<YOU MAKE EVERYTHING ALRIGHT>

Let's welcome Hoseokiiss (Kat)

One of the most inspiring and talented writers in this app, talks about her books, future plans and more!

Interviewer : jcynthls (Suji)

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🎶Suji⇾Thank you Kat for agreeing to this. It's a great honour. I wanna start from the beginning. What made you start writing? And how did you start writing on this very app?

🎀Kat⇝Thank you, it's an honor to take part in this interview! It is difficult to pinpoint one particular factor that contributed to my decision to start writing. I would say it was a combination of a love for English, a love for reading, and a love for storytelling in general, all of which were strong in me by a young age. Ultimately, once I recognized a writer's ability to use these three things together in a way that could leave a lasting impression on someone, I knew I wanted to someday do so myself. So I started writing my first stories when I was around ten years old, but it wasn't until I was eighteen that I finally wrote a complete story and actually posted it for others to see. This was "The Siren's Curse", which I chose to publish on Wattpad because I'd been a member of the community for several years and had always hoped I might find the courage to share my work on the platform someday.

The fact that Wattpad was and still is a space where I can form a community that I can interact with and receive feedback from is amazing. I won't be on the platform forever, but right now while I just write for fun and wish to see what I'm doing right and where I can improve, it's the best place for me post my work!

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🎶Suji⇾And I hope you continue doing so! Because truly a gem like you is rare. Onto the next one, 'Siren's Curse' was one of the best books I've ever read, the plot was well thought out, the scenes so beautifully explained, I want to ask you how did the idea come to you? What inspired you to write the book?

🎀Kat⇝First, I'd just like to say thank you for such kind words! It means so much to me when I hear that a reader enjoyed the journey of TSC as much as I did while writing it. The first time I felt inspired for this story was after watching my favorite movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean (specifically the original trilogy). The storytelling, the characters, the atmosphere, it all transported me to this world filled with pirates, legendary curses, and mythical creatures, and I knew I wanted to try creating my own story that could capture a similar feeling to what I had from the first time watching those movies. Ultimately, the first scene that I imagined was when the siren, Jimin, lures Katherine into the cell and tricks her into releasing him so he can make a deal with the crew. The whole plot began to form around this incident and the knowledge that this siren would be introduced without any humanity and would experience a redemption arc of sorts.

The rest of the characters' arcs and backgrounds began to take shape as I wrote, so a lot of this story was not planned ahead of time. Only the rules of the curse were firm in my mind while everything else came to be as I went along!

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🎶Suji⇾That's so unique! I loved the plot so much, you've quite a knack for this! Your writing skill is what makes your books so special, how did you develop your writing method through all these years? Any advice to new writers on how they can improve themselves in language and writing style?

🎀Kat⇝Thank you for saying that! I'm happy to hear you've found my writing style enjoyable. When I first began writing, it was all very bland. It took a lot of reading and practicing for me to start developing my own style and voice, but I always knew I wanted to be descriptive and emotional, so I focused a lot in the beginning on developing those skills. Beyond that, one thing that especially helped me grow was learning to read over the words several times and listen for a rhythm/flow. Varying the sentence structures, for example, helps keep the writing from sounding monotonous or uninteresting to the ear. And something I still always catch myself doing is repeating the same word in close succession, so I've tried to fix that by replacing one of them with a synonym instead (as long as the definition still works) which keeps it from sounding too repetitive and also helps broaden my diction. There's lots if little tricks like these that you'll start to pick up on as you continue reading and writing, so consistency and patience are key to improvement!

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🎶Suji⇾Even the answer was so beautifully written. And as we are on the topic on writing, You've been on this app for so many years, what major lessons have you learned throughout your writing journey?

🎀Kat⇝The first thing that comes to mind is that I learned to accept genuine criticism to help me improve. Sometimes it can be a hard pill to swallow, but if a reader respectfully expresses their concern or opinion on something in my work, I've learned to pause and really consider what they say. Wattpad, for me, is a place where I can practice my writing and post drafts of stories I hope to perhaps publish in the future, so it's important to hear critiques out if I want to be sure my stories continue to get better. Additionally, I've learned (for the most part) to not let negative responses get to me as much as they used to. It can be difficult, but the more eyes that see what I post, the more hate or negativity I'm likely to receive. This used to be such a scary thing for me to see, but now, I've learned how to accept these types of comments and either ignore them or respond carefully.

