INTERVIEW WITH : Thoronris

BOOK: Remorse I

1. How did you feel when you knew you were announced as a finalist, and then the first place winner? Describe it to us :)

I was very happy. I have entered the story in several contests so far and never won, which makes this very special to me. Also, since it's a translation of my German fanfiction, it tells me that I slowly get to a point where my English is good enough to make an enjoyable read.

2. What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever received?

Just write. Don't fear the blank paper, just write whatever comes to mind. Your first draft will often not be the final form, so it doesn't matter what you write at first. Don't feel the need to write a perfect text at your first try. You can always edit later. Writing anything will eventually lead to writing the something you really, really want to write.

3. What was the proudest moment in your writing journey thus far?

When I finished my German fanfiction "Never Say Never", I got a lot of very emotional reviews. One stood out to me in particular. The reader told me that they felt as if new synapses were connected in a different way now, because my story made them look at the world and human relationships in a totally new way. That comment made me so proud, and also confirmed to me that I wanted to write about the light and the dark sides of human souls.

4. Where do you see yourself in a few years time?

Hopefully still writing Harry Potter fanfictions and also my own, original stories. Perhaps I might also be making money off my original stories?

5. Where or from whom do you get your writing inspiration from?

Everywhere, literally. Sometimes I see an interaction between people on the streets and am struck with a story idea. Sometimes I read a story and suddenly think of a way to make the characters totally different. Sometimes I have a dream and turn it into a story. Sometimes it's even just a picture or fanart that inspires a whole plot.

6. Who is your favorite Wattpad author and your favorite author outside
of Wattpad?

I love the writing of Jazzy1983 & bioshock2013 When it comes to fanfiction, I adore all stories by the joined account SnowBlindLissaDream Outside of Wattpad, I'm in love with Jane Austen and Mary Shelley.

7. How and when did you find Wattpad and begin your writing journey on this platform?

In 2014, I was looking for other platforms to publish my fanfictions and via Google found Wattpad. I made an account, but as Wattpad works totally different from archives like , I quickly gave up
and never posted again. Then, in summer 2015, I was determined to put more effort into Wattpad and make it work, so I posted all my stories with regular updates, which finally brought me readers and later on loyal followers.

8. Who is your most favorite and least favorite character to write and why?

When it comes to the fanfiction that won here, my least favourite character to write is Dumbledore. What we see of him in the books is just so boring. For the first half of his life he had no agency at all, and in the second half he suddenly plays all knowing puppet master and often comes across as a Mary Sue character. It's boring to write him, so I try to avoid it as much as I can. I love writing Tom Riddle, on the
other hand, because he's so very, very different from anyone I know, and at the same time shares traits with me that I try to never show, because they make me an awful human being. Through him, I can explore the depths of the human soul. He's not the one-dimensional villan that Voldemort later on will be, but a young student with severe childhood trauma and thus a heavy personality disorder, which makes him so interesting.

9. If you could exchange lives with one book character from your book,
and one character from another's author's, who would it be and why?

From my story? Errr ... I don't really know whether I'd like to live in that world. Everyone is messed up there and experiences abuse or torture. If I could, I'd switch with Elisabeth Bennet from Pride and
Prejudice. I love that time and contrary to what one might believe, it actually was quite possible to live a feminist, progressive life if surrounded by the right people - which Darcy definitely is.

10. Which character in your book do you relate the most with?

Hermione. I have always seen me in her, especially since she is like a better version of my own. While I share the traits of being a book nerd and like following the rules, as well as studying, I lack her big heart and emphatic nature. She's also unapologetically dark if she needs to be (like when delivering Umbridge to the Centaurs), which is inside me, but I'm too afraid to act on it.

11. How do you get rid of writer's block, if or when you get it?

I don't believe in writer's block. What's actually happening, at least for me, is either I loose interest in a story (usually only for some time, not forever), or I feel the need to be a perfectionist and make every chapter the best it can be. Turning what's in your head into written text is super hard, and once I feel I can't do it, I am stuck and put off writing. I know by now that the only way to overcome it, is simply writing. If I'm not interested, I need to wait it out or simply read the whole thing again, and if I'm stuck because of my perfectionist nature, I need to ignore that critical inner voice and write.

