Getting further into the writing community I’m getting to know more talented writers. In this case, through the owners of Damarojo Studios, I learned of this nice, self-motivated, and passionate writer Alexandra Román who is currently developing her fourth book as of this post. Because of the Pandemic, all conversations have been either through social media, emails, or messaging. Hopefully, once this is over we can actually meet, and have writing exchanges from writer to writer. I recently picked up her book Obsesión, which hopefully I can finish before doing a Spanish interview for my YouTube channel in a near future.
Q – Alexandra Tell us a bit about you. Where did you studied? What major?
A- Thank you for the interview! Where can I start? Well, my name is Alexandra Román. I was born on the island of Puerto Rico where I still live. I have a bachelor’s in Natural Science from the University of Puerto Rico. Nothing to do with writing, but my goal for back then was to study medicine, one that changed. I’m a mother of two and a cat. Love to travel and nature.
Q – What projects have you worked on with others?
A – I have worked mostly in small projects. I have hosted interviews for editorial houses, done a poetry anthology to raise funds for a charity in Spain, participated in the Ricanstruction Anthology to raise funds for Hurricane Maria Relief. Currently, I am working on a project, that can’t give too much information about, but it will be fun to do. I am practicing in my bathroom mirror for that one, Jajaja.
Q – How was your writing process with your first book to the second?
A – My first book is one that only a few people know about. It’s called El Valle de la Inspiración. It was me breaking the ice, book. Love the story. Wrote it when I was in college back in 2009, and it was a slow process. To have the finished product took me about two to three years. This book helped me and made me grow as a writer.
After that, I got the idea for the trilogy Ascensión Divina and began writing whatever came to mind. A scene with characters having a dialogue, an action one, a back story from one of the characters. Funny is, one of the characters that came first to mind for this story was the antagonist, Iyeguá. She was always there! Of the firsts scenes I wrote ever for the story, it was one of hers. She is a strong character which I enjoy developing and writing.
She moves the story well, the plot. But to tell the truth, the first and the second book I wrote them side by side. It was a lot of work. I was going back and forth. The second book was going to be the first in the beginning, but like every creative process, things change. It took me ten years to get the story of how I wanted it, how I wanted to present it. But when I got to the point of how I knew the trilogy should be, I kept writing until I finish Obsesión, which is the first book of the trilogy.
The second one is finished, it is called Dictamen. Will send it to a few readers so they can give me their feedback, pointers, advice. Make the changes needed and then, give it to the world.
Q – Tell us about your personal projects. Book 2 if you can. Or more info on your previous projects.
A – Well, one of my big projects is my podcast called Arte Escrito Podcast. Made it to serve as a push to other writers so they can finish their writing projects, give tips on writing, give them creative exercises, to answer questions aspiring writers ask me. Is a way of giving back, in a short amount of time of ten to fifteen minutes, what I have learned throughout these years as a writer. Is a process of growth, which is very important. I want to give back what I have learned, I want through my podcast to help and inspire others.
My other big project is Dictamen, the second book of the trilogy Ascensión Divina. The goal is to publish and before getting there, start with the marketing process of it for when it comes out. That is another thing I am working on, is to learn as much as I can about book marketing, strategies, and how to sell. We as writers are a brand, and our books and articles and our services are the products. I do not consider myself a seller, but in order to grow to where I want to be, is needed. Especially, when you are a self-published author. You have to take control of everything until you get a team to help you out.
Q- What is it about writing that keeps you motivated?
I love creating stories! As simple as that. I adore the creative process. Having the Ajá! moment. Getting excited about an idea, writing a great scene, developing a new world, a race. Going on an adventure with the character you have created and getting to know them. From start to finish, I love writing even those painful moments when you have to get rid of a character or a chapter or a scene. Thinking about the story motivates me to get it where it needs to be: the end.
Q – Tell us about your writing heroes.
A – Ah! Writing heroes! Since I was little I have always read. Mostly fantasy. So I was exposed to diverse types of fiction that inspired me and made me a storyteller. I love the classics like The Three Musketeers, One Thousand and One Night, Treasure Island was one of my favorites, Moby Dick, El Gibaro, Los Hombres del Hombre, Lautaro… In college, I read lots of authors for Spanish, English, and Humanities classes that inspired me. Then I discovered Xanths Novels and The Lord of the Rings, both of them blew my mind. I do not have writing heroes, I considered them my inspiration. Of each and everyone I have read, I have taken things that made me grow as a storyteller and writer. I can say I love this writer, but I do not call them my heroes.
