Tag: writing spotlight

Writing spotlight # 5

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I had the chance to talk to an aspiring writer. She took the time to talk about her writing and her WordPress story a little. I was glad to meet her. She goes by the name LevBossBabe.

Hi there! I am a beginning writer from the Bay Area. I write during downtime at my job. I have no books out yet, but that is the dream! Currently, I am writing a satirical, fictional blog called Lev: Boss Babe. It is a comedy that plays on start-up culture and office hierarchies. I reflect often on the drama that comes when we realize how much time we spend working and what that does to how we see ourselves and how we see others. You can find it at Princessmushroom.com.

What are your favourite books?

I am a huge sci-fi nerd even though I am not writing anything related to the genre: I love Neil Gaiman, the Game of Thrones series, Harry Potter, Dune. I love productivity books like Atomic Habits, Getting Things Done, and The Life-Changing Joy of Tidying Up. I am currently reading Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

There was never a time where I didn’t want to be a writer. As a child, I was a precocious reader, starting with A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

What is your favourite part of the writing process? What is your least favourite and how do you get through it?

I love those chapters that I just seem to spit out without effort. Dialogue is important to my stories, especially inner dialogue as I jump between perspectives.

Sometimes, it can take a month to write a chapter because nothing seems good enough. I keep it pushing during those times—I made a promise to write at least 20 minutes a day, and I keep it pushing even when I feel I am putting out crap!

What is your writing routine?

I am fortunate in that I have a lot of downtime at work. I write at least 20 minutes a day, but I don’t hold back when I get into a flow state and can write for hours! Professionally, I am an administrator, so I am used to creating systems for work. I do the same with my writing: I have “funnels” for chapters, characters, and the plot in general.

How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

I categorize goals and create weekly goals within those categories aka Getting Things Done by David Allen. I always bring my kit: my notebook, laptop, calendar, paper container (not a binder!), and fancy pens wherever I go. I try to gamify all my tasks and goals to make them as satisfying as possible to complete. Finally, I am a HUGE list-maker and reflect on my goals once or twice a month to see where I can grow.

What inspires you? How do you beat writers block?

To be honest, I feel that without writing and storytelling, my life is meaningless. I don’t enjoy working and don’t care about having a career. Even if I was the last person on the world, I would write: it gives purpose to my pain and accentuates delight.

How do you keep consistent/write a lot?

See 6. I have a journal where I reflect on my habits everyday. I found that 20 minutes works for me: If flow is going to happen, it will happen in that timeframe. Also, I am incredibly blessed to have a pretty slow and flexible job with a short commute.

Also, I have learned to accept bad writing days for what they are—temporary. On those days, I write on the backs of envelopes or scraps of paper just to get something out. I only require at least 20 minutes a day, so if nothing comes out after that time frame, I don’t torture myself. Self-kindness goes a long way on bad brain days!

Does anyone read or edit your work before publication? If so, how did you find them?

My boyfriend  I am always up to making writing friends!

Can we have a sneaky look at your future plans?

Yes! I plan on developing the backgrounds and plots of the co-workers in the office! There is also a huge drama unfolding in the company… the only hint that I will provide is that it is inspired by true and recent controversies in Silicon Valley.

Finally, what advice would you give to other writers?

I have only 5 subscribers so far so I am not sure I would be considered an inspiration. Maybe one day! 😊 But I can’t imagine spending my free time doing anything else, and I treasure my small and humble beginning right now. I look forward to building a community of people who just love a good story.

https://princessmushroom.com/2021/07/21/1-the-reckoning/

Writer Spotlight – Dani Puteri

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I recently had the pleasure of talking to self published author Dani Puteri, who has so far self published 3 books. She had a lot of interesting things to say about her writing process and gave some helpful tips for aspiring writers. Here’s what this young, talented lady had to say about her work, after I put a series of questions to her.

Dani Puteri

Where do you live?

My country is known as an archipelagic country and has a lot of beautiful tourist spots and must be visited. Tourist attractions also include nature tourism, cultural tourism and historical tourism. The nature tourism itself is in the form of mountains, beaches, islands and much more. I like my country which only has two seasons, hot and rainy.

Why are you a writer?

I guess at first by chance. I never thought that I could write a book. Two years ago a friend told me that he had the belief that I could write a book. At the time I just thought it was a joke. It took a lot of effort and a long time. But here I am, I have self-published three books and I am satisfied that in the end, I was able to achieve that dream.

What do you enjoy about writing?

I can forget everything, distract myself from all my problems, just focus on my writing. I don’t know why, but every time I write something, it just flows and I can’t hold it in.

Tell us about your most recent works

“Another Mistake” is my first book that I wrote. My own experience, as well as my experience as a mental health volunteer, influenced me a lot when I wrote this book. This book is about Sara, young women who have dark past. This book is about her life story in the past and how she can finally go through it all and come to terms with her trauma. Heartbroken because she was dumped by her first love, she was severely traumatized. Her friendship with Ray and Andre, her Dad’s love for her and her childhood friend, all of that helped her through all the troubles in her life. In this book I want everyone who reads knows that even though in life we make mistakes, it doesn’t mean that we can’t fix those mistakes. That all decisions will have consequences, whether it’s ultimately the right decision or we make another mistake.

If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?

I am interested in writing children’s stories. It was really a challenge for me. I hope someday I can make it happen.

Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?

My Dad. He inspired me when I wrote Another Mistake. He’s already passed away and maybe this book without me knowing, I just want to show him that I really miss his presence.

Are you working on anything at the moment?

For a while I focused on being a mental health volunteer and sometimes blog.

Where can people buy your books?

They can get my book on Amazon.com, Rakuten Kobo

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Never give up, everything is not easy, sometimes it takes a long time and a long process. If you sincerely do what you love, then one day you will definitely get good results, or maybe even more beautiful than what you have imagined.

Amazon – Another Mistake

https://t.co/EZjyEdskLy

Rakuten kobo – https://t.co/MKYqXNfNyd

I’m glad I got to do this interview for psychedelicwizard.org !

I appreciate you taking the time to read this author interview with the Dani Puteri, who has been quite successful so far in her writing journey and I wish her all the best for her future works. Let’s show her some support by liking, commenting, reblogging and anything else you might think could help her. I am grateful for her for her time she gave to talk to me.

For further upcoming interviews with writers stay tuned. If you would like a chance to be in my writer spotlight then please email psychwizard@yahoo.com or alternatively use the contact page.

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