Syd, had the chance to sit down with one of the founders from CLN, Karenj128. Karen is the author of I Will Save You, Don't Give Up On Me, The Truth and Can't Stop From Falling.

Today, I had the honors of interviewing CLN's very own founder, Karen!

So Karen, I can honestly say that I am excited to interview you! Your books have a number of reads, one of them being "I Will Save You" with over 50k reads! How did you come to Wattpad, and did you ever think you would get this far in your writing journey?

I found Wattpad through the game Chapters, which is one of those interactive story games. After reading one of the stories in the game, I wanted to read the actual story that was on Wattpad. As for how far I've come on Wattpad, I didn't expect to be in the place I am now. I only wrote I Will Save You to see if I could write a story and finish it. I never expected people to read it or for it to get to 50K reads!

Wow, that's a really cool backstory! I think most of us can relate to writing a story just to see if we could finish it... and then it turns out to become one of our biggest stories! Let's go back to before you wrote I.W.S.Y, how did you get the idea for it?

I.W.S.Y started out as a collab project between my sister and me, but due to personal reasons she left after chapter 6. Once she left, instead of keeping with our original plan, I just wrote when I was in the mood to write. I had no clue where the story was going or how it was going to turn out.

That's very interesting! I know personally, that when you write to see where your story can go, writer's block can creep up on you out of nowhere and knock you down. Have you ever experienced writer's block when you were writing I.W.S.Y? How were you able to get over it?

I was lucky with I.W.S.Y, and didn't experience it with that story or Don't Give Up On Me. Unfortunately, with the two ongoing stories that I have now, I've actually had quite a bit of writer's block. Since I always listen to music when I write, I will attempt to get rid of W.B by changing my playlists and push through it.

That's a good idea! It seems that for some authors, they don't experience writer's block until their upcoming books. I've noticed that most of the books you've written usually contain a mixture of bad boys and abuse, is there any reason for that?

Not really, I mainly read teen fiction... and my stories somewhat follow the same formula as others in that genre. They have a different concept, but are still somewhat the same as the other books in teen fic.

I can understand that, after all, other books inspire us to write! So, out of all the books you've written, which is your favorite and why?

My favorite book of mine is Don't Give Up On Me, I wasn't in a very good place when I was writing it, so it created a nice distraction from real life. It's definitely not the greatest book out there, but it will always be the one I cherish.

Aw, so it has sentimental value! There's nothing like creating your own perfect world and disappearing into it... or maybe not so perfect. What is your greatest flaw when it comes to writing?

I have many flaws when it comes to writing; spelling, grammar, and I'm not great at describing things, but I think the biggest flaw is self doubt. It's the one thing that can make me not want to write. There will always be someone better and that's fine. I have to constantly remind myself that I write because it brings me peace, and it's not about what others think.

Wow, that is a really good mindset to have as an author, I know authors who only write for fame and fortune, and others who don't know why they write at all... do you have anything to say to these kinds of authors?

To each their own, I guess. If you truly have a passion for writing, it will show up in your work. Writing is so much more than becoming famous... it's an escape. It's a moment to become anything you want! Other than just trying to see if I could write and finish a story, I had no clue why I was writing. Nonetheless, I'm very glad I wrote it. It's not great by any means, but I found a great way to ease my anxiety.

Well said Karen, you really have a good handle on what it's like to be a true author! So when you're writing out your characters, do you ever base them off of yourself or people you know? What traits do you like to use?

My characters are a mix of people that I've met or know. I always like to have my characters act differently than they really are, because that is how it is in the real world. It takes time for people to show their true self...and it's the same for my characters. As the story progresses, my characters start to show their true selves.

That's a very deep theme to be writing about! Have you ever written a scene or part of a story where your heart went out to that character who was dealing with a hardship? Any specific songs you listened to so you could get into the mood?

Yes, especially in Don't Give Up On Me. I can't say much about it without giving too much away, but music always plays a big role in my writing. A specific song that helps me write D.G.U.O.M is "Broken" by WE ARE FURY.

Interesting song choice, I'll be sure to check it out! For any one of your books, would you dedicate them to someone? And if so what role has that someone played in your life?

I'm a very antisocial person in real life, so there isn't any specific person I would dedicate my books to from whom I know in real life, but there are several people that I would dedicate them to from people who I've met through Wattpad. I would list them... but we would be here for ages. So instead I will just say this, my books are dedicated to my entire CLN family and my readers. They've given me support and love and without them I would have probably already left Wattpad.

Aw, I'm happy to hear that (partly because I am part of that CLN family hehe) Who is your favorite character out of all of your books and why?

