Interviews

kaijuviper

Q: Hello Michelle, how are you today?

A: I am great, thanks for asking!

Q: Great. Thank you for joining us and sharing a little more about yourself with the Wattpad universe. First off, shall we talk about you and writing? When did you first start writing?

A: I started writing creatively when I was in 3rd grade, so about 10 years old.

Q: What are your writer's best practices – doing character profiles, maps, visualization, tai chi, anything?

A: I do character profiles and lists. Lots and lots of lists. I make lists of things that characters have with them, lists of plot points that have been resolved and unresolved, lists of character relationships...I basically just keep making lists all the time! And once things get more figured out I make rough maps and a plot timeline.

Q: When and in what setting do you write best?

A: Definitely in the evening at my desk! Currently being a college student with a job, the time I get that's finally my own is my most productive time.

Q: Is there anything in particular you find difficult to write about?

A: I love writing action scenes, but I find them difficult. Explain too much, and it doesn't flow properly. Explain too little, and it comes off confusing.

Q: What piece of advice has been most helpful to you since you started?

A: Try to get in the habit of writing every day, and read as often as you can. Everybody says this, but it's true! Like every craft, you need lots of practice. I used to be able to draw pretty well. Now I can't even draw a decent stick figure!

Q: What do you enjoy more – writing or having written?

A: The writing process. I love getting into a scene and imagining it. It's my escape from reality, but I also find that immersing myself into my writing relaxes me and boosts my mood. It slightly beats out the accomplished feeling of having written something, especially because I'm such a perfectionist with my work that I never feel finished.

Q: What genre would you write in, if it wasn't sci-fi?

A: Fantasy. It's what I originally started in when I was young, and I still love the genre.

Q: That's cool! And what about reading? What three genres do you read the most?

A: I would say science fiction, fantasy, and YA/teen fiction. By YA/teen fiction, I mean books about everyday young people going through life and experiencing it.

Q: Is there anything you can think of that you would love to read, only it hasn't been written yet?

A: If there was, I'd want to be the one to write it. So that's a secret ;)

Q: What book could not put down under any circumstances?

A: I remember staying up all night every time I was reading a Pretty Little Liars book. I always had to know what happened next!

Q: And, I know the readers would really appreciate this, tell us what inspired you to write your book on Wattpad? 

A: I watched Alien and from that point on I binged on every science fiction movie I could find. All of a sudden, I wanted to write an alien invasion story more than anything. But I wanted to do it my way.

Q: Can you describe it in three words (and don't be modest!)?

A: Intense, fast, and real.