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

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: https://youtu.be/ZJA-iY6Iv0E https://youtu.be/9Aw3TYEP3sY https://youtu.be/YUajQLBrZdE https://youtu.be/a-H5ZAmFwiM https://youtu.be/9Aw3TYEP3sY local heavens videos: https://youtu.be/cyzJDoCHCXs https://youtu.be/bu8k2rZHvNA 📬 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 ₊˚⊹⋆₊˚⊹⋆₊˚⊹⋆₊˚⊹⋆ / 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: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230809549-local-heavens ↠ add on storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/89dd85b3-ec0b-48f1-a603-7f6ddae30643 SWAY WITH ME UNTIL WE BLEED (Augur 6.1): https://augursociety.org/sway-with-me-until-we-bleed/ MERYENDA (Ricepaper Magazine) https://ricepapermagazine.ca/2025/01/meryenda/ / 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: https://www.instagram.com/krismfajardo https://www.tiktok.com/@krismfajardo https://bsky.app/profile/kmfajardo.bsky.social https://twitter.com/km_fajardo 🎧 music: Brooks - Chlorine '83 - https://thmatc.co/?l=A2BD8ACE 🌱 my keyboard (affiliate link): https://epomaker.com/products/epomaker-aula-f75?variant=47192473076020&sca_ref=6622607.q6ftVPwumf ↠ the keyboard switches I have are the *LEOBOG Reaper Switches* #authortube #writing