Coffee Talks

With Amber K. Bryant

Hi Amber, thank you for taking the time to get involved with Coffee Community. It's great to hear from authors like yourself and get to know a little bit about what motivates you to write longer works of fiction.

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 have been a writer on Wattpad since March of 2014. I had no idea how to use the site when I first joined and nervously posted my entire novella, UNSEEN, in two days instead of spreading out updates like anyone with any knowledge of Wattpad would do. I knew no one on Wattpad and was terrified of opening myself up to the criticism of strangers around the world. But I did it anyways and a few months later, Wattpad featured UNSEEN. It's not hyperbole to say that this changed my life. My confidence rose, I began to participate more and more, and I entered several high-profile contests on the site, several of which I ended up winning. My platform slowly grew, and I met many wonderful people.

I love the interaction with readers and so have continued to post stories to my profile. I was an Ambassador for two years and am currently a Wattpad Star. I am also part of the Tap Squad so you'll see a lot of my work on that app as well. Many wonderful things have happened to me because of Wattpad and I have a strong writing network due to the connections I was able to make through it.

I am a multi-genre writer. I like to test my boundaries and write outside my safety zone by trying out genres I've never written before. I did that with THE ENTANGLEMENT CLAUSE, which is a contemporary romantic suspense novel. Even though I'd never written genre romance, it's now my most popular story. My heart belongs to the speculative, however. Any sort of soft sci-fi, fantasy, or Fringe-esque paranormal is where I am most at home.

From chat stories to entire novels -- you've succeeded at them all! Although 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?

Accountability, both to myself and to my readers, is my number one motivator. If I tell readers a story is launching on a certain day or I'll have two updates a week, then I need to stick to that. It's a matter of principle. Doing NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNo can be helpful as well because you can use their charts to pace yourself. I know exactly how many words I must write per day to reach my goal by month's end, for instance.

I have a busy life with two full-time careers and a child, so time management is also key, as is turning off social media. There's really no way to do it except to make yourself do it even when you don't particularly feel like it. If I only did the things I felt like doing when I felt like doing them, I'd be unemployed with exactly zero books finished and a house made of cat hair and dirty laundry.

Social Media and Cat videos seem to be the favourite procrastination tools of every writer, but what other top tips would you advise for getting 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 believe this is the moment when I should reveal whether I'm a plotter (someone who plans stories thoroughly before writing it) or a pantser (someone who writes on the fly with little or no planning). In truth, I am a hybrid of the two.

My normal writing process is this: I am struck with an idea. That idea slaps me around for a while and it might be nothing more than a vague concept, a first line, or maybe something slightly more concrete. So, I write it down. If it's the first line, I add a second line to it. Pretty soon, I've got a couple of pages written and an idea of where things are headed, at least as far as the next chapter. I start developing more of the story and write as I develop. By about a third of the way in, I start plotting out the rest of the story. It's at that stage that I require some notes to spare my failing memory and make sure I don't create any major plot holes. I need an idea of how I'm going to see my characters through to the end. I can and have written stories after forming a more detailed synopsis and I do recommend plotting if you are prone to writer's block. Or start at the end of the story and work your way back from there, then start writing. Mainly, don't feel that one way of doing things is better than another. Plotting isn't better than pantsing or vice versa. Different brains call for different processes.

In terms of pushing through to the end... you must believe you can do it. TELL YOURSELF YOU CAN DO IT UNTIL YOU BELIEVE IT. Finishing a novel or novella is an achievable goal, but you must be determined.

How much do you edit on the fly? Or do you prefer to edit after you've finished the initial draft?

Common wisdom states you should write the first draft without editing and then go back and edit. I'm not wise, though, so I don't strictly stick to this. Each day when I begin to write, I get back into the storyline by reading over the most recent few pages. I'd be lying if I said I didn't do a bit of editing at that point. However, it is essential not to get too caught up in making things perfect before the first draft is done. It's not perfect. It won't be perfect. That's not even possible, so don't put that sort of pressure on yourself. If you're going to edit as you write, keep it light. Don't dwell on every word. Save that for after you've typed the words "the end."

It's actually very interesting to see so many different editing techniques from so many authors! We all edit a bit differently, don't we?

Personally, what kind of novella -- be it any style, theme, or genre -- would you like to see emerge from the Open Novella Contest?

Genre doesn't matter to me so much as a story's voice. If the voice grabs me, then I will most likely be hooked regardless of what the story is about. I'm a fan of decentered fiction that breaks from a linear chronology and keeps me guessing. Give me something that challenges my perceptions and creates a palpable, moody atmosphere filled with characters I can grow to love.

Lastly, because we're always curious... What was your ever first experience with the power of the written language?

An excerpt from the Margaret Atwood poem, Spelling, reads "word after word after word is power." This isn't an example of a first experience with the power of the written language, but it is a profound truth that has stuck with me since I first read it. It's a line I repeat internally to myself when I am plugging away at a particularly challenging scene or a bit of story detail.

As for an actual first experience... I was not a particularly early reader and I've therefore never subscribed to the notion that the age in which a child learns to read has any correlation to their enjoyment of reading later in life. I remember struggling to learn and hating it... It wasn't reading itself I hated but that it didn't come easily.

Then, as so often happens with children, it just clicked. Words took shape from letters and stories took shape from words. After that, I spent countless hours of my childhood with a book in hand, and that love for reading has carried over into my adult career choices: librarian and writer. What I learned from that experience is this: things we love don't have to come to us easily. Somethings are worth the struggle- Writing is always worth the struggle.

It's been great hearing from you, Amber, and thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge in storytelling.

Best wishes for your future endeavours from Coffee Community!

Our goal is to bring you many more exclusive interviews with people who aren't just Wattpad Stars or Staff, but also some pretty awesome authors.
In that quest, next we will be talking to SLGrey2904,so stick around for more fun!