Olivie Blake is Not Writing: Live Index

For ease of consuming my Not Writing series, here is an index of every discussion topic featured in the videos. It is updated regularly.

---

Writing Advice:

• Writing characters with flaws, Building complex characters

• Traditional publishing finance

• Writing complex morality, How to write (and defend) morally grey female characters, How to write angry women

• Translating craft strengths from fanfic to original work, On feeling creatively blocked when going from fanfic to original work

• How to write large friend groups, How do you write ensemble casts that don't become long character studies?

• Fast drafting

• Do you need a day job to write?, How I make money (valuing creative careers), Making your art your career, How to choose an artistic pursuit over a "traditional" career

• On hybrid authorship (concurrent indie + traditional publishing), Costs of traditional vs indie publishing (creative control), further thoughts on self-publishing (THE ATLAS SIX)

• How to manage multiple works in progress, How I write and research books

• Writing side characters

• How to choose comps while querying

• Writing diversity without co-opting marginalized stories

• Pacing for a slow burn

• How do you know if your art is improving?

• Motivation for book 2/avoiding the sophomore slump

• Writing "episodic" fics vs. novel manuscripts

• Writing for feelings, Writing realistic angst

• How to get a scene you've visualized out of your head and onto the page

• Does plot come first or setting?

• Is your first novel doomed to suck?

• Overcoming anxieties about sharing your original work

• Writing OCs in fan fiction

• How to get from point A to point B (building up your writing endurance), How to maintain your focus when you hit the hard part of a draft, Microsoft Word is too sterile for me to hang onto an idea (writing endurance), How to take a small idea to a full draft

• How to inhabit a character's point of view

• How to read like a writer

• Things to consider before submitting your fiction for publication

• Writing established relationships (romance)

• How to work through "boring" plot

• How the querying process ends

• Influences on my current writing style

• Collaborating with another artist

• Creating art vs. producing art

• How to maximize your focus on a day-to-day basis

• How to battle creative anxiety

• How to write "realistic fiction" without cliches

• BTS on writing ensembles, using outlines (THE ATLAS SIX)

• What I've learned from self-publishing

• How to combat writer's block and be creatively productive, follow-up on my personal writer's "block"

• How to plan a novel

• How to improve your banter (dialogue)

• How to write natural-sounding dialogue

• Writing strong female casts instead of Strong Female Characters

• How to get in the mood for writing realistic angst

• My personal writing process (rapid-fire Q&A)

• What kinds of ships/tropes do you like?

• Experiences I would want for writing purposes

• Advice on world-building, how to build a fictional kingdom

• What to do when people misunderstand your art (negative reviews), how to deal with critical feedback

• Creating fully-formed characters

• How to get started writing creatively

• Investing in your interests (why Harry Potter fanfic?)

• How I choose excerpts to entice readers

• How to write ensemble casts

• How I come up with plots

• Reconstructing old drafts (should I edit or start over?)

• Traditional publishing vs. self-publishing

• How I come up with titles

• Female characterization

• How to write erotica

• How to avoid gender stereotypes in fiction

• How to be creative

Love and Sex:

• Why love is fucking terrifying (on AWYITE)

• When to start flirting/the language of dating

• Traditional weddings

• Joining your finances in a relationship

• Sex after baby

• The Big Sis Love List (feelings for someone with red flags)

• Choosing the friendship when you're in love with a friend, Help I'm in love with my guy friend, Should I tell a friend I like them romantically?

• Moving on when you don't get closure, What to do when you've been ghosted, Dealing with a tough break-up

• Help, my new boyfriend can't make me orgasm!

• How to tell if you're in a healthy relationship

• When kink is really misogyny (the case against Armie Hammer)

• If he's honest, kind, and patient but we have no chemistry, am I selfish for walking away?, should I break up with my wonderful boyfriend?

• Coping with an abandonment complex

• How to deal with feelings of jealousy/possessiveness

• Help! I get butterflies for someone who's taken

• What if a guy is interested and I'm not?

• Should I be feeling butterflies? (dating lethargy), how to date without getting emotionally exhausted

• Loving someone through distance and romantic dissonance, How to comfort a significant other from a distance (emotional labor and love languages)

• When to let someone go

• How to find someone to date in a new environment

• Stigmatization of anal sex for women

• Should I wait for the one or date casually?, I want to have sex, should I wait for a relationship?

• How to combat your tendency to cut and run in relationships (how to better yourself in relationships)

• How to "fight better" with your significant other

• Are my romantic expectations too high?

• Is it necessary to live with my significant other before marriage?

• Choosing yourself in relationships (how to lose him to love you)

• How to approach sex with a new partner

• Why don't I have a boyfriend?

• Am I bisexual? (questions about your sexuality)

• Am I in love with the artist or her art?

• What to do about an emotionally unavailable partner

• What if I don't care about sex? (being on the ace/demi spectrum)

• How to get better at sex

• Help, I'm horny (and a virgin)

• Basic sex education things

• Sex toys

• Flirting

• Dirty talk

• Stop waiting for your sex god

• Some romance things all women should hear

• How to calibrate your relationship expectations

• How to normalize erotica

• I'm in my thirties and looking for romance (how do I ask someone out?)

