastated that some amazing authors or artists, who are extremely popular nowadays, didn't get a chance to see how their art impacted the world. and how they were dreaming of the fame they have now, a hundred years away from their death.
Wonderful video
I've been writing about a similar topic on my website's blog and I'm glad someone like you thinks the same. We should always write what we love. Writing is an extremely isolated job and writing for the sake of trends is depressing. So, write what calls you.
I’m happy writing my fluffy women’s fiction that has a striking resemblance to issues a lot of women deal with. I’m writing to develop a community, big or small. 😊
Your hair is awesome!
I love that you Get on here as yourself with no pretense.
i've watched a few of your videos before, but I just subscribed because your hair is amazing
That sounds like an interesting read. I have a feeling that might apply less in the like...nerd creator sphere. Like there's the fine art, literature, award winner sphere and then there is the kind of thing you get into when you're 12 and never shut up about until you die. I think the latter is more likely to arise organically, from fan communities, passion projects, low-brow culture, etc. But I'll have to see if the library has it since I find the subject in general quite interesting!
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Just a heads up, I think you replied to the wrong person.
Oh, wow! A Rafael Sabatini book I HAVEN'T read!
It’s what I love about art, you just don’t know. I really enjoyed this video. It’s fun to dream about, but also hardly anybody will reach that status. And some will get it for a while and will then be forgotten. I’m already happy if a few people would enjoy my stories, but then I also want to write as well as I can and aim for something I can never reach because that’s a level of perfection I don’t have in me.
I’m not sure why, but whenever I watch your videos, I can’t help thinking you look like how I imagine a victorian era female author would.
I'm an old white guy who has been a reader all my life. Your 1924 list was a good reminder of the impermanence of things. We were required to read a different D.C. Fisher book (The Bent Twig) in English class. I've ONLY read one other (Z.G.'s Call of the Canyon), and only a third to a half of the other authors (Curwood, Tarkington, and Ferber) have I even heard of.
Dead and gone, but perhaps their shades thank you for mentioning them?
Why books become hits and timeless classics (and that are still read), if it could be boiled down to a formula, would make someone rich (you'd think), but perhaps that's what makes it magic. It cannot be bottled.
Good luck with your channel.
Yes, there are certainly some excellent writing books out there that boil down successful elements of stories to a formula...and yet, there are plenty of classics that deviate from the formulas, and even more often, books that are well executed with those elements but they just don't have the secret something... It's always interesting to ponder how impossible it is to pin down an impact.
I loved this video! It’s like the philosophy on story, which I find really useful as a beginner writer 😊. Would love more like this ❤
I really liked this video. I just write what I’m interested in and I’ll be happy if I sell one book. I hate the influence Booktok has on what people read, it makes you feel like your book will never have a chance unless they talk about it
This was so interesting. A book which ‘perfectly fits the cultural time in which it was written’. I suspect certain antiquated books (still) resonate with specific people, but for something to be recognized broadly like Pride and Prejudice it will need to resonate with a lot of people. Two of my favorite novels ever written are not at all well known today, yet I’ve read them so many times they are in danger of ‘falling apart’ as you say. Both were commercial fiction and very much of their day - I doubt either book was intended to be read by someone living 80-100 years later. But each is just so infused with life, humor and philosophy I love rereading them. And though they were culturally ‘of their day’ that for me adds to the experience, they are like a perfect time capsule. A window into the past. I very much doubt anyone reading this comment has heard of either novel so I will name them. They were popular in their day and are therefore easy to find on the used book market. The first is a paranormal mystery, probably intended as a summer beach read in 1925. The Red Lamp by Mary Roberts Rinehart. It was loosely inspired by a weird experience the author had in a country house. The other is a paranormal romance, and a little better known because it was made into a Hollywood movie: The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle (published 1942 but reads like it was written in the late 1930s). For me what makes both these novels endure was how much of their own personality and philosophy each author managed to slip into a piece of genre fiction. I’ve only just discovered your channel and am really enjoying your videos so far.
Those sound good. I love an underrated gem from the 30s-40s, it's my favorite era of literature.
Thank you for this video. I like your analysis. I'm writing a non-fiction book, and I have days where I'm so happy with it because it's so me, and then there are days when I despair because it's too different from everything else I've read. This is a reminder to value the "me" days more than the other ones.
