Interview by bangtanrewinds

Hey, I'm Bella! I'm excited to be a part of this award and interview session. Let me brief a bit about myself. I have been writing on Wattpad for two years and judging for a year now. I'm a psychology student and try to pour everything I learn into my characters. Hope I don't bore you with my interview, lol.

⬤ How was your experience of judging in the Just One Day Awards?

I won't be specific as it's a no to spoilers, lol. But I enjoyed reading each book, as each one belonged to a different genre and had distinct characters. I hope the reviews will be as satisfying as I was after judging. I have written as in-depth as I could, but if any of the participants have any queries after the results are out, feel free to message me. I would be glad to be of any help to you. And a special thanks to Rei for being such an amazing host and making it one of the best awards I joined so far <3

⬤ What's your take on healthy awards or competition?

Well, I do believe the 'give and take' theory fits in here and is a recipe for a successful award show. That sounds quite weird I know, haha. But it's just that as positively as possible you approach the contest, the same way you would receive your part of the reward.

I won't just press on one aspect of awards or one role as host, participant, or judge. Because the trouble could be anyone but I would just say that whichever role you are playing in the award— be it host, participant, designer or judge do your part of the work fairly. Trust me, I have been in award shows for a long time, in every role I mentioned, so it's always give and take which helps the smooth running. No other way.

⬤ What was the first book you liked after you joined Wattpad? And why?

Here, I feel like Jungkook from that one interview where he spoke the iconic line, "I remember the face but don't know the name". Because I as well remember the story but not the name :')

To cut it short, it was based on seven deadly sin demons who had a new tenant in their bungalow. And later on, we see how they helped their tenant who happens to be a girl come out of depression. What amused and hooked me was the genre versatility maintained so well throughout the book. If I knew the name I would have recommended it.

⬤ What inspired you to begin writing?

I had been writing since my childhood...maybe nine. Not stories, but I paved my way with poems, quotes, essays, articles, and short stories for schools and inter-school competitions and finally reached writing good-length stories.

I was always passionate to pen down whatever I wanted to express which helped me greatly as an introvert who would hesitate to share her thoughts openly. Ah! Introversion is not the only reason looking at how I as well sometimes hesitate to share or express a few things with my close ones. In a sentence, if I say, I see writing as my liberation of thoughts, invisible wings which help me fly to heights of imagination and expressiveness.

⬤ What suggestions would you give the authors from your writing journey?

My journey might sound cliche but in a good way, I guess. I'm sure every successful writer's keyword of success is the same and that is 'growth'. Doesn't matter if the growth and learning wavers or you fall, what matters is don't let it be stagnant. It's not the death of talent when it falls but when it stills or freezes. In a sentence, if I say, "Don't fear the fall, aim for the high and keep going."

Even I had so many flaws in my amateur writing age. I do have them still, but I'm proud that I'm doing much better each day. So, please, never stop writing. Instead, mend the mistakes you make.

I'm not the best at writing tips, but I hope they help. These are beneficial if you are a new writer.

‣ Find your length of comfort: what I mean is get to know writing which length of the story will be enjoyable yet work for you. I struggled a lot with this in the beginning. So once you know this, you can plan out things well and can avoid feeling awful for getting stuck at decided how to proceed with the story.

‣ If you are a new writer, and are choosing a genre or storyline to write. First start with a story that is relatable to you. This way your story will savor every emotion and detail it requires from your side and it will be easy for you.

‣ A reader can be a writer but a writer must be a reader. Here 'can' and 'must' have huge differences. Because you can't be a good writer when you don't read. It also comes with the profit of enhancing grammar, vocabulary, and perspectives.

I didn't realize I wrote so much :') But I hope you understood what I meant. Start it easy, never stop writing and keep reading good books.

And thank you so much for reading my interview. I'm happy I could share my perspective on a few things here <33