1) What is the most difficult part about writing for you? And how do you overcome it?
"The first thing that comes to mind is the first draft. Don't get me wrong, I love writing the first draft, but I constantly get stuck or feel like I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going with something. Some of this has to do with the fact that I don't do a thorough outline before I start writing. I'll outline a bit—the biggest plot points, jot down a few ideas for in-between—but the rest feels like piecing the story together as I go. In the past, I also haven't done much—if any—research before starting, so that also plays a huge role. Especially when some of the projects on my profile have been stories I've been working on for years.
This is also the time when you're creating something from scratch. With the next drafts, there's always a base to work with. This this, you have to create the base yourself.
With upcoming works, I've been doing better with planning and researching. I basically now want to have at least a slightly more solid foundation before I start. For my NaNoWriMo novel, I'm actually trying to outline more thoroughly. We'll see how that goes, because sometimes it feels like my brain just doesn't work that way.
Basically, to overcome the difficulties I have with the first draft, I just want to be more organized and prepared!"
2) Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
"Don't give up. Writing a book is hard! It can be so frustrating, and, sometimes, it's not as much fun as we'd like it to be. But persevere. Try to write, even when it's difficult—when getting each word to the page feels like pulling teeth. Get the words down. You can fix them later. You can do this!
On the other hand, remember yourself. By that, I mean take care of your mental and physical health. As stated above, writing can be emotionally draining and stressful. So, if you try to write even when it's hard, and you find that it's just not happening, take a step back. Do something else for a little while, and come back to your story later—whether it be later in the day or maybe the next day. It's okay. Your health is so important—please take care of yourself! <3
Don't be afraid to experiment with different planning styles—whether it be not at all, a little, a lot, or something in-between. I started out more as what's referred to as a "pantser"—someone who writes a story by the seat of their pants (this is such a weird saying, wow, haha!). Maybe I'd jot down a few ideas in the beginning, but, other than that? I just dove in and saw where the story took me as I went along. Now, I can't imagine going in blind. I want to know who I'm writing about, where I'm placing them, how their world works, and at least the basics of what I want to happen to them.
An authortuber (an author on YouTube) once recommended to try switching things up when you get stuck. Having trouble on Word? Switch to Google Docs! Typing just not doing it for you? Go to paper! In the past, changing from my laptop to a notebook, or even just changing from my couch to my bedroom's desk, has helped me get my groove back.
Overall, just remember to try your best! And remember to have some fun!"
3) What was your favorite part, and your least favorite part, of the publishing journey?
"My favorite part had to be the aftermath—when people actually came up to me during a book signing, holding my books, excited to have me sign them. It was like, HOLY CRAP. I still get giddy when I think about it.
My least favorite part was the way my anxiety constantly got in the way of my enjoyment of the process. It didn't help that I didn't do research before moving forward, so I knew nothing about the process and would freak out whenever something would go slightly askew. Highly would recommend doing some research and learning about how things work before throwing yourself in blind."
4) How do you develop your plot and characters?
"With the plot, I typically come up with a seed of an idea—a plot bunny. I'll let it sit in my head, collecting more plot bunnies until they become a plot rabbit, of sorts. And then I'll grab a notebook and start jotting down ideas and asking myself brainstorming questions.
As I come up with more ideas, the bigger plot points will start to form. I'll create a Scrivener file, start writing down the more solidified ideas. Make myself a Pinterest board because they're pretty and fun and can spark more ideas. Continue toying with different ideas, changing this, changing that, changing things back like the indecisive bean I am.
For characters, I build character profiles! I just started using Abbie Emmons' character profile, and it's brilliant! Highly recommend—you can find her on YouTube. For one story, I also made myself some character boards because I felt like it—that's been fun! Little things, such as some likes and dislikes, I tend to pick up as I write the story. For example, in my work in progress, Empathy, I didn't know my character, Falon, hated green and plaid until she became acquainted with a green, plaid couch. Who knew?"
5) Describe your perfect book hero or heroine.
"Flawed. Witty or humorous. Fights for the people s/he/they care about. Fights for themselves."
6) Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.
"Oh, goodness! Such a hard question.
