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The story is a good mix of humor, angst, action, and fantasy elements while the author's journey a fight of it's own. Interested to know how this story came to be or the author's challenges of writing it? Read on to know more.
What sparked the inspiration to write the story?
I grew up in a very conservative desert town, and I was always unsettled by the political atmosphere in my community, particularly when it came to women's bodily autonomy, environmental action, and the oppression of marginalized communities. I was about 16 when I started outlining this trilogy, and I think this story was born out of a young woman's desire to inflict real change in her society.
Of course, I didn't want to write just any other YA dystopian book. In works of fiction, I've always adored magic, adventure, friendship, romance, and relatable characters, and I wanted to tell a story that was a whole lot bigger than a teenager taking on the government.
Alex Kingsley has served as the perfect channel for the message I want to share, and I think she's the bold, sarcastic protagonist I would have loved to meet as a young reader.
What inspired you to start writing on Wattpad?
It's actually a funny story! From 2011 to 2019, I had a YouTube channel where I posted fandom video edits and other creative projects. After I uploaded an animation based on my book characters, one of my subscribers suggested I post the trilogy on Wattpad.
Up until that point, I thought the platform was exclusively fanfiction; I had no idea so many wonderful original stories existed on the site. And having only shared my final draft of Breeder with family, I thought it best to upload the book to Wattpad and see if it resonated with its intended target audience.
Now, 600,000 reads later, I can safely say the story found its forever home.
Budding authors face countable hindrances, what hindrance(s) did you face the most?
Initially, the most difficult part about publishing my story to Wattpad was building a readership. There are millions of stories on Wattpad, and finding readers can feel a bit hopeless at times, especially when you're new to the platform or you write a niche genre.
I think I put in about six months of networking, book club reviews, judging contests, and marketing before my story broke 2k reads. After that, the algorithm picked up on my book, and my reads increased exponentially from there.
So to any new writers to the platform, don't give up! Expand your community, engage with your peers, and the story will find its audience.
Negative criticism is inevitable, how do you deal with it? And what would you suggest the others do when faced with such?
It can be difficult not to take criticism personally—constructive or otherwise—and I think the natural response is to defend your creative choices.
However, when someone leaves a negative critique, I would encourage writers not to respond right away. Process your emotions and come back to the feedback the following day. At that point, you might be able to examine the information through a more objective and rational lens. And maybe the comment is simply a personal opinion that isn't worth taking to heart, or maybe there is some merit to their criticism. But at the end of the day, everyone will have something to say, so be sure to thank them for their feedback and only change what you feel is necessary.
What according to you sets Military Fiction apart from other genres?
There are two attributes I find incredibly appealing about Military Fiction: 1) the camaraderie that forms among a cohort of soldiers, and 2) the incredibly high stakes of losing a war—and what that means for the characters, the involved parties or nations, and in some cases, the entire world.
Other genres might scratch the surface of these elements, but Military Fiction often catapults a group of heroes into deadly chaos and angst-ridden moments, resulting in battle-born bonds that transcend platonic friendship and romance.
What do you feel is the biggest myth about writers?
One stereotype that irks me is the idea that all writers spend weeks locked up in a dark room with our computers and an anxiety-inducing amount of caffeine. And sure, we all have days where we're glued to a screen, desperate to make a deadline, but many of us have exciting, fulfilling, and adventurous lives of our own. In fact, that's often where we draw inspiration from: real world experience.
Personally, I spend most of my weekends in the great outdoors—hiking mountains, rock climbing, exploring lava tubes, four-wheeling across the desert, or ice-skating on frozen alpine lakes!
Your go to cure for a bad day?
Catching up with my supportive partner is always a wonderful reset when I'm having a bad day. But in times of crisis, there's nothing a Taco night and a few episodes of New Girl can't fix.
How do you avoid or get out of writers' block?
I'm a plotter, so I'm generally able to avoid writer's block by creating a thorough outline for my story. I also ensure that I know each character's story arc from the get-go. In other words, I know exactly who they are at the beginning of book 1 (flaws, strengths, desires, etc.) and who I want them to be by the end of the series (areas of personal growth, successful relationships, etc.). This technique keeps me on track, even if my plot evolves.
When I do encounter writer's block or a particularly nasty plot hole that depletes my writing tank, I usually do one or more of the following:
1) Switch hobbies for a while and exhaust a different creative outlet such as drawing, painting, or playing music.
2) Consume a good story in any medium to get out of the inspiration rut.
3) Consume a poorly written story for an ego-boost. It's also important to study what NOT to do.
4) Get outside, whether it's a long walk in the trees or a full-blown road trip across the state. Nature—and exercise—are powerful antidotes.
5) If the block is bad enough, sometimes I have to start over and/or retrace my steps. And while letting go of what I've written can be intimidating, it always leads me to a better place.
Any advice for your fellow/new writers?
I'd repeat the common phrase, "Write what you want to read!"
Readers come and go, trends are always changing, and you'll receive a large range of opinions on your story, so it's vital to write something you're passionate about—something that you're excited to return to at the end of a long workday.
Wattpad is looking for authentic voices, and so are the millions of users on this app. Write what interests you, and the readers will find you.
We're delighted to have Gtgrandom as one of our spotlighted authors! Interested to know how you can become one?
Each author in here has been noticed by us for their outstanding book. Keep working on your story and submit your story to our reading lists to get noticed more easily.
