FAQs

What made you want to be a writer?

I don’t actually know… What I do know is that I have a lot of stories in my head that I would love to read as a reader. So if I want to read them, then there must be at least one other person in the world who’d want to read them as well. I love creating worlds and characters that never existed before. Guess I have a bit of a God complex…

Did you always want to be a writer?

When I was young, being an author was my dream job. I could think of nothing better than telling stories for a living. Then reality was crashed down upon my little head and told that being an author wasn’t a “real” job. But I always had stories that wanted to come out. No matter what mundane job I was doing. So one day, I just decided to write for myself. And the rest, to use an overly used cliché, is history.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

There are two main places I get my inspiration from. The first one probably won’t be that helpful for other people because it’s my dreams. I don’t know if I eat a lot of cheese before bed or something, but I can have some pretty kooky dreams.
My second one might be a bit more useful. I pick up bits and pieces from my travels. A beautiful location. A unique cultural belief or story. I keep a note (or picture) of what I find interesting and draw on them when looking for story ideas.

Do you ever struggle to write? How do you overcome it?

All the time. I think it’s inevitable working in a creative field. I just make myself sit in front of my laptop (or notebook if I’m feeling a little wild) for at least 30 minutes every day. Some days I only write 5 words. Some days I mange 500. I find routine really helps my brain know when it’s time to get the creative juices flowing and write.

What was the first story you ever wrote?

Not sure about the first ever, but I remember one of the firsts. I think I was about 6 or 7 and I can only recall two things about it. First, it was a sci-fi adventure story. And second, I didn’t realise the importance of the “save” button and lost it all. A lost bestseller? We’ll never know.

Who are your favourite authors?

Hm. This is a touch one, and not for the reason you might think. I don’t have favourite authors. I have favourite stories. Of course I appreciate the works of writers like Stephen King or Haruki Murakami, but I wouldn’t read a book by them just because it was by them. I’d have to be interested in the plot. If that makes sense!

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo?

Yes, a few times. I didn’t get very far on my first attempt. My second attempt was in 2019 and I didn’t “officially” take part because I wasn’t aiming for 50,000 words, just to finish the first draft of a story I’d been sitting on for years. However, in 2020, I signed up on the NaNoWriMo website, joined a writing group and “won”. I plan to join in future NaNo events, like Camp NaNo in April and July.