This next interview is with ElleThodore. One of her many stories, Loving the Fat Girl, has almost 2 million reads as of this interview! Definitely check out her books as they're amazing!
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Who is your favorite author?
Surprisingly I don't exactly have a favorite author. My book collection is totally random, ranging from Nicholas Sparks to Stephen King. I do have two favorite Wattpad authors. One of them being Maria (AiramAuthor on Wattpad). She writes brilliant stories with the most intricate story-lines, hot romance and British humor. The other one would be DanaButterworth. Her stories have that certain addiction factor that I love. I am currently blazing through her stories!
What inspired you to first start writing? Is it a big part of your life?
Writing is and has been a huge part of my life. I first started writing at a very young age and haven't stopped since. Writing is my very own creative outlet. I don't have much time in the day but I try to always find time to write as it is like therapy to me.
What was your reaction when you first hit over 1 million reads?
Absolutely insane! I didn't have a celebration or anything but stuff like this is always incredibly overwhelming to me. Just the thought and seeing the number is unreal. I am almost at two million for "Loving the fat girl" now and it still feels like a dream.
What can you say to frustrated writers who work hard but never get many reads?
Probably exactly what every other writer would say: Keep going. Try not to focus as much on how many people are reading your story. Focus more on getting your story told. Remember that you're not writing for fame and glory, you're writing for yourself first.
Can you connect to any of the characters in your stories?
Definitely. Arya (the leading girl of my story "Loving the fat girl") is pretty much teenage me. She is flawed in every way that I am even as the story progresses, I notice how much of myself I put in her. She's often too judgy and way too emotional, just like me. I've released a lot of my own struggles through her. In a sense she's just a girl with messed up history living in a world that's often too busy to listen and I feel like that's where I am in life right now
.Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
I get most of my inspiration from life itself. I'm a daydreamer and often lay awake at night, making up the most random scenarios I could probably conjure up. I love doing it, too. Partially I get inspiration from other stories, music and even movies or TV shows. If something moves me, I try to figure out why I had that emotional response, analyze it and use it for my own benefit.
How did you find about this website [Wattpad]?
One of my friends suggested it to me. At the time I was posting my stories on youtube which was incredibly difficult. I would have to post a video with every chapter and then copy the actual writing into the description box. * sigh * The good old times.
What has influenced your current style of writing?
I honestly don't think that I have a style of writing. I just... write. I guess I am influenced by every piece of media I consume, though.
Do you try to convey messages through the themes of your stories? If so, what do you think has been the most important one so far?
My first intention is always to just entertain and take people away from life for a couple moments when they read my stuff. But if there's one message I try to convey, it would very simply be to love yourself the way you are. That's a struggle that I endure the most so I try to work that out in my stories and teach readers how to do it through my characters.
Lastly, do you have any advice in general for up and coming wattpad writers?
I have some technical advice that I wish I would have known about before I wrote "Loving...". PLAN AHEAD. I'm serious. There are so many details to a story that need to be planned out and remembered throughout the whole writing process. Make a little info sheet that you use to refer to the time-line or random information about story and characters. It is so useful and makes writing a lot easier.
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Thank you to ElleTheodore for doing the interview!
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Interviews With Wattpad Authors
Non-FictionHey there! Here's a compilation of interviews with successful Wattpad writers. I made this in the hopes of helping people who want to write good stories, and to give a more in-depth look into what these writers are doing right! As of right now, it...
