"No! Lee! Save me! These monsters will kill me!"

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[Italics are me (the interviewer), and bold is Aastha/arty_enigma (the interviewee)]

I N T E R V I E W    T O O K    P L A C E :  J U N E - J U L Y    2 0 1 8

Hey, I was wondering if you were free to do that interview now? xx

So sorry for the late reply! I had been a bit busy. It'll be an honour for me to give an interview!

Sweet! Would I be able to send the questions to you as I think our time zones clash xx

They do. I think you should send the questions one by one; I'll keep answering them...

Sure thing! xx

What inspired you to write your story? xx

The inspiration for my story came from the most unexpected of places I had thought. I had been told to write a short story for my school magazine and was having a hard time developing a plot. I was itching to write a detective story, but I was getting absolutely no ideas. I searched through my favorite thrillers and sifted through almost all the fictional material I owned. I had a lot of inspiration to take help from, but I wanted to create something original, something never read before.

I never visually struck the story that actually inspired me, rather it was more of a remembrance. I remembered a puzzle story, where you figure out the answer and stuff, that I had read in a children's comic magazine years ago. And that was it. That was going to be my inspiration.

Just taking the central idea of a mirror mystery from the story, I developed the characters and storyline. First I wrote the story for my school magazine, and then I had the idea of elongating the story, adding more dimensional characters and publishing it on Wattpad. Guess what, it totally worked! 😁 And here I am!

Wow, that's so exciting - I'm glad you finally found some inspiration! xx

What do you want readers to get out of your book? xx

First of all, I want the main idea of 'moving on' to reach my readers. My main character had failed to move on and he was having a hard time coping. But at last, he finds the solace he had sought. Also, there's the idea that you can't lose your sense of right and wrong for the sake of love. And of course, I want my readers to take away new thoughts, ideas and inspirations. For them to give the book a little afterthought, is all I hope for!

Hmmm, yes, moving on can be a tricky thing, and it's a great theme to explore around xx

Where were you and what were you doing when you found out you placed/TPPA-Approved? xx

Honestly, I had no idea I'd even make it to the Finalists list, let alone win a position. I had returned from school and the notification for getting placed third in the Mystery/Thriller category was the first thing that I saw on opening Wattpad, and I freaked out SO much! I had to stifle a "hurray" (my family doesn't know I write).

Awww ❤️

Do you mind if I ask why your family don't know? xx

Of course not. There are two reasons. First, I'm plain shy of telling them I write. Number two, which is perhaps the real reason, parents in my country give more importance to academics and studies than other extracurricular stuff. Things are changing now, but sadly my parents think it's just a wastage of time-sitting and typing away at my laptop without signs of stopping, when I could have dedicated that time to studying. I've TRIED to tell them that I could try my hand at writing. They have never been rude, but they haven't been fully welcoming either. So I decided to do this thing without disclosure. Maybe I could tell them when my works gain success, but until then, all of this remains a secret.

But that's not sad. I've got my other family, the Wattpad community, which gives me more than I could ever ask for. ❤️

Awww, that sucks, but I totally understand. I feel like that too with my own parents. They want me to become a doctor, but I don't think that's what I really want to do in life. I want to write, but I don't think they realise how important writing is for me. Here on Wattpad, everyone is so supportive, and exactly, it's more than I could ever ask for too ❤️

What does this mean to you? xx

I appreciate that you can relate with my situation, Baeli. I personally hope that everyone in the world gets a chance to fulfill their dreams for their own happiness. 😁

And undoubtedly, this means a lot to me. MMOTW is my first hand at writing a full-length novella and a totally casual one at that. It is still blooming (just crossed 1K reads). I never thought it would be where it is standing now. I've received so much love, and it's still counting. Honestly, words cannot express how joyous I had felt at the notification that I had been placed. I'm truly thankful.

Awww, well I'm sure it will bloom more 😁🌻

What are you up to at the moment? What do we have to look forward to from you? Do you have anything written-wise for us to look forward to in the future? xx

Awww, thanks a ton for the wishes. ❤️

I'm glad to say that there's a LOT in store for the future. I've been planning two novellas, both Mystery/Thriller. The one which I'm currently working on is still in the planning stages. It doesn't have a name as of yet, but I can tell you that it is a DARK one (a dark thriller). The prospect of publishing it is making me more and more excited with each passing day. I can't promise WHEN my next works will come out, but I can surely tell there'll be some more interesting stuff on my profile soon.

