I am currently working on editing and writing the second draft of my novel. As I go through the first few pages, I continue to feel a sense of pride over this messy story that I wrote. I know that many of us tend to hate how our first drafts turn out because it’s not at all perfect. It’s not what she imagined it to be like. Although there is still much to edit and characters to shape, as I slog through the edits I feel that I’ve grown to better understand the world I want to create.
If you’re looking for more marginalized authors to connect with and support, Diverse Ink holds monthly chats and is a platform that helps guide the newer authors. Since I missed out on Diverse Ink’s chat at the beginning of this month, I thought it would be cool to compile the questions into a post!
Introduce yourself! Who are you? What are you working on?
For those who are new to my blog, hello! My name is Cam, a wild and free book blogger who enjoys uplifting diverse books. She also loves pretending to be a cross between a dragon and a cat. I am currently working on two different fantasy novels but the one I’m talking about today is my Ghoul WIP. I’ve mentioned before that is a cross between Tokyo Ghoul and Not Even Bones. It’s a Dark Fantasy story influenced by Filipino mythology and urban legends. A recurrent theme in my book is found family, identity, and the blurred lines of what makes a monster. Below is my unofficial blurb.
Ghost wants her justice. Although the life she lives is forgotten, Ghost knew her fate was not to be a meal for night creatures. Making deals with a demon are only the first, death comes with more duties than she has seen the living carry out.
How much is she willing to sacrifice for a life already lost?
When his “beloved” demon makes an ungodly deal with a murdered ghost, Ghoul finds himself pulled into a world he wanted no part of. Playing big brother to an orphaned child was not part of his life plan, nor was sidetracking his chance at university. But the bodies of murdered women in his town are too many to ignore, especially when the murdered put his own existence at risk.
How did you find your writing style/voice? Did you have any influences?
Honestly, it took a lot of writing and re-writing, a lot of trashing and drafting to find my voice. I’ve also started reading a lot of fantasy books to find out what kind of writing to best suit my story. One of my early insecurities was having my characters be Filipino and having my fantasy book be more quiet than the fantasy books I’ve been reading. However, it was through reading many, many types of fantasy books that I realized my book can be whatever and however I want it to be. Katherine Arden, Rin Chupeco, Rebecca Schaeffer, and George R.R. Martin are authors who have impacted my writing a lot. I’m also inspired by writing and atmosphere of the classics like Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I also consume a lot of anime, so my writing tends to get a bit dramatic.
🌺 Check out my post on books which have influenced my writing.
What happened to the first story you ever wrote, and does it make you cringe?
The first story I remember ever writing about was Gakuen Alice fan fiction. I’m sure that fanfic is still on the site. When I read it again, months and months ago, I cringed. Hard. My characters were all over the place and my pacing was horrid! But reading those stories made me adore my twelve year old self, who sat down and wrote these cheesy one shots.
Tell us about someone who’s believed in you and your writing from the start!
My parents. I’m fortunate enough to have parents who fully supported my writing dreams, even going so far as to reading my old fanfics. During the last year when I stayed at home and was working on my first draft, my mother gave me the time and space to do nothing but write. If it wasn’t for her support I don’t think I would have been able to finish my first draft.
If your MC were here right now, would you get along?
I’m a bit doubtful whether Ghoul and I would get along. He is a very serious person whose goal is to get into a good college. He enjoys studying and learning, just like I do. But whereas he is more grounded, I am a flighty person. Ghoul loves having everything planned out and just living life as mundane as possible, but I’m a spontaneous person and live loudly. We’d be friends but we wouldn’t hang out too much. Maybe our love for learning would find us visiting museums or watching documentaries. We’d be each other’s assigned go-to persons for such things.
What was the last AHA! moment you had while writing?
Um, um, um, how do I talk about this without revealing a spoiler? In the vaguest possible way – there are certain instances in my novel which could not possibly have happened without some outside influence. However, it did not seem fitting that any of my current characters would be the driving force. They had no motives for it, or the resources. It was then that I realized there was a hollow spot in my story that needed to be filled. There was a character I didn’t know yet pulling the strings, so I sought her out.
Currently she’s unnamed buuut…this character is a street kid and clan leader of the The Tiyanak.
If you would love to know more about my writing project aka Ghoul WIP, check out my other posts
🌺 Five Mistakes I Made While Writing My First Novel
🌺 Filipino Creatures I’m Terrified to Meet But Love Writing About
🌺 My short story: The Taste of Heartbreak
Camillea Reads 
Oh, that was so nice to read! And maybe welcome to the cringe club. I remember reading my part writing as a traumatic experience, because wow that was horrible.
That’s interesting because I found Martin to be a writer that clicked something into me too. I liked how he described the world and made me realize how I could work on my writing about it.
I didn’t know about Diverse Ink and I immediatly started to follow. It sound very nice. I just hope I won’t forget about it!
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Ooh your WIP sounds great! If you’re ever in the need for a beta reader I’m in 🙈
Also how far in are you?
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Thank you, Charvi! I’ll let you know when I do 🙂
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