Name of Author: ELRummery
Title of Book: Awake
Favorite Authors: On the site? I love @Truevendetta10, @SorchaDeBrun, @twilightpeaks, @LinaHanson, @drwhogivesadamn, @Cinilla, and @rainbrowbook Each one of them writes beautiful stories in different genres. In terms of physically published authors, I'm a big fan of Kylie Chan, Anne Bishop, Cassandra Clare, Tamora Pierce and George R. R. Martin
Bio: I'm currently finishing my BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. I love it, but I am also really excited to finish and have more time to read my favourite books! I'm in the process of applying for further study (a Masters in Screenwriting), though I'm also interested in continuing into postgrad study in English Lit... who knows? More generally, I'm Australian, and live near Sydney Harbour. I'm scared of spiders, addicted to coffee, laugh at my own jokes when I'm writing them, and talk to myself when I'm tired.
Awake
http://www.wattpad.com/story/33812988-awake
Can you explain what your book is all about?
"Awake" follows a slightly chubby, socially inept English major, whose world quite literally falls apart when she comes home slightly drunk one night, and sees a person disappear in front of her. We follow her blog entries as her world continues to crumble, the extremely hot barista at the café down the road starts acting like a stalker, people attempt to kidnap her on several different occasions, and rain, ferries and shadows start acting in highly unusual ways. 'Awake' is a dark, almost-horror paranormal story with a touch of comedy, as a deeply incompetent undergraduate attempts to correct her enemies' grammar before shooting them in the head.
Who is your target audience - and why?
I hope that my story appeals to both males and females, and initially wrote it for readers of eighteen and upwards. This is because my protagonist, Anna, is 21 - and as a 21 year-old writer and reader myself, I wanted a paranormal story just a touch darker than a typical YA book with teenage protagonists. Also, there's quite a lot of swearing, and blood... However, looking at my demographics, almost 30% of my audience is 13-18, while another 30% is 18-25. I'm delighted with that split, and extremely excited that younger readers like my story, too. Sorry about the gore and swearing, though! :P
What is 'paranormal' about your story? Does it contain other genre elements, if so which ones - and why?
Anna discovers a second world, called the 'unworld', hidden behind what she thought was reality. She soon learns that the 'real' world isn't real - it's virtual, fallible, prone to glitches - and filled with traps. If that wasn't bad enough, she's (quite rudely) told that she's a 'Waker', an extremely evolved, rare human - who can warp and control the unworld. She's also being hunted by Hierarchs, creatures that desperately need her to survive. "Awake" contains strong elements of sci-fi and dystopia: the creatures she encounters are often genetically modified, or half-machine, and it quickly becomes apparent that humans lost the war for earth centuries ago. I've been told it's pretty creepy and horror-esque too... I didn't mean to, sorry! I think it's the first person, making everything quite intense. If it helps, it can also be quite absurd at times.
Did you encounter any challenges when writing, if so - how did you overcome them?
Writing "Awake", I often feel like I'm trying to explore a pitch-black room with a low-power torch. I can only see a few steps ahead. I'm groping around blindly, and whilst doing so, uncover the shapes of people and ideas. It sounds scary, and sometimes makes writing a new chapter daunting, but I'm slowly learning that I've put enough thought and foundation into the story. It will support me - it's not an empty room. Music, films, video games and artwork all fuel me. I've had entire characters sparked from images I've seen on DeviantArt, and entire landscapes transformed by shots I've seen in films. Often I'll watch a badass character in an action sequence, and think about how a 'real' person would act in their place. Also, talking out plot problems and twists with my friends is great too, my little brother Cal and my bestie Georgia have gotten me over several roadbumps in the narrative. Also, making soundtracks (http://8tracks.com/annawakes) and building a tumblr (http://annawakes.tumblr.com/) for Anna also keep me going creatively.
Tell us about your writing process - how do you get from story idea to a Wattpad published story?
It took me several weeks of rumination and scribbling in notebooks before I felt confident enough to start writing the complex world of "Awake". Even when I began, I didn't know half the things I know about it now. I had character outlines, and a 'feeling' I wanted to convey (assisted by the music I listen to, and the videogames I play), but the rules of the world where still amorphous. It's a strange experience writing in the first person, because I'm often discovering and working things out at the same time as Anna! Characters also grow as I write them, entire backstories suddenly pop up, and give them twists and depths that I never imagined when I first sketched them out. I try to stay open to influences and ideas. It's been four months of writing now, and I only recently figured out a massive chunk of unworld history. I'm trying to have fun, and let the story evolve by itself. It can be nerve wracking, though!
You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you?
I absolutely agree with that statement. It's a difficult one to stomach though, when you believe you ARE writing the best you can write, and your work isn't being read. For the first few months on the site, I had less than a hundred reads, and very few comments. I felt exhausted and disillusioned, reading a chapter for a chapter, a comment for a comment. Luckily, I stuck with it, and tried to relax. I was enjoying writing the story, and if even one person liked it too, I told myself that was enough. I also made some fantastic friends in other writers. Once my reads picked up, and I started getting unsolicited comments from people, I felt sky high and incredibly grateful. I think you have to be patient with yourself, and focus on your writing, improving it as much as you can, and hope that other people like it too. I believe 'writing well' is writing the best that you can write. If you can read over your work, and still feel interested and engaged then you're writing well. That means good grammar, and spelling if you can. The story should shine through.
