Hello, I am Pearl from the Crazy Late Nighters community. You've won awards in the CLN Awards show. First of all, congrats on your success. So, today I am taking the honour of interviewing you. What is your name/ pen name? What pronouns do you like to go by?

Hii! My pen name is Liya and my pronouns are she/ her :)) I’m excited for the interview XD

Aye, same here! Nice to meet you, Liya! So, when did you start your writing journey?

Well, I started writing quite a long time ago, probably when I was 11 or so but I did stop for a really long time after that. I got back to writing around last year during the lockdown, and wrote and published my first chapter on Wattpad (which just so happened to be the day right after my b’day! Hahaha) and well, while my story didn’t really take off immediately, I’m glad I made that impromptu decision to publish that first chapter because well, look how far I have come because of that <33

It's really amazing to see that you have never given up on your journey; well that's what is most important in any kind of journey. Persistence! Just go with the flow xD So, what really has inspired you to write?

Well, I think what really got me to start writing were some really amazing and inspiring authors on Wattpad! I’m not sure if they would be comfortable with me mentioning them so I won’t do so. Wattpad authors are just so sweet and encouraging and very, very talented. They truly inspired me to start writing on Wattpad <33

True indeed! They really inspire us in many ways. So, as far I can see you have won the first place in teen fiction, I am assuming you love the genre? Is it so?

Oh yes! I love this genre a lot. It used to be one of the genres that I always read, but I think over the years I’ve started to read more and more different types of books and right now, honestly, I don’t really have a favourite genre. I just love all of them, but for sure, teen fiction is somewhere up there haha. Even when it comes to my books, I don’t tend to stick to just one genre, I actually write in multiple genres. Like right now, I have a teen fiction book, short story/general fiction book and even a mystery novel. Plus, I have plenty more other books in my drafts that are of many other genres lmao. But teen fiction will always have a special place in my heart since it’s the genre that I used to read a lot in my early childhood :))

Aye, really glad to hear that you work on different genres. I guess it's not biased on one genre, as a reader, I can relate to you. So, how do you come up with your characters?

Well, I don’t really have a specific way to come up with my characters. I just do haha. Even I don’t get it, but sometimes it just comes to me that hey, this character should be characterised like that. Maybe it’s based on a book character, a celebrity or a close friend of mine, I’m not really sure. I draw inspiration for my characters from so many places, it’s kinda hard to say exactly how I come up with their personality traits and well their characterisation in general. But I do tend to associate my characters with people I know in real life and sometimes even base their personalities off of them. I feel that, sometimes, doing this allows me to create a much richer and relatable character and even makes it easier for me, as a writer, to convey their personalities to the readers as I know these people in real life and hence, have a deeper connection with my characters and readers XD

Exactly, this is how we would be able to connect with our characters. Honestly, I feel that the story is baseless unless we feel the emotions there. Characters make it more realistic. I must say, it's a good trait to take inspiration from your real life. So, how would you describe your writing? Is it like pre planned or just go with the flow?

Exactly! Stories have a deeper connection with the reader if the characters themselves have a much richer personality. And I would say my writing style isn’t exactly set in stone. I tend to just go with the flow, which often results in me facing writer’s block multiple times HAHA. (The amount of times I have been hit with writer's block is just way too much to count) and I’ve also recently realised that compared to others, my writing style doesn’t have much flowery descriptions or beautiful vocabulary. To be frank, my usage of vocabulary has always been quite bland and well not that extensive (I should really use thesaurus more haha). It was quite a hit to my self esteem when I realised that I couldn’t bring myself to write in such a manner that seems so beautiful and flowery, but I’ve realised along the way that it wasn’t my vocabulary that made my stories good, it was my way of storytelling. A good writer knows how to tell a story. You don’t need extensive vocabulary or run on descriptions. No, just write how you want to. You’re telling a story, you’re creating a story. And you do just that. <33

Aye, true indeed! Though, I agree that your vocabulary or more precisely your choice of words do matter in a story, like how you want to describe a certain emotion. But then sometimes it makes the environment more complex to me. You just hit on the right spot. True, it's not your characters, it's not your plot, it's your way of narration that catches the eyes of the reader. You have mentioned writer's block. Hence my next question is regarding it- how do you deal with writer's block?

