d_s_t_e: 

First question: Can you tell me the story behind My Name is Loto? What inspired you to write it and where did the ideas come from?

ImberLapis:

Well, it started sometime after the creation of Loto for Cora's story, The Isles of Gracidea. Back when I first made Loto, in his backstory I said he had amnesia just so I could get out of having to make a detailed backstory because I knew it wouldn't be mentioned in tIoG, but I didn't want to not give him a backstory. And then I grew to like him so much that I couldn't stand to let him go as a side character. Originally MNiL was going to be about five or six chapters, relatively short and simple just to fill in the gaps. But the more I thought about it, the more I started to come up with. I felt there had to be more of a reason why Loto wound up on Tranquelum with amnesia, and there definitely was more to him living on the streets. This story was so much more loosely planned than my other stories, with me adding ideas as they came to me and retconning past events when I added them. This is a reason why I always write outlines for my stories!

dste:

Ah, I see. Even though you usually outline your stories, did you find yourself adding any surprising things that you really ended up enjoying?

Imber:

Yes. The biggest addition that I grew to love was Kari. He was meant to be a typical healer-type character, but then the more I crafted his personality, the more separated he became from his original purpose. His and Loto's relationship was based around the relationship of the MCs in my favorite anime, Made in Abyss, where an upbeat, positive character with a knack for cooking and decent knowledge of the world is paired with an amnesiac who is clueless about everything yet possesses strength the other doesn't, and the two have to survive in the world together. Kari fit into the role perfectly, and I loved writing his and Loto's dynamic. Combine that with how Kari became the catalyst for Loto's character development, and I got a character that was an absolute joy to write.

dste:

I take it Kari was your favorite character then? Were there any characters that you had more difficulty writing? How did you work past that?

Imber:

Actually, Loto was my favorite! Though, Kari's my second-favorite. I have a special love for Loto because he's the first OC of mine to be the MC in one of my stories, and that'll forever stick with me. But the most difficult character to write, without a doubt, was Rangi. He was honestly such a pain to write. His character (in particular his motivations and some of his key actions) received a total of three rewrites now, with his last one being the most drastic. He was the most ambitious character I've ever attempted writing in terms of motivations, mindset, and general sense of logic, though a character in an upcoming work will definitely give him a run for his money. I am glad I wrote him, because he was unlike any other character I've ever written. Hopefully when I attempt something like him again, I'll know how to do it better. Rangi was a very important stepping-stone in that regard.

dste:

Speaking of stepping stones, I was wondering if your past experience in writing books like What the Wind Carries and Heart of Steel helped you at all when writing this book. Did having written those books as well as the shorter stories you have up on Wattpad affect how you approached this one?

Imber:

It helped me mainly in the character department. Loto's development was the plot, and everything that happened to him was what drove that plot. Writing WWC and HS helped me figure out what character types I write the best, what kinds of arcs I'm best suited to handle, and how to handle them better. Ch 8 of MNiL was written as a direct response to Ch 36 of HS, showing that I could write the aftermath to a devastating emotional event and not just toss it aside like I did in HS in favor of getting to the rest of the story. My previous stories taught me the importance of characters and that I'm better-suited to focusing on them than a big sprawling plot.

dste:

Ah, I see. Having read Heart of Steel, I actually did notice that when I read up to that point in My Name is Loto. It definitely struck me as an improvement. How do you encourage yourself to keep growing as a writer even when you acknowledge that some things you've written in the past didn't turn out as well as you'd hoped?

Imber:

Because I tell myself "the next time you write something like that, you can do it better." And I think that's something any writer can keep in mind when they write.

dste:

Great advice! Speaking of advice, I was wondering if you have any advice on how to balance everything. Between the books you write, the graphics you make, being part of three different group accounts, college, and life in general, you must have a lot on your plate! What would you say to people who struggle to find time to write?

Imber:

You make that time. Even if it's only once a week, set aside a couple hours to write, or even to just try and write. Something is always better than nothing.

dste:

Speaking of that, what are you working on right now? Any plans for future books we can all look forward to?

Imber:

Right now I'm writing my Pokémon/Legend of Zelda crossover, The Fractured Holder. Coming in late December is a paranormal drama Pokéfic called Haunted. And hopefully around next summer, the long-awaited sequel to HS, Soul of Stone, can finally be posted! That one in particular has been a long time coming.

dste:

Ooh, that sounds exciting!

Imber:

It definitely is to me, and I hope everyone enjoys these current and upcoming fics as much as I am.

dste:

Well, I'll let you get back to it then. Anything else you'd like to say before we wrap up this interview?

Imber:

I'd just like to say thank you for reviewing MNiL, and thank you personally, Maple, for all your suggestions! They truly have made the story so much better.

dste:

You're very welcome! Thank you for letting us review your book, being so gracious in accepting the constructive criticism, and being here for this interview!

Imber:

Of course! I'm glad I was able to even provide this story for you to review in the first place! : )