295: Writing an Unlikable but Sympathetic Protagonist — Interview with Claire Waller

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Claire Waller. Claire is a secondary school teacher who works with teenagers with mental health issues. She has had two adult horror novels (Predator X, Nine Eyes) published by Australian indie publisher, Severed Press. FUGLY is her first YA novel. Claire lives with her husband, two daughters, a cat called Hiccup, and various dinosaurs. Her interests include drawing, baking, palaeontology, horror, and roleplaying. In this episode Claire and I discuss: The very personal inspiration for Fugly The toxic love of cruelty online Writing a character that behaves in a problematic way Expectations for negative female characters verses male ones Bringing personal experience to a fictional character Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/295