#WitchcraftWednesday by bigfivedonaldduckfan

Hello, AJ! Thank you for taking the time to get involved with Coffee Community. We're excited to have you here once again after the Watt-A-Decade interview. 

So, to begin with, tell us a little bit about yourself as an author on Wattpad. For anyone who hasn't met you before, how would you describe yourself and your fiction?

I'd describe myself as a slightly bizarre person with a sense of humour a lot of people seem to enjoy for some reason, and that kind of seeps into my fiction. My stories tend to be somewhat dark and usually involve supernatural elements, (morally grey) characters I torture a tad too much, a couple twists and mysteries on the side, and little things you probably shouldn't laugh about, but you'll find yourself doing so anyway. Essentially, I want my stories to make you go 'what is this madness?' in the best way possible. And that's also the kind of question my friends have been flinging at my person for years, so I guess it checks out :p

I've tried my hands at quite a few genres and different types of stories over the years and only intend to expand that track record. But most of what I've done so far has been horror, fantasy or a weird little cocktail influenced by these genres. From haunted prisons and castles to cursed swamps and zombie-infested high fantasy worlds, I've done it. I've been having a lot of fun with that small chaotic collection!

When did you start writing and what does writing mean to you?

I've been writing silly little stories for as long as I can remember, but I started writing 'seriously' when I stumbled across Wattpad way back in 2014 and decided to start writing fanfiction. I was, well, twelve at the time, so naturally, the work sucked. But I really enjoyed writing and stuck with it, improving my craft as I got older and eventually turning to original fiction. I've learnt a lot since those early times and continue to gain more experience every day!

So writing has been a pretty important aspect of my life for almost a decade now. I honestly can't imagine living my life and NOT writing. Sometimes when I'm stuck on a chapter or scene, I get frustrated and contemplate quitting, but I don't think I'd ever actually be able to. In the end, I love putting the stories in my head down on paper and sharing them with other people, and I wouldn't give the happiness I get out of that up for the world!

How has your writing journey been so far? What are your goals as a writer?

I've mostly just been having a field day with the whole thing! Like I said, I started out at age twelve and have come a long way since then. I mean, I didn't even capitalise the first letters in my sentences back in the day, but fortunately I'm not even close to that sloppy anymore. I put a lot more effort into my writing now and use my interactions with other authors here to continue to grow. 

It's a cliché, but of course I'd want to be traditionally published someday. What author wouldn't dream of that? However, I'm not in a hurry and if I never get to that point, I could definitely live with it. If my stories end up being meaningful to only a handful of people, that's enough!

Now, let's talk about this year's ONC! Why did you participate in the Open Novella Contest?

Because I've done so every year since 2019. I came across it that year and have enjoyed it ever since! The challenge, the community, the chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new people, writing a whole new novella from scratch within a few months... I love that! It's honestly my favourite contest on Wattpad!

Which prompt(s) did you choose this year?

Just one prompt, #71. 'After discovering a precious and dangerous artifact, you become an instant celebrity. But things begin to happen that make you wish you had never discovered it.' That prompt was barely used by contestants, if I remember the ONC stats right. It really spoke to me, though!

Besides the prompt(s), what else inspired you to write your ONC winning story?

Yeah, how DID I end up writing a story about a drug dealer and YouTuber working together to keep a magic book out of criminal hands? I've actually asked myself that question as well.  Prompt aside, there were a few notable inspirations. For example, the artifact I chose is a 'real' legendary grimoire, so I incorporated the legends surrounding that into my tale. And believe it or not, but the idea for the setting and criminal involvement in the story came from Grand Theft Auto V. 

There's also a Waterparks song (You'd be paranoid too) that I played on repeat while writing for an ungodly amount of time. It just got the creative juices for this story flowing so well :p

Tell us about your writing process during the ONC. What did you enjoy the most? Did you encounter any struggles writing your story?

This year I especially enjoyed the entire process of writing itself! I started out thinking my idea would be a little too strange and silly to work well, but the more I wrote, the more the story and the characters grew on me and then the whole thing basically wrote itself. This is also the first time I really feel there's more to say and that I'll actually turn the novella into a novel. But yeah, I'm glad I stuck with this story, because in the end, the aspects I lowkey felt the most insecure about ended up being people's favourites!

I mostly struggled with my word count this year. I finished writing way before the deadline, but I had to do pretty rigorous editing and cut some 5K words to keep the story eligible. Not too difficult, but very time-consuming, and as I was also working to meet some important deadlines for my BA thesis, I definitely didn't get as much sleep as I needed during that period. Some nights I'd stay up 'til 2 AM and be out of bed again by 7 or so, and I'm fairly certain my family started questioning if I slept at all 😅

What advice would you give writers joining the ONC next year?

Write your story, ENJOY your story, but also never forget to check out the stories your fellow participants write. Of course you can't read everything there is, but the community aspect is half of the ONC fun and I guarantee you'll meet very cool people and get to read some really unique work! Oh, and ideally don't do what I did; get enough sleep. I mean, I personally don't regret it and it was definitely worth the pain, but take care of yourself and don't go past your limits, okay?

Give us your ONC winning speech!

It's been a blast and I'd like to thank everyone who took some time to read my story and tell me their thoughts! I appreciate every single read, vote and comment and I'm just so honoured the writing was worth people's time ^^ Of course also a huge thanks to my (very talented and awesome!) writer friends on Wattpad who supported me during this ONC and who I got to support in return! The ONC team deserves a big thank you as well for their efforts, as it undoubtedly can't be easy to organise and judge such a big contest. 

And last but not least, a thank you to my mother, who ran into me at 1:45 in the morning and had the decency to just roll with it. 

Thanks for having me here!

Congratulations to you for making it to the Top Five and thank you for the interview! We wish you all the best for your future projects.☕