%20(2).jpg)
Craft Chat Chronicles
Craft Chat Chronicles
From Programmer to Sci-Fi Author and YouTuber: Kris KM Fajardo on Writing 'Local Heavens' and Building Authenticity
Ever wondered what it takes to leave a tech career for the unpredictable world of full-time writing? Join us as we sit down with debut author KM Fajardo who shares her inspiring journey from programming to penning her own cyberpunk retelling of "The Great Gatsby." KM opens up about the joys and hurdles of transitioning genres from literary fiction to science fiction and fantasy. You'll hear firsthand about the winding road to securing representation and the invaluable role of perseverance in the cutthroat world of publishing.
Discover the nuts and bolts of writing that engages from page one. We explore how KM crafts characters that stick with readers long after the book is closed, and how she pulls readers into her narrative universe right from the start. Learn why flawed characters are your story's backbone and how to keep your plot from sagging in the middle. KM also delves into the art of writing thematically rich stories with endings that leave a lasting impact, using her own novel, "Local Heavens," as a fascinating case study.
KM doesn't just stop at storytelling; she shares a glimpse into her experience as a YouTuber and offers practical tips for writers wanting to broaden their reach. We talk about the importance of authenticity online, overcoming debut nerves and imposter syndrome, and the delight of finding camaraderie among fellow writers. Whether you’re penning your first manuscript or looking to refine your craft, this conversation is packed with insights to motivate and guide you on your writing journey.
Commercial before HG release.
Welcome to Craft Chat Chronicles, the go-to podcast for tips on crafting best-selling fiction. Here at Craft Chat Chronicles, we bring you expert interviews, insights and tips on writing, publishing and marketing. Join the conversation and embark on a new chapter in your writing journey. For workshops, show notes and more information, visit jdmyall. com. That's jdmyallcom.
J.D. Myall:In this special in-between-y-sode of Craft Chat Chronicles that'll come between episode three and episode four of Craft Chat Chronicles, we bring you debut author KM Fajaro. Km Fajaro is not only a fabulous writer, but she's also an experienced YouTuber. Today she's going to talk about her debut experience, give you some tips on writing craft and she'll give you some tips on finding more success on YouTube. So, without further ado, I'm going to start my chat with debut author KM Fajara. Let's get chatty. Can you tell me a little bit about your life before books?
KM Fajardo:Sure, just about myself, mm-hmm. Sure, so I'm a writer based in Toronto. I was born and raised in the suburbs and now I live in the city. I've been writing for a very long time. I took some creative writing workshops in university and decided I wanted to figure out how to publish about four or five years ago. So I started writing a bunch of books. I decided to query my third book and I signed with my agent last year and my debut novel's coming out next.
KM Fajardo:Next year I studied global business and digital arts at the University of Waterloo and I was working in tech since I graduated. I worked as a designer and now I'm sort of writing full time and probably planning to go back to some design work, maybe next year and probably planning to go back to some design work maybe next year, but right now I'm just focusing on, you know, turning in my edits and getting the book out. So yeah, so I was just kind of trying to figure out what book I did want to publish, because I kind of enjoy writing everything and when I was in university I was doing, you know, I was in a couple workshops and I was writing a lot of literary fiction and I was trying to write a literary fiction novel and it just wasn't working and I kind of switched gears into science fiction fantasy, which is what I wrote a lot when I was younger, and it just kind of sparked for me and so I wrote two fantasy novels, sort of when COVID lockdown first started happening. And on my third book I decided to kind of pivot and try a science fiction idea. I decided to kind of pivot and try a science fiction idea and I decided to kind of retell the Great Gatsby because I knew it was entering public domain soon and I have a long love for that book and I had a lot of thoughts on why I would want to maybe retell it through a cyberpunk lens specifically. So I wrote that book.
KM Fajardo:I wasn't sure if I wanted to query it because I thought that you know I might have an easier time with fantasy because that's what I was reading a lot of and that's what I was seeing a lot of book deals for. But I decided to write it and it took me about, I think, seven months to write the first draft. I queried it shortly after and I signed with my agent after about six weeks of querying. Who's your agent? My agent is Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown, and so she was one of my top agents.
