Meet the authors Edition #3 (Dec 2018 To April 2019)

interview #13 @ReeReverie

1. What's your schedule regarding your writing?

At the moment, life is kind of erratic. So, I don't normally make a schedule, since I don't want to make promises to my readers unless I'm absolutely positive that I can keep them!

When writing my first book, however, I was updating one chapter per day. While writing my second story, it varied from once every other day, to once or twice per week.

If I were to begin writing a new novel, I'd definitely update at least once per week (probably on Thursday or Friday)!

2. What's your favorite book?

One book that remains close to my heart is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. When I first read the story in high school, I completely hated it and was rather bored by it. So, when my Censorship professor (at university) disclosed that we'd be discussing the story in class, I was less than thrilled. I reread the story anyway, to refresh my memory, and I was blown away by all the details I'd missed, just a few years earlier. I think I was still too young to appreciate the messages of the novel, when I was in high school. 

3. If you got to gain advice from your favorite author, who would you choose and what would you ask?

Since I'm a poet, and a major fan of poetry in general, my first pick would be Edgar Allan Poe. Poe believed that it was crucial for writers to carefully examine every sentiment presented in writing, and to present each idea concisely. My question for him would be, how does one balance this careful calculation in writing, with creative expression that feels limitless in the soul? How much of our passion must we suppress, if any, for the sake of brevity?

4. What's the best way to handle a bully?

Excellent question. I was brutally bullied in school (particularly in 11th and 12th grade). There was a group of jocks that were quite relentless with their torments. Math class was the worst, because the teacher (who was also their sports coach) never stopped them. As a painfully shy introvert, I remained quiet, mostly. As I grew older, I often wished that I could go back in time, and vocally stand up for myself more (or pummel them into the ground single-handedly), but I'm not sure if that would have helped or hurt the situation. Heh.

In a situation of real-life bullying, I would certainly recommend going to an adult that you trust. Seriously--tell anybody that could help you. Involve friends. Parents. Your school counselor.

There is NO shame in asking for help, because nobody should be made to feel so horribly. You don't ever deserve to be made to feel less than.

And if the bully in question is bothering you online, definitely utilize your means to block/mute them. Report the offender(s), if necessary. The less you engage, the less appealing/entertaining you should become to them.

And most of all, look after yourself. Indulge in music, or talk to a good friend, or vent all of your worries away, or exercise, or bake some chocolate chip cookies, or do whatever it is that gets your endorphins flowing.

Also, find your strengths. Learn to take pride in all that you've accomplished and overcome. Everyone has something in which they excel. Don't make yourself ill with worry over what someone else thinks of you--especially a stranger. Only *you* know the extent of your own heart and abilities, so don't let someone else dictate to you *who* or *what* you are. Because what you are, is beautiful and worthy.

And even if things feel extremely dark right now, try not to excessively worry... In time, we all find our tribe. We all find our meaning in life.