365 Interviews

Interview 65: Hazzer123

1. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Well, I'm seventeen, and I'm at college. I'm a twin, and I have a pet cat called Erik. I write whenever I have a spare moment, and my bedroom is full of writing notes and piles of books waiting to be read! :)

2. What inspired you to write?
Since I was young, I wanted to make up my own stories. Every kid has a big imagination, and I never wanted to let that go to waste. I kinda still have a kid's imagination, and it's one of the things I take pride in. I write now because it's the one thing I'm truly good at, and of course, I love writing too.

3. Do you have a specific writing style?
I think it changes depending on what I'm writing. Some of my writing is a little cliche, but other pieces of my work with a more serious message or theme tend to be written in a very realistic way for me, I think.

4. How did you come up with your titles?
I like to have quite obscure titles that have a hidden meaning that isn't discovered until later in the novel. One of my novels, Pixelate, has a lot of meaning behind the title, as does my fanfiction, Silence (I won't tell you what, coz, spoilers!)

5. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
For my novel, Stripes, definitely. I want people to realise that we're all equal as humans, no matter our sexuality, race or beliefs. It's a hard message to get across, and even harder to do well, but I've given it a shot.

6. How much of your writing is realistic?
Not much really! I write a lot of dystopian novels and fanfics. However, I do incorporate proper character voices and realistic people, so I guess that's how I get a sense of realism.

7. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
In my stories? Well I guess Stripes was inspired by first hand homophobia that me and my friends came across during high school. I also took some inspiration from the video that was all over Facebook called Love is all you Need. It gave me the idea of an opposite world, but allowed me to create my own idea and make it original.

8. What books have most influenced your life most?
Ooh....err, Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman is one of them. The Harry Potter series too, because that was basically my whole childhood. I love the Hunger Games, and really, that inspired me to use Wattpad where I first posted fanfiction, so yeah. Books have been a big influence to everything in my life.

9. Describe your writing style in ten words or less.
Jumbly and eccentric, but (I hope) interesting!

10. Where do you get your ideas?
Sometimes they pop into my head during dreams. I tend to have half an hour a day where I close my eyes and brainstorm for my stories in my head. It isn't always successful, but during that time I come up with my best ideas.

11. What are some things you like to do when you’re not writing?
I like taking Zumba classes and reading, but I don't have a lot of time for other hobbies. Writing takes up a lot of my time, and I get a lot of college work, so writing is my only escape from that really!

12. What distinguishes good writing from bad writing?
Good writing has an interesting character voice, preferably good spelling and grammar because it makes it easier to read (if we're talking Wattpad here. Published writers get editors, of course), and a good plot. Bad writing? I don't know. Very unoriginal ideas? Like how the second Fifty Shades of Grey got famous, five hundred other writers wrote the same thing over. I guess that's bad writing (though I wouldn't know about Fifty Shades, I haven't read it, and don't plan to. I don't even want to know!)

13.What is the weirdest thing that has ever been said or done to you by a fan?
I wouldn't say its weird, but a friend of mine dressed up as one of my characters for Halloween, and another wore a stripe on their wrist all day after I finished Stripes (it makes sense if you've read it!) which was actually very sweet, and I was incredibly flattered by both of them.

14. Imagine your characters are on survivor.  Who will they vote out of the book?
(Had to look up this show) Well...everyone would get sick of Gregory pretty quick. I think he'd get voted out? Not really sure how the show works!

15.  Do you see writing as a career or a hobby?
A bit of both. Writing is a hobby because it calms me down and I do it for fun, but someday, I'd like to be published and make a living from it. That's my dream.

16. Will you have a new story coming out soon? If so can you tell us about it?
I don't have any plans for new stories soon, but my story, Shifted and the third part of the Silence series, Battleborn, are both still in their infancy, and I have some pretty exciting ideas for them both. I can't wait to share them!

17. What was the hardest part of writing?
Ugh, got to be writer's block! It drives me mad because I'll sit there, trying to write and I just can't. I'm currently in the middle of it right now, which sucks, but I'm hoping it'll pass soon!

18.Did you learn anything from writing? If so,  what was it?
I've learnt that in writing, you can take it where ever you want. The point is to be imaginative and inventive, not to shy away from eccentric ideas. It's all part of the fun!

19.Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? 
I guess what I always say, but don't say enough. I love you guys! You're all so supportive of me, and never rude, and you wait patiently for updates. Some of you have become very good friends of mine, and I'm grateful to you for enhancing my experience on Wattpad! Thank you all!

20. Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write, write, write! I saw a post on Tumblr the other day, and I've taken it's advice. Write at least a sentence on every story you're writing each day. Within a week, you might have a paragraph! Of course, write more if you can. But it's a learning curve for me too, so I don't think I can give anyone any more advice. Just good luck to all aspiring writers!