In this exclusive interview, we sit down with the talented author Sofia Baquedano to uncover the creative process and personal insights behind her compelling novel, “This is My Worst Nightmare: Please Be Nice to Me.” From her writing influences to behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Sofia shares a glimpse into the world of her characters and the profound messages woven into her work. Join us as we delve deeper into the mind of the author and gain valuable advice for aspiring writers.
But First, who is Sofia Baquedano?
Sofia Baquedano is a Brazilian-Spanish writer and filmmaker. She is currently a film student in university in Brazil, and holds a certificate from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. She is passionate about the importance of imagery and beauty in a scene, both on-screen and on-paper. She grew up between Brazil and Spain and currently lives in São Paulo. “This is my worst nightmare please be nice to me” is her first novel.
Sofia Baquedano’s Books
- What inspired you to write “This is My Worst Nightmare: Please Be Nice to Me”?
Honestly, the idea for the book came to me very organically. I’m a big fan of Broadway musicals and I used to write short stories and poems based on musical songs. One afternoon in 2020, as I was writing one of those poems, it dawned on me that the story I had going on in my head behind what was written in the poem was interesting enough to warrant a novel. I opened a new document and started typing away immediately, and in three weeks, the first draft of the novel was done.
- Can you describe the main themes of your book and what message you hope readers will take away from it?
In “this is my worst nightmare: please be nice to me”, I wanted to delve deeply into human relationships and everything that comes with it, the joys, pains, grief. All of it. I hope the readers will take from it a message of hope, that things do get better, that people can indeed change. Even though the story is often somber, I do feel, especially looking back on the book now after it’s done, that if you read between the lines, you’ll find a message of love.
- Are any of the characters or events in the book based on real-life experiences or people you know?
I always try to stray away from this question, because the answer is a little complicated: it’s a “yes and no” situation. Yes, because I do believe that everyone I’ve ever met and everything I read about or watch or experience is in this book. Everything that’s ever happened in my life has shaped who I am and what I write, but not in the sense that the characters are based around anyone specifically. They’re a mix of myself and people I’ve met and characters I admire. Since the book is basically a character study of the three main characters, I wanted to build them from scratch, and really get to know them.
- What was your writing process like for this book? Did you face any significant challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Since I wrote this book during a time when I could not leave my house, I did write it faster than I usually would. I spent hours on end typing, and wouldn’t stop until I had to eat or go to the bathroom. I didn’t have a process in the sense of outlining the story or characters, it was more that, as I typed, I felt like those things came to me. One interesting thing is that I didn’t even know what the main characters would be called when I first started the book, and only figured that out in chapter two or so, then in later versions I came back and wrote the names in chapter one. A particular challenge I had was to decide which point-of-view to use. I could either have a third-person narrator, which I did have in one of the earlier versions of the manuscript; I could have Charlie narrate the book, though I didn’t experiment with that one; or it could be Sunny’s point of view, which it did end up being.
- Which authors or books have influenced your writing style the most?
As I said in a previous question, I do like to think that every book I’ve ever read has shaped the way that I write. I’ve been writing since I was five years old, little stories on my mother’s computer, and back then I had very little to base my writing on. Nowadays though, and especially in this novel, I feel like I’ve been inspired by a few writers in particular. My favorite author of all time is Oscar Wilde and his style has definitely influenced me, especially when it comes to flourished sensory descriptions. As for more contemporary authors, Hanya Yanagihara’s “A little life” inspired me to write about a group of friends’ lives, tapping into both past and present to understand them better, and delving deeply into their relationships. Elif Batuman’s “The Idiot ” was a great inspiration for the witty narration style, as Batuman’s character and Sunny have a few things in common, such as innocent sarcasm and an interest in Literature and travel. I can’t help but mention Anne Carson as well, because her prose was what inspired me to write the poem that gave origin to what would come to be this novel.
- What is the most rewarding part of being an author for you?
The most rewarding part of writing for me is being able to create characters that feel real, to create scenes with enough imagery to make the reader feel like they’re inside the book, like they’re watching the scene play out in front of them. If I can captivate a reader, then that’s the most rewarding thing I could ever dream of.
- Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories or interesting facts about the creation of your book?
I took some time to get to the final draft of this book, so an interesting fact about it is that a lot of things changed from the first draft to what you can read now, even small things like a character’s profession. Charlie, for instance, is a stand-up comedian now, but before I had him working in an office. A lot of these things changed because when I read and reread the book multiple times I felt they were off, and wanted to explore. The process of rereading and rewriting can be difficult, but it’s important because you can catch some of your own faults before anyone else can.
- How do you hope your readers will connect with Sunny and her story?
I hope that I’ve done a good enough job in this book that every reader from every background will be able to relate just a bit with at least one character or situation in this book. I’ve learned that feelings are quite universal, and though the specifics of situations might change from person to person, there are certain ways that people react to things that are universal, that a lot of people relate to, or can at least understand. I hope that Sunny will captivate the reader and that reading the story through her eyes will give them more insight into what is happening and has happened.
- What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are working on their first novel?
Don’t give up. I know it’s cheesy advice, but it’s very true. I spent months not daring to open this book, not daring to write a different draft, because I was too afraid of what people would think, how it would be received, if it would sell. But truthfully, even though we as writers do want people to read what we publish and want to connect to readers, we don’t write for others, we write for ourselves, because we have to, because we are bursting with a story that needs to come out. So let that story come out, put it on paper, because you will feel much better afterwards. And it will make you feel so, so rewarded when your first reader tells you what they think.
- Do you have any upcoming projects or future plans that you can share with us?
As well as a writer, I’m a film student and screenwriter. I’m currently working on two different short film projects. One of them is a travel film about a couple of historians who are going through a divorce, and whose personal story intertwines with the history of the place they’re visiting; and another is a musical comedy. I’m also working on a few short stories and poems that will be out in publications later this year. As for a second novel, I’ve been struggling to find time to begin it, which is another very common struggle for authors, but I’ve got an idea for a character that I would really love to write about, and I’m looking forward to getting started on that. Thank you to whoever gets “this is my worst nightmare: please be nice to me”, and I’m looking forward to reading your reviews!
Thank you Sofia Baquedano for sharing your personal insights and creative journey with us in this exclusive interview. Your experiences and writing process provide valuable inspiration for aspiring writers, and your novel “This is My Worst Nightmare: Please Be Nice to Me” is sure to captivate readers.
Best wishes on your future projects, both in literature and film. We look forward to the captivating stories and meaningful visuals you will continue to bring to the world.
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