• How to masturbate

• How to get through a difficult breakup

• How to know if you've met the one

• My relationships never seem to last (is the problem me?)

• Being friends with your exes

• Recurring feelings for someone I shouldn't date (make these feelings go away!)

• Why women get stuck in not-quite-right relationships

• What we can learn from "The Office" romance

• Are you the rebound?

• Sex advice for someone without experience (lubrication!)

• What to do when domestic life gets boring

• Are rebounds a good idea?

• How to tell if you're in love

• Thoughts on having a healthy relationship

Friends and Family:

• How to meet other people

• Dealing with toxic familial/platonic relationships

• How to distance yourself from your family's religion (dealing with guilt), How to distance yourself from religion pt. II (difference between faith and institution)

• Controlling your emotions/fighting with your mom

• Healing yourself around hurting people

• Coping with an abandonment complex

• How do you know when a friendship is over, Are you the toxic one in your friend breakup?, Why do friend breakups hurt so much

• How to deal with feelings of jealousy/possessiveness

• Convincing a difficult person in your life to vote

• Can I be friends with someone whose beliefs are harmful?

• How to deal with overbearing family members

• How can I maintain friendships from afar?

• Male and female friendships

• How to let go of your family's expectations

• Being present in your adult friendships

• How to discuss politics around your (conservative) family

• How to combat your tendency to cut and run in relationships

• How to stop comparing yourself to others (especially friends)

• What to do when your family doesn't support you

• Should I tell a friend I like them romantically?

• Is it worth expressing my beliefs if my family doesn't want to listen?

• Am I in love with my writer friend?

• How to make friends as an adult

• Struggling with self-esteem due to your father

• Starting a new relationship might ruin my friendships

• How to handle your family's reactions to your mental health

• What to do when your siblings are being stupid

• How to convince the men in your life to vote?

• How to convince the men in your life to be more "woke"?

Mental Health and Wellness

• On body image and mental health

• Jealousy and the fallacy of scarcity

• On looking forward to the future

• Social anxiety and wanting to be liked

• How to handle times of stress, Stress prevention techniques, Managing career/job-related anxiety

• Should I quit law school? (the costs of being on a path you don't like)

• Help, I feel behind (how to change careers)

• Post-isolation mental health and feeling behind in achievement or relationships

• On mental health following the Meghan + Harry interview

• Controlling your emotions/fighting with your mom

• Healing yourself around hurting people

• Dealing with grief/losing a loved one

• Articulating your feelings and managing your expectations

• How to deal with college rejection (and all rejection generally), Dealing with Rejection v2021

• How to deal with feelings of jealousy/possessiveness

• Self-love and self-acceptance

• How to deal with bad things when "this too shall pass" mentality doesn't work

• How to eat a balanced diet

• How to deal with triggers, mood disorders

• Am I having a mid-life crisis? (losing your sense of childhood)

• How to let go of your family's expectations

• Losing perspective during quarantine/isolation

• My 10 best pieces of life advice

• How to keep going when you feel powerless

• Surviving times of political difficulty (anger, helplessness)

• How to motivate yourself to exercise, how to stay disciplined with exercise

• What to do about substance dependency

• Dealing with the possibility of losing a pet

• How to combat your self-destructive tendencies (people who cut and run)

• Accuracy of artistic portrayals of bipolar disorder, What is bipolar disorder

• Choosing yourself in relationships

• How to differentiate between yourself and your illness

• There's something wrong with me (there is no correct way to be a human being, social trends don't determine your wrongness)

• Am I bisexual? (questions about your sexuality)

• How to find the right therapist for your goals

• What's fun about being an adult?

• How to boost your body confidence

• Eating healthy, exercise

• I have a lot of hobbies—how do I focus on one?

• How to handle your family's reactions to your mental health

• Realities of medicating for your mental health

• How to make yourself happy

• Some self-care reminders (girl, wash your face)

• How many tries do you give something before you give up?

• Being honest with yourself about mental health ("I don't want to admit something is wrong because I am very functional")

• My personal mental health background

• Comfort zones/anxiety

Career, Academia, and Success:

• Traditional publishing finance

• Learning how to do things other people learn in school

• Managing career/job-related anxiety

• Should I quit my job?, Should I quit my day job for a creative pursuit?, Should I change jobs?, Should I quit law school? (the costs of being on a path you don't like), Should I quit my academic program?

• Finding a job outside the limitations of your degree, Help I feel like I'm behind (changing careers)

• Earning money in creative careers/writing careers

• How to deal with college rejection (and all rejection generally), Dealing with Rejection v2021

• How to accomplish your goals despite major life changes/coping with uncertainty

• How to prepare for a career in college

• How to sound knowledgeable (and know things, too)

• How do I deal with feeling "other" in a predominantly white space?

• Am I having a mid-life crisis? (losing your sense of childhood)

• My 10 best pieces of life advice

• How to keep your intellect sharp

• I feel like I'm behind (there is no correct way to be a human being)

• Things I wish I'd known when starting college

• How to handle a discouraging job search

• Sexual harassment in the workplace

• "Finding yourself" while studying abroad

• How to negotiate your salary

• How many tries do you give something before you give up?

