Q: Hello shadowcheah, how are you today?

Great! Happy to be here answering questions – anything to distract me from work haha

Q: Any time. Thank you for joining us and sharing a little more about yourself with the Wattpad universe. First off, shall we talk about you and writing? When did you first start writing?

I have actually been writing since I was like, 6 or 7. I have notebooks of my old work, all in Chinese and basically full of what you expect a 6 year old can think of. I have then started posting my works on a Chinese novel website around 11 but never able to finish anything. I then put my writing career on the shelf until I found Wattpad 5 years ago!

Q: What are your writer's best practices – doing character profiles, maps, visualization, tai chi, anything?

Be as detailed as you can about everything. Literally everything. Nothing is too small of our attention. I always do a separate document of my characters, the world they live in before I start writing, so I know exactly who they are and where they come from. And if it's a new world, I draw a map.

Q: When and in what setting do you write best?

To be honest I don't have a particular setting, though having my laptop in front of me, a tidy-ish desk and quiet environment helps. Oh and cake and tea.

Q: Is there anything in particular you find difficult to write about?

I don't think I can write suspense, thriller, crime or anything like that. I don't think I have it in me haha. As for scenes, I am not very good at darker stuff just yet, but I am hoping to work on that with the Dark Ages. I struggle a lot with killing of characters and that's what I need to get better at.

Q: What piece of advice has been most helpful to you since you started?

Just write! You are never going to be inspired 100% of the time and the only way to get better is to practice. Write it, if you don't like it, leave it at the bottom of the page and start over again.

Q: What do you enjoy more – writing or having written?

Oh that's hard. Although I always get a special tingly feeling when I get a particularly key chapter done! It's like excitement but something more. So I guess having written is the right answer then!

Q: What genre would you write in, if it wasn't sci-fi?

Fantasy and romance. I actually do write both, and enjoys both. My first story on Wattpad is a romance and while it reflects my early days in terms of style, it was the first story I ever finished. I also did a Fantasy for NaNoWriMo three years ago (has it been this long?!) that I wrote 50,000 words and just left hanging... you can still find the excerpt on my NaNoWriMo page.

Q: That's cool! And what about reading? What three genres do you read the most?

Fantasy, sci fi, romance. Shocker. I am actually a huge fan of young adult fiction – Percy Jackson, John Green – you name it, I read it.

Q: Is there anything you can think of that you would love to read, only it hasn't been written yet?

Oh I don't think so! Between Wattpad, the books out there in the world and the long form Chinese novels that I am addicted to, I feel like I have read everything and anything. Having said that, one of my favourite genres to read is virtual online game, a kind of sci fi futuristic society where people play online game by entering into a virtual world via some kind of headset. It's super popular in Chinese long form writing but the quality isn't what it used to be.

Q: What book could not put down under any circumstances?

I finished the Ruby Red trilogy in 2 days over Christmas. I know it's a translation and a teen fiction, but I can't resist a good time travel story. John Green's books are great too, no matter how overrated people say it is. Oh and Love, Rosie!

Q: And, I know the readers would really appreciate this, tell us what inspired you to write your book on Wattpad?

Evolution is inspired by the dystopian novels out there, and the lack of a particularly good one that doesn't really just focus on the America (sorry, this has got to be said). I am also a sucker for super powers, so I threw that into the Mic and try to make it as realistic as possible.

Q: Can you describe it in three words (and don't be modest!)?

For the POE Chronicles: X-men meets Hunger-games

Q: Which character is the total fan favorite? Why do you think that is?

Tom. Gosh everyone loves Tom and admittedly I was surprised at first. He is not exactly jumping for you to like him, but I guess that's why he is liked.

Q: Talking about fans, can you quote the one comment on your book, which you will never forget? Please include *SPOILER* if it contains major revelations from the storyline.

Someone saying they like Gerald. even I don't like him and I created him. On a side note, I want to thank @_milifeinwords_ @AstrixStar and @JL_Otaku for their comments and support! You guys rock.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being active on Wattpad?

The funny comments I get, and the sense of community above all (the guy who commented maple syrup, yes I mean you haha!).

Q: If you had to mention just one Undiscovered Gem of a story or writer on Wattpad, who would it be and why?