The Godfather is amazing and totally underrated!
The title is *so* click-baity, I said, "nice".
Figured it would be an interesting conversation.
When people talk about "classics" I sometimes point out that many books we uphold as classics were popular fiction at the time--even criticized as being sensationalist or trashy. (Like Dickens, who released most of his work was published as serials.)
Marketing definitely contributes to the "famous after death" phenomenon. Publisher pick and chose who they think will get popular at that moment, and oush those, but all the marketing in the world for those 2-3 or so months isnt going to turn a book into a classic
I don't think you can stand the test of time without word of mouth. Even some bestsellers are like that. Sarah J. Maas' first book was a pure word of mouth hit. Bloomsbury really didn't put much into it when it came out. i think it might have even been acquired as a one book deal...?
So amazingly insightful, thank you!!!
There might not be anything objectively wrong with stories. The amount of it out there is like putting a needle into a haystack. You have to hope the right person finds yours. I know I am not that popular myself. I am proud of the process as much as the result. I did not always succeed though I tried in many ways.
Have you ever read the comic book Saga? Some of that, especially about the romance writer named Heist, reminds me of the areas you’re exploring. Some of my favorite characters too there…
That is on my TBR shelf! It seems like everything is on my TBR shelf...
Thank you. This was very interesting.
I also am very glad for what you have said here. It needed to be spelled out.
Great video, as always. But the last eight seconds were definitely the best. :) xo
Great video
maybe a quantum immortality...each epiphany moments draws you to those you'll see
Random observation: I inherited that same lamp from my late grandmother!
You're the second person to tell me you have this lamp! Do you what era it's from? I got it at the thrift store!
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Not sure, though I'm guessing '40s or '50s since most of my grandparent's furnituture hovered in that era. :)
@@amandalang7811 That's the same thing the other person said, so I guess that's probably when this lamp was popular! Cool!!
My hair (what's left of it) feels great kinship with your hair.
12:02 I have neither read or heard of those books
So many famous novels were serialized things that authors wrote just to pay the rent 😅
My greatest goal is to be at least one person's tattered comfort read. So far, only one reader has told me they re-read one of my books and another reader remembers the characters from one book ten years later... So I guess, small victories?
Overall, I feel like I've not made any impactful contribution (just KDP 'content') and that saddens me more than you can imagine. Then again, there's been many books that have been meaningful to me but I don't go out of my way to write the authors (if they're alive) to tell them so.
There are a few romance novels that I consider comfort reads (3+ re-reads) that are not the popular ones in the author's list. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas, which none of her fans talk about, is my favorite read. Also, The Duchess by Jude Deveraux (because it's my first ever romance novel). These authors have their lead titles, the title that they're known for, but it's the lesser known titles that touches me... Just goes to show that just because a title flops or doesn't have the best reviews, something about it may touch at least one reader.
For some reason, I've read Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki several times. It's the self-help/autobiography of a Japanese extreme minimalist and something about him talking about his spartan apartment is relaxing to me.
P.S. I'll personally go to the mattresses with anyone who says The Godfather was poorly written. If a book can leave an impression in a reader's mind or if aspects of the story is compelling, I call it worthy of being called 'a good book'. I really like Ken Follet's The Man from St. Petersberg specifically for a memorable action suspense scene even though he majorly dropped the ball on the ending.
That is the thing, we rarely even know, do we? Just from starting this channel I got a comment from someone who said they checked out Magic Under Glass from the library a bunch of times when they were young and loved and it were surprised to realize, while watching the video, that I was the author. But it's not like they ever sent me fan mail at the time, and I never would have known!! The problem with fame and fortune is that they are such greedy beasts. As soon as one goal is achieved, it seems to shrink and the next step is all that matters.
A lot of my favorite books are lesser known too. Not even well known authors! I've read A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant twice, and will probably read it again. That book never even got a paperback. The history and romance in it are just SO well done.
And yes the Godfather was great!! I loved the writing too, honestly. But someone on the thread said Mario Puzo didn't think it was his best work either, like clearly he had no idea he was writing the iconic mob family story.
