The Wattpad Filipino Block Party 2019

Akosiibarra's Author Interview

WATTPAD FILIPINO BLOCK PARTY 2019

1. What is your username means? What is the story behind it?

AKOSIIBARRA came from Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere character Crisostomo Ibarra. When I was younger, I was idealistic like Ibarra, and I wanted to change the society so it can be a better place for everyone. But as I grew older, I realized that even with good intentions, not everything will go the way you wanted and expected them to be.

Ibarra is probably one of my most favorite Filipino fictional characters, second to Simoun who (spoiler alert!) is actually the same person.

2. Can you still recall the first time you've written your first story? Share your experiences in the process.

One of my major concerns when I started writing on Wattpad is probably the same with most writers: Is someone going to read my stories? There are thousands of stories out there and there are hundreds of more popular author than I am.

But I changed my perspective later on: "Screw it! I'm gonna write what I want. Let the readers find me. Let the readers decide if my story is worth reading." Like mostly everyone else, I started with 0 readers. As I kept on updating my first story, readers started adding it to their libraries and leaving comments on what they felt about the chapters. 0 became 10, then 10 became 100 and so on.

There's also this dilemma on whether I should follow the formula of more popular stories and authors or not. Before I committed to writing on Wattpad, I studied how they presented their stories—the way they write, the way they portray the characters, the way they unfold the plot. But I realized that I have my own technique and I'm going to stick with it.

3. If you're going back to the past, what would you change in your own author career or stories?

I admit that I have made some missteps along my journey as a writer and I wish I have done a better job. But if I'm going back to the past, I'm not going to change anything. In every mistake, there's always a lesson. In every failure, there's always another hope for success.

Changing what happened in the past may help me overcome the challenges a lot easier than I first encountered them, but those challenges have built and fortified the writer in me today. I owe it to the past on who I am and what I am today. And I'd like to keep it that way.

4. Who's your favourite character among all the stories you've written? Why?

Luthor Mendez of my Project LOKI series. Like him, I prefer to be a person who works behind the curtains. He doesn't appear frequently in the story, but he's always moving behind the scenes, most of which are unappreciated and will be revealed in the proper time. I also like how his allegiance is being suspected by the readers. Is he with the team or against the team?

5. If you're going to create an alternate ending in one of your stories, what story would that be? Why? What ending will it be, if ever?

I'd like to entertain the possibility of an alternate ending in my ongoing fantasy story where a fictional character breached the "fourth wall" and arrived in our world. When the main conflict is over, should the character stay in the real world or should he return to the fictional world? Will his creator rewrite his fate per his request, or will his creator convince him that he should accept what has been already destined for him?

At the moment, there's no definite ending.

EXTRA:

Whenever a fresh story idea pops into my mind, I don't immediately start writing it. An idea is like a seed. You can plant it any time, but can you nurture it until it grows into a full-bloomed flower? I apply the same logic when writing my stories. How I am going to approach the idea? What point of view am I going to use? What's going to be the tone of the narration? Do I have enough material to sustain the updates and finish the story?

Perhaps the most important question I always have in mind when it comes to story ideas is: "Do I have a possible ending in mind?" Writing is like driving. If you know your destination, there's a slim chance that you will get lost along the way. You only need to be concerned about how you get there. Now, if I can't think of any potential conclusion for my story idea, I dropped it. I let it ferment in my mind until I think of something concrete.

I believe there's a thing called writer's block, when you can no longer squeeze creative juices from your mind. My trick is to distract myself from writing. Pet my cats, do household chores, watch Netflix series, read my favorite book series. An idea may pop into your head during your moments of relaxation or idleness. Do not force yourself on thinking how to continue writing your story. Some things really take some time.