Victoria, we are glad to welcome you to InSTYLE Moldova. You are the author and writer of the most popular columns on psychological topics for the world’s glossy magazines. Tell us how you look for popular topics?

Usually it’s pretty hard to find the right topic that will hook the editor’s attention. I mean there’s a huge competition between freelance writers that submit dozens of themes monthly. I’ve discovered that the only way to stand out from the crowd is to write about something that truly triggers you. Unresolved issues, tough questions without one right answer, inconvenient truths inspire me. It’s great to start an article by being clueless about how it’s gonna end. Lately, due to social media, I write a lot upon audience request. I mean the easiest way to find out what women would like to read about is to ask them. And there usually come some eternal neverending topics, such as “how to make him fall in love with you”, “how to work on your self-esteem”, “how to work less and earn more”. Themes might seem corny. But the more you write on the same subject, the deeper your approach gets.

Writing materials on complex topics that are easily perceived by the reader is not so easy. What is your secret?

Honestly, it was always my gift to explain complicated things with simple and memorable examples. I’m an uncrowned queen of fun and sometimes spicey metaphors. I believe in a saying that if you can’t explain something to a six-year-old, then you probably don’t get it yourself. So, to express yourself, you need deep knowledge of the subject and witty, colorful language. At the university, my professors always told me that studying journalism itself is not enough. You need to choose what subjects you’re gonna write about and learn it deeply. My choice was psychology. I’ve been learning it for over 15 years to be certain that I have a right to talk about it and my writing wouldn’t hurt anybody. I mean there’s nothing more toxic than a piece of unprofessional advice on relationships. Considering millions of readers, it could be crucial. So I acknowledge my responsibility.

Do you often have to use personal life situations to write deep material?

Oh yes. I absolutely adore the genre of experiment. When you genuinely share your own personal experience on something. Like once I was writing about my attempts to become a model for male magazines such as Playboy. I showed all the insight into nude shootings, auditions etc. The other time I was writing about me and my husband going to a sex show in Thailand. Another experiment was all about me visiting different plastic surgeons to see if they were gonna sell me some kind of unnecessary treatment or not. It was a lot of fun. Even though such articles usually attract a lot of haters and some tough comments on your personality, appearance, lifestyle. You become very vulnerable, sharing intimate details of your life. But still I feel like it’s worth it! These articles are probably the most sincere, live, emotional and full of your inner truth that can be healing to a lot of women.

Let’s talk about how the requests of readers in glossy magazines have changed. If earlier girls argued about “whether to kiss on the first date or not,” now the topics have become freer. How would you comment on such changes?

I should say the changes in women’s mentality and interests are so inspiring! I mean 20 years ago, when I was starting my writer’s career, women were all about «to be or not to be». Always worrying about rights and wrongs. Always wondering if it’s appropriate to want what they want? It felt like we all were a bunch of little girls waiting for mom’s advice and approval of our love life. Nowadays, it seems like we have all finally grown up. I mean the woman in 2023 would never look for an answer «if I should sleep with him on the first date or should I wait until the third» in a magazine. She will find this answer in herself! And this is great news. Women finally know what they want. They are finally not ashamed of what they want. They are not apologizing for who they are any longer. So today they mostly wonder how to get what I want? What is the shortest way to my goal? And, of course, reading about other women’s lives, life choices, feelings, experiences is still fascinating.

Tell us about your article that worked the most? Why do you think it resonated so strongly with people?

It’s easy. All sex-related articles were the most popular and gained a lot of attention. Honestly, I still don’t know why this subject is so exciting for women. I mean if I had any sex-related problems or requests, I’d definitely talk them through with my partner or go to a shrink or sexologist to work out my issues. But it seems like most women still don’t feel comfortable admitting they are not happy with their sex life, even to themselves. And unfortunately, not many girls are willing to discuss it with a partner. So they are looking for some tips and answers in sex-related articles hoping for some magic trick or insight. But truth to be told, the real magic happens when you find courage to be sincere about what you want and what you don’t want in bed. To bare your feelings is so much scarier than to bare your body. But it’s totally worth it!

Share the secret of how to reach the reader’s heart through an article?

