An Interview with Ava Rose Scott

This week, I was given the privilege of interviewing Ava Rose Scott, a fellow historical fiction writer. She blogs over at avarosewrites on writing, Christian living, book reviews, and a whole lot more!

Can you give a brief introduction on yourself?

Hello! My name is Ava Rose, and I am an author of a childrens book, YA writer, and dreamer! My passion is for words and soon perhaps editing! I hope to incorporate hope into stories full of sadness, despair, loneliness, heartbreak, and in situations that seem hopeless. God is with you through the downs, and that is what I want to show!

What is your current writing project about?

My (current) writing project is about a girl living in Nazi Austria shortly after WWII. She is a girl with long term memory, meaning that she can remember way back, which makes her life harder when she has to deal with her hate of her father, who left her and her mother to become a Nazi. It deals with hate and losing someone you love, and the emotions in the heart afterward. Although her mind wrecks around killing her father, she soon realizes that to forgive and to live is more important than the want of killing--of taking away a life.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

This must be something that I believe all of us love… to hold a finished book in our hands, to flip through and see the words we’ve written. However, this is beside the point. My favorite thing about writing is the part where you can create stories that people love--and hate, in some places--and feel.

What themes are present in your writing?

Hope. Light at the end of the tunnel. I think in order to portray a good, Christian novel, your writing must have hope in the end. Sure, every good book needs trouble, heartbreak, and everything else that real-life has in order to maintain believability. But we need to also include hope in the midst of chaos.

What is your least favorite thing about writing?

The fact that I have to stick to it. To write every day. I’m a HUGE procrastinator, so you can see where that goes. ;)

What genres do you write?

Historical Fiction and Dystopian.

Why do you like writing the genres you do?

I like Historical Fiction because I am a HUGE WWII nerd. And it just seems fun (although having to do the research isn't!) to write historical fiction. I like dystopian because you don’t have to do ANY research, and there’s more freedom for creativity. Although, believe me, there is freedom of creativity in ANY genre you write! (Well, except for non-fiction!)

Are there any side interests/passions that have helped you write better?

Honestly, being a WWII nerd I already knew things like important dates, time periods, and such. I believe that helped in a way when writing my historical fiction novel.

Also, being a lover of reading has genuinely helped me so much with writing. I believe, honestly, that that was how I learned some of my grammar, by, surprisingly, reading books.

Do you usually build your writing off real-life experiences or imagined scenarios?

I am not a non-fiction writer, so my writing tends to need “this is a work of fiction, all characters, places…” (you know what I mean) would need to be included in the copyright page, no pun intended. I tend to build my stories off of the real world, and off of some things that I know and have seen in my life of being in a small town, though.

What types of characters are your favorite to write?

I would say characters who might be like me. Characters who have real, human problems. I don’t think I’d necessarily like to write a superhero.

Who is your all-time favorite character and why?

Honestly, I’m not too sure of this. I think it would be Katniss from The Hunger Games although I skimmed through it pretty much. She was just a character that was genuine, tough, and a character that I could gush about on and on and on to my family! And that’s my “why”.

How would you describe your writing style?

I would describe it as descriptive. Also, my writing style is not he said/she saids in the first draft, it is descriptive, because writing descriptions in the first draft has become a habit. I would say that my style is not long, lengthy and such. I can more easily make a 200-page book than a 400-page book, I am sure!

How do you think your writing has helped you grow in your faith?

I think, as strange as this sounds, it has helped me because I can get my faith out, I can write a story with strengths of Christianity in them, and it helps my general faith to write a story about God/a story with those themes when I myself am a Christian.

What is the funniest scene you’ve ever written?

Ah… this is a tough one since I am really not a comedic writer. I would say that my funniest story ever written would be one I wrote when I was about nine. It was a short story, literally about 30 words, about a man capturing a tiger with a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich! And it was not funny for a good reason. ;)

When did you first start writing?

I first started writing when… well, I can’t exactly remember! But the closest I can remember was around nine or ten. My mom bought a blank book for me at Walmart, and I decided to fill it with my stories, which were pretty bad!

Do you have any advice for young writers like yourself?

Honestly, don’t procrastinate. Don’t be like me every day, not writing your story. I think by procrastinating you kinda lose interest in your own story. But also, don’t write too much every day and get burnt out!

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That's all from the interview! However, if you want to hear Ava's unique voice and her insights on God's Word, plus so much more, visit her blog!

Also, if you're interested in seeing an interview she organized with me, check it out here. Of course, as always, stay tuned for more interviews in the future!