Q – Tell us about your favorite character or characters, and if their story resonates with what you do as an artist.
A – I have a few characters I adore. Like Gandalf, I love Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. The interaction between Legolas and Gimli is fascinating. The determination and sacrifice of Sherezade in the One Thousand and One Nights. I have quite a few. But in my trilogy, I have some that were wonderful to create. Like Imugaru and Yuisa and Iyeguá. All of them are strong female characters. These three characters know about sacrifice in their own way for good or bad. One of them is not an example to follow, but none are perfect. They have resilience in them I admire and wanted to portray in the story. But Imugaru, I adore and love. She is a combination of my mother, my godmother, and my grandmother who are important people in my life.
Q – How do you prepare for a project?
A – It depends on the project. I try to be as organized as I can be because I tend to be forgetful. It is important that I be organized. As I said it depends on the project. For example, for my podcast I write what I will talk about in a way that sounds more of a conversation, to feel natural. I want to have an outline in order to flow.
The same for writing a story. I write the idea that comes to mind and write scenes with dialogues, descriptions. Develop characters, settings if I have to. Then after I have a base of a few things I wrote, I go and do an outline, develop how the story will go, the plot, the central one, a character profile, and so on. Then I write the story with all of that. My process involves a lot of handwritten papers and post-its. I love playing with all of that, it sparks my creativity. When I am ready to write, I use Scrivener. There I put everything I need in it. Love this program for it is very organized, you have everything there at hand.
Q – How do you see yourself in a future? Goals?
A – My son asked me the other day if I would like to be a famous writer. I told him no. I just want people to read my books and fall in love or hate my stories. My current goal is to finish the trilogy and work on another story. I see my future self as a grown, mature writer that has helped others in their process and kept writing.
Q – What does your family think of you about your art?
A – They are proud and supportive. They know sometimes their time has to be shared with my writing, but I try my hardest to respect their time with me. So when they are at work or at school, I put that time to my writing. I usually do not write during the weekends so I can be with them and have time for myself too. They understand this is my passion and what I love doing, so they embrace that and know this is who I am and love me. They are my inspiration, what keeps me going.
Q – Tell us about your best moment or the moment you cherish the most while in the industry.
A – I cherish those moments when a reader tells you they fell in love or hate a character of your story. Or tell you they cared for details as simple as the food they are eating or the clothes they are wearing. That tells me they immerse themselves in the story, they lived it alongside the character whether they loved or hated the them. These simple moments are the ones that inspire me to keep doing what I love. They enjoy my story, and that is magical and amazing.
Q – What suggestion you can give to aspiring writers?
A – The only way to become a writer is to write. Do it every day if you can, only if it is a few minutes. Little by little you get your story finished. Just write. Set goals, set time to write that helps a lot. If this is what you want, do not give up. Do not lose hope, keep writing. One step at a time will get you to your destination. Where you want to be a writer. It is not easy, but it is worth it.
Q – For you, what makes a good story?
A – One that mesmerizes you, captures your attention. Keeps you wanting more. Makes you feel something. Those are the kinds of stories I think are good. That makes me ask questions in order to know more.
Q- For you, what makes a good character?
A – Someone you can identify with or love to hate. A character that you want to know more about and with whom you want to embark on that adventure he or she is living in that particular story. I love a story where they present a character that is well developed. That means the writer took his o her time to get to know that character, to make him or her feel real.
Q – Anything you want to add up?
Keep learning about writing, read, have fun. If you get frustrated take time to unwind, to relax, to give yourself love. Life is a journey, an adventure, enjoy its good and bad moments.
We truly want to thank Alexandra Román for her time. As always we wish her the best of luck with her books, writing, and podcasts. If you want to learn more about Alexandra, you should visit her social media pages or go to her website. If you want to read one of Alexandra’s books, the links will be below.
Website: https://alexandraroman.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writeralexandraroman/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandraroman/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alexandra-Roman/e/B07QKLHRPC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1