Leah's Writer's Room

All of My Favorite Things

What do I like? It feels kind of egoistical to write about myself, but I love mystery and historical books and movies. They get my gears turning most of the time, but art is another one. I collect many art books, postcards, and art posters.

For books Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier are huge inspirations. I recently got into Natsuo Kirino's horror mystery novels, but it's pretty uh, Grotesque, which is an intended pun, yes. (It's the name of one of her books). I also like Otsuichi and his books have a lot of murder and detailed descriptions of death.

Among my inspirations I think K/J-dramas help, too. Recently I've been into crime or mystery dramas. I've watched ones about detectives, more realistic ones about forensics, and lots of revenge ones. Is there any you recommend? I can handle gore so that's ok too (flex).

For inspirations if you do want to write, I recommend starting with what interests you. When you read my interests (mysteries in big mansions etc) you must've thought of a genre/s you like. For example, I usually try coming up with several story prompts, developed characters, then tried writing at least 3-5 chapters to see how it feels. When I write a new genre, I focus on how naturally or unnaturally it comes to me.

Teen fiction? Very hard. I forget teens are not only young but oftentimes dependent on parents and shaped by their peers. I can't write modern dialogue as well without it full of swear words. I forget how romance for teens are and personally make write angsty things because that's how I was as a teen. I don't have experience with raves or clubbing, can't write about it, nor drugs or rehab, once again, can't write about it.

I've never been to a boarding school (surprise) but I've watched many shows about it. Is it good reference? Sure. Is it accurate? No. Not at all, that's why my story on boarding schools mainly revolve around a death and grieving—which I have experienced. My boarding school story which is still a WIP felt more natural to me than my teen love stories.

But then I tried an idea that popped into my head about fraud and love. I wrote thirteen chapters in the span of a month, all around 2000 words, too, which I consider highly successful. Once again, it's set in a pre WWII era, with women in vintage dresses, inheritance is involved, and many, many beautiful relatives.

It's on Wattpad now: Curse of Rose de Winter. If it interests you please read it as I publish every Friday!

One suggestion I like is to keep trying to write. If story A doesn't progress and you're at a writers block, pop out a story B. If that, too, isn't working, try a story C.

As of now I'm still working on my story Butterflies and Vampires, but I want my next work to have enough chapters that I can update regularly so I'm actually working on five different stories. There's no downside to it. I hope I'll be on Wattpad or writing for years to come, and for that time all my story drafts are inspiration.

So what inspires me?

When I first read Agatha Christie I realized I wanted to write similar stories except I wasn't very good with mysteries and deaths, so I worked on a romance where two people tried to solve a mystery—The House of Beardsley.

My favorite childhood books also inspired me. The Princess Academy is a less famous book that the highly successful The Selection was inspired by. People who read The Dandelion System often said I was copying The Selection but I actually never read it. I 'copied' The Princess Academy.

And there's nothing wrong with similar troupes that get the story flowing, my beginning was similar—girls are at a ball and twenty will be chosen to live in the castle, but my story is much less romantic and more like the werewolf game—the protagonist thinks there's a contestant working with the royal family.

I will write my thoughts about each completed novel in later chapters, but right now I'm starting with myself in case anyone wants to know me, the author, better.

I started on Wattpad with a completed book of only 200 votes, people accusing me of copying The Selection, and only fifty friends/followers. I think as time goes by it's harder to make friends, too.

Back then if I had one reader or one person who left a comment I would follow back, read their work, and do the same to hopefully make their day better, but now there's so many people.

But I do treasure all my readers, and if you want to know how to succeed I will try and help in the next chapter...