❤ Interviewing Writers ❤

kaloned

Intro: "Hey, I'm Asha, a full time university student and part time writer. Besides writing online, I love watching old Disney classics and listening to music. "

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

"I am! It's currently under works and I'm barely a couple of chapters through but it's a dark fantasy based in a Slavic setting which also happens to be a spin on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin."

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

"I would say good writing would be something that has a flow, good world building, and deeply layered characters. I feel that characters make or break a story. You could have a character that's morally grey, but they should be memorable enough to stay with the readers."

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

"Take a break. It's really important to lay off on writing for a while, especially if it's starting to drain you. I've also found that writing after some time gives me new ideas on how the story should pan out. Listening to music also takes my mind off the stress."

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

"My favourite part is definitely building the characters and relationships between them, thinking of the course of action that they might take. It gives me a choice and liberty, as though I'm living my own story. The most stressful part is taking care of plot-holes, tying in all the loose ends of the story together so that it's not a cluttered mess."

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

"I've only written three complete stories, although I've got dozens of notes and ideas for more. 'Dead Girls Tell No Tales' is the work closest to my heart because I wrote it at a time when I was in a bad state of mind. In a way, it was therapeutic for me to write."

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

"The character I adore the most is Shahrazad. I feel that in the more mainstream fantasy genre, there's very less of women, and even lesser of women of colour. For me Shahrazad represents the kind of woman I want to be - kind, understanding, and strong without losing emotional vulnerability."

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

"I make playlists, actually. I find it easier to write a scene when I can associate it to some songs. It sets the mood for writing and helps the story flow out better."

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

"That's a great question! The most surprising thing I discovered was getting emotionally attached to my own characters. I didn't really expect that as I neared towards the ending of my story. It became hard to part with characters I'd written, as ridiculous as that sounds."

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

"I would like to spend it with Anwar because he's so grounded. Out of all my characters, he's the most loyal and selfless. We'd probably be riding horses the whole day, to be honest."

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

"I wish Leigh Bardugo would be my mentor. I absolutely love her Six of Crows duology and the grishaverse universe in general. Her characters, especially in SoC, are diverse, fun, and memorable. I also love Catherynne Valente for her beautiful prose-like writing in Deathless."

-

-

-

I hope you enjoyed this interview, your answers are great I loved reading them!