This June, we are giving the mic to GraveyardSiren, an extremely prolific writer with 80 stories in not just horror and paranormal, but fantasy, sci-fi, and historical as well. He writes in numerous mediums, and often injects his own experiences into his characters.
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What draws you to the paranormal genre?
I've always found the mystery around the genre to be fascinating as there's always new ways to explore paranormal creatures and their lore; it's that sort of mindset that keeps me writing paranormal stories one right after another.
What was the first paranormal story you read or watched, and has it inspired any of your works?
One of the first paranormal tales I was ever introduced to was Ghostbusters. It showed me that you can tell a paranormal tale with humor and science still involved. It inspired me to think about how fantasy and science, magic and logic, can coexist, and how in these stories, science can explain the paranormal. Another early story like that for me was Life is Strange, with the little spirit subplot. The tale there made me think of beings like ghosts as being more than something to spook the reader. There were and are still people with their own goals and aspirations. It made me feel the need to convey that in my stories.
What paranormal trope do you secretly love—even if readers roll their eyes?
Though it's not as common as many other tropes, I personally love the idea of a 'good demon' and 'evil angel' in paranormal settings because it's the exact opposite of how a lot of previous tales establish that sort of thing.
What's your process for worldbuilding in the paranormal realm? Where does logic meet lore in your work?
I really like to take each creature I can think of and figure out what connection science can have. Some come from alternate realities and are cursed to walk among humans. I make sure I have a layout for how I want to write each thing and go from there, building on lore as I please.
What's the most "serious" research rabbit hole you fell into while writing?
The most serious research I've done for these sorts of things was usually into mythology and reading everything I could just to make sure my stories would be able to flow alongside it.
Ever finished a draft and thought, "This is either genius or a disaster. I'll let the readers decide"?
I've had a few drafts that I've thought about. Sometimes I hold back right before posting them and put them forever in the drafts preemptively, or I just put it out there and wait to see how it's perceived. It's always a gamble when you're adding in new lore to creatures people already know.
What's your writing process like? Plotter, pantser, somewhere in between?
To be honest, my writing process is usually a mess. It depends book-to-book how that goes. Sometimes I'll just sit down and try to figure it out as I go, other times I'll draft up each point on another document. Or I'll leave myself incredibly vague or cryptic notes about how I want it to go and possibly change it later. I might start at the beginning and just write, or I skip ahead and write different sections. I've even on occasion started at the end and slowly wrote my way backwards.
Do you believe in real-life paranormal experiences?
Personally, it really depends. There's creatures and stories that I don't really believe in, but I do think spirits are real—regardless of whether they're human or animal. It's like an impression left on the world after death.
Which supernatural creature would you most want to meet in real life – and why?
I don't think I'd be picky when it came to something like that. I'd be good as long as we can get along fine. Vampire, demon, ghost... It doesn't really matter to me. Though, I will say I wouldn't want to run in to a werewolf... Some of their tales can be quite... dark. And I'd never want to run in to a wendigo either. No thank you!
What's the biggest challenge when writing supernatural elements?
I think one of the biggest challenges when it comes to writing supernatural elements is figuring out how to build upon what other people have done and make it your own. There's predefined mythology about each creature and how they function, and the interesting part is how you shift that into something new that flows well with said preexisting lore.
Many of your stories feature queer main characters. Do you find that queer stories thrive in more fringe genres like paranormal and horror?
I'm a personal believer that queer stories can thrive anywhere as long as you can find a way to utilize them. I've had queer stories told in historical settings and in dystopian ones as well. With my works, being queer is never the main plot; it's never focused on like it's some sort of big deal. It's normalized. When you have characters flowing into that, casually, I think you can very well put them in any sort of genre or setting, including horror and paranormal.
How conscious are you of stereotypes and tropes when you are writing?
I make sure to avoid any sort of stereotype and am always on the lookout for that sort of thing. Though, to be honest, I don't often actually think about story tropes when I work... I just write.
What's one fun or random fact about you that might surprise readers?
A lot of my paranormal or horror stories have some inspiration from my dreams. Some of the most interesting ideas I've been drafting came from nightmares. While the sleeping mind has come up with some, so has the awake mind. Schizophrenia is something I've had to live with and grow up with; and the reality that it creates can be terrifying but can also be a source of inspiration for me.
What other Wattpad authors or books in the genre do you admire?
I do enjoy OwlieCat's works quite a bit and have been reading them for years. I also love the stories made by VICENTE-CASTANEDA. Those stories really push the boundaries of all things dark and take them to a new level I usually never get to see in literature.
Any upcoming projects you want to tease?
I've been working on an idea involving demons and vampires, though it's still pretty early in the drafting process, so I can't give much. Unrelated to the paranormal genre though, I have also been drafting a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story dealing with some of things that sort of genre doesn't want to brush on. That's one I'll be excited to share when it's ready.
Thank you again GraveyardSiren for agreeing to this special interview. It's been wonderful learning about what inspires the lore in your stories. Everyone else, be sure to check out his work!
