Interview with Ava S. Quill
Ava S Quill is an aspiring indie writer of fantasy, sci-fi, and clean romance. “Aspiring” (as she puts it) because learning never ends.
Before Ava decided to give this whole “writing thing” a serious go, she moved across the ocean, started a family, and got a degree in web design.
Now we have Ava here to give her two cents on the writing process and to tell us a little about her works in progress.
What can you tell us about your current WIP?
“My current WIP… I’ve finished two novels in the last couple of years and found myself in a place where my mind decided that it’s time to write everything right now. While I’m typically a believer in starting and finishing a project, I’ve allowed myself this creative chaos for a few weeks before NaNoWriMo. (For those who are not aware of what NaNoWriMo is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it’s almost like a marathon for writers, where you sit down and write an ugly first draft of a novel in 30 days.) So I’ve been working on a post-dystopian, young adult fantasy duology and even a fanfiction project of sorts. I’m unwinding from edits. I’m relishing the mess my writing is right now because I know I’ll be back on schedule soon for some other writing and the release of my second novel that’s coming out in December. This upcoming release is a clean fantasy romance, Love Is a Royal Pain, and it’s a second in a series, with a third book in the works. All three follow a set of sisters who end up discovering for themselves what love is, and in the process, they experience different challenges and adventures. In Love Is a Royal Pain, our main character is so focused on her career, she believes love is of no importance at all. But, of course, when she meets the right Prince Charming for her, she reconsiders her priorities.”
How did you approach the writing process this time around? Do you have a set routine?
“So since currently, I am having fun with my writing, I am actually trying to work on learning a few techniques: tighter plotting, looking forward to what consequences my characters will face based on their choices, deeper characterization (my favorite). It’s really fun, in my opinion. Write and see how I can make myself better at this point in time.
My routine is usually boiled down to writing in the evening after the kids are in bed and listening to a lot of my favorite music. And I try to aim to write every day apart from Sunday (I take a day off to mentally calm down and relax, among other things). Consistency is key to finishing projects for me. I have a word count I aim for, but usually as long as I’ve written anything, it’s good. Better than nothing, you know? Five hundred words instead of two thousand still bring you that much closer to the finish line.”
How do you get inspired?
“Music is a big one for me. I listen to it. I am learning to play bass. I play the piano. I watch movies, hear a piece of music, and bam! Ideas. There were a couple of times where I’ve dreamed up some stories. I wrote those down for later exploration. One of those is the duology I’ve mentioned earlier. That one was quite the surprise. And a combination of things, really, but yes. Inspiration strikes me everywhere. It’s usually not even a thing I see or hear but a feeling that those physical experiences provide that sparks something in my brain that whispers, ‘You know what would be fun? If we wrote about A in setting B and XYZ happening in all this mess.’”
Where is your favorite place to write?
“I prefer to be at home, but really, I’ve written thousands of words in college too if I could find a comfortable corner. As a teen, I wrote during classes in high school. It really doesn’t matter too much. Although a mug of herbal tea and fluffy blankets are always a win in my writing setting.”
Any writing advice you’d like to give our readers?
It’s holiday time. Relax. Read a book. Watch a show. Hug your loved ones. Stress less, smile more. Eat a fortune cookie and see if any of my wisdom can compete with the little white papers printed in red ink.
Website: https://inkedkeyboard.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quills_n_daggers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/avaSquill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoravasquill
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ava-S-Quill/e/B07S9VDGHM/
