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➽ QUESTION 1. ❝What is your name (or nickname/pen-name if preferred)?❞
— D.S. Little or DLittleWriter
➽ QUESTION 2. ❝What started you on the path to writing?❞
— In general, I have been writing since I was twelve years old. I used to write fanfiction of myself being with whatever NBA player I had a crush on or whatever singer was hot at that moment. I have a lot of Usher fanfics buried somewhere that I am terrified to dig out. I initially started writing as an escape from my abusive childhood. I didn't feel as if anyone understood me or cared about what was happening to me so I found myself getting lost in stories as a way to dream of a better life. I didn't really think I had actual talent outside of entertaining myself.
➽ QUESTION 3. ❝When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, and specifically in the genre of urban fiction?❞
—About five years ago, I attended a book club meeting in which Maureen Smith (an amazing romance author) was the guest speaker. We had read her book and I fell in love with her writing style. I remember talking to her afterwards about wanting to write and she told me that I should start jotting down my ideas and give it a chance. I did that, but I kept all of my ideas to myself because I had nowhere to share them (in a safe place) and I didn't think I was ready to start sending my work to publishers either. So, I was basically sitting on my gift. I want to write in the Urban genre because I feel like we need more books that tackle real issues that we go through. We are such a complex people and I want my stories to be accepted by all, but I specially write with women in mind.
➽ QUESTION 4. ❝How long have you been writing?❞
—I have been writing for about five years, but only two years on Wattpad.
➽ QUESTION 5. ❝How do you think you've evolved creatively?❞
— Since I started writing on Wattpad, I feel like I have grown so much creatively. I find that the instant feedback from readers and the comments help to push me while I'm writing. Readers bring up questions or make comments that point out holes in my stories or things that I need to address or make clearer. Also, I've been reading the work of other writers and find myself being so inspired by them.
➽ QUESTION 6. ❝Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?❞
— That's a funny question because I don't want to pigeon myself into just one genre, I want to try them all at some point. I started off writing fanfics on Wattpad only because I saw how popular they were and I was trying to gain an audience. I am trying to get away from that now, but I find that using some of our favorite celebrities as eye candy to get a message across has been pretty successful for me on Wattpad. On Wattpad, I've been mostly writing romance stories, but I try to tackle very serious issues within them. I try to show the reader that even though bad things happen to you, you're still lovable and you will still find your happiness. Right now, I'm focusing on fiction that centers around women and women's issues. I want every young woman to walk away from my story feeling inspired and strengthened.
www.sistabrutha.com
www.nutsandboltssports.com
I am also writing children's fiction and balancing all of that is difficult because the topics are so very different. I find that I have to carve out times to work on each so that I am in the right mind frame.
➽ QUESTION 7. ❝What are the upsides and downsides to being an author?❞
— There are many upsides to being an author. Seeing your finished work is a feeling that I can't describe in words. The downside is the amount of time you spend isolated. I should be on social media more but I rarely am because I'm always writing.
➽ QUESTION 8. ❝What do you love most about the writing process?❞
— I love seeing the story come together full circle. We all have ideas for a great story, but an idea is just an idea until you see it through. Many people start a book, not everyone finishes it. I enjoy the process of seeing the story come together.
➽ QUESTION 9. ❝Why do you write? What keeps you motivated during creative slumps?❞
— This answer might get kind of long, but the short answer is I write to help others find healing. I am a survivor of child abuse, domestic abuse, and rape and I am not embarrassed to share that because I've learned that people find healing in your testimony. I write because I remember being that young girl and young woman writing because I didn't believe anyone understood or loved me. I write stories that are inspirational because I want to reach women who find themselves in a similar mindset. And for me, writing has been so therapeutic, it has truly helped me to heal from so much pain. It saved me from depression. Writing is truly life to me. During creative slumps, what pushes me through is that I remind myself that somebody needs to read this story and that I can't leave them hanging by giving up.
➽ QUESTION 10. ❝Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?❞
— I actually do both. My first few stories, I would outline each chapter completely not leaving myself any room to do anything different because I was so focused on word count. The first book on Wattpad that I went away from a strict outline is my Odell fanfic, "Indecent Proposal." I had this fun idea, but I had no idea how it was going to play out because there is a book and movie of the same name and I wanted to use the main concept but I didn't want to follow their story. I played each chapter by ear, getting in the head of my character and writing whatever I felt their motivation was. The story turned out completely different than I thought it would because of that. From then on, I have been writing like that. The problem is, the books without an outline have been my longest stories. The last book I finished on Wattpad, "What's Best for Me" is almost 100 chapters long and that is something I would never be able to publish as is. I need to find a better mesh of the two styles to make writing going forward more efficient.
