"ᴱᵛᵉʳʸ ˢᵉᶜʳᵉᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵃ ʷʳⁱᵗᵉʳ'ˢ ˢᵒᵘˡ, ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ ᵉˣᵖᵉʳⁱᵉⁿᶜᵉ ᵒᶠ ʰⁱˢ ˡⁱᶠᵉ, ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ qᵘᵃˡⁱᵗʸ ᵒᶠ ʰⁱˢ ᵐⁱⁿᵈ, ⁱˢ ʷʳⁱᵗᵗᵉⁿ ˡᵃʳᵍᵉ ⁱⁿ ʰⁱˢ ʷᵒʳᵏˢ."
Welcome to our lair, where you'll find interviews with the amazing winners of The Orca Awards! Get inspire by the authors o...
Hey guys!!! Here's our Interview with Emily_Maxin whose book Moonchild has won Second place under Fanfiction!!
Read on to know about this blooming writer and important tips! <3
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Who or what inspires and motivates you to write?
I think the books and people surrounding me in WP inspired me to write. I've been here for 4 years and I haven't really published anything.
I also had determination to make this fanfic because when I first tried looking for Khun fanfics there wasn't a lot of it. I had drafted out my OC so after the first few episodes of the anime, I looked at my work and said 'Okay, let me try to do it.'
What genre do you love to read/write the most and why?
This is the platform wherein I read a lot of fanfiction. I've written a couple of fanfics back then but unpublished it. But I do have a lot of original concepts. Most of them are fantasy and adventure. As I grew up, I started leaning towards the dystopian genre.
Which character in your book closely fits your personality?
I think I can relate to my OC, Variiya, the most. Every time I make an OC, it's a mix of my personality and characteristics with the aspects I want to be. For example, the mindsets and philosophies of Variiya regarding bonds and trust are mine. In terms of personality, it's the immaturity and I guess her diplomacy and forgiving nature.
What is your strongest point in writing? What advice would you like to give fellow writers struggling in that category?
Hmm, I think my strongest point in writing is the pre-stage of it: planning. I have make a timeline to map out where I want the story to go. I have a lot of notes on my phone and documents in computer and I jot down what comes in my head every chance I got so I won't lose it.
Maybe another strong point is my motivation to write. I finished Moon Child in a month, and the second book, Fallen Star in a month and a half. I now know how Hamilton feels like when he writes like he's running out of time.
I think it's really important to incorporate relevant themes and morals for your reader to reflect on along with your characters. You could be subtle when writing a recurring theme, for me I think that's a big aspect to make a story stand out.
That's my advice for writers here. Every time you have an idea, write it down. You can get inspirations everywhere, from songs and places, to store names and some stupidly funny thing your friend said. Having all of these planned out really helped me to complete what I have so far in the Moon Child Series.
What's something you look for in a story?
Since I really love adventure, fantasy, I look forward to how the writer will describe all the otherworldly elements. I really love plot twists so I applaud writers who take me by surprise in the right way, like when they make that plot twist when I least expected it but I knew it was coming.
Something I look out for when reading are the cliches (sometimes I want to laugh at it and I realized I still do the same hahaha) because it's very interesting how the writer can innovate and transform a simple and common idea and tell it in a unique way.
Do you have insecurities about your story? if yes, how do you deal with them?
Yes, I do have insecurities with my writing. I really want to cater to audiences who are fans of Tower of God, and those who really don't know about it (who knows? Maybe I'll get then to read/watch ToG XD) but sometimes I feel like if I do so, I might bore those who are already in the fandom because I'm still writing in detail.
I deal with this by trying to make my writing more concise and straight to the point. I only add vivid descriptions when necessary and hope that my readers will still continue reading.
What is something you have improved in your writing over time?
I still remember when I first started writing, my entire story was written in an entire paragraph and the only dialogue tag I knew of was 'said' XD
As I've grown, I've expanded my vocabulary and fixed my grammar and mechanics. I think I've really improved when it comes to showing and not telling. But the biggest improvement for me was when I embedded symbolisms, themes, and philosophies in the story. I have inserted not only the things I've learned in English, but as well what I've learned in other subjects (except for math and science... we don't go there hahaha). I've explored genres, writing styles, opinions, and perspectives and learned how to step out of my comfort zone.
I have always been so scared to share my work, but I'm glad I took the risk to publish this story ＼(≧▽≦)／
Conclusion: It has been lovely to take your interview! Glad to see you learn so much. Best of luck and keep shining!
