1. Can you tell me about yourself?
Well, my name is Whysocurious and I am 20 years old. I am a Filipino, born and raised here in the Philippines. And I'm a writer... sort of. I really like to write even at a young age. I remember giving my older siblings Scooby Doo mystery stories that I wrote. The other day, I saw one and reading it made me laugh hysterically because the story made no sense. Anyway, I've been writing for quite a long time now but I used to only write short poems. Only when I reached college that I tried writing stories and novels. Why? Because that was the same time I started reading books. I hated reading books but then I stumbled upon some fantasy books. I tried reading them and they just opened up a whole new side of me. Since then, writing has been my escape from life, from stress. When I write, I'm in my own world with different set of characters, themes and plots.
2. What inspired you to write?
I can't say I was inspired to write because I wasn't. I just found writing as an outlet to express. Because sometimes, emotions are very hard to express and sometimes, expressing them vocally to someone isn't really the best way to go. So I decided on writing. I guess I could say different emotions plus my endless imagination "inspired" me to write.
3. If you could have one of your characters come to life who would it be and why? What would you do with them?
I have this story, "Happily Never After", which revolves around fairy tales. Of course there are the familiar names, Snow White, Goldilocks, etc., but I also introduced some of my own characters like Gray, Seven and Rage. If I had to pick one, I'd pick Rage Bane. His full name is Raoul Georg Bane. It's a weird name, I know. Haha! Anyway, I picked Rage because he's the charming, kind of show-off-y type of person but also witty and humble. But, he also has a wise, intellectual side. He can read people easily, feel them in a way no ordinary human could. I picked him because he's almost flawless, physically and mentally. I can't reveal for now why I said "almost flawless" but it'll be revealed soon in the book. Anyway, the way I created him, imagined him, it's just so impossible to see someone like him in real life so it would be awesome if he came to life. And if ever he comes to life, I'd just hang out with him.
4. Where do the your ideas come from?
Where do they come from? Hmmm. Good question. Normally, they just come from the last movie I watched, or the last book I read, or the last moment I remember in my mind. I almost steal other people's ideas but I put my own twist to them that they become original enough. I'm not saying I plagiarize, I'm just saying I get inspiration from them. For example, when I read the Percy Jackson books (greek myth), I thought of doing a Norse mythology story. I had a premise but I wasn't able to write it. Also, when I played Final Fantasy XIII-2, I thought of a story that revolves around the Final Fantasy universe.
The story that I'm currently writing, Happily Never After, I thought of it while finding a fairy tale book. I remembered we had a fairy tale book, a thick book, that contained many fairy tales. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find it. So, I decided to watch the television and coincidentally, the series "Once Upon A Time" was on. Suddenly, the theme inspired me to write something that revolves around Fairy Tales. Since I was still 19 when I started writing, aside from "Fantasy", another central theme is "Teen Fiction", that's why my characters are in their teens or early twenties. Unlike OUAT which consists of adult characters.
5. Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
Yes and No? In some of my stories, I preffer not to outline because it limits me. And since I have a very crazy imagination, these limitations sometimes hinder me from writing what I want, what the story needs so I try not to outline and just let the ideas take me to where they want to be. However, I've also encountered the bad side to this because sometimes, I forget what had happened in earlier chapters so future chapters tend to negate what had transpired during the earlier chapters.
Actually, in "Happily Never After", until the latest chapter that has been uploaded, I've not written an outline but right now, I'm blocked by a big wall of "what now?". Honestly, I'm not sure where the story is going. I know, however, how it is going to end. The problem is how do I get to the end. So, right now, I'm pushing myself to write an outline. Wish me luck on that!
6. How do you think you've evolved creatively?
Oh, I've evolved very much. In Pokemon terms, I was a Magikarp, and now, I'm a Gyarados. I'm hoping to become a Mega Gyarados soon. Haha! I hope you get my drift. As I have written in no. 1, I started writing at a young age so I'm very sure I've evolved so much. Back then, all I can think of was Scooby Doo and Pokemon and other cartoons. And my stories didn't really make sense. Now, my stories can go as deep as an emotional teenage boy trying to get the attention of someone...... That was weird! Hahaha!
7.What is the hardest thing about writing?
Aside from looking for ideas or maintaining a thought, I think it would be, at least for me, conveying emotions. For me, it's very hard to convey emotions through written words. Sometimes, it's just not enough to just put on so many question marks just to tell that the character is puzzled. Sometimes, you really have to describe it and after describing, you're not even sure if the reader will get it so, yeah. For me, conveying emotions, describing how my characters emote, is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, think about writing.
