Interviewee: gologel
PrideReads team member, german author and "Astronaut Award" winner, for best trope and fantasy, with not only one but two of her works!
Hey there Nathalie! Thank you for letting us take this opportunity to interview you. Let's get started with a few questions about your writing journey.
How long have you been writing?
I've started writing around the age of 8. It was mostly just a wild mix-up of my favourite books, but one idea was entirely mine! (It was about the four elements and magical creatures, a girl whose parents died, so she had to live with her uncle on the island, and I think she would also develop to control the elements? Of course no mind-bending ideas, but hey, 8-year-old me had already written 2.000 words and even planned on incorporating enemies to lovers!)
What, to you, is the most difficult part about writing a book?
Probably to keep on writing it. I often struggle with getting past the first thousand words. But if we're actually talking about writing itself: connecting the loose ties and keeping character development logical. However, I try not to think about that too much while writing the first draft, because that's what the second and third draft are there for.
What kind of research do you do and how long do you spend researching on the different elements/aspects that come with writing a book?
So far I've rarely done research, because I often write about topics I, myself, have knowledge of. For my drag queen story I did a little research to look behind the curtain, know about the transformation process and how the community sees itself, what's prejudice from the outside and what's real.
I usually research for as long as I feel like I need to. Do I feel like I know the process, have I developed an understanding of the community, of all important aspects? If the answer is yes, then I'll stop researching (and maybe continue it if I meet ends).
What is your go-to genre for writing and reading? Are they the same?
I'm always writing romance! I've written fantasy AUs as well (and wouldn't be opposed to other genres), but I cannot not integrate romance as a story aspect.
I also like reading romance-heavy stories, no matter the genre. However, for reading, the romance aspect is not as important as for my writing.
Do you remember the first LGBTQ+ book you ever read? If so, what was it?
No, unfortunately I don't remember it. Though it was very likely an One Direction shipping fanfiction on Wattpad!
Ahh yes, One Direction.. I'm still wondering if we will ever get an album again, where they either collaborate with each other and/or actually provide some songs as "the band". Anyways, let us move on to some looser questions to get to know you a little better.
How would you build/design your perfect creative space?
It would be a calming, cozy, warm space. The shelves reach to the ceiling and are filled with books with elegantly decorated spines; wood cracks in the fireplace. A huge armchair that I can make myself comfortable in and a cozy blanket that I can wrap myself up in are ready to be used.
For warmer evenings, there is a door to the outside so I can lie in a lounger on the dock, watch, smell and hear the rushing stream beneath the dock while I totally relax and concentrate on my ideas.
Do you create mood boards for your stories for inspiration or reference when writing? If so, could you tell us a little about them and what usually is the first sort of content you add to them (e.g. quotes, scenery, outfits etc.)?
I've rarely done that so far. Once I created a new pinboard on Pinterest, to really catch the elegant atmosphere of the One-Shot. It were mostly outfits, different interiors and party scenes and a few quotes to remind me of where I wanted to go with my idea.
What is your favorite under-appreciated book you've read?
Hmm, as I've been rarely reading any printed books or Wattpad stories for some time now (shame on me), nothing really comes into my mind. Especially because the books I pick up seem to always sell quite well xD
The last books I really enjoyed were "Anxious people" by Frederik Backman (which features a wlw couple, but is not LGBTQ+ centered, and shines more because of the plot and the very interesting narrator) and "Late Night at the Telegraph Club", a wlw romance which is set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950s and explores young queer love, sapphic culture and dealing with homophobia.
If you could, what's one trope/(sub)genre you'd delete from wattpad forever and why?
There'd be a couple ones I'd delete and it's ever changing which one I dislike the most at that moment. Right now I'd say the "damsel in distress" trope because, please, just give your female (or submissive) characters more to them than just their connection to a man.
Honourable mentions: student x teacher (can be done right, but most of the time isn't), stalker, accidentally pregnant and miscommunication.
How would you design your prefect creative space for reading and writing, would they be two different environments or the same?
I think my perfect writing space would also be perfect for reading. However, I can definitely read at more places than I can write - I need some silence to concentrate on my already fleeing thoughts xD
Very valid point, writing probably also feels much more "vulnerable" in a way? Like, I could totally see me reading on a train ride, but writing? Not so much. Either way, we are moving towards the end of our interview with some questions surrounding the lgbtq+ community and your personal experiences with your identity.
Looking back at your very first LGBTQ+ story or character(s), what struggles or hardships did you encounter when conceptualizing, planning and writing them? Is there anything you'd want to do differently about it now or something you'd like to help your last self with?
I actually imagined it way harder than it was for me. They were just not heterosexual - and as I'm not straight either, that really wasn't something hard to put on paper for me. It just came natural, because it was part of them, but not the only part of their identity or the main focus of the story.
I feel like I'd definitely need more input and knowledge to write characters that have different experiences than me, for example trans or non-binary characters, as I've personally never struggled with my gender identity. Research and having more than basic understandmand are definitely key to write an authentic character with different experiences than you.
Which LGBTQ+ side/main character of your own was the most enjoyable or interesting to conceptualize and write about and why?
That would be all of my Dragqueens. As I love Dragqueens, I loved researching about the process of getting into Drag, what kind of utensilities they need and how the community sees itself. It was very fun to conceptualize the sisterhood-like atmosphere in the Drag Club and show the differences in my main character in and out of Drag, how he used Drag to be free from sorrows and to bloom.
When you read LGBTQ+ stories, do you tend to read more stories where the main character is somewhat similar to you and what you identify with, or do you read whatever you come across and what catches your attention?
On Wattpad I mostly read fanfictions of BTS and therefore what catches my interest most. When it comes to printed books, I also go by interest, but I especially look out for wlw/nblw/sapphic books, as I feel like they're under-appreciated and their market value should be shown to publishers by buyers.
Which LGBTQ+ side/main character of another author was the most enjoyable or interesting to discover and read about and why?
Lily from my recommendation "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo. Her journey of putting the puzzle pieces together, the innocent joy of queer love, the excitement and the internalized fear mixed with the feeling of it just being right was so heart-touching to read and felt so perfectly delivered. It showed how fragile and at the same time strong the queer part of her identity was.
Do you have any advice for others out there struggling with their identity? Or even just advice for aspiring writers delving into LGBTQ+ fiction?
As for aspiring writers: just do it. Research and deeply understand your character's identity in whatever way it deviates from heteronormativity and what impacts this has. But also remember that whilst it is an important part of identify, it's not the only thing about the person. Give them more sides because there is more to them.
As for struggling with your identity: take it easy on yourself. I firmly believe that identity and labels can change over time, so don't feel like you have to chose one and stay with it forever. Take it or take it not - it's you and you only who has the right to label yourself, don't feel like you have to pick the "right one" right away. And if you feel like there's no label that fits you: sometimes it is enough to know what you are definitely not.
That was really lovely and useful advice, thank you so much Nathalie!
Overall, thank you for all your answers and for taking part in our interview in the first place — it was really interesting to do this with a team member of our own!
Alright everyone, this was our interview for gologel and with that your interviewer Laura is logging out! Stay safe and healthy everyone, see you next time around, hopefully!