Diversity Awards 2021 [FINISHED]

Interview with ever_after04

Best Native American/Indigenous Story/Author Off Limits by ever_after04

What inspired you to write Off Limits, and what made you choose the Native/Indigenous community?

Thank you for having me in this interview. I am a member of an indigenous Borneo tribe. I started off reading Werewolf Books on Wattpad and that gave me the inspiration to write my own version of werewolf stories but I wanted to include indigenous casts in my book. I find that most books with indigenous characters are mostly historical or western, so I wanted to write differently by giving it a more modern twist. Off Limits is my second book on Wattpad.

Did the story turn out the way you planned it or did you change plots in the middle?

To be honest, in the beginning I had no idea how to write the story. I am more of a pantser than a plotter. I did some research on indigenous native American culture and they are so many and diverse that it was hard to choose to represent just one culture. I did not want to offend anyone by any misrepresentation. In the end, I chose to add both North and South American indigenous cultures. Yes, I had to do many changes in the plot. Actually the story is not totally complete and I am in the process of rewriting it.

What would you like to tell the Native/Indigenous community/writers?

To my fellow native or indigenous community and especially writers, I do hope that we continue to write stories about our own culture. I know that it is not easy particularly if we are limited in vocabulary as I am, but I believe that our culture is rich with folktales and spirituality that with a bit of ingenuity we can weave into memorable and epic tales.Thank you for reading.