Hello fellow Wattpadders! Today we have with us, Stefanie Ivashkov (Wimbug), a Wattpad Creator since 2022, Wattpad Star from 2020 to 2022, 2020 Watty Awards Winner, 2021 Fiction Award Winner and 2023 Ambys Winner.

I am Abhipreeti (_abhipreeti_) and I have interviewed Stefanie Ivashkov.

Stefanie Ivashkov (Wimbug) is a writer of YA, Action/Adventure, mystery/thriller, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy and comedic shorts. When she's not working to torture her characters and readers as much as possible, she enjoys the quiet life of a lawyer in the wild east of Europe.

Wattpad achievements:

Wattys Award winner 2020 in Mystery/Thriller with TMI

Wattpad Star since 2020 and until 2022

Wattpad Creator since 2022

Fiction Award winner for Best Adventure for Too Young 2021

Ambys Top Pick 2023 for Fantasy for Hearts of Stone

How would you describe yourself as a writer?

>>This is a very hard question. I'm not sure how I would describe any writer. I guess I'm fairly eclectic and I like to try new things. Which is why I've tried my hand at many genres. One thing stays the same, though. I love building my characters and bringing them to life.

So I guess I'm more of a character writer than a plot writer, though I do enjoy my plot. I'm definitely not a setting-as-a-character writer though, and I guess that's okay.

What was your reaction or how did you feel when you were first invited to join the Wattpad Creators' Program? Did you ever expect to receive the invitation previously?

>>I didn't expect an invitation because I was in the first batch of creators, which launched the program so it was hush hush at the time.

I was very surprised and honored to be part of that and the program in its early stages.

Wattpad is a home to millions of users. As a result, it is only natural that every writer on this platform would like to receive reads, votes, comments, etc. and be recognized by Wattpad someday. What would be your advice to those writers?

>>My advice is not to do it for recognition. We all want it, but being consumed by it will hurt our creativity and take all the fun out of writing. We should all just write the best book we have inside us. The book that we feel is the perfect book we would like to read.

Feedback is very important, and there are still communities on Wattpad that could help with that and ensure a flux of readers and feedback. The thing is, it takes work.

Can we please have some book recommendations which are not on Wattpad?

>>This is a tough one. We all read loads. I did enjoy Babel by R.F. Kuang and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid recently. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Maehrer was also an entertaining read.

Other than that, I'm partial to more classic literature such as Gone with the Wind and the likes. I also enjoy Harry Potter, Tolkien and trippy literature such as George Orwell.

I also enjoy Brigidt Kemmerer, especially the Defy the Night series, even if I always feel like her books could have been SO MUCH BETTER with a few improvements.

What genres do you specifically specialize in? Do you hope to create books in other genres as well, someday? How long does it take for you to complete a novel (approximately)?

>>I'm at heart a writer of adventure and romance (think The Mummy and Indiana Jones). It was my first love and I think there are very few books that are truly adventure anymore. So if it has adventuring, explosions and romance, I'm going for it.

I HAVE written other genres. Humor, Teen Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, and I'm most recently trying my hand at Fantasy and Horror.

I do plan on trying them all at some point, I guess. As for how long... Well, I've done NaNoWrimo twice and produced first drafts, so it can take me anywhere between one month and over a year depending on how many projects I have ongoing and the complexity of a book.

Since it's been very long since I worked on just one thing, I'm not sure how long it would take me now, lol.

There is a famous quote, "Don't judge a book by its cover." However often, books do get judged on the basis of covers, by readers. What is your opinion, from the viewpoint of an author, regarding this?

>>I wish I could say I'm better than to judge books by their covers, but I'm not, lol. I won't even pick a book up if I don't like the cover unless I've heard about the book or the author before.

As far as I'm concerned, it's important for the cover to match the tone of the book. I would get upset if the cover would be deceiving in that respect.

As an author, I'm very picky about my covers and I want them to capture the essence of the book if not outright match characters and scenes - but that's VERY hard to do so most times I just have to learn to live with the fact that an approximation is enough.

When did you first begin writing on Wattpad? How does it feel in the present, when you see yourself recognized officially by Wattpad?

