all the mistakes i made writing my first books 🍀 why you should finish your novel *even if it sucks*

Описание: a comprehensive reflection on the three books I wrote in three years, and the lessons each project taught me about craft, publishing and the creative journey.

my debut novel is a literary sci-fi / cyberpunk Gatsby reimagining. out October 2025 💎 https://kmfajardo.com/local-heavens/

project moon videos:
   • editing a chapter of my old YA fantasy nov...  
   • reading my bad (problematic) YA fantasy bo...  
   • line-editing my YA fantasy book 🌈  charact...  
   • let’s look at a YA fantasy prologue: FIRST...  
   • reading my bad (problematic) YA fantasy bo...  

local heavens videos:
   • my book is getting published 🥂 being on su...  
   • spilling *the tea* on my book deal 🍵 how d...  

📬 Contact:
↠ For professional inquiries about my novels, please reach out to my agent or contact me through my website: https://kmfajardo.com/contact/
↠ For sponsorships, brand collaborations & other social media inquiries: [email protected]

☕️ support the channel by leaving a tip or get extra/early content by joining my monthly memberships: https://ko-fi.com/krismf/tiers

0:00 your current WIP could be The One (but its ok if not)
1:27 disclaimers
2:30 book 1 YA fantasy - my first book (is better than i thought?)
4:48 it's hard to write what you don't read
6:55 psychic distance, character conflicts
7:55 doomed romance
9:56 first book flops - worldbuilding, nonsense magic, stakes
12:30 book 2 Adult fantasy - pivoting from YA to adult
13:48 trying to frankenstein a marketable premise
15:40 magic system improvements
17:23 this book had agent interest
18:17 comparing the MCs between my first 2 books
19:47 writing style, lack of cohesion and maturity
22:09 book 3 sci-fi - why my "unmarketable" book succeeded
25:20 knowing your WHY
26:50 how this book made me improve so much
28:39 tough skin, rejections, and public opinion
32:04 writing a retelling
33:48 conclusion

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/ about /
i'm kris (she/her), a speculative fiction writer documenting my writing process, ongoing projects and chatting about craft ☀️

/ published work /
LOCAL HEAVENS: A cyberpunk Gatsby reimagining (Fall 2025)
↠ pre order: https://kmfajardo.com/local-heavens/
↠ add on goodreads:   / local-heavens  
↠ add on storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/8...

SWAY WITH ME UNTIL WE BLEED (Augur 6.1):
https://augursociety.org/sway-with-me...

MERYENDA (Ricepaper Magazine)
https://ricepapermagazine.ca/2025/01/...

/ where to find me /
💌 free newsletter: https://kmfajardo.substack.com/
☕️ support my work through ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/krismf
website: https://kmfajardo.com/

socials:
  / krismfajardo  
  / krismfajardo  
https://bsky.app/profile/kmfajardo.bs...
  / km_fajardo  

🎧 music: Brooks - Chlorine '83 - https://thmatc.co/?l=A2BD8ACE

🌱 my keyboard (affiliate link): https://epomaker.com/products/epomake...
↠ the keyboard switches I have are the LEOBOG Reaper Switches

#authortube #writing