Interviewer:: DeeTheElf

Interviewee:: HeideHunt

Hey Heidi... Before starting, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. I'm really excited that I am here interviewing you. It's a pleasure and also congratulations to you. I saw your achievements for sunset moon awards and The happiness award.

Now I'd like your introduction. Please give an introduction about yourself in your words.

Heide: Hey! I'm Heide, and I'm a Wattpader. I'm a passionate writer who loves to create uniquely inspired worlds, plots, and characters. My works on Wattpad are all fantasy with flavors of sci-fi, romance, action, and adventure.

So, I'd like to start with this question. Apart from author Heidi,how would you describe yourself?

Heide: I'm a proud Filipina living in the Pearl of the Orient Seas, the Philippines. I'm also a full-time engineer, part-time financial literacy advocate, always a coffee addict, bookworm, cinephile, anime otaku, and usually wasting away playing MOBA.

What does writing mean to you? How would you describe writing in your life? What place does it hold for you?

Heide: I can't remember when I started writing, but I also can't remember when I stopped. It's not just a hobby. It's a part of my life—a part of me—I can never stop. I wasn't always writing books or novels. I also used to blog. I had about five blogs in the past. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful, but those were when I was vomiting at least 1,000 words per day—regularly publishing a post honed my skills. My last blog was about traveling, and when it died during the pandemic, I started to write my story, Daracka. I will consistently find ways to get words into pages. That was the case—I was always writing and will always be.

What inspired you to start writing? Till now, if you face writer's block,how do you break out of it? How do you stay inspired?

Heide: Like I said, I can't remember when I started writing, so I don't know what inspired me then. But I remember why I'm in the Fantasy genre. The first time I read a young adult fantasy novel, Fallen by Lauren Kate, I fell in love with the idea of worlds where magic exists.

I never stare at blank pages. My writer's block is not because I can't get ideas out. In fact, I'm usually the type who has so many ideas. I get them anytime and anywhere. I write them down on my phone. And when I get back home, I transfer them to a notebook I call my Idea Notebook. I know the name doesn't sound so creative, but the contents are gold, so I never run out of inspiration.

My writer's block is more on my motivation to sit down and just do it. This kind of obstruction is more complicated because it's about dealing with my emotions. I have tried so many things in the past to battle it, but so far, the best weapon I have against it is the Wattpad community. The support I get from this platform drives me to continue to write.

You write in the genre of fantasy, adventure, action and romance. How did you think of writing in those genres? Especially Adventure with fantasy elements. That's really innovative.

Heide: I find writing in the Fantasy genre easy because the bounds are more expansive than others. It's not entirely limitless, but it gives the mind more freedom for imagination. And I love worldbuilding, creating unreal places and things that are still so true in my writing.

Adventure and Action go hand in hand with Fantasy because one can't go into a magical world without going on an adventure and battling great beasts or monsters.

I was in my early twenties (a young adult) when I started writing in the Fantasy genre. It was when I was most vulnerable to infatuations and angst. It was also when The Vampire Diaries TV Series became popular in the Philippines. So, for Romance, I'll have to thank Damon, Elena, and Stefan for the inspiration.

I'd like to know,when was the moment where you felt proud of your writing? Any achievements or any such moments you'd like to share?

Heide: The first time was when I was on this platform called Inkpop, run by Harper Collins Publishers. More than ten years ago, I wrote a very dark poem that became popular in that community. It received a review from one of the Publisher's agents.

Recently, on Wattpad, I won several community awards and got featured here and there. Still, I'd have to say that getting into the Wattys Bootcamp Mentorship Program as a Mentee is the most significant achievement for my story Daracka, so far.

As an experienced writer,what advice would you give to new aspiring writers? Any tips that you think can help them?

Heide: I don't really have that much experience. Sure, I've been writing for years, but I'm just like all the other aspiring authors here on Wattpad. But if I could share one tip, which goes for anything you want in life (writing-related or not), that would be to make an effort. You'll get closer to your goals if you make an effort.

As a writer, what's your goal? What's that one goal you'd like to achieve in your life? Any such goal or achievement you want to work for?

Heide: As an adult, my goal is to make money. To be a successful published author is a dream, but I understand this industry is hard. I might not be able to sell my stories or make anything monetary from them if they don't become popular enough for that kind of milestone. But as a writer, my goal is simply to get my stories out there, to have as many eyes run through my words until it lasts.

Did you ever face any challenges while writing? Any particular part which challenged you? How did you complete it?

Heide: Besides the writer's block I mentioned above, one of my biggest challenges would be time. It's difficult to sit down in front of my laptop and get a few words out, especially when work, chores, errands, and adult life get in the way. But I'm so glad for technology because my mobile phone allows me to write on Google Docs anywhere and anytime I have an extra ten or fifteen minutes. It's like writing on the go.

I don't have that many challenges while I'm writing because I'm a plotter. Before I even sit down to write, I already know what's supposed to happen in my stories. So when I get into the flow, all the words just come out. My biggest problem would be my husband and my dogs asking for attention. Of course, most times, they have to be the priority.

Among all your characters,what character do you relate with? What's the aspect that makes you think you're similar in a way? And what character that challenged you? A character that made it hard? Anything?

Heide: I enjoyed writing Kazuri in Daracka. He is a Maestro (a master of knowledge), like a scientist. I think I relate to him because I'm an engineer. He loves his work, and he's very enthusiastic about it. There's no logic in why he does what he does. I'm also like that with my writing projects.

A character who is a challenge for me is Akali in The Marks of the Engkanto. I had difficulty getting her personality because she's so optimistic, and I'm not. I still get it wrong sometimes. I rewrote the first chapter of that story several times, switching from third person to first, then back to third. I always write in the third person point of view, but I need to get inside her thoughts, and the first person allowed me to do that.

How would you describe your writing experience? From the first time writing to now,do you see any difference? Do you feel any difference?

Heide: Sometimes, I go back to read my works in the past. I have written so many unfinished stories (those that made it only to 10 chapters), and some of my blog posts (as a guest author) are still published online. You won't be able to find them because they are under a different name. But when I go back to those and compare my writing then and now, I see a huge difference and know I've grown as a writer.

Apart from writing,what do you like to read? Any favourite book that you can read over and over? Any such?

Heide: I don't want to single out any of the books I love or list them all here because it will be a long list. I have a Goodreads account (link in my Wattpad profile) where I have my 'yearly top 10' reading list of non-Wattpad books. On Wattpad, I recommend you check out two of my reading lists: 'Gripping Until the End' and 'Lost in Fantasy.'

Lastly,any current read you're hooked on? Any recommendations for me and the ones reading this?

Heide: My current read is Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. This is the first book of his that I'm reading, and I'm very impressed with everything about it. His worldbuilding, his characterizations, and his prose are things to note.

Before finishing, I'd like to thank you for agreeing and for your consideration. I'm really grateful and happy. I'm excited to learn something from this and you. As Dee Aka Saina Sree as my pen name,i really want to thank you for giving me this experience.

Heide: Thanks so much for interviewing me. :)