Coffee Talks

With CC

We've interviewed CC, who is known as ccstarfield on Wattpad. CC is a Wattpad Star and Wattys Shorts winner of 2020 with their short story This Was a Home Once.

So, let's get to know more about CC and their writing journey!

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Welcome to the interview, CC!

So, to begin, tell us a little bit about yourself as an author on Wattpad. For anyone who hasn't met you before, how would you describe your fiction?

I just had my three-year Wattiversary in March, and it's been an eventful three years. My short story This Was a Home Once won the Wattys Shorts last year; it's a sad, introspective story about divorce and asexual angst that isn't exactly my normal brand. I usually write flawed, fabulous queer people chasing their happy endings. My stories vary from light-hearted romance to bittersweet coming-of-age tales and my main characters are often the small people, the sidekicks and best friends and villains, all the people who aren't usually in the spotlight. And nothing makes me happier than sending readers on a rollercoaster of emotions that hopefully leaves them satisfied by the end.

How did you find out about Wattpad?

A couple of years ago I was struggling with a really stubborn writer's block. I decided that to get over that block I needed the encouragement of readers. I found Wattpad through a Google search and then spent a couple months reading other people's work before I worked up the courage to post my own.

When did you start writing and what does writing mean to you?

I'm a daydreamer and I've always had stories tumbling around in my head. My earliest memories of "writing" are from kindergarten, illustrating books about dogs and superheroes and asking the teacher's helper to write the plot for me (because I couldn't actually write yet). I started getting serious about writing a few years ago, learning about craft, improving my skills, and finding community with other writers. I've learned so much about myself through storytelling, and it brings me a lot of joy. One of the best parts, though, is seeing other people finding joy or reflections of themselves in my stories, too. It's an amazing feeling to know I've made someone's day just a little brighter.

What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

My process changes a lot depending on the project I'm working on. Some stories just flow, and others require more sweaty work. I usually daydream about a story for quite a while before I actually start putting words down. That lets me think through characters and themes, figure out whether the plot makes sense, and get an idea of how much story the idea contains and therefore how long it might be. My natural tendency is to start with a rough outline and then pants the heck out it, but when I let my characters run rampant they often end up trapped in corners. Lately, I've been trying to put a little more up-front effort into planning to avoid the pain. I guess you could say I'm a pantser trying to become a plantser.

Writing for sustained periods is a hurdle that every writer, beginner or experienced, faces from time to time. What powers you through those longer bursts of creativity and keeps you focused?

My number one tool is my playlists. When I first start thinking about a story idea, I also start building a playlist of songs that embody the spirit of it - whether that's the themes, the characters, or explicit plot events. When I actually get down to writing, I then put that playlist on loop, to get myself into the mood. Sometimes, if I'm getting distracted, I switch off to an instrumental playlist for that deep focus. Also, beverages. Tea, coffee, or craft soda on the right and a glass of water on the left and I can go for ages.

What top tips would you advise for getting a story, a novella or a longer piece of fiction off the starting line? What kind of story developments motivate you to see it through to the end?

I have three things that really motivate me to get a story off the starting line and through to the finish line. The most important is to know what I'm working towards. I never start writing a longer piece if I don't know how the story is going to end - that's the key to knowing how my main character's arc is going to progress, what plot developments will build towards that moment, etc. It makes it easier to tell if a scene I'm writing isn't advancing me towards that goal and needs to be changed or cut. Sometimes I even jump ahead and write pivotal moments of the climax or ending really early on in the process. Knowing the ending right from the beginning is like having an X marked on your minimap - even if the rest of the map isn't visible, you can more easily figure out how to reach a goal that you can see.

The second thing that's really important for me, as a character-focused author, is to fully understand all of my character's strengths - and more importantly, their flaws. Their flaws are the basis for their character arc - that's what they have to grow to overcome - and they also offer tons of opportunities to create conflict. If I get stuck at a plot point, I can think about what bad decisions my MC will make because of their arrogance/aversion to conflict/etc., and those mistakes will amp up the tension and get the plot rolling again.

The third and final "tip" I have is to write about topics you care about. Whether it's setting a story in Hollywood because I'm fascinated by the business of celebrity, indulging in the nostalgia of 2000s emo and skater culture, or trying to humanize a main character who's an asshole, writing topics I care about or find interesting is what keeps writing fun - and if it's fun, I'll want to keep writing through until the end.

Lastly, what was your first ever experience with the power of the written language?

I honestly don't have a "first" memory, because stories have always been one of the most important things in my life. I spent my childhood escaping to fantasy worlds, dreaming about magic and dragons, and crying my eyes out over tragic characters. As an adult, I've traveled to new places, lived lives alongside people unlike anyone I've ever met, and had my heart twisted by exquisite prose. I don't know who I would be without books.

Thank you for the interview! We wish you all the best for your future writing endeavors! ☕