Interview with Starelf555

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by SummerZodiacAwards

by SummerZodiacAwards

Starelf555

First Place Fanfiction, Author of Priceless

What inspired you to write this book?

I've read a lot of fanfics since I've been on Wattpad, and I've noticed that a lot of them seem to share a lot of the same characteristics, so I guess you could say that I just wanted to do something different than most of the other stories I was seeing.

In most of the romance-oriented stories, the band member's love interest is almost always represented in one of two ways: either she's so beautiful that she'd make a supermodel look frumpy, or she's "emo", with multicolored hair, piercings, and various emotional issues. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the majority of these characters, but I sort of started wondering how things would go if the celebrity actually became interested in a truly "average" woman. And, after I thought it through a bit more, it occurred to me that I couldn't remember ever seeing a fanfic where the good-looking, famous rock star actually fell for a plus-sized girl, based on her personality and how well they got along together, instead of her "smokin'-hot body and bodacious ta-tas". (An actual quote from Stephanie)

I wasn't sure at first if I could pull it off, because romance isn't really my go-to genre, (I generally prefer mystery, horror, or fantasy), and the outline sat in a notebook on my dresser for quite awhile. But then I challenged my roommate to write something OTHER than a romance, or at least incorporate some other element, and she agreed, as long as I'd take a crack at this book. So I pulled it out and dusted it off, started posting chapters, and I've actually been kind of surprised at how well people have responded to it.

How did you come up with all the break ups and relationships that each individual had?

I guess I'd have to say that I wanted the storyline to deal with my characters realizing that they don't have to accept less than what they really want from life, and finding the courage to go after what they really want. Considering her early upbringing, I figured that Stephanie would have a fairly significant need to feel wanted, and secure, even if she didn't recognize or admit to it, and her relationship with Philip seems to offer her these things - until it doesn't. When she's confronted with his basic immaturity and selfishness, it puts her in the position of having to acknowledge that she wants, and actually deserves, more than what she's been settling for, even though she's unsure of how to go about getting it.

And my take on Ashley in this book is that while he definitely enjoys the "perks" of being famous, he also has the desire to be loved and desired for who he is as a person, and not for his money or what he does for a living. Since he's trying to live up to a certain rock-star ideal, he tends to pursue women who are stereotypically "hot" (large breasts, slender waist and legs, etc.), without taking the time to find out whether the contents of the package are as attractive as the wrapping. This results in a string of heartbreaks and failed relationships, and a degree of self-doubt. But when it finally occurs to him that appearances aren't necessarily the most important requirement for a successful relationship, and that he doesn't have to care what other people think of his choices, he realizes that he may have a chance to get what he actually needs the most.

So, to sum it up, they needed to go through all of these other relationships to figure out what love ISN'T, in order to understand what it really is.

Why did you choose to settle on Ashley Purdy from The Black Beauty Brides? As the story progressed, did your initial take and impression on him change?

I've been a huge Black Veil Brides fan for several years now, and Ash is my personal favorite, so all of the stories in my profile are primarily centered on him. Pretty much from the time the band started getting well-known, he's been seen as the "ladies man" of the group, dating a number of porn actresses and lingerie models, and he's a self-admitted incorrigible flirt.

But according to his bandmates, friends, and fans who have been lucky enough to meet him, he's also very intelligent, generous, and kind-hearted, basically just a super-nice, down-to-earth guy who's also lucky enough to be jaw-droppingly gorgeous. So, since these are all verified facets of his actual personality, I wanted to make sure that I covered both sides in the book, to be as accurate as it's possible to be without having actually met him.

So I'd have to say that my perception is pretty much what it's always been: Ashley Purdy is your average rock-star (and typical heterosexual male), with an eye for attractive women and a very healthy libido, who also happens to be a genuinely decent, thoughtful person who would probably be someone that most people would like to have as a friend, if not a significant other.

What is your advice to writers interested in writing fanfiction stories?

First of all, be familiar with the fandom you're writing about! If you discover a new TV show, movie, or band that you just fall madly in love with, don't immediately leap into writing about it. Take time to become more familiar with your new fandom, and you won't have to worry about hordes of angry fans spamming your book with comments like "OMG! (Marvel character) would NEVER do something like that!", or "Fake fan!! (Band name) wasn't even together that year, so how could they play Warped Tour?"

Secondly, and maybe even more important... WRITE WHAT YOU LIKE! Don't write about fandoms that you really don't care for just to get reads or votes, or to follow a trend. If you can't get excited about your subject matter, then writing starts to feel like a chore, instead of being enjoyable, and you'll be less likely to finish the book. I think this may be why there are so many abandoned works on here, because someone thought, "Oh, wow, these One Direction/Twilight/Minecraft books have 95,323,456,754 reads apiece! I don't really care for that fandom, but if I write one I can become Wattpad famous, too. Count me in!" Then they get bored with it, or it isn't as popular as they had hoped, and they throw in the towel. The thing is, most readers can get a feel for whether or not a writer is really invested in their work, and if the answer is "No", most will give up on the book. Because if you think about it, why would anyone really want to continue reading a book that even the author doesn't like?

So, to sum it up: Write for yourself, because if you enjoy it, odds are that others will, too. You just have to let your readers find you.