Ask the Author: Illy Hymen
Answered Questions (8)
Illy Hymen
Ravnica seems like an interesting place to live. I love the amount of detail Wizards has put into the planetwide city. I love the different factions and how they interact with each other. It just seems so interesting. I'd probably end up in the Selesnya Conclave as I enjoy a laid back lifestyle surrounded by beautiful nature. Being a cute wood nymph wouldn't be bad.
Illy Hymen
Lol, I'm not actually a big reader and I'm easily frustrated when I don't enjoy a book. Right now I'm trying to read Dune having never read it before. I also have The Women's War by Jenna Glass on my desk which I'm really looking forward to and The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I love stories where women get to take a front seat and actually have agency. I've become increasingly frustrated with modern literature which was half the reason I took it upon myself to write books I would actually want to read.
Illy Hymen
I don't get writer's block. I know that sounds super pretentious, but I am constantly overflowing with ideas on any given day. My mind constantly wants to create and I have to write a lot of book ideas down or I forget them. I could not tell you how to deal with writer's block, I've literally never had it.
Bearing that in mind, I can talk a hell of a lot about lack of motivation. Writing requires two components: the capacity to create new ideas, and the will to write. I struggle with the will to write every single day of my life. I have battled depression since middle school. I have been on 8 different anti-depressants and seen over a dozen therapists. I've been hospitalized, I've done in-patient, out-patient, CBD, talk therapy, meditation, herbal supplements. I have done everything short of electro-shock therapy.
Depression makes it very hard to write. Hell, it makes it very hard to stay conscious and practice basic hygiene. But I still write. I make sure of have the time and space to write. I cling to the things that inspire me most. If you love music, listen to more music. If you love art, look at more art. Inspire yourself everyday. I couldn't count the number of times I've sat at my desk with my free word processor open and couldn't start.
But some days I do. Some days I crank out 12,000 words then pass out at 6 in the morning. Some days the primordial word surges through me. To overcome the lack of will, always seize the opportunity to write. If you're in a good mood and feel productive, harness that energy. No time spent writing is wasted. Even if it's a paragraph, a sentence, some thoughts, just write them down. Can't tackle a novel? Write a short story. If that's too much, just write a scene, write some dialogue, write a poem.
Depression fucking sucks, but its not everything you are.
Bearing that in mind, I can talk a hell of a lot about lack of motivation. Writing requires two components: the capacity to create new ideas, and the will to write. I struggle with the will to write every single day of my life. I have battled depression since middle school. I have been on 8 different anti-depressants and seen over a dozen therapists. I've been hospitalized, I've done in-patient, out-patient, CBD, talk therapy, meditation, herbal supplements. I have done everything short of electro-shock therapy.
Depression makes it very hard to write. Hell, it makes it very hard to stay conscious and practice basic hygiene. But I still write. I make sure of have the time and space to write. I cling to the things that inspire me most. If you love music, listen to more music. If you love art, look at more art. Inspire yourself everyday. I couldn't count the number of times I've sat at my desk with my free word processor open and couldn't start.
But some days I do. Some days I crank out 12,000 words then pass out at 6 in the morning. Some days the primordial word surges through me. To overcome the lack of will, always seize the opportunity to write. If you're in a good mood and feel productive, harness that energy. No time spent writing is wasted. Even if it's a paragraph, a sentence, some thoughts, just write them down. Can't tackle a novel? Write a short story. If that's too much, just write a scene, write some dialogue, write a poem.
Depression fucking sucks, but its not everything you are.
Illy Hymen
The babes. But seriously, my absolutely favorite part is this feeling of pulling from the ether. Like, I don't plan my books EVER. I have a beginning, an end, and maybe two story notes I want to hit. The best part is when the characters are dictating a plot that just feels amazing. Scenes and twists that shock you. Those are the best feelings when you know you're writing something excellent. Also, when a fan messages me and says they like the work and they really related to a character. That's an amazing feeling. I know how important it is to relate to characters, that's why I write so many female, gay, and non-binary characters. The first time I ever related to a character in fiction was Stevonnie from Steven Universe and it made me cry because I literally never felt a character resonate with me before that.
Illy Hymen
Get inspired, love what you do, write what you can. For me personally, I need to feel the touch of inspiration to write. My fans are huge motivators but sometimes I'm really depressed and can't motivate myself to do anything. Surround yourself with things that inspire you. Plants, art, cartoons, books, whatever it is.
To succeed as a writer, you genuinely have to love what you do. Passion will push you through any roadblock. When you love your story and characters, it genuinely comes through.
Writing everyday is impossible. I'm sure that's a huge weight off aspiring writers. I've written 14 books in my career and I hardly write everyday or even every week. The most important thing to do is give yourself the opportunity to write. Make time, inspire yourself, have access and privacy to a computer. You can't write if you can't even create the situation conducive to writing.
To succeed as a writer, you genuinely have to love what you do. Passion will push you through any roadblock. When you love your story and characters, it genuinely comes through.
Writing everyday is impossible. I'm sure that's a huge weight off aspiring writers. I've written 14 books in my career and I hardly write everyday or even every week. The most important thing to do is give yourself the opportunity to write. Make time, inspire yourself, have access and privacy to a computer. You can't write if you can't even create the situation conducive to writing.
Illy Hymen
Currently I am working on an adventure romance novel set in the World of Womencraft universe called Odyssey of the 12 Sacred Jewels. It tells the story of best friends Maeve and Eskay who flee their farming village to go on a whirlwind adventure. I wanted to tell a shonen-style action adventure story but with female characters I deeply care about. There are twists, turns, over the top villains, and one in a lifetime encounters.
Illy Hymen
My readers are a huge inspiration. Whenever I find out that someone really enjoyed the book or fell in love with the characters, it really makes me want to keep writing. Art is super inspirational. I hate that Tumblr torched its illustrators as all the amazing art was a daily inspiration. I also get inspired by feelings. This might seem weird, but the way I feel when it's storming, the way I feel about orange street lights at night, the way I feel standing in the woods in summer and the wind makes all the leaves move, little feelings like that can inspire entire novels like The Storm Mage.
Illy Hymen
The Little Goblin Girl was inspired by the erotic art of Incase. I am also deeply fascinated by the complex class systems of RPG's like Morrowind and Ragnarok Online and wanted to base a world where they mattered. I also wanted to create a fantasy world where being gay, trans, or non-binary was as exceptional as being left-handed.
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