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

Interview #9 @taivaan_sininen

1 what inspired you to write?

I always loved reading, but also just fiction in general. Be it going to the theater, watching a movie or having my grandma tell me a fairy tell. Whenever I wasn't content with the way a story was told, I started to dream up my own versions of the story, or a continuation after the Happy (or Unhappy) End. And eventually I started to have more and more ideas for stories set in my own fantastic worlds. As for where I find inspiration for my writing right now... I draw most of my inspiration from the things my weird brain comes up with while I dream, all sorts of music, and simply visuals that have left a lasting impression like landscapes or pieces of art.

2 what's one Wattpad goal?

I never really had a specific goal in mind when I started posting stuff on Wattpad. I never expected much, so having almost 1k followers and a story with 8k reads at this point is already pretty overwhelming. If there's anything I'm aiming for at this point, it's perhaps to be featured by some official Wattpad Profile again.

3 who is your favorite author?

Philip Pullman, who wrote (among other things) The His Dark Materials trilogy

4 Are you still surprised when you gain a new vote, follow or comment?

Pretty much every time  Especially when there's somebody starting to read one of my stories and they vote on every chapter, so I can basically follow along as they read! Whenever I get a notification I wonder how the people are who read my story and how they found it.

5 if you could hang out with your favorite celeb for a day, who would you choose and what would you do?

Hmm I don't really have much interest in celebrities. But if we can include dead people, I think I'd like to meet Carl Sagan or maybe Arthur C. Clarke to discuss their works. I'm not very picky. Or maybe meeting Corey Taylor for a singing lesson, or Matt Bellamy for a piano lesson ;D

6 what's a song you enjoy? Who is the artist?

I have SO many songs that I love, there is no way to pick a favorite, but as for songs I currently enjoy listening to a lot (and also my Top 1 song from 2018 according to Spotify stats) is "Fight The Future" by The Anix. The artist is an insanely talented man who combines alternative rock and electronic into something that's best described as "future rock". His music is very atmospheric and the perfect soundtrack for writing Sci-Fi!

7 what's the best thing about Wattpad?

It's the possibility to interact with the author! Both as a reader and author I love it when comments lead to discussions, be it about the plot or some thoughts that the story provoked. When I read, I try to take the time to comment, especially with my own theories about future plot development, so that later on I can say "I called it" :D

8 what's a good piece of advice for a newcomer?

What worked for me was to find stories I liked, where I engaged with the writers through reading and commenting on their stories. That's how you meet similarly-minded people, and if you support them they will usually show their support in return! I made some really good friends on Wattpad this way.

9 what's your favorite holiday and why?

I don't really have a favorite holiday. It used to be Christmas, because of all the family stuff, the food and the overall mood, but I've been sick every year around the holidays for the past six years, that put a dampener on it :'D Now since I live in Melbourne, there's one holiday I appreciate because I just find it so funny: AFL Grand Final Day! Yes, in Victoria we get a day for to watch the finals of the Australian Football League.

10 what's your favorite movie?

I have a couple, but one of them is El Orfanato/The Orphanage. It's scary and beautiful.

11 what's your schedule regarding your writing?

I don't have a regular schedule, I try to spend as much as my free time on writing. That means I often write on the train in the morning or on my way home, even if it's just notes. At times, I write all evening and night, from dinner right until I go to bed around midnight or 1am. Of course, that's not always healthy and I have quite a stressful job. Depending on the workload and my motivation, I can't always keep that up. But I try to write a little every day, or at least spend some time on story planning!

Request time!

I'd love for people to check out my story "The 10th Circle – Abyss". It is the first part of a mystery/ Sci-fi-Fantasy story that I hold very dear. If you like the kind of story where you only slowly figure out what is going on, you might like it :)