Our latest interview is with the winner of Adventure Category of the 2014 Pokémon Watty Awards. This author has been on Wattpad since 2012 and has recently started writing again after a long period of relative inactivity. She's a recent high school graduate who hopes to study both Spanish and Japanese in college. Her award-winning book Underdog has a stunning 48 thousand reads at the time of this interview, and many readers are excited to see what she has to offer in her new book entitled Making Memories. We welcome back DachshundPiano!

Interviewer: blue___22
Q: In your new book, Making Memories, you claimed that you wanted to try something new with Pokemon Fanfiction. Without giving away too much of the plot to the story, could you describe the newer ideas you wish to incorporate and why?

A: Well, the things that I'm planning aren't so much new to fanfiction in general, just new to me. A lot of my writing last time was heavily focused on action and sci-fi, but this time I want to try drama and mystery. In specific, though? Without spoiling too much, I would like to incorporate an LGBT character or relationship, which I don't really see a lot in Pokémon stories.

Q: What influences your writing?

A: Oh gosh, so much! It's hard to pin down one specific thing. Of course, I draw inspiration from other stories I've read and enjoyed, but I also get a lot of ideas from situations in real life. And occasionally random thoughts pop up into my head and I think, "hey, that would make a good story!"

Q: How does it feel to have your book have 48K reads? Do you feel that your achievements in the PokemonWatty Awards got you this far?

A: It feels amazing, to be honest. Even though Wattpad's reads aren't a very accurate counting tool (due to each chapter counting as a read), I can pretty safely assume that at least a thousand people have read my story, which is...incredible, to say the least. I never thought I'd get so many people who were interested in my writing! I definitely think that winning the PokeWatties helped achieve this, but I'd still like to thank the people who were there even before that.

Q: What did it feel like when you won the adventure category in the Pokemon Watty Awards?

A: I was really taken aback, but I was overjoyed! I never thought I'd be able to win, and I'm really happy that I did. It encouraged me to keep writing (though I haven't posted much of my work since) and improve my skills.

Q: Would you perhaps potentially judge in the Pokemon Watty Awards in the future?

A: Sure, I'd be a judge one day if I was offered the position. But I don't know if I could take up that much responsibility until I made sure that I had enough time for all the duties of a judge.

Q: How would you feel at the prospect of editing and helping upcoming Pokemon Fanfiction authors?

A: I'd be willing to help people out if they wanted me to, but I don't know how good I'd be! I always seem to miss silly mistakes when I edit my own work.

Q: Why choose Spanish as your major and Japanese as your minor?

A: I've always liked language – it's one of the reasons I decided to start writing. I took 6 years of Spanish in school and loved it, and I figured that I may as well get a job doing what I love. I haven't ever taken Japanese classes, but I was always intrigued by the complicated writing system. And yes, I'll admit it, I watched a lot of anime when I was younger. But there's a lot more to both languages than high school language and anime shows, and I'd like to really understand them.

Q: Have you ever travelled to either Spain or Japan?

A: I haven't ever traveled outside of the U.S. and Canada, to be honest. I think part of why I'm drawn to other languages is because it will give me the ability to travel to new places.

Q: Does the idea of traveling make you excited?

A: Yes! I plan to travel as much as I can when I'm older, provided that I have the money for it. I'd actually really like to visit Ireland and Germany.

Q: As you are going to college soon, would the idea of a "gap year" or a year between high school and college for financial/travel/work reasons interest you?

A:  I thought about doing a gap year, but in the end decided that it wasn't for me. I know that in Europe it's very common to take a year off, but in the United States, there's a lot of pressure for students to immediately go to college. The only time it's really acceptable around here is if you're going to work for a year in order to pay for college. I thought about doing that, but with all the language intricacies I have to remember, I'd rather not take the chance at forgetting them! I'm kind of broke even and got a summer job instead, so I'll have a little more money for books.

Interviewer: Sheare
Q: If you the ability to speak multiple languages, are you planning on studying abroad at some point?

A: Yes. It's my hope that in my junior year of college, I'll spend one semester in Costa Rica (San Jose) and one semester in Japan (Tokyo, or Osaka if my grades are high enough). I'm actually really excited to study abroad, but of course there's plenty to be nervous about too!

Q: ¿Como se dice "You are a fabulous writer and I worship your book" en español?

A: Don't quote me on this one because I might be using the wrong verb tense, but I believe it's "Eres un escritor fabuloso y yo adoro tu libro."

Q: As a fellow former New Yorker myself, would to rather live on a lifetime supply on New York bagels or Pizza?

A: I'm actually not a huge fan of either (don't hurt me) but probably the pizza! I like the NY-style thin crust kind – although I don't live in the city, so it's hard to come by out here in the sticks.

Q: Currently, do you think you'll be able to write an entire fictional book in Spanish?

A: Hm...someday I might be able to, but not right now. I just don't have the vocabulary for it yet.

Q: Can you watch anime without English subtitles?

A: Not really. I can understand vaguely what they're saying part of the time, but I usually need subtitles to clarify it and add context. I can only really catch basic phrases,since I haven't really learned anything else yet.

Q: When crafting characters, how do you decide their name? Random generator? A real life person's name?

A: I usually just pluck something from my brain or use Babble's baby name list, it's silly but there's a good selection of names to choose from.

Q: How did you start writing?

A: I started writing when I was in middle school, and I don't think that anything really prompted it. I just figured, "hey, I like reading – why don't I write a story for others to enjoy?" And then I never finished the book I was working on, but hey, it was the start of a journey!

