This is an interview with the wonderful Mei Summer. A lovely person, an incredible writer, and definitely someone you should all be following!

When did you start writing, and what made you pick up the pen?

I started writing when I was in fourth grade after becoming obsessed with reading books. Through reading, my English improved, so I wanted to practice more. I started expressing myself by scribbling poems and stories in my old notebooks. People seemed to like what I wrote, so that's when I grew to love writing.

Which of your characters is most like you and why?

I think Yiwen from Leftover Woman most embodies the point in my life where I'm at right now. Like her, I'm almost thirty, yet I'm still struggling to find what I really want to do with my life. I, too, worry that if I don't find it soon, I'll be left behind. Not only that, we both grew up in an environment where there's constant pressure to excel. Because we fear disappointing those around us, we've grown to become our own worst critic. No matter what we achieve, there's always that voice that questions whether we're good enough. That manifests itself as a need to always be in control.

Talk me through your writing process. Where do you write? How long for? Noise or silence?

I have a writing corner in my apartment that I've decorated with pretty, little things I've picked up here there. There's a watercolor painted on a page of a book from the 1800s, a glass filled with shells and pebbles I've picked up while traveling, and my favorite, a BTS standee that keeps me inspired. Usually, I'm a messy person, but when I write, I need it to be somewhere organized so I can focus on bringing order to the chaos within my thoughts. I also don't like noise. That distracts me from hearing the words floating inside my head. When I do play music, it has to be instrumental. I can only focus on one thing at one time so lyrics tend to pull me away from the story. For me, this corner of my own is very important. It puts me in the right frame of mind and when I have a good day, I can write for hours on end.

Is there a genre that you wish you were better at writing?

I wish I could write fantasy. The world building required is just phenomenal. I'm not a very detail-oriented person so writing fantasy will be very challenging for me.

What does Wattpad mean to you?

Wattpad is a safe space where I can give birth to my stories. It breathes life to my dreams by allowing me to become a writer without having to quit my full-time job. Writing on Wattpad was probably the best decision I made last year.

If you could take one of your characters on a date, who would it be and why?

Without a doubt, I'd choose Devin from A Room for My Pretend Love. You can say I created him out of love. At that time, I've just finished a really good Korean drama, which featured one of my favorite Korean actors. Because I loved the actor and the drama so much, I wanted to his story to go on and what better way to do it than to write it myself? As a result, Devin is my ideal man -- playfully sexy, ambitious, and most importantly, kind.

What would be your ideal writing location? A small empty room? A desk on a beach? The top of a skyscraper?

Please take me to Jeju island! When I went there for the first time, I fell in love with its rugged cliffs, sweeping sea views, and delicious food. One day, I'll take a month off and go there to simply be by myself and write.

What do you like to do with your spare time, besides writing?

On a typical weekend, I'd be in bed reading, watching a drama, or online shopping. Because I can get everything using my phone in China -- from food to groceries -- I can spend the whole weekend without leaving my apartment. These days, though, since I'm trying to lose weight, I'm forced to crawl out of my hole for an hour to go to the gym.

Out of any book in the world, which do you really wish that you'd come up with instead?

Recently, I discovered Han Kang's works. She's a South Korean author who won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2016. I bought her book, The Vegetarian, during my stopover at Incheon Airport. During the four hours it took to fly back to Shenzhen, I was able to finish the book. While doing so, I had to stop my self from crying countless times. It's been a while since I've been moved as much by a story. That book really made me think a lot about how far I'd go to be able to make a stance in a society that forces one to simply go with the flow.

If you could bring one book character to life, in any book, by any author, who would it be and why?

I mostly read romance novels so I'm going to cheat here. I want to bring to life all the amazing male characters from the romance novels I've read. I think a lot of women will rejoice if I did that. :)

What advice would you give to writers who are just starting out?

Don't be afraid of criticism; embrace it, instead. I know how difficult it is to have one's work torn apart, but think of it this way: In order for a plant to grow strong, it's essential to prune its excess branches. That's also what we need as writers (and also maybe as people.) Because we are too close to what we create, we are blind to its faults. We need others to point out what can be improved. Only then can our story become stronger and we can grow as writers.