1. How did you start writing on Wattpad?

I'm a relatively late arrival to Wattpad – I only stumbled my way here in 2021! I'd been writing short stories and sending them around as a hobby during my university studies, but I'd never heard of this site until my friend mentioned it to me. After a quick look, I thought it seemed like a decent place to share my writing and maybe mingle with other writers. So, I made an account and then (naturally) proceeded to do nothing with it until the start of 2022, when I finally plucked up the courage to post one of the longer stories I'd shared with my friends. I'm still here today, still active and enrolled in the Creators Program, so I suppose it was a good choice overall!

2. What are some of your favorite tropes to use in your writing? What do you love about them?

It's odd – I don't actually think of either my own or anybody else's stories in trope terms. I've always enjoyed tangling genre threads together and subverting reader expectations in that way, and I guess I do the same thing with tropes. Looking back across my stories, though, I've definitely got a fondness for the friends-to-lovers trope and the freedom it provides to flesh out my central characters as a pairing and as individuals. There's nothing like taking two people who seemingly know each other so well and revealing entire worlds of character that they had no idea existed!

I have to give special mentions to the found family and dream vision tropes. Without them, I wouldn't have nearly as much license to make things as mystical, chaotic, and just plain weird as I love to. We like chaos. It keeps things interesting, you know?

3. You have degrees in English Literature and Early Modern Studies. How have your experiences earning those degrees shaped your writing? What advice do you have for writers who are considering pursuing degrees in those majors or related ones?

It sounds obvious, but for those degrees I had to read a LOT, from books to scripts to essays to articles to audiovisual media and so on. I spent most of my time on these programs researching drama, and I'd credit that focus with helping me get to grips with the 'bones' of storytelling, or seeing just how many layers a story has. Storytelling isn't just the words on the page – it's style, it's character, it's form, it's energy, it's life. Working so intimately with stage-based texts taught me the importance of crafting scenic detail, nurturing character relationships, and playing with formal expectations in making my story feel like a rich, living object. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun at the same time, and I think it helps me produce much more enjoyable and memorable stories than I did before my studies.

As for anyone looking to study for degrees in and around these fields, I'd say be aware that it's a lot of hard work. Reading for research is very different from reading for pleasure – you'll spend a lot more time thinking, testing, and approaching the same creative works from countless different angles than you will actually reading any words. At the same time, you'll open yourself up to each text's wider social and cultural contexts, and it's a LOT of information to juggle at once. Being a 'reader' in this sense is to do the jobs of a dozen different people, from an art critic to an historian to an archaeologist to a political scientist to a theologian – no, really. It's a huge undertaking, but it's also an invaluable learning experience. I treasure stories so much more now for everything I learned during my studies, and I had so much fun along the way!

And yes, I have a lot of debt from my degrees. It's a vibe.

4. Your stories are filled with incredibly sharp wit and fun action scenes. What works (either on or off Wattpad) do you believe helped shape your writing style?

It's the English Renaissance scholar in me. I've always enjoyed the power of a spectacle! Okay, I'm kidding, but only somewhat – I definitely think theatre and its conventions have had a huge impact on the way I write. When I write, I imagine each scene unfolding in my head as if it was a performance, and that helps me decide what elements to focus on, how to pace the dialogue and action, and how to arrange my scenes to bring out the best in my characters and their world. Making a spectacle of deep personal exchanges and intense action sequences (I hope) really immerses the reader and draws out powerful responses, which is one of my favorite parts of writing! Along with slipping in some really snappy zingers. We love a line that lives long in the memory, especially if it brings a character a little more to life with it.

Paying a nod to specific works, I draw a lot of inspiration from the literary fiction and folk and fairy tales I read when I can. Authors like Benjamin Myers, Joanne Harris, and Zoe Gilbert have greatly influenced my writing style with their fascinating blends of fine technical skill and sheer, overwhelming elemental power. They're, you know, a LOT better at it than I am right now, but I'm always learning and practicing!

5. You volunteer in the Dreamland Community as a Fairy, one of the users who helps run the community's many clubs. What is one of your favorite memories from participating in that community?

I can't pin it to a specific memory, because my favorite aspect of working with the Dreamland Community is much broader than any one event. Being a Fairy and regularly communicating with so many other people week in, week out has taught me that it really is okay to be myself instead of hiding my quirks from sight. I'd shied away from online communities for fear of not fitting in, or not knowing the expectations or 'etiquette' of those kinds of spaces, and there was an element of that fear in my early days in Dreamland too. Whether in a fit of courage or recklessness, I decided to run right at that fear and take on the Fairy role.

In no time, I was bowled over by how much people came to appreciate my personality and energy in that role. I realized that I wasn't just a dull intellectual oddball, like I'd maybe convinced myself I was or acted as if I was for a long time. I could be sociable, I could be confident, and I could be fun. I'd been in a pretty awful place for a while for countless reasons when I started, and seeing that I was enough just in myself was one small step helping me towards a healthier, more positive headspace. I kept some of the self-deprecating stuff though. I figure it adds a cloudy charm to all my winking sunshine! 

Huge thanks to Oxviola for the amazing interview! The DreamlandCommunity's clubs are about to come off their annual December break, so if your looking for somewhere you can network with wonderful writers and gain invaluable feedback, make sure you check them out.