Interviewer: Forevermoonlight
Q: I'm intrigued by your username! Is there any meaning behind it (such as playing piano or owning a dachshund)?

A: Both, actually. I started playing piano in eighth grade (and will continue in college for music credit) and I have a dachshund named Ginger. She's a sweetheart and I'm actually surprised I haven't spammed my profile page with pictures of her. I plan to change my username eventually, but haven't thought of a new one yet.

Q: In your profile, you wrote 'The only thing you need to know about me is that I love birds more than life itself'. Perhaps you can tell us a little more about why that is?

A: Because I love birds. Literally I would rather take pictures of birds than do anything else, I have at least 200 hundred pictures on my computer from this year alone. They're just so interesting and pretty I love them so much. I've never had a pet bird or anything, I just enjoy watching wild ones at my feeder.

Q: Do you have a favourite Pokémon? If so, what is it and why?

A: Ooh, this is a hard one. I don't think I have a favorite, but there are a few I really like. Ruby was my first game and I picked Torchic, so I have a bit of childhood bias when I say that I love Blaziken. I also really like Espeon (not sure why) and Froslass. And after Underdog, I'd be lying if I said Igglybuff didn't hold a special place in my heart.

Q: Are there any other fandoms that you're interested in (a tv show, book series, anime, etc)?

A: I'm in a lot of different fandoms as a casual observer, but the only one I really participate in is the Durarara!! fandom. It's my favorite anime and I occasionally write fics or draw fanart for it.

Q: Do you prefer writing over reading or reading over writing? Is there a specific reason to your answer?

A: Honestly, I don't really enjoy either as much as I used to, which probably sounds silly coming from an author. I can't seem to get into books as easily as before, and writing has become a lot harder for me, but this is probably because I took a long break from both. But I don't prefer either one over the other.

Q: Is there a particular genre of writing that you prefer (horror, fantasy, adventure, etc)?

A: I think that adventure is the easiest for me to write, but my stories tend to have multiple genres. Underdog, for example, was predominantly adventure, but it had subplots that fell into other genres like action, romance, sci-fi, etc. I'd definitely like to write a horror story someday, though, but I think that would be a bit of a challenge for me. I'll have to psych myself up for the task!

Q: Are there any other forms of writing that you enjoy/excel in (essays, poetry, etc)?

A: I don't think that I excel in any forms of writing, really, but I'm okay at poetry and have won a few contests that I entered.

Q: What's your personal strategy to get rid of writer's block?

A: Cry. Just kidding. I usually try to power through as best I can, or make a rough outline of what I want to happen in any given chapter. Sometimes, though, it's best to just take a break, put down the computer, and let your mind rest. Getting a snack or some fresh air can really help your thought process, especially if you're like me (I tend to forget to eat or drink when I'm really focused).

Interviewer: Vespin
Q: What happened to the sequel to Underdog? Okay, why?

A: This is kind of a long story, so I'll try to cut it down. Basically, when I started writing Underdog, it was supposed to be part of a trilogy (my two friends would write the other books in the series). But it didn't work out and we canned the project. I still wanted to write a story, but I had nothing planned for three whole books, so I decided to just write Underdog and give it a solid ending. I started a sequel at one point because a few people said they wanted it, but I just didn't know where to go from there. I'm sure that I could write more eventually (I've put a lot of thought into what happens to the characters afterwards), but for now, I'm content with Jared's journey coming to an end.

Q: What are your pet peeves when reading a story?

A: It's kind of a cliché, but really bad writing/grammar. I don't mean simple mistakes, we're all human, and as someone who studies language I definitely understand how tricky it can be. And I of course know that it's easy to miss little mistakes here and there unless you edit extremely thoroughly. But it distracts me when a story is hard to read because the sentences don't flow well. Other than that, and I have no right to talk, love triangles. I know, I know, I did the same thing, but I regret it big time now. Nowadays it just seems silly to me.

Q: Would you offer to critique someone's work if you felt you had some knowledge to share?

A: I don't think that I'd offer, because I tend to avoid butting in unless people ask, but if someone wanted me to critique then I'd be willing to give them a few pointers. Personally, I don't think that I'm very good at reviewing, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or discourage them because the fact that they're writing is admirable in itself.

Q: Do you ever plan on writing original works? If so, what would they be about?

A: I used to do a lot of original fiction writing, but I don't have that kind of drive anymore. I have a lot of ideas, but right now, I'd like to focus on other things. In a few years, though, who knows?

Q: Do you think the Pokemon Company should change the way they make the main games? If so, what changes would you want?

A: Not particularly. I'd love there to be a little more storyline, but that's about it.

Q: If you could gain any one ability or quality you admire in someone else, what would you choose? Do you think you could develop that ability or quality just by working at it?

A: Pacing. I feel that I havea lot of trouble with my stories when it comes to pacing, and it's something I'd like to improve. But I'm sure I could improve it with practice; that's the only way you're sure to get better!

Q: What's the best writing advice you could give to a budding Pokefic writer?

A: I was actually talking about this to someone not too long ago, but:

a) When you finish a chapter, continue writing into the next chapter. You don't have to do a lot, but it helps nip writer's block in the bud, and

b) It's okay to use artistic freedom when shaping the story universe. It doesn't have to be exactly the way it is in canon – after all, it's your take on the Pokémon world.

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Thanks again to DachshundPiano for participating in our interview! We would also like to thank blue___22, Sheare, Forevermoonlight, and Vespin for their contributions to the questions and d_s_t_e for putting together the introduction and credits.

We'll be back with another great interview! In the meantime, feel free to tell us how you liked this one and share your thoughts.