I am not very active on Wattpad – and honestly I can't think of any off the top of my head. My favourite authors are all pretty popular – but one I followed early one and love is @YuffieProductions

Q: How do you work on your writing style and how do you develop it?

I think everyone finds their own voice eventually, and that there really is no secrets except to just write, write and write. You will then find a nice little niche that fits right in with the genre that you like and your personality and bam – you found your voice.

Q: Is coming up with a title a difficult task?

It depends. Most of the time it comes to me, but I have to admit the titles for each chapter are kind of hard. I sometimes use lyrics, or reference to a book. The thing that I made sure not to do is to give away too much on the chapter name – because nobody likes spoilers!

Q: What has been your favorite part of any of your projects to write?

Oh plot twists. They are the BEST thing to write and generally revolve a hidden secret that I have been dying to get out. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but Chapter 25 Glitz and Glam in Evolution; Chapter 21 de Silver, Chapter 27 Revelation, Chapter 36 The Originals in Selection and Chapter 15 Time Guardian in Revolution had been the most fun to write about!

Q: Where are you from?

Hong Kong! A city of seven million people right by the sea. We are so toast if the fifth wave happens. But I did spend the last 11 years studying in the UK.

Q: Did any of you ever feel like writing just wasn't for you anymore and wanted to stop?

There has never been a point when I think writing isn't fun. It gets stressful at points and monotonous on others. It's something that I have been doing since I was young and it's a way for my overactive imagination to flow. Admittedly my laziness always gets the better of me, but that's why I ended up on here and how I manage to finish 4 novels so far with the support of you guys!.

Q: Also for all, what was your hardest chapter to write and why?

The hardest chapters are the filler chapter. I usually have all the major plots of the story planned out in my mind, and sometimes it's just a matter of getting to that point naturally and at a nice flow. Again – it's my laziness.

Q: How can you start a story well so that it pulls the reader in and keeps them hooked till the end?

Intrigue your reader. Start with a sentence, if not a chapter or a few chapters that pull them right in. Keep them on their tip toes and keep the cliff hangers coming. A good example is: I don't believe in fairy tale. You get people to want to know why. The point of a sentence is to get the next sentence read and so on.

Q: What is one thing about writing nobody told you about?

Inspiration is not a given. You are never going to be 100% inspired all the time, and if you wait until you are inspired to write then you will never finish anything. And writing involves character profiling, world building and plot planning. It's all super important and you can't just dive in unprepared. The POE world took me a few days to brainstorm and it's still not perfect!

Q: Is there anything that you wish you could go back in your story and change? (Example: A character's name)

Oh typos. Sorry Mr. Andrewson, you should be Mr. Anderson. And I keep forgetting some people's name (Andre/Leon/something – you know who you are!).

Q: Have you considered publishing paper copies of your books?

Plenty of times, but publishing hard copies involves a lot of work as well as money that I don't have time for, yet! But some day – when I finish the POE Chronicles, I would edit the whole thing and hopefully get my act together and get an agent and publisher. Or I will self-publish.

Q: How did you start your stories? Did they end up turning out to be different from what you originally expected and had in store for them?

I don't really remember why I start Evolution, but it's a combination of the fact that I love the idea of a post-apocalypse world and the lack of one that doesn't just involves America. It frustrates me so much! I also took inspiration from several stories and viola – I got Evolution. It hasn't really turned out majorly different than what I envisioned, but I still need to come out with an ending.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

The Bachelor franchise. I even watch the Australian version. I am super into this and am emotionally invested. Isn't Ben just perfect *squeal*.

Q: And to finish off, I am going to ask you two more personal questions, but don't worry, I won't dig too deep.

1. If you had to get up and do one of these three things right now, which would you go for? a. Bungee jumping b. Singing in front of a thousand people c. Running a marathon

Bungee jumping, if someone is paying for it - been wanting to tick it off my bucket list for ages although I am terrify of heights. Otherwise I will run a marathon. about time I get fit..

2. If you had to live one year without one of the three things below, which would you pick? a. Chocolate b. Ice-Cream c. Coffee

Easy! I don't drink coffee. 

That was fun! Thanks for being with us and sharing your amazing stories with the world!