KM Fajardo:I think she was like maybe the second agent that I queried was like maybe the second agent that I queried and I really wanted to find an agent who liked, you know, the mix of like a literary voice with sort of like commercial concepts, with like genre, who represented like genre stories, and she kind of felt like this was like the right match, because that's what I enjoy writing and that's what she enjoys reading. And so, yeah, we we signed and we we actually did a lot of editing on the manuscript together. So we edited the book for about five months and then we went on submission, I think at the end of January 2024, and we got our, our offer in July. So, yeah, it happened fairly, fairly quickly.
J.D. Myall:How was the call? Was it a call? Did she email you first?
KM Fajardo:How that, oh, with my agent or with the author with the offer, both. Yeah, when I when I got my agent so actually I got three agent offers and I wasn't expecting I thought she had already rejected me like my agent because she had been sitting on my query for for like a while over a month and when I let her know that I had an offer because she hadn't replied yet, I was really surprised when she was like I want to read it and I think she read it like in like two days or something when she was on vacation, and so she was she kind of like almost on the last day of the deadline. She was like I want to call you and I was so surprised, I was so happy to call you and I was so surprised, I was so happy and we had a chat and I think the main thing is that she really understood, like why I wrote the book and she really believed in, like you know, the themes and she felt like it could really resonate with audiences. Like in this period of time, it deals like a lot with kind of like class and wealth and capitalism, and she she felt like it was, uh, you know, a worthy retelling of this uh book that um, had just entered public domain. Um, so, yeah, that was why I knew that I wanted to sign with her For submission.
KM Fajardo:We got you know, we were getting a bunch of rejections for like four months or so and she I was losing a lot of hope. But she was like, you know, four months is like nothing in this business and you know she's been an agent for a very long time. So she was like I'm just going to keep sending it out, we just have to keep believing in the manuscript. And I think it was like two days after the 4th of July weekend where she just randomly emailed me like okay, we have an offer. And I was sitting here like, oh, I, I thought the book was dead. So that was. That was very cool.
J.D. Myall:How did your editor call though?
KM Fajardo:it was really great.
KM Fajardo:Um, I so I signed with uh bindery books, who are a new publisher, so there was a lot to like get to know about the team and about, like how editorial would work.
KM Fajardo:But the main uh like that first call that we had was really just for me to understand why they wanted the book. And I think that's what I really focused on in that call, because you know you want to make sure that you're not just accepting any offer and that the team that is going to be working to publish your book not only has the resources and knowledge in the industry but really is like passionate about like publishing it and marketing it. And so when I was, you know, talking to the team, I just wanted to get a sense for, like why they liked it and if they really resonated with, like, the messaging of the book and they knew how they wanted to position it in the market. So, yeah, it was a great call and I think you know, for all writers who are like in those kinds of editor publisher calls, you really just want to like follow your gut and and make sure that the passion that is like coming from, you know, the publisher side is like very genuine and that you feel supported.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. What do you think you did right that helped you break in? Um, just in like publishing in general just in publishing in general, in like it could be, publishing it could be in writing, craft like it could be just that you were persevering, like you know what. Do you think that right happened? That separated you from those that didn't make it?
KM Fajardo:well, I I think publishing is a lot about luck and I think that's the important thing to remember is that it's very easy for writers to if you're going through querying or submission and all the rejections are coming in and you feel like you did something wrong.
KM Fajardo:I think you just have to remember that a lot of the times, rejection doesn't have much to do with you and there's a lot of factors that go into why you're rejected, because when I was getting passes from agents or editors, a lot of the time like agents and editors would take the time to like reassure me that they saw a lot of merit in the book and that a lot of the times it's just like we don't feel like it's right for, like, our specific lineup of books, or you know, we've just published a Gatsby retelling, or you know just things that are completely out of your control.
KM Fajardo:And I think if you're early, early in your career, you know if you haven't gotten to the querying stage yet I think the most important thing is that you shouldn't force yourself to like write an idea that you're not passionate just because you think, okay, this might be what's selling.
KM Fajardo:Like this is what I think is trending, because trends are very volatile and also, when you think about social media algorithms, like you might be seeing a lot of like one kind of book being sold, but it doesn doesn't mean that you know other types of genres aren't selling. So I think my the main reason why I feel like I was able to get as far as I did is because I wrote a book that I first and foremost felt passionate about, and I wasn't thinking about publishing necessarily, like I wasn't allowing that to dictate you know what I write or anything. And then the other thing is just like having a support group, like having writers who you can talk to writing about and you can send your writing to, and to have like beta readers and people who you can lean on when you start getting rejections, because I think I was able to like keep my motivation up, because I would, you know, talk to my writer friends, I would be able to like tell them what new stuff I'm writing and just get my mind like out of the trenches.