➽ QUESTION 11. ❝How many books have you written?❞
— Since I started writing on Wattpad, I have written 19 stories. Off of Wattpad, I have written three stories.
➽ QUESTION 12. ❝Out of all the books you've written, do you have a favorite?❞
— That's like asking someone which kid is there favorite! I love them all for different reasons. I would have to say "Kiss My Scars" because it is the project closest to my heart. I use so much of my real life in that book and it was the book I cried through the most while writing. I gained so much healing after releasing that project. For just entertainment, I'd say "Unapologetically Me"; it was just supposed to be a funny story about a Wattpad writer secretly becoming pen pals with a celebrity she wrote about. It also took an unexpected turn and it has been the book that has been the received the best of all my books.
➽ QUESTION 13. ❝If someone is brand new to your work, what book do you think they should start with?❞
— It depends. If you don't mind a mature read, "Unapologetically Me."
➽ QUESTION 14. ❝What do your fans mean to you?❞
— My "Wattpad Friends", and I say that because anyone who believes in me and my stories are a friend in my head. They are more than readers or fans because they have been a part of my writing process. They mean EVERYTHING to me. It was one of my Wattpad readers who informed me that someone had stolen and published one of my books. She didn't have to do that, but she cared enough about me that she did. My readers push me, encourage me, correct me, inspire me, motivate me, and continually pour into me. In a world where people are always in competition or tearing each other down, I'm so thankful to have a network that is mostly positive. To my "Wattpad Friends", I want to thank every single one of you for the private messages, the comments, votes, reads, shares, and everything you do to help me become better. That is truly love and I can't thank you enough.
➽ QUESTION 15. ❝What advice would you give to aspiring authors?❞
— I'll split this advice up because we are honestly dealing with two differently worlds here.
Advice for Wattpad: Do not get discouraged by how many followers you have or by how many reads or votes you have or don't have. Keep Writing! All of that will come! You have to realize that there are almost 3 million people on Wattpad. If all of those people are writing a book, it will be hard to sift through books to get to yours. The best way to make yourself visible is by writing consistently. Don't write a chapter and then wait weeks again to update. I found myself getting a readership because readers liked the fact that I posted frequently. While writing a book, I try to post a chapter at least every other day. I know that's not recommended, but that is what has worked for me. I also read the work of other people and I supported their work by commenting, voting and interacting with other readers. The more you are supportive of others and make yourself known, readers will start visiting your page and supporting you. Make sure that you have your work ready for when they do come. Don't get caught up in fads and start writing something that you don't believe in; write what is in your heart, a reader can tell the difference and you want the audience that loves you for you, not for any gimmicks. Don't try to write like anyone else, keep practicing and writing until you find your own voice. Use Wattpad as a platform to gain an audience, interact with other writers and to become a better writer. Don't get discouraged, we all started where you are. And if you see that you're getting a lot of reads but people aren't staying around past the first few chapters, you need to decide if your story is good or not. If you aren't sure, ask a few trusted readers in a private message to give you honest feedback. Why keep working on a story that is not connecting with anyone? I co-created OVOSAwards as a platform to help Black writers trying to find a footing on Wattpad. We just finished announcing winners recently, but it will open up again in October 2018. In the meantime, you can join the OVOS Book Club that we just started. You will meet some new people (those who like to read) and one of your books might even be selected as one of our books of the month!
Advice for Outside Wattpad: Again, Keep Writing! If publishing is your ultimate goal, keep practicing. Take some classes (they even have free online classes), they have tutorials on YouTube, and READ READ READ! The more you read and the more you write, the stronger you will become as a writer. When you think your manuscript is ready, start looking around social media, literary agents and publishers are always posting when they are looking for new talent. Follow their guidelines and take a chance on yourself, you would be surprised at the results. If you believe self-publishing is what you want to do, make sure that your work is edited professionally before submitting. If God has given you the gift to write, don't keep it to yourself, somebody needs to read your words so please don't ever give up.
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Thank you so much for accepting to do this interview DLittleWriter definitely a lot to take in here and it's extremely helpful. Please take the time to check out her works; she's in a whole other league.