8. Would you call yourself a wattpad celebrity? Why so or why not?
Definitely not. I have about 600+ reads on my main story, and 30+ reads on my other story. I have less than 20 followers. I am definitely not a wattpad celebrity. Haha!
9. Are you working on any new story you can tell me about?
If I told you about all the stories I'm workign on, then this'll be the longest interview ever. Haha! But seriously, I'm not really working on a new story currently but I'm cooking up something. It's gonna be written in my own language, though, so only Filipinos would understand. It's tentatively titled "Ito Na Ba Yung Pag-Ibig" or in English, "Is This What They Call Love". I'll give a brief synopsis.
WARNING: APPROACHING CLICHE STORY!
It's a coming-of-age story about a girl who was dared by her friends to kiss the most popular guy in school (soccer player). This girl(no name yet), being the tough girl that she thinks she is, sucked up all the courage and did it. She kissed mr. popular in the middle of a soccer game. Mr. Popular was so dumbfounded that he messed up the soccer game so they lost. When the girl learned about it, she approached mr. popular and apologized. Mr. Popular accepted the apology but asked for something else: a date with the girl. Initially, the girl decline but she felt guilty so she accepted. They dated or, I guess, hanged out for one day. Unknowingly, they start to like each other. Days after, they hang out even more. Both don't want to admit it but they know in their hearts that they like each other. One day, the girl's childhood bestfriend (a guy) transfers to their school. And unbeknownst to the girl, mr. bestie had or still has a crush on her.
For now, this is the gist of the story. YES, it's very cliche but sometimes, that's what people wants. A cliche story that they can relate to. Obviously, the story will have a love triangle aspect, a "who will she choose" aspect, and those things. It's still in the planning stage so I can't really divulge much. So, yeah. That's it!
10. What is your favorite quote?
If related to writing, it would have to be, "Write what you know."
If related to life in general, I have many favorite quotes but if I have to pick one, "Someone else doesn’t have to be wrong for you to be right."
11. What is your favorite film and why?
I don't really have a favorite film because there are so many films out there. But right now, if I have to have a favorite, I'd say "Frozen" and "Her". I had to pick two, one for the kid side of me and the other for the more mature side of me. Haha! That's not cheating, right?
"Frozen" because I just adore musicals specially animated musicals. And of course, because of the themes of the story, the lovely characters and the story itself. Yes, it deviates from the real Snow Queen story but this story still makes sense. That true love can also exist between family. That you can't really judge a book by its cover.
"Her" because I don't really know. I just really loved this movie. I guess, I, too, fell in love with Samantha. Haha! But seriously, I just love how everything was excecuted. I just love it.
12. Where can you see yourself in 5 years time?
Hopefully, I'm a full time engineer who pays for my own bills. I forgot to tell you, I'm an Electronics Engineer. I don't have a job yet but I plan on applying soon.
13. Imagine your main character dies on page one. Everything else remains the same. Describe the new plot to your book.
For "Happily Never After", this changes a lot. Like, this changes the whole aspect of the story. However, I can't really describe the new plot because it revolves on something that I can't reveal yet. Sorry about that.
14. What advice would you give to your younger self?
Man up! Fight your bullies! Come one!
(I was a bullied when I was younger, until highschool. I hated those days.)
15. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
For living, I'd say Jennifer Lawrence because she's just awesome! For dead, I wanna meet Beethoven because he's a genius and I would love to see him play on of his musical creations.
16. If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
The Harry Potter books, hands down. I've not read the whol series, I've only read book 1 and 3 but I've seen all movies. Anyway, it's a no brainer. HP opened everyone's doors to a new world. Although we all know it's not real, we still believed in it. And because I think Harry Potter is one of the best things that ever happened in the world of literature. So, I would love to be J.K. Rowling.
17. What was the easiest part of writing?
I guess, the writing itself. Why? Because you already have an idea, you already know what's going to happen, who's who, what's what, you just have to write it. And with the write tools, it's the easiest thing.
18.Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I guess what I've learned is "If you really want something, you'll go for it no matter what obstacle you face." This goes for both my protagonist, Snow, and my antagonist, Evita.
19.Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Even if some of you only read Chapter 1 (and I don't know why), thank you.
[How do I know that only chapter one is being read? My Chapter 1 has 300+ reads while the other chapters have barely 30+ reads so yeah! Haha!]
New readers, please try to read all the way through. Thanks! Haha!
20. Do you have any advice for other writers?
I guess my advice is my fave writing quote, "Write what you know." Also, if you're happy with what you are writing, you don't need any other person's validation. Just write what you know and if you love it, then nobody can stop you from finishing it!
NOTE: English is not my first language so my grammar may seem off. Sorry about that.