J.D. Myall:Basically, Love that, love that. What were your biggest surprises on this debut journey?
KM Fajardo:Like what was the most different than your fantasy of what being a published writer would be you know, I think the first thing that might surprise a lot of writers is just how many times you're gonna edit the book, because whether it's with your editor or your agent or you're on your own, like, uh like, for me, my book went through a lot of revision rounds with my agent, so I I thought by you know, the second or third draft would be like, oh, this is really good, but then my agent would would come up with more questions for me to consider and then I would keep writing another draft and be like, oh, this is the best it can be, this is the best it can be. This is the best it can be. So, you know, I just finished a developmental edit pass with my editor and now I'm like you know, this is the best it can be, like I have ideas that you know. It's like, why didn't I think about that two years ago? And it's because over the course of editing your book, you're also becoming a better writer and it's, you know, so much of revision or so much of writing is just revision.
KM Fajardo:And I think sometimes, like newer writers, think that the worst, or not the worst, but the biggest part of the book is just going to be writing the first draft when really you know everything can change in revision and you don't have to feel like you have to get it right on the first try, because a lot of the times people can't even finish their draft because they're so paralyzed by, you know, making mistakes, and the truth is that you can fix anything always, like everything is fixable in revision. So, yeah, I think the biggest surprise has just been how many times I've been able to push myself as a writer. Like every time I think I can't possibly make this book better. I am able to like really push my craft and like think about revision solutions that I might not have necessarily thought about, like two years ago.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. Let's talk a little bit about writing craft. How do you hook readers on the first page?
KM Fajardo:Ooh, I feel like that's really tough. I think every writer, or sorry, every reader, is going to have like a different thing that they look for. For me, I think how I like to approach first scenes in general is I always kind of well. I guess I always describe like stringing together like chapters, as if you imagine a book as this big house that you are leading the reader through. I like to think of every scene, the end of every scene, as leading a reader into like a new room in the house and by the end of the scene you have kind of like left open a new door and you've like left it ajar so that the reader can kind of see what's through that new door, but they can't fully see and it makes them want to walk towards it. So that's how I think about like my pacing and stringing together, you know, a plot and the sustaining like tension.
KM Fajardo:I think for, specifically for beginnings, I always try to find a balance between giving a reader like setting the tone of the story but not giving the reader too many details all at once. So not info dumping, my world building, not info dumping backstory you don't really know who your main character is necessarily like right away, because I think like part of reading is also like getting to know, like who your main character is and like what are their deeper like goals and motivations, and I don't think that writers necessarily need to put all of that like on the first page, and I think it's actually more engaging for readers and also, like as a writer, to like also make it feel like your main character is, like a fully fleshed out person who, um, like you're not gonna know everything about them as soon as you meet them, and so, uh, you kind of want readers to like be compelled to like learn more about their journey, and I feel like it's just about figuring out how to leave that bread, that perfect breadcrumb trail.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. What makes a relatable character?
KM Fajardo:Ooh, I think I always start with flaws, because I think that's really the main thing that makes them feel real. I think like if a character feels too perfect, they're not going to feel like grounded, I think. Like grounded, I think. And flaws are what really like create tension with the plot, because your character is never going to be acting perfectly. They're going to be acting based on you know, their insecurities, their anxieties, their vulnerabilities.
KM Fajardo:So I always try to work backwards from like how does this character have to grow Like? Who do they start out as at the start of the book and who like how? Who do they have to become by the end of it? And how does this plot push them to become a new person and to like learn very difficult lessons, and that can take, you know, a different shape for every single story. But, yeah, I think every relatable character has to have flaws, and I don't like to think of my characters as being likable, and I also don't necessarily think about them as like relatable in the sense that I believe that my readers have to see themselves in these characters, but as long as there's like something on there that like makes a reader um understand them and understand why they act the way they act what makes a good villain?
