❝All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.❞
The book "Marooners' Rock (Interviews)" is an initiative that features Spotlight Authors every month with some special questions about writing and especially about Neverland!
One of our December's Featured Spotlight is DelaneyBrenna - she's the author of Hooked, with whom she took part in the Open Novella Contest 2021!
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About her: Brenna is a hobby novelist, a lover of animals, and a dessert enthusiast. Outside of writing, her biggest passion is environmentalism and wildlife conservation. When not working on new books, she can be found hiking, baking, and taking photos.
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About Hooked: 'When the King and Queen to the coastal kingdom of Nydeliar are found murdered in their beds, apprehending their killer falls upon their eldest son and crown prince, Sebastian James Einar. Bastian's quest for revenge sends him down a dangerous path but at the end of it, all will know never to cross a pirate with a hook for a hand.'
Her Favourite Quote: 'The crew cheered for him, shouting and jeering over and over again until someone cried out, "Captain Hook!" It was only seconds before the air was filled with it, the chanting of his name, his new moniker. He hoped that Peter, wherever he was, heard the cry and recognized it for what it was. A promise of death.'
1. What made you start writing on Wattpad?
Answer:
I was about fifteen when I started writing on Wattpad. A friend of mine in school showed me the site and I loved to read so I was immediately interested in being on Wattpad. It took me a little longer, though, to begin writing. I'd always had an active imagination but it was daunting to share original material so I started with what I think of as a comfort zone. By that, I mean that one of the first things I posted on Wattpad was a fanfiction retelling of one of my favourite books at the time (Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck). I rewrote the entire book from a different character's POV and it was a really great exercise to build some confidence and begin developing my own writing style. Shortly after I finished that, I made the decision to start writing from my own ideas, which is what you can find on my profile today.
2. What do you love about writing and why?
Answer:
I love the freedom that comes with writing. It's fun to fall into a world that isn't my own when I write and it lets me try a million different things that I may never get to do in person (like be a swashbuckling pirate or a popstar). Writing has also helped me to become a more compassionate and empathetic person because I've realized that we don't always know what's going on inside someone else's world. It was an unexpected benefit of writing but probably the thing I'm most appreciative of. As I continue to write, I also continue to grow as a person and that's extremely gratifying.
3. Do you plan your books carefully in advance or do you just start writing?
Answer:
I've done both and what I've found works for me is a mix between the two. I used to write without much of a plan and, for me, that was a great way to come up with first drafts because I had so much creative freedom and could really let the story go wherever it needed to go in the moment. BUT I also have a tendency to mix up timelines or character descriptors, which can cause some continuity errors. Now, as I rewrite some of my old books and work on new projects, I like to outline the major events that are going to happen in the book and how the characters progress and change in response to those events. I don't like to be too rigid with my outlines but I'm a better writer when I have a roadmap to where I'm going.
4. You wrote "Hooked" based on a prompt during ONC 2021. How did you come across Neverland and why did you finally decide to write about Captain Hook?
Answer:
I love fairytales and fantasy novels but I'd never written one before I decided to write Hooked. When I was going through the ONC 2021 prompts, I was drawn to the prompt of "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" and I thought it was a really interesting concept. When I started to think more critically about what that kind of book could look like, my mind began to go towards popular villains and since I really enjoy fairytales, Disney, and pirates, Captain Hook was one of the first ones to come to mind. As I thought more about what I wanted the story to look like, I knew it was going to be a character arc of how someone could go from a hero into a man with one hand trying to kill a boy. On the surface, Captain Hook seems like a pretty bad guy for wanting Peter Pan dead, but as you can see in my version, Peter Pan isn't as great as he seems and maybe there is some justification for why Hook is doing what he's doing. The world doesn't exist in black and white and I thought it would be fun to write a character that didn't fall within either of those categorizations and can be a hero or a villain depending on who is telling the story. I loved writing Hooked so much that I've started thinking of a few other fairy tales that I'd like to reimagine so readers can keep an eye out for those on my profile.
5. Can you give other authors and users on Wattpad tips on how best to write a book and then put it into practice?
Answer:
Advice and tips are hard because everyone writes differently but I can give 3 things that I always try to apply.
1. Ask for and accept constructive criticism from your peers. Join book clubs or ask your readers and get feedback from others about where they see flaws in your work so that you can become a better writer. It sucks to get negative feedback but whenever I receive comments pointing out continuity errors or places where I can improve, it's always a good experience and it's led to a few really nice friendships and interactions on Wattpad.
2. Don't be afraid to try something new. This can be something as simple as a different genre from what you normally write or changing your writing style entirely. Push yourself creatively, enter writing contests, and don't limit yourself to what you've done in the past. Trying something new is what led me to write Hooked and though it isn't my most popular book, it is one of the ones that I most enjoyed writing.
3. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to write a story that I think is worth telling. To me, it's the greatest thing ever to be excited about my characters and the world I'm creating. So my advice is to fall in love with your book and eventually the readers will come and fall in love with it too.
Have you read 'Hooked' yet? Be sure to check it out on her profile DelaneyBrenna!
