Creators of My Watty Favorites (Part 1)

Interview : storylover5555

storylover5555's story Worst one direction fanfic on Wattpad is a laugh riot, and her story "Body Swap" is an excellent read. Let's hear from her. ^_^

First off, - what's your name? (or nickname, if you don't prefer to give your name away).

I don't really have a nickname and I don't like stating my real name, but storylover5555 works fine for me :)

What are your major works so far?

My major works are probably 'Stolen Kisses' and 'The Body Swap'. 'Worst one direction fanfic on wattpad' is probably my most favourite, but I write that more for fun rather than treating it as a serious story. And I'm also working on two more major works that will be out in 2014.

What draws you to the genre(s) you write?

The genres I write are usually romance and comedy. I write romance because there are a lot of emotions to play with and the readers connect with those stories for me. For me, writing is about creating an experience for the reader. There's a famous quote that states "If the stories you read do not change your life in some way, you're not reading the right stories." In so far as comedy, I enjoy writing that because again it creates an enjoyable experience for the reader; and it's nice to have something lighthearted to break up all the serious drama in most stories.

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I'm only posting one story - Worst one direction fanfic on wattpad - because I need to concentrate on school work. I do update 'first world problems on wattpad - rant' occassionally, and I have a few more extras to add onto the body swap and stolen kisses (some of my readers have written re-creative pieces, like spin-offs for my stories, that I will be publishing at the end of those books) I've also got some exciting sequels in mind for 2014 that have been requested a lot by readers. But for the rest of 2013, I won't be starting any new stories, because I have exams and coursework. I do believe that wattpad is a huge distraction, because when I started using wattpad, my grades dropped to B, C, D for my A-level 3 subjects, but a week after I stopped posting lots of new chapters on wattpad, my grades rose to three A-stars. So wattpad is definitely a huge distraction ;)

Which writers inspire you?

I think the most inspiring writers for me are Tennessee Williams, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. They don't all write prose - some are playwrights - but I enjoy all forms of literature.

What made you decide to sit down and actually start something?

I write whenever I feel inspired. In terms of literature in general, I read or write whenever I feel in the mood to do something creative and relaxing, or when I get a really good idea and feel excited to write. I write all of my stories in one go, so I usually spend several hours writing an entire novel (usually I start writing at around 2am and finish around 6am)

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?

I like to know the general direction for my story's plot, but I prefer working on minimal details. For example in the body swap, I knew that there would be a body swap between a guy and a girl, and it would be a comedy, and that they would eventually swap back. That was literally it. As far as how they switched bodies, their personalities, the setting of the story and subplots - I figured all that out while I was writing.

What is the hardest and the easiest thing about writing?

The hardest thing about writing is honestly finding the time. Like I said - I write the whole book in one go, so it's hard to find a good four or five hours to write a story. Especially with such a busy schedule, which is why I usually end up writing at 2am (after i've finished all my other work). It works for me though because I prefer doing as much as possible with my time. I have a weird tendency to make sure I use all of my time doing as much as possible. The easiest thing about writing is figuring out a plot, which is why I never bother with planning. Once I start writing, the ideas just flow straight from my brain, through my fingertips and onto the keyboard letters :)

Do you ever get writer’s Block? If you do, how do you win over it?

I never get writer's block purely because I only write when I feel really excited to write.

Do you proofread / edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?

I proof read and edit all of my own books. Once I've posted the chapter, I ask readers to keep a look out for anything they've noticed that I can improve. I also occasionally ask people to critique my work if they have offered to do so.

How do you handle hate mail or negative comments (if you get any at all)?

I've only have one negative comment, which wasn't very negative at all. I think they were upset about something I said about one direction in 'worst one direction fanfic on wattpad'. Clearly it has no effect on my life because I cannot remember a word of what they said. But I think the best thing for any writer to do is just to ignore it, because it's just a faceless person hiding behind a computer screen being negative. There's no need for authors to degrade themselves by replying to nonsense like that. But do remember to distinguish between 'hate' and 'constructive criticism'. I prefer constructive criticism comments more than compliments on my story purely because it helps me improve as a writer, which I think any writer should be prepared to do. But in general, I think i've been very lucky in never really having any hate/negativity.

If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

If I could have been the original author of any book, I think it would have to be the fault in our stars. Though it is not the greatest literary masterpiece ever written, I think that it is incredible in captivating the reader and drawing out the reader's emotions. I would also have loved to have composed 'Romeo and Juliet' because, well, who wouldn't want to write something as successful as William Shakespeare?

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

My advice to aspiring writers would be to never stop improving. The moment writers get lots of reads on wattpad, they think that they are the holy grail upon which all other peasants must pray. In anything you do in life, you should always be prepared to improve yourself. How else will you grow?

Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Nope ^_^ Other than thank you for reading my stories :D

What were / are you like at school? Were you good at English?

I've almost finished school now, I'm in my final year. I was a goody two-shoes in year 7 who studied a lot (I got the highest exam grade nationwide for our year 7 IQ exam). Then in year 8 I stopped trying and slowly over the years my interest in school depleted. This year though, I started working harder (mostly because I screwed up last year. Like I said - I got B C D) but this year I have all A-stars :) I think the one thing I will say is, regardless of your genetics or how intelligent you are, anyone can do what they want if they put their mind to it.