KM Fajardo:villains, I think think I think a villain that is really compelling is one that you can understand the circumstances that have led them to believe what they believe and whether or not you agree with how they act. Um, you can understand, like whether it's something in the society or like whatever, but you can, you can just like understand, like how they would become, who they become, and they don't have to be sympathetic or you don't have to redeem them. I think people can just be horrible just for the sake of being horrible. But I also like a villain that kind of has like a appealing quality to them, like if they're very personable, like I think that is kind of like sits under your skin as well.
J.D. Myall:Yeah, how do you avoid the dreaded saggy middle and keep a story engaging all the way through?
KM Fajardo:Ooh, Um, yeah, the act two is always the hardest part for me to write.
KM Fajardo:I think every book has kind of like I kind of have a different approach for every book because all my stories are so different, but I think I try to always like have act one end off on some kind of cliffhanger or on some kind of concrete goal, so that when act two starts there's something very, very clear that the character has to work towards.
KM Fajardo:And it also has to be on a both like external and internal level. So there has to be something in the plot that is driving the story forward, like an external goal that the character has to, you know, unpack. But also some kind of emotional change I think has to happen at the end of act one, so that the character, so that the reader is, like still connected with the character and that the character doesn't feel stagnant. Because I think like sometimes it can feel like a plot is just like moving a character from one plot point to the next. But in order for a character to feel like immersive, you have to believe that the events of the plot are really pushing up against their beliefs, against their morals, against their emotions. So I always try to think of a plot or the story on both like a plot and character level love that, love that.
J.D. Myall:What makes a compelling ending? How do you tie up the loose ends in your novels and leave readers with a smile or tears, whichever you prefer um, I think for me.
KM Fajardo:I'm a very theme driven writer, so I always have I figure out my endings. By what like message do I want to leave the reader with? Um, you know, when they walk away from the story, like, what have these characters learned? Or not learned, um.
KM Fajardo:So I think a satisfying ending is one where, uh, well, obviously, like the, the plot and like the characters, journeys have to like, uh, end off in a different place than where they started. Um, so I like to obviously like push my characters very far emotionally, but I think more than that, it's just like I mean, I know some, some readers don't like it, but like I shouldn't call it an open ending, but an ending that leaves the reader something to think about, like as much as you as you answer questions. I think leaving the reader with something to ponder is also how I like to approach my endings. Like I don't like a neat ending because I don't think, you know, real life is neat either, and so it really is that thing where, like, one door closes and a window opens. I think that is sort of how I approach my endings.
J.D. Myall:Before we get into questions about your novel, local Heaven, heavens, I um have to be silly because you're from toronto. Yeah, I'm just curious what side of the bake the drake, kendrick lamar beef did you stand on?
KM Fajardo:listen, I have. I have no love for drake. So if you're to look up my Spotify, it's all Kendrick. That was true even before the beef. But yeah, I mean it's funny because I'm also a huge Raptors fan and he's always there at the Raptors games and it's just so bad for our brand. So that's all I'll say. But I'm a huge Kendrick fan.
J.D. Myall:Good, to hear, good to hear. I love. Not Like Us too. I'm not going to lie. That was number one on my playlist all summer long.
KM Fajardo:Yeah, it's on repeat. Yeah, it's my commute song when I'm just like walking through the city and I don't want to like talk to anyone.
J.D. Myall:Love it, love it. So tell me the story behind Local Heavens. How did it come to be? Where did you get the idea for the novel?
KM Fajardo:Yeah, it was a long process, I think, from the moment I got the idea to the moment that I actually started writing. It was about two years and the starting point was really just that I love the Great Gatsby. I think a lot of us read it in high school and I would just revisit it constantly. And you know, when you revisit a story, like as you grow up, you know your relationship with it can kind of change, and so every time I would read it, there was like something new that I would focus on. So when we first read it, we read it as a story about Gatsby and then, you know, the next time we read it we might think differently about Daisy, and then the more I would read it, the more I would connect with Nick, like this narrator who you don't know anything about. And I think, like at the same time, like I'm just a huge fan of cyberpunk as a genre, fan of cyberpunk as a genre, and I think that there are a lot of interesting concepts in cyberpunk in terms of, you know, late stage capitalism and this tech driven dystopia, and I always sort of saw cyberpunk as this like extreme extrapolation of a lot of the things that we're living through right now in terms of like you know how fast technology is advancing and how sometimes we can't keep up with regulations and like, what does that do to our societies and who gets left behind when stuff like that happens? So I think cyberpunk has a lot of themes of class and wealth disparity like baked into the genre. And when I was rereading cyberpunk I just or sorry, when I was rereading Gatsby, um, I think that ultimately it's a story about wealth and the destructiveness of wealth, and, um, I started to see a lot of thematic parallels between the two and I just had this thought where I was like it would be so cool to reimagine the glitz and the glam of Gatsby as this like cyberpunk dystopia where the rich are even richer and the technology affords the ruling class you know these this like unimaginable power, unimaginable pleasure, um, and so I think there's a lot of like, there's a lot interesting decadence there, but also, um, cyberpunk has a lot of gritty cityscapes and I felt like it could be really well adapted for Gatsby.
