Hello! I'm Manya! I'm an interviewer from the CLN (Crazy Late Nighters) Community. Just let me know when you're ready for the interview!
Hello. I'm Zetta!
Happy to know you!
Yes, I'm ready.
Alright! So, from what I know, you've won the award hosted by CLN for your book, As the Knight Falls. We've all been wondering when you started writing and what made you do it!
Yep, that's the one! Well, I started writing it down in June of 2020 but the story has been in my head sometimes from 2011. It was just bits here and there then. Not till a good summer evening did I realize that the story has spiraled into a whole new world of its own and can definitely breath to life now. That's when I decided to give it a shot and have enjoyed every bit of making it ever since.
Glad to hear that you brought the pieces together. It's good to give it a shot. So, what do you think makes your writing different from others?
My readers would be the best judge of that. From my perspective, it's the description. I have always loved books with vivid descriptions that allow me to witness the author's world just as they see it. That's exactly what I try to bring out in my story. I think that's what sets it apart.
I also love vivid descriptions! It really lets you dive into the author's world! So, speaking of your unique writing skills, what is your inspiration for writing? It can be anything or anyone.
It was my teen age years hardcore need for a role model actually. *Chuckles* You see, As the Knight Falls universe completely spiralled down from its protagonist Rayo Schwan. Back in 2011, I was constantly falling behind in everything. The new rage of the teenager wasn't making it any easier. So I was looking for someone for motivation, someone who's having it worse than me but doing better, which someone did not exist around me thankfully. That's when I started thinking of Rayo. For several years after, it was just her with very little background story in my head. But over the years, little by little added in as I went and now, it's finally breathing on its own.
Ah that's great! You as your own inspiration is just wonderful! I've gone through these times too, but in the end, it's just me and myself. So, is there any writing or updating schedule you follow?
Feels nice to hear that. Thank you ❤️ Can't agree any less ❤️ Well, now it's on hold for completing my Open Novella Contest entry Arctic Heart, which is a spin-off of ATKF and takes place in the same universe. But I hope to complete Arctic Heart by June and delve back into ATKF soon after. But, the deadline may vary, of course.
Great!! Hope you win :)) How do you come up with characters for your story and how many of them relate to you?
Thanks but couldn't clear up round 2 XD Since I started it, I intend to finish it soon. As for ATKF, they were built throughout the years and at the beginning, each were inspired by the people around me or bits of them. But with time, they became one of their own. Coming up with their names, however, was tricky. Had to put conscious effort there. Welp, since all of them are in my head, can relate to them all here and there. But Rayo Schwan and Claire Huskin are totally my alter egos X)
Oh. I like how you're still working to finish it up! I really like the names of those characters!! So, which character is your favourite and why?
❤️Thank you❤️ It's without a doubt Rayo Schwan and Liam Krieger. Can't choose between
these two people though. Rayo sees the world as it is and faces it headstrong. She sees, she analyzes and she works on it. Not someone you can defeat in a game of minds. Liam, on the other hand, is cheerful, laid-back, but resilient. He's an absolute sweetheart till you mess with someone or something he holds precious. Then he'll rain hell. Literally (ATKF readers will know how) I love how they turned out XD
Those are nice characteristics each one has! I can mostly relate to Liam XD So, how many books have you written and which is your favourite one?
Glad to hear it! I've written three books so far and As The Knight Falls is definitely my favorite one. As you can see, I literally grew up with it XD
That's nice! I hope it's the readers' favourites too! With these 3 books, how do you overcome writer's block?
Hope so ✨ And, that's a really important question. Thanks for asking. Can't say I'm an expert, but I can list out the one thing Not to do while in it. One should Not force oneself to write while in writer's block in the hope that it will just vanish. It doesn't. So don't force yourself. Oftentimes, we do this because of that invisible pressure on our neck that if we don't update fast, myreaders will forget my work. So, we try to squeeze the story out of ourselves when we don't even feel like typing a word. Please don't do that. For your own sake. Step back from the work. Go on hiatus and take as long as you need. But come back only when you feel right. Sure those reads will stand stale for a while. But when you come back, your words will flow. Trust me on that. I've been there.
I originally started jotting down ATKF in 2018 with only two chapters which were nothing like now. I was a newbie and had no idea where I was heading. Three chapters into it, I fell into writer's block. But made the mistakes that I shouldn't have. I forced myself to write, squeeze out the story which wasn't even there. As a result, the chapters felt like trash to me, I felt incompetent, ended up hating the story and deleted it altogether. And at the end, went on permanent writer's block for TWO years. Yaap. Two years. It took me two years to love my story again. So, whoever's reading this, please don't make the mistakes I did. Don't fall into the same pit. Heal and come back strong. You wouldn't want to ruin your masterpiece by hustling, now, would you?
That's so true! People often tend to get distracted by how many reads they have and how their readers would stop reading their works. I'm so glad you overcame it even though it took you a solid two years. On that note, what are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
Yeah, tell me about it *groans*. As a writer, I'm really picky with my words and tend to be too invested in my characters, which I believe are both my strengths and weakness. Because I'm too invested and am picky over the details, I tend to give each chapter a lot of time to set the tune right which I think has been one of the essence of ATKF in getting the love it got so far.
