Welcome to our talk with the Category Narration winner XxxSistersxxX as we hear about their work and experiences.

I: Interviewer
Beth: Interviewee

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I: Welcome here, Beth, and congratulations on your win! To begin with, tell me something about yourself and your writing journey.

Beth: To start with I am a 24 year old woman from the uk who is currently in her last year of an apprenticeship studying to be a civil engineer while work as a track engineer. In my free time I currently write, game and draw.

Well I basically started writing in my free time to improve my writing skills and get better with spelling and grammar as I’m very dyslexic and find it very hard. I decided the best way to get better was to create stories in order for me to have a reason to write. I recently was diagnosed with autism,which I have struggled with my whole life and decided to write a book kind of exploring my emotions and by creating a character who I felt was me I was able to show my family how I was feeling.

I: I mean, w o w! That's amazing! How did you get to know about Wattpad? What made you hit the publish button for the very first time?

Beth: Well I joined in I think 2013/14 and I used it mainly read other books I tried writing some terrible ones but never hit publish.

In covid so 2020 I finished a book I’d been writing for a while it wasn’t very good and I think I put it up for maybe a day or two.

But the book I did recently I wrote it, edit it, and edit it again got family to read and then decided to open my profile back up again and decided to publish just before the wattys finished. I of course didn’t win for whatever reason but I didn’t mind. I put it up incase anybody wanted want to read it but I didn’t expect anything to come from it. When I applied to this award I didn’t expect it to go anywhere as id applied to one other and didn’t even get passed the first bit. I was very surprised to share first place with a great writer.

I: Always expect the unexpected! Since you have so much to do, how do you manage your work and the writing?

Beth: To be honest I don’t know. I find the time wherever I can. I’ve always said I will never let my work become me so I work my 4 days a week of 7:30-4 and do my 9-6 which is 1 day of lectures. With my work I very much leave it at the workplace it never comes home with me. Uni I do but that’s because I need to complete it.

I am in a routine that on Mondays and Wednesdays after work I go to the gym then I come home study and before I go to bed I write or draw depending what my brains like. Tuesday I am at university all day as it’s two hours of driving there and back. Thursday and Fridays I work and do uni work after then in the evening I write and on weekends I make sure I’ve studied and do fun things for myself.

But sometimes I just don’t have the energy and I get home and sleep.

I used to get stressed and worried but recently I found that I have all the time in the world. I would never say I am so busy I have no time as that would be a lie because I’ve shown myself that I can do it all already.

But when I finish in may I know that I will have so much more time to write and I’m so excited if I can write double what I do now I could probably write four books my the end of the year hahah.

I: Amazing! Could you tell me more about the story that got you the winner's tag?

Beth: Sure. It’s basically a story about finding yourself and battling your inner demons.

Daisy has lived her whole life locked away when finally she is released and told to fight for the people who have kept her locked away. She is unique in the sense that she doesn’t hate the people who locked her away she feels nothing just empty. She lives everyday feeling she is powerless. But as the story progresses she realises she does have power and fights back only to find out she has had a lot more taken from her than she expected.

On her journey to finding herself she starts to feel she isn’t worthy of the freedom she now has and the whole story is a battle for Daisy without all the weapons. Sometimes power isn’t everything.

I: That's so unique!

Beth: Thank you i think everyones story has a bit of underlying theme and I’ve made mine more of a focus. I usually write fantasy or sci-fi. In 1st person mainly. I prefer series as I like to build the character and the world in the first book and then build it up to being about the key story and challenges that are to be faced. I am planning to write a crime fiction/ who dunnit in the future but I will need to really plan it so haven’t started yet.

I can write 3rd person but I like to connect with my characters and prefer them to be the focus so I write my shared books in 1st person.

As a reader though I find I am much more focused on the story and flow than any grammar or spelling. So I try to appreciate every piece of work including my own as what it could become rather than what it already is. You don’t really read a book for amazing spelling or grammar (at least I don’t) you do it for the characters and story.

I: Wish we all had this certainty about what we want to create.

Beth: I think we all do I just super organised and I plan everything so I come across more certain but I question everything I do, say and write.

I: Engineering sorts your system in a particular way, yes!

Beth: Oh engineers are so unorganised so stressful ahah. Think I’ve just adapted to what works best for me.

I: That's true, but often those technicalities lure down the beauty of the work, which is what I feel.

Beth: True but grammar and spelling can always be worked on but a solid story is a lot harder to correct once started.

I: what is your inspiration to keep writing? Are there any quotes that help you to keep typing/writing? do the writers (off and on wattpad) inspire you?

Beth: My main inspiration is me. I know it makes me happy and I am better for it so I use that happy me when I’m feeling down to bolster me.

My mum used to always say ‘You don’t have to be great to start! But you have to be start to be great.’ I think I use that a lot as a way of telling myself that my work might not be perfect now but I will get better and try master it more.

There’s no one writer but I have a few that I follow how they write which the main ones are Rick Riordan, Neil Gaiman and Suzanne Collins. I know there’s some really inspirational ones out there but these are the ones I really look at how they write.

I: What do you have to say to your readers and supporters?

Beth: Thanks for taking anytime out of your life to read my book or even to look at the cover. Or if you’re just someone I have meet through wattpad and have supported me then I am very grateful for anytime you have given to me.

Seeing that one nice comment can make my whole year and I appreciate it. I know it’s not many people but that doesn’t matter just knowing I have one person in my corner is enough for me❤️

I: That's nice! What would be your advice for new and aspiring writers?

Beth: Just write. If it’s for yourself or for an audience it doesn’t matter. And no writer starts out great so don’t let it get to you if you feel you are not progressing very quickly.

The first step is to believe in yourself and everything after comes so easily.

In terms of writing through there’s no right way of doing it just keeping trying and you’ll will find the best way for you 🙂

I: Very helpful! lastly, how was your experience with our community? Did you like the awards and this space? Any suggestion or feedback that we can work upon?

Beth: I used to be part of the book club which I enjoyed a lot but it got to much with everything going on. I haven’t had much to do with the discord as I wouldn’t even know where to start.

I loved the awards I think there’s still a few categories left which I’m excited to see the winners for as I have looked at all so far as it keeps me interested in other peoples work.

Only feedback is that’s there’s to many discord channels I can get a little lost. But you all seem lovely.

I: So glad you think so! About the channels, the number can be a bit overwhelming, but that's just our small attempt to keep it a bit organized. we'll surely work on it.

It was lovely having this conversation with you, thank you for joining us!