Dead Mag

2. A RENDEZVOUS WITH THE STARS

For our Halloween fun, we've interviewed RynAnderson , a famous Wattpad star who's amazing story Of a certain age has been in picked in the Editor's choice.

HOST | TheSamyP

1) It is difficult for an author to decide which is his favorite work but there's always one. Which of your books do you think is your best work by far?

I've written a lot of things. As far as Wattpad goes, "Of A Certain Age" is definitely my favorite, which probably seems kind of obvious. Of course, I love the storyline and I'm proud of what I did there, but I think part of the reason I like it so much is because of the positive feedback and how it resonated with people. That's one of the best parts of writing! I will say, I'm very excited for the story I'm working on currently. I'll be uploading an excerpt pretty soon, but I'll likely upload it in 3 parts instead of chapter by chapter. It's called "Her House", and it's unlike anything I've written before.

2) How did you first come across Wattpad and since when did you start actively writing in this application?

I've known what it was since middle school. However, I thought it was a site purely for fanfiction. I was looking for a place to upload my original writing online that had a decent platform (meaning people would actually see it). Waatpad kept coming up, and I was pleased to find out the site was much more tan I thought it was originally. I've been writing on here since November 2019, so almost a year.

3) What inspired you to write a utopian fantasy fiction?

I actually consider "Of A Certain Age" a dystopia. Even though Ilana's life is great on paper- I mean, she's super wealthy and can get anything she wants!- outside of her bubble, people are suffering, and they might even be put to death. I wanted to write a dystopia from the point of view of someone who's not disadvantaged, and explore whether their feelings and worldview are affected as much as someone who's on the dangerous side of things.

4) Being a Wattpad Star, how has your perspective changed?

I don't think so. I'd write just as much if I weren't a Star. I will say, the validation feels absolutely amazing! It feels great to be recognized, especially when it's something you're so passionate about. I still don't have a huge following on the platform, so maybe that has something to do with it.

5) Coming to the particular novella of yours that I simply admire, Of A Certain Age, what inspired you with the theme? Was it always at the back of your head or did it just hit you at one point?

I remember exactly where I was. I was in my dorm room planning for a movie shoot (I used to write scripts for short films!) I was 19 at the time, and really hoping the film did well at our campus movie festival. For some reason which I think is dumb now, I felt that if I didn't achieve anything "big" by the time I turned 20, I wouldn't be seen as talented anymore. I wished I could just stay 20 forever. Then I started playing with that idea- if I never aged, how would I live life? How much would I care about things? Would that be a privilege for everyone, or a certain group of people? I kind of took it from there. There was a good bit of racial and class tension on my campus too, so I took a bit of inspiration from that as well.

6) What, according to you, is your interesting writing quirk?

I don't know if this is a quirk, but I've been told I write funny dialogue. I consider myself sort of a clown, so it makes sense. I also use a lot of page breaks or time breaks. It's just hard for me to write a whole scene from start to finish. I just want to hit on the parts that develop the characters or move the plot forward, then go on to something else.

7) What do you think makes a good story?

I think good stories make you think about yourself and your place in the world. If you read a story and you're not the same person afterwards, it did its job. Even though stories are "made up" so to speak, we're all making a commentary on what it feels like to be human more or less.

8) If you don't mind me asking something a bit personal: What does you family and friends think about your writing?

No one I know personally has read my writing and known it was me. I use a pen name- it was something I started when I was writing fanfiction, and I never let go of it. I have had a few instances in high school and college when someone was reading something I wrote and telling me about it, but they had no idea I wrote it! At least the feedback was good! I feel like writing is 'mine', and something I don't have to discuss or share with anyone in my personal life. If I constantly had to talk to friends or family about it, it wouldn't feel like an outlet. A lot of them don't understand it. I love interviews like this, though!

9) What else do you like to do besides writing?

I mentioned it in a previous question, but I love film and television. My life's dream is to have one of my books adapted into a series or a movie- and I get to write the screenplay. Outside of storytelling I love to draw and paint. I also spend a lot of time with my friends, because they're hilarious and they keep me sane.

10) A question which many budding Wattpadders might have: do you write the whole book and then publish or do you write and publish simultaneously?

"Of A Certain Age" and "The Peach Pits" were written, and then I uploaded it in chunks. The rest of my stories, I uploaded chapter by chapter. It's up to the writer. I will say, people- including myself- are more likely to read a complete story because they don't want to get hooked and see that it's been abandoned. If you're going to upload chapter by chapter, I suggest having a backlog of chapters, because sometimes life happens and you get busy. What I mean by this is, you might have just uploaded Chapter 3, but you have 10 chapters complete, that way you have a little wiggle-room when it comes to uploading. Try to upload consistently, though.

11) Are any of your characters based off of people you know in real life?

Of course! I think all writers base characters off people they know, because those are the only people they've ever met. I do take aspects of people I know and put them into different characters. I don't have any one character that was 100% influenced by a person. As far as naming goes, I do sometimes throw in nods to friends or family members- even if they'll probably never see it!

12) How do you deal with negative reactions?

It depends. Some people are trolls- for what reason, I don't know. If people give constructive feedback, typically I thank them and incorporate it. It might sting in the moment, but I don't really consider that to be negative. Typically, when people give you criticism, they're correct. You have to remember, you know more about your story and have more context than they do, because it's in your head. Comments and feedback are important, because that's the only time you get to see what your story looks like from an outsider's perspective.

13) What would be your pro tip for the budding Wattpad writers?

Write, write, write. You only get better by doing. I remember things I wrote at 14 that I thought were AMAZING and now I look back, and it's awful. But the practice is necessary. You only get better by doing. I also truly believe you have to be a reader to be a good writer. Reading helps you understand how stories should flow, and what makes a good story. Of course, different things make different stories great, but there are a couple rules and commonalities across the board. I would also say, don't get discouraged if one of your works isn't getting much attention. Everyone who is living their dream in life started off feeling the same as you and if they quit, they never would have achieved anything!