12. Do you think this work encapsulates who you are as a writer now, or have you grown a lot since then?

This story is still a work in progress, but I started it about 4 years ago. It definitely is who I am as a writer in every sense possible. My writing style is here the best it can be, and I have put more research in it than in any other work. The biggest growth I had during writing "Never Say Never", as I went from naive young girl writing to adult woman with a purpose. That purpose is now set into motion in Remorse.

13. When did you realize that writing was your passion?

I started writing when I was in elementary school and wanted to become a writer back then. Teen me realised that it would be super hard and unrealistic, so I gave up on it to pursue a career as journalist. When I was about 17, I started writing fanfiction and rediscovered my love for writing. It was only during the final phase of my master's degree that I realised that I am happiest when I write, and that despite everything society tells me, I want to do nothing but write. Luckily, I have a supportive husband, so I can write without the need to have a money job.

14. When did you first start writing?

See above, when I was about 9 years old. Rediscovered my love for it when I was 17 and started writing regularly then.

15. What advice would you like to give to all the struggling yet
aspiring writers out there?

Hitting publish on your text can be very intimidating. Comparing yourself to all those other Wattpad authors with hundreds of millions of reads can be disheartening. Always remember: Every single read you get counts. It means that an actual human being, someone you don't even know, who knows nothing about you, found your story and liked it enough to read through a whole chapter. Even if they don't vote or comment, they gave you their time. Someone out there might be moved by your story. Someone out there might smile or cry at your lines. Always remember what a miracle that is and take strength in that thought.

16. What inspired you to write this particular book?

I was stuck with the pairings I liked to read in Harry Potter fanfictions, when I finally decided to give a time travel story a shot, though I was before firmly opposed to it. I found one near perfect Tom Riddle fanfiction and fell in love with the pairing. Reading more and more of those fanfictions, I realised none were exactly like I wanted - so I decided to write me my own fanfiction. It's the Tomione fanfiction I've always wanted to read.

17. What was the writing process like?

Super hard. I had to do a lot of research. On another platform, my story got banned because they felt I was glorifying abuse, when in actuality my story was about showing how bad abusive, toxic relationships are. That crushed me, because I felt that I as a writer had failed to deliver my idea in a way others would understand it. I fell into a deep hole and couldn't see any light. It was at that time that my story took off on Wattpad. I realised that not I was inadequat, but the mods and admins on that plattform were too conservative to understand my story. I decided that sometimes to get out what one wants to say, one needs to be uncompromising and walk the stony way. For a long time, I lost the emotional bond I felt with my characters, but I continued writing and eventually, it would come back. Later on, the rules on the other platform were changed and my story could return. When readers tell me that they feel physically sick reading certain chapters, I know I definitely achieved my goal in showing how bad abusive relationships are. It made me stronger in the end.

18. When did you start writing this winning book?
I started writing the German version in 2015, and started translating it in 2017.

19. Are you planning on professionally publishing your book? If so, when?

I have pitched one of my original stories with publishers before and some even showed interest, but ultimately denied it when they read the whole manuscript. I will definitely go into self-publishing with that story after I reworked and edited it, and I will continue to pitch my stories to publishers along the way.

20. Does every comment, every follow and every vote for your work still
surprise you?

To be honest, no, at least for my German fanfictions. I am confident in my writing skills and I know my stories are well liked by the community. For my English translations, on the other hand, I am super happy for every single vote and read I get, and when someone comments, I get all flustered and happy.

Random, fun & personal questions:

21. Favorite color?

Red

22. Favorite animal?

Cat

23. Your writing or any other idol?

Catharine Macaulay (18th century historian, most famous for her history of England and her defense of the French Revolution against Edmund Burke)

24. Favorite music artist

The German band "In Extremo", they do folk/medieval, sometimes even metal music. Only band I ever saw live.

25. Any guilty pleasures ( writing or otherwise)?

Watching YouTube Let's Plays all the time. Literally all the time. Browsing Reddit when I should really be sleeping.