Well, I don’t really have a specific way for dealing with writer's block but I guess sometimes reading does help. I’ve heard that when you’re hit with writer's block, reading helps get your creative juices flowing again :)) And another method for me is just forcing myself to write whatever that comes to mind, and later return and edit it to make it flow better. Though, obviously these methods don’t always work considering the fact that writer block is oh, so very common for me. Plus, there are possibly plenty other ways to deal with writer's block (most of which I am not aware of HAHA).

Understandable, writer's block is the sour enemy of every writer XD I guess every writer deals with it in a different way. Yours is good as well. :) So, coming back to your winning book, I've seen that it's about five friends, right? As a writer I know, you would obviously love them. But which one is your most favourite character?

Hmm well, I can’t really choose a favourite character since I love them all and can relate to all of them in many different aspects. But I would say that Rhia is my one of my favourite characters to write as she has an amazing personality and overall character. She’s super fierce and strong yet understanding and has her own vulnerabilities and insecurities, which I think make her a truly special character :))

That's really admirable! I mean what could be better than if you can relate to your character? Have you faced  any difficulties coming up with the plot? What really intrigued it?

I mean, I didn’t have much difficulty coming up with my plot since I usually do a lot of world building in my head and have the characters and their surroundings all figured out. But since I tend to go with the flow for my writing, I usually come across many roadblocks in my plot since I’m not sure how to continue with the story at a particular point, even though I know how I want it to end. So it’s more like I’ve figured out the gist and the key points of the story but end up struggling at times to piece all the points together. This is usually how I end up with writer’s block haha.

It's actually problematic for any writer, but good luck for your book! I'm sure you will rock it. xD Have you ever faced negative feedback? If so, how did you deal with it?

Well I haven’t faced much negative feedback (and if I have I don’t tend to remember such stuff, I have a horrible memory lmao). Lucky me, hehe. But I have received a lot of constructive criticism before, all of which I am very happy to receive! These types of feedback really help me improve my story and I’m extremely grateful to all readers of mine who are willing to help me out <33

That's really good! As a writer myself, I do believe it's our readers who pave our way to learn better. I remembered something now. Do you engage with your readers as well?

Of course! I try to engage with my readers as much as possible, whenever I can :)) It makes me so happy whenever I see comments on my stories and it only feels right to reply to them. Although, I do sometimes forget to check my wp notifications and miss comments or forget that I even have comments to reply to haha.

Hehe! It's okay. That's really good to know. Readers tend to play a big role in any kind of book. So, do you have any update schedule? Do you follow it?

Well, I used to have one but it became increasingly hard to follow my weekly schedule so I decided to stop having an update schedule and just updated whenever I finish a chapter. Right now, Lost & Found is actually on hold, so that I can work on a few chapters offline and have some ready to be published before starting up my update schedule again (which hopefully I will follow for a much longer time than earlier haha).

Aye, understandable! Because I do the same, it's hard to keep up with our studies, workloads. What do you like to do in your free time other than writing?

Well uh I love reading for sure haha I’m an avid reader and have been reading for so long. Reading has got me through so many different periods in my life and always manages to make my day. I absolutely love sinking into a brand new world and experiencing all the experiences and feelings that the characters do. It’s truly amazing <33 Oh and other than reading, I love eating XD hehe I eat a lot. Quite a foodie, I tell you ;))

High five! I'm an avid reader too, like I don't know how but yes, reading has been a big escape from my stress. So, I can totally relate to you on that part!
Coming back, are there any favourite authors of yours/or any person who has been really a great inspiration for you?

Right? Reading is truly awesome :)) And... well I couldn’t possibly choose just one favourite author, there are just too many good writers in this world (especially all the amazing Wattpad writers I know). I think the one person who really got me started on writing was probably one of my closest friends. She’s a writer as well and was actually the person who first introduced Wattpad to me when we were younger. We both read a LOT and she even started writing on wp (which truly amazed me back then cuz it never occurred to me that hey, I can actually write a book on Wattpad lmao) She always encouraged me to write my book and was the reason I started writing Lost & Found (mostly cuz I made a promise to her that I would publish my book on Wattpad haha)

True that there is always a certain person who pushes us to go through the edges. I'm glad that you started writing otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten to know about this amazing talent! ;) Since you have mentioned something about your friend, your book itself is about friends right? So, what do you think about friends? Are they really the ones who are always there for us?