This is where most authors say they can't choose a favorite because they are like their kids. Then there's me... I have kids in real life, so my characters are not at all like my kids. Unlike my kids, my characters listen to me, ha ha. Anyways.... (hopefully my kids will never read this) I do have a favorite character. Nick from D.G.U.O.M is my favorite character because he's so goofy and child like at times, despite being eighteen. In a story that can become very serious at times, I love how he can instantly change the mood and make me laugh.

Haha I know we all love a good laugh every now and then... especially from a goofball character! So Karen, what is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book outside of Wattpad is Once Perfect by Cecy Robson. It is a part of a series called Shattered Past. It's one of my favorite books because it got me back into reading after taking a very long hiatus from it!

On Wattpad any book from LaurenJ22, MaisieGreene, and Vividlycrimson18. All three of those ladies are amazing authors and I can read their books over and over.

Oh nice! You know a book is really good when you can read them over and over again and never get tired of reading them, I'll be sure to check them out! Speaking of good books, what is a type of cliche that you absolutely love? What about one you hate?

There's not one that I hate or love. I mainly read teen fiction, young adult and new adult. Cliches are very common for these genres, so I look more for a good story line.

That's understandable. Where did you get the idea for your book The Truth? Did you plot it out or just wing it... I know I like to do that for my books!

The Truth is the only story that I tried plotting out... and failed at it horribly. The idea was to make it more like my actual high school, we didn't have all of these cliche groups like you would normally read in most teen fiction stories, but I've learned that plotting out a story isn't for me. After plotting the first few chapters, I started winging it! The Truth has been my hardest book to write and there are still times that I want to unpublish it. I probably would unpublish it if it didn't have dedicated readers, so for my readers, I will complete the book.

Aw, well I'm glad to hear that you'll be keeping it up for your readers! So let's talk about the future of your writing career, shall we? Where do you see yourself as a writer in say... five years? Are you planning on entering any of your books into the 2020 Wattys Awards?And do you ever see yourself publishing one of your books for the world to read?

In five years I will probably still be publishing books on Wattpad. I personally do not see my books being good enough to be published where people would spend money on them. Writing them is something I do because I enjoy it and it helps with my anxiety, and that alone is good enough for me! The reads, comments and votes are just an added bonus that I love.

I will be entering D.G.U.O.M into the Wattys. In no shape or form do I expect it to win.... I'm just going to enter it because a year ago, I told myself I would push past my comfort zones and enter it. That's what I plan on doing. It's more of a 'me' thing to enter the Wattys, so I expect nothing out of it other than to be proud of myself for entering it.

Congrats, and I wish you all the best for your entry! I find it very cool that you use writing as an outlet to calm yourself and to deal with your anxiety. You're putting your skills to good use, but I know that I don't need to tell you that!

As a writer, where is your happy place? What room or area helps you get into the writing mood for one of your books?

I can write wherever I have my laptop and wifi. The main thing I need is music...I definitely can't write without music.

I believe that music is a key factor for many writers! For all of your time as a writer, what have you learned? Something about writing... perhaps even something about yourself?

I've learned that writing is fun when you're not being forced to do it in school.

Haha couldn't have said it better! Now it's time for your nominee, FirstNailInTheCoffin's question! How do you differentiate yourself in the big market of teen fiction?

It's not easy. I try to make my stories different from the ones I've read, but in teen fiction there are always certain things that people expect in it. For those who read the entirety of D.G.U.O.M, I think they would say that it is different from other teen fiction stories. I think I did a decent job of making it different that most while still keeping the certain aspects that are wanted in teen fiction.

That must've been hard! I would love to read a teen fic book that isn't exactly the same as all the rest out there, (which is why it's least one of my favorite genres). If you were to write a genre outside of Teen Fiction, which one would you choose? What about one you'd want to give a try?

I think I would either choose mystery or fantasy... I come up with ideas for fantasy all of the time, but then the self doubts kick in and I end up sticking to what I know.

I'd absolutely love to see you write either, and I'm sure your readers would agree! Speaking of readers, is there anything you'd like to say to them?

Yes, I would like to thank them for all of their support and kind comments. I love reading them all and there are several ones that have made me laugh. Every read, comment, and vote means the world to me... and I would also like to let them know that if they ever need someone to talk to, my Dms are always open! I rarely sleep lol.

Hehe I know Karen, you're always on the CLN discord server (but I'm not complaining xD). Thank you for the wonderful interview, and I wish you and your writings all the best!

Thank you for interviewing me!