Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #1 (1 of 3)

A showcase with @TheImperfectLife, author of Overwritten

1 what inspired the idea of your story?

Alright, here's a question I get a lot. Often, people will ask me if I was inspired by 'Matched' or a variety of other books. But, in reality, I'd never heard of those books when I first conceived the idea 4 years ago. I was actually in a world history class, learning about the population. For me, it sparked an idea if the population continued to grow as it's showing it is. What would happen? I did a bunch of research into overpopulation, real-life consequences of overpopulation, and how to implement them into my story. I wanted to present not just the typical teen based dystopian society with evil government, but explore why.

2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story?

Honestly, there are a few things. For one, there's been my (extremely poor) update schedule. However, I've been doing daily updates which has been great for everyone! Another major struggle was keeping everything on track. I'm someone who easily gets sidetracked, and as Overwritten has a fairly complicated plotline, I was forced to really dive deep. I drew up work schedules for even the most minor of characters in order for everything to come across smoothly. Of course, there's some hiccups in spelling and grammar (which I always manage to miss no matter how many times I edit). But definitely trying to keep on track has been my main struggle

3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

The absolute best! My readers, are the absolute world to me. Reading comments just minutes after a post a chapter, chatting with them; it's the highlight of my day! I receive such incredible comments and private messages. People picking up on small details I hid, eager for a new update. It truly means everything to me that people are enjoying a story, and interacting with them is absolutely golden. I've never received any hate (shockingly) and my story has received some welcome constructive criticism which I always take on board. Honestly, the readers probably mean more to me than the book does at this point.

4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers?

The plot twists are my favorite. Seeing readers react in just the way I hoped. I also love writing my darling, Scott. Characters are super important, and so when I get to make readers hate or fall in love with certain characters, that's when I really shine. But I suppose my favorite part isn't writing, it's getting to interact with my readers.

5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series ?

At the moment, it is a stand-alone novel, however, there will most likely be a sequel. I refuse to do a trilogy as there are so many YA dystopian trilogies, even if it made sense, I couldn't do one out of pure spite.

6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?

That's there's so much more than what meets the eye. That behind words, there are hidden meanings, that characters aren't one-sided and should be as real as any other person. But, that it's normal to assume. What assumptions are why we read and write because that's what draws the readers in. In reality, I just want my readers to come away from my story feeling inspired.

7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?

I have 2 pieces of advice; the first, don't write something because you want readers. Yes, readers are my favorite part, but they wouldn't be here if I hadn't written it purely for my sake first. It sounds cliche, but it's the truth. You need to write because it's a story your passionate about; write things that make you want to write.

But in terms of ACTUAL writing, focus on character. Blah blah world building is great, but stories aren't stories without characters. That's what I focused on, building up characters into people that felt real. It's gotten to a point where I don't even need to focus on writing, the words just flow as if the characters are writing themselves. It makes the whole process so fantastic.

8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?

Yes, but so does every character. Again, linking back to my character focus, I wanted to make them as real as possible; this involves drawing from myself. But it's also important to take flaws as well. I took my extreme emotions and cast them through Rebecca, my petty nature through Scott, and so much more. It wasn't just for me, but it's about taking things and making them real. So yes, but there's a part of me in every character.

9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?

I believe my unique characters and storyline is definitely what draws readers in. I take cliches and turn them around to make them exciting. I find that I try and keep as much excitement as possible, so there's very little moments of bore.

10 do you have any future projects?

Yes! Either I'll be working on the sequel for Overwritten titled Rewritten, OR working on a new novel concept of mine called Wake Up Eliza which is more mature in content. But, first, my top priority is getting Overwritten published.