But then again, I've deleted 3000 word chapters after spending hours on it just because they didn't feel right which sometimes disrupts the update time and my routine of course.
That's actually more of a strength, if you ask me. Through your writing journey, you might have faced hate comments and criticism. How did you deal with them?
Nice to hear you. You're a really positive person ❤️ That's one thing I'm grateful about! My journey as an author has been positive so far. There were times when my characters were misinterpreted or not perceived the way I wanted them to be. Since none of us think alike, there will be criticism of course. I let my readers carry on and see their reactions change as the story progresses which is another thing I enjoy about writing.
The positivity starts from you ❤️ Good to hear it! Now, going a bit back in time probably, how did you find Wattpad?
It was random really. Once in 2016 when wearing a badge with our favorite quote was a thing in my part of the world, I saw this brilliant orange badge with the quote in white - keep calm and turn Wattpad on. Just wondered what that is! That's how I found it out and have been hooked to it ever since!
Ohhh seems interesting XD Especially the badges part Moving on, what do you think of Wattpad so far?
It's a good platform, especially for bonding with people over stories. It has a warm radiance to it. But I think they should take their data security seriously. No matter how golden we feel, no one would want it to come at the cost of privacy.
Yeah, agreed. Nowadays accounts getting hacked though. It's hectic! Since you've been on Wattpad for long enough, do you have any particular favourite authors? If yes, why he/she?
It's Dear_Rhian for me. Her stories are filled with the perfect amount of humour and seriousness, a combination really tough to maintain throughout the story. But she does an amazing job at that. Her stories feel effortlessly flowing which I can never get enough of. I'd definitely recommend her to anyone who's looking for horror, humour, and tragedy to read. The best part being all of them are available in her all and every single story.
That's nice. I should try out one of her stories! I love horror!! Next, why is writing so important to you?
Think you are gonna love it! Well as cliche as it may sound, it's because writing is liberating for me. Whenever any character/s pop up in my mind, I spend so much time crafting that they feel more like my own people than someone who doesn't even exist. And writing is the only way of breathing life into them. Giving them an identity of their own. So that even if I pull the curtain in my story, they get a new life in someone's mind and live there forever. It's like leaving behind a piece of me ❤️
Amazing!! Coming to cliche, does your story have any cliche? If yes, how do you deal with it?
Cliche is something I'm not that big a fan of. It's not like something is wrong with them. Just that when the storyline becomes predictable, its cliffhangers' just lose the value. At least that's the case for me. So cliches are something that haven't incorporated themselves in my imagination making my stories dry of them. But, as for the future, I can't really promise. I don't mind putting out a cliche as long as the scene 'actually' makes sense and holds value.
I feel the same too. It's not something wrong, but the eagerness just gets lost when it's predictable... Back to writing, tell us about your writing style and how do you get ideas?
Ditto mate. I'm a descriptive writer and planner, which means my narratives are mostly description enriched than dialogue. Think it stems from my love for showing what's going on instead of slapping the fact on the reader's face. I always try to write with the ending in my head. That helps me to keep the story on track. As for inspiration and ideas, it's really unpredictable for me. It might be from a song that I'm listening to while studying or something as small as a random conversation I just heard in a movie. Can't really tell when a story hits me.
Description again. I have no words. I just love them! Which was the most difficult part to write and the easiest?
Keeping the characters in character. Was and still is. Since I'm thinking of all the characters at once, oftentimes there rises this huge chance of my characters having a subtle personality swap which is almost untraceable by me because one character or the other does it in my head anyways. But a few days later when I read the draft again, I just smacked my face for not noticing it. As for the easiest, I guess the rest of the process.
Great! Hearing that characters are difficult to keep in character for the first time. That's something different! How have you enjoyed your story? Are you unhappy or proud you did it? Do you still have that joy in reading your readers' comments?
A lottttt XD Sounds like a brag though but really did. Though it's nothing like how originally intended, it shifted itself with time and I'm so proud of it. I can't wait to finish it and tie it with a bow. So much, yes. might not be able to reply right away but always read them and find some time afterwards for replying back. It feels nice to see someone is swaying with the characters just as much as I was when I first thought of them.
Making time to reply is a great way to stay connected with your readers! Lastly, a note for your readers along with a piece of advice to all the writers out there.
A note could never be enough for expressing my gratitude for my awesome readers. Turning those small numbers on reads and votes daily gives authors a sort of happiness that I can never describe enough. It makes my characters feel wanted and loved and for that, I'm forever grateful. As for word of advice, don't push yourself and don't let the reads take you down. Take time. Give yourself time and craft your masterpiece. Your works might be slow to rise but once it does, which it definitely will because words coming from heart always resonates with the readers, there will be no turning back ❤️
♥️❤️ I hope you keep getting reads and enjoy writing. Thank you soo much for your time, Zetta! It was lovely talking to such an amazing author!! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! CLN team thanks you too. Thank you so much ❤️
It should be me thanking you! I'm grateful for the precious time that you
spent on me! It's been brilliant knowing you. Sending lots of good wishes
for the whole team ❤️✨ BTW, love your username. Has a lethal jazz to it ✨✨
Have a nice day ❤️
Haha tysm!! Have a great day ❤️
❤️✨❤️✨
Author: penpatron
Interviewer: Manya
Interview Editor: chaotic_naturx