Jodi Picoult and Jane Austen. Both writers have so much depth and clarity of their individual voice and the characters they develop. I look to them to do the same with my work

I found myself writing a lot in college and getting compliments from professors and work colleagues, because it seems that writing well is a lost art. I've been writing my whole life but I never had the confidence to actually publish my work until my Comparitive Literature prof told me I was exceptional at it.

Definitely movies. TV series just never feel complete! Even when they try to tie loose ends by the time the show gets cancelled, as most do, they've fabricated this cutesy resolution that never seems genuine. And now, I'm ranting lol.

I guess I just want them to be drawn into the well of depth my first work "Falling for Eternity" has, and see that it's not just about a girl that falls in love with a guy. It's more about the acceptance of one's purpose, even if it's uncomfortable at first. Our individual purpose was never intended to be for ourselves, but for the sake of the world around us.

I remember being forced to write in school, and hating it! We were always timed, there was always a specific prompt, and I never felt like I had enough time. When I could get away with it I would bypass the prompt entirely and spend my time writing about whatever nonseamse came to mind.

Typically my rule is give myself as much room for flexibility as possible, within reason. So once I have an idea for a story, I automatically start thinking what the problem or obstacle will be, and how my story will get there. Then I think about what kind of characters would would be least likely to succeed in overcoming that obstacle, and how I would develop them. Then of course, I start planning the goal of each chapter, with the main problem in mind. Maybe my writing process will be more strict as I keep at it, but this works for now.

Well I can't remember the first story I ever read, but I remember the first story that ever impacted me was "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult. Every time I read that book I'm amazed by how every situation pulled back another layer of the two intimately related families who experienced a tragedy they never saw coming. They stopped being characters and became the so-and-so families down the street. Each book I've read of hers just has me glued. Also, reading Nancy McKenzie's "Queen of Camelot" was so beautiful it ruined me, I could never read another historical fiction after that book.