My Favorite Conversations (Interviews)

obviouslycalumhood

This is my interview with obviouslycalumhood

They have 1.87k followers at the moment and 3 published works including Handler's Game and Wildflower which is a Lashton with 1k reads.

1. Why did you decide to first make your Wattpad account?

I first decided to make my account because I had to have an actual account to continue reading a certain Harry Styles fic like 8 years ago (don't judge me, any of you). I never thought I would actually write something to publish, but I'm so very glad I did.

2. Where do you get your inspiration to write from?

A lot of my inspiration comes from situations in my real life. It's pretty much watered down because it's not stuff that I like to relive all the time, but it's a really good catharsis for me so I write it as fictional characters' lives so I feel like it's somebody else going through it and not me. That's not to say I don't grab some inspiration from TV shows, songs, other books, movies, and other types of media and entertainment, but most of it comes from my real life with sprinkles of inspiration from other works.

3. Is there something you wish you could change about Wattpad besides the bugs and glitches?

Honestly? I wish they would've just kept it a free app. I wish they never would've done this "Wattpad premium" thing because everybody who used it for free had a wonderful time using it. Like, I love the idea of paying authors and giving them revenue for their highly trafficked stories, but they could've done it in a different way, rather than making people pay a subscription for a better version of the app, if that makes sense. As for the glitches and bugs, I hate that my notifications will randomly just stop coming to my phone for no reason 😑

4. You have also done some co-writing. Do you find that to be better than writing on your own?

I LOVE co-writing. Absolutely adore it. The thing about co-writing, though, it doesn't necessarily have to go back and forth. I love sharing my ideas/opinions on someone else's creation! One of my very good friends, high_priest, sends me their ideas ALL the time, and I love sharing my input with them and watching them create a masterpiece! It's not my work, but I love having an influence. I think, in that aspect, yes, I think co-writing is easier! However, I do like creating my own works and letting people be surprised as opposed to having someone already have an inside scoop on the story itself.

5. What did it feel like to hit 1k followers?

Honestly, it happened so long ago that I barely remember how I felt when it happened. I know I cried! I know I sat there thinking that there was absolutely no reason so many people should follow me, because I felt like I didn't have much to offer. Now, however, I'm glad these people are still with me and have watched me grow since the beginning. It's refreshing, especially, to see all of the familiar faces who were part of the original 100 or 200! I think, personally, it's better to have the few loyal followers than thousands.

6. What is the hardest part about writing for you?

Keeping my inspiration up and actually finishing or following through with a story. I always have these AWESOME ideas and then I'm either really bad at executing them or just continuing them because I lose the fuel for them or because I get a little disheartened when they don't get the engagement I initially thought they would.

7. Do you have a favorite character you've written so far?

I love them all, tbh, but I think my FAVORITE character would have to be either Empty Gold!Ryan or Wildflower!Luke. They both hold very special places in my heart, and I'm really not sure why. I think they're my favorite to write aesthetically, and that's why I love them so much.

8. Would you like to one day work on getting another book published?

One day, maybe. I'd work a lot longer than a year on the next one, however. And do MUCH MORE proofreading. (I don't know if you ordered a copy of AAT - I think you did - but there are SO MANY typos in there and they make me cringe so hard.)

9. If you could go back in time and do something differently on Wattpad what would it be?

I think I might've stayed writing Lashton, if I'm honest. I don't know why I strayed away from that the way that I did, but I love writing this pairing. I think it's easier to fuel my creativity when I'm writing about something that was incredibly personal to me, or at least using them as a catalyst for the idea. I think, honestly, I just wouldn't have subjected myself to one specific genre of writing, and I feel like if I were to stray from that now it would be harder to gain engagement because now I am known for certain tropes and ideas. Who knows. Maybe one day I'll write K-pop fan fiction! We'll see.

10. What has been your best moment on Wattpad so far?

The best part has been all of the friends I've made. I've made friends in the Philippines, Australia, UK, Portugal, Italy...  Hell, I've even made friends a couple of hours away from where I live! It's just so incredible that I've been able to engage with people from literally all over the world, and I think that's the best part about being on this site. There's no judgment, and everybody's pretty much all doing the same thing; just trying to fit in and, you know, trying to find people like them and we all found each other somehow and I think that's incredible.

I hope you enjoyed my interview with the lovely obviouslycalumhood

Don't forget to comment suggestions for other authors I should feature next.

Love you all xxx

- starr