KM Fajardo:But I really sat on the idea for a long time because I just wasn't sure how I wanted to write it. It felt like this huge undertaking to like retell a novel that you know is so, is so much a part of a lot of people's lives, especially in the US and in Canada, where we read it in high school. So I spent a lot of time just like reading cyberpunk and trying to understand the genre, reading a lot of F Scott Fitzgerald as like a vocal training exercise to like kind of get into that voice. And then when I felt like my craft was in a place where I could attempt to write this book because before that I hadn't finished writing a book so I wrote two whole other manuscripts, just to you know practice as a writer, to be like okay, I know how to write a book now. Now can I try writing this, like more experimental idea. So, yeah, I basically it was the third novel that I finished writing, the third novel that I attempted to write, and it's kind of this like weird, like anachronistic story.
KM Fajardo:It feels like sort of a layering of the past and the future together and I really just wanted to like revisit the great American novel and to kind of answer the question why is this story timeless? And I think it's timeless because a lot of the concepts and the themes are still relevant to today, and it doesn't matter what time period you tell. This story, like a story about the catastrophic sins of the wealthy, is always going to be relevant. So, yeah, and I think it's very cool that the book gets to be published you know, 100 years, exactly 100 years out from the original, because I think it's just like cool to kind of compare and contrast, like the roaring 20s, to you know where we are in the 2020s, like 100 years later.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. What do you hope that people take away from the novel?
KM Fajardo:for me it's in the same way that Gatsby is a story about hope against all odds and how, you know this this guy could, like you know, uh, overcome all that he overcame to become to like reach so hard for his dreams. And even though it ended up terribly, there is something, you know, very inspiring in not choosing to give in to apathy, and I think that a lot of people have been struggling with, like how dark and hopeless and lonely our world can feel and how technology has made us more connected than ever before, but also feeling more isolated than ever before. And there is a lot of push towards like American individualism and just kind of looking out for yourself. And I think, like the doomerism and the apathy that we're feeling now is very dangerous.
KM Fajardo:And I think that's kind of what I wanted to talk about in the book, because you have this classic character of Nick Carraway who famously doesn't ever want to insert himself into the events of the book, and he's telling this story about all of these horrible rich people and he's like but I'm not like them because I didn't do anything, I was just there, I was just observing. And now I'm just telling you the story but I have nothing to do with it. And I think, re-imagining Nick as someone who witnesses these horrible things but is pushed to the brink and at some point you can't just be a fence sitter You're either choosing to walk away from it or you're choosing to do something about it. And I think, when you take the story of Gatsby and you drop it into an even darker world, into an even more hopeless world, how do you find the hope and like, the inspiration to like, try to be a better person? Like what does that mean in a dystopia? I think that's what I really wanted to unpack.
J.D. Myall:I love that. How did you handle your editorial notes? Where did you agree with all of them? Was it hard? Did you find it relatively easy, since you've been through so many rounds?
KM Fajardo:Yeah, editorial is tough, you know, because I think in the beginning I so I enjoy revision. I really care about thinking about every possible interpretation of a book and deciding you know which ones I am like I want the reader to have and trying to guide the reader as much as possible. Now that I'm so deep into revisions like I'm at a point where the draft that I just turned in was like draft seven. Like there comes to a point where you start getting conflicting feedback, or you start getting feedback that's like very, very minor, um, and you do start to have to make choices as a, as a writer, where you're like okay, what is okay to leave up to interpretation? Is it okay if a reader comes away with the book with these kinds of thoughts? Because you can't fully control how someone is going to interpret the book. So you do have to make peace with some things. Largely, I would say, revision is overwhelming always, but you kind of just have to trust yourself as a writer. Like every time, I'm like I have no idea how I'm going to do this. I always figure it out, cause I think revision is best when you, when you take it in, like you don't try to do everything all at once. Like it's like okay, for this pass through, I'm going to focus on the main character's arc. For the next pass through, I'm going to focus on this. Like you just kind of take it in steps, and I think that's how it feels a lot more doable.
