100 Interviews with 100 Wattpad authors

Interview with thegyth

1. What inspired you to write?
 I've wanted to write for most of my life - in fact, I have written for most of it, though some of it was unquestionably The Worst Stuff Ever Written - and I think there are lots of motivations. There's simple escapism into a world I can control, which I think is where a lot of writers start off. But then there's also an instinct when I see a strange situation - for example, two people having an intensely emotional conversation, or (as happened to me a few days ago) a girl on the train who got called by someone who turned out to be the wife of the guy she'd been seeing. It makes me intensely curious about how that situation arose. Because, let's face it, there's something fascinating about people in extremes. It makes me want to play with the idea and find a resolution or a backdrop to it, and that's another really strong motivation to write.

2. What's your least favorite, and favorite thing about writing?
 My favourite thing about writing - Getting to create a world with such intricacies and complex characters that I can convince myself they exist, and live in my head with them for a while...
My least favourite thing about writing - Umm... I'm not sure if I have one. Possibly having to choose which project to work on. And the way it works is, the one I least want to work on is the one I really, really should be doing right now... 

3. Do you have any up coming stories you could tell me about?
 The Fragile Tower, which is being featured on December 21st, is the first in a series. The next book is a return to the Cold Lands, and features more involvement by the rest of Grace Lane's family. That's all in the planning stages, mostly, but I've been playing about with the first two chapters. 
And on the literary fiction side, The Butterfly Catchers is currently undergoing final edits, so a shiny new version of the first chapters and a little more will be out whilst it's on submission to publishers. I have a second literary fiction book, about a girl who goes missing one night in the New Forest whilst drinking with friends, which I've also written the opening chapters of. So lots in the pipeline, and I hope it'll all prove interesting. 

4. Would you call yourself a wattpad celebrity?  Why so or whhy not? 
 Ah, I definitely wouldn't claim to be a Wattpad celebrity, as a relative newcomer with not-yet-100 fans. I do feel incredibly supported on here, though, and I feel like there's almost no gap between me and other readers and writers, which is fantastic. Well, fantastic for me, anyway. Other people may wish they had more of a gap...
I think it's sort of an anti-celebrity culture while still letting people gain a great readership. You can probably guess I'm a bit of an addict already...

5. Books, movies, plays or novels?
Ooh, do I have to choose one? All of them, really. I've spent a long time writing for theatre, which I love, and some of the best few hours I've ever spent have been at a truly wonderful theatre show. But I also have a serious film addiction and have recently started writing screenplays for film and TV. 
I suppose the only thing I can use to help me decide is that I have enjoyed writing the last two books more than anything I've ever written. Narrowly, but still. And perhaps I could survive less without a really good few books than without any of the others.

6.  If you could spend the day with one of your  characters who would it be, where would you go and what would you do?
 Can I have two choices for this? Because there are two and it would depend on what mood I was in. I'd love to spend a day with Afi from the Fragile Tower and be introduced to his world and all the incredible things in it. I think I'd feel absolutely safe with him but also inspired by his peculiar independence.
And then there's Robert from The Butterfly Catchers, who is frankly a little nuts, but he's also one of those people who makes you feel like the funniest and most interesting person in existence if he wants you to, and who would never, ever let you get bored. We'd have to go to 1925, and spend the day in parties which started just after breakfast, laughing at the bizarre characters he assembles around himself. We'd probably be in France before dinner. 

7. Are any of your characters inspired by actual people?
 I'd say all my characters are inspired by people, but normally by lots of people, and not necessarily people I know well. It might be just the way someone says a word, or the way they walk. I've only ever once consciously put someone I knew  onto stage, and it was because I thought he'd find it funny. I think he did... And the crying was obviously because he was laughing so hard. Obviously.

8. When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?
Occasionally I'll think about the meaning of names, but I think I name more by the sound of them and how well they feel like a match for a character. Plus social class, the date in which I'm setting my piece, or whether it's an imaginary world. The imaginary names are more fun, I think, but also a lot more challenging to make sound sensible. Nobody can take a book seriously if the main character is called Snuggilly Quarfle or something.  

9. Who makes your covers? If you do what program(s) do you use?
I make my covers on photoshop. I'm not the world's greatest expert, it must be said, but I used to run a wedding stationery company and I picked a few things up that way. Though if you asked me to draw anything freehand I'd probably end up with something which looked like a pregnant stick man.  

10. What are some writing tips you can give the readers? 
I think lots of people try to give writing tips based on their own way of writing, and I know that other people write in really, really different ways to the way I do. But one piece of advice I have based on my experience over the last few years is that giving feedback on other people is the single most useful thing you can do to make you realise what you're doing wrong. That, and giving yourself some perspective and coming back a month later. I have never yet done that and not gone "Ooch, did I really write that?" So what I'm really saying is, use Wattpad to the full. Giving and receiving feedback (and working out after a while what you do and don't agree with) is the greatest magic anyone can work on their writing when it comes to improving it. I'm definitely still learning.