The Wattpad Filipino Block Party 2021

QUESTIONS / MGA TANONG

How did you adjust your writing in your stories, may naapektuhan ba because of work/acads and life?

- I'm the type of writer who writes only when I have the motivation to write or when I have the free time, which is why my acads/work and personal life in general almost never gets affected. Writing is a hobby and not a job that I have to stress on, so there's nothing much to adjust.

What do you prefer to write: Series or Standalone stories? Why?

- For a time, I enjoyed writing series, but now I enjoy writing standalone books more. Other than the effort it takes to finish a series, a standalone just feels more complete for me since I don't have to unecessarily drag the story too long just to write more. Pero syempre, pag hindi talaga kasya sa isang libro, a series is always the best option. Hindi din naman pwedeng iklian mo para magkasya sa standalone. It all depends on how large you create your world.

How do you motivate yourself to keep writing?

- Watching movies really help motivate me, especially during quarantine. Another thing that motivates me – as cheesy as it may sound – are the comments I get in my stories. Reading how excited my readers are about the upcoming chapters just excites me too.

Among your stories, what particular scene is difficult for you to write?

- I have a book called sorry.papa. It's a very mature book that I wrote a couple of year ago, and there's a scene there [SPOILER ALERT] where the main character retells his past on how his father abused and did such cruel and inhumane things to him when he was still young. It was a very difficult scene to write considering how I have to make the readers see the scene in complete detail so they can picture it well, but at the same time, the act itself is sadly just too realistic and relatable to some readers, so you have to make it detailed as possible while making sure you filter some aspects out for the well-being of your readers. For me, it's okay to write books that make your stomach churn, but there should always be a restriction to what you have to show them.

Saan kayo mas nacha-challenge sa pagbuo ng first chapter o sa epilogue?

- Always the first chapter. Like what they say, readers read the prologue first, so the first chapter will be the deciding factor on whether or not the reader will continue or move on to the next.

If you can bring one of your characters to life, who will it be and why?

- Honestly I would really want to meet Catalina Delton from my story Kill Like A Gentleman. She's one of my favorite characters, and an actual boss. She's someone that I can conider as a role model, and meeting her in person would be such an amazing experience for me.

Among your characters, who's the closest to you? Why?

- I don't think there's any of them. My sisters are well-aware that I make sure to not write about myself, or about anyone that I know, kaya wala akong character na kapangalan ng mga kakilala ko. I separate myself from the books that I create since I consider my books as my escape.

If you could collaborate with any author (local man or international), who would it be and why?

- I am a big fan of Danielle Paige, the author of Dorothy Must Die series. Her books are the reasons why I even started reader books in the first place. She mixes together romance with adventure (and somewhat action) very well, which is a concept that I try to apply in my own works. It would be an honor if I get to collaborate with her even though I'm definitely not worthy of it because she's THAT amazing.

Anong famous story (be it classic or contemporary Literature) ang hinihiling mong ikaw ang nakapagsulat? Bakit?

- I think I've mentioned this before to some of my readers but one of my favorite books is I am A Cat by Natsume Sōseki. It's literally about the perspective of a nameless cat who experienced the different nature of a human, like their cruelty, their dihonestly, greed and even lust. It's a brilliant classical book. Feeling ko talaga genius lang ang makakapag sulat non so writing that would simply be awesome. I want to be able to understand how Natsume wrote it in the first place, and why he chose a cat as the protagonist.

What are your future plans in your writing career?

- I want to go with the flow and enjoy the journey. If there are opportunities for me then that's great, but for the time being, writing is simply a hobby. If I can do what I love and get a career out of it, then I'll definitely start thinking of my future as an aspiring author.

BONUS: Please leave a message for your readers.

To my readers, it is always an honor to write for you, and I hope I can continue to write more for you guys hanggat kaya ko. Let's go to more crazy and wicked adventures together in the future! Stay safe everyone!

- Author_N