Here on the YA profile, we want to celebrate all the awesome writers out there who have made it their sole mission to come up with amazing YA stories. In Chit Chat, the YA team will be interviewing and showcasing some amazing writers and their accom...
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Today's interview is with the talented wigglysubu! Read on to find out what makes this writer skilled in weaving YA stories into great books.
1. In 3 - 5 lines, please describe yourself briefly.
I'm Subalakshmi, an English major from India who loves stories like everyone else here. I began writing at the age of 14 and had the privilege of writing 12 books that have garnered over 3 million reads. My favourite story is "Under the Mango Trees" which is about two young women who discover themselves through their love for each other in the heart of a chaotic city.
2. How did you discover Wattpad?
A friend recommended it to me on the most mundane afternoon ever and my life hasn't been the same since then.
3. Tell us what inspired you to start writing?
I was always swayed by stories since childhood so I pursued the natural pull towards writing. To forget this world and lose ourselves in stories even for a few moments makes this place more bearable and I loved doing just that. Creating worlds after worlds in my mind while strolling on the street or washing a stupid dish has been my favourite pastime till date. It gets me through tedious chores and this equally tedious life.
4. Can you tell us more about your main YA story?
"Under the Mango Trees" is my main YA novel among others like "Saving Brownie" and "A Little Bit of Joy." It's about Tulsi and Lila, two childhood best-friends who are navigating through sexuality, culture and all awkward things growing up in Mumbai. While Tulsi always adored Lila, one kiss from her changes everything. She has to come to terms with who she is and undertake a journey that few tread on. Along the way, she experiences joy and fortune, heartbreak and loss and self-discovery, finding herself over and over again as she falls deeper and deeper in love with her first love, Lila.
5. Who is your favourite character in your story and why?
My favourite character is Ohas because of how dark, twisted and complicated he is.
6. If you had to pick your favourite trope, what would it be?
Enemies to lovers
7. Would you rather read about YA for the rest of your life or write YA for the rest of your life?
Write YA.
8. Would you rather live out the stories you write or be writer of your own life?
Be the writer of my own life.
9. Would you rather write YA or NA (new adult)?
YA all the way.
10. Besides YA, do you have any other favourite genres?
My favourite genres would be NA, short story and drama.
11. Have you based any of your characters on real life people?
All characters have parts of people that I have met especially my friends and family and myself. My characters have little pieces torn from every person that I know, making them more interesting than my own friends and family (just kidding, don't kill me please).
12. What's your favourite part about writing YA stories?
My favourite part about writing YA stories is how I can draw so many of my own life experiences to write it. Having just gone through that tumultuous age and still reeling from it, it's a bitter-sweet experience capturing all of those feelings. I love when writing is drawn from personal experiences, it's more relatable, genuine and everyone can connect with the story.
13. Who are your favourite YA authors and books?
Some of my favourite YA books include The Outsiders, The Outcasts, Catcher in the Rye, Anne Frank and Persepolis. On Wattpad, The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones and any steamy novel with relatable heroines are my favourites.
14. What are some of the challenges you've faced when writing and how do you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges that I face now is managing time and updating regularly. This was comparatively easier to do in my teenage years but it is a must-have skill that everyone should master if they want to get good at writing. If only I listened to my own advice.
15. Is there any advice that you have for fellow writers who might want to start writing YA?
Write from your own experiences. It doesn't have to be an autobiographical story with real-life incidents being jotted down. By experiences, I simply mean that include those little jokes that you share with your friend while walking to school or the feelings from that first heartbreak to which you lost your naivety to. Write down those fleeting thoughts of anger and despair, hope and optimism as all of that culminates into who you are and what your story is going to be. Don't let those feelings slip away to waste because in living you discover yourself once, in writing twice.
Enjoying the interviews? Stay tuned for more coming soon!
