Tori, from CLN, had the privilege of interviewing a wonderful author,  SydSavageWrites13 She is author of Just Let Me Go and Just So You Know, I Love You, and Just So You Know, I Love You Too.

So Sydney, let's proceed with the interview!

What inspired you to first join Wattpad?

I never thought about using Wattpad until one of my friends told me I should. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't be here. I was always scared to put my writing out there. I never even had my friends read it before. I not only joined because of my friend, but also because I love writing and want others to relate to it and enjoy it.

I'm sure you must be very grateful for your friend! Pushing past your fears is always a great achievement.

Every writer has their own unique writing process, tell us something about yours!

That's a great question.

I am the type of writer who can't plan anything out. I can't sketch out plots or make notes or anything like that. I don't worry about losing my idea because if it's a great idea, it'll stay with me. I write as I go. If I'm on chapter 6, then I don't know what's going to happen in chapter 7 until I get there. It's like the story already exists and it's just my job to write it, like the story comes to me. I like it; it makes the process of writing the story so much fun.

That does sound wonderful! Many writers struggle with the flow when writing a story.

How long on average do you put aside for writing weekly?

I write everyday. I'd say I write around 15-16k words a week, so maybe somewhere in between 10-12 hours a week approximately.

That is very impressive! As a writer myself, I must say that is a lot to write. I tend to struggle with writing 1k words.

Do you ever get burned out from writing?

Yeah sometimes I don't feel like writing, but I force myself too because once I get started, I usually can't stop. Sometimes I take breaks when I need to. It's also always great to just write like ten horrible pages just to get it out of my system and then try it again. As cliche as it sounds, I think the key is just to simply write. Not too much but not too little.

That is a very motivating answer! I definitely agree with you. Sometimes you just need to push through and write.

How did you select the names of your book titles and the characters? Is there any special story behind it?

Yeah, I get inspiration from my own life and things I've went through to create the characters in my books. Names I kind of just think of, as well as titles. The story, what happens, and the message, are where my life comes in. My one book, "Just So You Know, I Love You," is based off a childhood crush I had years ago with a friend, and the story I just started, "Just Let Me Go," means more to me than I could ever begin to describe, as it tackles the rough times I went through. I write with emotion, and I like writing stories based off my life because I know people can relate to them. I love giving people a story they can relate to. I write for myself, but I write for others too.

It's wonderful to hear that you have such a personal connection with your stories! It's incredibly important for authors to believe in their work.

Have you ever found that you've been putting too much of your personal life into your books?

Yeah, I recently just posted my book, "Just Let Me Go." This question reminds me of that book. I've rewritten the entire book three times. The first time, it was too personal, and that was the problem with it. It was essentially my diary, not a book. So I had to start over. I now have learned and done a better job. It's important to not write my story but to write a completely different story and write it with the emotions and experience I underwent. My personal life shouldn't be in the story. Little things, sure. But overall it should based on my life, not my life. My characters have went through similar things that I have, but at the end of the day, they have their own story and they are their own person.

That was a very incredible insight. I'm sure your audience would be very intrigued to see how you think and craft your stories.

Some of these stories you published have gathered up quite some readers. How do you feel about their rising popularity? Do you ever struggle with it?

When I first started, I got caught up in reads and the numbers, but then I realized something that changed my whole perspective on it. My numbers don't matter. It's the readers I care about, the ones that fall in love with the story. I've had readers reach out to me and thank me for my story because they related so much and it helped. This one person said my story moved her to tears, and I never thought my stories were capable of that. I've had people say they made them laugh, etc. That's where the good feeling comes from, not from the reads. I love writing, and I don't care if I had one read. If I'm writing something that means something to just one person, that's enough for me. It takes time on a platform like this to get your idea out there, but I'm willing to wait for the genuine readers; they are the reason I write.

It's always wonderful to find writers who care so deeply about their readers. I'm sure they all appreciate what you do for them!

We've seen the praise for your story, have you read any bad reviews about your books? How did you deal with them?

Yeah, there's people who will like your book and people who won't. Simply accepting this fact is how I deal with it. I write sweet romance and some people like the darker side. My romance isn't everyone's cup of tea, but there are people who enjoy it and that as well as my passion for writing it is what keeps me going. You can't please everyone. You just keep going and use bad reviews to make yourself better and to help give yourself a thicker skin. The most famous books have critics. So it's inevitable and you just gotta stay your path and keep writing. Do you know how many times JK Rowling got rejected? Always keep writing ... :)

I must admit, that is a very good attitude to have! You can't let the haters bring you down.

You mentioned you write romance. Would you say you tend to focus more on your characters or your plot?

I like to focus on both, but I definitely love my characters. The characters are my favorite part to write. They really bring the story to life. The plot is important, but the characters are what readers relate to, I think they're super important.

I agree! The characters are often the part that makes or breaks a story for me!

Speaking of characters, do you have any favorite book characters?