Awww you’re so sweet, omg! Friends have always been important to me. They support us all the way, they know how to cheer us up, and they even provide warmth when the world is cold. They’re always there for you (alongside your family ofc) <33 I love my friends so much and I can’t express how grateful I am for them; not just my real life besties but also all these amazing friends I have made on Wattpad and Discord. Although I do realise that some friends can be toxic, we must keep in mind that these “friends” aren’t friends. Friends are our chosen family, and we can’t let toxicity enter our family now can we? xD True friends are always there for us, no matter what. ❤️✨

Hehe! Mention not. :) That's really good to know. Yes, friends are the one who've been here for us through thick and thin after family. So, do you wanna say something to your friends here?

I just wanna tell them how thankful I am for them 🥺. They’ve made my Wattpad experience so much better than I ever expected and I’m forever grateful for that. <33 ilysm.

Awwww! It's such a sweet message. I'm sure they would love to know about it. So, any upcoming plan to write a book, other than 'Lost & found'?

Hmm, right now, I’m actually writing a mystery novel alongside Lost & Found and even have plans for an upcoming romance story. I have a few draft ideas too! (some of which include action novel and even an adventure one) So yeah, I guess I have quite a few upcoming plans hehe. All these genres are pretty new to me but I can’t wait to write them! And plus, I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing, even if I don’t have any plans right now. I’m one who’s always writing (and yet I never manage to follow my update schedule lmao) whether it’s the multiple scenarios in my head, for some small wp contest, or one of my wp books. <33

That's great, we are eagerly waiting for your next noble book. I'm sure, you are gonna rock it. Keep writing <3 Do you have any tips for the new writers?

Well, I would say, keep writing, never give up. Writing only improves through practice and believe me, it will. So never give up. Keep writing, put that story in your head into words and share it with the world and you can do it :)) 💖 And another piece of advice would be to do your research [!!!] before you write about a topic you don’t have much info or knowledge on. Research is important. Really. Sometimes it causes loopholes in your story, which can be really quite disheartening, but there are times when it can be really disrespectful as well, especially when you’re writing about characters who may have a culture/ situation/ religion/ race that you do not (have experience with). So please, always try to be respectful when writing. And keep writing the way you want to <33 Don’t bother about what your readers may think, it’s your story, not theirs. 💞

That's indeed a real piece of good advice! We really should do research first, before experimenting anything. I guess that's what makes us a true artist. An artist always knows where to go, where to stop. What's the best trait an author should have according to you?

I feel that authors should have some sensitivity at the least. They need to know how to sympathise and empathise with all those around them, and then only will they be able to put themselves in their characters’ shoes and write in a manner that resonates with their readers

True that. Real emotions should reflect on our story! Looks like we're coming to the end of our interview. Last question of this moment, have you ever seen any author who came up with this talent? I mean, with these all varieties you've mentioned above, which author/ book has stolen your heart?

Ahh well I can’t possibly just choose one that’s way too hard. But I guess one of the many books that really stuck with me till now is Land Of Stories (the series by Chris Colfer, I think). I haven’t read it in a long time but I remember I used to love it back when I was younger. It took a different spin on many common fairy tales and I guess they were so interesting it made its spot in my favourite books list haha. I don’t think I would have the same experience if I were to read it again right now considering the fact that this was a book written mostly for children/ tweens, but I still can never forget the feeling when I first read it <33 It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

Aye, that's awesome. I guess, there is something always from our childhood that remains in our heart forever. Liya, it was an awesome experience & I’m glad to have the chance to interview you. Thank you so much for your time. Wish you all the best and congratulations once again for your victory from the entire team of CLN.

Thank you so much for interviewing me!! <33 Really enjoyed it.

Author : liyAwritesgold
Interviewer : preciouspearl20
Interview Editor : sassy-weirdo