100 Days of Sunlight is out in the wide, wide world! To celebrate its release, I’m here with the wonderful Abbie Emmons for a cup of tea and an interview. (Abbie’s answers are in normal text, mine are in italics.)
1. What inspired you to become a writer?
AE: I fell in love with stories when I was growing up. My mom would read tons of books with me and my sister, and English was my favorite subject in school because of all the reading I had to do. I think that’s what first inspired me to become a writer – I was amazed by the way stories can transport you to another world and make you feel. It struck me as being pretty darn magical, and I immediately wanted to make up stories of my own.
GH: I feel you. Books were my first love and they kept me occupied for a big part of my childhood. They’ve inspired me, encouraged me, pushed me. Now I want to write my own stories, too.
2. Writing is a complicated business. What are the best and worst parts about being a writer?
AE: Mmm that’s a good question. Writing is a complicated business and it definitely has its ups and downs.
The best part: Creating stories and emotions and journeys and feelings and entire universes out of nothing. Playing with words and creating art. Crafting characters with doubts and fears and desires and emotions – characters who feel as real to me as people I know. Making something that touches people and inspires people – something that makes them laugh and cry and feel and remember my story for years to come. I still get awestruck thinking about all of that!
The worst part: Self-doubt. The moments when you wonder if your writing is good enough, or if you’re fooling yourself and you can’t actually do this. All the insecurities that come with being a creative and putting your work out there for the world to see. Growing pains, I guess. Gaining experience and making mistakes, but the upside of this is learning from your mistakes and moving on. Always improving – your writing and yourself.
GH: Absolutely. Especially the self doubt part. Writing comes with so many insecurities and oftentimes the things we believe about ourselves aren’t true.
© Abbie Emmons
3. You’ve made it clear that you’re definitely going the indie publishing route. Do you want to talk more about why you made that decision?
AE: Yes! I’m always up for talking about indie publishing. I chose to go indie because I’m a control freak (to put it simply). I used to think self-publishing was a scary, risky business which basically doomed you from the start. But then, several years ago, I stumbled upon a blog and podcast by Mark Dawson, a bestselling author…who happens to be self-published.
This really intrigued me, so I dove into tons of research and learned that the landscape of self-publishing has completely changed with the evolution of the internet. Indies have more opportunity than ever to get their work in front of everyone – gone are the days of books rotting in cardboard boxes in our garages because we can’t sell them! Gone are the days of needing gatekeepers to make your book a success.
If anyone reading this is interested in exploring indie publishing, definitely check out Mark’s podcast. It is a wealth of information, and only the tip of the iceberg. I’m so excited to venture further into this self-publishing journey, and share my experience with others. (Oh and I actually made a whole video about my decision to go indie if you want to hear me ramble about it some more!)
GH: There’s nothing more I can add to that, except to recommend watching the video. It’s given me some perspective on self-publishing and a good start to learning about the difference between traditional vs. indie pub.
4. It’s pretty clear from your blog and your Youtube channel that you know a lot about three-act story structure. Are you comfortable using it to plot all your novels, or are you sometimes tempted to stray away from it? I mean, once you know the rules you can break them, right?
AE: I love the 3-act story structure!! It’s such a strong and compelling go-to structure when you want to make sure your story is hitting the right emotions at the right moments. But yes, I do stray from the 3-act story structure sometimes and let my writerly intuition take the wheel.
I always make a mental note of when I do stray from my intended structure, so that I can ask my beta readers for their opinion on that specific part of the book. If I’m unsure of a story beat or pacing, I’ll make sure I look really closely at that part of the book when I’m revising and editing.
Usually I can just feel when something is good or off. The 3-act story structure is a great place to start, but I’m known for coloring outside the lines and I definitely do that a lot when writing stories. 😉
GH: I actually just started using the three-act story structure for Camp NaNoWriMo last month. Intuition should work most of the time, but you’re right, the three-act structure provides some really solid ground for a good plot.
© Abbie Emmons
5. Anyone who’s been on your blog for a while knows that you’re the Waffle Queen. As a break from talking about writing, what are your favorite waffle toppings?
AE: MY FAVORITE QUESTION. Waffle toppings must include but are certainly not limited to: butter, real maple syrup, blueberries, strawberries, confectioners sugar, cinnamon, and a touch of whipped cream. < PERFECTION.
GH: Oooh, absolutely. I like mine with honey and cinnamon, peanut butter and jam, or whatever new combinations I can come up with 😉
6. The protagonists of 100 Days consist of a blind girl and a boy without legs (to be very blunt). What inspired Tessa and Weston?
