I am an introvert and a voracious reader, who also loves writing and started posting on Wattpad in 2018. In 2020, I won a Watty for my book Winners Don't Have Bad Days, and four of my stories short-listed in 2021 and 2022.
Writing for me is a social thing, a way to connect, to be heard and belong. Wattpad is my happy place, because the stories here are really close to what people genuinely feel. I'm never alone with my thoughts on Wattpad.
My fav books are escapist adventures with a hefty dose of romance (or other strong relationship, parent-child or siblings or friendship). It doesn't matter if they happen in real-world or there is a speculative element. I love competition and rivalry element, strong emotions and satisfying endings (happy or not). Beach reads, I guess. At different times I enjoyed works by E. Peterson, G.R.R. Martin, J. Abercrombie, J. Evanovich and D. Brown.
I'm a cat lover, a working mother of a neuro-diverse teen and a wife, a figure-skating fan and a gardener. I watch Rookie, CSI: Vegas, FBI: International, Young Sheldon, Abbot Elementary and random shows about archaeology, pop-science, food and travel. I play Assassins' Creed, BioWARE and Spiders' video-games once in a while.
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Mentoring style
As a non-native English speaker, I understand the challenges of writing in English as a second or third language. My approach to critique is 'kind honesty'. I respect a writer's gut feeling and I am often guided by it more than the rules, though I read books on craft and take them to heart.
I never hesitate to bring up suggestions that in my view would strengthen a chapter or a storyline. You can check out some of my reviews in Dreamland Reviews book to see how I approach feedback. I prefer to comment on Google doc and I can follow up through text chat on Discord.
What I am Good at:
High level overview of each chapter
Highlight editorial suggestions for your consideration
Pointing out characters that might be overlapping or extraneous
Dialogue continuity and snappiness
Discussing worldbuilding and its building blocks: Plausibility, Emotional Grab, Conflict and Originality.
Brainstorming historic analogies for potential reality-proofing or the twists of plot
Identifying bits where style or quality are inconsistent with the rest of the story
Gushing over the really, really, really good parts and turns of phrase
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Why You Might NOT Want Me as a Mentor
If you are looking for editing, proof-reading or assurance that your writing is competent specifically from a native speaker, I wouldn't be able to provide that.
If you are writing an epic that juggles a lot of POVs, names, dates and places, I would be instinctively looking for a focused narrative and it might negatively impact your goal to give your story the breadth.
If you are a defensive writer or if you are so strongly connected to your main character that you take any suggestion personally, versus discussing a work of fiction and characters, you should probably avoid showing me your stories. I compartmentalize story and real life, character and self, and I expect the same from you.
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