By Honorary Reporter Khushi Yadav from India

Photos = Jen Frederick

Jen Frederick is an American author who was born in Korea and adopted by an American family. With 40 books on Goodreads along with hundreds of thousands of ratings, she has jointly written two novels that topped The New York Times' bestseller list and several books under her name on the Kindle Top 100. After I saw this record, I got interest in this bestselling writer who has history with Korea. Therefore I decided to conduct interview with her. Because of my interest in this bestselling writer who was originally from Korea, I decided to conduct an interview with her

The following are excerpts of an email interview with the writer on Oct. 3.

When did you realize that you wanted to become a writer?
The process of writing a book both intrigued and intimidated me but for a year, I decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month, which requires participants to write a novel in November. With the encouragement of friends who were established authors, I wrote around 1,000 words a day but I set the manuscript aside. A few months later, a friend asked me about the text I'd written in November and challenged me to make it into a book. So I did so and thus produced my first book.

What inspired you to write "Seoulmates?"

I wrote "Heart & Seoul" and the sequel "Seoulmates" from my own experience as an adoptee, my many hours of watching K-dramas and my visits to Seoul.

What do you hope your readers get from your works?
Escapism! I hope that the story can take them away from their day-to-day lives and give them a small period of enjoyment. It's what I experience when I read a good book.

What do you like to write about the most?
About people and their relationships with each other.

What is your biggest challenge in writing?
Writing the first draft.

What is a quality you want to be a more successful writer?
I have so many deficits as a writer and hope to grow more proficient in many areas such as writing dialogue and action scenes. I want to also write a suspense novel. 

What is your main objective as a writer?
Write the story in my head. You might imagine a scene in your head but when typing or writing it with a pen, the scene doesn't feel as dynamic. Finding the appropriate words to deliver an impactful experience for the reader can be a real challenge.

What tips do you have for novice writers?

Write every day even if for a few minutes. Writing is like a muscle that needs to be exercised daily to grow stronger. Use a note app on your smartphone or journal and start by writing just a couple sentences in the first week. The next week, challenge yourself to write five sentences. Build on what you did before every week, and you'll surprise yourself with how much you achieve in just a month.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.