Wattpad Interviews

@Fairfax5

1)How did you discover Wattpad?
A friend of mine actually introduced me to it. It sounded interesting, so I decided to check it out and I quickly became addicted. My friend doesn’t use it much anymore, but I’m still hooked.

2)When did you join Wattpad?
I joined up a little over a year ago, on the day before my birthday. Things have been pretty damn awesome so far, and I’m really looking forward to the next year.

3)How often are you online?
I try to check in every day. I have decent Wifi at my apartment, and the app makes it really easy to waste a lot of time here. Still, I have to spend a lot of my time at University so I try to limit my time to the afternoons or at night.

4) What or who inspires you to write?
As cliché as it is, my own drive to finish the stories I started. I started writing about two years ago, and I just won’t be able to stop until I get it all down on paper (so to speak). Still, by then I’ll have another story idea and the cycle will begin all over again.

5)Do you ever experience writer's block?
Oh hell, I hate writer’s block with a burning passion. I get it every now and then, and when it’s especially bad I just take a break from the book I’m working on and start up a short story to get my brain working again. One of these stories actually spawned a book of its own, which I worked on alongside my main project. It took months on end to finish, but it was totally worth following up on.

6)Who are your favorite author's/what's your favorite book?(Anything Wattpad is accepted)
I have so many, it’s hard to choose… As far as published authors go, Matthew Reilly and James Patterson are tied for first place. Reilly’s Scarecrow novels changed the way I wrote action, and Patterson’s Maximum Ride series were a massive part of my early reading experience. As for Wattpad books, I’m a massive fan of both Captius and Sam_Mcgregor. Their books were some of the first I ever read on here, and I’m still just as hooked today. Truly, I can’t sing these dudes’ praise high enough. If you ever have any spare time, check out their work.

7)Where do you usually write?
In private. People in the real world don’t know that I write, and I like to keep it that way. My desk is common place for me, or just on the couch when nobody else is home. I have been guilty of finding a quiet corner in the middle of a boring Uni lecture and churning out a few thousand words. Still, I make sure nobody is behind me to look over my shoulder. That’s an issue with me.

8)Do you listen to any music while writing?
All the time. I’m a massive Metal/Rock fan, and I love to have it blaring when I’m writing. Ambient noise really helps me to concentrate when I’m writing, and if I don’t have any I tend to get distracted very easily. As long as it’s a band I like, I’m set to write for hours.

9)What are some of your hobbies?
Aside from writing, I’m a massive gamer. Halo, Crysis, Mass Effect, you name it. I love binging on movies and TV shows as well, though I pretty much stream it all on my laptop. If I didn’t spend so much of my time writing, I’d probably have watched every show ever made. Yes, it’s that bad. I’m a little ashamed of that. I’m sorry.

10)Do you see writing as a career?
To be honest, I’d be over the moon if I could make writing my career. I love it! I’m currently in University to become a High School English teacher, but that’s just something to keep me going until I work up enough courage to get my stories nice and edited for submission to a publisher. Wattpad has given me a hell of a lot of room to grow as a writer, and I definitely wouldn’t have made half the progress I would have if I never joined up. I’d love to make writing my career one day, but it’s on the back-burner right now. One step at a time I guess.

11)Are you happy with how your book/books have been doing?
I’m absolutely amazed. I’m stunned. When I joined Wattpad I never expected anybody to take notice of my book at all (at the time I only had one story published), but for some reason people actually started reading it. One year later, I have three full-length books finished and I’m working on a fourth. I have an amazing group of readers, and have accumulated far more reads than I ever thought possible. My absolute maximum goal was for 2000 reads when I started, and I passed that many many months ago. I’m trying my hardest not to sound like an arrogant douche here, but I’m really happy with how far my stories have gotten. Sure, they don’t have millions, but I’m still incredibly grateful for everyone that’s checked them out. It’s helped me develop so much as a writer, and I’m just glad I found Wattpad. Thanks guys, you’re awesome.

12)Should there be a new category on Wattpad, if so then what?
I’m not sure. Maybe separating Dystopian stories from the rest of Sci-Fi would help? I swear, every time I go into Sci-Fi it’s flooded with Hunger Games/Divergent style stories. Without getting too much into it, the whole tyrannical government that can only be changed by a strong female lead who is “different” thing got old for me pretty fast. I’d like to see more Sci-Fi stories with more original plots, and I feel like the category is pretty overcrowded with Dystopian stories at the moment. Eh, that’s just my opinion anyway.

13)Any advice for new writers?
I’m not really any authority to give advice, but I’d say read a lot. You develop as a writer from reading, and it’s a massive help to develop a fiction addiction when you’re trying to get ideas for writing. Be original, be creative, and most of all don’t stress yourself. We all start somewhere, and trying new things is how we grow. Be nice to people, and try and make friends. Read other people’s stories, and take the time to read through your own to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Most of all, try out different genres. I got settled into Sci-Fi with my first series, and I never really thought of trying anything else until I wrote a short story on impulse. As I said before, this grew into a standalone book that is now on the way to getting a sequel. I’m now a dual-category writer (Sci-Fi and Paranormal), and it’s helped me develop my own style in a bunch of different ways. Try new things guys, there’s no penalty for checking out a different way of writing.

14)Out of 5 stars how would you rate Wattpad?
I’d give it a solid 4.5/5. Wattpad is amazing, and it’s helped me develop as a writer in so many ways! If I didn’t have Wattpad, I probably would have called it quits after my first book and never even looked at writing again. Other than just helping me tap away on my laptop, Wattpad helped me though a pretty shitty part of my life. I was going through some pretty dark days, and it always helped to have an escape at the end of the day. I’m not going to go into it too much, but Wattpad has helped me in many more ways than just helping me be a better writer.

15)Why should people check out your work?
Honestly, I’m not comfortable with asking people to check out my work. I haven’t advertised my stories since my early days, and I don’t like the idea of telling people why they should check out my work. It does make me very happy to see people reading and voting on my stories, but I don’t like telling people why they should. I guess I’m my own harshest critic; I don’t really like bragging about anything I’ve done. Writing is something I’m specifically self-conscious about, and it’s up to the readers to decide if they want to look me up.

16)Anything else?
If you’re new to Wattpad, I wish you the very best of luck! I hope you enjoy this incredibly site as much as I have, and that you write until your fingers bleed. On second thoughts, don’t do that. That would be terrible. I would feel bad. Seriously though, I’m always up for a chat if you need to know some things about the mighty Pad. Until next time, peace out lads and lasses. Chris out.

Can I just say that he's the shit. He is definitely an inspiring author who is very talented with what he does. I had a great time interviewing him & I hope nothing but the best for him. Thanks for taking time out your day for this interview.Go check Chris out.  Its about that time,I'm MrselfSuccess & hey, stay successful.