When did you realize you wanted to be an author?
I’ve been writing since third grade (2004/2005 school year). I’ve probably considered it to be my number one career choice since 2007.
What inspires your writing?
Usually, the weird dreams that I have give me plot points and I turn them into words and continue on from there. Otherwise, I work on old projects from back when I was in grade school.
Did you go to school for writing?
Not exactly. I was just always super interested in what my English teachers in middle/high school had to teach. You might be able to get away with saying I was the English Teacher’s Pet Student in all of my classes since sixth grade. Once I left high school, I went to college for business. However, after taking the introduction course, I realized that wasn’t my calling. I took a gap year to focus on making money and realized my calling was writing. I enjoyed looking at my old work and finding areas that I could improve on. So I went back to school to study creative writing. My goal was to be an editor for a publishing company. I got my Associates in English and moved on to a Bachelors. However, in my junior (3) year of college, I came to the conclusion that what I was learning (basically, classic literary autopsy) had nothing to with understanding sentence structure and everything else an editor would need to know to do their work. I could spend $300 on an online course and get what I wanted rather than $200,000 and still not know what I wanted to know. So I left University (again) and started pursuing writing as a part time job next to my money making part time job. I also want to note here that I was interested in Psychology as well and took many Psychology/Sociology electives, which I believe helps me with character development.
Can I send you Fan Art?
Of course! I love fan art! You can either email it to me or join my discord ❤
What kind of stories do you like to read?
While browsing the bookstore, I find myself reaching for the Young Adult fantasy books. Although, I do read contemporary fiction from time to time.
What are you reading right now?
I’m actually rereading a handful of books. But the book that I’m newly interested in is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It’s taking me a minute to read it just because the chapters are super long compared to what I’m used to reading, but I am thoroughly enjoying it when I do pick it up.
Do you have a favorite writer/novel that you’re inspired by?
Oof, this is a big one. When I was in middle school, I fell in love with The Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima. From there, I found The Seven Realms. I have to admit, to this day The Demon King is still my favorite book. In most of my fantasy writings, I tend to use her magic system (without the amulets) as well as society such as “temples” for schools. It’s been a while since I’ve read the series, but her stories have deeply inspired my fantasy worlds.
My favorite author at the moment is Marissa Meyer. I really enjoyed her writing style in The Lunar Chronicles because I believe it is close to my own and therefore easy to read.
Do you read physical books or is everything online?
I prefer physical books. I don’t have any special technology to allow myself to read books off my computer (like Kindle or Nook or AmazonFire or Audible) and I don’t like staring at the screen for too long, especially after days where I’m constantly writing.
When reading, do you tend to read all the way through once you start?
I try. When I don’t like a book so much, I tend to leave it in the bathroom for those long breaks to get myself to read it. If I can’t even get through it then, it goes on my bookshelf never to be touched again. But if I do enjoy a book, I tend to read around 100 pages a day until the entire series is finished.
Are you a pantser or an outliner?
I consider myself a plantser. Back in the day, I used to have an idea and just write the story for it with the vague thoughts of what will happen in my mind. Nowadays, I find it easier to write with a vague outline written down and if something strays from it, then I work on a new vague outline.
Do you use character sheets to flesh out your characters?
I’ve tried using various character sheets in the past, but they all end up taking away from actually writing, so I’ve since stopped using them.
Do you use Word or something else?
I started out using Microsoft Word. A year after I dropped out of college, I no longer had access, so I transferred all my writings to Google Docs. After a while, I came across a program called Scrivener, which after my free trial, I ended up buying because I loved it so much. Now I use Scrivener for my creating process and transfer it to Google Docs when I want to print it out.
How do you determine how long your novels will turn out?
I typically just go with the flow while writing my first draft. During edits, I keep in mind my genre and know that for contemporary fiction, word counts are usually 70,000-80,000 words while fantasy is usually 100,000-120,000 words due to world building. I also like to keep in mind that Shawn Coyne, creator of STORY GRID, said, “The potato chip of a scene is 2,000 words.” However, I do know that some scenes work better with less or more words, so it’s not something that I hold myself to.
Do you use background noise to help focus on writing?
As much as that would help me out when my roommate comes into the common area to play video games while I’m on the computer typing away, I usually have to have mostly silence while I’m writing. Some days, my brain races with thoughts unrelated to my writing projects, so I put on instrumental music such as classical, jazz, or non-lyrical soundtrack music to keep my thoughts from racing. But when my roommate puts on a game or a movie or a show, I tend to get distracted by wondering/picturing what’s going on in my head.
Is there a certain aspect that’s more difficult? Like, characterization, or plotting or structure?
I think outline is pretty difficult just because I usually start with an idea of either the inciting incident, middle plot twist, or climax. The rest is hard to figure out at first, while snooping around my brain for ideas.
Is your story a standalone or will it be a series?
Right now, I’m thinking my main project (Project: Dystopian Soulmates) will be a standalone, but who’s to say there might be more. My main side project (Project: Unforgotten) will be a trilogy. Violet Hour is set up to be four arcs. I have two new adult romances that will be standalones. And my long time project was supposed to be four books, but I’m not sure how long it will be anymore.
Have you tried doing short stories, or even just scenes set in your world?
I usually start out with a scene and then work my way up from that. But I’ve never written something that I expected to stay a short story.