I have been thinking about the very same thing recently. I am thinking about writing a story in a fantasy genre but am I the right person "for the job"? Does the world needs another fantasy story? Especially since I am not and probably won't ever be on a level of Tolkien or Herbert. Am I capable of creating captivating stories like they did? Can I be at least half as successful as them? Or am I going to end up in the category of authors who get heavily criticised for their craft like SJM or Rebecca Yarros? Sure, those women are super successful but are they going to be remembered/liked after years as well? Will they stand the test of time? And does it actually matter in the end? I will not argue whether or not those writers deserve backlash for certain themes people (rightfully) criticise in those authors works but I think both SJM and Yarros show that there will be always an audience for you. Also I think when creating anything we need to remember about one important rule of life - we don't contol the outcome. We need to let it go. It's harmful to put so much pressure on ourselves to try to shake the pillars of literature and redefine it once and for all everytime we write something. We should give ourselves permission just "to be". We need to remember about the joy and beauty that storytelling bring to our lives. I know this sounds cheesy but I really think this is the solution. Thank you for this video essay. I found it to be very useful and comforting. (:
Should humanity preserve till the sun will die - 10 billion years - and all things will truly stay forever on the internet, at least one person in all that time will pick up your book and love it will all passion or hate it a lot. But they will at least think about it.
My hands-down fave of Sabatini's is 'Scaramouche'. If you like romantic swashbuckling fiction, Sabatini is your guy.
Concerning Classics. I enjoy the Novels Cranford and My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell. Not because so much happens in them (there are other novels with much more drama like North and South and Ruth) but because it is a snapshot of english Life in the 1840s and 1850s without modern judgement or bias. Do I want to spend time with Lady Ludlow? Probably not. But the Point of View of a non-malicious-feudalist mind is interesting. I hate the concept of feudalism and monarchies in real life (being BORN to be better? What? With inbreeding abound to boot? How realistic ist that?) But simply that slice of life without Downton Abbey Romanticism is interesting.
Also: I have not read Wuthering Heigths (I didn't like what I heard about it), but The Tennant of Wildfell hall.
I didn't like Wuthering Heights. Definitely not for everyone. I've never read any Gaskell but I've often heard how good her books are so I probably should give them a try.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Wuthering Heights is peak toxic romance from all I've heard, and I prefer healthy love story to toxic romance any day 😅
Foundation... I couldn't get through more than three or four chapters. And I am the target demographic. The big fan. (As a child I read "I, Robot" a lot. I should probably see if it is still good...)
I still haven't actually tried Foundation. I've read a lot of his short stories, his autobiographies, and the robot stories with Daneel, and I did enjoy all of those.
My unsolicited and perhaps unpopular opinion: the more you read sci-fi, the more you learn Asimov is kinda (or close to being) the worst of it. He aknowledges it himself in his prologue to Ellison's "Dangerous Visions 1", when he states he is not contributing a story to the anthology because what he writes, and I'm quoting, is "too darned _square_" (italics are his as well).
If anyone writes about lesbians running an adoption agency for baby dragons please let the us know
I will! If anyone wants to take that idea and run with it, please do! It was just something that rolled out of my mouth and I don't have time for but it sounds adorable
I have two words for you: Enoch Soames.
Firstly, you speak with a poignant clarity, so I like to think that transfers to your written word. Leave the market behind, throw away your handsome princely orphans and write what’s in your heart, what moves you. And the day you shake free of this “mortal coil “ if you have not found fame be comforted in the knowledge you will, in time, be found.First off, you speak with a poinent
I was kinda hoping for a checklist on what things to think about like themes, etc. 🥲
I'm sorry! I think it would be kind of impossible though
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Do you think so? I reckon certain themes are universal and timeless. Thought you'd go more into that in an analytical way. No matter! Lovely video as always! 🌹
There a few books I've read that have impacted me really deeply, or that I just really loved, that are now impossible to get hold of. Their publisher went bust or the book went out of print, or often they were writing in the 18th or 19th century and never achieved 'classic' status, and I read a nasty scanned version from an academic catalogue for some 'wider reading' around a better known author. And it really makes me feel better about this.
It's impossible to write something that is guaranteed to be immortal so everyone knows about us. But we can write something meaningful enough that people who do read it are really affected by it.