My Favorite Conversations (Interviews)

rae_dunseph 💞

This is my interview with rae_dunseph (now mjolnirae)

They have 342 followers at the moment and 9 published works including their newest book Sports! and Schizoid which has 8k reads.

1. Why did you decide to first make your Wattpad account?

Apparently I've been on the site for nearly two years, which is utterly mind boggling. I can't remember exactly what I was thinking when I first created my account. If I'm being completely honest, I don't like to think about that time.

When I first joined Wattpad, I wrote terrible fanfictions and had an insanely cringe worthy username. Anyone who knew me at that time can attest to that. It wasn't until I left and rejoined that I really began to understand my reasoning for being on the site.

Writing is such a release for me. When I rejoined Wattpad, I started to upload fics and oneshots that I am honestly proud of. And without knowing it, that's the reason I joined in the first place. I was looking for some monumental feeling, and it took me leaving and coming back before I finally got it.

2. Do you enjoy writing oneshots or full length fics more?

That's a really difficult question. I love my oneshots because they allow me to push a certain point very strongly. Writing full fics is a bit more difficult because I often find myself stretching plot and some of the meaning gets lost. Even so, I love that challenge. I would probably say that I prefer writing my full lengths.

3. Your plots are quite unique and usually don't revolve around romance which is rare in fanfiction. Where do you get your inspiration for them?

I suppose the fact that most things on Wattpad are so romantically driven is a huge inspiration for me. I feel like a lot of romantic plot is simply overdone. Some authors are very good at taking a mildly overdone plot and twisting it enough to make it amazing, but I simply am not of that caliber. In addition, the fact that my stories are not romance driven seems to make them more memorable.

I wrote the first fic of the Schizoid series in a composition notebook. I started about three days after the Heathens video came out. At that time, fan theories were swirling around the internet. Some of them made sense, but I wanted something a bit darker.

I also wanted to deeply challenge myself by making one of my role models (Josh Dun) into the antagonist. This drove me to write what is probably the best piece of cohesive work I ever have written.

4. Do you have any pet peeves concerning Wattpad or things you dislike about posting on here?

Wattpad crashes like crazy which often drives me mad. Also there are certain trends of comments that are becoming more and more common. Seeing them over and over can be a bit of a damper, but I try not to let it bother me too much.

5. Do you like reading on this site as well or mostly writing?

I love reading. In fact, I probably read too much. I can get so caught up in a completed fic that I forget that I was supposed to be writing a chapter of my own story! I try to find a nice balance between the two, though.

6. Your stories contain a variety of different ships. Do you have a favorite one?

George x Matty is a ship that I've been loving recently. I wrote a oneshot called Nana that touched on it. The second book in the Schizoid series also hinted at the ship. I just love them so much and honestly they are one of the few couples that I write about that I actually ship in real life.

7. What is the hardest part about writing for you?

It can be so difficult to get into a writing headspace. I was prepubescent when I was diagnosed with synesthesia, which makes it very difficult for me to focus while listening to music at times. It takes a lot for me to prepare my mind to write even a few paragraphs.

Perhaps I get into it a bit too much, but I look at it the same way as I do acting. I practice method acting, which involves becoming your character for long lengths of time before performing as them. I try to do the same with my writing for the best outcome. I can always look back on chapters and tell when I was not in the proper headspace.

8. I know as an author sometimes I write a line or a paragraph that I'm especially fond of. Do you have one of those?

I had to look back on everything I've ever written to find one. I wrote a line in Schizoid that talked about depression in a way that was very hard for me to write.

"I've seen Tyler sad, he'd sit in his dorm for hours on end in a state of pure misery. He'd eventually write a song about it, and the feelings would subside. Even so, he spent an irritating amount of time being sad. There were so many things he could have been doing, yet he chose to do nothing. He chose unhappiness. He wasted time being depressed. It's yet another reason he doesn't deserve his life."

While that was difficult to write, I think it was a good thing that I did. A lot of people suffer from depression, and we constantly have people telling us to get over it. I think that if one of those insensitive people were to read this, they would understand how cruel their words really are.

9. Would you like to one day work on getting a book published or do you write more for fun?

I definitely like to keep my writing for fun. As far as professional writing is concerned, I am heavily involved in journalistic writing. That is what I'd like to pursue rather than creative writing.

10. What has been your best moment on Wattpad so far?

Just one? That's nearly impossible. Watching people connect with my stories has been huge for me. It's a beautiful feeling to know that there are people out there who have read my stories and had a major reaction to them. Seeing them come up with their own theories and immersing themselves into this insane world that I've created in my stories is downright humbling.

Also, I have made some amazing friends from this site. 20_dollar_nosebleed, jakeptx, abbiealltimelow, and the lovely boy who is currently conducting this interview with me are some of my favorite people in this world.

I've also gained so much insight and inspiration through reading other people's works that I couldn't even put it into words.

I hope you enjoyed my interview with the lovely rae_dunseph

Update: rae_dunseph has changed their username they are now mjolnirae

Don't forget to comment suggestions for other authors I should feature next.

Love you all xxx

- starr