Interviewing The Wattpad Angels

Interview with @TheOrangutan

@TheOrangutan is the author of 'A Gift in the Dark' and is one of the most helpful ambassadors I have seen on Wattpad. The guy has never lost his temper, even while dealing with the worst of trolls lol! And he is the go-to guy for all Wattpad problems (he is always available). *whispers* also according to the Wattpad terms he is prehistoric (as said by the man himself). Sorry Gav >-< I just had to add that lol! *runs away*.

Enjoy!

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1. What do they call you?

A. Usually folk call me Gav, sometimes if they're being formal they add an 'in' on the end.

2. For how long have you been writing?

A. I've only been writing with any degree of seriousness for about four years, although I used to do a daft office magazine that usually got me in trouble rather than doing anything constructive as it tended towards the satirical and cynical.

3. Which part of writing a story, do you enjoy the most? (Creating characters, the plot and the subplots, the beginning/ending or the middle)

A. I love the ideas phase, the initial puzzlement of working out how to make the idea into a story. Mind you, I just love writing, so it's all good.

4. Have you faced any embarrassing moments, in terms of writing?

A. I managed to introduce some Vikings several hundred years early in an Historical Fiction story I was doing once, that was pretty daft. Thankfully an intelligent reader with a good knowledge of history corrected me before.

5. Which is your favorite color? Have you made any reference to it in your story/stories?

A. I suspect I tend toward the darker end of the colour spectrum which is often reflected in the style of writing that I favour as many of my shorter works seem to be quite dark in nature.

6. Out of the stories you have written on Wattpad, which is the most memorable one?

A. For me, I think my most memorable one is A Gift in the Dark which is a short story. It's one of the first ones I ever wrote and has won me a few literary mentions, the best one being an Honourable Mention on The Writers of the Future website which is where many authors like Neil Gaiman, Anne MacCaffery and others started.

(you can check out 'A Gift in the Dark' by clicking on the external link !)

7. Are you planning on publishing soon?

A. I am published. I have a collection of short stories out and about and have had several shorts appear in various magazines and on a few websites.

8. Which is your favorite book/series on Wattpad?

A. I don't have one, I have many =]

9. What kind of help do you provide - critiques, free advice or editing?

A. Help wise, I guess I'm just an Ambassador. If people ask me a question I reply as best I can, but I don't really do critiques as people don't tend to like honesty.

10. Which author do you idolize (off Wattpad)?

A. Off wattpad I have quite a few authors I love to read. Pratchett and Gaiman are my favourites, but I also love Larry Niven, Christopher Brookmyre, Douglas Adams, Tom Holt, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Bernard Cornwell and many more. Can't beat a good book.

11. If you were a newbie, which part of the story would you focus on most?

A. Editing is the important bit. It doesn't matter if you've written the best story in the world, if you've not even managed to spell the title right then people will go and read something else. Edit, edit and edit again. Then come back and edit some more...

12. Which is your favorite character (off Wattpad) ?

A. The Librarian of the Unseen University, made famous by Terry Pratchett in his Discworld series. Gotta love an Orangutan.

13. If you were given a choice to become one character (of your story posted on Wattpad) which one would you be and why?

A. I think my favourite character is probably Sir Percival in Merlin's Gold. He's tough but fair, a bonny fighter but is well aware of his flaws. He's imperfect but strives to do the best he can for his friends and his king.

14. Do you prefer dark romance or the usual?

 A. I'm not really much of a romance reader to be honest, but dark is always good.

15. Where do you look for your inspiration?

A. Anywhere and everywhere. Anything can inspire you to write something, whether it be a line from a song, a view from the bus or simply something that's popped into your head from a long forgotten memory. I don't really look for it as such.

16. What’s your favorite TV show?

A. Qi - it's a British satirical quiz show hosted by the wonderful Stephen Fry who is just genius.

17. Do you prefer more reads, votes or comments?

A. All are good, but feedback in the form of comments is always good.

18. Imagine the world is collapsing around you, what would you choose to save – technology or books?

A. Neither, family first.

19. What is the best advice you have given and received?

A. Received - measure twice, cut once. Given - who knows, advice is only good if the person who receives it thinks it's useful.

20. Any extra tips for our young writers?

A. Write more. The more you do, the better you'll get. Read more, the more you read, the more you'll understand. You cannot write unless you read.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this interview !