Heya!
I have something new for you guys and girls this time!
As part of my quest to add some cool stuff to my blog, I recently sat down and fired up an interview with Nephylim. While she was her usual amazing self, I still came away liking her even more! (Yes, she's that awesome!)
Anyway, this is what she had to say:
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Emulated: Firstly, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to take part in this interview, Nephylim. How are things?
Nephylim: Good thank you. Nice and relaxed and looking forwards to having my brain (such as it is) picked clean by an awesome interviewer.
Emulated: Hehehe, I'll try not to pick your brain too hard, but no promises! Speaking of promises, you recently made Promising Author status, AND finished one of your stories (DNO, my personal favourite). You're quite a busy person! How do you balance all these stories?
Nephylim: I find that I get bored when I am only writing one story at a time so I tend two work on at least two or three at any one time. There is also a lot going on behind the scenes. For example in the last two months I have written two novels... one at just over 100k words and one at just under... the first for Nano and the second just because... I get an idea in my head and I have to go with it.
I can't write unless the story possesses me. Fortunately they do that all the time.
Emulated: I see where you're coming from. You need something to keep you pushing through.
Nephylim: Kind of, but it's more like... I don't know. I get an idea... a dream, something I see on TV or read in someone else's work... and it's like a seed that starts to nag at me as it grows and then I have to write it. It isn't really a matter of choice. It's all I can think of until I get it down. Sometimes the whole thing comes to be and sometimes just certain scenes with the rest writing itself as I go along. Unless the scene is in my head, or the characters have taken on a life of their own for me I can't write.
That is why I had to abandon Hubble Bubble because I got to the end of what my muse (for want of a better description) was showing me.
Emulated: That's a real shame, but it's always good to create art when your mind and body are in sync. At least you chose to abandon the story, rather than have it derail on you.
Nephylim: Absolutely. Although I have a feeling I will be coming back to that one at some point and at least I didn't leave people hanging on... I made it clear that it was over for now.
Emulated: I'm sure there's going to be more than a few people pleased to hear that!
Going back to basics, Your writings are very detailed, often exploring some emotional extremes. Have you ever written such rich work before your stories on GA?
Nephylim: Umm...I have always written what I know.
I am a very emotional person and I see the world through my emotions so I suppose it's natural that's what I write. Some of the stories I have posted were written before GA just for myself. I have a large bank of novels and short stories which are 'straight' so unlikely to been seen on GA... or by anyone in fact.
Looking back on stuff I wrote when I was much younger the emotions are still there but they don't have the same flow and, I suppose maturity.
Emulated: That's interesting to find out. I'm sure many people have written short pieces in the past (for school, etc), but few have taken that further, to write out a whole story, unlike the authors here. I find it a nice development, to further your writing ability, regardless of talent.
Nephylim: I have always read and written ever since I can remember. It was never a question of whether or not I had talent. To be honest I never expected that anyone else would ever read what I wrote. It was all done just because I had to. It was a hell of a shock finding GA and actually not only getting people reading my stories but actually liking them. I still find that every review is a bit of a shock and it gives me such a kick. After being invited to become Promising I had a huge grin on my face for days. I never expected it at all.
Emulated: As someone who's been lucky enough to read your work, you definitely deserve all the reviews, and the Promising status. Congratulations on both.
So what made you choose to write and publish online for GA?
Nephylim: Short version... a friend.
Longer version:
Two friends came to visit me from London for the weekend. I had just written my first scene involving gay characters. To be honest I can't even remember which story it was now. As they are gay I asked them to read the scene and see if it made sense to them. So they did and they ended up reading the whole story. They liked it and insisted that I had to do something about getting it read. They suggested an online story site... so I googled it... I think... Gay Stories or something like that. I saw Nifty but I didn't like the way the stories were set up and the second one I looked at was GA. I read some of the stories, loved them, nosed about in the forum and loved it. So I joined. Then I met Rush and within two days she had sorted me out and I was posting.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Emulated: Hehe, that's my line! Quite surprised that you didn't find GA first and then chose to publish an online story, but rather went about it in an interesting way.
Your friends clearly noticed a talent that we've all come to see from your works!
Nephylim: Awww... thanks.
Emulated: Getting back to the Novella you touched on earlier, you also recently took part in two of them. Focusing on the GA one, where you came in (2nd place, I believe, Congratulations!). How did you find that writing format, as opposed to writing a serialised story without a deadline?
Nephylim: Hehe... I write... that's all. There are no deadlines, no serialisation, no anything but the writing. I actually wrote two novella's for the GA competition within the time set and was still the first to send my entry in. I am always the first to get the stories in for the anthology too. I wrote Make me a Channel of You Peace in three evenings.
I write fast and furious when I get the inspiration. It's nothing to do two maybe even three chapters a night even with the Nano novel I had hit the 50k within the first week. I have never run up against a deadline because I can't write to order. Either it happens or it doesn't. When it's happening it just flows out and when it isn't I stop.
Simple. :-)
Emulated: Wow, 50k in the first week is remarkable! Especially given the quality of the writing too. You're an inspiration to us all!
To generalise your writings a little bit. Is there a part of writing that you particularly enjoy? Exploring deep themes? Reader feedback/suggestions?
Nephylim: Oh god I love the feedback. It's like a drug. I much check my account ten times a day... just to see. And I get soooooo excited if I find a review or a comment. Of course it's great to see when someone likes what I write but my favourites are when people talk about my characters as if they are real to them... because they are absolutely real to me when I am writing them. They speak to me. I find myself having conversations with them and as them all over the place. I AM the mad woman who mumbles to herself on the train... except I am not mumbling to myself I am conceiving dialogue.
And... okay maybe I shouldn't be admitting to this BUT
