❤ Interviewing Writers ❤

OliveEast

Intro: "Hey! I am Olivia, also known as Olive East here on Wattpad. I am a nineteen-year-old aspiring author and avid reader from Canada. I write mainly on Young Adult Fiction focusing on topics such as depression, addiction, love, and loss. I am a newbie and have only been seriously writing since the beginning of 2019."

1) Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?

"I am always working on things or at least writing. If y'all could see my drafts you'd be overwhelmed, and probably a little confused. Online, however, I am currently working on two WIP called Free Falling and The Science of Dying. Aside from that, I am finishing up The Collision Theory. I try to stay busy on here!"

2) What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

"Oh, this is a hard one. I think that everyone has a completely different writing styles, so it may vary depending on the author. For me, though, the most important element on good writing is creating characters that readers relate to, and most importantly, feel for. I know when I am reading a book, if I don't feel connected to the characters, I am not as interested in the overall outcome. Now, the logistics on how to do that, I'll tell you when I find out. I'm still new to this, so I definitely haven't perfected that skill yet."

3) Writing can be an emotionally draining and a very stressful pursuit. Do you have any tips for aspiring or young writers?

"Plan. Plan. Plan. I know one of the best feelings is getting an idea and just starting, but from my experience, not planning and not having a final outcome or solid storyline in advance can make the story burnout, or end up being nothing like you originally planned it. My best advice is to create a draft chapter and create a chapter-by-chapter plan. It could just be dialogue or plot points, but write it all down and FOLLOW it."

4) What was your favorite part, and your least favorite part, of the writing journey?

"Well, a lot of people don't know this, but when I started my Wattpad writing journey, and initially how I gained a slight following on my account was by writing a.... Magcon fanfic. It gained quite a following, and when I unpublished it, it had 300,000 reads. It pains me to write this, and it definitely is my least favorite part of my writing journey. I wasted a lot of time writing things that I thought people wanted to read, not what I wanted to write. My favorite part of my whole journey was when my first serious work on here, Where The Sun Goes, started gaining readers. I worked hard on it and fell in love with it. When people started commenting and sharing their thoughts and opinions, I couldn't believe my writing had actually affected people."

5) How many books have you written? Which is your favorite and why?

"I have written two full YA books, 'Where The Sun Goes' (completed) and 'The Collision Theory' (almost completed, yay). WTSG will always have a special place in my heart. I started it at the end of December of 2018 and literally couldn't stop writing it. I had just started my second semester in college and I would stay up writing it because I was so invested in the plot, and the characters. I learned so much while writing it. I think it will always be my favorite."

6) Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special?

"Without a sliver of doubt, my favorite character is Wren Kennedy in The Collision Theory. Wren is very complex, moody, and far from perfect. I think her having such visible flaws, make her relatable and incredibly hard to dislike. What makes Wren so special for me is how much she carries on from people in my life. While writing her character, I took little things from everyone I love and combined them. I ended up creating a character that I feel so deeply for. Seriously, while writing, I literally felt bad making bad things happen to her because I care so much for her."

7) When you're writing a very emotional scene, how do you get in the mood?

"I love listening to music that reminds me of the scene or can relate to the scene in some way. In my current work, The Science of Dying, I've been listening to a lot of Piano. Some classical, some more pop-ish. I think aside from getting me in a 'sad' mind frame, it also can be really inspiring."

8) What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?

"The most surprising thing I discovered was how much I could actually become invested, and dedicated to writing. I never knew I could care so deeply about something. Before, when writing wasn't such a big deal to me, I didn't really think much about it. Now, I can barely dream about anything other than what I am working on. When I'm driving to work I have to put on voice memos and just record myself talking about every idea that comes to my mind, because I'm so afraid I'll lose them."

9) If you could spend time a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?

"Hmm, probably Claire from Where The Sun Goes. She seems like the type of person I would hang out with, and I really need some of her positive best-friend energy in my life. We'd probably just gossip and chat about life."

10) What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?

" Maggie Stiefvater. Her book The Scorpio Races was one of the first books I read that really, really stuck with me. Since then I've read both her series and am absolutely in love with her writing. (Also, she is genuinely funny, and a really relatable person). I think she creates beautiful characters that genuinely stick with readers. I swear Gansey from The Raven Cycle series has left a forever imprint on my mind. If I could create a character that resonates with someone as much as Gansey did with me, I would be content."

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Thanks for a fantastic interview OliveEast I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!