Ukrainian writer Olena Osipova: In a custom story, the most important thing is to come up with an idea around which everything will unfold

Olena Osipova is a Ukrainian writer who creates personalized and custom stories for adults and children as part of her book brand "Own Story." She shared with Drive Music Media insights about the beginning of her writing journey, the difference between custom and personalized stories, the process of creating a book, and her upcoming projects.

Interviewer: How did the idea to create personalized fairy tales for children come about? What inspired you, and what were your first steps in this endeavor?

Olena: While on maternity leave with my first son, I, being a creative person, was constantly searching for my calling. At that time, I became serious about making dolls that resembled their future owners. I sewed for about a year, studied a lot, gifted them to friends and acquaintances, and eventually realized it wasn’t my true passion. Then, while inventing stories for my son, I decided to create a book that would speak directly to him, telling him about the world (at that time, I dreamed a lot about traveling, but it wasn’t possible). And that’s how the personalized book about the wonders of the world was born. To keep my son entertained, I "befriended" him with a traveling teddy bear – a character in the book. When the book was printed, I realized it could be both useful and interesting for other children as well. Plus, the idea (I thought I was the first to come up with the concept of a personalized book that could be ordered) excited me so much that I started showcasing the book on my personal Instagram.

Interviewer: Tell us about the first book you wrote on request. What was the writing process like, how long did it take to complete the book, and who was it about? Which publishing house supported you and handled the layout of your book?

Olena: The first book I wrote on request was for my classmate, who ordered it as a gift for her godmother. The price was minimal, and at the time, I was very hesitant to charge for my work because I felt I didn’t have the right to, as I hadn’t formally studied writing. The idea for the custom story came to me quickly (I was overflowing with ideas back then) while describing the future heroine. I was so captivated by how wonderful and unique the people around me were. I started writing with the skills I had at the time, and it took me about a week to complete. I also handled the design myself. The story turned out to be heartfelt, with themes centered around family values. A local publishing house in Sumy agreed to print the single copy (I was lucky, as everyone else had declined). Their designer even helped me with the book’s layout, offering tips and advice. I knew I would need to handle the design myself, as hiring a designer would be too expensive.

The woman who received the book as a gift was thrilled. She couldn't believe at first that the book was written specifically for her.

Interviewer: Which of your books are more popular: children's or adult books? After all, you write not only for children but also for adults. Tell us about these books: What kind of stories do they contain, and which are more challenging to work on – children's or adult books?

Olena: Currently, children's books are more popular because there has been a lot of advertising focused on them, but I'm confident that the adult books will catch up. I always want to create new personalized books, and so far, I've developed three children's books: a collection of fairy tales for little ones, a book about the wonders of the world for older children, and winter stories.

For adults, there's a personalized book about a girl who gets drawn into a painting and is being painted herself—I'm passionate about anything creative and related to art. Writing custom stories for adults is much more difficult and time-consuming because a lot of effort goes into studying the main character.

For children, especially the little ones, it's simpler – they don't need anything too complex, just age-appropriate content that aids in their development. With adults, it's more challenging because there's so much to learn about a person – heir occupation, dreams, hobbies. There's always the risk that the story might not resonate, as adult preferences are very individual and personal. It takes about a month to create a custom story for an adult, and I'm always happy when people reach out in advance!

Interviewer: Creating a character is one thing, but writing about a real person is much more challenging. What do you focus on, and what do you need to know to ensure the story feels deep and truly reflects the person you’re writing about?

Olena:The stories I write for people are in a fantasy style. To fully understand a person would take a lifetime, and any description is always filtered through someone’s perspective. So, a custom story is a blend of fantasy and biography. The first thing I focus on when writing a custom story is the person’s dreams. For me, this is the key element, and the entire story usually stems from that dream.

To make the person truly feel connected to their story, there need to be small details, which I always ask their close ones to share. People are sometimes shocked: "How did she know that?" – these are the things that touch the heart, making the person feel as if we know each other well. In truth, I become very close to my characters. When the story is finished, and I have to send it to the client, it feels like a part of me is being torn away. I put a lot of my soul into these stories. When I’m writing, my husband and children try not to disturb me and let me go wherever I need because they know I need to immerse myself in another life.

Interviewer: Who creates the illustrations for your books? Tell us about the collaboration and the process of creating the main character for a book. If you create them yourself, describe how you envision the character you need to draw.

Olena: At first, I tried to design the books myself, but it felt like something was missing. Then I reached out to a girl named Aliona Stadnyk, who sculpted with clay and created some illustrations for herself. I loved what she did and how much soul she put into it, so I took a chance and asked her if she would illustrate my books. Aliona was hesitant and almost declined because she didn’t think she could handle it, but I convinced her because I was certain she wouldn’t stop until she did something amazing.

I love her taste, and we’re very much in sync – you should hear how we discuss things, it’s one of those situations where we finish each other’s sentences. Everything worked out, and after the first book came the second, third, and some designs for custom stories that Aliona also created. When I have an idea, I just send her the text and hardly interfere with the process of creating the characters and illustrations – I simply enjoy it when she sends me something to review.

Interviewer: What is the difference between your personalized books and custom stories? What is each of them like?

Olena: Personalized books are pre-written stories where only the names and photos are changed. In contrast, a custom story is written specifically for a particular person. There won't be another story like it – it’s very personal. Personalized books are perfect for a special gift, offering a unique idea when you want to surprise someone with something interesting. The creation timeline allows you to order and receive a finished book fairly quickly, usually within about a week.

A custom story, on the other hand, is something much deeper – a family heirloom, as it’s the kind of story that will be interesting to read for generations. By the way, in my collection for little ones, I also write custom fairy tales about the child. This doesn’t take much time since, for a young child, it’s about their favorite toy or a funny or interesting event from their life that will be nice to remember in the future – about two or three days. The fairy tale is short but meaningful for the parents and, later on, for the child.

Interviewer: What is the most challenging part of writing a personalized book?

Olena: If it’s about bringing a new idea to life – meaning it’s not an order – then the most challenging aspects are time and the availability of funding. When writing a custom story, the hardest part is coming up with the central idea around which everything will revolve. The key is to get started. As for the design of personalized books, the most challenging yet also the most enjoyable part is communicating with the clients – they are all such diverse and interesting individuals.

Interviewer: What was the most memorable book you wrote?

Olena: Every personalized book from my small brand is special to me because each one has a story connected to it. The most memorable, though, was probably the custom story I wrote for my husband. When you know someone so well yet still feel like you don’t fully know them, it turns out to be very difficult to write. But I managed, and he loved it – now he wants a sequel! He said it was especially interesting to read about himself.

Interviewer: You write in Ukrainian. Do you have plans to expand your horizons and start writing in English?

Olena: I plan to translate all my books into English. There is already a translation into Polish (a gift from a client who really wanted to give the book to Polish people). Currently, I need funding, so I’m putting that on hold for now.

Interviewer: What projects are you working on right now? Are you planning to make any changes to your work?

Olena: Right now, I’m working on several ideas: another personalized winter book for children and a book about the whole family. I’m also working on writing short stories about myself (but as a character). This will be a non-personalized book, and I dream of publishing it as a series before I turn 40. I have many more plans – it feels like there won’t be enough time in a lifetime! I really want to grow, have my own office for work, and make sure many people learn about my books. I dream of a book launch event; I’ve already planned everything – I just need to write even more stories.

Pictures were taken by Daria Cappuchinko, Yuriy Boiko