Interviews With Wattpad Authors

Interview With Lyssade

Next I interviewed Lyssade. She was literally the first person I followed on Wattpad back in March of 2013. Yes, I checked. I'm so glad that she let me interview her, because I really enjoy her story Trapped in Forever, which now has nearly 200k reads. So, without further ado, here's the interview:

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How did you find out about Wattpad?
I actually heard about it through plagiarism. First impressions, right? But then slowly people started migrating over here and Booksie (my old writing website) became somewhat abandoned and I asked people if they thought I should move too and the response was HUGE. And I honestly loved the idea of being more connected with my friends (and they seemed more active on Wattpad) and decided to join the website for that reason alone and I have never regretted it because Wattpad is definitely much better than Booksie.

Do you have any advice for up and coming Wattpad Writers?
Write about something that matters. Something important, not just your dime-a-dozen romances with One Direction members but something REAL. Write about a topic that's original or meaningful. Maybe even try writing a novel without romance so you can grow as an AUTHOR, and not as a romance writer. Basically, honestly, romance isn't everything and I would much rather read about a girl who empowers herself, alone, than about a girl who depends on a guy for everything.

Is there a writer who influenced your style of writing?
Sarah Dessen. I've never met her or spoke to her (although she once answered my question during a Q&A once and it made my DAY) but I started reading her work around the same time I started writing. One of the biggest things she taught me was to take things from my life and incorporate them into my novels. Not the big things like how my mom got sick or something but the little things like the little quirks of my town or the people I know (a lot of Shiloh is inspired by my hometown, especially Mo's, which is based off a little 50s-esque diner.) And a lot of inspiration I feel comes from the little things I notice where I live and it makes me want to write about them, like how Sarah Dessen does.

Can you relate to any of the characters in your stories? If so, who and in what ways?
I think Roxanne, but don't worry, I'm not suicidal or eat chalk, but our personalities are the same. I wrote the character Amanda because I felt like most girls could relate being to her (being the friend of the better-liked girl, and I had a friendship like that too growing up, which sort of inspired Roxanne's and Amanda's friendship) but after that friendship ended and I grew closer to my other friends, I became the loud one. I became brutally honest, which normally shocks and humors people, and that's basically what I do. I shock and humor people, kind of like Roxanne.

Who is your favorite author?
Sarah Dessen but my favorite book ever was actually written by Morgan Matson. I've been thumbing through some of Sarah Dessen's older works and I'm just struck again with this sense of greatness from her and it makes me envious of every reader who is experiencing her work for the first time.

What inspires you to write on Wattpad?
My imagination and how much people seem to like my stories. I probably would have given up writing if I hadn't found such amazing readers and friends who actually made me think that I was good at this.

What was your reaction when you first hit over 100k reads?
I actually didn't even really notice until it was about three thousand reads later? It's not like I go checking the reads everyday. Sometimes, I'll just look and go "WHOA!" It's incredible to me. I've never gone above 4,000 before on Wattpad and now I'm almost at 200k.

Why do you think your story became so popular? Is there anything specific that you did?
I don't really think I'm that popular so I'm not sure if there was anything to it! I just write and try my best to make it seem realistic and important and I rewrite if I'm not happy with it.

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Thank you to Lyssade for allowing me to interview her! It was fun and I liked reading her answers. Go follow her and check out her stories.