What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
I love telling stories.
That should be the core of every fiction writer's joy. But to really understand why I love writing, I want to break down WHAT I enjoy writing and to ask, what is more enjoyable to write: the world in which the characters live, or the characters, themselves?
First of all, I truly love to create worlds. Dreaming up the setting in which the characters must exist is always some of the most fun work for me. Is the world a fantastical one? Like the high fashion boulevard of a wealthy neighborhood in a Steampunk fantasy? Or the tower of a wizard who is on the verge of casting the greatest spell of all time? Is it similar or somewhere in our own world, where the fantasy and magic exist under our very noses? Like the secret, hidden alley in Chinatown where a peddler sells an unsuspecting boy a most unusual plant? Or the undersea ruins of an ancient kingdom in the depths of the ocean, where horrible fishmen hunt the survivors of an oceanic expedition trying to make it to the surface? Is it not even a world at all, but maybe a space station or the realm of Purgatory on a rainy Wednesday? I love creating locations, maps, stories behind the landmarks, and then setting the stage for the characters to dive in.
Maybe its the characters! I love to take an idea for a characteristic, or a strength or a flaw, and just run with it until I have a fully fleshed out character. Why does the character stutter? What's the story behind her robotic arm? Why does the hulking, savage werewolf keep a pet mouse? Why does the zombie apocalypse survivor refuse to attack any undead with blonde hair? The traits that makes a character unique often make for stories as interesting as the story he or she is in.
So, after reading all that, what is the greatest joy of writing for me?
I would say that it is simply being here, in my home, miles away and at a completely different point in the space time continuun from the one you, dear reader, are in. It is being able to smile, knowing that you took the words of these past paragraphs and visualized everything. Seeing something in your head days, weeks, months, maybe even years after I took the words from my head and typed them onto this document.
The joy of writing for me is sharing with my readers.
What do your fans mean to you?
My fans are everything to me.
I am uplifted and invigorated by their encouragement and praise, and I enjoy the critique and allow it to help me reflect and build or improve upon my further work. I love my fans because they represent me: someone who loves reading science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and enjoys stories.
They enjoy leaving their own worlds and their own circumstances to get lost in a world that I have created, and if they feel these worlds can be improved, or if they feel that need something more to let them become even further invested into that world, then I want to provide it for them.
My fans are my heartbeat. They keep me writing.
And I think it goes without saying that I am always appreciative of any monetary support they send me.
In that respect, my fans may one day become my literal heartbeat, if I decide to write for a living and give up other sources of income, my heart will not beat without the food I need to survive on hahaha!
Read more of this interview.
