The Rising Author Tag (that I wasn’t tagged in)

When I was thirteen, I started writing a book which became my first published novel. It’s self-published, but it’s out in the world for people to read, so I think that technically makes me an author? I’d like to think that I’m slowly rising as an author since the short stories I wrote as a seven-year-old to help me learn my spellings.

For this blog, I’m answering questions from The Rising Author Tag which I believe was created by Jem Jones.

Let’s begin.

What’s the weirdest thing someone has said about your writing?
I haven’t really had any weird things said about my writing, but I’ve had a few things that confused me, mostly comparisons to other authors. Some people are quick to compare me to others based just off a description of something I’ve been writing rather than actually reading it. I’ve had someone compare my writing to John Green as we both write about mental health, although he is the king of metaphors and writes about some very realistic things while I’m writing about a mystical forest you end up in when you die, like an afterlife.

What was the worst thing you’ve ever written?
All the stories I wrote when I was younger are the worst things I’ve ever written. I was only around seven or eight years old and was only getting into writing and had barely any knowledge about crafting stories or even how to write. I was literally just stringing sentences together and the stories were very ‘he did this’ and ‘she did that’.
If you’re interested in any of my early works, I’ve got a playlist on my YouTube channel (TandeWrites) featuring a few videos where I read through my childhood stories.

If your book was made into a movie, what would it be like?
Honestly? I don’t really know or care, as long as it’s good and still vaguely resembles the original plot. I’d just be so honoured to have my little book on a big screen.

Which one of your characters are you most similar to?
I think I’m equally split between Josh and Clara. I have Josh’s slight selfishness and his anxiety and his fear of not being good enough, and I have Clara’s stubbornness fear of being abandoned.
When I was originally writing ‘Beauty in the Breakdown’ and posting it on Movellas, someone actually commented saying that they hated Clara because she was so whiny/clingy/insecure. And I was slightly offended because like… she’s me???

Do you let other people read your writing?
I’m hugely insecure about my writing. I hold it so close to my heart and it’s so personal to me and I feel like it’s the only thing I’m truly good at so I’m very sensitive to criticism and try to hide all my words away. But I know that letting people pick through the lines and sort the good from bad is how I can get better.

What’s the oddest thing you know about one of your characters?
I’m working a bit on two different prequels (one is a diary that relates to the main book, another is a prequel that can also be a standalone) so now I just have a load of random backstories and past life knowledge about characters that doesn’t add much to the plot but it’s interesting to know.

What is the very first story you remember writing/have record of?
I’ve kind of answered this already: my childhood stories are the first ones I remember. But the first proper novel I attempted to write (I got to about 20,000 words) is a story titled ‘The Voices Within Me’ based on a dream/nightmare I had while half awake and can still remember vividly to this day.

What things do you like to write about?
Mental health is the main thing I like to write about as it’s something I hold very closely to my heart and it’s also something very personal and relatable to the kind of people who would read my work. But the thing I like to write the most about is friendship and platonic love. Fiction is almost overwhelmed with romance and some plots revolve around friends becoming lovers, but I like to portray how important friendship and non-romantic relationships truly are.