Nothing suggested that the young Joana Marcús, that girl who hated reading and writing so much, at only 21 years old, would end up becoming the new signing of Editorial Planeta. But sometimes reality is stranger than fiction and today, this Mallorcan has become the new best-selling author and a benchmark among young audiences.
Joana Marcus. Photos: Carlos Ruiz.
– When was your link with reading and writing born?
– As a little girl I didn’t like reading at all, I would even say I hated it. When we were assigned required readings in school, it made me very nervous because I knew that there would be a part of reading in class and another part of taking a comprehension test. I always failed both. One of my teachers realized that I had much more difficulties than my classmates and the psychologist at my school diagnosed me with dyslexia. She recommended that we spend some time each day reading. Then my aunt gave me a copy of Harry Potter. I devoured it in a week and as a result of that, the other books arrived and also the desire to start writing them.
– Where lies the key to your writing and the success of your works?
– I would say that the key is to write what interests you most and, above that, what you would like to read. There is nothing worse than writing on demand or trying to get carried away by what is fashionable at all times. I think it is something that the reader also notices. Following the line of what I like to read, I am very passionate about light youth reading. I love that they are direct, with dialogues made in the most realistic way possible, simple descriptions, that all the characters beyond the protagonists have their story… It is a set that I try to convey in my books.
– Adolescence is a time of rebellion. Do you also transfer your own experiences to your works?
– Yes, of course. If there is something that we all have in common, it is that in adolescence, in one way or another, we have experienced very intense feelings. It is the time when you start to want to know who you are and where you want to go and that gives rise to many insecurities and fears. I lived it relatively recently, so it is difficult for me not to include my own experiences.
– How did it affect your writing that your schoolmates bullied you for standing out on the literary platform Wattpad?
– The truth is that all that did not come until I was in my last years of high school, and by then I already had so much work that I barely wrote. I guess that, together with the treatment I received and the fact that I was becoming well known on the Internet, formed a snowball that blocked me completely. When I sat in front of the computer I no longer felt in a safe place where I could express myself and be myself. The only thing I saw were the faces of people who made fun of me and the negative reviews I received from anonymous people. For two years, I was totally unable to write anything.
– And suddenly, after becoming the most read Spaniard on Wattpad, Editorial Planeta publishes your ‘Fire Trilogy’. How are you coping with this success?
– I’m so excited. Doing what you like and being able to dedicate yourself to it is a dream that I never thought I would achieve. Also, this story was the one that got me out of that two-year lockout that I mentioned, so I have a very special fondness for it. In a way, it marked the moment when I decided to start from scratch.
– Did the jump from a digital platform to a printed book change your way of writing?
– In a way, yes. On Wattpad I can separate the paragraphs so that certain phrases create more impact, use more comic gags, have resources such as GIFs, images or videos… And there is also the role of the community, whether you want it or not, it changes the experience a lot. A printed book doesn’t work like that. When you write with a publisher you are not alone in front of a screen, but you have a whole team of professionals behind you who advise you in everything they can. If you open yourself to it, you can learn a lot.
– You are very active in social networks with readers. Do you include in your books suggestions they make you?
– Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It is very easy to get carried away by external opinions. That is why it is so important to draw a line that separates your opinion as an author from their opinion as readers. Should external criteria be taken into account? Of course, that’s where you learn the most from. But that doesn’t mean you have to follow it above your own.
– How do you combine writing, your appointment with the readers, the book signing, the interviews… with the university?
– Honestly, sometimes it is very difficult. A few months ago I just had to combine university with work, and now I have to do it with this new job as a writer. The part of interacting with the readers is the easiest. I have to admit that they make it very easy for me. I really like using my social networks, and the people who interact with me are very nice and understanding.
– You study Psychology, do you see it as a tool for your literary creations?
– I have always been curious about human behavior and when I was fifteen I began to be interested in psychology books. I devoured them out of simple and plain curiosity. In the end, it was clear which race I was going to stay in, and the truth is that I really like it. It is very interesting and helps a lot when building characters.
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