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This interview was conducted with eclumbra on 06/24/18. She places third among the top three ranking writers. She is also currently a Gold Rank writer, and her favorite Pokémon is Espeon.
Q: First, can you tell me a little about how you came onto Wattpad? How did you discover the Pokémon community here?
A: I first joined Wattpad when I was around thirteen. A lot of my friends were writing fanfics on here, but I didn't start writing anything myself for a long time. My first fanfic was actually a Star Wars one, which I honestly try to forget about given how awful it was! I initially discovered the Pokémon community here around the same time I started writing my own fanfics, and the Pokémon Watties definitely helped me to get into the community.
Q: Oh! Have you entered into the Pokémon Watties?
A: I've been meaning to for years, but I've honestly never gotten around to writing anything. However, I'm hoping I'll enter this year with something I'm in the process of outlining.
Q: That sounds very exciting! I'm sure many are looking forward to seeing its release. If you would like to, could you give a little sneak peek at what this potential novel is about?
A: Without giving away too much, it's about a girl who is framed for the murder of her parents and makes it her goal to find who really did it whilst going on the run from the police.
Q: Sounds like an action novel fit for the adventure or miscellaneous category; I'm hopeful for its successful publication!
While we're on the topic of your fanfiction, can you describe your outlining process? What do you go about doing to draft the first chapters of a potential novel?
A: Ah, thank you very much! When I outline, I like to use the three-act structure. Like the name suggests, it divides the book up into three acts and within each of those acts, there are three sections that make up the chapters. Overall, it makes up a twenty-seven chapter book. In Act I, the initial conflict is introduced, in Act II the conflict worsens, and in Act III the conflict peaks, before being resolved.
What I like about using it is how it can adapt to the needs of the book, as it doesn't have to be followed exactly for it to work. For instance, the fanfic I'm currently outlining doesn't have all of the twenty-seven chapters, as some of them have been merged together to help the book flow better.
But before I even consider outlining, I make sure that all of the characters are fully developed so their actions are consistent throughout the book. I also make sure to write some scenes from the book to help me to better understand the characters, even if I don't end up using those scenes in the end.
Q: You seem like a very experienced writer who enjoys writing a lot! What was writing to you when you first began? Is it just a hobby now or a possible career choice?
A: I started writing in school, and I always remember enjoying it a lot! One of my happiest memories of being younger was when a piece of writing I did when I was around seven won a weekly award my school used to give out for good work. I also liked to write short stories for homework whenever I could, which definitely helped to make me more passionate about writing. I've definitely considered writing as a potential career choice, but as of now, I'm not sure whether I want to become an author or go into journalism.
Q: There's a beginning for everything! It's nice knowing that you have a desire pursue something you're interested in! On that note, how did Pokémon enter your writing world? What inspires the ideas you have for works?
A: I think I first started getting into writing Pokémon fanfiction when Pokémon X came out! I remember going through the game and absolutely loving it. I think that it really helped to inspire me, and I started to write fanfics properly around then. Songs are another huge inspiration for me, and I tend to get a lot of my ideas when I'm in a car and can just focus on the music.
Q: That's really cool! I know songs, movies, and other novels are among most writers' biggest inspirations.
In writing, what kinds of characters do you write best? What kinds of characters do you struggle with?
A: I think I'm best at writing emotional characters, as I've always found it easy to write about emotions and how they impact the plot. However, I've always struggled with writing antagonists and villains. I find it really hard to make them realistic a lot of the time, and I struggle with making sure that their motivations make sense.
Q: Ah I see; writing characters that are different from who you are as a person can definitely be tricky.
Over the years, what would you say has improved significantly in your writing?
A: I'd definitely say that I can make characters much more balanced now rather than the countless Mary Sues I used to write!
Q: That's definitely another struggle, yep. Writing Mary Sues/Gary Sues is an easy trap to fall in! Since you're now writing more balanced and realistic characters, have you ever incorporated something from your real-life into your books? If so, can you elaborate on it?
A: I think all writers have probably included something from their real life into their books at some point. For me, I get quite anxious a lot of the time and I'm easily stressed out. Because of that, I find it very easy to write about characters who have anxiety, and I feel like I can write about it quite accurately as well.
Q: Oh, I see. Does writing act as an outlet for you? How do you keep yourself motivated to write at times when you don't want to?
A: Yes, I would definitely consider writing to be an outlet. I keep motivated to write by telling myself that writing is worth it in the long run, no matter how much it's annoyingly me at the time. However, I don't really struggle with not wanting to write very often!
Q: Oh wow! So do you often have several works to resume to, or is just one work that you're focusing all your writing energy on?
A: I have lots of works on the go at the minute actually! I tend to work on lots of them at the same time, but I invest most of my time into one.
Q: That's sheer dedication! In that case, if you could give one piece of advice to your younger self or any aspiring beginner writer, what would it be?
A: The best advice I think I could give a new writer would be to avoid info dumping! A lot of writers tend to "dump" a lot of information about aspects of the plot, such as a character's backstory, how a certain ability or magic works or the rules of a world. It's a form of telling instead of showing and makes reading incredibly boring. You can avoid info dumping by showing instead of telling, and by showing how abilities and magic work.
Q: Ah I see. Well, aside from writing, do you read a lot on this site as well? Is there a particular novel you would recommend?
A: Definitely! I read as much as I can, and I'd recommend Heart of Steel by for the amazing character development.
Q: I've definitely heard about that novel ;)
Last question as we wrap up: what is your favorite PWL entry that you've written?
A: Oh, probably Ephialtes! I spent the most time on it, and I definitely put the most effort into it. I feel like my descriptions had improved a lot while I was writing it as well!
Q: Ah, it definitely served as a great read. Well, that's just about all the questions we had! Thank you so much for taking your time to answer!
