Interviews with Undiscovered Original Fiction Writers

Interview with @cravinq-rain

Interview with @cravinq-rain

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What is your username?

A. cravinq-rain

When did you join Wattpad? And for how long have you been writing (in general)?

A. Um, so, this is actually my second account on Wattpad. I started my old account in 2011, and this account, I started in September of last year. However, I’ve been writing for quite awhile, maybe when I was 6 or 7, and we had these warm-up activities in the morning for classes. It’s kind of a funny story actually, since I used to hate writing.

What can you tell us about the current story you’re working on? Tell us a little about the plot and the characters in it?

A. I’m currently working on two stories, but my main focus is my Fantasy/Hist. Fic called Dark Crown. I’m not even going to bother and give you the commercial spiel that I give everyone else, because that sounds slightly fake, since even I have no idea what I’m writing.

But basically, it’s about Princess Skylet, the third-born princess of the queendom of Aurastralia (yes, Aurastralia, not Australia), and she’s sort of stubborn, fierce, and extremely reckless. She’s also the Crown Heiress, which means that she’s the one who will inherit the throne at the age of 18.

But she might not even be able to inherit the throne to the queendom, since Aurastralia – a rather small country surrounded on all sides by larger kingdoms that would love to possess it – has been facing great external pressure from Estia to the east, and Gedonia to the west. And right before her 17th birthday, she – well, I don’t want to give away the big twist, since I’m rather proud of it – but anyway, right before her 17th birthday, yet another enemy reveals itself – Maevr, the technologically advanced and mysterious country down toward the south. It’s never shown much interest in Aurastralia before, until that fateful day, and Skylet starts to figure out that politics isn’t ever easy or safe.

There are also two other characters, but the only other MC is Talon, a tavern boy in the capital of Astra who loves to head to the local temple and read up on subjects like history and medicine and whatever he can lay his hands on. He’s sort of introverted, but then again, not quite. He’s calm, sort of rational, and he can be brave.

Why do you think the readers should read your story (mention the factors which will be appealing to the readers)?

A. Um, well, to be honest, I don’t know. It depends greatly on the readers’ preference of genres, story types, and characters. So I can’t guarantee that you won’t be disappointed, or that you might like it – I can just guarantee that I’m a literate and descriptive writer. Dark Crown is also a story filled with intrigue, romance, adventure, action, and many, many plot twists (as my current readers will tell you :D).

The summary I gave above doesn’t sound too great, I know. But I can promise that Dark Crown is far from too typical. I always try to make my characters and my storyline as original as possible.

Which is your favorite character, in the current story you are working on?

Well, that’s actually really difficult. But Chance or Talon would be my favorite characters to write. I didn’t introduce Chance above, but he’s Skylet’s best friend-slash-assassin. I can’t say anymore without giving anything away. But he’s such a fun character to write, and the dynamic of his relationship with Skylet is pretty dang cute, if I may say so myself. (If I had to give him an equivalent, he’d be the bad boy. But I’m not one to typecast. He’s got his own quirks, trust me.)

How many stories have you posted on Wattpad (excluding short stories)?

A. I’ve written some really short stories for a writing contest, so including those, about 6 or 7. But mainly, I try to focus my efforts on finishing the stories I’ve already started to write, since I have commitment issues.

Can you tell us about your other stories, any two other stories that you are working on?

A. So, Persephone Incarnate is my completed story – I’m pretty proud of that. I started working on it during November for Nanowrimo, and I was able to receive two hardcover copies of it from Lulu because of that, so that was pretty cool. This is an original fiction with Greek mythology elements in it, and it revolves around Morgan and Sophie, who are reincarnations of Persephone and Hades. Basically, it’s sort of a modern retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades.

The other story I’m working on is called The Toy Wars, and this one is truly modern, it’s got no fantasy elements in it or anything. It’s about Allie Krishner, a 16-year-old abused teenager. I’ve always wanted to write an abuse story and show another side to abuse – not a happy, Stockholm Syndrome kind of side, but not necessarily the darkest side either. I wanted to show that there can be a way to get through physical and verbal abuse, even if it’s difficult. I want to show that not all abusive parents are demons or alcoholics. This is a side that mainly remains unexplored, but it’s the story of one of my friends, and I’m sure, quite a few people out there.

Do you offer critiques to other users? If you have offered a critique, mention that story?

A. Yes, I do offer critiques! I actually have a post in the Find a Critic thread! I’ve done at least 10 stories over the last month, but a few memorable ones stick with me:

- Not That Familiar by @iTeacup (I quite love this)

- Porcelain Elephant by @smaartist (I found this through my book club)

- A Robbery Gone Right by @yufannx

- Hot Night For Zombie by @Suorie

Do you write for yourself or for the readers?

A. Both, and I won’t deny that I am selfish. I write and post it on Wattpad in the hopes that I will get people to the read it, but depending on what my readers want (or how best to torture them, xD), I will write the next chapter based on that. I’m really a ‘wing-it’ sort of girl when it comes to writing stories. I don’t plan anything.

Describe yourself in ten words.

A. That’s hard. How can I actually do this without sounding conceited? I don’t even think I can come up with ten adjectives. But let me try. - friendly - homely - quiet - reckless - dense - socially awkward - rulebreaker - curious - intelligent (somewhat) - kind (possibly)

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