KM Fajardo:I would say that it has been like tough as I've gotten into these later drafts, because I'm like, oh, I've read the book so many times, but mostly, I think all of each round, I have been able to solidify what my vision is. So most of the times I have agreed with like 90% of the feedback that I've gotten, because I've I'm very fortunate enough to work with great beta readers, to work with a great agent and a great editor, um, and also people who haven't tried to like overshadow my vision. So that's been good. I agree with like most things, but there are some things that it's like okay, I'm going to put my foot down on this, because if the suggestion doesn't like spark joy, then I don't force myself to do it. Like I always try to understand where the feedback is coming from, but if it clashes with like what I feel is like integral to the story, then I don't do it, and I think every writer should feel safe and empowered to make that choice.
J.D. Myall:I love that. Stephen King said he considers himself his first reader.
KM Fajardo:So if he gets one complaint, he goes with himself.
J.D. Myall:If he gets two complaints, he knows it's a problem. Yes, yeah, exactly. You were talking about world building earlier, so I'm curious do you have any advice on world building for Spartan authors?
KM Fajardo:Yeah, I guess it depends what you're writing. I, you know, I come from like a science fiction, fantasy mindset. So I think the important thing with with world building, with world building or at least how I try to approach it is if I come up with some kind of speculative element, whether it's a magic system or a technology. I try to think about those things in multiple contexts because I think that's what makes a world feel lived in. You know, you, if you think about that concept from like multiple, like social classes, right, like how would a wealthy class use this versus like a lower class, and like what would be like commercial versus personal use, or what kind of subcultures would arise from this, you know speculative element existing in this world. So I think for me, world building is just a process of taking a rabbit hole as far as it can go. And I think this is also why beta readers are really important, because sometimes, like you know, you come up with a technology and you would have beta readers be like, well, if this existed, then you know, wouldn't this happen? And you know, like you just kind of try to follow every possible kind of outcome.
KM Fajardo:And I think the other thing I like to consider sometimes with fantasy is just like cultures and how cultures would cross-pollinate. I think sometimes fantasy can feel very one-dimensional if cultures that are coexisting feel so siloed. So I think sometimes interesting things can come up in your world building if you consider the ways that like, okay, what is very distinct about this culture? What is very distinct about this culture if these two cultures were, you know, coexisting or they were doing trade in this specific way, then, um, what are the things that could arise out of that? Um, so yeah, I think, in the same way that characters are multifaceted. Uh, I think your settings have to almost be thought of like as characters in and of themselves, like multi-dimensional, I guess.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. So launching your debut novel is a huge milestone. How did you feel leading?
KM Fajardo:up to the book's release. Yeah, everything's happening pretty quickly, because I always imagined that it would be two years out, because I noticed, like a lot of my friends, they sell their books like this year and their release date is in 2026. Um, I, I think that, like leading up to signing the contract and doing my edits, I was feeling a lot of debut nerves and and feeling like, oh gosh, like is this book even good? Is it gonna find its readers? Like, have I totally messed up? Is all of it a fluke?
KM Fajardo:And I think that imposter syndrome settles in for a lot of writers and I think for me, it's just been about like trusting my support system and like speaking with you know, just like having the opportunity to, to speak with, like my publishing team and my beta readers and my agent and just getting that reassurance that, like the book that I wrote resonated with them and if it resonated with these people so deeply, like surely there are other readers that are going to resonate with it too. But, similarly to what we were talking about, like the target audience should, first and foremost, always be yourself as a writer, and as long as I had fun writing it, I think that's really all that matters, and I think that's just kind of how I'm tackling debut nerves. You know there's there's nothing you can control. All you can control is how much fun you have writing the book. All you can control is how much fun you have writing the book, because I do believe that the joy of writing comes through in the book itself.
J.D. Myall:So for me it's more important to find, like the readers, for who it'll resonate. Love that, love that. Have you planned any like launch?
