It’s week four of our Inkitt Icons Interview Series, and we’re sitting down with Nadine Abu Treef for a chat about her writing philosophy. Nadine is an 18-year-old author who dreams big. By combining romance and humour, she writes novels which will fire up your passions and make you laugh out loud at the same time.
Hey Nadine, thanks for taking the time to interview with us! We’d love to know when your literary talents are at their strongest; are you a night owl or an early bird?
I’m a night owl, I like to write at night when there is no one around to disturb me. I get more creative at night, which is why it’s hard for me to wake up early.
You’re not the only one who struggles with that! When writing your novels, are you a careful planner or a spontaneous creator?
I always build the main plot beforehand, but only that. As I start a new book, I just write whatever feels right until I reach the main plot. After that, I let the words flow until the very end. I like to surprise myself.
Do these surprises lead to any problems, and if so, how do you overcome them?
I sometimes struggle to name my characters. If I want to write a new book, I’ve got to come up with names that will definitely suit my characters’ personalities and the theme of the book. For example, I named the heroine in my last book ‘Evelina’ which means ‘Life’, because the book explores the attempts of Evelina and her family to lead a good life after the disaster that lands on them.
That’s an interesting approach, and a good use of symbolism. Do you prefer creating heroes or villains?
Both. In an argument, my parents used to tell me to “listen to both sides of the story”. And that’s what I do in my books. I create the villains before the heroes so that my readers know what they are dealing with. I don’t just concentrate on the hero’s side of the story because I want my readers to feel what the villains are feeling too.
It’s amazing that childhood advice has informed your storytelling. Literature is all about seeing the world from different perspectives after all. Please tell us, as a successful Inkitt Icon, what are your top tips for authors who are just starting out?
Never let anyone discourage you from writing what you want. It’s your book, not theirs. But at the same time, don’t consider criticism a bad thing, because viewing another’s perspective on your own book will help you improve your writing skills and style. It sure did for me and I’m thankful for that.
It’s great how open minded you are. We agree that constructive criticism is definitely a positive thing! What is your writing motto?
“Never stop writing, words will always find their way back to you” — I came up with that sentence when I had writer’s block for almost two months. I never gave up and the words found their way back home.
That’s a lovely motto to write by. We hope that Inkitt’s creative platform helps your words find their way home. Are you able to describe Inkitt in 3 words?
A Collaborative Team. Or as I like to call it, “ACT”.
Cool, we may have to start using that! And to finish up, where do you see yourself as a writer in 10 years time?
I see myself as an international author with a great passion to write; I’ll be doing a live interview about at least 15 books that I’ve written over the years!
Amazing, thanks Nadine – keep making those dreams a reality!