Another thing that I'm working on is a joint Wattpad account that some of my friends and I have opened recently, where all activity starts on July 13th. It's called w-static and we will be publishing short stories, maybe collaborations and other such stuff there. Currently it's just a team of seven, but we're hoping to expand once things are up and running. And we'll also request followers to contribute writings. The excitement level is high!

These are the things which I currently have in mind. I can only ask my readers to stayed tuned!

I'm so excited! Somehow I find myself drawn to dark thrillers, so I'm sure it will be the same with your novellas. Also, you may or may not have a new follower for your joint account 😉

This is a question from LyndaCoker: what kind of comments from readers do you find most useful? Is there an aspect of your writing that you would like more feedback on? xx

Well, I'll be glad if you take time to check out my stuff 😁

Thanks for the question, Lynda. I personally prefer comments that provide insights on both the goods and bads of my writing. Bad, so I can work on those points, and good so that I can make that even better.

You see, many-a-times readers are compelled to post only sugar-coated comments. It's not that I don't want those. I appreciate each and every one of them, but it can be hard to improve if nobody criticizes you. So I want my readers to comment about what they DIDN'T like, and how I can possibly improve.

I think I'd like more feedback on my descriptions. For some reason, I like things to be fast-paced. Sometimes my brain refuses to cooperate when it comes to descriptions, and they end up sounding...well, pretty uninteresting. I'd love it if my readers comment on my descriptions, saying whether they liked it or not, whether it flowed smoothly, and if they are understanding what's going on.

And yeah, I saw the follow on w-static. Thanks a ton 😁

That's all good, and I'm sure LyndaCoker will appreciate your answer xx

What do you think is the most important aspect for a book to be successful on Wattpad? xx

For me, the most important thing is eloquent storytelling. That's going to include good grammar, flow of text according to the genre, and of course, the ability to keep the reader hooked. I'm no expert, but as a reader, I find that I'm attracted to books who have nicely edited text and eloquent narratives. I'm not that good at all of this, I admit, but the art of storytelling that can be mastered only by practice. Also, I've noticed the fact that many people don't use good grammar on Wattpad and they get annoyed when anyone points out there mistakes. I think grammar is something that everyone needs to work upon. I know plot is important too, but it's just my personal opinion that a good narrative can fix the problem of the plot.

And the final things being that Wattpad writers should not get frustrated early. Recognition on Wattpad doesn't come easily. But if you work hard, it's not impossible. Just write it out.

Yes! We should definitely all embrace critiques, as that's how we grow as writers xx

Last question, how do you work around a busy schedule to make time to read/write? xx

Yes, that is a question that needs answering. I'm a full-time student, and I like to do art stuff (like, seriously) and I code. On top of that I've got to attend extra classes every day of the week except one. I find it quite hard to manage time, but once I get passionate about publishing something new, it's hard to sit back without doing it. While writing MMOTW, it became a compulsion to publish regularly because I had been extremely irregular in the beginning. It was because my book wasn't planned well. I realized that having things planned out would solve half the problems. So I've decided that even if I can take out half an hour or even fifteen minutes a day, I'll write something. When I have all the things planned out, only then will I publish the book.

Generally, it's after coming back home from school that I write. I study in the evening, so the afternoon provides an empty slot. Sometimes it's after studying. As for reading, I read whenever I can. I love to read. More than writing. More than any other thing. So I always manage to fit in some time for reading between my tasks!

That sounds like a really good solution to my problem! I find it really difficult to find time to write/read because I've been so set in my ways that I have to have half the day to write, but I think your way is much better. Cheers for that tip! xx

Thanks so much for this interview! Did you want to give any shout outs or had any last words? xx

It's my pleasure if I could help!

Thanks to creator_by_heart, EPICEVANTYLER, Mellow_Supernova, and genieinabook, the early readers of the book. Shoutouts to Omega_to_Alpha and TokitoAmaru for being great Wattpad buddies. The experience could never have been the same without them.

And of course, thank YOU for conducting TPPA and taking this interview. Never did I think that I'd ever give an interview for writing. You have been a really great interviewer. I genuinely had fun giving all those answers and I'll be glad if they can help anyone out there in any way! Cheers for the future!

Awww, I'm sure they appreciate the love because I definitely do! ❤️

Cheers, and thanks so much for doing this! xx

Have a great day 😁

Haha, I'm actually about to go to bed, but you too! 😂

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[INTERVIEW WAS PUBLISHED: JULY 2018]

- review yet to be released -