This is a new project I'm working on. I am interviewing writers that I'm a fan of and sharing those interviews with all of you for your enjoyment. I want to thank all of the writers who take part in this; you guys inspire me and get me writing!
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So, our first interview is with the talented BrookeJade. She's the author of Paige Tyler and the Time Keepers, Protecting Lexie, Two-faced; Everyone Has a Dark Side... and His Name's Noah.
They're all great stories and here is a peek into the mind of the girl who wrote them.
1. What made you start writing? Was there a person or experience that motivated you?
Yes I do, but it's not the sort of experience that most people would tell you about if you asked them that question, mine was really negative.
When I was in grade one, I had a teacher who I didn't really like, and one day I was in 'integrated studies', which was like a mix between science, history, geography and all these other things. We'd just started a new topic and my teacher asked me to read out the name of it, which was something like 'natural catastrophes'.
I was trying to read the word 'catastrophe' and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't do it; I kept stuttering and stumbling over the word. My teacher got annoyed at me and said, "Geez Brooke, no wonder you can't read," in front of the whole class.
I felt like I was about two centimetres tall and all I wanted to do was run out of the room and cry. I didn't, but I still felt like someone had just slapped me across the face.
Anyway, me being stubborn little me, decided then and there that I would not only be the best reader possible, I would go one step further and write. I already had the world's biggest imagination so it was just a matter of putting everything into words.
Another event that sort of motivated me to write Paige Tyler and the Time Keepers is a response I got on the first chapter through a Yahoo question. My question was, 'What should I name my story?' Here 's what this person replied...
Paige Tyler Meets Teeny Bopper Fanficition, Yay!
I think that is the most fitting title. Go read some Ernest Hemingway. Stories that are wrote like fanfictions don't, well, shouldn't (Twilight snuck by, unfortunately) sell on the market. Your story is also rather unoriginal sounding, cliche, and it is possible to describe things in too much detail. People want action. They don't give a damn what color your protagonist's eyes are, or how she styled her hair. You can hint at it, but going and describing appearences is a waste of time and will lose readers every time.
Example:
"Layla had gorgeous emerald colored eyes, and waist length black hair..." <-Boring
"Emerald eyes met her reflection in the mirror as she traced the scar down her cheek because blahblah..." <- Interesting, story is moving forward, character development is happening. People fall in love with a character's personality. Not their appearance.
Yeah it sucked, but I got over it.
I know that some people are probably going to say stuff like 'whatever, she's just doing that for attention' and all that but the truth is, I'm not, and I probably wouldn't be writing today if that hadn't have happened.
2. You're still very young but your stories are well-written and engaging. What aspects of your life do you think make the biggest impact on your writing?