I spent three years at Ivana Chubbuck Studio scene study class. It’s the number one Hollywood school for actors and writers where Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey, Charlize Therone and other celebrities were studying. And what I’ve learned there is you can’t make your audience feel anything unless you feel it yourself. As my mentor always says: «You want good work – write about something you don’t want other people to know about you. You want a brilliant piece of art? Then write about stuff that even you don’t wanna know about yourself». The higher the stakes, the more personal your writing gets. The more it triggers other people. So I try my best not to be scared or embarrassed, to explore some darker sides of me. Like, for example, once I was writing about those temptations and opportunities to cheat that I had during my marriage. It’s really bold to admit you were attracted to someone else while being in a relationship with the man you love. But I’m sure that article helped a lot of women to understand we all have desires. We all have temptations. And suppressing them, denying them won’t make you or your relationships better. Unlike the ability to admit and analyse why am I attracted to someone else? What’s going on in my marriage? What am I lacking? How can I get it from my partner?

You also teach at a school for those who want to learn to write as uniquely as you. Tell us about this and how to sign up for your course?

Well, when I was honored to be a part of the Cosmopolitan editorial team, I was in fact teaching people how to write. My special subject was online writing, which is very tricky because you really have to hook the reader from the first word and hold his attention all the way through your story. When it comes to the online media, it’s really easy to lose the reader, one boring sentence, one buzz-worthy title next to your article and he’s gone. Which is why you need to become a real Shaherezada, the seductress that always promises that more is yet to come. Now, I don’t teach writing or blogging. Cause as much as I love to teach, I prefer to write myself.

Do you think that with the acceleration of the pace of life and the tendency to reduce everything, we may lose authors?

I think the opposite. The world has its cycles. Everything comes and goes and then comes back. Right now we do have this trend and a bit scary tendency of losing attention and our abbility to concentrate. I mean, back in the days, people used to say «I’ve read this book». Now it all comes to «hey, I’ve read this Instagram post». But the more we get involved with these short forms of content, the more we starve for something bigger and deeper like books. So I’m not really worried about the authors’ future. Also, I think and hope that the new era of content will challenge writers not only to write silently, but also present and perform what they wrote. At least that’s how I see my path as an author. I really want to put myself out there. I don’t feel like presenting my book (especially the novel) through some quiet reading and book signing in some book store. I wanna go big. And make it a huge performance. Hopefully, I’ll get to the point where I can be an artist and give my writing as much buzz, scale and credit as it deserves.

You are the author of more than 20 books. Which of them was the most difficult for you?

I think my latest novel «Fifth Floor» was the toughest work I’ve ever done. I’ve been writing it for over 5 years. It’s a very complex and heart-breaking story about life after death. It’s a story of Robert, a well-to-do man, who dies and finds out his life wasn’t well at all. Robert is a well-to-do man, who dies and finds out his life wasn’t well at all.

So he goes on a journey no-one has ever succeeded before: to escape from Heaven and resurrect so he can fix all the mistakes he had made.

Robert fights fate and the Universal system to reunite with the love of his life and save his kids from bad choices. But will his victory bring him back to life or destroy the whole world?

Basically, I was unable to come up with a story like that. I was meditating and channeling a lot to see how it was gonna proceed and end. I was travelling all over the world hoping to find inspiration and some answers. Sometimes I swear it seemed crazy and hopeless. Like that time when I was close to the end of the story but still had no idea how Robert was gonna try and reborn. I mean this is something no one has seen before, right? How was I supposed to know what it looked like? So my guts told me: go to Singapore. Weird, right? But I went. And there I found my answer. I found it in a fountain. There’s a huge show, Spectra. As I was watching it, I got carried away and saw my ending as clear as if it was a movie on a big screen. So yeah, that book was pretty special. It has changed me not only as a writer, but as a human too. And I’m sure it’s gonna melt the hearts and blow the minds of everyone who dares to read it!

Tell us what book are you working on now? Do you plan to publish in different languages? After all, you have fan clubs all over the world.

Right now I’m obsessed with scriptwriting. I went to the Cannes Film Festival this year. And it was such an inspiration. I’ve come to realize I want to see my story on the big screen. So now I’m writing a script. It’s gonna be spicy, deeply psychological, very sexual and a bit dark. I’m writing it in English because I want it to be Netflix-worthy. But at this point I can’t really reveal the details.

Do you have any wild dreams related to your profession as an author, please share them?

Oh, I have a lot. I’m quite a dreamer. I want my own show «Fifth floor», a huge performance all over the world where I can read my novel the way rock stars present their hits. I want to sell my scripts to Hollywood production companies. I want to try being a show-runner. I want to publish my novel in English (it is already translated and now I’m looking for an agent to represent me across the globe). Do I go on? The more I get, the more I want. It’s a great thing about being in love with your job. You never get enough.

Photos: Valeria Sinitcina, Igor Malakhov
Author: Victoria Isaeva @vicisaeva
PR: Mariia Borovenska @mariiaborovenskaya