Anything with Lore!

This week we offer an interview with an Unrestricted Interest student-writer named Jack.

What’s your favorite thing about writing, Jack?

I love anything with lore! I love reading it and writing it myself. I also love video games, movies, books, and people—because people have lore, too.

How long have you been writing?

About a year. I was on Webtoons one day, looking for a thriller to read. What I read there inspired me to make a similar story. That first story I wrote was called, “Beyond The 9 Rings.”

What kinds of things do you like to write?

I write a lot of fantasy stuff that relates to mythical places and has monsters, demons, and ghouls, things that lead you down a path of fantasy. Most of them I try to make as thrilling as I can, but it doesn’t always come out that way.

What is it about fantasy and thrillers that you love so much?

You get to make up your own reality. Not like with biography, where people won’t accept something that isn’t fact. In these two genres, it’s all about the author’s own world.

Are there any challenges you run into when working on your stories?

Misspelling a character’s name and then not being able to remember it! I make up a lot of stories and place names when I write, so this happens sometimes.

Also, not being able to figure out a new chapter due to the fact that the last one could’ve been the end of the story. For example, that first story I wrote, “Beyond the 9 Rings,” I didn’t work on for months! Then I picked it back up for a few minutes, and then didn’t write any more for a long time. It’s just about figuring out a new idea for the story when you’re trying to continue from where you left off.

It sounds like you figure out a lot of your stories spontaneously as you go along?

I’ll have predetermined ideas, but as I go along I’ll change a few things here and there, which leads to a brand new idea. But sometimes there’s a point where I can’t think of anything new…it’s a creative thing.

In those moments, what inspires you?

Nothing specific—I just write. 

What are some of your favorite books or authors?

Scott Cawthon. Also Rick Riordan, especially the Percy Jackson series.

Tell me more about why you like monsters, demons, and ghouls so much.

They’re scary! And depending on where you hear them from, they change. For example, the leprechaun originally came from a sea story, where leprechauns were these creatures that lurked in the water and could grab you and drag you in if you got too close. Now we have this other version of them being jolly guys in green hats who like gold. There’s so many different kinds of interpretations of monsters.

Amazing! OK, last question: What advice would you give to other young writers?

Go with the flow. When you’re beginning a story, get the names and first few chapter names down (if you’re using chapters). And then, begin writing.

Having characters already in mind helps—a main character, a couple side characters, maybe an antagonist or two. And from there, you can develop the story. 

Bio: Jack is a child who loves writing tales which contain monsters. He was inspired to start writing by a Webtoon called, “I’m the grim reaper.”