❤ Interviewing Writers ❤

sabbbycat

Intro: "hi! i'm sabine and you'll pronounce my name wrong but that's okay, i'm used to it. i primarily write about romance in a realistically fictional way, ranging from teen fiction to young/new adult or chick lit, dealing with anything from mental health to commitment issues to a (somewhat) lighthearted summer love. that summer love story of mine was also a featured wattpad pick."

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

"well right now my main priority i'm working on is The Difference Between Getting and Needing which is about the struggles of being in a long-term relationship. it's based a lot on my own life and personal experiences. there's always so many stories about GETTING into a relationship and the early stages, but there's never too many about what happens after you've been with someone for years so i wanted to bring light to it. it's not a typical plot line of "girl meets boy, they fall in love, the end". it's a bit more challenging and that's what i love about it! other than that, i'm planning to do a prequel for TDBGAN and i do have an entirely new story planned for when that's done... but it's a secret hehe."

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

"DETAILS. i am a huuuge fan of details and i think that shows a lot in my own writing lol. not too many because it can get unnecessary real quick, but imagery and details are so important. it makes it so much easier to picture everything in your own mind and be able to connect with and imagine what's happening."

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

"it's definitely a rough, bumpy, frustrating ride that's for sure. you're going to have writers block, you're going to be uninspired sometimes, and there'll be days where you just hate everything you write. it's all a part of the journey! allow yourself to step away when it gets to be too much of a burden. taking breaks is so important and a lot of people forget that. you can't force creativity; i do not recommend it. also WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. if you have a burst of inspo, write it in the notes section of your phone or something so you won't forget it. i've done that so many times and it's the most annoying thing."

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

"favorite part has to be looking back on old works and seeing how far the quality of my writing has come. i only have a couple chapters from my very first story, but other than that i have every single book i ever wrote. going back every once in a while and reading them is definitely cringe-worthy but it's also kind of humbling and crazy. it's just so cool to see the progress from where you started to where you are now! my least favorite part is probably how much self-doubt and self-comparison we suffer from as writers. it's inevitable because writing is literally everywhere and you can't help but soak in what you read. i know i'm always second guessing myself, pushing myself to be better (or even something i'm not which isn't fun), wishing i could write as well as so-and-so. it's a viscous never ending cycle but it is a part of the journey! i take it all as a learning process."

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

"i'm honestly not sure haha i started writing when i was 12 and i'm 24 now! never gave it up once since i started. my favorite would have to be A Year Around the Sun. that story is my BABY and i would die for it. it holds such a special place in my heart and i think it's some of my best writing ever."

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

"i'm torn between two. bayla from TDBGAN is a pretty badass babe, and i think she's hilarious (then again i'm biased because i literally write how she behaves). she's a lot like me, but she's also who i would want to be. victoria from The Safety Pin Affair was also super fun to write! she was so stubborn and back when i wrote that story, she was unlike any character i had written before her so it was a little step outside my comfort zone. she was my first badass girl who loved casual hookups and hated relationships/romance."

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

"you have to put yourself into the mindset of that character and imagine how they would feel. imagine how YOU would feel if you were going through the same thing as them. it's hard and it's gonna take time to get the hang of how to perfectly portray emotions in scenes you've never actually experienced firsthand. a vivid imagination can help a lot."

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

"i think finding out how people connect to my words was the most surprising and fulfilling thing. it's just crazy how a complete stranger can feel so connected to something i wrote. at the end of the day that's the most important thing to me. all i want is for people to relate to my characters or identify with something that happened in a story of mine."

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

"this is so hard because i wanna spend time with ALL of them!! i want to hang with all my kids! but if i had to choose i think i'd pick collin from TDBGAN. so random lol but he's like the perfect guy best friend and he's cute and a photographer and is the softest most precious boy ever. considering he lives in philly and that's where i'm at we'd probably just hang around the city and get some really good food. and then i'd let him take pictures of me. and we'd probably hang out with bayla too so it'd be a win-win."

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

"alright i'm gonna be honest i don't read actual books as much as i should. i used to but fell out of it and now i mostly just read on wattpad in my spare time. that being said, if i could pick any mentor to have i'd say kate aka toastedbagels from right here on wattpad. her story float was the first one i ever read on wattpad (before i even got the app i was reading it on my computer like wtf) and she's just exactly the kind of writer i would love to be. funny and realistic and badass and literally just a queen. she also incorporates diversity and social issues so expertly into her stories without shoving it in your face and it just always ties in so well. i love her. big fan. 10/10."

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These are brilliant answers, that you sabbbycat for joining me for an interview, it was a pleasure to have you!