The final lesson I've learned during my journey with Wattpad is to not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone. This is a struggle I've always had in life as I, like many, have to deal with anxiety on a daily basis. Publishing one of my stories for the first time was entirely terrifying, but I was able to see in a few months how much I would have missed out on if I had not taken that leap. I would've missed out on gained confidence, renewed passion for writing, beautiful friendships, and a community that means a lot to me. I try to remember this lesson whenever I fear taking a new step in life!

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🎶Suji⇾What is a good book according to you? What makes you deem a book as a good one?

🎀Kat⇝While a lot of readers have strong preferences when it comes to writing style, I tend to care most about a book's ability to transport me. Whether the writing is simple or complex, whether the plot is predictable or twisty, I'll likely adore it if it manages to draw me into the shoes of the main characters where I can experience an emotional journey along with them. Characters I can care about and invest in, a setting descriptive enough for me to experience, and a story that impacts my heart in some way are the three strongest factors that make me enjoy a book!

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🎶Suji⇾No wonder your books have turned out the way they are. Have you ever felt demotivated in your writing? If you did, how did you come out of that dilemma?

🎀Kat⇝Yes, of course! This happens quite often, and when I was first starting out, I used to rely heavily on friends' and others' reassurance to boost me out of a writing slump. However, I realized at some point that I had to be able to get myself out of those ruts if I wanted to write more consistently and not place so much of my confidence in outward validation. So more recently, if I feel down or doubtful about my writing, I try to step away for a little while and either write for a different project to get my creativity and flow going again, or I take a break from writing altogether and return to it a day, or sometimes a week, later. Both methods help me regain confidence in my writing because I either feel refreshed from finding my groove again in another project, or I see my writing through a refreshed perspective after taking a break. Motivation is an unsteady feeling, so I try to stay disciplined and write even when I don't necessarily want to, just like I would continue getting up and going to school or work each day.

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🎶Suji⇾True, motivation is something you don't really get very easily. At the end, I want to ask you what messages you usually aim to convey to your readers by your books? And what more beautiful creations can your readers expect from you in the future?

🎀Kat⇝I love this question! So far, in the two books I've completed, there have been strong messages weaving throughout both. Especially in my endings, I try to drive home some of the main impressions I'd like to leave on my readers. I aim for these themes to be positive, hopeful, and emotional in nature-probably because that's what I tend to feel most touched by in my own experience with books and movies. Some of the main themes I've touched on so far in my works include humanity, forgiveness, family, overcoming fear, and redemption. One of my biggest goals in writing is to touch readers' hearts with these messages, and I'm happy anytime I hear that I've done this for even one person. About my future projects, readers can look forward to my two current works in progress: "Hearts of Dusk" and "Ravenous"! The first is a high fantasy set in an alternate world in which a beautiful yet cruel Elven race rules. The story centers around a strong female protagonist who sets out to usurp the King's throne before her rival assassin beats her to it. It is an enemies to lovers romance with morally grey characters and complex villains, and this project is my biggest yet, so I'm really excited about it! The second project is a bit different from my usual, considering the fact that it is an interactive story. This means I'm providing readers with the chance to vote on the main character's decisions, thus changing the outcomes of the journey. It is a survival au set on a deserted island-only the island is brimming with mysterious and rather mystical dangers. This one is also going to be a lot of fun!

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🎶Suji⇾I'm so thankful for this interview and I'm glad you decided to take up for it. Thank you for all those answers, loved it all!

🎀Kat⇝of course lovely ❤️

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Let's support Kat in her journey and help her grow more. I hope she inspired and motivated you as much as she did to me, she's such a gorgeous author, for whom I wish all the best things in this world. And she's too sweet, I almost got diabetes ❤️