This is a story I originally wrote as an assignment for my creative writing class in undergrad my senior year. I have always been interested in imagining what the world could be like and how it could be better, and as such, was drawn to science fiction. For this story in particular, I wanted to build a world that was as close to a utopia as possible – a world where people could travel freely, have their essentials taken care of by a benevolent world government, live with dignity and be themselves (albeit there is still a bit of stigma against mental illness in this story but that is because this is still ultimately not a utopia, even if it is close) – but also needed to present a conflict that humanity would need to struggle against, which of course, in this case, was aliens (space is the final frontier, after all).

I did originally struggle with creating a conflict for this story, and this was part of the reason why I decided to stigmatize mental illness in the way that I presented it in the story, as it gave the two leads, Cyrano and Esfir, something to have disagreements over, and thus, created a conflict. In a utopian society, if there are no problems, the only ones that can arise are either interpersonal due to difference of opinions on certain topics, or external ones – in this case, the potential of aliens coming to earth, and the question of whether they are a threat to humanity or not. The idea of simply having a peaceful race of aliens descend to earth and to have everything go happily as planned does not make for an interesting story, and in turn, does not engage readers in a way that is useful. In the story, the prospect of Cyrano being in some way connected to these aliens, whether it's due to her origins or something else (I've left this deliberately open for interpretation), along with the social mores around mental illness, was what provided the driving conflict in the story but this was something I only arrived at later after the struggle of building this futuristic utopian world.

There was a lot about it I enjoyed, but I think tied for the top spot (for different reasons of course) was the worldbuilding aspect, and writing the love-making scene between Cyrano and Esfir. As I explained earlier on, I love to imagine the what-ifs of the future. I wanted to imagine what the world would look like if we all came together for the common good so that we could all live peacefully while looking out for humanity rather than our own selfish individualistic desires. Plus, it can be challenging to not overwhelm your reader and instead to sprinkle in small bits of details about your world throughout the story, and I appreciate the challenge. As for the love-making scene between Cyrano and Esfir, I enjoyed that because I had never written this type of scene between two women (I do have experience writing m/m fanfiction though so it wasn't my first time writing anything explicit). It was also a challenge to not overdo it on the erotic elements because in the end, this sort of scene is meant to advance the plot, not to be gratuitous, and I was also writing this as a class assignment. Regardless, though, it was fun to write, and I got to showcase Cyrano and Esfir's relationship dynamics and how they can ultimately lean on each other for support in many ways.

4

The response from the people who have read my story have been overall positive, with a lot of emphasis placed on the writing style, which I appreciate. Since this is a short story, it is not as popular as, say, a full-length novel would be on Wattpad, but I appreciate my small but vocal following. I will also say that I received an A for this story in my creative writing class, and my classmates were into it as well. So I'm happy overall at how it's been received!

This is a stand-alone short story, but I would like to revisit the world I built someday. It might be difficult once again to create a conflict, but I will never tire of imagining what the future might be like if we give into our best impulses.

There are a few things I would like for people to take away from this because as with all my works, there's something deeper beneath the words of the story. I want people to go away thinking that a better world is possible and can be achieved, maybe not in our lifetime, but sometime in the future. In that vein, I want people to continue to hope for better things to come, because I know that now especially, there is a lot of uncertainty and fear in the world surrounding the coronavirus epidemic and other events that we read about in the news daily, and there is also a lot of nihilism. And also, in that uncertainty, there can be good that comes of it, but ultimately, as an entire species, we can't give up. While we don't know what will happen, we need to move forward and be optimistic, even if it's difficult. I hope that my story, along with all my writing, can help inspire hope even in an incremental way.

7

I know that a lot of writers can fall into one of three categories: ones who write what they think people want with the expectation that they'll make it big and be famous; ones who write what they want and write it well, but don't think they'll make it at all because their skills aren't good enough; and finally, ones who vacillate between these two positions. The mistake is in focusing too much on an external audience and your flaws, and not enough on what you enjoy and excel in. There is also the issue that writers face where they believe that if they aren't writing all the time, or devoting time to write every day, that they are failing as a writer. A writer's self-esteem can be quite fickle. But in the end I think it's best to write what you like, hone your craft, and don't compare yourself so much to others. There is always something you can learn from your fellow writers because writing is subjective (since it is an art form in the end) and there's no single "Best Writer" that we can all aspire to be like. If you write only for an audience, writing becomes a chore. And if you are overly concerned with your own perception of your writing being bad, this leads to the same problem – writing becomes a chore once more. At the same time, though, it will not be easy or enjoyable all the time. But if you are dedicated to your craft and to the story you want to create, you have no choice but to pull through, or you will leave a grave of unfinished stories behind you, never to be completed.

I think it's difficult to not write a character who has at least some similar traits to you. I wanted Cyrano to be intelligent and curious, which are traits I also possess, as I am constantly learning and doing research on a variety of topics, and I want to know why things happen. I also have had experience dealing with mental health problems, so writing about panic attacks was a no-brainer for me as well. But I did not base her on myself; she became a fully-formed person on her own in my mind.

As I touched on briefly before, I want to show people that a better world is possible, and in times such as now, when people want something to help them escape, I believe that The Immortal Science will be that path of escapism. It's fun to imagine what our world could look like if circumstances were different, and the chance to read about living in such a world, where the thing we have to look forward to are aliens and the possibility of a new adventure, and not a pandemic that leaves us cooped up in doors, can be a welcome thing. I know myself that I write to escape, but I also have been in the mood to fall into the world of another book, and I imagine many others are feeling that same itch.

I try not to talk too much about things I intend to write, because I feel like it's making a promise to people and it can be embarrassing to have to let people down after you've talked their ear off about a story idea. In some instances this can be a good motivator. However, I am currently working on a story for Wattpad's Open Novella Contest, called Arakhne of the Floating Mountain, which is a fantasy/re-imagining of the story of Arachne/Arakhne (from the Greek myth) in which Arakhne is rescued from Athena by the Christian God (called Kyrios in Greek) and allowed to live on a remote floating island in the sky, completely isolated from anyone for thousands of years. She also happens to be a master seamstress and designer, and the only one capable of working with stardust, sunshine and moonlight, which are the materials the three protagonists aka the daughters of Kyrios (Soledad, Luna and Estelle) and the future queens of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, need for their coronation dresses. But after a treacherous journey to find Arakhne, the sisters realize that their only option is for them to stay, and Arakhne will only create their dresses in exchange for marriage to one of the sisters which will grant her power and protection from Athena and allow her to be alone in peace. I have been trying to stick to a regular upload schedule of something like a chapter every 2 weeks.

I have also completed a full-length, 50,000-word novel for NaNoWriMo called The Thousand-Eyed Crow, which is a horror/sci-fi story also set in the near-future but this time in London, which deals with what would happen if, as a result of global warming, there was a socialist revolution to deal with the issue of distribution of resources and an attempt to roll back the negative impact humans have had on the climate. It also deals with the concept of religion and cults in this setting, and how it might be handled in a society where religious beliefs are frowned upon and actively discouraged by the state, and follows the lives of twins Caoimhe and Kallias who have visions of who they learn later is actually god. I have an inkling of a plan for a prequel to this story that would be about Caoimhe and Kallias's mother, Aya, who was a revolutionary in the time about 30 years before the start of The Thousand-Eyed Crow. But again, I don't want to make any promises for that.

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me. And to my readers, I hope you enjoy my works, and I thank you so much for your support!