Who are you?
Hi! I’m Elba Luz. I’m an author and a marketing professional in children’s publishing in the Tri-State area.
What do you write?
I write romance in the YA and adult space. I have always loved storytelling in all forms, particularly video games first, then books and film. Any story I consumed felt like falling into a different world, and it was something that often brought me comfort. When I was consuming stories from games or shows, I realized a writer was at the foundation of every story. It was like magic to me that someone could sit down and put together a string of sentences and somehow create a whole world. I’ve known I wanted to be a writer, too, since then.
It’s a personal choice, but I like to stay in the happily-ever-after space. Books are so important, and I read every genre, but when I write and touch on heavier topics, it’s layered with humor, which is how I have always handled hard times in my own life. So I try to balance both, but you’ll never pick up something I write and be heartbroken. I know this is the space and the impact I can bring to the book world, and I want to leave people feeling lighter than before they picked up my book.
As someone who loves to daydream and make up fake scenes in my head before bed, I love writing. I love making new worlds, creating characters who are braver than me, and letting them go through their journeys. I would hate to be trapped in my head forever. I’m fun, but I’m not that fun. It’s nice to share the space with hundreds of stories floating around in there.
Where do you write?
I wish I were cool enough to have a designated space or routine, but I’m all over the place. I’m too impatient when I have an idea to fully write it out, so I tend to type it in Microsoft Word on my laptop or in the Notes app on my phone. The only constant for me is music. I have a few designated playlists when I’m writing, based on the scene's emotion. They’re typically OSTs from video games like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts or music from my favorite composers and pianists, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Joe Hisaishi. I don’t think I’ve ever written in my life without listening to music. If I have that, I can write at a coffee shop, in my office, outside, or in the corner of the room at a party where my friends are begging me to socialize.
When do you write?
I’m a morning person and am most creative when the sun is up. As the day goes on and night falls, I lose my creativity. I wake up around six and start my day with an iced coffee. As soon as I have that, I’m ready to go. I’ve never set a time limit; I’ll write a single word and look at how many seconds have passed. Nor do I set a word count goal. Any kind of pressure I put on myself tends to backfire. I like to just write about a scene, a moment, or the emotions I want to convey and focus on that. However, when I’m on deadline for edits with my editor, I make sure I write every day instead of every other day or whenever the mood hits. Sometimes, when you’re on contract, you have to sit down, even when it’s hard and nothing is in your brain, and force something onto the page. That’s life!
Why do you write?
A mix of reasons. No matter how far-fetched and difficult we know it is, I think most writers wish to be successful enough to live as full-time authors, and I’m no different. I want to be someone with enough money so my family doesn’t have to work at all; they’re a big motivation for me.
To be honest, I simply love to write. How amazing would it be to make a living from something I genuinely love? As for inspiration, the writers I look up to are, of course, a great source. Without them, I would never have become a writer in the first place.
How do you overcome writer's block?
The only thing that helps me is reading and clearing my head. If I hit a block I can’t seem to overcome, I stop writing altogether. The more you stare at the page, the more you hate it. I’ll play some video games, go for a walk, tell my dog I love her a million times until she’s concerned for my well-being, and eat a cookie. I give myself a couple of days away from the project. Then, I read a book in the genre I’m writing. No matter how good you think you are, there are a million writers who are more experienced and talented, and I look to them for guidance. I read and make sure my pacing hits similar beats. I think about why I like the book, what moments keep me glued to the page, and what moments I find myself skimming, and compare them to my own writing. It’s like studying for a test. How will I pass if I don’t know the material? Then I go back to my writing!
Bonus: What do you enjoy doing when not writing?
I have mentioned video games so many times already, but I am a gamer girl. RPGs are my sweet spot, and I will play games I love a million times over. If not that, I like to go for walks and soak up the sun or cook a new recipe.
My thanks to Elba Luz for today's interview.