Bringing you all another interview for Project Inspire!

Today we have with us Abbie Emmons! You may recognize her name because either you follow her lovely blog yourself, or you’ve seen me mention her before in Project Inspire posts. She’s a huge inspiration to me to pursue my creative dreams.

Oh, by the way, Abbie will be releasing her debut novel, 100 Days of Sunlight, on August 7th, 2019! I am super excited about this, so be sure to check out her blog post HERE about all the details and to find out more about the book, and visit HERE to get all the info on pre-ordering and ARCs.

As usual, my questions will be in bold and Abbie’s answers in italics. Now, let’s get into the interview…

First, tell us a bit about yourself, Abbie. 😉

First off, thank you so much Jenna for having me on your lovely blog today!! I’m so thrilled and honored to be a part of this project/series!

My name is Abbie and I’m a writer, YouTuber, teacher, musician, traveler, big dreamer, and professional waffle-eater. Creativity is kind of my favorite thing in the world and I’m so excited to talk about that with you today!

01. How/where do you find the most inspiration to create?

Everywhere and everything. But to narrow it down a little, my biggest inspiration is the meaning behind creating. Why am I doing this? Why does it matter? < those are questions I ask myself constantly, just to stay centered and on track — and inspired. For me, it always comes back to why. It might sound naive, but I want to change the world. And I want to inspire others to do the same. I think we all have the power to inspire and create more beauty and life and light in the world. That’s why I create, and that’s what keeps me inspired.
02. What’s your favorite inspirational Bible verse or quote?

I have so many! It’s hard to choose.

For the verse: Philippians 4:6-7

For the quote: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. Those who love have the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

03. Who’s been really influential in your writing, and never given up on you?

Can I pick two people? My mom and my sister, Kate. They have both been so amazingly supportive ever since I started making up stories and writing them down. My mom is an amazing editor and has always believed in my writing and helped me to make it better. And then Kate is, well…KATE. A lot of you might know her as K.A. Emmons and she’s an incredible writer herself. We’ve been writing together all our lives and she’s such a mentor and support to my life.

04. What do you do when you’re feeling down and uninspired to get motivated again?

I have kind of a go-to cure for feeling uninspired and getting motivated again and it goes something like this:

• stop whatever I’m doing
• take the rest of the day off if I can
• if I can’t, schedule a day off REAL SOON
• journal my messy thoughts and feelings
• set everything aside and do something TOTALLY DIFFERENT even just for one day
• like baking cookies or painting a picture or going for a drive with the windows down
• return to my journal with a clearer mind and sort what’s really getting me down/uninspired
• see if I can let go of what’s no longer serving me and begin again tomorrow with a better game plan and a better attitude

05. When you’re battling through the middle of your book, what do you do to stay motivated?

Pretty much the same thing I do to stay creative: REMEMBER WHY IT MATTERS TO ME. This is the first piece of writing advice I give to anyone: why does your story matter to you? If you can answer that question and feel the burning passion inside you for that reason behind your story, you will never lose your motivation to see it through. Talent and skill is overrated. Grit is what will really see you through to the finish line. And remembering why it matters to you is the fire that keeps your inspiration lit. At least, it always works for me.

06. What’re 5 big things you’ve learned about writing over the years?

Oh gosh. I’ve learned so much about writing over the years, it’s going to be so hard to limit it down to just five things! But I will try.

1. Story is not about what happens; it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters.
2. Every compelling story is made up of three ingredients: desire, fear, and misbelief.
3. Only take constructive criticism from people who want to see you succeed.
4. Write ugly. Write like no one is watching. Write how it feels, not how it is.
5. Always remember why your story matters to you.

07. Is there a book/author that has inspired you to write better and craft stronger stories?

I have to hand it to Lisa Cron’s books, Wired For Story and Story Genius. These two books really opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of storytelling that I’d never really thought about before. (10/10 recommend them to every writer out there!)

As for fiction books, my biggest inspiration/author role model would have to be Jane Austen. Her stories are so timeless and compelling, woven masterfully with romance, humor, and truth. I hope to achieve the same with my own writing and I grew up on Jane Austen, so I think I’m headed in the right direction. 😉

08. What advice do you have for other young writers?

Basically everything I said in the “five things I learned about writing” question, but beyond that: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. If you’re a writer, congratulations — you’re doing something incredibly challenging and crazy… but also incredibly fulfilling and awesome. At the end of the day, wherever you are in your writing journey, appreciate your best right now. Do what you love and do it as well as you can — and be proud of it. Push yourself to do better, but don’t devalue the art you’ve already created. Be aggressively aware of your own awesomeness. Write forward. Love your art, even when you don’t.
09. Anything else to add? {about inspiration, motivation, appreciation, etc.}

Enjoy where you are and what you’re doing right now. There will always be the next thing — the next goal, the next dream, the next destination. Don’t be in such a hurry to get to your destination that you miss the beautiful and exciting journey of getting there. Savor every moment, breathe it in and make it last.  

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Jenna! I’m so thrilled and honored that we got the chance to “chat” about all things writing and creativity.

Follow me on:

• www.abbieemmons.com
• www.youtube.com/abbieemmons
• www.instagram.com/abbieeofficial
• www.facebook.com/abbieeofficial

Thanks again, Abbie, for letting me interview you for Project Inspire! And thank you, readers for….well, reading! Let me know your favorite part in the comments below, with thanks to Abbie for doing this. 🙂

Write on,

Did you like the interview? What was your favorite part? Who else might you like me to interview?

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