Coffee Talks

With Snick

☕☕☕

Our author of the month is Snick, who is also known as snickerous on Wattpad.

☕☕☕

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to get involved with Coffee Community. It's great to hear from authors like yourself and get to know a little bit about what motivates you to write longer works of fiction.

So, to begin, tell us a little bit about yourself as an author on Wattpad. For anyone who hasn't met you before, how would you describe yourself and your fiction?

Stories to escape to has always been my favourite part of writing. That was what started me with reading, and what continued on with my writing. My relationship with fiction has always been creating and absorbing something that excites me, something that evokes emotion within me. Realistic characters, comedy married to tragedy, and even the curiosity and wonder that pulls you when reading mystery. Even spinning cliche tropes and telling them in your own voice and concepts is something I enjoy.

Writing has always been about enjoyment to me, and sharing that enjoyment with others. I'm a firm believer that if you don't enjoy what you create, people can read between those lines.

When did you start writing and what does writing mean to you?

I started original fiction in 2012, but wrote a bit of fanfiction in 2011. Writing started out as a hobby to play around with all these ideas in my head. As the years flew by, writing became a second skin. Writing became writer, an introductory notion I include with my name. Writing became so integrated into my daily life that I don't have a day where I don't think of it.

Writing daily is still something I struggle with, ahaha! But I do still think about my works, arrange plots or even just daydream about my characters. It's just something that has become part of me.

Out of all the stories that you've written so far, which one is your favourite and why?

Oh, this is a fun question. I would say, as of the current, if we're talking about posted works, it would be The Con Theory.

It has cliche tropes wonderfully twisted with a thrilling mystery and heavy characterisation that bends the plot. It's a mixture of some of my favourites. The complexity of human nature, of the trauma that you get from family, told through a twisted cliche of con artists and billionaires, sprinkling with mysterious strings, a couple of unexplained deaths, and a hefty portion of comedy and slowburn teasing now and again to keep it light.

What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

I'm what you would say a bit of both, with a heavier weight on the latter. If I plot the nits and grits from the get go, then I lose a bit of the motivation. I like surprising myself, even if it does make it harder for me to tie everything up in the end, aha! But I do plot story beats, big things that need to happen and that I must follow. Like a guide. I've used this allegory before, but imagine the human body.

The story beats are the spine, the bones that make it a base. It's nothing but a Halloween treat, but you have to start somewhere. The writing of it is the meat, the blood, the vessels, etc. The organs are the characters that function to bring it all to life.

While drafting, the story beats get a lot more detailed; just enough to push me where to go but not constrict me as I get there.

Writing for sustained periods is a hurdle that every writer, beginner or experienced, faces from time to time. What powers you through those longer bursts of creativity and keeps you focused?

Oh, find the healthiest way of it, even if it does break a bit of the steam, but it's always more important to keep the engine healthy and kicking. Make sure to stretch in intervals, have a glass of water alongside your caffeinated drink, and take breaks from time to time.

If you're struggling to actually sit long enough to produce something, try something else. I'm also a big fan of switching things up when nothing is hitting that stride. I switch to writing on phone or on paper, alongside finding a different space than just your desk. Lie down on the floor, find a cafe, a park.

If that still doesn't work, it is okay to take a break. Get away from your WIP, have enough space to find that spark. Read, watch, enjoy life in the meantime. That work will always be there, and it will appreciate it when your head isn't all clogged up.

You produce better when you're in a better headspace. Always remember that.

What top tips would you advise for getting a story, a novella or a longer piece of fiction off the starting line? What kind of story developments motivate you to see it through to the end?

Still the best and most effective kick off to any WIP for me will always be to just throw yourself into the work. Throw a character into a situation and see what happens. Create a problem, then create their attitude to the problem, their hopes and fears from it.

But I must say what has helped the process, and you can take this and hopefully it helps you too, is that if you find plotting to the detail to be overwhelming— jotting down the work's Root Elements before starting any kind of drafting helps wonders. Root Elements are essentially the idea broken down in what you want out of the WIP. It can be as specific as a trope (ex. Sunshine x Grumpy), to a vague 'lots of explosions, guns, fun fun spies'. Even writing down music that inspires the WIP, or films/shows it might relate to, work.

I find that this helps when I get stuck midway. I go through my list and kick off inspiration I can find from it. Introspect with the roots, attach your characters and inspect them with a finer tooth comb. You never know what triggers the writing again.

What was your first ever experience with the power of the written language?

I didn't start enjoying words, stories until my early teens. But when it struck, it struck gold. It became one of my primary ways of expressing myself, even helping mold who I am today. Words have helped build me in more ways than one, and in my journey in this lifetime, creating and finding new things about myself everyday, words have been there.

If not to directly affect me, help document and make sense of myself through it.

The power of written language can be as sleek and piercing as a steel sword to your throat, or as comforting as a letter made by a loved one reminding you that you are precious.

It is a terrifying and beautiful thing, and I am so grateful for it.

Lastly, do you drink coffee? If yes, what is your favourite coffee beverage?

Caffeine is a writer cliche that I enjoy wholeheartedly! I'm one of your certified basics, so a good caramel macchiato can do wonders for the soul. But if I need words down ASAP, a latte is a solid way to go.

It was a pleasure speaking with you and getting to know you more. We wish you all the best for your writing journey. ☕