Interviews

Aug 2020 - Interview with Aksel Studsgarth

Hello, beautiful people of Wattpad, and welcome to our August interview! My name is Cee, and today we have the author of the amazing Short Story, 25 To Life written by akselstudsgarth

Cee: Hello Aksel, thank you so much for joining us. Tell us about yourself. 

Aksel: I've spent most of my adult life working in post-production, and the movie industry and stories have always fascinated me. One day a good friend of mine said, "You should write yourself, you'd be good at it." And stupid as I was, I followed his advice.

Cee: How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your story 25 To Life? 

Aksel: The idea for the story came by looking at a lightbulb. It was on its last legs and had started to flicker. I wondered what if someone sat there looking at it all day thinking it was sending a message. My second thought was who'd be bored enough to do this. And well the answer was someone who'd been locked up. Someone who the world had forgotten about. So, it was literally a lightbulb moment. 

Cee: What was the hardest part you experienced when you wrote this story? 

 Aksel: Sometimes when I write a story, I know pretty much where it's going. Other times (most times) I have to discover the arc as I write it. 25 to Life was definitely in the latter category and it was quite a challenge to make the different pieces of the puzzle fit so the story had a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. 

Cee: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? 

Aksel: I'm semi-retired and pursue several creative hobbies, so it really depends on what week of the month you ask me. 

Cee:How does that affect your writing?

Aksel: When I'm writing a story, I tend to give it priority to keep the momentum going. This means writing at least 1000 words a day. But then there can be weeks where I don't write a word, if I'm between stories or I've just gotten a rejection letter. They suck.

Cee: Share some of your writing habits. 

Aksel: I'm lazy by nature and unless something really interests me, I'm very easily distracted. I find the first draft to be by far the hardest part of the writing process and unless I'm feeling super inspired, I have to use tricks to stay productive. It's simple stuff. I close the door. Turn on the stereo. Set a timer, usually 30 minutes where I'm not allowed to stop working unless the house or the cat is on fire. And I turn off the Wi-Fi and my cell phone. Just turning off those two devices increases my productivity by 200%. 

Cee: What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

Aksel: I'm interested in a bunch of stuff. I do a lot of photography, anything from close-ups of insects to flying a drone photographing landscapes. I like to draw and I'm obsessed with movies. Once in a while, I get a call and spend a week or two on a film set somewhere off the beaten track. I can't really complain. 

Cee: What's next for you? 

Aksel: As I'm sure most writers on Wattpad would agree, the ambition is to see one of my stories in print. Maybe it will happen. Maybe not. Currently I'm working on a short story about a man who wakes up in the hospital after a brutal bike accident. And I'm trying to finish a YA novel about an Island in the North Atlantic with a pretty crazy secret.

Cee: Thank you so much for your time.