Q: I'm wanting to write a story and I don't really know where to start, what tips can you give me?
Think about what genres you like, do you want it to be fanfiction so you don't have to create characters? Do you like romance, teenfiction, humour or action?
Are you wanting to write a historical fiction? Are you ready to put in the research to make it accurate (and if you're not following history you need to make sure you acknowledge that in the description or in an author's note)?
A fun way to start is thinking of names â a handy way to do this is to use your best friends' name or a celebrity who you really respect like Emma Watson or Ryan Reynalds (obviously change their last names or switch them around ie. Emma Reynalds, Ryan Watson.)
If you think of a plot WRITE IT DOWN so you can revisit it. I had no idea about half of the things that were going to happen in this book but I wrote them down. Plots will come to you in the writing process, it's natural, and it's always good to have multiple plots ie. Ashley and Lucas, Mason hiding the story of Claire, Ashley finding out about Claire, Ashely and Mason fighting over money, Mason and the doctor, Mason and being expelled, Ashley being pregnant, Ashley losing the baby, Claire having surgery, Claire needing a kidney, Claire not waking up for ages etc. These are little plots but they're constant forms of drama and you need that.
Give each character a background, someone could be really mundane and boring while the other person is like daredevil and adventurous â how do they clash?
Q: If Mason and Ashley had a song what would it be?
Oooh, that's a good one... and kinda hard haha. Well, I think for the earlier sections where Mason and Ash are trying to fight their feelings for one another would probably be 'Worst In Me' by Julia Michaels and 'Say You Love Me' by Jessie Ware. For the rest of the book it's hard to narrow it down but what I think is pretty close to what I'm thinking would be 'Please Keep Loving Me' by James TW. Listen to these two and you'll know what I mean aha.
The song 'Shove It (ft. Spank Rock)' by Santigold is definitely how I feel about Lucas hahaha.
Q: When you introduced Mason as a character, did you have a different ending in mind?
Similar to a question before I was meant to finish this long before the Doctor Ross introduction but I continued. From memory when I first started writing I don't think I had a solid outline of the story so here we are! Completely improvised haha
Q: What area of England are each of the characters from?
So, because I love history the place I chose to place O'Brien University was in Cambridge. Not a cheap place to live but I just love the history of the city I couldn't help myself (which is kinda ironic because I literally didn't bring any of the history into the book).
In terms of accents, everyone has Contemporary RP (see video down below for more info) although, (I'm laughing while I write this) I gave Mel a scouse accent just because I love how sassy the Liverpool accent is and Mel is just the sassiest person EVER and I love it.
for more information on these accents, I recommend checking out the YouTube video: Regional British Accents!ð¬ð§ by Being British: Joel & Lia
Q: What was Ross's first name
Not gonna lie, I have absolutely no idea hahaha. First name Doctor, last name Ross.
Q: Why did Ashley have a miscarriage?
There are a number of answers to that question and I won't go all medical on you, but a lot of the time miscarriages happen because it's your bodies way of dispelling something that hasn't formed properly. So, from my perspective but it might be different to yours, Ashley and Mason's baby just wasn't the right baby for them, the baby had issues developing and so Ashley's body decided to naturally reject it.
Q: Will you be writing a sequel?
After much deliberation and a lot of mind changing I have decided not to - this could change, however, you never know what brainwave I'll have, but the likelihood of no sequel is very very high. Some people suggested I write Melissa and Cameron's love story but I'm not sure yet. I also had a thought I could do some, I suppose bonus chapters, of the more intense scenes from Mason's point of view â let me know what think.
If so, which do you want:
1.Mel and Cameron's love story/parts of it
2. Mason's point of view of some scenes (if yes which scenes do you want)
3. The story of Claire's accident
4. What other ideas can you throw at me?
I suppose I could do a book where it's a compilation of all of the above, it'd be a short book though.
Q: Do you have a YouTube channel?
Unfortunately no I don't, I always wanted to start one up but I don't have any equipment for starting one nor do I have the time nor money at the moment to do so.
I would like to consider it for the future though, I suppose it would be lighthearted content, maybe some diys, book reviews, writing tips etc etc. Would you guys watch? let me know!
Q: What advice can you give to people who want to be cover makers?
Well, I'm not a cover maker myself, however, my advice would be to get your work out there. Do that by hitting up writers and asking if you can send them some covers for their books! Chances are they're likely to put it in their book as a banner and tell their readers who made it. If you're going to do this, I recommend actually reading their book if not at least half so you can get an idea.
We authors can tell if you have or haven't read our book so I really recommend reading it and voting or commenting because it just shows courtesy.
If you don't want to message them first, make a chapter in your cover book and tag them in it (though I do recommend PMing them because that they are more likely to see it as our notifications feed are literally filled until we can't read everyone's comments every day).
Q: Are you going to edit Apartment No.4 and change the storyline?
I am going to go through and fix up any grammatical and spelling errors, however, I will NOT be changing the plotline so don't worry about missing out on anything important :) Ashley and Mason's love story will stay the same, just polished and buffed!
Q: Why have you ended the book?
I felt that it was time for me to let Ashley and Mason go. I'm very sad I have to but as a writer you get the feeling of when it's time to say goodbye to some characters. I mean, I've made them suffer enough haven't I?
Q: Will you ever publish the book?
I don't know, I probably won't self-publish but if I get the offer I'll have a look into it. Not entirely sure how likely it is that I'll be chosen, though if I get the offer I'll definitely look into it.
Q: Do you have any plans to make this book into movie?
Well, I have no power to do that myself. I feel like we've jumped forward quite a few steps with this question haha. At the moment, I'll be happy if it gets published, I think we'll leave the movie for the future haha.
Q: Do you have any other works we should check out?
YES! I have TWO new books!
1. Secrets and Lies, a 'forbidden love' story with a bit of mystery and deception. It's a historical piece set in the 18th century England and it's good fun to write and read! The first two chapters are currently posted on my profile so go check it out!
BUT, if Teen Fiction is more your style, read the following:
All It Seems, teen fiction about a uni student who acquires a job as a nanny for a 7-year-old girl, Lucy. While it would seem like a normal job, she doesn't meet the parents of the little girl causing her and her friends to come up with ridiculous theories as to who her parents are.
Description down below:
When Alexis Miles lost her job at the cafe due to conspicuous circumstances, she found herself desperate to find a job. By a stroke of luck, she gets an email from jobs.com with the following:
Wanted: one female nanny with a current drivers license and previous experience. Must be able to work every day including mornings and afternoons until 9pm.
Living with her slightly overprotective but still lovely boyfriend in an apartment not far from campus, Alexis struggles to maintain a balanced life of work, university, and friendship.
With a new job on the go will her relationship with her friends and boyfriend prove difficult with her long hours, or will everything work out for the better?
I'll post the first chapter soon. Check it out, if you liked 'Apt 4' you'll like this.
Feel free to continue sending me covers if you want your work to feature in my book :) xx
Thank you everyone so much for you raspier that grow everyday, I can't thank you enough!
I am taking a short break of 1-1.5 weeks to refresh and not worry about having to publish every other day. Chuck is a follow to keep up with all my new work and for posts on my message board! ð