I'm so glad you asked this question.

My favorite book ever is "The Fault in Our Stars." I love Hazel and Augustus. Augustus, I have to say, is my all time favorite. I love his personality and his humor and his metaphors. They both feel so real to me and I just love them. I don't know how to explain it. I wish they were real.

I often have that feelings about characters. John Green certainly has a way with characters!

Are there any character tropes you dislike?

I wouldn't say there's any I dislike. But cliche ones like the bad boy ones, I wish they had more characterization, some of them. I've read some with great characterization and with their own elements. Obviously people read them so people enjoy them. But I like books to have at least one thing or message that makes them stand out.

Yes, I feel the same. It's always great to see new and creative characters.

I'd like to hear a little bit about the main character from your book. What are they like? Is there anything special that inspired you to write them that way?

Sure. My main character from my book, "Just So You Know, I Love You," is June Brooks. She's a teenage girl with a crush. She's sweet and wears her heart on her sleeve. The biggest thing with her is she struggles with putting herself out there and admitting to Ty, her love interest and best friend in the book, that she likes him. That's how she changes throughout the book, is she has to grow and get to that point. She has her own sense of humor and ultimately feels love so passionately and so hard; she's very relatable for a lot of girls her age, and that was my goal with writing her as my protagonist.

That sounds lovely! It's always important to write characters others can relate to.

When writing, most people end up having to write scenes that are incredibly emotionally draining. Have you ever had to write such a scene? If so, how did you get in the right mindset for it?

Another excellent question.

I've had to write many of these scenes because I write with emotion. I don't do much to get ready for it. I just have to make sure I'm writing straight from the heart. I usually write in a notebook and with a pen because that way I don't see typos and all that and get caught up in how good it is. I just have to take myself back to when I felt a similar feeling and write it. That way, the words that end up on the paper, I know they're the right words because they came from the heart.

A truly beautiful answer! I'm sure your readers would love to hear about how much you want your words to be true.

Is there any famous author you wish could be your mentor?

It's hard to choose but maybe John Green or Kiera Cass; the Selection series is also one of my favorites.

John Green is an author you seem to mention often.

Is there anything specific about him that makes you enjoy what he writes?

Yeah, I like the metaphors he uses and how his characters come to life on the page. He does a great job with amazing quotes that get readers to relate.

Quotes are definitely an important part of books. They make the story much more memorable!

Do you have any favourite quotes from a book?

Of course. I have a bunch on my wall right behind me as I'm talking. No surprise they're from "The Fault in Our Stars."

Some of my favorites are:

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."

"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations."

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you."

"The world is not a wish granting factory."

"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities."

...and there's many more ...

Those are all such beautiful quotes! I certainly see why you like them.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about writing for you?

The most difficult thing about writing for me is when the book is all revised and edited and being able to say it's complete. No matter how many times I go over it, I'll still find errors. It's hard to be able to admit it can't be perfect and move on to my next project. I've gotten better at it, but it's still hard to feel one-hundred percent good about a completed novel.

I know what you mean! There will always be things you can improve on, no matter how many times you edit.

Is there any specific time you tend to write at?

Not really. I write whenever. If I had to choose a favorite time, it would probably be in the morning because it's when I have the clearest mind. Although some nights I'm just in the mood for writing and get going, and next thing you know, it's midnight!

Well, sometimes it's better to stay away from schedules.

What is the most surprising/insightful thing you learned from writing stories?

I would have to say the most surprising thing I learned from writing stories would have to be how real they can feel. If I get into it, I can't stop. Before I started, the task of writing an entire novel seemed so scary. But once you get started, it adds up. I guess the whole process just kind of reinforces whether writing is your calling. If you enjoy it, it should be obvious in how excited you are to write it and get it done.

I've heard people talk about this. They often get so deep into their story they end up thinking just like their characters would.

Speaking of that, which of your characters do you relate to most? Which is the best representation of Sydney?

I would say I'm a lot like June, but I have humor like Ty. He's known for his sarcasm and humor, and I get a lot of it from myself. In my other book I just started, though, Cayden is extremely similar to me. She aspires to be a writer like them and has gone through similar things; personality-wise we're both shy but like to use humor to cloud our struggles. There's something in me in all my characters. Some elements of my friends just naturally end up in my characters. Another character, Vee, is always late. I got that from one of my friends showing up late all the time. I feel like as writers, even when we don't realize it, parts of us end up in our characters naturally.

*she aspires to be a writer like me

It's great to hear you relate to so many of your characters! I can see you put a lot of thought into them!

And now, for our last question. I'm sure many of your fans are reading this, is there anything you would like to say to them?

Yeah, I would like to say thanks for reading my story. The story means a lot to me, and for it to mean a lot to them means the world. Just thank you!

Thanks so much for interviewing me btw, it's been fun. I appreciate the time you took to do this :)

Thank you so much for your time! It was a pleasure.