In this book, each chapter will shine a spotlight on the writer, rather than their written words. Sometimes a review on a book brings the reader to read the story, other times the writer himself captures one's attention and that is the best way to g...
Today we are in conversation with Akendora , runner-up of Mystic Awards 2018 with the title Winter Siege.
We have the chat divided into three main segments: Award Impressions, Writer Stories and Personal tid-bits. Ooo, fun right? So let's just get started!
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As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
"Obviously, I like dragons as presented in the HTTYD universe, so Toothless is an easy choice."
What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
"I just want to thank DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell for putting together such a compelling franchise. My personality is very close to Hiccup's, so he's really easy for me to write."
What does literary success look like to you?
"I got on a writing kick a few years ago and have been doing this as a hobby for myself since then. I have no intention of publishing anything in print besides chemistry research papers. If I had to come up with an answer, I'd say people sincerely telling me they enjoy what I write."
What did you edit out of this book?
"The first ending I had written for "Winter Siege" was a rushed, just-get-it-over-with last chapter, so I tore it up and am in the process of rewriting it to feel more natural and realistic."
How do you select the names of your characters?
"It's a fanfiction. No original characters, so I only had to stick with what's canon."
What was your hardest scene to write?
"Even though I was able to bang out the first draft in about thirty minutes, and my hands were shaking afterward due to the intensity of the scene, the part that became Chapter 11 was difficult on several levels.The entire chapter is essentially one fight scene, and my goal was to hold nothing back in terms of the intensity, violence, or graphic imagery. I went so far with it that I was terrified of the backlash that might happen, and I seriously considered not posting the entire book just because of this one chapter.I wanted the fight to feel like it was real, which means I couldn't get excessively detailed with the actions, otherwise it would slow the pace down. But not enough details leaves the reader with questions. I also don't like violence or graphic imagery just for the heck of it, so I had to make a point that I'm not glorifying violence through Hiccup's reactions as the scene progressed.The entire chapter was a really delicate balancing act, but it probably became my favorite chapter in "Winter Siege." So far, the readers who have commented on it haven't asked me to tone it down."
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
"It depends on whether I'm on exactly the right wavelength and how much time I'm willing to devote to writing. This isn't my main hobby, so I don't have a good answer for this question."
