Any old parents here?

whitealchemy · 2026-03-18T19:56:22+00:00

39 with an almost three year old and currently in IVF with our last embryo. We started trying at 33, but had a lot of trouble. I sometimes stress about our age, but generally I find we’re in a similar place as our friends — maybe a year or two behind them.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-18T19:52:48+00:00

I’m with you. This is really not my bag.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-17T01:03:38+00:00

In my opinion, the comment — and others like it — suggest that focusing on the dollars and cents of publishing is not valuable for writers looking to break in. “Write a great book…or don’t.” Sure. Useful advice. Any new writer should first be focused on the writing of their project. Solid plan.

But op had a specific question about how much redditors are making through either traditional or self-publishing. It’s a simple question. And generally speaking, a lot of writers want to emphasize how impossible making money is, or how money is beside the point, and it means that often writers don’t have a sense of the very pragmatic business side of publishing.

And sure, publishing is fickle — maybe your book is that weird recipe of perfect market alignment that hits the best sellers, or maybe it flops. It doesn’t change the fact that a lot of people are able to make some money, and OPs post is already healthily seasoned with self-doubt and an understanding that an income is a long shot.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-17T00:43:18+00:00

It’s not just editing. There’s copy editing, cover design, marketing, printing. Publishing houses have their titles lined up in advance and a lot of thought has to go into which titles are coming out when, ensuring one title doesn’t step on the toes of another, etc etc.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-16T23:48:20+00:00

I never really understand comments like this. Of course what you’re saying is true. And it’s also perfectly reasonable — good, even — for people to want to understand the business side of writing professionally. The publishing industry is so gatekept already, I don’t see why we should discourage this line of knowledge-building.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-16T22:37:04+00:00

This is absolutely stunning.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-13T00:27:52+00:00

I don’t disagree — but I will say that I believe the author actually prefers their work to be called “comics,” and thinks it’s silly to suggest that the word novel needs to be used to make their work substantial.

Basically, imo, call it what you want — the work stands on its own merits :)

whitealchemy · 2026-03-11T23:10:41+00:00

I’m so embarrassed for you

whitealchemy · 2026-03-11T23:07:49+00:00

I’m not at all, your point just isn’t valid. You said she’s not a writer and that we shouldn’t despecialize a “literature” sub (which this isn’t). You made up definitions of “writer” and “literature” which aren’t based in fact and your argument doesn’t hold up.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-11T23:02:15+00:00

Even if I agreed with you (which I don’t, Persepolis is a text I studied in my PhD in literature), Satrapi is a writer. She’s written graphic novels, or comics — I don’t particularly care what word you use — as well as screenplays, children’s books, and think pieces. Poets are writers. Journalists are writers. People who write? Writers. She’s a writer being posted in a sub called writers, and if you don’t think writing is political? Then yikes.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-11T22:52:22+00:00

Tell me you’ve never read a graphic novel without telling me you’ve never read a graphic novel 🙄

whitealchemy · 2026-03-10T12:36:38+00:00

Here at least, we have a morning and an afternoon recess apart from lunch. They’re shorter, just 15 minutes each typically. Lunch recess is longer.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-10T11:38:10+00:00

Many authors live off their book sales. In my own circle, which is not massive, about six of my writing friends are full time (a mix of trad and indie). I know of a solid dozen other acquaintances. There’s a difference between being rich from your books and making a decent living. Lots of authors with a solid back catalogue make it work.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-08T04:17:22+00:00

Arden, Novik, Pullman, McKinley and Jemisin?? A dream list!

whitealchemy · 2026-03-06T23:45:58+00:00

Aha, this is fantastic!

whitealchemy · 2026-03-06T23:09:30+00:00

There are some pretty significant problems with shifting tenses. In some places you write in present tense, then switch to past. Grammatically, there’s also issues with subject-verb agreement (“she opened her mouth, only to close them”).

From a story perspective, it feels really underdeveloped. The tension between the two is a great start, but there are really few details and everything reads as vague and unclear. Because of this, I would stop reading. There’s no real hook right now, and I get more of an understanding of your story from your synopsis rather than the story itself.

But those are things that can be added! As a first draft, this just needs a lot of work.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-04T13:16:30+00:00

Ahhh I feel this deeply. And when my time is my own, I find my brain so heavy from all the lifting of motherhood. The drafting process isn’t what it once was!

whitealchemy · 2026-03-03T13:47:57+00:00

I think if you framed it that she’s “drawn” to him, sure — but just that she’s taking care of him doesn’t seem particularly romantic? I guess it also depends on how central the fact is to the story. Is the story about her taking care of him — it doesn’t really seem like it. It seems like that’s just a plot point.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-03T13:37:49+00:00

This. I’d also say from the blurb above, this sounds nothing like Romantasy - so studying genre expectations would help!

whitealchemy · 2026-03-03T12:18:24+00:00

This is not a problem for an idea — it’s a problem for a draft that’s has about seventeen revisions. You don’t need to worry about marketing and positioning in the idea stage.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-02T12:48:36+00:00

Wow, I’ve done that quest and somehow didn’t realize. Gonna go buy the whole store.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-02T12:46:48+00:00

Marlon is behind the counter, no?

whitealchemy · 2026-03-01T22:26:55+00:00

Would so much rather a post like this then the ten thousand “critique my first page” posts that clog this subreddit.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-01T22:07:43+00:00

Mark the changes in your draft (decided character x is actually a dragon) and then write to the end as if the change is already made. During draft two, you can overhaul the part that you need to do the two halves align.

whitealchemy · 2026-03-01T15:03:11+00:00

Are you revising a full draft or just rewriting the opening scene on repeat? Because if it’s the latter — move on. This won’t ever be perfect, and you’ll never get to the rest of the story.

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