I don't have a single character that I love more than the others. My "favorites" tend to come from whatever work I'm currently working on, haha! I do have a particular few that often come to mind though. They are:
Falon, from Empathy: she's so snarky, witty, and abrasive, with a touch of hidden turmoil underneath. She's so fun to write!
Reese, from Empathy: the opposite of Falon—she's a cinnamon roll, and I love her.
Nolan, from Before the Morning: I love the way he cares deeply for his loved ones, and seeing him grow so much from the beginning of the story to the end.
Nora, from Before the Morning: she's a loving fighter."
7) What do you like to do when you are not writing?
"Netflix and Amazon Prime! Right now, I'm watching NCIS by myself when I'm taking a mental or lunch break, and then watching Doctor Who with my family at dinner time (David Tennant is <3).
I go through phases where I either watch a lot of YouTube or none at all. I'm definitely in the "watch a lot" phase right now! I mostly watch authortube, at the moment—Abbie Emmons, Kate Cavanaugh, Jenna Moreci, and Hannah Lee Kidder are my faves! I absolutely love katytastic's writing vlogs, too.
I have a lot of fun hanging out with my family, talking and laughing with them and playing Trouble. My pets are super cool, too. We just got a fence for our yard, so my dogs are able to run around leash-less, and it's so entertaining watching them play.
I also love to read. I haven't been doing as much of that lately as I'd like, but I hope to change that. Right now, I'm doing a reading challenge where, if I'm just reading for fun, I have to read in the order the books are placed on my bookshelf (I MAY have had a really bad habit of just rereading the same three series over and over again and ignoring the rest of the books on my shelf)."
8) If one of your books were made into a movie, who are the actors that would star in it?
"Oooh! This is such a fun question. I love casting my characters, and it's always so amazing to imagine one of my books actually making it to the big screen.
I'll just go with Empathy for now, since that's the one I've been concentrating on.
My dream cast isn't complete yet, but, as of right now, I imagine Camila Mendes as the protagonist. Other cast would include Victoria Moroles, Zendaya, Meg DeLacy, and Nick Sagar. More to be determined!"
9) Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
"I'm currently in the planning phase of my NaNoWriMo novel, McKenna & Gertrude! It originally started out as a screenplay I wrote during one of my screenwriting classes, and it was suggested that I try a hand at converting it to a novel. It sounded fun, so I'm doing it!
It follows a teen, McKenna, and her friends as they rush to deal with the consequences of accidentally discovering time travel—and messing up the timeline—while attempting to perform a séance.
I don't think I'm actually going to be posting this one online like I typically do with other works, but I'm super excited about it!"
10) What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
"When I was younger, Margaret Peterson Haddix and basically all of her books inspired me! I wrote a lot of murder-y, sci-fi, fantasy sort of stuff back then. Not that I don't enjoy doing that now, hahaha.
Wattpad stories actually got me into writing contemporary fiction. Reading contemporary fiction on here sparked my interest—I hadn't really been into reading it before I started reading them on here.
Kelley Armstrong and her trilogy, The Darkest Powers, is definitely one, too. Reading her novels helped me with shaping my own voice as a writer.
Marissa Meyer and her series, The Lunar Chronicles, are just amazing. She has inspired me to aspire to create fantastic worlds with even more fantastic characters. I literally named my car after one of the characters from TLC. Carswell Thorne. CARswell. Get it? Eh? Eh? I'll go now."
11) If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would you say?
"Research, man! It's actually fun!"
12) In life, what do you think is the closest thing to magic?
"Other than the creative arts—which are honestly so magical because you're capturing moments and/or creating whole WORLDS and PEOPLE with your BRAIN, aH—the first thing that popped into my head was intuition.
It's just so cool. That moment when you just have a gut feeling that, say, a certain song is going to come on the radio and then it DOES. Or you're sure that if you make a certain move in a board game, your player will get taken out. So you don't, and the next player goes, and you were right! If you had made that move, your player would have been sent back home.
I will never get over it."
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Wow! These answers are extraordinary and SUPER long! But I enjoyed reading them all the same, I hope you enjoyed writing them :D