Sunday Surprise

And it’s another Ink Slinger! Straight out of the awesome anthology I’m also part of, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Yawatta Hosby!

Where do you live and write from?
I’m a writer who resides in West Virginia, only an hour from Washington DC. My town is more city than country.

Why do you write?
I write because it’s fun. I daydream all day, and writing lets me be creative in jotting my ideas down.

When did you start writing?
Believe it or not, I was drawing way before I discovered writing. I started drawing, especially paper dolls, at the age of eight. When I was eleven, I took my first creative writing class and fell in love with it. Then, I mixed drawing and writing together to create comics.

What genre(s) do you write?
Since I love reading different types of books, I also enjoy writing different genres. I mostly write suspense and psychological horror. My heart also belongs to dramas, so I write women’s fiction too.

What does your writing routine consist of?
First, I create character sketches and plot outlines. Brainstorming takes awhile until I feel confident that I know my characters inside and out. Second, I write my first drafts in a notebook. This helps because I can write anywhere instead of waiting until I get home to my laptop.

I jot my entire rough draft without editing. If I edited as I went along, I’d never finish. Once I’m done, I type it in a word document. Print it out. Edit on the paper. After I make changes on the laptop, I get feedback from critique partners, then beta-readers.

After making changes, I hire an editor. Every step that I complete makes me feel good. I live for those moments, getting closer to the end goal of a published book.

What are your strengths of a writer? How have you developed these qualities?
My strengths are writing dialogue and coming up with constant plot twists. I developed these qualities by reading a lot, dabbling in screenplays when I was in college, and being a huge couch potato, my favorite shows are suspense and mysteries. Pay attention enough and you eventually learn how to structure stories for a satisfying journey for the readers.

Where do you find your inspiration? Do you put yourself in your stories?
Inspiration is everywhere. You just have to know what to look for. I’m inspired by music, especially R&B and alternative rock. Movies, tv shows, other books, overheard conversations, and newspaper clippings are other forms of inspiration.

Outliner or improviser? Fast or slow writer?
I’m an outliner and a fast writer. Unfortunately, I’m a slow editor.

Tell us about your latest book.
My latest published book is my short story, Plenty of Fish.

Local celebrity painter Mackenzie knows better than to talk to strangers. But, he seems to know so much about her already…

Indie publishing or traditional publishing – and why?
I’m an indie author because I wanted full control of my books. Plus, I was too impatient for the submitting process. It seems like a daunting task to wait six months to a year to hear a rejection or acceptance from an agent, editor, or publishing house.

However, I wouldn’t mind the waiting time now. I still plan on being an indie author, but I also want to submit some suspense YA books to publishers. My dream is to see my  novels on bookshelves in stores and libraries.

Any other projects in the pipeline?
My suspense novella, Twisted Obsession, is complete. I’m just waiting on that perfect book cover.

I’m working on an urban legends novel. Characters die, one by one, from urban myths in a college town. But, I’m mostly working on short stories and submitting them to magazines and anthologies. To attract new readers, I have to get my name out there.

What is your goal as a writer and what are you doing to achieve it?
My ultimate goal as a writer is to entertain readers. I would love to be known as the female Stephen King. I want to scare the bejesus out of my readers. In order to achieve my goal, I study the craft of writing every day. Being realistic, I know everything takes time.

What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?
I need to push myself in emotional scenes. I need to focus on the character’s feelings more instead of just moving the story forward with plot. This advice from my critique partner helped me become a better writer.

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Where to find Yawatta:

Twitter: yawatta_hosby
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://yawattahosby.wordpress.com

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Posted by Barb on 11/10/2015

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/sunday-surprise-120/