KM Fajardo:events or any special things that you want to do on social media? Yeah, I'm not entirely sure yet, like my publisher, and I haven't gotten that far, but yeah, I'm sure I'll have a book launch.
J.D. Myall:I don't quite know where or when it'll be, but uh, yeah, fingers crossed that if, when that news happens, it'll definitely be on my socials. Love that, love that.
KM Fajardo:Were there any tools or platforms?
KM Fajardo:or things that helped you along the way as far as either writing the book or editing or just things that you've been like playing with, as far as like to do reels for it, or you know any tools or anything that helps you. Yeah, I don't know. I guess I'm kind of a boomer, because it's just me and Scrivener, like in terms of writing itself, like I actually don't really like to introduce too many tools into my writing process because I find that it distracts me from just writing. So I use Scrivener, I like the organizational capabilities of it and that's what I use to draft my books. In terms of early brainstorming, I think if you are really like visual writer, it can be great to use something like Miro or Milanote that's the one that I use which is like just for whiteboarding, brainstorming, dropping in photos. I prefer it more than like Pinterest, which is where you just put photos together. But with something like Miro or Mila Note, you can like basically like add little notes and like little videos or, yeah, photos, and I think that's like fun if you really enjoy that like early brainstorming process. I usually only do that when I'm like really early on and I'm like what are the vibes of this project? So that can be really great just for like building hype, like getting excited about writing the project.
KM Fajardo:In terms of like social media, I kind of just learn by watching other people Like I try to just be myself on social media because I think that's the stuff that really gets across the most.
KM Fajardo:And when I look at you know what really works for my other writer friends it's when they speak very like authentically and it's not so much coming from like buy my book, but more like bringing people behind the scenes, into the process and into like the thoughts that you have as a writer.
KM Fajardo:And like that was kind of like why I started a YouTube channel three years ago is because I think writing feels very isolating sometimes and writers kind of finding each other on social media. It's it's less about like this is how you do this thing and more like these are the you know insecurities that I have, or this is what I learned in my process and it just makes it feel like writing isn't so lonely. So whenever I see something that's working really well on like TikTok, like a certain kind of post, like figuring out, like okay, this is what's trending right now, I just kind of try to follow that and obviously like if it feels right for me. I don't try to like force myself to talk about something that I'm not passionate about, but I think like, yeah, the key with social media is just like follow creators that you really like and be yourself.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. Do you have any advice for other debuts who are just embarking on the same journey that you are on now?
KM Fajardo:um, I think on a technical level, um, definitely read your contracts. It like don't phone it in. Um, I like very, very meticulously read my contracts. I know your agent is there to do that for you. But if you see something that's even super minor, ask your agent about it, Ask them is this normal? Can I ask for this? Your agent should be there to really guide you, and I think sometimes writers can feel a power imbalance with publishers, with agents. But I think it's really important to like advocate for yourself at every part of the process. Like just like I think it's like very normalized, like that agents and publishers just kind of do things on their own and they don't really like bring writers into the loop. But if you have a question, like instead of letting it fester inside of you, like just ask like hey, like how does this process work? And like don't let anyone make you feel bad about asking that question, because, as a debut author, there's so much that you don't know, and I think we all like deserve transparency. So, you know, join writer discord groups. Like if you're a 2025 debut, there's like a discord group where everyone's in. So you know, like, don't be afraid to like ask someone, like if you're, if you're not in it.
KM Fajardo:Writers are very eager to help other writers and I have been very lucky Like when I did my deal announcement like just all the support that I've gotten. I think the other thing that was like a huge topic last year was just not seeing your fellow writers and your fellow debut cohort as competition. It's like a lot. It like it is so much better to just support each other because you know like don't focus on like this author got a huge deal, Like there's so much better than me or whatever.
KM Fajardo:Like I think all of us are going through this process together and I think the vast majority of us see each other as like really we only have each other in this industry, right, Like this industry is not going to love you back a lot of the times. And as great as it is to be engaged with readers, there is kind of a degree of separation that you need to have with readers. So lean on the other writers in your debut cohort. You know, figure out, figure out like what else they're doing for promotion. Like ask them questions if you don't want to ask your publisher. I think that support goes a long way in making you feel reassured that whatever insecurities you're having are not unique, and also it's just great to not go through the journey alone.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that you gave me another question.
