Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Katya DeBeccera, author of genre-bending YA fiction, What The Woods Keep and Oasis. She was born in Russia, studied in California and now lives in Melbourne. She earned a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Melbourne and now works as a social scientist. She’s also a co-founder and co-host of #SpecLitChat and a writing mentor with the 1st5pages Workshop.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

It’s so difficult to identify the exact moment when the idea for Oasis took root and grew big enough to matter, but I know for sure it was my interest in archaeology that I first developed as a child that played a big role in defining this book’s premise. I kind of always wanted to write an “archaeology book” and, while I definitely came across a few fiction books with an archaeology focus, I never found one that was also YA (though I’m sure those exist!). Serendipitously, I travelled to Dubai around the time I was first playing with ideas for Oasis and that very much influenced the setting of the book, while its characters all hail from Melbourne and are children of immigrants, reflecting the diversity of my adopted home town. 

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

Once I had my premise (“group of friends stranded in the desert are saved by a mysterious oasis”), I worked on developing my characters and their group dynamics. The plot is driven by the narrating character’s motivation to save herself and her friends from their ordeal, but whoever (or whatever) it is that lured them out into the desert has its own agenda… It’s that tug-of-war between their fight for survival and the antagonist’s real plan for them that propels the plot forward.      

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Yes! That was the case with both my books to date. My writing process is eclectic and I don’t really believe that writers are either spontaneous “pantsers” or careful “plotters” – I’m definitely a hybrid of some sort between the two. I tend to start a book with a solid premise in mind and that doesn’t change as I write. But in terms of the book’s ending or how to get there? I like my characters to surprise me!

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

To be honest, I have too many story ideas! I try to keep track of all the premises and situations my restless mind is constantly conjuring up out of thin air, and sometimes it’s exhausting. Especially now, with two books behind me, it’s becoming more difficult to choose the next project to focus on as so many things excite me. 

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Well, when I have too many ideas to choose from (which is all the time as per my answer above), sometimes I seek outside feedback. I show my husband a list of premises and see if his eyes light up at anything in particular. I run ideas by my agent and editor. But, in the end, I try to listen to what my inner voice is telling me. Usually, I’m already leaning toward a specific idea more than all the rest but I just need a bit of time and silence to understand that.

I have 5 cats and 2 Dalmatian puppies (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

Wow! I haven’t had a pet since I was a teenager… I envy authors who post pics of themselves writing while snuggling with a fur baby cat or a dog (or a hamster, etc.). But I’m also one of those writers who need complete silence and zero distractions when working, so it’s likely I might have to lock myself away from my future cat in my office while trying to write. Though probably the cat’s sad meows for attention will melt my heart soon enough.