>>I started off on Wattpad in 2015, but I've been writing for way longer than that. I was lucky to meet a group of supportive people who helped me improve my writing and who, later on, became great friends I still keep in contact with (we even saw each other during Wattcon and that was amazing). The greatest thing about being on Wattpad is that it motivated me to write pretty much non-stop and finish my book series as well as start many other projects.

As far as Wattpad recognition goes, I did go through many phases. Being featured when you had to apply for it, winning a Wattys and then joining the Stars and Creators programs.

While the recognition itself felt amazing, I can't say I personally got a lot out of it. I was unfortunately not one of the selected few who actually got promoted by Wattpad after entering the program. All the changes made to the platform killed my visibility so I now seem to reach even fewer people than before.

Often, especially young, budding writers on Wattpad, confuse themselves between constructive criticisms and spread of hatred. What would be your advice to them? How can they differentiate between the two?

>>Any opinion could be valuable. Even a bad one, if it holds an inkling of truth. It's important to realize why this opinion hurts. Is it because it's plain hurtful or because it touches on something you know deep down that it's your weakness? If it's the latter, it means you found something you can improve (not necessarily how the commenter means).

Never take the criticism personally. Give it some time and if you find value in it later, use it. If not, toss it. Humans are different and art is definitely subjective. So what someone hates about your work can be the favorite part of someone else.

If the feedback is mean and also has no value, then it's definitely hateful and should be ignored.

Many writers on Wattpad feel disheartened and think of quitting after not receiving the achievements they hope for, even after trying for years, in many cases. What would be your advice to them?

>>To keep in mind that, in the end, it's all a lucky draw and not being acknowledged by Wattpad definitely doesn't mean they're a bad writer.

Success on Wattpad is very random, and the current business model they're going for isn't everyone's cup of tea. So, it's important to consider if Wattpad really is the platform for them. And I don't mean this as a place to share writing, but as a potential stepping stone into their careers.

Wattpad still provides a great place to get readers and shape up your book, but their business model might not fit what you're trying to achieve. Then take Wattpad as what it is - a pitstop on your journey. Use it while it's fun and helpful. If it becomes frustrating, maybe it's time to move on.

Also, being recognized by Wattpad might not lead to anything, and while being acknowledged is great for the ego, it might not serve your craft. Never lose sight of what your real goal is.

As an author, are book reviews important to you? If yes, then why?

>>Honestly, no.

Maybe once I'm published, they would be, but I don't think the users of Wattpad are qualified to give book reviews in the true sense of the word. In this case, reader feedback as a whole is a lot more important than a critical review. People just sometimes try too hard.

Do you think there are any difficult parts when it comes to writing a book?

>>Writing itself is difficult. You're bleeding your creativity on the page. Coming up with people and giving them hurdles to face. And while this is exciting and entrancing, it's not easy. It can drain you and chip a bit of your soul.

Technically difficult? Yeah, editing and polishing the book. But we writers really need to give ourselves more credit. What we do is definitely not easy.

For new readers, please guide them to your profile (for example your books, in which order they might read the books, genres, etc.).

>>I'd love to have new readers! When I joined, Wattpad was a lot more about the community and interaction, and there was no inkling of paid content in sight. It was much easier to discover authors and stories on Wattpad and I really miss those times. So while you may see me as someone with success, recognition and a following, I don't get comments anymore and I miss that. The social part of Wattpad was and forever will be my favorite.

So if you would like to make me happy and give my works a try, head on to my profile (Wimbug) for a variety of works! If you ask me, I'd recommend The Jewel Project series (7 books and 3 prequels) which will take you on a whirlwind of adventures which involve ancient temples, goons with guns, a secret Agency looking to make the world a better place, and much romance and coming of age for our great cast of lovable (and hateable) characters.

If you're more into fantasy, I'm currently finishing The Fairy's Gambit trilogy, so you can jump in for that! And then there are my stand alone works. So whichever grabs your fancy! I'll be happy to have you!

You can find all my works in dedicated reading lists so you can choose whatever works for you. I think I have something for everyone.

Thank you for agreeing to do this interview! It was an honour to have you here and may you receive more success as an author, both off and on Wattpad.

>>Thanks for having me! This was really fun and even thought-provoking.