KM Fajardo:So what are?
J.D. Myall:you doing for promotions?
KM Fajardo:So I think, like, aside from social media, I haven't like had like a huge discussion yet with my publisher, like that's probably something that we're having later next month or next year, but I'm sure there'll be a book launch and like we're doing arcs and, you know, pre-order campaigns. Hopefully I'd love to do a pre-order campaign and to just like especially give back to the people who've been like supporting me for a really long time, because I've been documenting like my writing journey for like the last three years and there's like a lot of readers who've been invested in this book like before they ever knew it was going to get published. And yeah, I think, other than that, it's just like I try to keep a social media presence so that people know like who I am and why I write, and yeah, I'm sure you'll have lots and lots of great things, yeah, when the time time comes.
J.D. Myall:So what's next for you after your debut novel? Have you, are there going to be any collaborations, any other projects in the works?
KM Fajardo:yeah, I'm halfway through, or over halfway through, my next book, so my biggest goal is, like I want to buckle down and finish my next book so that I can go on submission again and hopefully sell another book. I think the main thing is that I want to write a lot of different things. I think, like a lot of writers, I feel like I have a lot of different ideas. My next book is going to be, hopefully, fantasy and I'm hoping fingers crossed crossed that it won't be a long submission process. But I think that's what I'm probably going to be focusing on and, yeah, Can I?
J.D. Myall:get a hint on what the next one's about.
KM Fajardo:Sure, yeah. So it's an adult fantasy and it's kind of inspired loosely by uh, 1930s manila and like the time period surrounding, uh, the us occupation of the philippines, um, so it's kind of like a little bit closer to home in the sense that, like um, I've always kind of like wanted to write a story about that time period, especially like as a Filipino diaspora writer, and it deals a lot with intergenerational trauma and sort of the commodification of trauma. Um, it uh is a secondary world fantasy and it's kind of how I'm pitching it sort of is like the gang politics of Jade City mixed with the commentary on uh language and colonialism similar to Babel, um, so those are kind of the preoccupations of of that novel. But we're still in the first draft, um, and I'm hoping that I can finish it soon, hopefully Q1 next year.
J.D. Myall:Sounds great. Sounds great. How do you envision your future writing career? Like 10 years down the road? How do you see yourself? You?
KM Fajardo:know I just want to be writing.
KM Fajardo:I think that's the main thing is I just still want to have a relationship with writing and I think we we all have big, big author dreams.
KM Fajardo:Um, uh, like you know the usual milestones of of like hitting a bestseller list or you know, selling film, tv rights, like of course those things are like on my bucket list.
KM Fajardo:But if I envision myself five to 10 years down the road, I would love to just have writing sustain me. And if I'm not writing full time, I just want to be in a place where I am still telling stories, because I think that this industry burns you out really fast. And I think when I, if you have too many like thoughts around, like I have to do this, like I have to hit the bestseller list, I have to win these awards, you can start to like really resent writing, because you're thinking less about writing and more about publishing. And so I try to keep writing and publishing two separate things where I always say I take writing seriously, I take publishing on seriously in the sense that I don't try to have expectations. You know I see writing as the reward. So fingers crossed that I'm doing this full time in a decade, but as long as I'm writing stories that I'm passionate about, that's really all I can hope for.
J.D. Myall:Love that, love that. Is there anything you want to cover that we haven't mentioned? No, I think that's it. I think those are great questions, thank you. Thank you, you gave fabulous answers. I can see that you have the social media experience. You come across as genuine but very, like I said, very polished. Those were great questions, though, thank you. I appreciate that you get great answers. Where can people connect with you and how can they stay updated on your latest work?
KM Fajardo:Sure, so all my links can be found on my website, which is kmfajardocom. I have a sub stack, kmfajardosubstackcom, and yeah, I give like major project updates always through my newsletter on there. But if you follow me on like Instagram, that's probably like the best place to follow me. Tiktok as well I'm pretty active and I also have a YouTube channel and, yeah, all those links are on my website.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. That wraps up today's.
Announcement:Craft Chat Chronicles with JD Mayor. Thanks for joining us. If you liked the episode, please comment, subscribe and share. For show notes, writing workshops and tips. Tips head to jdmayocom. That's jdmayorcom. While you're there, join jd's mailing list for updates, giveaways and more.