Ask the Author: Isabella August
Answered Questions (9)
Isabella August
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Isabella August
I can do you one better! I'll tell you a one hundred percent true horror story in just one sentence. It's a bit of an obscure programmer reference though, just to warn you.
"Can't you just do the math in javascript, though?" my project manager asked.
"Can't you just do the math in javascript, though?" my project manager asked.
Isabella August
I don't have any *specific* books on my reading list, but I've been devouring romances of the "best friends to lovers" sort recently. I am discovering that it's surprisingly hard to find a good book of that sort, so I'd be thrilled for any solid recommendations! Of course, now that I've been reading that niche, I have an itch to write one.
Isabella August
Oh, gosh. I'm terribly utilitarian, so my answer really has to be "the most boring utopia I could possibly find." I love conflict in my fiction, but I prefer my reality to be as stable and predictable as possible.
If you're looking for a more exciting answer, I'd probably choose the setting of Howl's Moving Castle (the novel version, though the Miyazaki version is also quite lovely). I'd immediately go try and apprentice myself to a wizard, of course. Hopefully, I could find one just as handsome and charming as Howl.
If you're looking for a more exciting answer, I'd probably choose the setting of Howl's Moving Castle (the novel version, though the Miyazaki version is also quite lovely). I'd immediately go try and apprentice myself to a wizard, of course. Hopefully, I could find one just as handsome and charming as Howl.
Isabella August
Crown of Frost was first born from an idea for a tabletop RPG plot. I write pre-made characters for the games that I run, and I really enjoy the idea of asymmetrical relationships. Liam was going to be a faerie servant who helped some poor mortal escape his faerie lord, then went out "hunting" for her, intentionally failing to capture her at every turn. Due to the way Arcadia steals memories, this poor mortal would really believe that Liam was trying to capture her, and would eventually ensnare him herself.
I was so looking forward to those two players butting heads as Liam tried to convince this woman that he really wasn't trying to drag her back to faerie -- but the concept never quite fit into any game I was running, and so I wrote it into a novel instead.
Obviously, the original concept changed a little bit along the way. ;)
I was so looking forward to those two players butting heads as Liam tried to convince this woman that he really wasn't trying to drag her back to faerie -- but the concept never quite fit into any game I was running, and so I wrote it into a novel instead.
Obviously, the original concept changed a little bit along the way. ;)
Isabella August
I have very particular literary tastes which are hard to fulfill. Being a writer has given me the skillset to write the sort of books I would like to read. Every once in a while, I find myself craving a romance with a very exact set of elements in it -- and then I remember that I wrote one just like that! Future Me always appreciates Past Me whenever that happens.
Isabella August
Find a stable day job at first, and write in your spare time, even if this means you write very slowly. You can always quit your day job and write full-time once you hit your stride -- but it's hard to produce good work in the meantime if you're constantly worried about your bills. Having a day job also exposes you to lots of interesting people, and exercises your brain in ways that writing doesn't. I really believe this makes your writing feel more grounded and down-to-earth.
Isabella August
Writer's block generally happens because I'm not excited about the scene I'm writing. And if I'm not excited about the scene I'm writing, that means there's something wrong with it. So when I hit a wall, I reconsider the scene setup and ask myself 1) whether it's an unnecessary scene (in which case, I can delete it and move on), and 2) whether the stakes of the scene are uninteresting (in which case, I change the stakes and add more value to the scene). This works for me absolutely every time.
Isabella August
I have all sorts of ways that I use to inspire myself, but I think I ought to share the strangest one. Whenever I watch a TV show with really cringeworthy dialogue, I feel oddly motivated to write. "People don't talk that way in real life!" I grumble at the television. "What is wrong with you?" By the end of the day, I've inevitably written another few thousand words.
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