Aspire Magazine - May 2020 - Team of Dreams Anniversary Edition

Interview

Good day, dreamers! We're back with another interview. This month's theme is all about blossoming, so we've had the pleasure of interviewing a user who was here last year for TDA. We're happy to have had the chance to interview wildwolf708.

ToD: Last year, you participated in our contest, can you tell everyone which works you entered?

Rene: Let's see. I entered the first "Dream Awards" with my poetry collection "Images On Paper". It was the entire book and it was really fun. I also entered one of the 2020 Pass The Poetry third week (week of Jan 17Th) and tied for first place with my Poem "Waltz Of The New Queen". That poem is now in my collection "Fairies & Tails". Both contests were amazingly fun!

ToD: Your poetry bit placed, how did that feel?

Rene: I felt wonderful! I had never thought I would place let alone get second! (first for Pass The Poetry). It was a very nice surprise to see that people truly enjoyed what they were receiving and reading of mine. I've never been one to really care what I got in a contest online, but this one was extremely exciting for me.

ToD: Our theme for May is to blossom, how do you think you've blossomed? Specifically with writing.

Rene: I think I've "Blossomed" most though my mindset here on Wattpad. Before I loved to write just for me, then it became about how many reads I was getting when I joined Wattpad. But I quickly found that it doesn't matter. Even if I find a few people who really truly enjoy my writing, that's amazing, but I've started to write at my own pace and for me again. And it's much more relaxing when I do it just for myself.

ToD: Would you say that you're growing every day?

Rene: Absolutely! Even though I may not grow as fast as others or even as fast as I would want, I still grow every day. It's almost impossible to not grow every day, in your own personal ways, with others, through knowledge, and it's a bit reassuring to know that I will never want to stop growing and learning more.

ToD: How do you interpret blossoming or any type of growth?

Rene: I interpret growth as something that you can experience through gain or loss. I see blossoming as growth through your own being. It could be getting better at talking to someone or getting better at getting to know yourself and your own thoughts. Or you could grow by losing something or someone. I know from experience that not everyone you love and meet is supposed to stay in your life the entire time. So, losing can teach you how to let go easier, or not necessarily to let go but to accept what's happened while still loving someone or something wholly. I hope that makes sense.

ToD: Do you have a character who you think has blossomed well? I.e. character development, matured, etc.

Rene: I have many characters who have. Are they all written out into stories? HAHA! NO! But I am working on two stories at the moment where the characters grow immensely. Especially Rachel. She's not my first MC, nor will she be my last, but so far her planned out growth through the story will definitely be my favorite.

ToD: What's a scene in your work(s) that features blossoming?

Rene: One that really stands out to me is where one of them breaks through her hard outer shell to trust someone again. This was really hard for her seeing as she'd been stabbed in the back by a few people she truly loved and thought she was able to trust.

ToD: What does that scene mean to you? Does it reflect you and a real-life situation?

Rene: Those are some good questions. To the first one, it means a lot to me since it was a scene I had written out when I felt I couldn't trust anyone at the time. It was my way of trying to convince myself that it was okay to trust people again. A way for me to get out whatever pint up feeling I had through my pen instead of my fists. It was my way of telling myself that there had to be someone, even if not many people, out in the world that I could trust on a personal level.

ToD: From last year until now, how has your writing progressed, blossomed, changed?

Rene: Another good question, one that I will try to explain as best as I can. When I started writing on this site, I started out very uneven in my writing and my feelings for the stories. I wanted to write as well as the best authors I'd read from. And when I didn't know how to write something out, I'd give up way too soon and move onto a new and different idea. You could only imagine how frustrating this was! It wasn't until I finally kept pushing myself to finish a single story that I started feeling for my stories, my scenes, and my character. So I would say that it's changed and blossomed in the fact that I truly feel connected to it now. It's no longer something I can give up on so easily. Even if I find something hard to write, I've no longer given up on it entirely. Has it taken me months to get back to writing something? Yes, but I've never fully given up on something entirely since then.

ToD: Is there any advice you can give to new and old writers?

Rene: Probably everything I've written out so far. I'd say that you should write whatever the hell you want, but don't ever give up on something old! Even if it's a scene that you never feel like you'll use, save it. You'll probably want to use it in a future work(s). Don't let people tell you how, when, or why you should write. If you write for yourself, do it! If you write for others, DO IT! Just make sure it's not hurting you in any way, and I won't have to hunt you down and fight you! That's about it. Just do what you want.

Well, there you have it, folks. Be sure to visit Rene's profile: wildwolf708. Don't be afraid to check out her poetry books and truly connect with her as a writer!

Sky

Team Of Dreams