Carissa Tandiono

Time: I’m becoming more regular in writing these days now I’m drafting a full-scale fantasy book. I work full-time and go to the office 3 days a week, from 9am to 6pm, so finding time to write is becoming harder these days. But given the situation, I prefer to write in the morning before work. I would wake up as early as 6am, spend about two hours trying to draft as much as I can before going to work. Ideally, I would finish a chapter or a sub-chapter/a scene, convert it to ePub which I would download on my phone and review in between toilet breaks at work. Then once reaching home, I would do slight edits, sometimes a rewrite if necessary (if my creative juices and brain permit after a long day at work).

I don’t rely on word count per day, but I set my goals based on completion of chapters that I have outlined. On writer block days, I could only write a couple hundred words and sometimes overhaul an entire chapter. On good days, I would finish a chapter or two in a day. But sometimes it would take me days to complete a chapter. This usually happens when I’m trying to write a scene out of my comfort zone.

Environment: Before writing, I also make sure I dive in with a clear headspace, minimum distraction, locked doors, and when my eyes get heavy and I start rewriting words over and over again, I wouldn’t force it and decide to just sleep it off and continue the next day! I also make sure to switch places to write–one of these days I write in my living room. The chair isn’t so comfortable but it keeps me up, at least. Being too comfortable, sitting in a fluffy chair or bean bag under an AC in a hot day could make me doze off.

I also write in between other hobbies (gaming, reading, keeping up with that Netflix series) that have been keeping me up like I’m glad I get to do this as a hobby and not yet as a full-time job, where I don’t have any external pressure or deadlines.

The key is not to force the writing, not to rush it, and just let it go with the flow!

Also be sure to touch some GRASS!

I have written multiple genres, from paranormal romance, contemporary, to now fantasy, but what ties all of them is the element of romance.

Forbidden love and starcrossed lovers. The whole “If only we had met in a different time/condition” sort of trope.

Hopefully one day. For now, I don’t have anything planned out that is set in Indonesia or an Indonesian character in mind. I actually did write a story set in Bali, a bonus chapter from Wonderlust, which you could take a look here. This is probably the closest thing I wrote that hits close to home.

I’ve always been a computer person when it comes to writing. I would use Google Doc for rough outlining, and then Scrivener for the in-depth outlining, worldbuilding, character building, and drafting. Writing, drafting, ideating, and brainstorming by hand make me nervous, but one of these days I might consider trying it.

I’ve been wanting to come up with a pen name for writing and set it apart from my official one for so long. I wanted to avoid making up a completely different one and might as well just add a twist to my actual name by swapping the last name, that way I’m not losing my identity. The last name’s taken from my mom’s maiden name and it just puts a nice ring with my first name. Also, I wanted to highlight my Indonesian identity through my name. ‘Carissa Tandiono’ couldn’t have conveyed it better.

It’s hard to name a specific writer because various writers have inspired me to write along the way. Back then, I was inspired by J.K. Rowling, Paulo Coelho, and Stephenie Meyer to name a few. I grew up with their books. These days, I’m inspired by Indonesian authors who have made in big in the publishing industry such as Clarissa Goenawan and Jesse Q. Sutanto as I aspire to be like them.

But specifically, my best friend since childhood, Griselda Puspa, has not only fueled my interest to write but kept inspiring me to write, even when I don’t feel like it. She’s helped me brainstorm, exchange ideas, and chipped in some feedback. She’s written more than me and has self-published a couple anthologies, a novella, and a full-length novel. She also has actively seeked writing communities, ways to publish, mentorships, and even pitched in competitions for exposure–one of them is Epigram Books Prize Award in which I ended up getting longlisted.

Coming soon.

FIRSTS
• Age when started writing: Eight
• First English-language book(s) read: Between Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK. Rowling or The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
• First Indonesian books read: Dealova by Dyan Nurandindya. I was deeply immersed into Gramedia-released Teenlit novels back then.
• First fanfiction written: Star Wars
• First tool used to write: A spare school notebook

FAVORITES
• Book: The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
• Genres: Literary fiction, fantasy, road trip, travel, historical fiction
• Author: Sally Rooney
• Trope: Forbidden love
• Movies: Star Wars saga, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lost in Translation
• TV Series(s): Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Dark, Severance
• Era: Edwardian
• Character: Katniss Everdeen
• Fictional occupation: Queen
• Fictional creature: Dragons
• Fictional world: Star Wars

YAY OR NAY
• Fanfictions? Back then yay. Nowadays, nay.
• Morally gray character? Yay!
• Enemies. to lovers? Yay given engaging chemistry and arc.
• Smut? As long as it’s still relevant to the plot then yay.
• Conrad or Jeremiah? WHO?
• Edward or Jacob? Neither