Aasiyah Qamar & Nolwynn Ardennes

 What inspires you?

People. Their nature, foibles, quirks, habits, ways. My overactive imagination takes over after just a snippet from that direction and starts to put together scenarios and plots. I used to find myself rewriting twists and new endings in soap operas, so one day the idea hit home - why not actually make real stories come out of those imaginings?

Is this how a book comes into conception?

Yes, and no. No, because a book, or a story, comes more into conception after the prompt has entered my mind and I've mulled it over for a while, deciding whether it has potential or not (is it too cliche is one of my favourite pondering points). Going from this still obscure departure point, I then flesh out the characters, concepts, issues, plot, twists, backstory, not necessarily in this order though. A story can come from a notion - for example, The Other Side came about from the whole concept of divorce and the divorcee's situation in Mauritius. Storms in a Shot Glass evolved from the saying a tempest in a teacup - I wanted a new twist that was even more extreme in nature, and what better than an unexpected pregnancy to brew a storm in a shot glass? Light My World, on the other hand, evolved from needing to tell its heroine's story, Diya. Oftentimes, I also have a sketch of a character whose story I need to tell, so their book evolves from who they are basically.

How do you develop characters?

One of the biggest challenges of a writer is to create characters that are real and not merely cardboard cutouts. There is a formula for every writer, and no method is perfect, or infallible. There is no universal recipe here. Some fill in character sheets, some just go with their gut instinct. Some delve into the character's mind, heart, soul, present, and past to find out more about them. I have to say the method I use is a combination of all of the above. I usually work with an established physical appearance in my mind, and from there, I know where the character is at when the story starts. What has made him/her the way he/she is, is an answer usually found in their backstory - what happened in their past to shape them into who they are today. Using character archetypes helps here too, in that they allow the writer to work within the parameters of a character's expected reactions and emotions.

What is the most important part of writing?

This makes me think about whether there is a 'best' part of writing. There isn't. Every stage of the writing process carries its own exhilarations, fears, and pitfalls. At brainstorming stage, when the idea is simply a hatchling, it is awesome to see the plot take shape, yet it can be overwhelming to go off on so many tangents. At outline stage, it is amazing to put it all in shape, yet it is boggling as in, is this the right place and the best point in the story? In the actual writing stage, it is to see characters come to life, speak and interact on paper -or screen (MS Word is our pad!) - yet it is a wild ride when you know that at any moment, a character might turn on you or take over the story. At rewrite stage, when the first draft has been penned down, it is great to see that you've penned down so much, yet there is still so much to layer in and add. At editting stage, it's the harrowing task of technicalities such as grammar and comma placement, yet there is also the thrill of knowing you're just about ready to send your ms out into the world and hope your targetted publisher will take a bite. This is a never-ending cycle, because when you're finished with one story, you start another, and the whole process spins again.  

Do you swear by detailed outlines or just go with the flow?

I don't swear by either, but my method of working tends very much towards the detailed outline. The first few drafts of The Other Side were done without a real outline in hand. I knew where I wanted it to go, but had no idea how to get there. I also hit the dreaded writer's block because of this. It all smoothed out when I sat down and said, I'll figure out right now where this whole ride will take my characters and where it will end. Since then, I do an outline for every story I write, sort of like a road map so I don't get lost. As I move from project to project, the outline becomes less wordy and more compact, the story taking on a life of its own while I'm actually writing. But on the whole, it does follow the outline, even if it's just a flow chart.

Do you do a lot of rewrites?

As many as it takes to put out the best book possible. Can be 1, 2, or 5. 

Did you study to become a writer?

If you mean creative writing and the likes, no. I majored in English and French in high school, with Economics as a prominent part of my portfolio too. Other than the fact that I paid more attention to story-writing essays in my languages classes instead of focusing on the argumentative ones, I haven't studied academically for writing. Even the degree I'm doing in university is in communications science and media management, with a few English electives thrown in for the fun of it. The knowledge from the degree helps me when I'm writing though, because it gives me a lot of scope of knowledge that I can use, for example as my characters' profession, in the books. Almost everything I know, I learned on the job, and also with the help of my writing mentor, author Tethys J. Killian.

Do you have a writing schedule?

You're kidding, right? What's a writing schedule? I write when and how I can. When is not always obvious, since in between my job as a freelance writer, my fake domestic goddess status, my 24/7 job of mother and my part-time university studies, I can barely figure out when I can slot in some sleep. I try to write in the hours when my son is at school, where I'm alone at home and no one is gonna tell me that the dishes aren't done yet. I don't write every day, because I don't have the time. I do however keep a deadline schedule for when I need to finish an ms, so this helps me to prioritize. The outline comes in handy here, because I can just look at it and immerse myself in the writing again.

Any essentials in your writing environment?

Uninterruption. I can write around the noise of the surround system or the video games, the fussing and fights of little boys, the drone of the TV. But don't interrupt me when I'm writing. It's the only thing I ask because I can get in the 'zone' when writing and nothing is worse than being pulled from it. Otherwise, I'm very flexible.

With stories revolving around the theme of love, what is your idea of the whole concept?

I have no precise idea I can tell you is the definition of love. It's different for every person. Every person - and every character ultimately - has his/her own idea of love, and I work with these differences when I'm drafting a story. I guess the bigger umbrella of my pen makes it obvious that two people are meant to be together, and not with anyone else, especially at that particular point of their life. However, if I really have to sum up what my personal idea of the concept is, I'll use the (paraphrased) words of Shirley Henderson in the movie The Taming of the Shrew - Love is being willing to put yourself at your man's feet, lying down in front of him, placing your fingers under his boots; not afraid to do so, trusting completely, beacuse you know he'd do the same with you and he has has so much respect and abiding feelings for you that he would never think of stepping onto the hand you lay under the toes of his boots. That, for me, is what love is all about - trust and respect.

Would you trade your life to be able to step into the shoes of your heroines?

No. These girls find their happily-ever-after at the end of the story. I think the journey to HEA is ultimately more exciting and fascinating, so I don't want mine to end. Ever.