AE: So many people and things inspired Tessa and Weston.
Tessa was very much inspired by…myself. This probably isn’t a surprise to those of you who know me, as we share a lot of the same personality traits and habits: blogger, writer, perfectionist, neat-freak, introvert, waffle-eater, book-lover… Basically, I wanted to experience what it would feel like to be in Tessa’s shoes. To have my eyesight suddenly taken away from me. How would I respond? How would I adapt and eventually come to feel gratitude for the things I still have, instead of focusing on what I’ve lost? That’s where the whole idea for Tessa’s internal journey started.
Weston was inspired by every person who has overcome incredible challenges and limitations without losing their spirit, humor, or zest for life. People like Nick Vujicic, Rob Jones, and Travis Mills, to name of few inspiring individuals. Being able to write Weston’s story was an incredible opportunity for me to explore the emotional journey of getting back up when life knocks you down. (Or, as Weston calls it, “punching Life in the face.”) I wanted to do Weston’s experience justice, by showing that even when a person seems to be all sunshine and rainbows, you don’t know how much they are struggling with fear and doubt. Life is a constant challenge of getting back up and not letting anything stand in your way.
GH: I related to Tessa a lot. There isn’t much homeschool/writer rep in contemporary fiction, so it was refreshing for a change, even if I’m not homeschooled anymore, haha. As for Weston, I absolutely loved him. Even fictional characters can be inspiring.
© Abbie Emmons
7. What is your number one piece of advice for a writer?
AE: Story isn’t about what happens. It’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. < If anyone out there follows my YouTube channel, they’ve probably heard me say this a lot. But it really is the golden rule of writing, in my opinion. When you make everything in your story matter to your characters (given their motivations and fears) you can truly engage your reader and leave them thinking long after they turn the final page of your story. The second part of this advice is: your story has to matter to you. If you know why your story matters to you (the message/theme you want to proclaim from the rooftops) then you’ll never lose your passion to write this story into existence. Remembering your “why” will bring you through the darkest days and lead you to those gloriously satisfying words: the end.
GH: I especially agree with the second part. If you don’t care much for a story idea or a message, it’s not going to work out for long. If it doesn’t matter to you, there’s virtually nothing that can motivate you to finish it.
8. This is one of the toughest questions to ask an author, yet each person has a different answer. So Abbie, why do you write?
AE: Oof. That is a good question.
I write because I’m naive enough to really truly believe that my words could make a difference in the world. I write because I love it… but I also write because I believe the world needs more good stories – stories that uplift and inspire and encourage and shine a light in the dark places. I believe that words have a huge impact – stories have a huge impact. And if I could impact even one person’s life, I would feel incredibly fulfilled.
In 100 Days of Sunlight, Tessa greatly admires the poetry of Emily Dickinson – naturally, so do I, and one of her poems answers this question more eloquently than I can:
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
© Abbie Emmons
9. What are your plans after publishing 100 Days of Sunlight? Are you plotting a new novel? Diving headfirst into the sea of marketing? I’m curious.
AE: I have so many plans! I actually have quite a few novels in different stages of “doneness” – and I hope to publish another standalone soon. But before that can happen, I’m definitely going to be diving headfirst into the sea of marketing. Indie publishing is a lot of work, and I have to be kind of a “one man band” right now. But I’m excited! I enjoy wearing many hats, so this will be an adventure and a great experience – one that I hope to share with you all via my blog and YouTube channel!
GH: That will definitely be exciting! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
10. To finish off this interview, I’m going to ask a question that seems odd, but tells me a lot about a person: what’s your favorite type of chair?
AE: Oooh, I like this question, haha! I would have to say my favorite type of chair is a comfy swivel chair with a back and armrests. As all writers know, much of the writing process involves sitting and staring out the window, so you’ve got to be comfortable while you do this. It’s hard work. 😉
GH: That’s way too relatable, haha. I catch myself staring out of the window too often–plus, a swivel chair can make anyone feel like a total boss XD
And…cut!
GH: Special thanks to Abbie for visiting my site and letting me interview her; she is such a lovely and inspiring person and friend. I am absolutely floored that I had the chance to do this. And one last thing: if you’d like to purchase her debut novel, 100 Days of Sunlight, click here.
AE: Thank you so much for interviewing me on your lovely blog today, Germaine! It has been a pleasure and an honor.
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Until next week! All the best,