• LSAT/application prep

• Choosing between career paths

• What I studied in college

• How to find what you're meant to do in life

Feminism and Womanhood

• On body image and mental health

• When having a baby means you're not allowed to die

• Why media criticism is intended to prevent harm

• What Meghan Markle teaches us about believing Black women/saying Breonna Taylor's name/the communal despair over Sarah Everard

• Red flags of misogyny/things I learned about men from boxing, When kink is really misogyny (the case against Armie Hammer)

• The paradox of aging as a woman, What hobbies are respectable for older women?/Aging in fandom

• Self-love and self-acceptance, the identity crisis of pregnancy

• On romanticizing fictional villains

• The two-party system and the politicization of abortion

• The loss of RBG is scary. Now what?

• How to write (and defend) morally grey female characters

• Fertility and contemporary womanhood

• Is baby fever a real thing?

• Are female tropes "cliches" (Mary Sues, vampire romances)

• Dissociative feminism ("The New Trend in Feminism is Feeling Nothing," Fleabag and portrayals of womanhood), white feminism

• Strong female casts over "Strong Female Character"

• What makes a "deviant woman" in literature

• The archetype of "Not Like Other Girls"

• How the concept of Selena Gomez's "Lose You to Love Me" is important for women (emotional labor)

• How to write angry women

• Why we should all be Unapologetic Ladies (women in Georgian England)

• Sex in literature, women in STEM

• Female managers (how women are judged in management positions by other women)

• Sexual harassment in the workplace

• Romantic rivalry with another girl in a friend group

• Traveling alone as a woman

• Some romance things all women should hear

• Normalizing erotica

• Society's expectations for female beauty

• Female characterization

• Why women get stuck in not-quite-right relationships

• How to convince the men in your life to vote?

• How to convince the men in your life to be more "woke"?

• How to bring down the patriarchy

• When did I decide I was a feminist

Miscellaneous/About Me:

• Why I'm not having more children

• How I feel about fanfic of my own work

• Why I can't sell you a copy of my previously self-published books

• TA6 Q&A for The Thirsty Collective

• My thoughts on the diversity of BookTok

• The paradox of the progressive royal

• Publishing's capitalism problem

• Thoughts on the legality of book-inspired merch, a note about piracy and merch

• FAQ about the new THE ATLAS SIX edition from Tor

• Sapphic book recs

• Romance tropes I enjoy/recommendations

• Differences between fictional and IRL pregnancy/delivery

• Books that find you at the right time

• How I personally make money/maintain creative control/research books

• Discourse on morality in fiction is annoying but media criticism exists for a reason

• I'm like, really mad about my cousin's 23andme results (subtitle: colonialism)

• Taylor Swift theories + evermore

• The identity crisis of pregnancy

• Okay, so here's my name/hey guys I sold a book

• On romanticizing fictional villains

• What to do when you encounter a Karen

• U.S. elections, the two-party system, checks and balances, 2020 presidential election outcome

• Why my love story contributes to one of my writing "flaws"

• Celebrity culture/the wealth gap

• The merits of ethical consumerism

• Black Lives Matter

• Religion

• How to trim your own bangs

• Tarot for amateurs

• Motivating yourself to exercise

• My conversation with artist Little Chmura

• Things to know before your first tattoo, how to prep for a tattoo

• Astrology

• The Olivie Personality Quiz, 2019 Round

• Everyday skincare/makeup routine

• How to read Basile the vampire from How to Win Friends and Influence People

• My most influential musical albums

• Taylor Swift theories (pre-Folklore)

• Places to visit in Los Angeles

• The Tour de France

• That time I cooked orzo and forgot mushrooms

• My favorite fictional openings

• New Year's resolutions

• Where to eat in Chicago

• Get Ready With Me

• If my life could imitate my art, what would I change?

• The Olivie Personality Quiz, 2018 round

• My jewelry

• My thoughts on my own fics (as of 2018)

• My experience being in a sorority (advice for rushing)

• Me doing a TRX core workout

• An erotic reading from THE KISS QUOTIENT

• How I met Mr Blake

• What I was like in high school

Excerpts:

• "Stone's Throw" from THE ANSWER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS YES

• "The Immortality Project," from THE ANSWER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS YES

• ALONE WITH YOU IN THE ETHER

• Astrological signs of THE ATLAS SIX characters

• "A Year in January"

• THE ATLAS SIX

• Basile the vampire from How to Win Friends and Influence People

• AWE OF THE NIGHT APPROACHING

• "To All the Boys I Never Fucked" from STARGAZING IS NECROPHILIA

• LA PETITE MORT

• "Clara and the Devil" from THE LOVERS GRIM

• ONE FOR MY ENEMY, Sasha and Lev

• MASTERS OF DEATH

• LOVELY TANGLED VICES

• "The Twelve Huntsmen" from MIDSUMMER NIGHT DREAMS

• "Once It Happens" from THE LOVERS GRIM