The Writer Tag!

1. What type of writing do you do? 

I write fanfiction, original fiction (short stories, flash fiction and novels!) and poetry. I would love to get more short stories, flash fiction and poetry published in the future, and I’m also hoping to publish my very first novel sometime next year.

2. What genres and/or topics do you write about?

The genres I write about, when it comes to my fiction, often lean on the fantasy side. Two of my novels (“Finding The End” and “Not The Chosen One”) are definitely in the realm of fantasy, with one of them being urban fantasy. The other two novels (“Winner Takes All” and “An Engagement To Die For”) are in the mystery genre, and “An Engagement To Die For” is the sequel to “Winner Takes All!”

3. How long have you been writing?

It feels like I’ve been writing since I was very, very young. I remember writing tons of stories when I was growing up, and I started writing fanfiction in 2010, though I never posted any publicly until 2012 onwards.

4. Are you published?

Fanfiction: Technically, yes! I post fanfiction online on a fairly regular basis. You can read my works on both Fanfiction.net and Archive Of Our Own.

Please note that most of my fanfics overall are on Fanfiction.net. However, most of my fanfics from around 2018 onwards are posted on both sites (save for a couple fics that are exclusively posted to Archive Of Our Own).

Poetry: Yes! I had a poem published on The Blank Page last year, entitled “Paths.” Feel free to check it out!

Short Stories: At the time of this post being published, no. I hope this changes in the future, and I will let everyone know on all my social media and this site if that changes.

Novels: Currently, no, but I hope this will change in the next year! I have four novels in progress, and one of them is closer to potential publication than the others (I have chosen to self-publish instead of pursuing traditional publishing).

5. What was the first story you ever wrote?

I honestly wish I remembered, but I don’t. I’ve written many, many stories, and it’s hard to keep track of them all.

6. Why do you write?

I write because I have a story to tell. I like telling stories, and reading stories. Being an author has been a huge dream of mine, and in a way, it has come true (*cue me pointing to the poem I had published last year on top of my fanfiction here*). I have so many stories I want to tell and write and share with as many people as I can, and I hope that what I put out into the world will give people something enjoyable to read.

7. How do you find time to write?

I’ve discussed this in my April Camp NaNoWriMo post before, but I usually write in the mornings and/or afternoons. However, sometimes I’ll write in the evening if I don’t have enough time during the morning/afternoon, and if I’m not too tired by the day’s events as is.

8. When and where are the best times to write?

I typically write the most in the mornings/afternoons, especially if it’s the early morning. I find that I’m the most productive and focused when writing during that time.

9. Favorite food/drinks while writing?

I typically drink water and/or coffee while writing, and I usually don’t eat while writing. In between writing sessions, however, I’ll have a quick snack—usually some crackers or cookies, or fruit.

10. Your writing playlist?

It depends on what I’m writing. If I’m feeling the vibes of a certain song while writing, I’ll just play it on loop. If not, I’ll just listen to playlists of videogame music or random Youtube videos. I need a little bit of background noise to keep me writing, whether it’s music, spoken dialogue, or Let’s Plays.

Speaking of playlists, I am working on associated playlists for two of my novels right now. When I get closer to the publishing stages for them, I may release the playlists in advance…

11. What do family/friends/loved ones think of you writing?

I must confess: I haven’t actually shown my writing to a lot of my family/friends/loved ones, mainly because I want to surprise them when I do have actual writing published. Some are aware that I write fanfiction, and others aren’t. I think the general, overall thought process they have about my writing is of a supportive nature, and I appreciate that a lot.

12. Parts of writing you enjoy the most?

Actually writing!

Okay, just joking. Obviously I enjoy the act of writing itself.  What I actually like most about the writing is character development. I love writing characters grow and learn new things about themselves and others throughout the story. I also enjoy worldbuilding and plot twists.

13. Parts of writing you find challenging?

Trying to edit everything after writing it so it makes sense for the reader. It’s a nightmare to find out you wrote many spelling mistakes for characters’ names, changed the last name of one character halfway through the book, and realizing that the physical capability of various events that happen in your book is impossible unless it’s fantasy (and in this case, it was not a fantasy novel).

14.What do you write with and on?

I mainly write on my laptop. For those wondering what software I use to for writing, I just use Microsoft Word. I have considered experimenting with other writing software out there, like Scrivener for example, but Microsoft Word is the one I’m most comfortable with.

If I can’t access a computer, I will write in a notebook. I always keep one handy when I can, so I can write down any sudden ideas that come to mind.

15. How do you overcome writer’s block?

If I get writer’s block on a project, I immediately switch to working on a different project. It’s nice because it keeps the creative flow going in some ways, but it can also be bad if you start multiple fanfics at once and then never finish them. The same thing goes for novels, short stories and poetry. If I can’t finish the fanfics, the least I can do is try to finish everything else!

16. How do you motivate yourself to write?

I think of the overall end result and how cool it would be to have that book I’m writing finally finished. Having a story that I can share with others can be such an amazing thing, but I can’t share it unless I finish it, right? I think that drive keeps me motivated to write more and more.

17. Authors who inspire you as a writer?

Fujino Omori, Mizuki Nomura, Satoshi Wagahara, Ranata Suzuki, and many others. I would list them all here if I could, but that would take a very long time, to the point that I would never finish this tag.

18. Books that inspire you as a writer?

I admit this question is hard for me to answer, because there aren’t any specific books for writers I draw massive amounts of inspiration from. This also made me realize, at the time of writing this post, that I haven’t actually read a lot of books about writing itself.

However, I can list a few that I have read throughout the years. I hope they’re as helpful to you as they are for me!

• “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott
• “The Daily Reader” by Fred White
• “Coffee Break Writing” by John Gillard

19. Best advice you’ve gotten as a writer?

No matter how many rejections I get from literary magazines and peers alike, never stop writing.

It can be so easy to give up on writing after getting countless rejections from literary magazines, lots of criticism from fellow writing peers and mentor figures you looked up to, as well as maybe getting some bad reviews on your fanfics or a lack of engagement with your writing. I’ve been through many times where I wondered if I wanted to continue being a writer or give up entirely. Writing, itself, is a hard job. There are many authors of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. out there that you have to compete with, and the vast majority of us won’t be as popular as, say, Rupi Kaur or Stephen King because of that.

For those in this situation of self-doubt about your writing, but you’re super-passionate about it and it’s something you enjoy and want to pursue, I think you should keep writing. Take some writing courses and workshops to improve your craft. Consult with fellow writing peers and communities (likely online, given the current circumstances of the pandemic, but it’s still better than none). Write, edit, revise, and repeat. I don’t know the complete estimates, but I bet there will be at least a hundred rejections for every acceptance.

20. Writing goals this year?