author of: The Finch and the Woodpecker: A fantasy friendship story

1

The inspiration behind the idea of my story was a weird dream I had when I was younger that made me want to write a book. I really like birds and since Swan Lake was a huge inspiration for this book idea mixed with the dream, I decided to make it about more than just swans. After I finished writing that book, I decided to write a short story on the backgrounds of a side character I really liked, which turned into another book because I loved writing the younger version of the character and the story around the past version of the world.

2

I struggled with describing the species of the main characters, since none of them are human, and it's hard to show not tell what everyone looks like and can do without a 'fish out of water' character to ask the questions readers tend to ask.

3

The overall response to my story from my readers has been really positive! It honestly warms my heart when I see people caring about my characters or mentioning what parts of the story touched them. Admittedly though I haven't had a lot of new readers recently, but the ones I have had are awesome.

4

I enjoyed delving into the characters most while writing, learning more about them and letting the readers get an insight into them as well. That's definitely one of my favorite parts of writing this story, especially since it's heavily character focused

5 ?

My story is the first in a series called "A Tale of Two Birds" but it can be read as a stand-alone.

6

What I would like my readers to take away from my story is that it's okay to have emotions. Anger, fear, sorrow, happiness, they're just a natural part of who we are as humans, and it's how we choose to act because of those feelings that make us who we are as individuals. The emotion is neutral, the action is either good or bad. This probably sounds a bit boring, but it's the best way to phrase it that I can think of without giving away spoilers.

7

One piece of advice that I would give to another writer when it comes to focusing on their story is to try and make it a habit. Set a small goal for yourself, like three sentences a day, and stick to it to the best of your ability. Don't stone yourself if you fall short every now and then though. Life can be busy, you can get overwhelmed, and that's fine. I just find that making writing a habit has worked well for me.

8

well I guess we both like archery. She's WAY better at it though. Other than that though, not really.

9

I wish I knew! Maybe being more active on Wattpad in general.

10

YES! I have a ton of future projects in mind, but currently I'm focused on writing the second book in the series "The Guard and the Craftsman" so the other ideas are my secret for now.